Some people have nothing. Rook envied those people. As an orphan kept alive for the singular purpose of harvesting his daily coin, the gift from the gods to every living being with a heartbeat, he had less than even the poorest denizen of the lowest slum. Beaten and abused for his entire life, Rook no longer even had dreams of a life of comfort. There was no escape from his life either. After all, life outside his village usually meant death at the claws of the terrifying monsters that infested the wilds. Destined for a hard life and an early death, Rook encounters the mythical black skill stone and is offered a chance to change everything. A way to obtain anything he could imagine, but if he takes it, he would be stepping onto a path of unending danger and solitude. [Winner in the November 2024 Royal Road Writathon challenge]