[Name: Atlas]
[Gene Tier: 1]
[Genetic Abilities: Elven Language, Draconic Strength, Heat Resistance, Hardened Skin, Night Vision, Longevity, Draconic Wings, Nature Affinity]
The traits I’d gained were modest. Tier 1 was only the foundation. Higher tiers would unlock more genetic features.
With the status interface fully operational, I advanced to the second phase of my plan,
Establish a planetary base.
The system had already flagged an optimal deployment site, strategically located near a dense mineral deposit.
Arriving at the designated coordinates, an isolated island, I found myself momentarily frozen, staring at the terrain below as if it were nothing more than a lingering illusion from the game.
But it wasn’t.
It was real.
A Celestium Vein surged up from beneath the earth itself, crystalline and radiant… and right beside it, a Hydroceles Geyser pulsed with raw energy, venting in steady, pressurized bursts.
Two primary Tier 1 resources in Eterna Galaxy Online.
For a brief second, disbelief lingered.
Then instinct took over.
I didn’t waste time.
Using the ship’s deployment interface, I designated a drop zone half a mile from the vein, close enough for efficient extraction, yet far enough to allow expansion modules.
Deployment initiated.
The payload detached from the ship and descended rapidly.
From above, it looked like nothing more than a compact metallic cube. But the moment it struck the ground, it activated.
Panels unfolded in precise, synchronized motion. Structural arms extended outward. Segments rotated, locked, and expanded with mechanical certainty.
Within seconds, the cube transformed, rising into a fully realized command facility.
Clean lines. Reinforced plating. Built for function, not aesthetics.
And just like that,
I had secured my first foothold on this world.
Without delay, I initiated the beam-down sequence. Light folded around me, and in an instant, the sterile hum of the ship was replaced by the grounded stillness of the facility.
The transition was seamless, one moment suspended in the sky, the next thing I was standing beside my newly established command center.
Before moving further, I shifted the ship into satellite mode. It ascended silently back into orbit, slipping into position like a watchful eye in the sky. A constant stream of real-time data fed directly into my awareness, like a living minimap. From that vantage point, every movement was traced, every heat signature mapped, every anomaly flagged before it could become a threat.
Carelessness kills faster than any enemy. At this stage, even a single lapse could mean the end. I wasn’t about to give the universe that opportunity.
Once the calibration finished, I advanced.
The interior opened into a circular chamber. It was clean, well-engineered, and unnervingly quiet. At its center stood a shallow, basin-like structure, its surface smooth and faintly luminescent, as though waiting for input.
As I approached, its surface shifted, reflecting my image at me, but not the one I remembered. My eyes were sharper now, carrying a faint reptilian gleam. My ears had lengthened, subtly pointed. Even my hair had changed, lightened into a pale blonde that caught the ambient glow.
Ding!
[Genetic Sequence Required]
The system notification caught me a little off guard. However, I didn’t hesitate. I plucked a strand of my hair and placed it gently onto the basin.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then,
Ding!
[Genetic Sequence Obtained!]
[Genetic Sequence Analyzed!]
[Structural Path Created!]
[Transforming…]
The response was immediate. A low tremor rippled through the chamber, the metallic floor beneath my feet shuddering before splitting apart. From the fractures, roots emerged, expanding upwards, spreading rapidly across the chamber. Wooden structures followed, forming frames and supports as living growth replaced cold alloy in seconds.
The walls shifted and reshaped, almost breathing, until the sterile command center was gone.
[Congratulations! Origin Established!]
[Enter name]
“Right… I almost forgot about this. I always use the same name.”
[Atlas]
Ding!
The moment the designation registered, the entire structure reacted. The ground trembled once more as thick, living roots surged outward from the core, spreading like veins beneath the surface before rising into form. They twisted and interlocked, extending into branching corridors, each one shaping itself into a new modular facility. The growth was fast and deliberate.
Ding!
[Unit Interface Unlocked!]
[Facilities Interface Unlocked!]
[Resource Interface Unlocked!]
[Eterna’s Blessing Acquired!]
The notifications echoed in sequence, then faded. Slowly, the movement subsided. The vibrations died down, leaving behind a fully expanded structure.
This time, I opened the Facilities Interface first.
What appeared was the default starting layout of the base,
At the center stood the [Atlas Origin Tree], towering above everything else. Its massive trunk spiraled upward in layered coils, faint pulses of energy coursing through its bark like a living circuit. Each rhythmic surge fed into the surrounding structures, linking every module into a single, unified system. It wasn’t just a centerpiece. It was the core nexus that sustained and synchronized the entire base.
In Eterna Galaxy Online, the Origin Base was the player’s lifeline. If it fell, everything was lost, the player's progress erased, resources gone, existence reset to zero. But here, in this world, the implications might be far more severe.
A reset likely didn’t mean starting over.
It meant death.
Additionally, in the later stages of the game, once contact with the Galactic Federation was made, a system-wide reveal would occur across the galactic map. Every player’s Origin Base would be exposed to the entire universal community, visible to both factions and rival players alike.
Which meant I wasn’t operating on unlimited time.
At best, I had until the mid-game.
Until then, I needed to establish multiple layers of planetary defenses, strong enough to withstand whatever came once my location was no longer a secret.
Looking to the left, the Unit Facility had taken shape, an enclosed yet organic chamber where root-like conduits formed floral incubation pods and assembly nodes. It was designed for creation and deployment, Origin, workers, or combat units, all linked directly to the core’s energy flow.
To the north of the base, extending toward the resource site, the Resource Facility had anchored itself in alignment with the Celestium Vein. Thick root channels burrowed outward, tapping directly into the deposit. At its center stood a conversion node, an organic-mechanical structure that refined raw Celestium ore into Eterna Energy, the system resource.
To the right, the Life Support Modules formed a cluster of enclosed habitation chambers, structurally stable and reinforced with layered, bark-like plating. These systems regulated temperature, atmospheric balance, and biological conditions, ensuring long-term habitation. Everything was calibrated to adapt according to each unit’s genetic construct, maintaining optimal compatibility.
At the base, the Entrance was located, a reinforced gateway framed by hardened roots, serving as an access point.
I leaned back slightly, taking it all in.
Good.
The foundation was complete.
Next… I need to establish the Research Module.
However, the requirement: 20,000 Eterna Energy.
Looking towards the default Eterna reserves were flat at 500. Barely enough to initiate anything beyond the most basic functions.
I shifted my focus and moved toward the Unit Facility. The moment I stepped inside, the rootlike doorway opened into a chamber dominated by a massive, tree-like structure at its center. Unlike the Origin Tree, this one felt more specialized, its trunk thicker, its surface layered with hardened ridges that resembled natural armor.
Its branches stretched outward across the ceiling, and from them hung clusters of leaves unlike anything I had seen before, golden-yellow, each one shaped like overlapping draconic scales. They shimmered faintly, catching the ambient light as if energy flowed through them, pulsing in slow, steady rhythms.
This was a unit production tree.
I opened the Unit Interface, and a simple list appeared before me.
────────
[Origin Unit]
Type: Origin-Class Unit
Production Cost: Free
Available Quantity: x1
Status: Ready
────────
[Atlas Newt]
Type: Worker-Class Unit
Production Cost: 500 Eterna Energy
Available Quantity: Unlimited
Status: Ready
────────
As expected, the options were limited. Without any combat facilities established, there were no offensive units available, just the basics.
Still, it was enough to start.
There wasn’t much to consider. I immediately selected the Origin Unit, followed by a single Worker Unit.
The tree responded instantly. A deep pulse traveled through its trunk, while the golden, scale-like leaves shimmered as energy surged across the branches. At the same time, my 500 Eterna Energy reserves dropped to zero, completely consumed by the Worker Unit’s production, which cost 500 Eterna Energy as well. Moments later, a stream of data was projected directly into my interface.
The Origin Unit would take ten full days to produce, while the Worker Unit required five.
Slow, compared to others.
But given the nature of an elven-draconic build, that wasn’t surprising.
With my tasks in the Unit Facility complete, I moved on to the Life Support Modules. At present, five chambers were available, each formed from reinforced, bark-like structures that subtly pulsed with regulated energy. Expansion wasn’t cheap, and additional chambers would cost around 5,000 Eterna Energy.
In time, this section would grow beyond simple chambers into a fully developed residential zone, capable of sustaining an entire population.
After a brief assessment, I separated one of the chambers from the cluster, isolating it from the others. It reshaped slightly in response, the walls adjusting to form a more enclosed, private space.
This would be my room, for now.
With the initial configurations complete, the base finally fell into a steady rhythm. I checked the ship’s data feed again, scanning for my next course of action, but a notification cut through the interface.
Target life signature: critical.
Right… the target.
There was only one… The elf.
Was she dying?
With the ship already in satellite mode, I focused the sensors and zoomed in on her location. The terrain resolved into a jagged cliffside, steep and unstable. Her body lay below the edge, motionless.
“What happened…?” I asked under my breath, but there was no answer.
Still, something stirred within me. As a being with 100% genetic fusion compatibility, the impulse to act was instinctive. Her gene alone would be valuable in the player market later on, but this… this wasn’t just about profit.
“You’re not dying here.”
I took control of the ship, locking onto her exact position. At my command, it broke from its orbital hold and began a controlled descent, thrusters angling as it cut through the upper atmosphere. Heat rippled across the hull as it adjusted altitude, stabilizing just above the cliffside while maintaining a precise hover.
Once the transfer reached optimal range, I activated the beam up, pulling her from the cliffside and into the ship’s life support pod.
Without hesitation, I issued the next command.
Return to base.
────────
[Name: Atlas]
[Gene Tier: 1]
[Origin: Atlas]
[Genetic Abilities: Elven Language, Draconic Strength, Heat Resistance, Hardened Skin, Night Vision, Longevity, Draconic Wings, Nature Affinity, Eterna's Blessing]