"Witches, huh?"
Ethan smiled to himself.
He had waited patiently for over three days—equivalent to three hundred years in their world. After a long, arduous period following the Great Flood, signs of revival were finally beginning to emerge.
The first supernatural species, the Evil Eye, had appeared within the sandbox. Women who managed to assimilate its genes became witches, opening the door to a new magical civilization.
"The Evil Eye is incredible," Ethan murmured, genuinely pleased. Creating the smaller sandbox had turned out to be a brilliant idea. Akina's unconventional thinking had led to the birth of a remarkable species.
Seated on a bench at the courtyard entrance, he munched on an apple. "It's true what they say—two heads really are better than one."
In contrast to the termite genes, which were incredibly difficult to assimilate due to the large blank genetic fragments required, the Evil Eye's genes were far more compatible. Ordinary humans simply didn't possess enough genetic space for termite DNA.
But the Evil Eye? Its genes were far easier to absorb. A three-in-four-hundred success rate wasn't bad at all.
That might be because the Evil Eye was a much weaker species than the termite. Naturally, the witches who had inherited its powers were far less powerful than Gilgamesh.
They needed warriors to protect them and could barely hold their own against the wild beasts of the world. Meanwhile, Gilgamesh could conquer the world single-handedly. The difference was enormous.
Though the three witches had begun delving seriously into their psychic abilities—developing rudimentary forms of magic and medicine—their progress was painfully slow.
Ethan mulled things over and returned to his room to research on the Internet.
"Let's see… there should be plenty of information about meditation techniques from both Eastern and Western traditions. These mental and spiritual exercises might give them a starting point. If I offer them this knowledge, they might be able to construct a systematic foundation for studying magic."
Forging a new path was never easy. Every step was riddled with uncertainty. But if they at least had a direction, the journey would be much more manageable. Ethan could give them that direction.
But how should he appear before the three witches?
Should he descend once more as the Great Beast of Wisdom and present them with the Three Treasures of Civilization?
He quickly dismissed the thought. Definitely not.
Nor could he directly possess one of the sandbox's creatures by overwriting its soul. That would be cheating—and if he were going to do that, he'd already be having fun inside the sandbox.
As Ethan pondered his options, the most hardcore players in the sandbox were beginning to crawl ashore. They discovered a colossal figure seated in the distance, calmly eating an apple.
"This game is wild. According to the lore, we're just bugs evolving in someone's backyard. Do you think we'll have to fight that giant someday?"
A few oddly shaped players whispered among themselves, awed by the game's freedom. There was no main quest—just pure exploration and discovery. It felt like a truly novel experience.
"He's massive. It's like seeing the legendary Pangu in real life."
"So the goal is to evolve and then… fight him?"
"Shh! Just observe for now. We're nowhere near strong enough to challenge him. We're basically ants—he probably doesn't even notice us."
"Don't get too close. We barely made it ashore. If he steps on our king, it's game over."
The group of players huddled within the forest near the shore, giggling quietly as they observed him from a distance.
"Bunch of comedians," Ethan muttered, watching the tiny figures scurry around below. They were whispering and acting like they were plotting against a boss monster.
Knock knock!
There was a knock at the gate. Mia had brought over lunch again.
"Never mind, food comes first." He stood and walked over to the gate.
"Oh shit! Earthquake! It's a freakin' earthquake! This feels too real!"
"Guys, he's just standing up! His shadow is covering the sky, and the ground is shaking! Run! Watch out, he might step on us!"
Screams erupted.
A group of strange-looking creatures fled in chaos, like panicked animals. The towering giant casually followed behind them. With each step covering miles, he passed over them effortlessly and vanished into the distance.
When Ethan returned, he carried a blue lunchbox. Settling back into his chair, he began eating—fried eggs, carrots, and cabbage. Every bite was bursting with flavor. Fresh farm food really did hit differently.
He savored his meal while continuing to think about how to contact the three witches of Babylon.
Meanwhile, the players hiding in the trees cautiously emerged again. They watched the giant eating his lunch, continuing their hushed discussions.
"This game is insane. The amount of freedom is off the charts!"
"I think we triggered a cutscene. Look how casually he's eating—that's gotta be scripted."
"Let's take it slow and evolve carefully. No rushing."
As Ethan ate, he watched them from the corner of his eye and shook his head, amused. They were still scheming about how to defeat him.
Then, a thought struck him.
"Wait a second—why not the evolution sandbox?"
"I'll just join as a player and start evolving from the spore stage. Once I evolve into a fully developed creature, I'll enter the big sandbox. Problem solved!"
The idea excited him. He'd test its feasibility as soon as he finished eating. If it worked, it would mean he could freely enter the sandbox whenever he liked.
Creating the small sandbox had been an inspired decision.
And now that Ethan was planning to join the game himself, the playing field needed to be reset.
A message popped up on-screen:
"Emergency Maintenance: The game will go offline in three seconds!"