Chapter 2
From cells to the universe.
A game where new species evolved and prospered through my choices, eventually forming civilizations.
Milky Way.
I was sure it was a game.
“This was a real world?….”
It was real.
And I had become its master.
Now, I could survey Yeoulrim's blue sky and green land all at once.
Wind blowing over the mountains.
Waves rippling across the sea.
Even tiny droplets on blades of grass, or little bubbles in the seawater.
If I focused, I could see it all.
My senses encompassed the entire world.
And if I wanted…
Fwoosh~
The sky of Yeoulrim.
My avatar was created.
If I focused, I could feel all five senses. It was as if Yeoulrim's fresh air filled my lungs.
This feeling and sensation.
It was absolutely real.
I was in another world right now.
It was so hard to believe that it frightened me.
Because of that…
“Gasp!”
I inadvertently opened my eyes in reality.
The view of Yeoulrim that had been before me vanished, and I returned to reality.
To the studio apartment where I lived.
To my shabby room.
“This is… my skill?”
The experience had been so amazing that I was flustered.
Just moments ago, I had been the god of a world, with omnipotent senses.
“L-let me try again.”
Sitting on the floor, I focused properly.
When I thought of Yeoulrim, my thoughts flew off into the distance, transporting me there.
It felt like logging into a game world.
At that mysterious sensation…
“Waaah.”
I got completely absorbed.
*
Smooch!!
Somewhere in the sea.
One cell devoured another.
As that repeated and it grew larger, the cell's body swelled as if about to burst. Then…
Fwoooosh!~
One side burst, releasing tiny cells.
Those cells devoured other cells in turn.
How much time passed?
A mutation occurred in one cell.
It swelled as if about to burst, but instead of bursting, a long stem suddenly sprouted.
A tail.
The cell had grown a tail.
It began swimming much faster and devouring multiple cells.
“Rather than giving it good traits right off the bat, it's important to give it a framework.”
I watched the process.
No, I was directing it.
That one was a cell I had made, after all.
Right now, I'm watching a cellular battle unfold across the sea and helping cells evolve.
Like this.
[Successfully induced a tail mutation in an individual.]
[Designating the individual as your retainer. You can check its location at any time.]
[Strengthening the individual's survival instincts.]
[Promoting the individual's growth.]
[90pt of World Power has been consumed.]
World Power was an incredible force.
It could bring about almost any miracle.
I could cause natural disasters or take down a target of my choosing.
And the interesting thing was…
[The time stele erected in the Age of Destruction is active. You can compress up to 10,000 years of time.]
[Would you like to accelerate the world's time?]
I could skip over tedious stretches of time.
It was a consumable ability, but it could bring the world up to 10,000 years into the future and accelerate its development.
In other words, I could guide evolution, speed up time, and see the results right away.
[Accelerating time by one day.]
Fwaaash!!~
The sun set in an instant, the moon rose, and then the sun came up once more.
It was a limited resource, but there was plenty. Combined with World Power, I could stretch 10,000 years into tens or even hundreds of millions of years.
Look.
“It's already reached adulthood.”
It was already time for it to evolve.
I could feel it. Somewhere in the sea, my retainer cell was gorging itself on other cells.
Organic matter from dead cells filled its body.
It had more than enough to make a new body.
In other words, it was time to make it evolve again!
“I should avoid traits like absorbing genes, bioelectricity, or biological armor. They'd hold it back once it reached the civilization stage.”
I thought carefully and made my choice.
If I failed, I'd have to make it evolve all over again, wasting precious World Power.
I still didn't know how to replenish World Power.
I had to pursue maximum efficiency.
[Inducing the individual's stem-cell regeneration gene trait.]
[Inducing the individual's mana-synthesizing organ.]
[140pt of World Power has been consumed.]
First, an investment in the future.
There was no need to make it strong right away.
I needed to extend its lifespan and lay the groundwork for it to grow stronger from the cellular stage.
Then, I accelerated time.
“How dare you.”
Pop!
Whenever my retainer cell was in danger, I killed the hostile individuals myself.
Using World Power, popping a cell and killing it was easy.
It wasn't a waste.
This cell was responsible for Yeoulrim's development.
My…
No, it was a cell chosen by a god!
Losing this one cell would be a loss for the whole world. I couldn't let it get eaten.
“Grow big and strong.”
I raised it with all the affection I could give.
I spent the whole day focused on raising cells.
*
“Huh, it's already dawn?”
I returned to reality.
I must have been so focused that before I knew it, dawn had arrived.
If I went to sleep now, I'd feel sluggish tomorrow morning.
Staying up late isn't good…
Wait a second.
“Why do I feel so refreshed??”
Boing, boing.
I stood up and gave a light hop.
I felt as refreshed as if I'd just woken up.
Then I realized.
“Oh, I really did just wake up, didn't I?”
My physical body in reality had been resting here with its eyes closed, practically fast asleep.
Thanks to that, I was full of energy.
I didn't have to rush off to bed.
I could probably use my sleeping hours to look after Yeoulrim.
I'd stepped into the realm of the unreal!
It felt like I'd gotten a cheat code for life.
A little thrill welled up inside me.
Well then…
How was this even possible?
What exactly was the game I'd played?
Grrr.
“Hmm….”
I'd better eat first and think later.
I had plenty of time to think.
Eating in the middle of the night felt a little sinful, but my body didn't care about night or day anyway.
I might as well eat my fill while I was at it.
“Ugh. I hate how lazy I was.”
But the fridge was empty.
The ramen I'd stocked in the cupboard was all gone, too, of all days.
It was the middle of the night, so getting delivery would be difficult.
There was nothing to eat right now.
“I have to go out… don't I?”
I couldn't go hungry.
I had a feeling I might be fine without eating, but I didn't want to test it.
Taste was a precious sense granted by God!
Neglecting it would be a betrayal of my duty as a human.
Hiss.
I'd better go buy something to eat right away.
Maybe it was because my body had changed, but my appetite was surging.
My clothes had changed along with my body, so I could go out like this.
The convenience store was a little ways from home, but not so far that it was a burden.
Creak~
Let's go.
A nighttime stroll.
*
Patter, patter.
I walked around the neighborhood in shoes that were a little too big.
This was Seoul, but my home was in a poor hillside neighborhood, so the alleys nearby were dark and deserted.
Once I left those alleys, though, there was a five-way intersection lined with bars, where the occasional drunk stood around staring blankly.
It was the same now.
Even though it was very late…
“Hic! Heehee….”
I spotted a staggering woman.
She looked to be in her twenties, around my age. What was she doing over there?
Was she having a hard time?
Let's just pass by.
“Hyaah!~ What are you, a little kid?”
“Eek!?”
I was trying to hurry past, but the woman turned to look at me, her eyes lighting up.
Maybe it was because my vocal cords were so delicate, but even a little surprise made my voice slip out.
“Hehe. Could you come over here for a second?”
“I-I, um….”
Stay calm.
She's just drunk.
I calmly turned my head as much as possible and looked up at the woman calling to me.
“You're such an adorable little princess!”
“Ugh….”
I could smell the alcohol on her.
She was so drunk that her face was a mess. She probably didn't even know what was going on.
“Hehehe. Well then…”
The woman reached out toward me.
I was pretty startled by that.
Why was she suddenly reaching for me?
What was she trying to do??
Squeeeze!
“Kyaah~ Now this is the good stuff.”
“Ugh!?”
She pinched my cheek.
My cheek stretched out to the side.
‘W-what is this? What's happening??’
What was actually going on?
Was a drunk woman really grabbing my cheek and stretching it while I was walking down the street?
What kind of situation was thiiis!!?
“You're as soft as a five-star hotel bed, huh? Hehehe.”
“Mweh??”
“All right, I like you. Here's some pocket money!!”
“Mweeh!?”
Thump.
The woman pressed a bill into my hand.
I glanced down and saw a gleaming 50,000-won bill featuring Shin Saimdang.
Money, all of a sudden?
And 50,000 won, at that?
What was this?
Was this payment for letting her pinch my cheek??
Huh?
“……….”
I thought about it for three seconds.
Slide.
I held my cheek out a little.
“M-more….”
“Hmm? Heehee!~ You really are a kid, huh? Hmph. Was five thousand won not enough?”
“Yes.”
“Hehehe.”
Pat, pat~
The woman patted my head as if she was enjoying herself, then pulled out two more bills.
“Heeere! Take these!”
“Gasp!!”
She handed them to me without even checking them.
Both of them were gleaming 50,000-won bills featuring Shin Saimdang.
I never thought she'd actually give me more.
“Thank you so much!!”
“Nyahaha! That's the power of being an adult, I tell you!”
“That's right, you're so cool!”
“Well said! Here, take more!”
“Waaah!”
Snatch, snatch!
The Shin Saimdang bills went fluttering through the air.
I snatched them up quickly.
Ah.
Maybe being a weak, tiny girl wasn't all bad…?