Chapter 3

A newly created creature is all well and good, but how do I scatter this across the entire world?

Hmm… Ideally, I’d dump them all in one spot and be done with it, but they probably won’t spread properly that way. Ugh…

Well, we’ve got plenty of time, so maybe just wait and see? If it doesn’t work out, I can always figure something else later.

With unsteady steps, I emerged from the cave where I was born.

Ugh… Walking’s such a hassle. My legs are weirdly thick now, making walking far less comfortable than when I was human.

Though I’ve got wings on my back, can I even fly with these?

But isn’t a dragon that can’t fly basically just a dinosaur?

I glanced at the small wings attached to my back.

When I was human, there was no way to see my back, but thanks to becoming a dragon, my neck’s long enough to actually look back. How strange.

These tiny wings on my back don’t exactly inspire confidence, but for now, I’ve got nothing better to try.

I nudged the wings gently with the tip of my nose, trying to memorize the sensation.

The feeling of something touching near the wing bones on my back—so different from being human.

After embedding this sensation into my mind as best I could, I attempted to replicate it by moving my back.

It was pretty tough to move an area that didn’t exist before, but after some fumbling, I started to get the hang of it.

Ah, so this is how! Vigorously moving something on my back causes these little wings to flap.

But there’s no way I can fly with these, right? Hmm…

Just then,

✉️

In the lower right corner of my vision, a letter envelope icon popped up.

┌───────────────────────────

│How’s it going exploring this new world?

│There’s still much lacking, so it’s quite insufficient.

│But don’t worry! I’ll help you as much as I can!

│

│By the way, magical power has already been prepared there.

│It’s currently diluted, but it will grow stronger over time.

│Once the magical energy intensifies and things stabilize,

│you’ll be able to use magic too.

│

│Of course, your dragon body should instinctively

│be able to handle this magical power.

│That big dragon flying freely with those tiny wings?

│That’s powered by magical force!

│Also, give breathing fire a shot! I’m curious what comes out of your mouth.

│

│As for creating ecosystems, I’ve taken care of that for you,

│so don’t worry about it!

│Maybe I’ve helped out a bit too much, leaving you with nothing to do?

│

│Still, this world is made for you.

│Enjoy it however you like!

└───────────────────────────

Oh great, thanks a bunch!

Whether or not magical power exists, I can’t even feel it—what use is that?

Sure, you said I could use it instinctively—but I don’t even know if it exists!!!

Hey! Just flapping my wings randomly isn’t making me soar using magical power or anything!

Suddenly! Like this! My body starts floating upward… Rising… Rising…

What? I’m flying?! My feet have left the ground???

What is this?! I just flapped my wings casually, and yet a powerful wind is blowing?! My body is lifting off?!

What is this?? What IS this??? Something’s happening! Flying!!! Flying!!!! I’m flying!!!!!

I keep rising higher. Wow! Incredible! The direction of my wing beats lets me move forward, backward, turn left or right—it’s amazing! Incredible! Fun!

Even as I climbed higher, flying itself remained effortless. Incredible! This is fun!!

But my back feels a bit stiff and tiring. Hmm. Is it because I’ve only just been born and my muscles aren’t developed enough? Or is it because the muscles around my wings aren’t used to it?

Then,

The muscles near my wings hurt! It hurts!! A cramp, a cramp hit!! Ackkkk!!!!

I’m falling!!! From quite a height! This is super high! Falling from here would be disastrous!!! I can’t flap my wings due to the pain in the wing muscles!!! I’m dying!!! Help me!!!

KWAANG!!!

And just like that, I crashed back down to earth without doing anything.

Thankfully, despite hitting the ground hard enough to create a large crater, my body wasn’t injured at all.

Well, except for the pain from the cramp in my wings! And I can’t even massage the muscle because my arms are too short!!!

Eventually, after writhing around in the crater for a while, the pain in my wings began to subside.

Oof. That really hurt. Definitely don’t want to experience that again.

Was it because I was just born? Or is it because this part didn’t exist before? Anyway, I never imagined cramps would hit my wings.

From now on… I should probably stretch before flapping my wings.

At least my body itself is incredibly sturdy—I fell from a great height without sustaining a single scratch. That’s fortunate.

I don’t know exactly how tall I am now, but assuming it’s similar to my human height…

If I fell headfirst from roughly three stories and didn’t get a scratch, that proves my body’s toughness.

Anyway, that’s not the important part.

Once again, I flapped my wings and soared into the air.

This time, I felt a faint energy enveloping my wings. Is this magical power? This faint energy permeating the air?

It was so subtle that you wouldn’t notice unless you paid close attention, but as I flew, I started to understand it bit by bit.

It’s still too diluted to know what to do with it, but… could I use magic eventually?

Something about the future seems exciting. Yeah.

And thus, I soared high into the sky.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

Now that I could travel the world, the first thing I did was:

“Be born! Oh life!”

Scattering the progenitors of all creatures I created across the world.

Since I added a shock absorption feature, they should survive falls from great heights.

While adding this function, their bodies became oddly soft and squishy—a minor detail.

I also included self-replication capabilities, functions to interact with other organisms to produce offspring, adaptability to the environment, the ability to absorb air for energy combustion, mutation abilities, and more…

Ah, this is slime.

It wasn’t intentional! But it’s completely slime!!!

And it engulfs small things to consume them! Can’t swallow large ones! Eats moss and leaves from the ground!

Hmm… Well, it doesn’t really matter. Since this is a fantasy world with dragons and magical power anyway, what harm could slime possibly do?

Actually, since I added a function for slime to decompose waste and garbage, it might even be environmentally beneficial.

Additionally, I added a feature where slime secretions and dead slime bodies fertilize the soil.

Thus, the creatures occupying the second tier of the food chain were born.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

What is the origin of humanity?

The Church of Life claims that the Goddess of Life created all life in this world, but that is incorrect.

After decades of research, as a professor at Imperial University, I assert that the root of all life is slime.

Slime that adapts to its environment and evolves! That is the origin of all creatures!

This can be confirmed through slime fossils found all over the world—

– A presentation by a certain paleontology professor at Imperial University.

– After this announcement, the professor was declared a heretic by the Church of Life and the Divine Hall and subsequently disappeared.

– There are rumors that the Guardian Dragon of the Empire was involved in the professor’s disappearance, but the truth remains unclear.

– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –

I scattered slime across the whole world.

Watching them evolve was surprisingly entertaining.

No, I mean, the evolutionary process varies depending on the region.

And even in similar environments in different areas, evolution takes different paths.

For example, comparing two similar marshlands—one evolved into mud slime that absorbed muddy substances, while the other became poison slime that collected decaying matter to generate toxins.

Elsewhere, in icy environments, ice-hard slime appeared, and in volcanic regions, fiery magma slime emerged.

Slime that ate leaves and mimicked them. Slime that consumed minerals and transformed into rock-like forms. The possibilities of slime were endless.

Most slime dissolved in water due to osmotic pressure differences, but occasionally, some adapted to aquatic life.

And incredibly, water-adapted slime altered their surfaces to prevent fluid loss.

Single-celled slime split themselves to form tougher outer layers, protecting their internal moisture.

In exchange, their altered surfaces made it harder to absorb microorganisms, so they began forming mouth-like structures to eat.

To move more actively, they developed fin-like appendages.

To overcome the inability to breathe properly underwater—they started developing organs resembling gills to absorb oxygen—or whatever passes for oxygen in water.

Thus, slime began transforming into fish-like creatures.

[!– Slider main container –]