The new area was rough.
Untouched.
Unprepared.
Unwilling.
"…I don't like this soil."
crk… crunch…
Dry.
Unresponsive.
Normal.
"…That's suspicious."
The system flickered.
New Area Detected
Status: Unlinked
Integration Required
"…Unlinked?"
"…Everything else just worked."
"…Why do I have to do this manually?"
The adventurer crossed his arms.
"…Because this area isn't affected yet."
"…Yet?"
Kiro smiled.
"…We can fix that."
"…No."
Ryo stepped forward.
The ground didn't react.
No rustle.
No shift.
Nothing.
"…This is uncomfortable."
He sighed.
"…Fine."
He placed his foot down firmly.
thud
Nothing.
"…System."
Skill Attempted: Field Command I
Result: Failed (No Linked Field)
"…Failed?"
"…I don't fail."
"…I avoid."
The fragment pulsed behind him.
thmp—
The anomaly responded.
THUMP
The existing field reacted.
RUSTLE—
Then—
Something spread.
Slowly.
Underground.
Like roots searching.
crrk…
The boundary expanded.
Barely.
"…Oh."
"…You're doing it."
The soil in front of him trembled.
trr…
A single sprout emerged.
Weak.
Unstable.
pop
"…That's inefficient."
System Update
New Field Link Established (1%)
"…One percent."
"…That's too much effort for one percent."
Kiro nodded thoughtfully.
"…But it's scalable."
"…Stop saying that."