The sky above the academy dome flickered between dawn and daylight—a system glitch or just Ethan's nerves, he couldn't tell. The internal clock indicated 9:43 AM, leaving him with seventeen minutes until his turn.
He stood outside the Integration Hall, surrounded by fellow students engaging in nervous or excited conversations with friends, family, and system AIs. Everyone seemed to have someone by their side, except for Ethan.
That's fine, he told himself. It's better this way.
He tightened his grip on the small silver token in his palm—the confirmation key for the [Saplingkin] card. The edges had warmed slightly over the night, adapting to his choice.
"Hey! Did you hear? That guy from Sector A actually got a Tier 3 Shadowfang!" one student exclaimed.
"Wow. I heard someone went for a basic slime. Like, no offense, but are they just giving up?"
"Eh, maybe it suits their realm. Some people just prefer simpler builds."
Simple builds.
Indeed.
He walked toward the entry queue, keeping his hands tucked in his coat pockets. The air here didn't stink of smoke and rust, and it still felt strange.
Uncomfortably clean.
The line moved quickly. Inside, students entered one by one through shining doors into the Integration Chamber—aa spacious, brightly lit room featuring shimmering pillars of light. As each student activated their cards, pulses of mana and vibrant colors flashed within the room.
He stared.
He observed in silence until his name echoed throughout the chamber.
"Ethan Ward. Please proceed to Chamber 12."
People turned to look, just briefly.
What? Do they expect me to trip or something?
He stepped into Chamber 12.
The door shut behind him with a soft hiss.
The silence enveloped him.
At the center stood a small platform, carved with delicate grooves of runes and golden veins of a living substance. The walls emitted a faint light in response to his presence.
He took a deep breath.
"Alright," he muttered. "Let's see if this actually works."
The system interface activated in front of him.
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[Initiating Integration Ceremony]
Realm: [Polluted Wasteland]
Current Hazard Rating: [Extreme]
Race Card Selected: [Saplingkin]
Estimated Survival Chance Post-Integration: [7.3%]
Do you wish to proceed?
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He almost laughed.
The odds remained unchanged.
No last-minute miracles, huh?
He stepped forward and placed the silver token on the center of the pedestal.
A surge of green light radiated upward.
His breath caught.
For a split second, he believed he saw a sprout—small, green, alive—struggling through a crack in stone.
Then came the pain.
It hit him like a truck.
His knees buckled as the divine link forged itself—thread by thread—between his soul and the newborn realm.
He wasn't prepared.
Visions flooded his mind.
Burned forests, Cracked land, Skies choked with ash.
The same world as before, but this time as a part of him.
But then...
A spark.
One leaf.
One root.
Straining, stretching, reaching.
He screamed—not in agony, but from the overwhelming intensity of the connection.
It's trying… to live.
Even here.
The system updated mid-integration.
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[Integration Successful (Conditional)]
Race [Saplingkin] has been introduced to Divine Realm.
Survival Probability: Increasing...
Realm Response: [Turbulent]
Spiritual Link: [Formed]
Your realm has accepted your choice.
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He collapsed to his knees, breathing hard.
Sweat dripped down his face.
It's alive... It's actually alive.
He laughed under his breath.
Not in mockery, but with the realization of achieving something unexpected.
Let others play gods. I'll cultivate a world.
One leaf at a time.
Ethan pushed himself up from the integration platform. His legs shook, but the pain had dissipated, replaced by a gentle warmth, a tingle radiating through his bones. His connection to the realm had not only formed—it had settled like roots.
The chamber doors opened with a soft chime.
Outside, several students were already engaged in discussions, some excitedly pulling up system screens mid-air, others huddled with family or mentors.
And then he overheard the buzz.
"Yo, did you see that Ethan guy? Took forever in there."
"Yeah, and he looked like someone who just faced a ghost."
"Or became one."
"What card do you think he chose?"
Ethan walked past them, quiet as ever.
No screen.
No display.
He didn't even look back.
Let them guess.
He found a bench near the courtyard and sat down. From here, the faint glimmer of each student's realm-integration process shimmered above the massive glass dome, like distant auroras.
Above all, one phrase from the system lingered in his mind:
[Survival Probability: Increasing...]
This indicated a glimmer of hope.
He nearly laughed again. Something so small… but it was growing.
I wonder what they'd say if they saw it, Ethan thought.
The realm I selected. A sky filled with smog, rivers of sludge flowing around. And at the center… a mere sprout.
Then came the voices again.
"Bro, look at this!" a student nearby shouted, pulling up his realm display. "My desert realm's already accepted the Sandfang Beetle! Tier 2 baby! Did you see that shell stat?"
"Great! I'm working with Iceborn Minnows. I have a whole frozen lake at my disposal now."
"Wait—check this out." A group gathered around a student with glowing hands.
"Volcanic terrain."
"Lavafiend Hounds."
"He has already bonded with two of them!"
And just like that, the whispers returned.
"Hey… that's the guy. Ethan, right?"
"What did he choose?"
"I didn't see anything on the public list. He hasn't revealed his realm either."
"Maybe he failed?"
A few stares landed on him, but he didn't care. He adjusted his coat and closed his eyes.
The system buzzed privately:
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[Realm Status: Polluted Wasteland]
Size: [1 sq. km]
Core Entity: [Saplingkin – 1 Seedling Active]
Air Quality: [Toxic]
Soil Viability: [Low]
Light Distribution: [Irregular]
Progress Toward Stability: [0.8%]
Mood of Realm Consciousness: [Uncertain Curiosity]
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Ethan blinked.
Mood of the realm...?
He gave a tired smile.
It seems I'm not the only one questioning how this is meant to function.
Suddenly, a girl approached him. She wore short, round glasses and a pale blue jacket; he recognized her from orientation.
"Ethan, right?" she asked, somewhat awkwardly.
"…Yeah?"
"I noticed your integration chamber glowing green. That's quite rare. Would you mind sharing what card you selected?"
He looked at her and thought for a second.
Then said, "A plant."
She tilted her head. "A plant? Like a tree?"
"No. A sapling. The small kind."
Her mouth opened as if she were about to respond—but then she hesitated.
She smiled instead like comforting him.
"…Nice," she said. "That's brave."
He raised an eyebrow. "Brave?"
"Yeah," she said, glancing toward the other students.
"Most of them are chasing power. But they don't know that sometimes, power... it begins small, like very small."
Then she nodded and walked way, leaving Ethan contemplating her words.
That's… unexpected.
The system chimed softly again.
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[System Notice]
A minor flow of natural mana has been absorbed by [Saplingkin].
Photosynthesis process initiated.
Growth +0.01%
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Ethan stared at the text.
This time, he didn't just smile.
He grinned.