Ethan stared at the Synthesis panel.
The small Elementless Sprite wandered around the spring below, completely unaware that its future was about to change.
Selected Unit: Elementless Sprite [Common]
Available Elements:
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Cost: 10 SP
Success Rate: 80%
Ethan remained silent for several moments.
The ability looked simple.
Almost too simple.
Yet he knew better.
An Elemental World without elements was weak.
An Elemental World with actual elemental creatures was something entirely different.
The question was simple.
Which element should he choose first?
Fire was destructive.
Earth sounded durable.
Air offered mobility.
Water seemed balanced.
After thinking for a while, he made his decision.
Water.
The spring was the center of his world.
Every sprite naturally gathered around it.
If any element was connected to this place, water seemed the most likely.
Ethan selected the option.
The panel changed.
Selected Unit: Elementless Sprite [Common]
Target Element: Water
Cost: 10 SP
Success Rate: 80%
Confirm?
His heartbeat quickened.
This was his first use of the mysterious tab.
He pressed confirm.
At once, the selected sprite froze.
The other sprites looked toward it curiously.
Blue light emerged from the spring.
Tiny streams of water rose into the air and surrounded the sprite.
The little creature slowly floated upward.
Ethan watched without blinking.
The blue light grew brighter.
And brighter.
Then suddenly collapsed inward.
The sprite dropped back onto the ground.
For a moment, nothing happened.
Then it stood up.
The translucent body was gone.
Its form had become pale blue.
Thin streams of water circled around its arms.
A notification appeared.
Synthesis Successful.
Water Sprite Created.
Ethan's eyes widened.
It worked.
It had actually worked.
He immediately opened his interface.
System Points: 90 SP
Units: 99
Elementless Sprite ×98 [Common]
Water Sprite ×1 [Common]
The little Water Sprite looked around.
Then it looked upward.
Directly at Ethan.
Its eyes seemed brighter than before.
More aware.
More alive.
The other sprites rushed over.
Some touched the floating streams of water.
Others stared curiously.
The Water Sprite proudly raised its arms.
Ethan couldn't help smiling.
For the first time since awakening, his civilization possessed a true elemental creature.
But he wasn't finished.
He selected another Elementless Sprite.
This time he chose Fire.
Red light erupted around the target.
Moments later, a second notification appeared.
Synthesis Successful.
Fire Sprite Created.
The new sprite immediately began running around the spring.
Tiny sparks occasionally appeared around its body.
Its personality seemed far more energetic than the Water Sprite's.
Interesting.
Very interesting.
Ethan spent the next several minutes observing them.
Then he created an Earth Sprite.
Success.
After that came an Air Sprite.
Success.
Four successful syntheses in a row.
His civilization now possessed four different elemental sprites.
The Water Sprite sat quietly beside the spring.
The Fire Sprite chased other sprites around the forest.
The Earth Sprite preferred remaining still near the water.
The Air Sprite had already climbed halfway up a tree.
Each element seemed to influence behavior.
Ethan stored the observation away.
Then his eyes landed on the remaining System Points.
60 SP.
Enough for several more attempts.
His gaze shifted toward another Elementless Sprite.
This time, he selected Water again.
Blue light emerged.
The sprite floated upward.
The process began exactly like before.
Then everything changed.
The light suddenly shattered.
The sprite fell from the air.
A weak cry escaped it.
The little creature hit the ground and stopped moving.
The surrounding sprites immediately rushed toward it.
Ethan's smile vanished.
A notification appeared.
Synthesis Failed.
Target Survived.
Future Success Rate Increased.
He quickly inspected the injured sprite.
Selected Unit: Elementless Sprite [Common]
Available Elements:
Fire
Water
Earth
Air
Cost: 100 SP
Success Rate: 90%
Ethan froze.
The cost had increased.
Dramatically.
Ten SP had become one hundred.
At the same time, the success rate had risen from eighty percent to ninety percent.
The rules were becoming clearer.
Every sprite possessed its own synthesis history.
Failure increased future chances.
But the cost permanently advanced to the next tier.
The injured sprite slowly sat up.
Fortunately, it was alive.
The nearby Water Sprite approached and gently touched it.
A faint blue glow appeared.
The injured sprite visibly relaxed.
Ethan blinked.
Had the Water Sprite just helped it recover?
He wasn't certain.
But it was worth remembering.
The sun gradually set over the forest.
The little civilization gathered around the spring.
The injured sprite rested beside the Water Sprite.
The Fire Sprite finally stopped running.
The Air Sprite climbed down from its tree.
The Earth Sprite hadn't moved much at all.
Ethan looked over his world.
Ninety-nine sprites.
Four elemental variants.
A mysterious Synthesis tab.
And only one day had passed.
Outside, he was merely a B Rank student with an apparently weak Elemental World.
Inside this world, however, something entirely different was beginning.
Something nobody else could see.
Something that might one day change everything.