The moment the ceremony ended, the academy became far louder than before.
Students flooded the courtyard.
Some were excited.
Some were disappointed.
Others were already discussing their plans for the next month.
Ethan walked toward the academy gate while opening his Origin System once more.
[ Origin System ] [ Synthesis ]
Name: Ethan Reed
Stage: 1, Novice Creator
World Type: Elemental
Origin Energy: 1,000
Origin Credits: 1,200 CR
System Points: 100 SP
Units: 99
Elementless Sprite ×99 [Common]
XP: 0 / 1,000
Everything looked exactly the same.
Except for the second tab.
His eyes lingered on it.
Synthesis.
The word seemed ordinary.
Yet the more he thought about it, the stranger it became.
The Federation had existed for thousands of years.
Countless Creators had awakened before him.
Countless worlds had been studied.
If this was a normal feature, he would have heard about it.
Yet he hadn't.
Not once.
"Ethan!"
A voice interrupted his thoughts.
He looked up.
Several classmates were approaching.
One of them grinned.
"So? What rank did you get?"
"B."
A few eyebrows rose.
"Not bad."
"Way better than me."
"Damn. Lucky."
Ethan simply smiled.
The rank wasn't bad.
But it wasn't extraordinary either.
A Rank students would receive more resources.
S Rank students were practically guaranteed invitations from top universities.
Meanwhile, B Rank students occupied a middle ground.
Good enough to matter.
Not good enough to stand out.
"What path did you awaken?" someone asked.
"Elemental."
Several students nodded.
One of them sighed.
"I got Technological."
Another laughed.
"What's wrong with that?"
"My world started with ordinary humans."
The group immediately burst into laughter.
Ethan smiled.
That actually sounded fairly normal.
Technological civilizations weren't born powerful.
They had to develop.
Factories.
Machines.
Infrastructure.
Progress happened step by step.
Unlike Elemental Worlds, where power could appear much earlier.
As the conversation continued, Ethan quietly listened.
One student had awakened a Cultivation World.
Another had awakened a Mystical World.
Everyone seemed eager to compare their starting situations.
Then someone suddenly asked:
"What units did you get?"
The group immediately became interested.
Ethan remained calm.
"Sprites."
"Elemental Sprites?"
"Elementless Sprites."
Silence.
Several people blinked.
"Elementless?"
"That's a thing?"
"I've never heard of that."
Ethan wasn't surprised.
Neither had he.
One student scratched his head.
"So... they don't have any elements?"
"No."
The atmosphere became awkward.
An Elemental World whose core race lacked elements sounded strange.
Very strange.
One of the students quickly laughed.
"Well, you're B Rank. There has to be something special about them."
Ethan merely nodded.
He didn't know if there was.
At least not publicly.
After chatting for a few more minutes, everyone gradually went their separate ways.
Soon, Ethan found himself walking home alone.
The city felt different now.
Everywhere he looked, discussions about awakenings filled the streets.
Restaurants.
Stores.
Public transport.
Everyone was talking about newly awakened Creators.
It happened every year.
Yet this year, Ethan was part of it.
A Creator.
The title still felt unreal.
By the time he arrived home, the sun had already begun to descend.
The front door opened.
His mother was waiting.
"How did it go?"
Ethan smiled.
"I awakened."
Relief immediately appeared on her face.
"And?"
"B Rank."
Her eyes widened.
"B?"
"Yeah."
She pulled him into a hug.
"That's wonderful."
A moment later, his father emerged from the living room.
Unlike his mother, he remained calm.
But Ethan still noticed the smile.
"Elemental World?"
"How did you know?"
His father laughed.
"You've been reading about Elemental Creators for years."
Fair enough.
The family spent the next hour talking.
Eventually, Ethan escaped back to his room.
The moment the door closed, his expression changed.
His attention returned to the Origin System.
No interruptions.
No distractions.
Just him.
And the mysterious second tab.
He sat on his bed.
Took a deep breath.
Then selected it.
The Origin System vanished.
A new panel appeared.
[ Synthesis ]
Available Elements:
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Ethan froze.
That was it.
No explanation.
No instructions.
Just four elements.
He frowned.
Then focused on one of the sprites inside his world.
The panel immediately changed.
Selected Unit: Elementless Sprite [Common]
Available Elements:
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Cost: 10 SP
Success Rate: 80%
For several seconds, Ethan simply stared.
Then he read it again.
And again.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Making sure he wasn't imagining things.
The meaning was obvious.
This tab could add elements to his sprites.
His heart started beating faster.
Elementless Sprites.
Fire Sprites.
Water Sprites.
Earth Sprites.
Air Sprites.
The implications were enormous.
Especially because his sprites currently had no element at all.
Ethan swallowed.
Then opened his Origin System.
System Points: 100 SP.
Enough for ten attempts.
His gaze shifted back toward the waiting Synthesis panel.
The tiny sprite stood beside the spring, completely unaware of the decision hanging over its head.
For the first time since awakening...
Ethan felt truly excited.
Because he had a feeling.
A very strong feeling.
The reason he had awakened ninety-nine Elementless Sprites...
was hidden inside this tab.
And he was about to find out why.