Chapter 39: Magic

Liam rested against the trunk of a tree on a quiet hill somewhere across the planet, his body currently sustained by Short-Term Physical Manifestation. The gentle chill of the breeze swept across his skin as he gazed over the distant landscape, watching clouds drift slowly across the blue sky. For once, there was nothing demanding his attention, no civilization requiring observation and no experiment waiting for his interference. He simply sat there, enjoying the strange sensation of existing physically within the world he had spent so long observing from above.

His peaceful moment was abruptly interrupted by the familiar voice of the system.

[System: Player has completed all Planetary Scanner objectives.]

[A major milestone has been reached. The planetary environment has achieved conditions capable of sustaining advanced life.]

[Reward: Planetary Modification.]

Liam’s relaxed expression immediately changed as he looked toward the system interface.

"Planetary Modification?"

The system continued without hesitation.

[Description: The player may now modify the fundamental properties of the planet on a generative scale.]

Liam stared at the description for several seconds, trying to understand exactly what the system meant by generative scale.

"Wait... what?"

[Planetary Modification allows the player to introduce or alter fundamental rules governing the world itself. For example, the player may establish new environmental phenomena, supernatural properties, or systems that previously did not exist.]

Liam’s eyes widened slightly.

"So... basically, I can change the rules of the world itself?"

The thought immediately made him sit upright.

"Like magic?"

[Affirmative.]

A grin slowly appeared across Liam’s face. "Ahh... so it’s basically a settings menu for the entire planet."

He looked toward the system interface with newfound interest before raising one hand.

"System, activate Planetary Modification."

[Planetary Modification Interface activated.]

Liam’s eyes moved across the newly appearing options before he began thinking about what kind of change he wanted to introduce.

"If I’m going to add magic, I don’t want it to be something that only a few people can use. Let’s make the entire world capable of possessing it."

He paused, considering the idea carefully.

"System, apply this modification. Every object within the planet should possess a variable amount of magical power. The amount should be determined randomly, and the greater the magical power contained within an object, the greater the supernatural effects it can produce."

[Modification parameters received.]

[Rule: All objects possess variable magical potential.]

[Magical Potential: 0% to 100%.]

[Magical Potential will influence the supernatural properties, abilities, durability, storage capacity, or other anomalous characteristics of an object.]

[Object abilities will develop according to the object’s nature, composition, history, environment, and magical potential.]

Liam’s expression became increasingly interested.

"So a normal pot could technically have one hundred percent magical power?"

[Affirmative.]

"And if that happened?"

[Outcome cannot be predetermined.]

Liam raised an eyebrow.

"Meaning?"

[A simple pot possessing 100% magical potential may develop extraordinary storage capacity, increased durability, spatial properties, automatic preservation, or an entirely unique ability.]

Liam stared at the message. "So even I won’t know what something becomes?"

[Correct.]

That was actually better than he had expected.

If every object had a predetermined ability, the entire world would eventually become predictable. But if magical potential interacted with an object’s nature and circumstances, then even the most insignificant object could become something extraordinary.

A stone might become nearly indestructible. Or a sword might develop the ability to absorb magical energy.

A cup might endlessly produce water, and a book might preserve every piece of knowledge written inside it.

Liam’s smile widened. "Alright. Let’s see what happens."

[Planetary Modification: Magical Potential System.]

[Applying modification...]

[Planetary Modification successfully applied.]

Liam leaned back against the tree once more.

"So it begins."

He gazed toward the distant horizon, wondering how long it would take before the first civilization discovered that their world had fundamentally changed. "I wonder if I should tell the pantheons and have them announce it to everyone below."

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"Or..."

A mischievous smile appeared on his face. "Should I just leave them to discover it themselves?"

The second option sounded far more entertaining.

"Now that I think about it, let’s check the Planetary Archive."

The familiar interface opened before him, displaying records from across the world.

[Planetary Archive]

[Riversian and Forestian settlements are currently on the brink of war.]

[Sea Tiny intelligence has increased significantly.]

[The Red Crimson Ants have encountered the first intelligent life form.]

Liam’s attention immediately shifted to the first entry.

"The first war in my world?"

He stared at the words for a moment before suddenly remembering the settlement’s leader. "Wait... Riversian is the settlement led by Odir, isn’t it?"

A complicated expression crossed his face.

"To think my little glutton ended up leading his people into a war." Liam couldn’t help but wonder how Odir would handle the situation.

"Will he become biased toward his own people? Or will he actually find a way to settle the conflict peacefully?"

He shrugged. "Either way, I should leave it to him. He’s their ruler now, so it’s his responsibility."

His eyes moved toward the second entry.

"Sea Tiny..."

Liam’s expression immediately became nostalgic. "The creature I modified?"

He remembered checking on the aquatic creatures several centuries ago. Back then, Sea Tiny and its relatives had developed an unfortunate habit of eating almost anything they encountered.

"Last time I checked, Sea Tiny and the others were causing problems, they even delayed the ship development by several centuries just because they keep eating whatever entered the water." He chuckled softly.

Liam shook his head before looking toward the final entry.

"The Red Crimson Ants..."

His expression became more thoughtful. "That’s Calean’s colony."

He remembered how the species had once consisted of a single colony with a relatively simple social structure, yet they had continued growing and expanding throughout the generations.

"I wonder what they’ve become by now."

Liam stared at the archive entry for several seconds.

His smile slowly disappeared. "I just hope they don’t start killing everyone."

The thought lingered in his mind as he looked toward the horizon.

Liam began wondering what would happen when all three developments collided with the newest change he had introduced.

Magic had just been born into his world.

And unlike the civilizations below, Liam already knew that even the smallest object could now become something extraordinary.