Chapter 5: Second Simulation, Advancing Towards the Ocean

Time passed quickly as Bai Ze was deep in thought.

Before long, a familiar sound echoed in his ears.

[Ding! The 30-minute cooldown has ended, and the host can start the next simulation at any time!]

Without hesitation, Bai Ze immediately crossed his legs and closed his eyes.

He focused and once again entered the starry sea with his consciousness.

"This time, my main goal is to expand into the ocean!"

"System, start the simulation, and initiate a ten-draw!"

With a single command, ten lines of text appeared on the system panel.

After quickly scanning them, Bai Ze's eyes were filled with excitement.

"Got it, I'll choose these three talents!"

Aside from the Dragonborn talent fixed in the previous round, this time there were two rare, highly sought-after talents.

[Biological Evolution (Blue): Creatures evolve more easily, gaining new powers and forms.]

[Extraordinary Arrival (Purple): Accelerates the evolution of creatures, making it easier for extraordinary beings to emerge.]

The purple-level talent, linked to extraordinary beings, promised a breakthrough this time!

[Ding! Talents selected, please choose the items to carry.]

"All items!" Bai Ze answered without hesitation.

Once everything was confirmed, his perspective shifted once again.

The world ahead became clear.

[At the dawn of the world, the gods created the land, brought down the rain, and adjusted the climate. (Land Card, Rain Card, Ecology Card activated.)]

[Early First Era: You placed the White Ape Tribe on the land and the Clay Creatures in the lake. (Clay Creation activated.)]

[Mid First Era: The White Apes, based on their vague memories, began to develop through biological instincts.]

[Meanwhile, the Clay Creatures that had been dormant at the lake's bottom for some time underwent slight changes due to the climate and environment.]

[A small portion of them transformed into small fish species, filling the ecological gaps and swimming in the ocean. The majority, however, turned into a creature called the Horseshoe Crab, measuring 60 cm in length.]

[Ding! Horseshoe Crabs born, Creation Value +10.]

"Horseshoe Crabs? Aren't they ancient creatures?!" Bai Ze said, excited.

He continued reading.

[Late First Era: Horseshoe Crabs, with their tough exoskeletons, dominated the lake, making most small fish their food.]

[End of the First Era: Having claimed territory and abundant food, the Horseshoe Crabs began to reproduce rapidly.]

[Among them, a particularly large and vibrant member emerged, named the King Crab! (Dragonborn activated.)]

[Ding! High-bloodline creature, King Crab born, Creation Value +20.]

[Early Second Era: Under the leadership of the King Crab, the Horseshoe Crabs became the undisputed rulers of the lake.]

[With their continuous breeding, the lake's area expanded rapidly, and it restored to its normal size, 3 kilometers of ocean!]

[Ding! World proportions are restored to normal, and automatic production of biological resources is enabled!]

[Ding! The world's area has reached a critical point and has been automatically solidified!]

[Note: The land-to-ocean ratio of the world is 1:3.]

"The area expanded, and it regained the ability to auto-generate resources?" Bai Ze wondered.

"Does this mean that if a species proliferates enough and becomes strong enough, the world's area can increase?"

"And once the world reaches a certain size, it can have a save function?"

Bai Ze quickly posed three questions.

[Yes, host.]

The system responded.

At this moment, Bai Ze felt more certain that his choices had been right.

Now that the world could produce its own resources, it would not end up in a desperate struggle like the last round. Moreover, the save feature was like a safeguard. It meant that future simulations would not have to start from scratch, greatly improving the efficiency of world development!

However, this scene didn't last long.

Changes soon began.

[Mid Second Era: Just as the Horseshoe Crabs were dominating, a cell-based creature from the ocean evolved into a species called the Squid.]

[Ding! Ocean creature, Squid born, Creation Value +10.]

[Late Second Era: The Squids aimed to clash with the Horseshoe Crabs and fight for control of the ocean.]

[End of the Second Era: During the battle, the Squid's soft tentacles were unable to pierce the tough exoskeletons of the Horseshoe Crabs.]

[Realizing this, the Squids changed tactics, evolving to increase their size and develop ink with hallucinatory and paralyzing effects. (Biological Evolution activated.)]

[Ding! Toxic Squid born, Creation Value +20.]

"So, they've evolved from close combat to long-range attacks?" Bai Ze said, impressed.

With the world now capable of producing its own resources and the first native creatures born, Bai Ze was excited to see how things would progress.

[Early Third Era: The Toxic Squids began using their ink to attack the Horseshoe Crabs from a distance. The Horseshoe Crabs' exoskeletons could defend against physical attacks, but they were useless against these magical attacks.]

[Ultimately, the Toxic Squids defeated the Horseshoe Crabs almost without a fight, pushing them out of the ocean.]

[Mid Third Era: After their defeat, the Horseshoe Crabs attempted to move onto land to claim territory, only to encounter the White Ape Tribe.]

[The Horseshoe Crabs had no intention of fighting, but the White Ape Tribe, full of battle spirit, wanted to hunt them down as food!]

[Late Third Era: Under threat, the Horseshoe Crabs had no choice but to clash with the White Ape Tribe again.]

[But because there were no hostile forces on land and the White Apes had been breeding for nearly three eras, they had almost completely occupied the land mass.]

[They rapidly expanded, even learning to use fire and stone tools, creating powerful weapons like slingshots!]

[The Horseshoe Crabs, already weakened from their earlier defeat, were once again defeated by the White Apes and ultimately faded from history.]

Bai Ze looked at all of this with some regret.

However, in the process of biological evolution, the extinction of one species after another was inevitable.

What surprised him, though, was that after so long, the White Ape Tribe had learned to use tools and even make fire?!

[Late Third Era: Due to the Horseshoe Crabs, the White Ape Tribe discovered that there was an ocean in this world.]

[Their bloodlust seems to have been awakened, and not only do they want to become the rulers of the land, but now they also wish to rule the ocean!]

[End of the Third Era: The advance party of the White Ape Tribe entered the ocean, but as soon as they stepped into the shallow waters, they were knocked out and drowned by a black toxin in the water.]