Chapter 2: The Little Sprite
950 Words
“Hmph! It’s your fault… all your fault!”
The tiny system sprite puffed out her cheeks, stomping an adorable foot as she turned dramatically away from Noah. Though she faced the opposite direction, she kept stealing glances at him from the corner of her eye—mischievous, expectant, and clearly waiting for him to coax her back.
Noah instantly understood that expression.
This wasn’t anger—
It was the “come beg me” kind of sulk.
With no choice, Noah put on his most flattering smile and showered her with compliments. He wasn’t proud of it, but desperate times called for shameless measures. He had no idea where he was—
If this place really was some high‑tech lab, he might end up dissected like in sci-fi horror movies.
He hadn’t even watched the hundred gigabytes of… educational films stored on his laptop back home!
He absolutely refused to die for science.
After a long streak of flattery, Noah’s mouth was dry, his voice cracking. Only then did the little sprite finally turn around, her cheeks lightly flushed as she peeked at him shyly. Apparently, his praise had worked a little too well.
“W‑Well… I’m not that amazing…” she murmured bashfully.
Seeing the window of opportunity, Noah immediately seized the moment before she flipped moods again.
“So… who exactly are you?”
Her expression brightened with pride.
“I’m the system’s intelligence unit! I’m here to assist my Master. I’m very powerful!”
“Intelligence unit? So… do you have a name?” Noah asked. “I’m Noah Steele, by the way.”
The sprite’s glow dimmed instantly. Her small head drooped.
“A name… I don’t have one. I’m just the system’s intelligence. We aren’t given names.”
Her tone was so small and pitiful that Noah felt an unexpected pang in his chest.
“Then… why don’t I give you one?” he blurted.
Her head snapped up. Her eyes sparkled like stars.
“Really?! Thank you, Master!”
Noah scratched his cheek awkwardly. “Let me think…”
She stared at him with such pure expectation that he almost felt guilty—until he remembered all the trouble she’d caused him already.
Yeah… she’s cute, but also a menace.
He sighed. “You look sweet and innocent, but your personality is… trickster-level chaos. Like a mischievous little demon spirit.”
He hesitated—
Then said it.
“How about… Little Sprite?”
Her eyes widened, then curved into crescent moons.
“Little Sprite… I like it! Thank you, Master!”
She danced happily in midair, glowing with excitement. Noah couldn’t help but smile—her joy was surprisingly infectious.
But the next second, she paused and shot him a playful glare.
“And I’m not mischievous! Or evil! Hmph!”
The contrast between her innocent appearance and sassy attitude nearly gave Noah a nosebleed out of sheer exasperation.
He pressed a hand to his forehead. “Please… have mercy on my sanity.”
Trying to focus, he finally asked, “So earlier, you mentioned a ‘system.’ What exactly is that? And why do you keep calling me Master?”
Little Sprite clasped her hands behind her back and began:
“The System is a super-advanced program from 500 years in the future. It was created by top scholars across every field, designed to help develop the perfect human being—physically, mentally, and professionally.”
“F‑Five hundred years?!” Noah blurted, stunned.
She nodded proudly.
“In that era, powerful nations tried to steal me. To protect the developers and prevent a global catastrophe, eight of the world’s greatest scientists activated an incomplete spatial-transfer device to send me back to our homeland.”
“But due to interference from enemy agents and cosmic radiation, the transfer malfunctioned. Instead of arriving five hundred years in the future, I was thrown five hundred years into the past… and landed on your head.”
“That explains… nothing and everything…” Noah muttered.
Little Sprite huffed. “And of course I chose you as my host! You were the closest compatible human. Also, I have a built-in bloodline recognition module. If you didn’t have a certain lineage, you’d have been—”
She made a cute chopping motion.
“—eliminated.”
Noah froze.
“Eliminated?! You said that way too casually!”
The sprite gave him an apologetic look.
“It’s okay, Master! Now that the bond is complete, I can’t eliminate you anymore.”
Noah exhaled in relief—
Until she added with a sweet smile:
“…but I can punish you.”
Before he could react, a glowing whip materialized in her hand—crackling with electricity.
“W‑Wait—let’s talk about—AHHHH—!”
The empty metal hall echoed with Noah’s screams and the sprite’s cheerful scolding.
“That’s for calling me mischievous! And that’s for doubting me! And this is for running!”
When the torture—er, “training”—finally ended, Noah lay on the floor like fried toast, his hair standing up in all directions.
Little Sprite floated beside him with a bright smile.
“Don’t be mad, Master! The punishment was necessary to complete your enhancement. Now your body has fully absorbed the upgrade.”
Her tone was sweet—
Too sweet.
The kind of sweet that made Noah’s spine tremble.
“You win…” he groaned. “I admit defeat.”
He tried to stand but gave up immediately.
At this moment, he could only comfort himself with one heroic thought:
A real man sometimes must endure… and wait for revenge.
- Writer
