Rain bit his lip. "This can't be right. Did I do something wrong? Maybe I poured too much water? Or did I add too little Salty Marsh?"
He checked the other solutions and found them devoid of salt as well.
Rain slumped onto the ground. "It didn't work?"
He thought hard, trying to pinpoint where he might have gone wrong, or if the laws of science simply didn't apply here.
This was a fantasy world, after all. Common sense didn't apply here.
Rain then noticed the last remaining three solutions. With a gulp, he forced himself to check those too.
This was the feeling he disliked the most: hope mixed with the fear of disappointment.
Closing his eyes, Rain cautiously dipped his finger into the solution, feeling the coarse texture of the rock.
Rain's eyes widened as he felt that familiar, texture beneath his finger, both alien and strangely familiar to his touch.
"Ohh!" Rain's eyes snapped open as he saw the small, coarse, murky rock salt between the tips of his thumb and index finger.
With shaking hands, he held the little piece of salt up to the sun to confirm its authenticity.
It looked exactly like salt.
But just to be certain, Rain popped the little piece into his mouth.
"SALT!"
[Obtained: 1000 EP!]
Rain hopped to his feet, hope igniting like wildfire as he checked the other containers. Out of the seven he had made, two had produced rock salt.
"Maybe it has to do with the small amount of solution," he mused. Next time, he would bring a larger tub to produce more salt.
As long as he could produce salt here, not all was lost.
Rain returned to the temporary shelter with a wide smile on his face.
~Chiii!~
Rain chuckled. "Ah, the salt was a success."
~Chii!~
"That's right. Our next step is crucial. We'll try it tomorrow. Oh, look . . . the eggs are moving."
Rain's eyes sparkled with anticipation as the four eggs began to shift simultaneously.
One by one, they hatched.
"Ohhh!" The burst of light was blinding, filling the small confines of the shelter.
When Rain opened his eyes, he saw a line of humanoid figures. Their skin tones varied: one had white skin, another red, a third yellow. Their forms resembled Chi's but lacked the full armor she had.
Rain's amazement grew as he observed their distinct features, each new creature radiating an aura of potential and mystery. These new companions held the promise of untapped abilities and strength.
Chi watched them intently, her eyes gleaming with curiosity. She approached the newly hatched beings, chittering softly, and they responded in kind, their tiny voices harmonizing with hers.
Rain couldn't help but feel a surge of hope. With Chi's guidance, their chances of survival and success in this world seemed brighter than ever.
"Welcome to the team," Rain said, smiling at the hatchlings. "We have much to do, and we'll need all the help we can get."
The new evolved troops were all in the Crusader class, the light infantry troops of the Aasimar race.
Troop #4, however, didn't evolve. Its color changed from white to black, though.
"W-wha . . . what happened to you?"
~Chirp!~
Troop #4 was baffled as well, spinning around in confusion.
"Huh?" Rain crossed his arms and thought hard. "Troops #2 to #5 had the same synchronization star and required the same EP, but how come only #4 remained the same? His color changed to dark, though."
There was also no prompt for another evolution, which really baffled Rain. Could it be that the evolution had failed? But #4's color changed, so that should mean something . . . right?
Rain looked over at Chi, hoping for an explanation, but she only shook her head, indicating she didn't know what had happened either.
Rain cupped Troop #4 in his hands, trying to communicate with it, but the little one only lowered its head.
Rain could feel #4's dejection. It hopped from his hands to the ground and even stumbled on its face when it landed.
Rain couldn't even laugh because #4 was so heartbroken that its shoulders slumped. While the others were celebrating, the little guy sat alone in a corner.
The scene really broke Rain's heart, but he couldn't do anything about it. For now, he would give #4 its space, and search what happened to it when he got the time.
Rain refocused his attention on the other troops and gave them names: Chin, Chick, and Chill, connecting them with the same first letter of Chi's name.
As Crusaders, they could now equip swords and shields and were immune to radiant and necrotic damage.
Though they couldn't equip bows, having two arms now changed the game significantly.
"Alright everyone, gather around. We have more tasks to do before the light completely fades," Rain directed his troops to gather materials around the area but warned them not to stray far.
Everyone was enthusiastic and readily followed Rain's command, except for #4, who remained moping in a corner.
Chi grumbled under her breath, but Rain stopped her. "It's fine. Let's leave him alone for now. I'm sure not being able to evolve like the others hurt him."
Chi shifted her eyes from #4 to Rain before joining the others outside to gather materials.
As Rain prepared the meat to cook, he found solace in the teamwork and progress they were making. Despite the challenges, he felt like their situation wasn't so bad after all.
Rain looked out at his small army, now better equipped and more organized. He would buy them weapons when he get back to earth tomorrow.
Even though #4 was struggling, Rain was determined to find a way to help him evolve. They were a team, and no one would be left behind.