Ethan quietly read through the forum, secretly observing the player.
This guy wasn't focused on evolving new species. Instead, he spent most of his time crafting tools and building structures. His current home was a seaside mansion, complete with fences, a house, a garden, and even a mining well.
He lived like a peaceful, isolated inventor.
In the yard sat a homemade bicycle—basic in design, built with a wooden frame and a chain made of tough hide. It actually worked, though it would probably be a bumpy ride.
"What kind of talent is this? He even made a bike?"
Ethan was a little stunned. "The internet really is full of oddballs. So, after evolving some bizarre tentacled species, you decided to give up the evolutionary race and climb the tech tree?"
At that moment, after being killed by Ethan in a previous encounter, the player had returned with a strange new species—six-armed—and crawled back to shore. He quietly resumed his usual routine: farming, mining, chopping trees.
In a weird way, his daily life looked eerily similar to Ethan's.
Meanwhile, the other players were talking.
"The boss's new species is insane! Look at those serrated limbs—one of them even looks like a shovel! That's some high-efficiency tech!"
"He's definitely trolling. He clearly has the skill to dominate—he created that species so fast. If he actually tried, he probably would've beaten Akina's Speedster and snagged the first achievement. But no, now he's farming like it's Harvest Moon. Such a waste!"
Many felt it was a shame.
But "Future Skywhale" ignored all of them and continued mining.
"It really seems like there aren't any minerals underground. Probably none in this whole world. That means developing a technological civilization is out of the question. Guess the only route is biological evolution."
A few players couldn't help but scoff.
"Obviously! Why are you trying to smelt iron in a game about evolving life forms?"
"This just proves how insane the sandbox is. You can do literally anything—it's a real-world simulator."
While everyone debated, Future Skywhale shook his head.
"If I don't find anything again tonight, that'll confirm it. No iron ore, no fuel, no engines, no cars or planes. I'll have to go full bio. Evolve living tools. My new goal is to build a wooden car."
…A wooden car?
Even in a game, that was ridiculous.
People in the forum were dumbfounded. Who was this guy?
From the way he talked, it sounded like he knew what he was doing. He talked about building engines and full-scale machinery from scratch like it was no big deal.
Was he some hidden genius? A top engineer from a research institute? Someone who built missile propulsion systems for fun?
But then again, this was also the same guy who'd screamed like a dying animal during his last death. He was kind of a goofball too.
Someone finally asked what everyone was thinking:
"You're gonna make a wooden car? Seriously, boss? That takes insane precision—what about gears? And you'd still need an engine, right?"
"I've been thinking about that," Future Skywhale replied calmly. "I could evolve a biological engine. Design a creature that exists solely to power movement—something with a large, muscular tentacle to act as a turbine. It eats, then spins the drive mechanism."
He added, "I checked with a friend of mine—he's a professor in biology. He said a creature like that could never naturally evolve—it wouldn't survive in the wild. But in this sandbox? We can artificially guide evolution. We control the conditions."
Gasps filled the forum.
A living engine?
That could actually work.
"You're a genius! A mad genius!"
"If you really evolve something like that to drive a wooden car... wouldn't that be a kind of mechanical lifeform? That could qualify for an achievement too!"
Everyone lost their minds.
In the primitive early stages of the game, someone was already trying to create mechanical biology.
"Do you need help, boss?"
"I'll evolve it for you! I'm super persistent—go ahead and use me as your test subject. I don't care if I die ten times! I'm ready! Just play with my body!"
Future Skywhale turned them all down politely.
He'd already assembled a group of real-world professionals to help—biologists, engineers, colleagues. With that much potential on the line, there was no way he was giving up credit or control.
Even with his laid-back attitude, he wasn't about to let go of such an opportunity.
…
Elsewhere.
"A biological engine, huh…"
Ethan's brows furrowed slightly. Then, unexpectedly, a grin spread across his face.
This was it.
This was the beginning of alchemy—real alchemy. He hadn't seen it coming, but it thrilled him all the same.
The only downside was that potions hadn't emerged yet. And potions were what he needed most, especially with his health still in question.
"I wasn't wrong," Ethan whispered.
He tapped into the player's real-world data.
Forty-three years old. Founder of a major tech company. The guy's background was legit—elite level.
In the real world, Ethan wouldn't even qualify to polish this man's shoes.
But now he'd reeled in a real monster. Just by casting his net online, he'd hooked a genuine innovator. Someone doing what Ethan could never dream of on his own.
He smiled faintly.
Let them struggle. Let them burn out from the work of evolution. He was more than happy to sit back and enjoy the harvest.
…
The next morning, after a good night's sleep, Ethan yawned and stepped out of bed.
Mia greeted him with a warm breakfast.
As he ate, he casually glanced at the smaller sandbox. The players had cooled off a bit after dying once. Things were progressing normally again.
But in the larger sandbox—now void of the Three Witches—something had changed.
Something... was starting to stir.