If there's one thing I've learned in this world, it's this:
Anytime I say "This can't get worse," the universe treats it as a dare.
After being labeled a "Suspicious Sky Sorcerer," the king ordered me to "practice magic only under supervision."
That supervision?
A knight named Sir Walter, who looked like he ate protein powder for breakfast and distrust for lunch.
He watched me like a hawk as I sat in the palace courtyard, hands trembling, trying to figure out how not to destroy reality again.
"So," he said gruffly, "show me this 'Void Synthesis.' Slowly. No bouncing, floating, exploding, or summoning livestock."
"That last one was an accident."
"So were the other four."
…fair enough.
I took a deep breath, focusing on something simple. Something safe.
Something that hopefully wouldn't cause divine intervention.
"Okay. Let's try a light source."
[Objective Added: Create Something That Does Not Threaten Civilization]
I closed my eyes, imagining a tiny spark—just enough mana to produce an electron shift.(Thank you, high-school chemistry. You killed me but you also help.)
A faint glow formed in my palm.
Sir Walter leaned in. "What is that?"
"A mana crystal. It's stable. I think."
"You think?"
The glow brightened.
Then brightened more.
Then brightened way too much.
"Is it supposed to do that?" Walter asked, half hiding behind a wooden shield.
"I—uh… let's call this a field test."
I focused harder, channeling the smallest sliver of Void Synthesis."Hnnn—Lithium…"
The mana crystal pulsed.Sizzled.Then—
KER-POP.
A chunk of shiny silver metal embedded itself into the crystal.
Energy surged through it.
Electricity crackled.
My eyes widened.
"Oh my god."
Walter jumped. "WHAT DID YOU CREATE!?"
"I THINK I MADE… a battery!"
[Element Created: Lithium]Atomic Number 3 — Unstable with mana. Highly reactive. Probably a terrible idea.
[New Item: Proto-Li Mana Cell]Rank: ???Warning: Consult a professional before touching.
"Battery?" Walter repeated. "Is that a type of bomb?"
"No! It stores energy! It powers things!"
He stared suspiciously. "…So a bomb."
"For the last time, I don't make BOMBS—"
The crystal sparked violently.
Walter dove behind a tree.
"Oh come on, it's not that ba—"
BOOOOOOOOOM.
Pink smoke engulfed the courtyard.The shockwave yeeted me into the fountain.
I resurfaced, sputtering and covered in glittering mana debris.
Walter peeked from behind the tree."…Are you alive?"
"Define alive."
The System chimed:
[Damage Taken: 30 HP — Status: Shocked, Confused, Slightly Fabulous]
[Skill Level Up: Void Synthesis Lv 3]Congratulations! You have discovered electricity. Again.
The smoke cleared.
A dozen palace gardeners stared at the scorched lawn.
One whispered, "The boy has angered the garden spirits…"
"I DIDN'T—THE BATTERY—IT JUST—"
A palace mage sprinted into the courtyard.
"WHO CREATED A MAGIC POWER SOURCE WITHOUT A PERMIT!?"
Everyone pointed at me.
I pointed at the steaming crater.
The mage's eyes widened."This… this is revolutionary."Then he added, "And catastrophically illegal."
Oh good.
Add that to my growing résumé:
InventorElementalistFloating MenaceWar-criminal-in-trainingNow: Unlicensed Electrochemist
The System beeped again—loudly.
[Quest Unlocked: Present Your 'Battery' to the Adventurers' Guild]Reward: RecognitionHidden Reward: ???
Wait… the guild?
The same guild rumored to implode every month?
"…yeah. What could possibly go wrong?"
The Adventurers' Guild of Highwall City looked exactly like how I imagined a place that blows up weekly would look:
Burn marks on the ceiling
A "Days Since Last Explosion: 0" sign already flipped to 0
Adventurers drinking at 10 AM like they were preparing for the end times
I walked in holding the Proto-Li Mana Cell wrapped in three blankets and one "Definitely Not A Bomb" label.
The room immediately went silent.
A burly dwarf leaned over to the elf next to him."Oi. Is that the kid what made the church float?"
"I thought he made the grass glow?"
"No, you fool, that was the floating kid who burned the fields!"
"…aren't those the same kid?"
I waved sheepishly. "Hi. Please don't throw anything explosive. I brought science."
The Guildmaster stomped out—an orc with reading glasses and the energy of someone who had quit this job a hundred times but somehow kept coming back.
"Name."
"Rion. Professional… uh… accident."
He rubbed his temples. "What did you bring?"
I held up the wrapped crystal."A mana battery."
Gasps. Whispers. One guy fainted.
The Guildmaster blinked slowly, like his soul was buffering."A battery."
"Yes!" I said proudly. "It stores mana and releases it in a controlled—"
The blanket began smoking.
"—controlled-ish—"
A spark jumped out.
"—CONTROLLISH—"
The orb slipped from my hands.
Everyone screamed as it bounced across the floor like a cursed beach ball.
The dwarf yelled, "EVERYONE GET DOWN! THE CHILD BROUGHT AN ARCANE NUKE!"
The orb hit a table leg, chimed, and activated:
[Mana Release Mode: ON]Stability: 0%
"Oh no."
I dove.
The orb detonated with the force of a thousand betrayed chem teachers.
FWOOOOOOOM!
Pink smoke erupted in every direction.Glitter.Lightning.Confetti.The entire guild hall turned into a magical gender reveal for a cosmic horror.
I crawled out from under a collapsed table.
[You Survived a Mana Discharge!]Reward: Trauma Resistance +1
The dwarf stumbled out of the smoke, beard now straightened upward like he'd been electrocuted.He rasped, "What… in the nine glowing furnaces… WAS THAT?"
I coughed. "Prototype."
The Guildmaster emerged covered in pink soot, holding the now-deactivated orb.
He studied it.Turned it over.Poked it.It sparked again.
Everyone dove for cover.
He held up a hand. "Relax. If it hasn't exploded yet, it probably won't."
The orb exploded.
Only a tiny pop this time.
The Guildmaster's hair turned bright pink.
He stared at me in dead silence.
Then:
"…Kid."
"Yes sir?"
"You are banned from using that thing within twenty miles of this building."
"That's fair."
He pointed at a board behind him.A job poster flickered magically into existence.
NEW TITLE GRANTED: "Archmage of Accidental Innovation"NEW QUEST: 'Develop a Safe Version of the Mana Battery'Reward: Public ApprovalHidden Reward: Guild Insurance Premium Discount
He sighed. "Rion. You're either going to lead this world into a new technological age…"
He glanced at the smoking ruins of the guild hall.
"…or straight into magical extinction."
I smiled weakly."Is both an option?"
The Guildmaster groaned into his hands.