"Hey, Cannibal." Adyr’s energy body called out, watching the zombie-like mutant work a pickaxe, turning the soil to aerate it and prepare a fresh bed for the newly settled insects.

"Yes?" Cannibal halted his pickaxe in midair and turned, glancing nervously between the hovering energy body and a tree that was burning.

He wasn’t planning to make me handle that tree, right? The thought came with a stab of desperation.

Though his body was resilient, it could not endure active fire. He could not even step into the 10-meter ring of flame around it.

Reading him easily, Adyr let out a brief laugh. "Don’t worry. I won’t assign you anything that will kill you."

Some of the tension left Cannibal’s face.

"I want you to keep an eye on it. If you notice any anomaly, tell me."

"Anomaly? The tree itself is an anomaly."

"You’re not wrong," Adyr said, then clarified. "If the flames start to waver, fade, surge too high, or change color, report it. That’s all."

Adyr did not yet know much about this species, and the researchers were in the same position; at best, they could guess at its behavior. After planting, it had to be watched for a while to ensure it adapted to its new environment and did not die.

"Yeah, I can do that." Cannibal nodded, sounding certain, though the pessimism in his chest did not move. This madman keeps bringing dangerous things here. Am I really safe?

There was nothing he could do. Twilight Land was a prison. Escape was impossible. If he wanted to survive or ever leave, there was only one path: obey orders and keep his Warden pleased.

Seeing Cannibal work with full effort—more accurately, like a man with a blade at his back—Adyr turned his focus to his journey through the Legacy Domain.

He looked over the islet that had been ablaze. With the Cindevein Tree removed, only soot-black earth remained. After a brief search for anything else of value, he gathered some of the accumulated ash and sent it to his Sanctuary.

He didn’t know its use or value yet, but ash built up over centuries might be worth something. He’d ask Maruun later; as a shop owner, Maruun knew resource types and market prices well.

I’ve burned nearly 100 energy on equipment and on shuttling resources to and from the Sanctuary so far, but it’s still worth the trade, good profit.

Moving anything to the Sanctuary cost energy that scaled with size, so he avoided hauling everything he found and focused on what would likely pay off. Even so, he still wanted to pick up items that might hold value.

With that settled, he beat his wings in a steady rhythm and set off for the next islet.

Also, a new pair of swords was strapped in the scabbards across his back. The researchers, as promised, had delivered within 2 hours and even prepared a spare pair. Armed and ready, he quickened his pace, confident now he could handle trouble if it came.

The next islet, mapped out in his mind, was a bit larger than the first 2. It held living creatures as well, some of which had a high chance of being Sparks.

Since the Legacy Domain’s deceased Rank 5 Adept was an Ignis Path follower, the Sparks here will be from that Path as well. Adyr thought as he beat his wings over the endless void.

Even a Rank 5 Adept in this world has limits; subduing Sparks from other Paths is restricted, so only Ignis Sparks will be found here.

Adyr had no complaints. Ignis -aligned Sparks tended to tie into speed, and any gain in speed was a welcome upgrade for him. For his next advancement to Rank 3, he wanted a Spark shaped specifically around speed. He would search for Rank 3 Sparks and see if he could find a rare one suitable for evolution.

As he drew closer to his target, his eyes swept the islet ahead.

Its size matched one of Adyr’s islets in Twilight Land , approximately 3,000 square meters. The surface was barren, with no greenery, only strange dry grasses and shrubs, as if they had withered long ago. An irregular, unsteady wind kept blowing, dragging soil and brush back and forth.

There were a few living creatures as well. From afar they looked like broad, dried leaves; up close, a small head and thin, bristle-like legs gave them away. Few in number and all of one species, they were shoved from side to side by the erratic gusts.

"Well, they are Sparks if I’m not mistaken."

He searched his memory for the correct entry on the creature, and before the name surfaced, a system message flashed before his eyes.

[Spark Detected]

[Name] Bristleleg Leafbug

[Path] Ignis

[Rank] 3

[Ability] Floating / Camouflage / Wind Carry

Description:

Bristleleg Leafbugs are born into high-wind, storm-ridden habitats. They surrender to the air, letting currents carry them, and even in a lull, they find enough motion to drift as they please.

Harmless and indolent, they draw sustenance from airborne particulates and from near-constant movement. They lack offensive organs, so they rely on excellent camouflage—shifting color to match their surroundings—and when the wind takes them, even a mild breeze can send them skimming at surprising speed.

Ability: Floating / Camouflage / Wind Carry:

The Bristleleg Leafbug’s Floating ability grants controlled flight even in windless environments, keeping them out of reach of ground predators. With Camouflage , they adjust coloration to suit terrain and foliage, making them reliable survivors in the wild.

Wind Carry allows them to use air and wind to steer and accelerate their bodies, reaching high speeds even with minimal currents. This movement, along with airborne particulates, sustains their feeding cycle.

"It’s my first encounter with any Spark in here, and it’s already Rank 3. My luck isn’t bad." Adyr read through the description, a cool satisfaction flickering beneath his steady gaze.

Overall, this Spark was built for movement and stealth. He searched his memory for anything else on the type and found a key note: evolving with this Spark granted a physical trait to alter one’s body structure and coloration for natural camouflage, and an innate ability to harness wind to increase movement speed.

For Adyr, these 2 traits were exactly the kind of gains worth considering for his Rank 3 evolution.

"But before that, I need to catch them."

They were Rank 3 Sparks born around speed, quick and slippery, hard to pin down. He measured the breeze on his face and wondered just how fast they truly were.

To test it, he lifted on his wings and angled after 1 of the 5 Sparks, choosing the one that drifted lazily as if asleep. The instant his hand closed in, the Spark slipped out of existence, vanishing in front of his eyes.

"Okay, it’s very fast... and there’s another problem."

He scanned the islet slowly, pupils narrowing against the glare off the dust. The 4 other Bristleleg Leafbugs still floated and turned with the gusts, but the 5th—the one he had reached for—was gone.

"I see their Camouflage ability is also not so bad." A bitter curve touched his mouth, realizing catching them would not be easy.