"This Akina's Speedster is nuts."
Xu Zhi didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He sat there, stunned for a long time.
That guy really had an overactive imagination.
He had barely spared a thought for the smaller sandbox. It was just thirty square meters—something he cobbled together with minimal resources before leaving the players to their own devices. His focus had always been on the Magic World's civilization, pouring his efforts into advancing its arcane and alchemical eras.
And yet, those diehard players in the neglected sandbox had conjured up a lore so vast, it made his head spin.
"The more I mistreat them, the harder they work," Xu Zhi muttered, bemused.
Beginner's Village?
There was no Beginner's Village. That was the entire game. A tiny plot of land—and that was all they'd get!
He was completely speechless.
Crossing into the Magic World from the sandbox was supposed to be nearly impossible. The dimensional rift wasn't meant for just anyone to pass through. The difficulty level was absurd.
After all this time, only two players had earned an Achievement Award for it. Most wouldn't survive even a few years after arriving in the Magic World, let alone become legends.
Grantham was a rare exception.
His species had a disarming appearance—small, weak, and cute enough to be mistaken for harmless trinkets. That's why, when discovered, they weren't hunted or eradicated. Instead, they were classified as adult novelty items and bred for sale. Ironically, that bizarre start had ensured their survival. On top of that, they had incredible reproductive capabilities and could be used as biological engines. They'd made it by sheer, weird luck.
But the rest of you?
Your king might survive a few years at best. And the stronger your monsters are, the more likely they'll be hunted, dissected, or turned into lab experiments.
"You think you're all Gary Stus who'll become Epic-level Wizards the moment you cross over?" Xu Zhi scoffed. "You'll be lucky if you're not dissected for research."
The Magic World wasn't a kind place. Since the tribal era, its people had suffered at the hands of monstrous species. Their hatred of non-humans ran deep. Even the Emperor of Alchemy—Grantham himself—hid his identity as a Slime. He wore a human facade and dared not openly favor his own kind.
Still, Xu Zhi smiled slyly.
"If this kind of delusion makes them work harder, then sure—go wild."
With the grin of an unscrupulous CEO, he added, "I love you guys. I don't even pay you, and you're working yourselves bald—eight hours a day, every day. And even under such awful conditions, you're grateful for it. You even want to work harder."
They were perfect masochists.
And perfect employees.
Xu Zhi leaned back in his chair, content. "It's great. Keep evolving new species, and keep pushing the civilization forward. As for your fantasy of living a century in another world in a single day? …Yeah, keep dreaming."
He chuckled, eyes gleaming. "Just stay put in the sandbox and keep grinding."
He stood up, poured himself a glass of water, then sat down again to read more comments.
He was curious—what would that guy come up with next?
Meanwhile…
Akina's Speedster was riding a high, furiously typing his next theory post. He had no idea that the actual Creator was now stalking him online. A subtle battle of wits had begun—between God and one of His forum-goers.
"Crazy, right? He's the Creator—the One Above All, the one who destroyed an entire world with the Great Flood! And I tried to challenge that guy?! (???)"
He continued:
"Everyone, check the last page—The Age of Magic. It's only half-written, and it seems to correspond with the Magic World's current era.
But based on the historical records within the Magic World, the natives only know about the Sumerian era—the so-called Age of Genesis. They don't realize that before humanity ever emerged, there were three entire epochs, each lasting tens of thousands of years. Human civilization has only been around for about a thousand.
If they knew that… wouldn't they be terrified?
Hahaha, I want to see their faces when they find out!"
He typed with the zeal of a prophet.
"And here's the kicker: back in the day, the people of the Magic World searched everywhere for the 'Great Beast of Wisdom'—their name for the Creator—but they never found Him.
But now? I get it.
The Creator resides here. With us. In the interstice between dimensions!
One day in this higher dimension equals a hundred years down there!
So what are we, the spores in the yard, to Him?
If I'm right, then the game's true lore is this:
The Creator cultivates spores in His yard, and uses them to evolve lifeforms for the multiverse. We—the players—are those spores. When we evolve a species with promise, the Creator transplants us into a proper world.
Just like what happened with Future Skywhale!"
He paused for dramatic effect, then hammered home the next point.
"To leave the Beginner's Village, we need to evolve a worthy species!"
"This sandbox's backstory is just… mind-blowing!"
He wasn't done yet.
"And listen! Remember the Evil Eye monster I evolved a while back—the giant floating eyeball?
It already exists in the Magic World!
It was part of the 'Blood of the Evil Eye' incident involving the Three Witches centuries ago. That incident directly gave rise to the practice of Magic!
Without my creation, there would be no witches. No wizards.
My species is literally the foundation of the Magic World! Can any other game offer you this level of impact?"
He scrolled further.
"There's more! Remember the Pallbearer Chicken I evolved?
It also exists in the Magic World. It lives in the desert now, considered a native monster. People used them in experiments—injecting their blood into humans and creating venomous harpies.
And that's how the Beastmen Kingdom was born!
When I saw the screenshots of the Beastmen Kingdom that the dev sent me… I was ecstatic. That was my species. That was my work!"
He ended the post with a flourish:
"Each species we evolve, every choice we make—it leaves a permanent mark in the history of the Magic World. Maybe even across the multiverse!"
Moments later, the forum exploded.
The sheer amount of information in the post blew everyone's minds. Everything they thought they knew about Spore Evolution had just been turned upside down.
"Wait… We're still in the Beginner's Village?!"
"F** F* F**! If he didn't explain it, we wouldn't even know how deep this game's lore goes!"
"This game is insane. Absolutely insane!"
Even Xu Zhi, silently blending in with the netizens, was nodding in awe.
"…I didn't even know my own game had such deep lore," he admitted to himself.
At that moment, staring at Akina's post, the Creator himself was completely floored.