The next morning, Ethan arrived at the Origin Association before sunrise.
The building was already busy.
Creators moved through the entrance carrying resource containers, equipnt cases, and storage boxes.
So looked excited.
Others looked nervous.
A few appeared exhausted, as though they had just returned from a campaign.
Ethan headed directly toward the planetary deploynt hall.
This section of the Association was far more secure than the public areas.
Rows of tallic chambers lined the walls.
Each one was large enough to hold a single person.
A sign above the entrance explained their purpose.
Stabilization Pods.
Creators entering active campaigns left their physical bodies inside these pods while their consciousness was projected into the target planet.
It was a standard Federation technology.
Without it, extended imrsion could beco dangerous.
Ethan approached the registration desk.
The employee looked up.
"First campaign?"
Ethan nodded.
The woman smiled knowingly.
"Planet?"
"Level 1. Forest environnt."
The employee tapped a few commands into her terminal.
"Planet 042 is available."
A holographic display appeared between them.
Level 1 Wild Planet
Environnt: Forest
Threat Assessnt: Low
Campaign Fee: 100 Origin Credits
Bounty Upon Clearance: 500 Origin Credits
Ethan reviewed the information one final ti.
Everything matched what he had researched yesterday.
"Register."
The woman nodded.
A mont later, his interface updated.
Origin Credits: 600 CR
One hundred credits had disappeared.
The transaction was complete.
"Pod seventeen."
She pointed toward a nearby row.
"Good luck."
Ethan thanked her and walked away.
A few minutes later, he entered Pod Seventeen.
The interior was surprisingly comfortable.
The door sealed behind him.
Soft lights illuminated the chamber.
A calm voice echoed through the pod.
"Consciousness stabilization comncing."
"Planetary synchronization beginning."
Ethan closed his eyes.
Darkness consud his vision.
Then the world changed.
When his sight returned, he was floating in the sky.
An endless forest stretched beneath him.
Mountains occupied the distant horizon.
A river cut through the landscape.
And unlike within his Origin Sphere, Ethan had no physical presence.
He was rely an observer.
An invisible consciousness suspended above the planet.
A notification appeared.
Planet 042 Connected.
Spatial Gate Available.
His heartbeat quickened.
This was real.
His first campaign.
The first step beyond his own world.
Without hesitation, Ethan opened a gate.
Far below, space distorted.
A circular portal ford among the trees.
Monts later, the first sprite erged.
Then another.
And another.
Soon all ninety-nine sprites stood on the forest floor.
The Fire Sprite imdiately began looking around.
The Air Sprite climbed a nearby tree.
The Water Sprite remained close to the group.
The Earth Sprite examined the ground beneath its feet.
Everything seed normal.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
The sprites cautiously explored the surrounding area.
The forest felt eerily quiet.
Then movent appeared among the bushes.
A small creature erged.
It resembled a rabbit.
Gray fur.
Short horns.
About the size of a house cat.
The creature froze.
The sprites froze.
For several seconds, both sides simply stared at each other.
Then the rabbit turned and ran.
The Fire Sprite reacted instantly.
The little creature charged after it.
The others followed.
Ethan watched from above.
His first battle was beginning.
The rabbit was fast.
Unfortunately for it, there were ninety-nine sprites.
The chase ended quickly.
Several Elentless Sprites cut off its escape route.
The Fire Sprite reached it first.
A tiny spark erupted from its hand.
The attack struck the rabbit's side.
The creature squealed.
Then dozens of sprites piled onto it.
The struggle lasted less than ten seconds.
When it ended, the rabbit lay motionless.
A notification appeared.
Combat Complete.
XP Gained: 10
1 XP Awarded to Creator.
9 XP Distributed Among Participating Units.
Ethan stared at the ssage.
His first combat reward.
Not much.
But it was a start.
Below, the sprites gathered around their fallen prey.
Several poked it curiously.
One tried lifting it.
Another grabbed a leg.
Soon, half the group was attempting to carry the sa rabbit.
Ethan couldn't help laughing.
Then a new sound echoed through the forest.
A growl.
Low.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
The sprites froze.
Ethan imdiately focused on the source.
Several hundred ters away, movent appeared among the trees.
Sothing larger was approaching.
Much larger.
The bushes shook violently.
Branches snapped.
Then the creature erged.
Ethan's smile vanished.
This wasn't another rabbit.
It stood nearly two ters tall.
Thick muscles rippled beneath dark fur.
Two massive horns curved from its skull.
Its eyes locked onto the sprites.
A mont later, it lowered its head.
And charged.
The ground trembled beneath its feet.
The Fire Sprite imdiately released another spark.
The attack struck the beast.
It barely noticed.
The distance between them vanished rapidly.
Ethan's heart tightened.
This battle would be very different from the first.
And for the first ti since entering Planet 042...
his civilization faced a real threat.
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