Hello, World! (3)
Hello. It was great creating these new creatures, but how the heck do I spread them across the whole world? Part of me wants to dump a ton in one spot and call it a day, but that probably won't spread them properly everywhere.
Hmm... Well, I've got plenty of time, so maybe I should just wait and see? If it doesn't work, I can figure something out later.
I waddled out of the cave where I'd hatched. Man, walking is such a pain. My legs are weirdly thick, making it way more awkward than when I was human. I've got wings on my back and all, but can I actually fly with these?
But come on, a dragon that can't fly is basically just a dinosaur, right? I eyed the tiny wings dangling from my back. As a human, I could've never seen my own back like this, but thanks to this long dragon neck, it's oddly convenient.
Those little wings on my back didn't look all that reliable, but hey, they were all I had. I prodded them gently with the tip of my snout, trying to memorize the sensation. Something near the wing bones on my back responding to the touch—a strange feeling from a body part I never had before.
I tapped them repeatedly with my nose tip, etching the movement into my brain as much as possible. Then I tried to recreate it by flexing my back. It was tough since it was a brand-new body part, but little by little, I started getting the hang of it.
Hmm, ah, like this? As I focused on moving whatever was back there, the tiny wings flapped awkwardly. But I doubt these could actually get me airborne.
Hmm... Right as I was pondering that...
What do you think of facing this new world?
It's pretty bare-bones right now, lots missing.
But don't worry! I'll help out as much as I can!
By the way, I've already stocked the place with mana. It's pretty dilute now, but it'll thicken up over time.
Once the mana density rises and things settle into a system,
you'll be able to use magic too!
Of course, your dragon body can handle mana on an instinctive level.
A big ol' dragon like you flies with those tiny wings thanks to mana power!
You can probably breathe a Breath attack too—give it a shot!
I'm dying to see what comes out of your mouth. 😄
Oh, and for any tiny ecosystems you can't create yourself, I've got 'em covered, so no worries!
Am I spoiling you too much? You're gonna have nothing to do! lol
Still, this world is made for you.
Have fun however you want!
Aigoo, thanks a bunch! Mana or no mana, I can't even feel the stuff—what good is it! "Instinctive level," my ass! I don't even know if it's there!!!
Like! If I just flap like this! It doesn't pull in mana to lift me or anything! Like this! Like th—wait, my body's floating up? Rising higher... rising... Huh? Am I... flying...?
My feet are off the ground??? What is this! I just flapped, and suddenly there's this massive wind! My body's lifting off! What the—?! I'm flying! Flying!!! I'm soaring!!!!
My body kept climbing higher. Whoa! So cool! By adjusting the wing flaps a bit, I could push forward, go backward, turn left or right! This is awesome! Amazing! Fun!
Even as I gained altitude, flying itself felt effortless. Incredible! This is a blast!! But my back was starting to ache—getting tired.
Hmm. Since I just hatched, maybe my muscles aren't developed enough? Or are the wing muscles just unfamiliar?
Right then—agony shot through the muscles near my wings! Ow!!! Cramp!!! It's cramping!!! Kyaaah!!!! I'm falling!!! Pretty high up! Way up here!!! If I crash from this height, I'm done for!!! The wing cramp hurts too much to flap!!! I'm gonna die!!! Save me!!!!
BOOM!!!
And just like that, before I could do anything, I slammed into the ground. The silver lining? A huge crater formed, but my body didn't hurt at all. Well, except it did! The cramped wing area hurt!!! And with these short arms, I couldn't even massage it!!!!
After wriggling in that pit forever, the pain finally started to fade. Ughhh. That hurt like hell. Never wanna feel that again. Was it because I just hatched? Or because it's a new body part? Either way, I never imagined wings could cramp.
From now on... gotta stretch before flapping, I guess. At least my body's super tough—no scratches from that high fall. Don't know my exact size, but if it's human-height-ish... that's like head-diving from a third-story window unscathed. Proves my body's durability, at least.
Anyway, not the point. I flexed my wings again and took off once more. This time, I felt a faint energy wrapping around them. Is this mana? That subtle aura permeating the air? It's so weak you'd miss it without focusing, but flapping while flying helped me sense it bit by bit.
Not thick enough to do much with yet... but maybe I can use magic later? Kinda looking forward to the future now. Yeah. With that, I soared high into the sky.
Now that I could fly around the world, the first thing I did was...
"Be born! O life!"
Sprinkle the ancestors of all the creatures I'd made across the globe. I'd added some shock absorption, so even from great heights, these guys would be fine. I scattered them everywhere.
The body got a bit squishier and softer in the process—minor detail. Then I added self-division, reproduction with others, environmental adaptation, air absorption for energy, mutation capabilities... and whoops.
Ah, these are slimes. Not on purpose! But totally slimes!!! They even engulf tiny things to eat! Can't swallow big stuff! Munch on moss or leaves!
Hmm... whatever. It's a fantasy world with dragons and mana anyway. What's wrong with slimes? If anything, having them eat filth and trash to break it down is good for the environment. Plus, their slime or dead bodies fertilize the soil.
And with that, the creatures right above the food chain's bottom were born.
What is the origin of humanity's birth?
The Life Church, worshippers of the Life Goddess, claims she birthed all life on this world—but that's incorrect.
After decades of research, I, a professor at the Imperial University, assert that all life originates from slimes.
Slimes that adapt to environments and induce change! They are the root of all creatures!
This can be confirmed from slime fossils discovered worldwide—
— An announcement from a certain Imperial University paleontology professor.
— After this declaration, he was declared a heretic by the Life Church and the Pantheon, then vanished.
— Rumors say the empire's Guardian Dragon was involved in his disappearance, but the truth remains unclear.
I scattered slimes across the world. And watching them was surprisingly fun. Each region's slimes evolved differently. Even similar environments led to unique paths.
For example, in two swampy areas: one became mud slimes absorbing muck, the other poison slimes gathering rot to make toxins.
Ice regions birthed hard ice slimes; volcanic areas, flaming lava slimes. Leaf-mimicking camouflage slimes, ore-absorbing rock slimes, and more. The slime world was endless.
Aquatic slimes usually dissolved due to osmosis, but some adapted to water. Fascinatingly, they altered their surfaces to retain fluids—single cells dividing for tougher skins, protecting internal water.
But that made feeding harder, so they formed mouth-like structures. For active movement, fin-like appendages. To breathe in water—oxygen...? Whatever gaseous oxygen equivalent—they developed gill-like organs.
Thus, slimes began evolving into fish.