The cold was the first thing Evan felt.
Not the clinical chill of hospital AC. Not a draft through an apartment window. This was deep cold merciless, bone-piercing cold that howled through the air like a living thing. He gasped, eyes flying open, and found himself staring at a cloudless sky, pale blue and bright with sunlight reflected off snow.
"What the...?"
He sat up fast, snow crunching beneath him. His breath plumed out in heavy white clouds. Around him stretched a vast expanse of white wilderness, framed by distant pine-covered mountains. He turned in a slow circle.
There was a dirt road behind him, half-buried in snow. A mailbox stood crookedly at the edge, with a wooden sign swinging beneath it: Carver Homestead.
Then the memories hit him like a freight train.
His name had been Evan in his old life Canadian-American, lived in Seattle, worked a mid-level software job, and had just started dabbling in crypto and stocks. One icy night in 2023, he'd slipped on black ice near his apartment and cracked his skull on the pavement. He'd died instantly. It should've ended there.
But now... he was in someone else's life.
No panic surged through him. No identity crisis clawed at his brain. Instead, something ancient and instinctive inside him whispered: This is your second chance. Don't waste it.
A chime echoed inside his skull, sharp and mechanical.
[SYSTEM ONLINE]Welcome, user: Evan CarverLegacy Owner confirmed. Inheritance secured.Primary Assets:— $45,000,000 USD (Post-tax, liquid)— Carver Farm, 230 acres (Kluane Region)— Vessel #1: "Snow Queen" (Deep-Sea Crab Boat)— Vessel #2: "Blue Runner" (Trawler, multi-net equipped)
System Functions Unlocked:— [Survey Mode]— [Resource Extraction Field]— [Tech Store Access]
He blinked. "Did I just get... a system?"
Correct. You are the chosen user of the [Northern Rise System].This system specializes in territorial resource mastery, economic growth, and modern technological expansion.Your mission: Surpass the legacy of Robert and Diana Carver.Build your empire.
Evan let out a low breath, half-laughing. "Okay. So this is one of those worlds."
He looked down at his hands. They weren't his old hands. These were rougher, slightly callused, and paler. He wore a flannel shirt, thick jeans, and heavy-duty winter boots. He could feel the strong, healthy beat of a body used to labor. The Carver kid—this body's previous owner—had clearly lived a rural life.
But he was gone now. And Evan was here.
He turned back to the farm. The wooden house at the top of the drive was large, rustic, and partly buried in snow, its roof weighed down with two feet of powder. Beyond it, a line of outbuildings and a storage barn were half visible. Further back, dense pine forest rimmed the land, a wall of green behind a sea of white.
It was remote. Beautiful. Dangerous.
And apparently, it was all his.
Initial Tutorial:[Survey Mode] can be activated by saying or thinking: "Survey."Would you like to scan your current surroundings?
"Survey," Evan said, curious.
A ripple of light spread out in all directions like a sonar wave. Glowing outlines shimmered across the ground, trees, and distant mountains.
Survey Complete. Notable results:— Gold Vein: 18m below surface, purity 92%, approx. 3.6 tons— Copper Deposit: Shallow, 1.2m deep, medium grade— Old Well: Frozen, 30% capacity— Wildlife nearby: Moose (1), Arctic Fox (2), no bears detected
Evan let out a long, whistling breath. "That's real gold. Just... under the land?"
Extraction cost minimized via [Resource Extraction Field].Unlock rate scales with system upgrades.
He chuckled. "Alright. This just became interesting."
The cold was biting, so he jogged up the drive toward the farmhouse. Inside, he found a working wood stove, stocked pantry, and generator-powered lights. Everything had a rustic, utilitarian charm simple, solid, built for survival more than comfort. He was alone. According to the system, his new parents had died two weeks ago in a plane crash. Their remains had been recovered. The estate passed to him.
He stood in the centre of the living room, surrounded by silence, and made a vow.
"I'm not wasting this. Not the money, not the land, not the time. I'll be bigger than both of them."
Vow registered. System affinity increased.New Feature Unlocked: [Goal Path — Tycoon Route]Objective: Reach Net Worth $500,000,000Sub-objectives:— Begin Gold Extraction— Evaluate Fishing Operations— Purchase Tech Blueprints (Tier 1)— Stock Market Integration Pending
Evan's eyes gleamed. The system was real. The opportunities were real. He was a stranger in a dead man's life but he had tools, capital, and a hunger to rise.
He was alone in the Yukon wilderness... and he couldn't have asked for a better start.