After it was all done, Ethan leaned back in his chair, deeply satisfied.
Those rebellious little bugs had spent all day plotting to poison him, and in the end, they'd delivered him a miracle—a pseudo-immortal phoenix and an all-you-can-eat buffet.
"I should reward them with... a painful slap," he smirked.
Finishing the last bite of his delicious lunch, he carried the empty box to the kitchen sink.
"A Creator still has to wash his own dishes," he muttered wryly.
After scrubbing the box clean, Ethan strolled next door and returned it to Mrs. Li with a casual thank-you. Rather than heading straight back, he decided to enjoy the evening air and took his bike for a slow ride through the countryside.
The cicadas were chirping in the trees, the sky burned amber with the dying sun, and the narrow country road curved gently between fields of swaying grass.
It was quiet. Too quiet.
He had a sudden thought.
"Hey Hive Mind... if I assimilate the Phoenix's genes… you know, the whole 'rebirth by fire' thing—could I actually come back to life after dying? Cure my cancer?"
> "Affirmative."
Ethan slammed on the brakes.
"...You serious?"
For a moment, the sheer relief made him dizzy. He was finally saved.
All this time, death had been quietly approaching like a silent wave, but now... now, he might have found his miracle.
All thanks to that insane bird.
But just as quickly, the Hive Mind spoke again:
> "Warning: The Phoenix gene is extraordinarily unique. Integrating it would consume 50% of your genetic sequence."
Ethan's eyebrows twitched.
That much? His human DNA only occupied about 10%. The Evil Eye took up another 10%. That meant he still had 80% free. But the Phoenix would devour half of that remaining space in one go.
He frowned.
That wasn't efficient.
"Wouldn't it be better to slot in five moderate genes instead of blowing half my genome on one flashy fire-bird?"
Still, he was tempted. Immortality… Fire resistance… Rebirth…
Then a darker question came to mind. "Wait. If I come back to life… will I still be me?"
> "No. Your consciousness will perish. Your offspring will inherit your body."
Ethan's foot slipped off the pedal.
"…My offspring?"
So if he took that gene, died… and came back…
It wouldn't be him.
It would be his kid.
Using his body. His house. His sandbox.
Even his girlfriend—
"…Mia would become my son's girlfriend?"
His soul froze.
"W-what the hell kind of NTR gene is this?!"
That was it. He was out. No thank you, Cuckbird.
"I'd rather die a mortal than get cucked by my own child!"
He shook his head violently and continued pedaling down the darkening path.
---
Meanwhile, back in the sandbox, the ecosystem had reached a pivotal moment.
Two deities now walked this world.
Ethan, the unseen God of Wisdom.
The Phoenix, an emerging God of Flame.
A world of wizards was slowly taking shape.
"I hope that flame-chicken matures quickly," Ethan mused as he pedaled. "It gets stronger with every rebirth, and it's already as powerful as the Three Witches at their peak."
He came to a stop at the edge of a tranquil forest, a silver ribbon of river glinting nearby. The air was cool and still.
This was his spot.
His secret training ground.
At home, even a small magical mishap could cause apocalyptic disasters for the sandbox. But out here in the wild? He could go full wizard without worry.
Ethan took a deep breath and raised a hand.
"Heaven's Hammer!"
Spiritual pressure rippled outward, warping the air. A translucent force began to gather—then fizzled out like a damp firework.
"Tch. Again."
He focused.
"Heaven's Hammer!"
This time, the spell caught. Air shimmered and twisted. A massive pressure condensed above the river—
BOOM!
A splash echoed across the clearing.
Ethan's lips curved up. "Two tries. Not bad."
He felt his spiritual power bubbling beneath the surface like magma. After all the evolutionary disasters in his sandbox—the floods, the extinctions—he'd passively gathered massive psychic strength.
And now, he could wield it.
Like any kid who grew up watching anime or dreaming of wizard duels, Ethan had always fantasized about this.
It was happening.
He cast the spell again. And again. Then five more times until it felt natural.
He was learning fast. Too fast.
The Three Witches had spent centuries developing this technique. Ethan had matched their skill in a single evening.
But that made sense. He wasn't entirely human anymore. He had cleaned out his DNA of redundant junk. He was streamlined. Efficient. Post-human.
If I entered the sandbox myself, I'd probably conquer the world in a week.
But he didn't have time for that. He had other roles to play.
He was a god. A guide. A quiet force behind the curtain.
"I should try using a staff next time," he muttered. "The Three Witches used them to channel magic. Almost like a prototype for alchemy."
Unfortunately, making one in the real world was proving difficult. No matter what stick he tried, the magic didn't quite take.
Still, even without one, Heaven's Hammer now packed enough force to cave in a man's chest.
Satisfied, Ethan wiped the sweat from his brow and returned home.
Only to realize—
"Oh crap. I forgot to restart the sandbox."
---
Back in the real world, chaos had erupted.
The forums were on fire.
> "The second beta just launched and we've been offline for half a day?" "Hardcore! This is TOO hardcore!" "BURN THE F***ING DEVELOPER!"
The players were rioting like it was Ragnarok.
But Ethan? He sipped cold tea with a smile.
"Oops. My bad."
He casually tapped the screen.
> Server resumed. Welcome back to Spore Evolution.
As far as he was concerned, this was just a small hiccup.
The real game was just beginning.