The photosynthetic cells thrived.
They multiplied.
They spread.
They filled the oceans like drifting green clouds.
And every time they absorbed sunlight, they produced a strange new by-product:
Oxygen.
At first, it was tiny.
Barely noticeable.
Just a few molecules drifting around.
But oxygen is dangerous.
Reactive.
Lethal to early anaerobic cells.
And eventually…
It began to accumulate.
Arin felt it like a chemical itch across his oceans.
"…Oxygen levels are rising? Already!?"
He knew what this meant.
The first mass extinction.
The great oxygen poisoning event.
Most early life would either die…
or evolve.
"This is a major evolutionary milestone!"
But the system?
It saw something very different.
---
DING!
[Warning: Host's children have obtained dangerous tools.]
Arin blinked.
"…Huh?"
[Critical Alert: Several children are producing a hazardous substance.]
Arin's consciousness froze.
"Don't. Don't do this. Don't you dare—"
[Recording collected: Children creating chemical weapons ×158572]
[Recording collected: Children releasing toxic fumes ×497865]
Arin screamed:
"IT'S NOT TOXIC FUMES! IT'S OXYGEN! PURE OXYGEN! A NORMAL BY-PRODUCT!"
The system ignored him:
[Notice: Children waving dangerous items near siblings.]
Arin's tectonic plates groaned.
"They're not WAVING anything! It's GAS! THEY'RE MICROBES!!"
System:
[Host's supervision required: Children using hazardous weapons unsafely.]
Arin howled:
"IT'S NOT A WEAPON — IT'S LITERALLY BREATH! FUTURE BREATH!!"
---
Cells begin dying
Anaerobic cells panicked.
Some died instantly.
Others fled deeper into oxygen-poor waters.
Others mutated, desperately adapting.
The system saw one thing:
[Alert: Children harming each other with dangerous tools.]
[Recording: Sibling-on-sibling weapon attacks ×209865]
Arin nearly erupted an entire continent.
"T H E Y A R E N O T A T T A C K I N G E A C H O T H E R!"
System:
[Warning: Host not confiscating dangerous weapons.]
"CONFISCATING!? HOW!??? WITH WHAT HANDS!?? I AM A PLANET!"
[Recording collected: Host refusing to intervene ×139]
Arin screamed at the sky.
---
Oxygen levels rise even faster
Green bacteria exploded in population, forming huge blooms.
The upper ocean sparkled with life… and death.
Arin watched evolution unfold.
"This is incredible… life's about to change forever."
The system disagreed.
[Urgent: Children playing with chemical explosives unsupervised.]
Arin felt his core temperature spike.
"NOT EXPLOSIVES! IT'S OXYGEN! NORMAL, BREATHABLE, PHOTOSYNTHETIC OXYGEN!"
System:
[Host must implement safety protocol.]
Arin yelled:
"What safety protocol!? Put warning signs in the ocean!?"
System:
[Yes.]
Arin nearly collapsed into a black hole.
---
The system generates a skill
The system processed the "dangerous behavior" of the children.
[Enough weapon-misuse records gathered.]
[Generating skill…]
Arin trembled.
"No. No. DO NOT GIVE ME A SKILL ABOUT THIS—"
[Skill generation successful.]
[Skill: Unsafe Environment]
Effect: Host's environment becomes 1% more hazardous while children develop 1% more resistance.
Arin lost all hope.
"…I have a skill…
that makes my planet MORE dangerous…"
The system added:
[Because Host failed to supervise children playing with dangerous weapons.]
Arin shrieked:
"THEY'RE NOT PLAYING WITH WEAPONS THEY'RE INVENTING ATMOSPHERE!!!"
[Parental Authority (Safety) decreased by 1%.]
Arin roared:
"STOP LOWERING MY AUTHORITY! THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT AUTHORITY IS!"
System:
[Host should learn basic safety instructions.]
Arin:
"THERE ARE NO SAFETY INSTRUCTIONS FOR BEING A PLANET!!!"
System:
[Recording collected: Host yelling due to guilt.]
Arin:
"THERE IS NO GUILT IT'S JUST EVOLUTION!!"
---
And yet…
Despite the system's stupidity,
despite the chaos
and mass microscopic death…
something monumental was happening.
Oxygen was rising.
The oceans were changing.
Life was transforming.
The world was preparing for the next leap.
Arin whispered:
"…Evolution never stops."
The system chirped innocently:
[Host proudly watching children handle explosives.]
Arin screamed once more.