First, Alex examined his new tools, feeling like a child unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning.
[Extractor (I) — Allows the Manager to retrieve any object from a created world
Requirements:
The object must be inorganic.
The object's weight must not exceed 100 kg
To use the Extractor, press the button and choose the object you want to extract]
A round button appeared at the bottom of the silver plate. Alex ran his finger over it, and a faint glow lingered on his fingertip. He gulped and zoomed in on his world as far as he could, until every blade of grass and every bug on the forest leaves could be seen. After a moment's thought, he selected a simple pebble lying on the lakeshore in the shade of a tree.
The next moment, a cold weight materialized in Alex's palm. Startled, he dropped it, and it hit the floor with a hollow thump.
Alex looked down and saw a small gray stone lying at his feet. When he glanced back at the world before him, the stone that had been on the shore was gone.
Alex took a deep breath and crouched beside the fallen pebble. It was hard, smooth, and faintly cool to the touch.
After that, he entertained himself for nearly half an hour, pulling out all sorts of things. At one point, he even snatched a spear straight from the hands of an elf tracking a wild hog. The hunter froze in shock, then bolted back to his tribe, pale and shaking with fear.
Alex followed him with a smile, then moved on to try other tools.
The next tool was the [Character Editor]. Alex activated it and selected a wolf that was leading its pack through the forest.
[Species: Gray Wolf
Strength: 0.6
Stamina: 1.1
Dexterity: 0.7
Intelligence: 0.4
Average Lifespan: 14 Years
Level 1 Creature]
Character Editor (I) allowed Alex to double each of the creature's attributes. First, he tried increasing its Strength; he ran his finger over the line, and the value jumped to 1.2.
A moment later, the leading wolf halted, shivered, and then swelled to nearly twice its original size before the terrified eyes of its pack.
Alex didn't stop there. Next, he raised the creature's Intelligence to 0.8.
A sharp light flashed in the giant wolf's yellow eyes. Slowly, it turned its massive head, studying its pack with almost humanlike wonder, as if it were seeing them for the very first time…
The [Character Editor] allowed Alex not only to enhance the attributes of various creatures but also to alter their biological structure. He considered giving the wolf wings to test the feature, but after some calculations he realized that lifting such a massive body would require wings of enormous size that would make the wolf's daily life quite miserable.
Alex left the confused beast to grapple with its newfound intelligence and moved on to modify a few more creatures.
He created several blue hares, a winged lizard, and an electric salmon capable of striking like a stingray. He considered experimenting on an elf as well, but ultimately decided against it. The elven race was still too fragile, and any careless intervention could lead to dire consequences. After all, such changes could be inherited by future generations. Alex wasn't reckless enough to alter an entire elven genome just for fun. The Editor had already proven its worth; next time, he would use it only after carefully considering the potential consequences.
Now for the final tool: [Avatar].
According to its description, it could transfer Alex's soul into any living being in his world. Since this one involved his own body and mind, he needed to be far more cautious while testing it. He mulled it over as he brewed and drank a cup of tea, then finally zoomed in on a solitary island far out in the western sea. There, he found a tortoise lazily resting on the beach, selected it for possession, and activated the [Avatar].
Suddenly, the black space around him vanished. Feeling sand beneath his legs and wind on his damp skin, Alex slowly opened his eyes.
An endless expanse of blue ocean stretched before him, gleaming beneath a cloudless sky. The air was quiet, broken only by the wind and the soft rustle of waves lapping at the shore. It felt like one of those moment from a film when the composer lowers the music, leaving the audience, already accustomed to the score, alone with the sounds of nature.
The old turtle lifted its head and gazed out at the sea. Then it slowly turned toward the line of palm trees along the shore. A volcano loomed above their ruffled crowns.
A sudden gust of wind made the trees sway and groan. A flock of blue birds soared overhead, vanishing into the vast blue of the sky. The turtle watched them for as long as it could, then slowly closed its greenish eyelids.
A moment later, it was no longer a turtle but Alex, who had deactivated the [Avatar] and returned to the dark space. For a while, he simply stood there, savoring the experience he had. Then he sighed
It had taken immense effort to make the plate acknowledge him as its Manager. He had reshaped his entire life for that, sacrificed everything for a vague promise, and now, at last, he had been rewarded.
The sand beneath his feet, the sky, the ocean, the trees, and the birds… The sight and sensation of another world created by his own hands was so striking that, even if this had been the end of his journey, Alex felt it would still have been worth it.
However, it was not the end—it was only the beginning. He had countless plans, ambitions, and dreams that he was going to bring to life.
Alex shook his head and, more enthusiastic than ever, carefully reread his current mission. Then he began thinking about how exactly he was going to accomplish it.