Global Gods : Skill-Resonance Awakened Chapter 3: Ch 3 : The Weight of Eons

Sunny's brow furrowed, a faint unease stirring in his vast cosmic senses. Things didn't seem right—the algae were multiplying, yet their evolution wasn't surging forward as rapidly as anticipated under the 10,000x time boost for his world.

He'd pictured a swift, bursting variety of life, a vibrant biological spectacle blooming under his godly gaze. But reality was unfolding at a more relaxed rhythm.

'System, why isn't the time accelerating at 10,000x speed?' he asked, impatience coloring his inner voice.

[Time is flowing at 10,000x speed.]

[As a god, your consciousness aligns with the world you're observing. Your perception accelerates to keep pace as well.]

A gradual realization dawned on Sunny's expansive awareness, sending a chill through him with its deeper meaning.

'That's why my algae aren't evolving 10,000 times quicker,' he whispered, the truth settling over him like cosmic dust.

'They're dividing slowly, as if in normal time.' The System's explanation, now clear, was straightforward yet deeply unsettling.

To fully watch a world, to dive into its time stream, demanded that one's own senses speed up accordingly.

His godly mind, an awe-inspiring tool, had merely matched the quickened reality he viewed.

In truth, he'd been enduring those countless years with his budding life systems, feeling their gradual evolutionary creep at their own speed, not accelerated.

The immense, mind-boggling stretch of time, squeezed and then stretched out, left a faint throb in his perception.

It was an odd weight of divinity: the power to see ages pass in seeming instants, only to find those 'instants' felt as endless as the ages to him.

The algae's quick splits, impressive in quantity, had seemed like a regular-speed time-lapse video, every detail carefully noted.

With a thought, Sunny detached from the close-up view, withdrawing his awareness.

The glittering, sped-up sight of his growing world faded away, giving way to the steady God Cosmos interface and the usual rhythm of his personal time.

A profound breath escaped him, more a psychic release since he existed as pure mind.

He accessed the God Chat, looking for diversion or maybe shared understanding.

The wild rush of posts was recognizable, though the mood had moved from early confusion to a blend of hopelessness and tentative hope.

'I'm dying over here. Spent all my faith on an alga, but it perished.' This came from 'Despair'. Sunny felt a sharp sympathy; he could have faced the same doom.

'Upstairs, I've got just 10 algae right now. I'll trade once I build up more.' 'Hopeful_God' replied.

'He lacks faith points. What could he trade anyway?' 'Pragmatist' pointed out, underscoring the harsh truth of a broke deity.

'God of zero lifeforms lol,' 'Joker' teased, maybe a bit too cheerfully.

'You could let the lifeforms evolve on their own. It'll take time, but 10,000x acceleration makes it doable,' 'Strategist' suggested, mentioning the common time speedup, unaware of Sunny's fresh insight into subjective time.

Sunny felt glad his algae survived; losing them would have shattered him completely.

The idea of wiping out his starting resources made him grimace.

While browsing the chat, a strong, energizing feeling rushed into him.

It started faintly, then grew, a cozy, streaming power. He turned his focus back to Veridia.

Countless numbers of his algae weren't merely drifting anymore; some were hunting, swallowing up frailer, less optimal peers.

It was a hidden battle among the tiny, a savage yet graceful ballet of survival of the fittest across the endless sea expanse.

He recognized this fresh feeling right away. 'Faith!' Sunny declared, his psychic tone echoing with renewed strength.

'Status!'

A new display appeared, filled with jaw-dropping figures.

[God name: Cosmos]

[Planet: Veridia]

[Lifeforms: 15,334,566]

[Talent: Skill-Resonance (SSS-grade)]

[Faith points: 0.0023124]

Sunny's eyes widened, then he scanned the 'Lifeforms' number again. '15 million?!' he said softly, truly taken aback.

The leisurely feel had tricked him; his planet had been bursting with organisms while he lingered in the chat.

The slight flow of Faith, tiny as it was, proved this expanding populace.

'System, how do I gain more faith?' he queried at once. The fractions hinted at ongoing, gentle buildup, but he wanted details.

[Faith increases through prayers from intelligent races or the deaths of lifeforms, based on their smarts and power.]

'System, what's an intelligent race?' Sunny followed up, a fresh aim taking shape.

[An intelligent race has the ability for advanced thinking, self-recognition, and creating ideas like faith, adoration, and respect. Their directed prayers to a god produce substantial faith.]

Sunny nodded thoughtfully. Thus, the minor 0.0023124 Faith probably stemmed from the massive algae births and deaths, an unending, basic cycle.

Real, hefty Faith—the sort for big godly acts—would arise from aware creatures. That was the extended strategy.

'Should I step in to speed up evolution?' he wondered, eyeing Veridia's tiny realm.

But spotting his Faith points, still in tiny fractions, he exhaled. 'Better wait a bit to build up some faith first.' He required a safety net.

Sunny reopened the God Chat to kill time, seeking wisdom or just fun.

Kairos: 'Want to see something, everyone?'

'What are you showing off now, Kairos?' 'Skeptic' retorted.

'I'd like to check out the bigshot's brag,' 'Curious_God' contributed.

'+1'...'+12345.' A typical wave of support poured in.

'Look at this,' Kairos posted, including a picture.

Sunny viewed the image and experienced a shock of wonder.

It showed Kairos's organisms clearly: beyond algae, past basic multi-cells, into advanced forms.

A hard shell, divided body, many limbs—an Arthropod. Like a beetle bug, crawling over moss-covered terrain.

'10 times quicker than the rest is insanely powerful. I'm nurturing my algae while he's flaunting Arthropods,' Sunny grumbled, blending awe and jealousy.

Kairos's S-grade talent, 'Time Accelerate x10,' was dominating the start.

The chat burst with responses:

'My algae perished, yet the bigshot's advanced to Arthropods already.'

'I wanna cling to the bigshot's legs.'

'I'd give monkeys to the bigshot.' The pleas and flattery hung thick.

Sunny shut the chat soon after, a firm determination solidifying his godly resolve.

He wasn't Kairos, yet his route was his own.

He reviewed his faith points once more, now showing integers. Veridia's vast life scale was producing Faith quicker than expected, particularly as evolution ramped up with stronger algae devouring the weak.

Algae numbers surpassed 1 billion, highlighting their superb breeding in the right setting.

And his faith reached a solid 16.1526153. Perfect.

'Time to push evolution forward!' Sunny smiled, divine energy coursing through.

He'd avoid forcing changes directly, but could set the stage.

Spending 4 Faith points, he mildly reduced resources for the algae.

Not to famine levels that would destroy them, but sufficient to heighten survival rivalry.

This soft strain would serve as a mighty evolution booster, urging the strongest to change and flourish.

It required fine tuning: insufficient rivalry slowed progress, excess risked wipeout.

Then, with a mighty psychic effort, he expended 6 more Faith points to vaporize thick water covers in key spots. Gradually, grandly, lands rose from Veridia's depths. Land areas, isles, peaks—rough but emerging.

This would unlock fresh habitats, compelling life to shift to dry ground.

The flooded terrain, once all ocean, now exposed its secret shapes.

The leftover 5 Faith points stayed as backup. Should life fail or halt badly, he'd use them.

Sunny leaned back calmly, watching the deep shifts from his command.

Fresh lands hissed under the young star, drying bit by bit, awaiting life's step.

The enormous, billion-algae horde, pressed by shortages, displayed early hints of greater variety, responding to stresses. He pondered future moves.

The initial sprout had sprouted, and now the rich intricacy of a vibrant world was set to bloom.