People called it was useless element because of the lack of spells and the difficulty to use it.
But I knew better.
I had knowledge no one else had.
Space magic that sealed gods. Space spells from forgotten civilizations. And the revolutionized Space magic that would be created by a genius in the near future.
All of that was in my mind.
All I needed now was a Space Element Catalyst.
Once I had that, Space would become mine, and I would be able to abuse the knowledge of future.
"Let's start creating the Elemental Catalyst, Lord of Shadows," Yuna said, breaking me from my thoughts. "I'll guide you."
I moved to the other side of the room and pulled out a wooden box from under the bed.
Inside were the strange things I had been gathering for weeks.
A tear-shaped stone from the garden.
A dried spider egg from the attic.
A broken bangle coated with cheap gold.
A shard of mirror glass that bent the light.
A cracked marble with purple veins.
None of these were real alchemy materials.
They were substitutes. Ordinary things I had chosen with care to replace the originals.
Normally, substitutes would weaken the catalyst.
But not this time.
I placed them one by one on the floor. Yuna flew down and sat on my head.
'Yuna, if you will,' I said.
"Understood. I will begin now, Lord of Shadows."
She gave me a small nod and closed her eyes.
Her hands glowed faintly as she muttered something. Soft light spread over the objects, wrapping them in a thin layer.
I waited silently as she worked.
Minutes passed before she finally exhaled and wiped the sweat from her forehead.
Her glow faded, and the items in front of us looked a little different.
"It's done," she said with a tired but proud smile. "Happy birthday, Lord of Shadows."
I reached out and picked up the items, feeling the faint hum of energy from them.
'Yuna, thank you," I said.
She leaned back on her hands, still smiling despite the sweat on her face. "It is my pleasure to help you. Lord of Shadows, and you should hurry now. The night would not wait for us long."
I gave her a short nod.
I laid the items on the floor in a specific formation. Each piece had its place.
Then I pricked my finger again. The sting made my newborn body react instinctively, but I didn't stop.
I let the blood drip onto the ground and began to draw new runes.
These weren't the same as the ones I had used for the gold-mana ritual. They were more complex, shaped with spatial logic.
When the circle was finished, I began to chant.
"Fwacture duh dwust, bend duh weaves,
"Twist duh worwd 'till it bweaves.
"Wendew mass into gwowin' spwace,
"Fwom solid stwuff, weave mana's pwace!"
The lisp in my voice made my face heat up. Anyone hearing me would laugh. Even I wanted to laugh at myself.
But the words worked.
I had added a stabilizing rune and a translation rune earlier.
They guided my mind and kept my thoughts aligned with the raw mana. The silly chant was part of it, and it mattered more than my pride.
As the final word left my lips, the pressure came.
It slammed into me like a wall of iron. My body shook under the weight. Sweat ran down my face and stung my eyes. My legs trembled so much I thought I might fall.
I bit my teeth together and stayed upright.
The materials inside the circle began to change.
The cracked marble glowed first, the purple veins pulsing like living veins.
The spider egg sizzled, cracked, and burst into thin silver threads. The threads wrapped themselves tightly around the mirror shard.
The bangle split in half, floating above the tear-shaped stone. The stone rose into the air, spinning slowly as if weightless.
Piece by piece, they melted. The air filled with faint smoke as their shapes lost form.
Then, from the center, something new appeared.
A crystal.
It was bluish-black, pulsing gently, almost like a heartbeat.
It floated just above the runes I had drawn with blood.
At the same time, the system message flashed.
Class Alchemist
Grade: Apprentice Alchemist → Journeyman Alchemist
+3 Dexterity, +2 Intelligence
Perk Gained: [Steady Hand]
Perk Effect: Brewing and crafting now have increased precision and reaction control.
I let out a sharp breath, my chest aching.
'Finally.'
The pressure lifted from my body, but a dull ache lingered beneath my ribs.
I flexed my hands, clenching and unclenching until the shaking slowed.
When I reached forward, the bluish-black crystal floated into my palm. Its chill ran deep, but it didn't hurt.
This was it.
The Space Element Catalyst.
Yuna leaned closer, her eyes bright. "You did it, Lord of Shadows."
I nodded.
There was no time to waste. My body was tired, but this next step wouldn't need me to act as the catalyst. That was the only reason I could keep going.
I pushed aside the toys Marianne and my parents had given me and set them in the middle of the room.
Then I pricked my finger again, ignoring the sting and dizziness from blood loss.
With slow, steady strokes, I drew a new rune circle.
Even with my shaking hands, the runes came out clean. The [Steady Hand] perk worked better than I had imagined.
When I finished, I placed the Space Catalyst at the circle's core.
Everything was ready.
I sat cross-legged and began to chant again, this time keeping my voice low.
The ritual started without resistance. There was no crushing weight like before.
Instead, the gold from the toys began to drain. Thin streams of light rose from them, pulled toward the crystal.
The catalyst reacted instantly, binding the gold with glowing threads of blue-black energy.
The runes lit up, and mana spread into the room like mist.
I closed my eyes and drew in a breath.
Mana Breathing.
I pulled the swirling mist into me, guiding it through my chest and toward my Mana Core.
The small sphere below my heart pulsed.
'Time to create a Mana Star.'
I didn't use the common method for doing it.
Instead, I focused on the technique that only I knew: the [Mana Constellation Creation Technique].
It was something that would only be invented years later by a genius and would revolutionize the way Space magic was used.
I had the knowledge of it already.
This method created denser, and stronger stars that could hold nearly double the mana compared to the normal way.
These stars were also far more stable. Perfect for Space spells, which used the chaotic space mana.
"H-Huh? What is that technique…?" Yuna gasped.
She was about to continue, but she shut her mouth quickly, knowing a slight disturbance could cause the technique to fail, and cause me backlash.
I guided the mana carefully, weaving it into shape.
My chest burned, and my body shook, but I kept going.
Sweat rolled down my temples and soaked my collar.
My breaths came fast and heavy.
But slowly, the first star began to take form.
A small, dense silver dot appeared in the center of my core. It spun slowly, shining faintly in the dark void inside my Core.
When it locked into place, the system message appeared.
Class Mage
Grade: 0-Star → 1-Star
+3 Intelligence, +3 Spirit
+Innate Spell: Telekinesis
I collapsed backward onto the floor, panting hard. My vision swam, but I forced myself to focus on the notification.
It was real. I had reached 1-Star Mage rank.
A new message appeared right after.
Shadow Summon: Level 4 → Level 5
I let out a dry laugh and stared up at the ceiling.
Yuna crouched beside me, worry on her face. "Are you alright?"
'Yuna, I'm fine," I said between breaths, grinning. 'Just… tired.'
Relief softened her expression, though the crease in her brow stayed. She nodded and gave me space.
I exhaled slowly and called, 'System, show me the things that changed in my status.'