Ethan's eyes widened slightly.
A Tyranis hero?
He blinked. "That's… impossible."
Tyranis heroes weren't just rare. They were practically mythological.
According to the Hive Mind's knowledge, it took seeding an entire planet—billions of evolving life forms—for even the faintest chance of one to emerge.
And yet, here in his modest backyard sandbox, tucked beside a vegetable patch, one had just hatched from an oven.
"Did I… hit the evolutionary jackpot?"
A grin slowly formed on Ethan's face, half disbelief, half childlike excitement.
Tyranis heroes—beings born from improbable mutation—were legendary existences. The pinnacle of evolutionary miracles. In previous cycles, they had been titanic intellects with planetary brainpower, capable of self-modifying their genes, commanding fleets, and turning themselves into bio-weapons.
But then, the Hive Mind's voice echoed in his mind with unexpected caution.
> "This being is similar… but not the same. It is not a true Tyranis hero."
"What do you mean?" Ethan frowned, the anticipation fading slightly.
> "This entity has diverged. Its emergence did not follow the path of technology like its predecessors. It was forged in fire, not logic. It lacks the ability to rewrite its own genetic sequence. It cannot manipulate DNA. However…"
The Hive Mind hesitated—rare for something so mechanical.
> "It is the first of its kind. A pseudo Tyranis hero. Born in extreme conditions—heat where no life should thrive. It has unlocked a new potential: a supernatural lifeform born of flame."
Ethan felt the weight of those words settle in the air like ash after lightning.
This wasn't just evolution. This was mythic.
While the old Tyranis had reached for the stars with machines, this one had been reborn in fire, transcending biology, transcending logic—it had walked into the crucible of death and emerged something else.
Ethan whispered, "A phoenix…"
He felt the awe rise up in him. The oven, that humble household tool, had unknowingly birthed a legend.
In gacha terms? A true Tyranis hero was an SSS-tier card. This one, without the gene-editing capability, was still a solid S-tier. And considering the garbage-tier creatures most players made? This was a divine gift.
"What a ridiculous turn of events," Ethan laughed. "All I wanted was lunch…"
He glanced at the oven. "I bullied them enough today."
The game had been fun, but his focus now turned to discovery.
With a gesture, he issued the command:
> "Emergency maintenance. Shutting down servers in 3… 2… 1…"
---
Inside the oven, Akinas Speedster, half-baked but miraculously alive, was just starting to process his evolution when—black screen.
Disconnected.
Back in reality, his face was drenched with sweat. His limbs trembled. His mind reeled.
"...I survived…?"
All the other players were kicked too.
"What kind of cursed MMO goes into maintenance on launch day?!"
But Ethan ignored the complaints.
With heat-resistant gloves on, he opened the oven, steam billowing out like the breath of an ancient beast.
There, nestled in a bed of scorched rice and ash, was a crimson bird wreathed in living flame.
The phoenix opened its molten eyes.
Its beauty was heart-wrenching. Its breath shimmered with heatwaves. Feathers glowed like molten gold dipped in blood. Ethan stared, spellbound.
He whispered in reverence, "Is this… the legendary phoenix?"
Pulling up its genetic profile, the Hive Mind fed him the data.
> Species: Phoenix Traits: Immortality, Poisonous Flames, Fire Immunity, Rebirth Through Flame
(Note: Gene sequence is locked. This species is one-of-a-kind.)
Ethan's eyes narrowed. "Immortality?"
Then he read the fine print.
Not true immortality. When death loomed, the phoenix reverted to an egg. Its next incarnation would hatch from the ashes, carrying its legacy.
One life. One body. A single unbroken soul passed down in fire.
"No reproduction. No clones. Just… rebirth."
He let out a low whistle. "So this is a soul forged in endless cycles."
A god born not through worship, but pain.
He picked it up gently.
Even beetle-sized, the phoenix pulsed with power. It radiated dignity. Majesty. It had earned its life through fire. It demanded reverence.
Beside it, the lunchbox still held the roasted remains of the original Pallbearer Chickens. The rest of the suicidal flock, beautifully feathered and now perfectly roasted.
Ethan grinned. "Well, waste not."
He plucked one with his chopsticks, bit down, and paused.
"…Damn."
The taste was transcendent. Juicy. Fiery. Unbelievably tender.
He devoured another. Then another.
The Hive Mind calmly updated him:
> "Confirmed. Species is lethally toxic. Even advanced supernatural entities will die within moments."
Ethan licked his fingers, beaming. "Delicious and deadly? Best evolution yet."
Chen Xi would be gone soon—but now he had a gourmet supply of magical poultry.
"Akina's plan to poison me backfired beautifully," he mused.
More importantly, he now had two new additions to his magical world:
The Phoenix – a pseudo Tyranis hero and undying flame.
The Pallbearer Chickens – the world's deadliest delicacy.
Gilgamesh and the Three Witches had lived and died as mortals.
But the phoenix… had crossed the threshold. It was a myth, ready to be worshipped.
---
Ethan stood at the edge of the large sandbox.
He usually avoided interfering. He knew too well the chaos a "god" could cause if spotted.
But this time?
"They can fly," he murmured, holding the phoenix in one hand and a few chickens in the other. "I won't have to step in."
With a single motion, he threw them high into the sky above the sandbox, scattering the crimson birds across the horizon like burning stars.
> "Fly, my Phoenix. Become the flame that will set this era ablaze."
WHOOSH.
The phoenix soared down through the clouds, wings unfurled like the banners of war.
A phoenix cry split the heavens—a soul-rattling note of divinity.
Time surged.
Days passed in seconds.
Below, an entire forest withered beneath the creature's scorching breath. Flames devoured the trees. Earth turned black. A wasteland was born.
Yet amidst the destruction, one tree endured. A giant among giants.
It resisted the flame. It refused to fall.
The phoenix perched atop its bough, bled into its bark, and sanctified it.
From that moment on, it would be known as the Firmiana Tree—a sacred monument, home to fire and rebirth.