I felt that I could pretty easily place highly if I just chose one of my more developed lifeforms from my planet, but that does not sit well with me. I do not just want to scrape by and take a middle spot, I want to win. Winning would prove not only that my planet could stand among the best, but that my talent as a god was truly something worth fearing.
In order to win I knew I would need to use my talent to my advantage, but I was not yet sure how. Sitting there in the endless void, I closed my eyes and activated my talent, letting the system screen open in front of me. The faint glow of the empty template appeared, waiting for me to fill in its blanks.
[System name: …..]
[System effect: …..]
[Type of lifeform bestowed upon: …..]
Looking at those blank questions I fell into deep thought. There were countless paths I could take, but each one came with its own flaws. I could simply make a system that boosted the strength of an organism, raising its raw power to overwhelming levels. That would be simple and direct, and in a competition of strength it would not be the worst choice. Another option was to make them larger, perhaps massive beasts towering over their opponents. But bigger did not always mean better. They would become slower, clumsier, easier to outmaneuver. I even considered remaking the same evolution system I had created earlier, letting one creature quickly adapt and grow in the middle of battle. Yet as tempting as that was, something about it felt off. It did not sit right in my gut, as if I knew it would not be enough.
I leaned back slightly, thinking deeper. None of those ideas felt quite right, and the competition was not going to wait forever. If I chose wrong, it would cost me not only my divinity but possibly my standing among the gods.
Turning my attention away from the system for a moment, I glanced down toward my planet to clear my mind. The sight that greeted me was more advanced than the last time I had looked. Grass and shrubs had spread across parts of the island, painting the once barren ground with patches of green. Small creatures now roamed the land, scurrying between bushes or darting into holes. The island was no longer just rock and soil it was slowly turning into something alive.
The oceans had also changed. I could see vast swathes of coral beginning to form, branching upward like strange trees under the water. Schools of fish darted among them, creating flashes of silver light whenever they broke through the surface. The once empty sea was now teeming with movement, a whole new layer of life taking shape in what felt like the blink of an eye.
But what truly pulled my attention was not the coral or the fish. It was the black-scaled creatures I had seen earlier, the strange fish that had once dominated the volcanic springs. After a short search, I spotted them, though they were not quite the same as before. To my surprise, they no longer lived fully in the water. Instead, they had crawled onto land. Their bodies had shifted, sprouting strong, muscular legs that allowed them to move with surprising speed. The bone-like mask that had once only covered their faces now stretched across their stomachs and tails, forming a natural armor. Despite the heavy plating, their movement was not stiff at all. They could leap, crawl, and even chase prey with startling agility. (Image of what they look like in the comments on this paragraph)
Looking at them now, they resembled lizards far more than fish. Their transformation was a natural step forward, and I could not help but feel some pride that such creatures had come from my planet. They were not the strongest or the largest, but they were adaptive and resilient, capable of living in two worlds.
As I studied the lizards, inspiration struck. The answer to the system's blanks began to form in my mind. It was not perfect, and it might not be the strongest system I could make, but it was a good fit.
[System name: Venom System]
[System effect: Every time the user wins a fight their attacks become more and more venomous.
Note: The system effect only applies during the gods competition.]
[Type of lifeform bestowed upon: Armoured lizard.]
The more I thought about it, the more sense it made. The armored lizards already had incredible defense thanks to their natural plating. They could withstand blows that would kill most other creatures their size, but their offense was limited. They had claws and teeth, yes, but nothing that truly gave them an edge over larger predators. By giving them venom, I was fixing their weakness directly. Their armor would let them survive the opening rounds, and every victory would only make them stronger. By the time they reached the later stages of the competition, they would be nearly unstoppable, their venom strong enough to drop even the toughest opponents.
Of course, there was a catch. I had to add a limitation to the system, making it effective only during the competition. Without that restriction, the cost to bestow it would have been far too much divinity atleast this early on in the evolution of my planet. Note to mention that If the lizard that had the venom system were to carry its powers over into Nexora it could cause unforseen circumstances something I couldn't afford right now. Even so, for the purpose of the competition, it was more than enough.
With that decision made, there was nothing left to do but wait. The void around me was silent, the only light coming from the faint glow of my system screen. I folded my arms and let the minutes tick by. Slowly, the countdown began to approach its end.
And so, I sat there in silence, waiting until there was only one minute left until the start of the competition.
Once I saw the timer hit the one minute mark i quickly searched the planet and found the strongest looking black lizard and willed for the system to be bestowed.
[Deducting 11 divinity]
Not even looking a the deduction in divinity I quickly chose the lizard with the system to be my champion.