Dr. Diagnosis: I think it’s better if our group chat becomes close, and hopefully we can build an alliance to protect ourselves.
RedRings: I think so too. We don’t know how many threats are out there in this planetary selection.
Dr. Diagnosis: Mind if I ask about your current progression?
Liam paused when he saw the question. He wondered why Dr. Diagnosis was asking about his progression, but after thinking about it for a moment, he decided that it was probably harmless to tell him. Even if the other player knew about his current development, Liam doubted he could actually do anything with that information.
RedRings: I haven’t really checked yet. I was so interested in the new feature that I forgot about it. You actually just reminded me. How about yours?
Dr. Diagnosis: I’m currently at the middle Stone Age, I think. I just gotta push a little further.
RedRings: Oh, that’s good then. Anyways, I gotta go now and check on my planet.
Dr. Diagnosis: Cool, see ya around.
"That went surprisingly smooth," Liam muttered after closing the chat. He had expected the conversation to be much more awkward, especially after his embarrassing first message. With that out of the way, Liam shifted his attention back toward his planet.
"Now, let’s check on my creations."
Liam descended from the sky, passing through the clouds before reaching the surface. Below him was a primitive settlement constructed from sticks, stones, animal hides, bones, and other materials that the inhabitants had scavenged from their surroundings. It was clearly still an early civilization, but there was already a sense of organization within the settlement.
Among the inhabitants, Liam noticed several creatures with green scales covering their bodies, sharp fangs, and long green tails. Their bodies were also considerably larger and more muscular than those of the average human-like creatures he had encountered.
"Are those the lizardmen?" Liam wondered as he looked at them more closely. "They look different, and they’re pretty strong-looking too. I think they’re larger than an average human."
He descended closer and circled around the settlement, observing their activities from above. After a while, his attention was drawn toward the weapons several of them were carrying. They were crude, but Liam could immediately recognize the sharpened stones attached to wooden handles.
"Those are stone weapons, right?"
He inspected them more closely and confirmed his assumption. The lizardmen had clearly begun developing primitive weapons, most likely for hunting and defending their settlement.
"Are they going to prepare for a hunt?"
After a few moments, a group of lizardmen gathered in the center of the settlement, each carrying a primitive weapon before eventually leaving together. Liam naturally followed them, curious about what they were planning to hunt.
The group traveled through the wilderness for some time until a sudden rattle from a nearby bush immediately caught their attention.
The lizardmen stopped moving as they looked toward the vegetation, and moments later, a large, fatty back belonging to some unknown creature slowly became visible through the bushes.
The creature looked more like an enormous elephant than a pig, despite possessing some features that reminded Liam of one.
The lizardman leading the group noticed it first and began speaking in their strange language, seemingly giving instructions to the others. The rest immediately understood and began moving slowly, spreading themselves around the creature in an attempt to encircle it.
"They look like a bunch of hyenas hunting."
One of the lizardmen suddenly threw his stone-tipped weapon.
"Boom."
The stone spear pierced through the creature, although barely, and the massive animal immediately began struggling violently. Several more attacks followed as the lizardmen continued surrounding it, eventually overwhelming the enormous creature after a harsh struggle.
The large animal finally collapsed onto the ground.
Liam watched the scene with a blank expression before quietly commenting, "Survival of the fittest."
After securing their kill, the group of lizardmen carried the useful portions of the animal and returned to their settlement. Almost immediately after arriving, they began working on the resources they had brought back. The females started cutting and preparing the hide, while the males who had participated in the hunt began roasting the meat over a large bonfire.
"Are they celebrating their kill?" Liam wondered as he watched them work. "They’re far less primitive than I thought."
After the meat had been roasted, the lizardmen gathered around and began eating their share. However, they did not simply consume everything they had obtained from the hunt. The leftover meat was carefully prepared, smoked over the fire, and preserved so that it could be eaten on another day.
Liam suddenly remembered the skill he had received earlier, Short-Term Physical Manifestation. He had been so distracted by the discovery of the other players and the development of the lizardmen that he had completely forgotten about it.
As night fell over the settlement and everyone eventually went to sleep, Liam decided that this would be the perfect opportunity to finally test it without attracting anyone’s attention. Once he was certain that the entire settlement was quiet, he activated the skill.
"Woahhh... I can feel the soil. I can actually feel it tickle the bottom of my feet."
Liam slowly walked around the settlement, taking in every sensation that came with having an actual physical body again. He continued walking for three whole minutes, yet he remained fascinated by something as simple as putting one foot in front of the other.
Back on Earth, walking had been such an ordinary part of his daily life that he had never once thought about how amazing it actually felt. Now, after spending so many years without a physical body, even something as mundane as walking had become strangely fascinating to him.
He closed his eyes, trying to feel every sensation that he had missed for so long. Even when he used Consciousness Override, it was still completely different from having an actual physical body.
Back then, he could experience the world through another creature, but it never truly felt like his own. Now, every sensation was directly connected to him, from the ground beneath his feet to the air brushing against his skin.
With his eyes closed, Liam quietly spoke within his mind, taking in each sensation one by one.
I can feel the sense of touch... the wind blowing over me. I can hear everything around me too. Those uncanny-looking birds flapping their wings... I can feel it!