The forge was quiet again, save for the soft hum radiating from the newly forged system core.

Eira hovered beside Zane's wrist, her small hologram flickering with interest as she repeated the name softly:

"Hmm… Synchronis System…"

She nodded with a bright grin.

"Quite a good name, Boss!"

Zane crossed his arms, a satisfied smile stretching across his face.

"I know, right?"

But the moment was short-lived.

The four joined hexagonal crystals floating before them suddenly pulsed—once, twice, then repeatedly, growing brighter with each beat.

Thump… thump… thump…

Like a heartbeat awakening.

Eira blinked rapidly.

"Umm—Boss? Why is this thing shining so many times??"

Zane sighed and side-eyed her, his expression flat.

"If you actually watched my recordings, lazy AI, you'd know."

Eira shrank in embarrassment, tiny static fizzing at the edge of her hologram.

Zane pointed toward the glowing crystals.

"Every strong artifact… has an artifact spirit."

He smirked slightly.

"And this… is the birth of a new one."

The brightness intensified.

The crystals thrummed louder and louder.

Light poured out in waves, and suddenly—

Fwoooosh—

Mana erupted from the artifact, swirling wildly through the forge like a miniature storm.

Even though Zane hammered it with Null earlier, he intentionally designed this system to operate with only mana, not Null.

The mana gathered, thick and radiant, then slowly condensed into a small humanoid shape.

The forge lit up in blinding light.

Eira shielded her tiny holographic face with her arms.

"Waaah! Boss—it's too

bright!"

Zane rolled his eyes as the light intensified.

"So dramatic," he muttered. "You're an AI.

How are you even getting blind?"

Eira peeked through her fingers.

"L-Light is still bright to my visual sensors, Boss!"

Zane sighed. "Excuses."

And Then—

FLASH!

The light faded.

And standing there on the forging platform was…

A chibi-sized being, floating lightly in the air.

He had light yellow hair, neatly slicked back, glowing softly like gentle sunlight.

His eyes were vivid lime green, sparkling with curious intelligence.

He wore a black collared coat adorned with polished silver buttons, layered over a crisp white vest and a neatly tied white cravat.

A stylish black top hat sat proudly on his head, slightly tilted.

A delicate silver ring glimmered on his finger, and a matching silver pocket watch chain hung elegantly at his waist.

In his right hand, he held a silver-tipped cane, far too fancy for his tiny chibi body.

A sleek silver monocle covered his left eye, reflecting the forge's glow.

Eira's hologram froze.

"…Boss… he looks… expensive."

The chibi spirit blinked once.

Then he turned toward Zane.

And the moment he did, something instinctive stirred within him — a natural recognition of the one who forged him.

He bowed slightly, cane tucked politely under his arm.

In a soft, refined voice, he asked:

"…Who am I… Creator?"

Zane's eyebrow twitched.

That word hit him wrong in all kinds of ways.

"Oi," Zane said immediately. "Don't call me Creator or Master."

The artifact spirit blinked.

Eira snickered in the background.

Zane continued, waving his hand dismissively:

"Call me Boss. Or Zane. Or anything normal.

Just not creator or master. It feels weird."

The chibi spirit processed that for a moment…

Then nodded enthusiastically, monocle bobbing.

"As you wish, Boss!"

The chibi artifact spirit floated in front of Zane, cane tucked under his arm, lime-green eyes staring up with polite curiosity.

Zane crossed his arms.

"Alright… as for your name, let me think…"

He tapped his chin thoughtfully.

Eira drifted closer, her hologram flickering as she raised her tiny hand enthusiastically.

"What about Zarek?

Or Xavier?"

She paused, eyes narrowing dramatically.

"Or maybe… Ulysses."

Zane stared at her.

Then blinked.

Then stared again.

"…Why are all your suggestions like names of higher beings?"

Eira shrugged. "They sound cool."

Zane side-eyed the chibi spirit.

The little guy also looked… awkward hearing those names.

"That's a no, then," Zane muttered.

He thought for a moment.

Then a smile stretched across his face — the dangerous kind.

"Your name shall be… The Manager."

The forge went silent.

The floating artifact spirit… froze.

His monocle slid halfway down his cheek.

His lime eyes went blank in disappointment, as if his soul had just left his tiny body.

The artifact itself shined in a dramatic flash of denial.

Eira slowly placed a holographic hand on her forehead, shaking it.

"…Boss… your naming sense is also not good…"

Zane ignored her and the chibi entirely.

"Okay! So, you're The Manager. You'll manage the entire Synchronis System. Got it?"

The chibi's eye twitched.

He forced the most painful smile ever recorded in creation and nodded stiffly.

"Y-yes, Boss…"

Eira drifted to Zane's ear, whispering quietly:

"Boss… please change his name. That's not even a name. It's… a job title."

Zane blinked.

"But it was cool…?"

"No."

Zane sighed and rubbed his forehead.

He thought again.

And again.

Until suddenly—

"Hm."

He remembered something.

A boy he once met sometime ago when he first comes to orimund — someone with eyes that sparkled with the same bright curiosity as this chibi spirit.

Zane looked at the artifact spirit and nodded.

"Alright. From now on, your title will be The Manager…"

The chibi tensed, bracing himself.

"…but your name will be William."

For a second, the forge felt brighter.

The chibi spirit's lime-green eyes widened — then sparkled like twin stars.

He nodded so fast his hat almost flew off.

"William! Yes! I like it! Thank you, Boss!"

Eira smiled warmly at the little spirit.

Zane smirked.

"Good. Then from today — you are William, The Manager of the Synchronis System."

The newly named spirit floated higher, aura brightening excitedly, looking more alive than before.

A new presence was born.

.

.

.

William hovered in the air, monocle shining brightly, his lime-green eyes full of energy.

Zane looked down at him, arms folded casually.

"You know how to manage your system, right?"

William straightened his tiny back, cane tucked smartly under one arm.

"Yes, Boss!"

His voice carried confidence — the confidence of someone who had just gained a real identity.

Zane smirked.

"Good. Then…" He glanced toward the floating structure of crystals — the four hexagonal system cores joined edge-to-edge, rotating slowly in a circular orbit.

"Let's see who will receive it."

The crystals pulsed once, as if acknowledging his words.

Eira's holographic form drifted closer, eyes narrowing with suspicion.

"Boss… what exactly are you plotting?"

Zane didn't answer.

He simply raised snaps his fingers .

Fssshhhh—

Before Eira could question further—

FLASH—

Zane vanished.

William, the newly born artifact spirit, vanished with him.

The four linked system crystals vanished at the same time, warping out of the forge like they were pulled by an invisible hook.

Eira jolted.

"Eh—!? Boss—!?"

She wasn't left behind either.

Since she was anchored to Zane's technowatch, her hologram flickered—

—and disappeared along with him.

The forge fell silent again.

The only evidence they had ever been there…

was the faint echo of the Synchronis System's heartbeat fading into the empty chamber.

--

Astralis Arcanum – Student Residence,

Steam drifted gently from Selene's midnight-blue hair as she stepped out of the bathroom, towel draped around her shoulders.

Droplets still clung to the ends of her hair, catching the moonlight from the window.

She let out a quiet sigh.

"Two days… It's already been two days since the dungeon accident…"

Her fingers curled slightly.

"Tomorrow the classes start again… and Professor Zane… he'll definitely teach something new."

Her deep blue eyes sparkled for a moment with determination.

She quickly dried her hair, changed into comfortable clothes, and slipped into bed.

Within minutes—

She drifted into sleep.

---

S…

Len…

Sel…

Ne…

Sel..n…

Selene…!!

Selene's eyes snapped open.

She jolted upright, heart racing.

Her vision blurred for a moment—then focused on a familiar figure leaning toward her.

A boy with chestnut brown hair and golden-brown eyes.

Her childhood friend.

Jax Harl.

Selene froze.

Then immediately turned bright red.

"YOU—!! How did you get into my room, you PERVERT!?" she screamed.

Jax jerked back, waving his hands desperately.

"Calm down, Selene! Just—just look around you!!"

"I—I swear if you came in when I was sleepin—"

But she stopped mid-sentence.

Her breath caught in her throat.

Because…

This wasn't her room.

Everything around them was white.

Pure white.

Endless.

Like they were standing inside a blank world.

And she wasn't alone.

Standing nearby was—

Lia Isolde, Selene's best friend in Astralis Arcanum.

Her golden brown hair dimly glowing under the strange light.

Ron Volkov, leaning forward with tensed amber eyes, scanning the surroundings.

But that wasn't all.

There were hundreds of students.

All of them waking up, panicking, confused.

Some shouting.

Some trembling.

Some asking where they were.

"This… this is impossible…" Selene whispered.

"Are we all dreaming…?"

Before she could finish the question—

A soft chime echoed through the space.

DING—

And then…

A cheerful, happy woman's voice rang across the white world, echoing like an announcement.

"Participants~! Get ready to participate in the Competition of—"

Her voice rose excitedly, almost like an event host revealing a mystery prize.

"—the Conscious Nexus!!!"

The students fell silent.

Jax blinked.

"…Conciou– what…??!!"

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