Chapter 6
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In the unseen depths of existence, where life was measured in micrometers and thrives in places where no other life could, lies the world of microorganisms. This realm, invisible to the naked eye yet omnipresent, was a tapestry woven from countless forms — bacteria, viruses, fungi, protozoa, and archaea. They were the unseen architects and alchemists of our planet, crafting the very foundation of life from the shadows.
These tiny beings inhabited every corner of the Earth: from the deepest ocean trenches and the scalding heat of volcanic springs to the icy reaches of the polar caps and the inner workings of the human body itself. Here, they engage in a never-ending dance of creation and destruction, recycling nutrients, breaking down waste, and even producing the oxygen we breathe. Some form symbiotic alliances, nurturing life and health, while others become deadly adversaries, silently infiltrating cells and igniting epidemics.
Yet, despite their size, microorganisms shape the destiny of our world. They hold the keys to our ecosystems, our bodies, and perhaps our future. It was a world where life’s fundamental rules were rewritten on a scale too small to see but too mighty to ignore — a world of endless possibilities, adaptations, and transformations. This was the secret universe beneath our feet, within our cells, and all around us, an ever-unfolding story of survival, evolution, and the intricate web of life that connects us all.
One of these Microorganisms, Astaroth, was currently in the midst of betraying every version of his kind…
After gobbling up all the prokaryote, he wasted no time and got right down to the act of terrorizing the Cyanobacteria. In this indiscriminate act of tyranny, he devoured all the colorful and luminescent bacteria that caught his eye.
With the overpowered abilities of the Infinite Energy System at his beck and call, Astaroth was able to effortlessly devour countless Cyanobacteria with each passing millisecond. Both his absorption speed and evolution speed were way off the charts.
It was for these reasons that he amassed a total of 1 Sextillion Energy in less than half an incense stick…
His speed of evolution hadn’t slowed down in the slightest; in fact, it was only becoming exponentially faster!
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If Astaroth kept on progressing at his current pace, then it surely wouldn't be long before he evolved into something on the mortal plane of existence!
Right now, he was just a Cyanobacteria, but tomorrow, he could be an insect or monkey! It was pretty damn exciting to think about!
Even though Astaroth lacked proper recollection of a large array of things, he still felt the thrill that came along with striving to uncover the unknown.
Wishing to experience everything that the vast, limitless world had to offer, Astaroth was forced to well… eat and absorb all his brethren…
For half an instant before the full absorption of his targets, he swears that he could hear them cursing him for being such a back-stabbing bastard!
But with millions of them going into his mouth with each passing second, Astaroth simply treated their imaginative cries and curses as background music.
Rather, what he was far more focused on were the system notifications that bombarded him from all directions!
[Ding! You have absorbed 300 million Energy from 10 Cyanobacteria!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 280 million Energy from 10 Cyanobacteria!]
[Ding! You have absorbed 310 million Energy from 10 Cyanobacteria!]
Astaroth received around a thousand of these every second. It wasn't the exact amount, but he honestly couldn't be bothered to get everything extremely accurate.
Anyway, if before, he only received a few of these system notifications every minute, it was with his Energy Absorption Speed Abilities that the sheer amount of system notifications per second was so astonishing.
Though Astaroth was able to instantly absorb anything that he had more Energy Mass than, that didn't mean he immediately received all the energy from what he absorbed.
It was more of a ‘store and save for winter scenario’.
For example, he could stop absorbing Cyanobacteria right now and he would still be receiving system notifications for hours to come.
In a way, Astaroth’s body stored everything he devoured and absorbed them in the order that they entered what he called his ‘mouth’.
“Ai… Hmm… Haven’t I kinda, sorta become some sort of waste cleanup machine…? I mean, I have no clue what sort of world lays above this one, but they might have something like myself to clean up recyclable trash, no?”
Astaroth was clueless on how he knew of random things like this, but it seemed that as long as whatever he tried remembering had nothing to do with himself, he was able to recall bits and pieces.
Although most of the information was rather useless and arbitrary, it was still enough to let him learn some interesting topics and terms.
Kind of like how he just learned he was some form of glorified vacuum cleaner…
“System, is that the ‘my kind’ that you mentioned earlier? Am I a vacuum cleaner?”
[Error! Error! The system is unable to process this question!]
“I see…”
Astaroth felt it was worth a shot, but some things just weren't meant to be.
During this entire period of discussion, he had not once paused the atrocities he was commiting against the Cyanobacteria. In fact, his rate of genocide was only becoming increasingly faster…
And then came the final series of system notifications…
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