Chapter 4

As I watched the fish swimming around, transforming into various forms, I couldn’t help but marvel at the wonders of evolution. With cautious intent, I dipped my hand into the seawater.

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The cold touch! Taking a tiny sip, the unmistakable salty taste hit me—just like the seawater I knew from before. Not much difference there.

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Hmm… I’d love to explore more of the underwater world, but observing from above has its limits, doesn’t it?

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Should I just dive in? But how exactly does one swim as a dragon with this bulky body?

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This muscular lower half of mine… swimming like a dragon sounds strange. Hmm… not sure about that.

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Well, you won’t know until you try, right? With careful deliberation, I began entering the sea.

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The cool water lapped against my legs and tail—it felt surprisingly pleasant.

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Ah, but wait—if I open my eyes underwater, won’t they sting? Though I’ve never tried it before, so I’m hesitating a bit.

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Gah! Enough hesitation! Challenge accepted! It’s not like a dragon would drown, right? If I can soar through the skies with wingbeats, surely navigating water shouldn’t be too hard!

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With that thought, I took a deep breath and plunged into the depths below.

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And lo and behold, I was completely free beneath the waves.

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No need to hold my breath, no discomfort opening my eyes, and my body felt utterly weightless. Moving around became effortless.

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Swimming? Just swishing my tail back and forth sent me gliding forward without issue.

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Ah, as expected, dragons are extraordinary beings indeed! All that worrying was for nothing!

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I swiftly darted through the ocean, surveying my surroundings.

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A sea dotted with patches of seaweed and coral. Though lacking fully formed fish yet, it had its own charm.

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Occasionally, slimes could be seen transforming into fish-like shapes.

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These slimes were adapting to their environment, each taking on unique forms.

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Some resembled classic fish, others oddly squid-like, while some evolved traits akin to trilobites or shrimp. There were even those adopting bizarre deep-sea fish appearances.

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How many of these slimes will survive, I wonder? This is getting intriguing.

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Interestingly, the slimes I released on land gained new attributes rather than changing shape, whereas these aquatic ones seemed different.

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Thus, I traveled across the world, releasing slimes everywhere and observing their transformations over time.

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Day after day, week after week, month after month, the world slowly changed.

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From barren voids sprouted life, spreading gradually.

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Watching such a spectacle unfold, I found myself laughing involuntarily.

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Through my actions and choices, the world transformed dramatically—I truly felt like an incredible being.

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After all, a dragon wielding godlike powers deserves such recognition.

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For days, weeks, months, I observed the evolving cycle of life.

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Yet another shift approached in this world.

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— — — — — — — — —

What is magical power (mana)?

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The driving force behind magic.

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A mysterious energy permeating every corner of existence.

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The divine grace bestowed by the gods.

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The manifestation of willpower seeking change.

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Though definitions vary among mages, I personally think of it this way:

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As the blood coursing through the veins of reality itself.

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— First lecture content for beginners at the Kingdom’s Magic Academy. —

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At first, the subtle changes went unnoticed, but over time, they grew undeniable.

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The mana within the world grew denser.

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Though hinted at in the divine message, predicting what events this mana surge might bring remains uncertain.

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Still, having access to additional tools feels advantageous, regardless.

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With a small sigh, the mana inside me reacted, exhaling a gentle breath.

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Without altering its attribute, it simply manifested as wind.

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Had I willed it otherwise, fire, lightning, frost, or even water could have emerged instead.

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That’s the essence of mana—granting form to intention and will.

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What transformations this power will bring to the world fills me with both worry and anticipation.

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Meanwhile, the slimes continued thriving.

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Those who ventured into the seas now bore diverse forms: some resembling insects with hardened shells, others fully developed fish complete with scales.

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However, maintaining these evolved bodies required significant energy—meaning food.

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Unlike their simpler slime forms where absorption sufficed, these new creatures needed proper digestion systems, gills for respiration, and other biological functions.

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Energy demands skyrocketed compared to their previous states.

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Thanks to this, larger fish occasionally preyed upon smaller ones—a natural cycle of predator and prey emerging.

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Such is the flow of evolution.

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On land, however, the slimes remained largely unchanged.

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Fire-breathing slimes and ice-emitting ones existed, but calling them true creatures felt premature.

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Rock-like slims, though, intrigued me greatly.

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Their rigid frames made movement difficult, leading some to develop tiny limbs for locomotion—resembling golems.

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Though still lacking arms or heads, they were fascinating nonetheless.

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Continuing my observations of life’s evolution, I noticed anomalies arising due to the intensified mana.

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Specifically, peculiar natural phenomena began occurring.

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“Ugh… How should I interpret this?”

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Massive whirlwinds persistently battered canyon walls; enormous vortices churned in parts of the sea. Mana circulated throughout the world, triggering various phenomena.

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But something else troubled me far more.

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“Aaaahh… Aaaaahhh…”

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Within these manifestations, faint traces of intelligence began forming.

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Staring at the swirling vortex before me, I sighed softly.

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Powerful enough to buffet me slightly, yet insufficient to unseat me entirely.

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From within came a vague voice—an undefined consciousness stirring.

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In a world where only I possessed true thought, something new was awakening.

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Destroying it would be easy—a mana-infused breath would suffice—but I didn’t wish to do so.

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To harm a creation born of this world felt wrong.

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So I spoke.

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“What shall your name be?”

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“Aaaaahh… Na… Naaameeennn…”

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“Yes. What shall your name be?”

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“Naaameenn… Who am I…?”

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But this nascent intelligence lacked self-awareness.

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Of course, how could a blank slate understand itself?

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Thus, it fell to me to bestow a name here.

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A massive whirlwind of wind—let us draw inspiration from the wind spirits.

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“I shall name you Sylphid. That shall henceforth be your name.”

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“Siiil… Fiid…?”

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“Yes. Sylphid.”

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Upon naming it thus, the vortex shifted subtly.

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Instead of chaotic spinning, it now moved deliberately toward me.

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“I am… Sylphid… SYLPHID!”

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“You are Sylphid.”

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“SYLPHID!!!”

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It radiated pure joy—so much so that I could feel it even from a distance.

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Simply put, the winds grew fiercer.

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“Name! So happy!!!”

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“I’m glad you’re happy. Now, I must attend to matters elsewhere, so I’ll take my leave.”

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“Okay! Thank you for the name!!!”

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Leaving the jubilant vortex behind, I flew onward.

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Across the world, similar phenomena arose—each bearing distinct identities.

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Eternal flames erupting from volcanoes.

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Vast whirlpools in the ocean.

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The tallest mountain peaks.

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Trees towering like mountains themselves.

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Even in absolute darkness untouched by light.

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And amidst the perpetual glow of White Night.

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Conscious natural phenomena emerged everywhere.

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Oddly enough, none shared overlapping traits—as if intentionally designed.

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Wait, am I supposed to name all these phenomena? Me?!

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Ugh… Naming isn’t exactly my forte. Troublesome indeed.