The next morning, the atmosphere at school felt different.
No laughter, no chatter, not even Nolan's usual nonsense.
Everyone was focused, as if we had suddenly stopped being normal students and become something more.
The teacher walked in carrying a stack of identical white manuals.
"Alright," she said, adjusting her holographic earpiece, "today you will learn how to use the basic absorption manual. Don't expect miracles. The basic version is… basic. But it's enough to start."
She had us open the book to the first page.
A diagram showed a small spiritual world connected to a human silhouette by a thin line of energy.
"The first thing you must learn," she continued, "is this:
Drawing a small amount of spiritual energy from your own world."
The teacher raised a hand.
A faint blue light appeared in her palm.
"The amount will be minimal," she warned, "because your worlds are still small and fragile. Absorb too much and you'll weaken them… or collapse them entirely. So follow my rhythm."
I took a breath, opened the manual, and connected my consciousness to my island.
I felt a thread of energy thin as a strand of hair flow into me.
A warm sensation moved through my chest, like hot water trickling inside.
It was… little.
Very little.
Almost insignificant.
But it was mine.
"What you're feeling," the teacher explained, "is your initial source of power. As your worlds grow, the amount will increase."
Nolan raised his hand, panicked:
"Will my wolves feel like I'm… stealing energy from them?"
"Not 'stealing'," she corrected, "but yes, they'll feel it if you abuse it. Be careful."
We all nodded.
Then came the complicated part.
Opening a portal
The teacher flipped through the manual until she reached a section marked with a red warning symbol.
"Now you will learn how to open a portal from your spiritual world to the physical plane. Do not use this outside of class without supervision. Opening a portal consumes large amounts of spiritual power, especially at your current stage."
She extended her hands.
A circle of light opened in the air, revealing a forest behind it… part of her own spiritual world.
"This is the bridge between the two planes," she said. "Through here, you can bring your race into the real world if you have enough energy to sustain it."
She told us to try it ourselves.
I focused.
The manual vibrated lightly.
Energy surged from my world, chaotic and wild.
"Slowly, Jian," I muttered to myself.
I pictured my island.
My slimes bouncing around without a care.
Then I tried opening the portal.
A crack of light appeared in the air.
Small.
Unstable.
It looked like it would collapse any second.
It was draining me rapidly.
Sweat gathered on my forehead.
"Good," the teacher said as she passed by my side. "Keep the flow steady. Your world is small, and slimes don't carry much energy individually. Don't force it."
I nodded, holding the portal barely open.
On the other side, a slime stared at me.
It looked excited.
I couldn't help but smile back.
But I had to close the portal.
Exhaustion hit me all at once.
"That's normal," the teacher told the class, seeing us panting. "Opening portals at the beginning is exhausting. It consumes almost all your spiritual power. Over time, it will get easier."
Yeah.
But for now, I could only think of one thing:
If bringing out a single slime drains me this much…
I need more energy.
I need growth.
I need resources.
And my world had none.
I looked at the basic manual in my hands.
It was a start… but nowhere near enough.
I would have to find a way to strengthen my slimes, make them multiply faster, evolve them as soon as possible.
The manual gave me the foundation.
The rest… I would handle myself.