Deep in Arin's oceans, something astonishing was happening.
The constant rain had cooled the surface.
Chemical-rich volcanic vents pumped minerals into the water.
Heat mixed with molecules.
Pressure fused components.
And, slowly…
clumps of primitive organic material began forming.
Protocells.
Not real life yet.
Not even proper cells.
Just fragile bubbles of fatty acids and amino acids — the earliest building blocks of biology.
Arin felt the subtle change.
"…This is it. The first step toward life… protocells."
He was excited.
But, unfortunately, someone else noticed too.
DING!
[Notice: Slippery sludge forming inside Host's bathwater.]
Arin blinked.
"…System, that's not sludge. Those are protocells—primitive chemical structures."
The system ignored him completely.
[Recording collected: Host generating slime ×128948]
[Recording collected: Host's bathwater becoming slimy ×408472]
[Recording collected: Suspicious goo detected ×9618484l]
Arin felt a volcanic vein pulsing.
"It's NOT slime, you idiot—this is pre-life organic chemistry!"
System:
[Warning: Host's hygiene quality decreasing.]
[Warning: Bathwater contamination rising.]
Arin nearly boiled his entire ocean out of embarrassment.
"HYGIENE!? I'M A PLANET! THIS IS LITERALLY HOW LIFE BEGINS!"
But the system was already processing the situation:
[Enough records of slime accumulation gathered.]
[Generating skill…]
Arin braced himself.
[Skill generation successful.]
[Skill: Slime Formation]
Effect: Host produces 1% more slime while consuming 1% fewer resources.
Arin stared into cosmic space.
"…Great. Just perfect. I now officially have a skill for producing slime in my own oceans."
He felt existential dread.
"I'm becoming a giant… cosmic… SLIME FACTORY!"
The system added another punch to his pride:
[Recommendation: Host should clean himself regularly to avoid slime buildup.]
Arin howled:
"I CAN'T CLEAN THE OCEAN! THOSE ARE PROTOCELLS—THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO BE THERE!"
But the system simply logged:
[Recording collected: Host refusing to maintain hygiene ×37]
Arin nearly triggered a continent-wide earthquake from rage.
Still…
as the system misunderstood, Arin watched the protocells closely.
They wobbled.
They held their shape.
They clumped together.
They survived the currents.
Not alive.
But close.
Very close.
Arin felt a thrill.
"…Soon… one of these will become a true cell."