Golden paper
The wooden floor was worn and barely recognizable, showing traces of the original quadruple star pattern.
Dried bloodstains on top revealed a dark red hue under the moonlight.
Colin sat at the edge of the bed, his thoughts drifting back to the early morning hours.
...rough stone walls, a fireplace made of cobblestones, open wooden windows, fresh bloodstains at his feet illuminated by moonlight, and himself sitting on the bed, pale-faced, hands covering his head as he surveyed the surroundings...
This was the scene from just over a dozen hours ago, right when he had traversed.
Before the traversal, he was just an ordinary office worker. A single man who had recently bought a house with the help of his family, took out a loan for a car, and although his work was monotonous, it was stable and easy...
In summary, life, while mundane, was happy.
He had never imagined crossing into another world!
Colin snapped back to reality, leaned back, and let his body fall onto the bed.
Thud.
But soon, he grimaced and sat up again.
He had forgotten that this was no longer his soft, comfortable bed.
It was just a hard, cold wooden plank.
Feeling oddly agitated, Colin got up from the hard, cold bed and walked to the window. He looked up at the moon, so similar to the one from his previous life.
Despite the clear night, some clouds drifted in the sky. They swayed around the full moon in the night breeze, tinted with a silvery glow.
After a while, he finally regained his composure. He shook his feet and hands, trying to warm them in the early spring chill.
Soon, feeling the blood flow back into his limbs, he slowly walked to the wooden table next to the bed and extended his right index finger.
Hiss.
No matches, no magic props. Just a simple extension of his finger, a summoning of focus and magic, and a lively flame appeared abruptly at his fingertip.
Colin gazed at the dancing flame in his hand, his face showing a mix of emotions.
'Apprentice magic — Ignition... a genuine supernatural power...'
He lit the oil lamp, extinguished the flame on his fingertip, and prepared to clean up the mess left by the previous occupant.
In the morning rush to attend classes, he only had time to casually wipe the floor with his feet before hastily leaving, not even bringing lunch. The floor was still a mess.
The stone house where the original owner lived was a standardized construction of the Lapu School for junior apprentices. All the single rooms looked the same.
The room wasn't large, about fifty square meters in total. Upon entering, there were washroom and kitchen areas on either side of the entrance. Then came the bedroom, and further inside was a meditation room of about ten square meters.
The ritual sketch covered nearly half of the bedroom, scattered with various ritual items that urgently needed some clean up.
From the washroom, he took a broom and began to sweep the floor.
'Bones, sweep away. Ordinary cobblestones, throw them away. Crystals, keep them...'
After a while, he suddenly stopped.
Reaching towards a black sphere, about the size of an egg, placed in the centre of the ritual sketch, he hesitated.
In the original owner's memories, there was no such thing.
With a puzzled expression, he tried grabbing the black sphere with his right hand. As his hand approached, he paused suddenly.
'This isn't Earth... I need to be more cautious in everything.'
Colin thought to himself, attempting to retract his hand to find some other way to handle the situation.
But a sudden chill unexpectedly emanated from his right hand!
Colin widened his eyes as the egg-sized black sphere turned into a strange mist, gradually spreading along his hand before engulfing his entire body.
He stumbled to his feet, lifted his arm, and watched as the eerie mist gradually advanced towards his head.
Swish!
In an instant, the mist found its target and disappeared inside his head.
Colin's mind went blank as he staggered backwards and collapsed onto the bed.
...
The next morning, in the dim light.
Bang, bang, bang!
Regular knocking sounds echoed outside the stone house.
Colin, lying on the bed, had his eyelids twitch but didn't wake up.
The knocking continued for a while. Seeing no one answer, it gradually subsided.
Sizzle, sizzle.
The next moment, a brown letter was neatly inserted under the door.
The sturdy parchment made a faint friction sound against the floor. A wax seal, interwoven flames, was firmly attached to the envelope. Following that, a piece of paper was slid in alongside the letter.
Afterwards, the footsteps retreated, growing fainter.
The sun gradually rose from the horizon, casting a golden hue on the gem-like azure sea. Before long, the morning light seeped through the gaps in the wooden window, landing on the wooden floor, then slowly climbing onto the bed, illuminating Colin's pale face.
After a while, Colin's long eyelashes trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes.
The sunlight was glaring, and he instinctively squinted, raising his right hand to shield his eyes.
Then, he seemed to recall something and abruptly sat up, standing at the bedside, surveying the surroundings. He raised both hands, scrutinizing them.
Fair and plump palms, long and healthy arms, no extra hair, no any tentacles. Checking his entire body, everything seemed normal.
Colin breathed a sigh of relief, although a strange feeling lingered in his heart.
Colin let out a breath and, after hesitating for a moment, followed the feeling in his heart.
Tiny golden particles coalesced abruptly, forming a square piece of golden paper.
Colin stared wide-eyed.
The paper was filled with intricate and aesthetically pleasing black lines.
For some reason, these lines reminded him of the black sphere from last night.
And this golden paper...
He suddenly remembered: 'Isn't this the junk he bought in the antique market in his past life?'
'Could this be my golden finger?'
The changes continued. The black lines on the paper suddenly squirmed and distorted.
Before long, they turned into several lines of text that he was most familiar with.
[Name: Colin Leonard]
[Rank: Apprentice Wizard(53/100)]
[Meditation skill: Apprentice-level Circular Meditation skill (78/100)]
[Magical Techniques: Fire spell(87/100); Water Conjuring spell(68/100); Light spell(41/100)]
[Limit-breaking Points: 0]
At the same time, two pieces of information came —
Before the limit, every session of cultivation brings progress.
After the limit, breaking through with limit-breaking points allows continued improvement.
Colin's heart thumped violently. He took several deep breaths, but his heart didn't calm down.
He walked briskly to the wall and pushed open the window, and the bright light hit his face, causing him to squint. After adjusting, he allowed himself to gaze into the distance.
Under the sunlight, the vast expanse of azure sea sparkled, and flocks of white seabirds glided low overhead, emitting chirping cries.
A sea breeze, carrying a moist scent, gently brushed across his face. In the tranquillity, he finally began to calm down.
The appearance of the golden paper had dispelled a considerable amount of the oppressive gloom that lingered in his heart.
This world is too dangerous!
Bizarre rituals, unfamiliar world, a three-month deadline, the strange green flames in the gathering place last night...
Now, he finally had some reliance.
'But it's not time to relax yet.' He sighed, lifted his spirits, and walked towards the meditation room, preparing to carefully plan his next steps!
As he approached, Colin abruptly stopped his steps. He lifted his foot, revealing a crushed white seashell beneath.
Amid last night's cleaning, he suddenly fell into a faint, and now the place remained a mess.
He pondered for a moment, then bent down to pick up the broom from the ground.
"Let's tidy up here first, to prevent others from discovering traces of the ritual."
Then, he patted his stomach, deciding to clean up before grabbing a meal.
After all, from yesterday until now, he hadn't eaten anything.
Colin diverted his gaze from the kitchen, preparing to sweep the floor.
But the next moment, he raised his head again, looking towards the door.
Under the wooden door, lay quietly a brown envelope and a piece of white paper.
The breeze through the gap between the door and the floor made the white paper sway slightly.
Colin frowned slightly, dropped the broom, and walked towards the door.