Arsere froze completely, every muscle going stiff as her brain tried—and failed—to process what she was looking at. Just moments ago, she had prepared herself for a simple milestone: the birth of Crevalis' first intelligent species. One race. One beginning. Clean. Organized.
But the system display in front of her said otherwise.
"Six? SIX?!" Arsere shouted, voice cracking. "Who ordered a SIX‑PACK OF INTELLIGENT LIFE?! I only designed ONE!"
Her yell echoed through the divine hall, causing several passing spirits to flinch. Virex and Xian teleported toward her instantly, alarmed.
"What happened? Did something blow up?" Virex asked.
"Or… did someone invade again?" Xian added cautiously.
Arsere wildly pointed at the world‑projection screen, which showed six glowing points of newly awakened consciousness across Crevalis.
"This! Look at THIS! Crevalis just birthed SIX intelligent species at the same time!"
Xian leaned forward, blinking rapidly.
"…That is… unusual."
"Unusual? IT'S A DISASTER!" Arsere grabbed her head with both hands. "Who rewired the creation system?! Was it me?! Did I sleep‑code?!"
She paused.
Then slowly… suspiciously… her eyes narrowed.
"Wait."
A realization began to form—awful, logical, and annoyingly correct.
Crevalis' plates were each as large as an Earth‑sized world. It wasn't impossible for multiple intelligent species to evolve at once. And that alone wasn't even the strangest part.
It was the timing.
The arrival of fifteen new gods, each radiating divine power.
The new domains they established.
The blessings they immediately released into their plates.
The law‑balance shifts caused by their mere presence.
"…Ah." Arsere lifted a hand and pointed at the screen again, but this time with the energy of someone finally accepting a migraine. "Okay. I see what happened. Crevalis got influenced by all the new divinities at once."
Virex and Xian exchanged looks.
"So… that means multiple races were born because—" Virex began.
"Yes," Arsere sighed. "Because THIS WORLD IS TOO EFFICIENT!"
She groaned, but the system projection zoomed in, showing details of each newborn intelligent species.
---
1. Verdantis — The Humans
A group of humans stood in the lush green world of Plate 5, Verdantis. Their eyes reflected curiosity and potential—almost glowing faintly.
Arsere immediately recognized the signature.
"That… is MY blessing," she muttered. "Of course humans would spawn. Fine. Acceptable."
The humans looked adaptable, balanced, and capable of growing in any direction.
---
2. Nightvail — The Demonic Race
In the dark, star‑lit biome of Nightvail, another species awakened—horned, shadow‑touched beings with glowing markings.
Virex stared.
"…Did my domain do this?"
"Yes," Arsere replied with a tired grin. "Congratulations. You accidentally made demons."
Virex puffed his chest a little.
"…Nice."
---
3. Lower Plates (Hell) — The Horned Humans
In the harsh landscapes of the Hell Plates, another race formed. They looked similar to humans but carried distinct horns and natural flame‑like mana.
Xian squinted.
"…Did the new Hell overseer do this?"
Arsere nodded.
"Her blessings plus the Plate's nature… yeah, this is definitely her influence."
---
4. Heavenly Plate — The Angels
Brilliant-winged figures emerged among golden clouds, awakening with serene expressions.
Seraphae Lumis' divine signature pulsed around them.
Arsere deadpanned.
"Of course the angel race appears literally ten minutes after hiring a light‑order goddess."
Xian whispered, "She's too strong…"
---
5. Eternal Sea — The Merfolk
Deep within the endless ocean realm, humanoid figures with aquatic features swam to life—merfolk with shimmering scales.
Arsere nodded slowly.
"The Eternal Sea was the first natural life‑birth spot… so intelligent sea life forming is… logical, actually."
For once, something made sense.
---
6. The Hidden Plate — The Twin‑Eyed Elves
The last species made Arsere's jaw drop.
Inside the roots of the World Tree, a secret plate had formed without her noticing. A hidden, enclosed realm. And inside it, a race resembling elves—except each eye held two pupils, twin orbs rotating like miniature worlds.
Arsere screamed:
"WHEN DID I GET A SECRET PLATE?! WHO AUTHORIZED THAT?!"
Xian raised a hand.
"…Not us."
Virex shook his head.
"Definitely not us."
Arsere stared at the World Tree.
"…Okay. What kind of plot twist are YOU hiding now?"
---
She exhaled deeply, rubbing her temples.
Six races.
Six origins.
Six beginnings.
Crevalis—her world—had officially evolved beyond her control.
"…This is fine," Arsere lied to herself.
"No. Actually, it's not. But at least it's cool."
Virex patted her shoulder.
"At least none of them are hostile."
Xian nodded.
"And they're all beautiful races."
Arsere stared at the screen again.
"…Yeah. But now I need six civilizations to manage."
Her voice cracked.
"Chapter 18 is going to be pure chaos, isn't it…?"
---