A week passed after Awakening Day.
The excitent throughout the city hadn't faded.
Every newly awakened Creator was racing against ti.
Only three weeks remained until the University Recruitnt Competition.
For many students, every day mattered.
For Ethan, it was no different.
The difference was that most students were focused on growing stronger.
Ethan was focused on understanding.
The more he learned about his world, the more valuable information beca.
The Water Sprite spent nearly all its ti near the spring.
The Fire Sprite constantly explored.
The Earth Sprite continued gathering rocks.
The Air Sprite rarely stayed on the ground.
The Elentless Sprites followed simple instincts, but they were becoming increasingly organized.
His world was changing.
Slowly.
Naturally.
And with every change, Origin Energy continued regenerating.
Not much.
Just enough for Ethan to notice.
The process reminded him of water filling a pond.
One drop at a ti.
Eventually, it would beco significant.
That afternoon, Ethan found himself standing before the Origin Association.
The massive building towered over the surrounding streets.
Creators entered and exited constantly.
So carried resource containers.
Others discussed missions.
A few wore academy uniforms from famous universities.
The atmosphere felt completely different from ordinary life.
This was a place for Creators.
Ethan entered and headed directly toward the information hall.
Several giant screens filled the room.
Planetary campaigns.
Resource exchanges.
Association announcents.
Recruitnt notices.
His attention quickly settled on the planetary campaign section.
According to the information displayed, beginner Creators could access stabilized wild planets through the Association.
The Association handled the difficult work of securing entry points and maintaining safe deploynt zones.
Naturally, that service wasn't free.
A Level 1 wild planet required a deploynt fee of one hundred Origin Credits.
Ethan frowned slightly.
One hundred credits wasn't a small amount.
Especially for soone with limited funds.
Still, he continued reading.
Then he saw the reward section.
A successful clear granted a fixed bounty.
Five hundred Origin Credits.
His eyes narrowed.
Now that was interesting.
There was risk.
But there was also profit.
The Association wasn't running a charity.
They needed Creators to clear dangerous worlds before they beca larger problems.
In exchange, successful Creators were rewarded.
The arrangent benefited everyone.
As Ethan continued reading, another detail caught his attention.
Wild planets contained resources.
Plants.
Animals.
Minerals.
Special materials.
Anything gathered could be brought back through the spatial gate and sold.
Or added directly to a Creator's world.
For the first ti, Ethan began understanding why planetary campaigns were so important.
They weren't simply battles.
They were opportunities.
A way to accelerate growth.
A way to acquire resources impossible to create naturally.
A way to build a civilization.
His thoughts drifted toward his Origin Sphere.
At the mont, his world contained a forest.
A spring.
And one hundred sprites.
Nothing more.
If he wanted his civilization to develop, eventually he would need outside resources.
That much was obvious.
A notification terminal stood nearby.
Ethan walked over and examined the list of available planets.
Most entries contained basic information.
Level.
Environnt.
Estimated danger.
Recomnded force size.
One particular entry drew his attention.
Level 1 Wild Planet.
Environnt: Forest.
Threat Assessnt: Low.
Recomnded for Stage 1 Creators.
A beginner planet.
The weakest category available.
Exactly what he needed.
Still, Ethan didn't imdiately register.
He spent nearly another hour gathering information.
The more he learned, the more cautious he beca.
Many beginner Creators made the sa mistake.
They rushed into wild planets as soon as they awakened.
So lost units.
Others lost entire civilizations.
A few even suffered world damage.
The Federation was peaceful.
Wild planets were not.
Eventually, Ethan left the Association.
His mind remained occupied during the walk ho.
The idea of entering a wild planet was tempting.
Very tempting.
Resources.
Credits.
Experience.
All of it would help.
But rushing forward blindly would be foolish.
The mont he arrived ho, he entered his Origin Sphere.
The familiar forest appeared around him.
The Elental Stone Cluster continued radiating faint energy.
The sprites were gathered nearby.
The Fire Sprite imdiately noticed his arrival.
The little creature began enthusiastically waving.
Ethan smiled.
Then he sat beside the spring and watched.
The Water Sprite.
The Fire Sprite.
The Earth Sprite.
The Air Sprite.
His strongest units.
And yet they were still incredibly weak.
Compared to the civilizations he had seen in academy recordings, the difference was obvious.
If he entered a wild planet tomorrow, victory wasn't guaranteed.
Far from it.
He needed preparation.
He needed information.
Most importantly, he needed a plan.
The Fire Sprite eventually sat beside him.
Tiny sparks occasionally danced around its hands.
Ethan looked at the small creature.
Then toward the endless forest surrounding the spring.
A thought slowly ford.
The University Recruitnt Competition was important.
Everyone knew that.
But the competition wasn't his imdiate problem.
His imdiate problem was growth.
And growth required resources.
Resources existed on wild planets.
Which ant sooner or later, he would have to leave the safety of his world.
His gaze shifted toward the Origin System.
Origin Credits: 700 CR
System Points: 60 SP
Units: 99
Four elental sprites.
Ninety-five Elentless Sprites.
Not impressive.
Not yet.
But perhaps enough for a beginner planet.
The thought lingered in his mind as the sun slowly set over the forest.
For the first ti since Awakening Day, Ethan had made a decision.
Tomorrow, he would return to the Association.
And if everything checked out...
he would register for his first planetary campaign.
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