Just as he hung up the phone, Ren felt a powerful spiritual fluctuation at the door of his room.
Turning his head, he saw the once-normal wooden door already covered in moss, dirt, and mushrooms. As he watched, the change continued to intensify.
Ren instantly sensed the strong desire the strange substance held toward him.
"Is it Uniqueness?"
He immediately recalled that Shiho had been deeply involved in this event. He had just finished writing his diary for the day, so it was clear that Shiho had also completed her draw.
He didn't expect her to actually obtain the Uniqueness of the Mother pathway.
Ren raised his hand, and the soft, pulsing clay on the door leaped directly into his palm.
The lump of earth squirmed, looking like a cute, squishy clay slime, with two mushrooms acting as its eyes, oddly fitting in appearance.
It looked adorable, but Uniqueness was never something cute.
At least, not to most Beyonders. To them, Uniqueness was unimaginably ferocious.
Ren sighed as he looked at the door of his study. The moment it had been touched by this thing, it had already been swallowed completely.
He would have to buy a new door after school tomorrow.
Shaking his head, Ren turned toward the Miyano sisters standing nervously outside the room.
"Come in."
Shiho and Akemi stepped into the study cautiously.
Seeing the two of them looking like children who had just done something wrong, Ren couldn't help but chuckle.
"Don't worry, it's just a door. We'll buy a new one tomorrow and have someone install it.
I was going to do it myself, but since you two caused this, I'll leave the task of fixing the door to you."
Since they already felt guilty, Ren simply passed the responsibility on to them.
"No problem, leave it to us."
Shiho breathed a small sigh of relief.
Seeing that the god wasn't upset, she shifted her gaze to the slime-like mixture of moss, dirt, and mushrooms resting in his hand.
"Lord god, is this thing called Uniqueness also a Beyonder characteristic?"
"Since you drew such a big prize, I'll take this opportunity to explain."
Since Shiho had obtained the Uniqueness of the Mother, it was necessary for him to explain a few things about it.
"The so-called Uniqueness is actually the ultimate path every Beyonder must follow.
Uniqueness can be called the foundation of godhood. Every Beyonder who reaches Sequence 1, if they wish to advance further, must accommodate one Uniqueness and two additional Sequence 1 characteristics besides their own."
"Shiho, your luck is excellent, and your impact this time was significant, which is why you drew a major prize belonging to a Beyonder."
Here, Ren paused to congratulate her, though there was still something important he needed to make clear.
"The only pity is that as a Sequence 9, trying to accommodate Uniqueness is no different from suicide."
"The Uniqueness of each pathway isn't easy to handle. Each one possesses its own will, and in a sense, they are immortal. Even when trying to accommodate them, it's not about devouring them, but about finding a balance or erasing their sentience.
Of course, without reaching beyond Sequence, that's impossible."
Did she really think Uniqueness was that simple to control?
As Ren explained, the slime in his hand proudly formed a pair of small arms and crossed them at its waist, showing off as if declaring its greatness.
That was the posture of a Uniqueness that had developed sentience.
Ren flicked his finger, and the slime instantly turned soft and jelly-like, wobbling as though it would make a "duang" sound any second.
"This one is relatively well-behaved. Even if it's sentient, as long as you don't erase its consciousness, it won't cause trouble."
"But not causing trouble doesn't mean it won't create problems."
He pointed toward the door that had just been destroyed.
"The Mother pathway holds authority over life, so the Uniqueness tied to that pathway naturally shares that power."
"Then, is that the authority of life?"
Shiho glanced at the door that had been completely devoured, suspecting that the god might have reversed the very concept of life and death.
"Death is also a part of life. It's just life that has been exhausted. The authority of life often goes hand in hand with death. Those who control life also have the means to take it away—it's simply a gentler way of saying it."
Ren understood this truth deeply.
"However, for now, you definitely can't accommodate this thing. And since it's so mischievous, without restrictions, it'll only cause more trouble."
Absolutely.
Even Shiho, who had drawn such a great prize, fully agreed with that.
She thought carefully about her current Sequence as a Planter, and the next Sequence as a Physician—both closely tied to life. The god had also mentioned that she would one day be able to crossbreed animals and plants.
Thinking of that, the authority of life truly was dangerous.
At that moment, Shiho silently made a rule for herself.
In the future, no matter what, she must not become a mad scientist. She would maintain her respect for life.
"I'll hold onto this for you. When you reach the level of a demigod, I'll return it."
"Ah, um, of course, no problem."
Shiho didn't think she could control this slime-like creature anyway. It only seemed safe in the god's hands.
Ren then turned his gaze to the Uniqueness lying in his palm.
"Alright, go stay near the Brood Hive."
With that, he tossed the Uniqueness of the Mother into his world, targeting the area near the Brood Hive.
(To be continued.)