Ugh, my head. And my arm, my side, and my leg. Everything hurt. Or at least, everything should have. But as consciousness gradually returned to me, I came to the startling realization that I was not dead.

I felt a hard sensation beneath my back, which told me immediately that I was not in some hospital bed somewhere. Either that or it was the most uncomfortable, wood-like bed in existence.

Wait, wood? With some effort, I blinked my eyes open and was met with a frightening amount of blue. The wide blue sky above me was to be expected, ignoring for the moment that when I died — er, fell asleep, the sky was completely obscured by grey clouds.

No, the issue was the vast expanse of blue encompassing me on all sides. I hurriedly sat up and abruptly paused as the slab of wood that was hosting me wobbled, waving to and fro. Okay, no need to panic. Just adrift on the deep blue sea, with nary a shore in sight to see.

Great, and now I’m thinking bad poetry. Depending on how long I’ve been here, I could be suffering from dehydration, heatstroke, or even an actual stroke for all I know. A truck to the face will do that to a person.

Except, now that I thought about it, I really wasn’t in any pain. I distinctly recall the taste of my blood at that intersection, and my leg had definitely been crushed by my bike as the truck ran over the back wheel. There should have been scratches all over my hands from where I tried to crawl away, and I felt dozens of cuts across my body from high-speed debris as I was swallowed by the tornado.

But so far as I could tell, physically I was fine. My clothes, or what was left of them, were in tatters, but my wounds had closed. Or maybe I had imagined them in the first place? Cut skin and fractured bones don’t just mend themselves overnight, as much as we may wish them to.

The tears in my pants and the gaping holes in my shirt, however, suggested that something had happened to me. And I certainly had a lasting memory of the pain I felt.

For now, I decided that the question of what had happened was not nearly as important as what I would do next. My phone had been lost, the entire front pocket in which I stored it torn away, leaving the waistline hanging by a thread. My feet were exposed; my shoes and somehow my socks missing. My backpack had probably been thrown off by the wind, and even if it was carried by the storm all the way out to sea with me, it was long underwater by now. I searched the surrounding waters with my eyes but saw nothing of note.

I wished that I had my phone on me. I would be able to call for help or check my relative position so I could slowly hand-paddle my way to shore. The fact that I couldn’t see any landmasses in the distance, however, told me that I was several kilometers out. The curvature of the Earth would prevent me from seeing past a certain distance, though I couldn’t remember what that limitation was.

If there had been an island nearby, I could have made a shelter there and figured out how to start a fire to signal any search craft. Or at the very least lived off the land and sea until I caught the attention of a passing boat or airplane. But no, the tornado had to drop me off right in the middle of nowhere. Why couldn’t it have deposited me onto the beach of a beautiful island with plenty of food and fresh water?

And here I was getting sidetracked again. But what else was I supposed to do? I had no food, no water, and little hope. The sun was almost directly overhead now, and I was starting to really feel the heat. I wanted to take a swim but lacked the energy to do so. I was also somewhat afraid that I wouldn’t be able to get back on the board. It was long enough for me to spread lay my five-foot-five frame without feeling like I was going to fall off, but who could say what would happen if water got on the surface. I certainly couldn’t. Would it lose its buoyancy and sink? Could I survive just floating in the middle of the ocean? How long would it take before some shark or whale or something came along for its mid-afternoon snack?

I had to do something. The longer I deliberated before taking action, the less energy I would have to enact said action. The first thing I needed to address was my increasing body temperature. I was now sweating, which meant losing water I couldn’t afford to lose at the moment. And if I couldn’t risk dipping into the ocean, maybe I could bring some of the ocean up to me. Surely this piece of wood — you know what, I’m just going to generously call it a raft from now on — would be able to support a little bit of water.

The first thing I did was remove my shirt and place it over my head as a makeshift umbrella or hat. Not a perfect solution but the slight relief of blocking the direct sunlight was worth the effort. Next, I reached down and dipped my hand below the ocean surface. The water was cool to the touch, if not cold. I was just glad the sun hadn’t heated up the seawater yet, as that would have ruined this whole plan.

From there, I cupped a small bit of water and poured it down over my chest. Years of walking and riding everywhere coupled with manual labor and giving piggyback rides had more than made up for my lack of gym membership. I shook my head at the inane though. Got to keep going.

I brought more water onto me, also taking care to spread a film of the cooling liquid across the surface of the “raft.” My pants would get wet, but there was no escaping that if I didn’t want the wood to heat up. After a few minutes of my impromptu bath, I finally felt like I was beginning to cool down. My skin, which had felt like I had been standing in a closed room with three stoves blazing at high heat, had sunk the excess energy into the colder water, reducing its own temperature. Classical thermodynamics, the basis of materials science.

Skill Acquired: Heat Transfer

Heat Transfer Lv. 1 — Transfer heat on a 1:1 ratio between yourself and a target you are in direct contact with.

I blinked.

The box was still there.

I blinked again.

No change.

I turned around and looked behind me.

The box followed.

I closed my eyes.

It was still visible. There was no escape.

This was it. My hypothesis has been confirmed. I had gone insane. My efforts to cool down were in vain, and the heat got to me. Cause of death: the sun. Come on, this was just not fair. Could I not catch even a single break? Knocked down by a truck, sucked into a tornado, hit by the truck, and then stranded in the middle of the flipping ocean?! And now I’m hallucinating a text box floating in mid-air that can insert itself into my mind with my eyes closed! Just go away already!

The box disappeared.

My arms, which had been flinging around as if to swat the box away like a fly, froze in midair. Was I…not hallucinating anymore? I glanced at my surroundings, suddenly worried that there was someone nearby who could see me acting like an idiot. Not that I wasn’t one, but I at least didn’t want to look like it. Seeing no one in the general area — that area being this entire stretch of endless ocean — I sighed in relief and returned to a relaxed, normal sitting position.

Simultaneously satisfied and disappointed that I was still alone, I turned my thoughts back to the mysterious phenomenon that had just occurred. My mental state (or lack thereof) aside, let us assume for a moment that the glowing text box was not, in fact, a figment of my overactive imagination. If this were to be the case, then logically, I should be able to recreate the effect. The first instance was a result of pouring water over myself to reduce my body temperature. Therefore, in repeating this procedure, I should be able to recreate the circumstances that lead to the event in question.

I proceeded to dip my hands into the water once more and gradually pour small hand-cups over myself and the raft. The water that had previously dripped down had already evaporated, so this was a welcome respite from the ever-present heat.

As I continued, a strange sensation came over me, as though I could feel the very blood flow through my veins and somehow influence it. I sensed the presence of what I could only describe as a new muscle, one in my core that branched out through the rest of my body.

Curious, I flexed this new muscle and got the impression that I was cooling down. I closed my eyes and focused on this new experience, working to apply just enough force to maintain whatever process was happening but not enough that I could potentially harm myself. Eventually, I ceased my contemplations on the nature of control and simply allowed this natural process to run its course. My hand was no longer splashing water over my body, but resting beneath the ocean surface.

I passed time enjoying the feeling of the heat leaving my body through the cooler water. Of course, I knew that “heat” was a colloquialism and could not actually move. Heat itself was the energy transferred from one object to another, something that really confused me in Thermodynamics. The main difference between heat and temperature was that temperature describes vibration portion of internal energy of an object while heat is the energy that leaves it. This, of course, was an idealization that ignores all the myriad alternative methods of energy alteration, but it was still a useful comparison for differentiating between the two often-switched terms.

Some indiscernible time later, the original purpose for which I had entered this meditative state revealed itself within my mind. By habit, I opened my eyes to study what was now floating before me.

Skill Acquired: Mana Manipulation

Skill Advanced: Heat Transfer Lv. 1 → Lv. 2

Mana Manipulation Lv. 1 — Utilize mana to cast skills.

Heat Transfer Lv. 2 — Transfer heat on a 1:2 ratio between yourself and a target you are in direct contact with.

The text box was a translucent, blue-white construct that resembled a computer or phone screen. It if weren’t for the fact that I was in the middle of the ocean on a slab of driftwood, I would think I was looking at a holographic projection of some sort. Hesitantly, I reached toward the box to poke it.

But as my hand made contact with the box, it simply passed through. There was no hole or any other sort of disruption to the image; it remained its solid color. And I could see my hand past the box, completely unaffected. It was as though the box were not there are all, and only a figment of my imagination.

Perhaps more mysterious than this box itself was the script written on it. It was in English, fortunately, so I could read it. But reading and understanding did not come hand in hand, and I was at a loss to interpret what any of this meant.

Except, maybe I didn’t need to. Was I wondering what mana was? How I had acquired these skills? Absolutely. At the same time, however, I was thirsty. And if the setting sun was any indication, I had spent most of the afternoon accidentally practicing this so-called [Heat Transfer] skill. It was time for me to put it to good use.

I needed water. The ocean was filled with water. In fact, it was water. Perfect! Except for all the salt and other pollutants that may be there. Fresh drinking water was not collected from desalinated seawater because it was far too costly to do at scale. You could have filters that, over time, would collect the contaminants and allow only the potable water to pass, but I didn’t have anything nearly like that. My torn shirt would certainly not qualify.

The second method I knew of was to boil the water. This would evaporate the H2O into its vapor phase, leaving the solid NaCl crystals behind. This would be fantastic, were it not for the fact that the water vapor would join the rest of the water vapor present in the air. What could I do about this?

For now, I decided it was best to test if the first plan was even viable: boiling water with what I hesitantly denoted magic. My [Heat Transfer] skill, now at its second level whatever that meant, would apparently allow me to move heat between myself and anything I was touching. And the conversion ratio made it seem that for every joule of energy taken, two joules would be provided.

I cupped a handful of seawater and closed my eyes. I focused my attention on my hand, recalling the sensation of that new “muscle” I now had control over. A strange but familiar energy emerged; a heat without warmth, present yet not. The energy had no physical presence, appearing only by my will, and would disperse at a moment’s notice. I seized upon this energy and sent it toward the water in my hands, thinking of [Heat Transfer]. Then I felt it. The change in my hands where they touched the water. A coldness rushed through my skin, startling me at its abruptness. My hands recoiled and the water splashed onto my lap, barely any warmer than before.

That was both a disappointing and informative test. Disappointing because I did not receive the desired result, yet informative as I confirmed that I could use this skill at will. I could still feel a cold sensation in my palms, though they were steadily warming in the late afternoon sun. It had probably been a mistake to focus solely on my hands. This skill would transfer heat directly from me into the water. The reason I hadn’t felt any negative effect transferring heat in this manner into the ocean was that I had been thinking about cooling my entire body at the same to cool down from the sun. Therefore, I would need to focus on my entire self transferring energy into the handful of water with my hands as the conduit, not as the source.

Ready to test my idea, I cupped more water and focused inward on my core, summoning the magical energy and circulating it outward. The energy coursed through my veins, expanding from my core as it lunged out toward my extremities. I felt the entirety of my body strain slightly, giving away to the energy as a part of it was diverted toward my hands. The cold was present but lessened, and I was prepared for it. This time, I held steady and siphoned my energy into the salty water.

As the temperature of the water rose to approach that of my body, I felt the strain gradually increase. It felt like pushing a sled down a hill that was slowly leveling out. It was still easy, but becoming noticeably more difficult. But as I attempted to heat the water further, that strain began to increase further and resist my efforts. Now I was pushing that sled uphill. The hotter the water became, the greater the strain on my body. I began to feel cold, as though Autumn’s breeze was flowing over my unshielded skin. The high heat in my hands was noticeable but not uncomfortable as if my hands had grown numb to the touch of the water. It seemed the very energy transferring the heat from my hands was simultaneously protecting them. That was fortunate, as I did not want to have to hold boiling water to get a drink.

Time passed, though not as quickly as before. I was aware of the process now and in control of it. Several minutes later, as I began to shiver, a faint bubbling sound reached my ears. I opened my eyes and saw the water in my hands boiling, releasing cloudy vapors of steam into the air. I rejoiced, for while this could not yet be counted as a full victory, this was a sound first step. I ceased the flow of heat into the water and watched as its temperature steadily fell. Not wanting to waste the excess energy into the air, I reversed the skill and reabsorbed the heat. It was much easier this time, and I wondered it if was because my temperature was lower than the water’s, and thus more able and willing to take in the heat. It made a bit of sense as naturally, I would have absorbed a good portion of that energy regardless. The magic just let me speed that up a bit and take more energy because it convected heat off to the air.

The only thing that worried me at the moment was my ability to use this skill. Even if could figure out a way to capture the escaping water vapor, which I had no clue for whatever, my plan relied on me being able to utilize this weird new ability. I just wished there was some way to know just how much magical capacity I had in me.

Name: Micah Cedano

Race: Human

Age: 18

Level: 1

Class: Materials Scientist

Job: None

Titles: World Traveler

Blessings: Nature, Voyager

Health: 157/180

Mana: 1208/1597

Strength: 18

Vitality: 19

Dexterity: 21

Intelligence: 24

Wisdom: 18

General Skills:

• Throw Lv. 1

• Mana Manipulation Lv. 1

Class Skills:

• Heat Transfer Lv. 2

Job Skills:

• Accelerated Comprehension [LOCKED]

Divine Skills:

• Bounty of Mana (Nature)

• Omnilingual (Voyager)

• Omniliterate (Voyager)

All at once, a mountain of information appeared in front of me again. I should have expected this by now. My title, World Traveler, stuck out to me the most, a possible explanation for what had happened to me. I thought I had died in the storm, and I very well may have, or something close. Divine intervention seemed plausible, considering this status screen indicated that I had two blessings and three skills related to divinity. I wasn’t even going to consider what else having Divine Skills could mean — they were gifts and that was that.

I had no way of knowing whether these statistics were good or not, but I was pleasantly surprised to see that Intelligence was my highest score. “Smart” was not an adjective I would have attributed to myself, and maybe it was still low relative to everyone else. But still, I had to remember that I had managed to get a scholarship to attend university. It was more of a need-based one specifically for orphans, but it was still fairly competitive and made me feel quite confident exiting high school.

The most relevant stat to my current circumstances was, without a doubt, the 1208/1597 mana. If mana was what I needed to utilize my skills, then the fact that it was still mostly full after an afternoon of casting [Heat Transfer] meant that I was free to continue without fear of running out. I couldn’t be certain how quickly I would regenerate this mana, if at all, but I would be losing Health a lot faster instead if I couldn’t get any fresh water in me. And I wasn’t a fan of how my health was already so far below its stated maximum.

I dismissed the status window and resumed brainstorming my predicament. I could boil the water, but couldn’t capture its water vapor. To transform the water vapor back into drinking water, all I would need to do was cool it. Wait. Wasn’t there already water vapor in the air? The air above this entire ocean? Did I need to boil the seawater in the first place? I used [Heat Transfer] holding my hands in a cup again, focused on stealing the heat from the water vapor in the air above them. I pictured the cooled gaseous water condensing back into liquid water. Energy — no, mana — surged toward my hands to control the skill, and I waited for the moment when I would feel the influx of heat.

But the moment never came. I was puzzled at the reaction or lack thereof. There was definitely water vapor in the air, so why couldn’t I transfer its energy to me? Opened my status screen again and focused on the [Heat Transfer] skill, hoping to get the skill description again. It worked.

Heat Transfer Lv. 2 — Transfer heat on a 1:2 ratio between yourself and a target you are in direct contact with.

And there lay the problem. I needed both direct contact and a single target. When I held the cup of water in my hands, it counted as a single object and I could easily touch it. The air, however, was far more abstract. I couldn’t really “touch” the entire atmosphere of Earth, or whichever planet this was. In actuality, my hands were touching a large collection of air molecules. I was somewhat perplexed that this molecular analogy didn’t hold for the water, which was a collection of water molecules, but maybe there was a subtle difference between the two that I was not seeing? Or maybe I was influencing all the air at once, and I was just too weak to affect any real change.

Regardless of the physical (magical?) reasoning, the fact remained that I needed a way to physically isolate the air before my skill could cool it. If I had a pair of glass bottles, this would be easy. I could boil saltwater in one of them and have the second bottle empty and connected at the opening. The water vapor would travel from the boiling bottle to the cooler one and then condense into liquid water. But I didn’t have any bottles, just this “raft” and my clothes and me. And I couldn’t just conjure up a glass bottle from air.

Unless…I could.

Not from the air, but the water. I had nearly forgotten, but my [Heat Transfer] skill worked both ways. And if I could boil water, I could freeze it too. And from what I remembered, the latent heat of fusion was a lot less than the latent heat of vaporization for liquid water. This would be easy in comparison.

I collected another handful of ocean water and channeled my mana, taking heat away from the liquid and into myself. I was a little concerned about overheating, but I had a lot more mass than what little water I could collect. Any energy it had would be dwarfed by my own internal energy. Within seconds, a cold feeling pressed into my hands, like holding a fresh snowball. The cold intensified but did not become painful. At last, the bottom layer of the cup of water froze. I allowed this process to continue, propagating the solid phase upward from my hands as they pulled the water’s energy into them. After a couple minutes, I was left with an icy prism.

The prism was perfectly contoured for my hands, with each finger having its groove from where it had been in contact with the water. Fortunately, none of them had been frozen within the water during this process, and I suspected that the skill had done something about this. The top surface of the ice was perfectly flat, like the top of a frozen lake in mid-Winter. The center of the oddly-shaped ice brick was, intriguingly, perfectly liquid.

That’s when I noticed something unexpected. On that top layer of ice sat little specks of white. I ran my finger over the surface, picking up the white crystal dust in the process. Was this…salt? I hesitantly licked the residue and felt a familiar sensation on my tongue, wincing as my mouth contorted in protest. That was definitely salt, all right. Did freezing the water push out the salt, somehow?

I dusted off the remaining particles and rose the ice to my mouth, melting the edge on my tongue. It tasted like water. I didn’t exactly know for certain what ocean water tasted like and wasn’t particularly inclined to give it a try, but this seemed alright. Good enough that with my thirst I wasn’t going to worry about it anymore.

The sun was hot enough that the ice was already beginning to melt in my hands, but I helped the process along with [Heat Transfer] so I could drink instead of sip.

I grinned. Water. Fresh water. People often say that water has no taste. At this moment, I fervently disagreed. This water that I had made most definitely tasted deliciously sweet.