For the past three days, Christian has been living in a waking nightmare.

  Every morning, he forces himself out of bed, muscles screaming in protest, only to throw himself headfirst into construction work—hauling heavy materials, sprinting from one site to another, and climbing scaffolding like his life depends on it. Which, technically, it does.

  His daily physical training requirements loom over her like a death sentence, and he kills two birds with one stone by incorporating them into his work.

  Carrying 50kg? He lifts crates of stone and metal.

  Sprinting 10km? He dashes across the site, delivering tools.

  Climbing exercises? He scales half-built water towers, much to the horror of the supervising elves.

  Mental Fortitude Training? Trying not to scream every time Genesis reminds him he still has more tasks to complete.

  By the time the third day ends, he barely has the strength to check his status screen. But he does.

  And what does he see?

  [Physical Grade: F-]

  Christian stares. He refreshes the screen. It does not change.

  A strangled noise escapes his throat.

  "Are you telling me… I went through hell for an F minus?!"

  Genesis hums, utterly indifferent.

  [Progress is progress, Administrator.]

  Christian closes his eyes and inhales deeply—not out of calm, but because he’s resisting the very real urge to throw a rock at something.

  Despite his miserable ranking, he does level up in certain aspects.

  [Strength, Speed, and Durability Increased.]

  [New Passive Ability Unlocked: Adaptive Physique – Reduces fatigue build-up over long periods.]

  [Special Reward Unlocked for Completing Three Consecutive Major Tasks.]

  He wants to be happy, he really does. But his body is in shambles, and he cannot process joy right now.

  At the very least, the projects are a success. The cistern system works flawlessly, ensuring clean, safe drinking water for the estate and surrounding areas. The sewage system is operational, preventing contamination and finally solving the sanitation crisis. The open-air bathhouse at the estate is complete, and the staff and orphans are obsessed with it. Plans for the public bathhouse in the city are finalized, set to begin construction soon.

  The moment he announces completion, he expects praise. Instead, he is met with two very angry individuals.

  Vaela and Seraphina physically restrain him from moving another step.

  "You look half-dead" Vaela says bluntly, arms crossed.

  "Sit. Down."

  Seraphina sighs, rubbing her forehead. "I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I agree with her. Rest."

  Christian groans. "But I still have—"

  [Mission Tasks Temporarily Locked. Recovery Mode Activated.]

  He freezes. Genesis just locked him out of work.

  Oh, you traitor!

  [Administrator must rest before further enhancements can be made.]

  He glares at the system notifications, but even his body betrays him, sinking into the nearest seat like dead weight.

  Fine, if Genesis is locking me out from work, I might as well check what special reward I got.

  Alright, Genesis, let's see what I got.

  Genesis hums, and a flashy notification appears like an unboxing animation.

  [Congratulations! Special Reward Unlocked!]

  [New Feature: Elemental Integration – Creation Magic can now be wielded like standard magic.]

  A line of text follows.

  [Did you ever want to use Fireball like you tried a few days ago? Now you can!]

  Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.

  Christian's eyes widen, excitement bubbling in his chest, but then he notices a very small, nearly invisible disclaimer written in microscopic font, as if it were part of a contract.

  [User must be able to imagine, feel the element in their mind, and properly channel mana to manifest it. Results may vary and are entirely dependent on YOUR skill.]

  Christian groans.

  Of course there’s a catch.

  Still, curiosity gets the better of him. He lazily raises a hand, deciding to test this so-called elemental integration.

  Closing his eyes, he envisions a fireball, not expecting much. The mana within him stirs, flowing from his core like liquid heat, spiralling through his limbs and pooling in his palm. A tingling sensation spreads across his fingers as the air distorts—winds of fire curling together, flickering into existence.

  Before he can process it, the fireball bursts forth with a sharp crack, shooting across the room like an uncontrolled cannonball. It slams into a nearby pillar, scorching the surface but thankfully not breaking it.

  Silence.

  Christian stares, mouth slightly open. He definitely did not expect that to work.

  Seraphina and Vaela, who had been watching, mirror his expression.

  Seraphina is the first to recover. "If you really didn’t want to rest, you didn’t have to kill us."

  Christian, still staring at his hand, mutters "I… I didn’t expect that to work."

  Genesis flickers to life, its usual composed tone genuinely shaken.

  [Administrator... You successfully wielded elemental magic on the first attempt?]

  Christian snaps his head toward the system interface, eyes narrowing.

  Are you doubting me? ME?!

  Two days pass, and Christian remains confined to the estate, trapped in a cycle of training and frustration.

  His routine is set: wake up, complete his daily physical tasks, oversee the estate, and then fail spectacularly at the one thing he actually wants to do—wielding magic.

  He manages to finish most of his physical requirements, but two still haunt him

  Combat Drills – He doesn’t know how to fight.

  Endurance Sparring – He is not a fighter.

  And now, the mission countdown has dropped to 48 hours.

  "Damn you, Genesis" he mutters, glaring at the blinking timer.

  "I swear you do this just to spite me."

  Even worse? He can’t cast magic anymore.

  The fireball had been a fluke. He tries again—nothing. He knows he felt it before, but now it’s like grasping at smoke.

  Frustration simmers in his chest as he finally marches up to Seraphina’s door and knocks.

  When she opens it, he crosses his arms.

  "I need two people to spar with me. Or teach me. I don’t know, I feel like learning."

  Seraphina blinks, clearly confused. "Why the sudden interest?"

  Christian shrugs, his expression comically unreadable.

  "Ah, well, you know. Since the Order wants to kill people like me and the sweet children, I figured I should learn how to protect myself."

  Seraphina stares at him for a long moment before sighing.

  "You’re impossible. Fine. Adam and Garreth will spar with you."

  Minutes later, they step onto the training grounds, where some elves, maids, and every single orphan have gathered to watch.

  Adam, stretching his arms, smirks at Christian.

  "Go easy on me, yeah?"

  Christian exhales, rolling his shoulders.

  "Yeah, yeah, let’s just get this over with."

  The fight begins.

  Christian throws the first punch—and completely misses. Adam sidesteps effortlessly, watching as he stumbles forward, barely catching himself.

  "…That was sad" he comments.

  Christian grits his teeth and lunges again. Adam doesn’t even move. Instead, he tilts his head slightly, and Christian trips over his own momentum, tumbling onto the dirt.

  The audience collectively winces.

  Vaela mutters "This is a disaster."

  Garreth, arms crossed, watches with mild amusement.

  "That’s not fighting. That’s flailing with extra steps."

  Christian groans, lying flat on the ground. "…I regret everything."

  Then, an idea sparks in his mind. Without standing, he activates his creation magic, summoning a wooden throwing sword in her palm. With a flick of his wrist, he hurls it toward Adam.

  Adam, eyes widening, reacts instantly—his own wooden training sword swings up, deflecting the projectile mid-air with a sharp crack.

  The crowd collectively gasps.

  Adam raises an eyebrow. "Okay. That was actually decent. Got any more tricks?"

  Christian still face-down on the dirt, groans. "Give me a minute."

  And then, the situation devolves into utter chaos.

  Christian fueled by desperation and sheer stubbornness, starts summoning and hurling wooden daggers and swords endlessly at Adam while screaming incoherent nonsense.

  "Go! Take this! And that! You fool! Accept your fate!"

  He yells, launching another poorly-aimed projectile.

  Adam, now dodging and parrying like his life depends on it, shouts back

  "Are you even aiming?!"

  Genesis, watching the spectacle unfold, exudes the energy of a mother who has given up on her child’s life choices.

  [This is the world’s only hero…]

  Christian hisses in his mind

  I didn’t ask to be this world’s hero, so you get what you see!

  With renewed vigor (and no strategy), he throws a javelin into the mix, sending it hurtling toward Adam. His eyes widen as he barely dodges, and before he can recover, Garreth is forced to join the fight, using his real sword to deflect the incoming projectiles.

  The audience watches in absolute disbelief.

  One of the orphan kids, Lina, whispers "Is… is he winning?"

  A maid, Marianne, shakes her head. "I don’t think anyone is winning."

  An elf, Eryndil, mutters "This isn’t training. This is pure, unfiltered chaos."

  Vaela, arms crossed, sighs "At this point, he’s just hoping something lands."

  Genesis, barely maintaining composure.

  [Administrator, I refuse to acknowledge this as a valid combat strategy.]

  Christian hisses back in his mind

  I never ask for this either

  With that, he kicks things up a notch. Summoning a spear wreathed in flickering flames, he spins it wildly like a performer in a circus, using the sheer momentum to keep Adam and Garreth at bay.

  To his surprise, it actually works.

  Adam, circling cautiously, mutters, "Okay, I’ll admit—that’s a little intimidating."

  Garreth exhales, tightening his grip on his sword. "Don’t let his theatrics fool you. He’s still flailing."

  Christian ignoring them both, creates another weapon—a dagger infused with smoke magic.

  Without hesitation, he drops it to the ground, and the moment it hits, thick smoke erupts, cloaking the entire field.

  The audience gasps as he vanishes into the haze.

  "Oh, come on" Adam grumbles, waving smoke from his face.

  Within the dense fog, Christian manifests a wind-imbued staff, gripping it tightly.

  He lunges—wild, untrained, and entirely unpredictable.

  What follows can only be described as an absolute disaster.

  With zero technique, he flails through the smoke, swinging wildly at shadows while Adam and Garreth are forced to defend against his chaotic barrage.

  The fight finally ends when Genesis chimes in with a notification.

  [Weekly Training Requirements Met. Task Complete.]

  Christian freezes mid-attack. Adam takes the opening to knock the staff from his hands, and Garreth swiftly moves behind him, pinning his arms to prevent further madness.

  Breathing heavily, Christian stares at the notification, then at the two men holding him in place.

  "…Well. That worked out nicely."