Millions of years had already passed across Liam’s planetary timeline, yet from his own perspective, only a few weeks had gone by since the moment he had been reincarnated. The difference between planetary time and his own perception was almost absurd. Entire generations of organisms could appear, reproduce, and disappear while Liam experienced only a fraction of that time through his accelerated perception.
At first, Liam had assumed that becoming a planet would be unbearably boring. He had no arms, no legs, no way to walk around, and certainly no way to enjoy the ordinary things he used to do as a human. However, after obtaining Intangible Spectation, his situation had changed considerably. He could finally enter his own planetary body and observe the organisms living within it directly, allowing him to spend his time patiently watching how different species interacted with one another.
Sometimes, he followed a single creature from the moment it was born until the moment it died. Other times, he watched entire populations change across generations, observing how certain traits became more common while others gradually disappeared. There was something strangely satisfying about witnessing life develop without immediately interfering with it.
"System, how do I use Genetic Modification?"
[You may use Genetic Modification according to what you visualize. Simply provide a desired modification, such as increasing an organism’s lifespan by a certain amount or improving its defensive capabilities.]
"Oh, that’s easy?" Liam was slightly surprised.
"I thought I would have to modify all of them by hand."
His attention shifted toward one of the creatures swimming through the ocean.
It had a strange appearance, covered in rough-looking scales that gave its body an unusually armored appearance. It quietly swam through the water, seemingly unaware that the being controlling the entire planet was currently observing it.
Liam moved his consciousness closer to the creature.
"System, modify this creature’s lifespan by 200%, make it 200% larger, and turn it into an apex predator."
[Affirmative.]
[Genetic Modification initiated.]
Liam immediately became interested in the result.
He activated Temporal Acceleration, increasing the flow of time by several years every second from his perspective.
Its descendants gradually inherited the modifications Liam had introduced, and over successive generations, the species became larger and more capable of surviving within its environment.
Liam quietly followed the creature’s lineage.
He watched it live, hunt, reproduce, and eventually watched it die. Then he followed its descendants.
Generation after generation passed before his eyes as the modified traits continued spreading throughout the population.
"Oh, it’s thrice as big now..."
Liam observed the creature swimming through the ocean, its enormous body moving through the water with considerably greater strength than its ancestors.
"This is extremely useful, though my choices are pretty limited."
Liam then remembered another feature he had recently obtained.
"System, please attach a name to this creature."
He thought about it for a few seconds.
"Let’s call him Sea Tiny."
[Affirmative.]
[Species designation updated: Sea Tiny.]
Liam watched the creature continue swimming through the ocean before turning his attention toward several other species nearby.
"I gotta modify a few more creatures and see how they evolve before I speed up time by a hundred million years again."
Liam moved toward three separate species, each possessing different physical characteristics.
The first species consisted of relatively small aquatic creatures that traveled through the ocean in groups. Liam decided to test how much stronger their defensive capabilities could become.
"System, increase their defensive capabilities by 200%."
[Affirmative.]
[Genetic Modification initiated.]
Liam watched their descendants gradually inherit stronger defensive traits.
"Defensive Swimmers."
He decided that would be their name.
[Species designation updated: Defensive Swimmers.]
Liam then moved toward another species.
These creatures were already relatively aggressive, frequently attacking other organisms despite their smaller size.
"Let’s see what happens if I increase their offensive capabilities by 200%."
[Affirmative.]
[Genetic Modification initiated.]
The species began developing stronger offensive characteristics across successive generations.
"These ones will be the Aggressive Swimmers."
[Species designation updated: Aggressive Swimmers.]
Finally, Liam turned toward a third species.
Unlike the previous two, these creatures possessed neither particularly strong defensive abilities nor exceptional offensive capabilities.
"Let’s try both."
He considered the modification carefully.
"Increase their offensive and defensive capabilities by 200%."
[Affirmative.]
[Genetic Modification initiated.]
Liam watched as the species gradually developed stronger bodies, improved defenses, and greater offensive capabilities. Using their enhanced abilities, some of them ventured into the deeper regions of the ocean, where sunlight could barely reach and very little life existed.
Yet rather than disappearing, they adapted to the harsh conditions, gradually developing new traits that allowed them to survive and continue evolving within the depths.
"Balanced Swimmers."
[Species designation updated: Balanced Swimmers.]
Liam looked across the four modified species swimming through the enormous ocean, quietly watching as the genetic modifications he had introduced were passed down through their descendants. Generation after generation inherited the traits he had given them, and Liam occasionally found himself observing their interactions as the different species encountered one another throughout the vast ocean.
They were only small experiments compared to the vast evolutionary history of his planet, yet Liam couldn’t help feeling excited about what they might eventually become.
"Alright."
He had seen enough for now. Any more interference might cause the Karma System to intervene, Liam thought, deciding that it would be better to step back and allow the species to develop naturally rather than constantly altering their evolution.
"Let’s see what happens when I leave them alone for a while."
Feeling satisfied, Liam brought up the familiar blue interface that appeared before him.
[Temporal Acceleration activated.]
[Acceleration Rate: 100,000 years per second.]
Liam rose above the planet until he reached a position where he could oversee its entire surface, his consciousness barely touching the boundary between his planetary body and the endless darkness of space.
From that distant perspective, the world beneath him appeared almost impossibly vast, with enormous oceans separating the continents and countless islands scattered across the surface. He remained there quietly, observing everything below as he activated Temporal Acceleration once more, allowing an enormous stretch of evolutionary history to unfold before his eyes.