Thousands of years passed.
Rain fell endlessly.
Storms roared.
Clouds churned.
And for the first time in his entire existence…
Arin's crust cooled enough to let water survive.
The endless downpour stopped evaporating instantly.
Puddles formed.
Lakes grew.
Valleys filled.
And slowly—beautifully—
The First Ocean Began to Form.
Water gathered into deep basins, swirling and steaming softly but no longer disappearing.
Arin felt excitement pulse through his core.
"…My first ocean… this is it. This is how life begins…"
He watched the water spread, joining into massive seas.
Rain continued to fall like blessings.
The world cooled.
The surface stabilized.
Everything was perfect.
Until the system woke up.
---
DING!
[Notice: Host is accumulating large amounts of bathwater.]
Arin blinked.
"…wait—what?"
[Notice: Host is storing the water used to wash himself.]
"…SYSTEM NO— THAT'S NOT BATHWATER! IT'S AN OCEAN!"
The system continued proudly:
[Recording collected: Host gathering bathwater ×9999+]
[Recording collected: Host soaking continuously ×412]
[Recording collected: Host refusing to drain the bath ×105]
Arin felt a tectonic migraine coming on.
"I'M NOT REFUSING TO DRAIN ANYTHING—THIS IS A WATER CYCLE!"
But the system didn't care.
It continued processing:
[Enough bathing-water-storage records gathered.]
[Generating skill…]
[Skill generated.]
[Skill: Bathwater Storage]
{Effect: Host can retain 1% more water while losing 1% less to evaporation.}
Arin went silent.
"…Did you just give me a SKILL for storing bathwater?"
Volcanoes around the planet erupted in embarrassment.
Steam burst into the sky.
Lightning cracked above the new forming sea.
Arin groaned:
"Great. So now I have Bathing, Crying, and Bathwater Storage.
My entire hydrological cycle is classified as a SPA DAY."
But the system wasn't finished.
[Notice: Host is sitting comfortably inside warm bathwater.]
Arin nearly melted.
"I'M NOT SITTING IN ANYTHING—THE WATER IS COOLING MY SURFACE!"
More messages appeared:
[Recording collected: Host enjoying a hot bath ×231]
[Recording collected: Host refusing to step out of the tub ×98]
Arin threw a lightning bolt at himself in pure frustration.
"STOP LOGGING THAT!! I'M A PLANET, NOT A NUDIST IN A BATHTUB!"
Finally, the system quieted.
Arin sighed and looked at his oceans.
Deep, swirling, beautiful.
"…Call it bathwater all you want. This is the beginning of life."
He felt the ocean currents forming.
The surface cooling.
Minerals dissolving.
Chemistry awakening.
Something was happening.
Something new.
Deep in his oceans, at volcanic vents…