These people were vicious.
They were all plotting against him.
Xu Zhi clutched his head in despair. This world was far too cruel.
He had placed the smaller sandbox near the entrance so he could easily monitor it—how convenient. Yet, precisely because of this closeness, the players had begun to hatch absurd ideas.
Technically, they were all born from his spores. He was their father. Their Creator.
And now, they were seriously considering patricide.
Treacherous heretics!
He could forgive Gilgamesh's rebellion. After all, that man had been born naturally in the larger sandbox, a native of his own mythology. But now even his obedient little worker ants were planning an uprising?
"I must be the most pitiful Creator in history," Xu Zhi muttered, stunned into silence before regaining his composure. "So… you all want to defy heaven and kill God, huh? I thought I already made it clear—I'm not to be messed with."
His eyes narrowed.
"It seems this guy, Akina's Speedster, hasn't been beaten down hard enough by society. I'll teach him what it means to brag. You wanna act like the ultimate badass? Fine. Then get ready for the ultimate beating!"
But even as the irritation simmered, he paused and reconsidered.
Maybe… maybe it was better to let them play out their rebellion. Motivation bred evolution. Let them scheme, as long as they kept creating new species.
He turned to the Hive Mind. "Does this new species have extraordinary potential?"
The Tyranis Hive Mind responded in its usual emotionless tone. "Yes. This species demonstrates exceptional evolutionary promise."
"It really does…" Xu Zhi bit hard into an apple, his envy flaring. "Some people just have the talent. I can't even compare."
This new lifeform had evolved to a remarkable size within the sandbox. While only the size of a beetle to Xu Zhi, it was a colossus to the ant-sized world—akin to an elephant rampaging through a village.
The creature resembled a majestic crimson rooster, its feathers glowing like embers. It was almost phoenix-like in beauty.
It looked… delicious.
"How strong is its toxin?" Xu Zhi asked cautiously. "Could it actually hurt me?"
It would be hilarious—and humiliating—if he got offed by a bite-sized bird.
"This species is similar to the pufferfish," the Hive Mind replied. "Its flesh is exquisite, but even a trace amount of its toxin can lethally poison a full-grown adult."
Xu Zhi's throat went dry. He swallowed hard.
This guy's seriously trying to kill me.
A beetle-sized creature capable of killing humans? That meant it was lethally toxic.
"If it can take out an ordinary human… what about me?" he asked, voice low. "I've undergone genetic enhancement. My body's nearly perfect. I've even started magical training."
If it couldn't threaten him, there was no point in introducing it to the sandbox. The witches would trample all over it.
"Testing is required," the Hive Mind answered. "As the Tyranis Hive Mother, you are immune to all threats born from your spores. You should test it personally."
Xu Zhi scowled. "I'm not a woman. Call me Father."
The Hive Mind paid no attention. "Hive Mother, please test the toxin personally. No creature born from your spores can harm you."
Xu Zhi exhaled. "So I'm safe, huh? Well, if this thing really has that much potential, I'll let Akina's Speedster off the hook for now. Let's see what it can really do."
He took another bite of his apple.
Perfecting the sandbox's magical civilization was his current priority. He was genuinely curious about what this second species from the Evil Eye player might accomplish.
"Let's wait until he starts eating!"
"Shhh, keep it down. We'll poison him quietly."
"So sinister! I love it!"
In the miniature sandbox, the players whispered excitedly among themselves, hiding behind blades of grass.
Recently, Xu Zhi had taken to eating fruit daily—for his stomach's sake. As a stomach cancer patient, he had to be careful. Right now, he was working on his second apple.
"He's eating again. This is our chance. If he's serving himself up on a platter, the least we can do is try to bite him. I bet he tastes good."
It wasn't quite five o'clock yet—his usual mealtime. He wasn't in a hurry.
He flipped open his black notebook, filled with notes on the evolutionary process.
It was time to record a new chapter in his divine chronicle. Following the Age of Darkness, the Age of Radiance, the Age of Rebirth, and the Age of Genesis, it was time for the Fifth Age.
Though the Babylonian Age wasn't over yet, he felt compelled to start chronicling its legacy.
"This epoch will be called…" he paused thoughtfully, "The Age of Magic."
"In this age, magicians rise in great numbers, ruling the land with wisdom and arcane might. Hermes, the God of Wisdom, descended to converse with mortals, guiding the Three Witches in opening the path forward. In the year 198 of Babylon, the witches reached the end of their lives—and the heavens wept, sending miracles in their memory…"
KNOCK KNOCK!
Xu Zhi's head snapped up.
Chen Xi was at the gate.
He stood quickly and moved to open it.
On the ground, the tiny creatures watching him shrieked and scrambled in panic.
"Run, comrades!"
"He's headed for the gate! Clear the Path of the Stampede!"
Xu Zhi had, after all, built the sandbox right beside the entrance. Every time he stepped out, he would unknowingly pass through their world. The players had named this route the Path of the Stampede.
"Is everyone okay?"
"No casualties. We've got about four minutes before he starts eating. We should use that time to climb the giant chair!"
"Quick! Stack your bodies! Form a ladder!"
"Charge! Let's kill the boss! First kill's mine!"
A swarm of bizarre, ant-sized creatures began to climb the chair leg like invaders scaling a fortress wall.
Their plan? Hide behind the backrest, out of sight.
But Akina's Speedster called them back.
"Hold on. Don't get excited. Calm is key in boss fights," he said wisely. "I just noticed something important—he's not just eating today. He took out his black notebook. There could be hidden content. Clues."
The other players froze. Hidden content?
Now that was tempting.
"I'll go! I've got eight legs!"
"No, me! I have four arms!"
"I have five tentacles—with eyes! I can literally flip pages with my eyeballs!"
A group of confident creatures coordinated to flip open the massive black notebook, working together to lift pages the size of fields.
They leaned against the leather cover, managing to reveal the first page.
Three massive words greeted them:
Age of Genesis
They stared.
"…What is this?"