After the purchase was completed, Kyle quietly continued observing the world within the screen.
And just like before...
A new life appeared within Asteria.
This time however—
The Black Carp appeared deep beneath the vast oceans of the world.
The screen slowly shifted toward the dark depths of the sea where the lone black carp quietly swam through the waters in silence.
For a while...
Nothing unusual happened.
Then suddenly—
The Black Carp slowly began rising toward the surface.
At the very same moment...
The Primordial Dragon resting beneath Yggdrasil suddenly opened its golden eyes.
As if sensing something.
Its massive serpentine body slowly moved through the skies before flying toward the direction of the sea.
Soon...
The dragon descended from the heavens and hovered just above the ocean surface.
And moments later—
The Black Carp finally emerged from the waters below.
What appeared before Kyle at that moment looked almost like a scene taken directly from an ancient myth.
Above the endless sea...
A colossal eastern dragon covered in dark silver scales floated silently beneath the skies while faint golden patterns glowed across its enormous body like flowing divine veins.
Its long whiskers moved gently alongside the cold wind while its pair of ancient golden eyes calmly stared toward the creature below.
And beneath it...
The lone Black Carp quietly floated upon the surface of the ocean.
Its pitch-black scales like dark obsidian while its deep crimson eyes carried an unusual intelligence despite its newborn existence.
For a brief moment...
The two creatures simply stared at one another across the silent sea.
Then—
The Primordial Dragon suddenly released a deep growl.
The oceans trembled violently.
Massive waves surged across the sea.
Yet despite all of that...
The newborn Black Carp showed no fear.
Instead...
It merely looked toward the dragon curiously.
Kyle quietly watched the entire scene unfold before him.
And strangely enough...
A single thought slowly appeared within his mind.
This...
Perhaps this was how myths were born.
Whatever this moment truly was...
It undoubtedly marked the beginning of the very first bond formed between the primordial beings of Asteria.
....
"...So this is how the previous one evolved so quickly."
Kyle suddenly muttered softly as if finally realizing something.
Back then, he had unconsciously used the temporal acceleration feature while observing the growth of Yggdrasil.
At the time, he simply thought it was a temporary fast-forward function.
But now that his synchronization with Asteria had increased...
Kyle could vaguely feel the difference.
It was not merely acceleration.
Instead...
It felt more like he was widening the flow of time between Asteria and reality itself.
Only now did he finally understand why the evolution countdowns still continued according to real-world time despite Asteria itself progressing far faster internally.
"...So that's how it works."
Kyle quietly leaned back against the couch while staring at the world within the screen.
The more synchronized he became with Asteria...
The more influence he seemed capable of exerting over the world's laws.
And honestly...
That thought alone was enough to make his heart beat slightly faster.
After all...
If the Black Carp truly evolved the same way as the previous creature...
Then perhaps he might witness the birth of another mythical existence once again.
Without hesitation, Kyle slightly increased the temporal disparity once more before continuing his observation of Asteria.
....
Days passed within Asteria.
Or what counted as days.
In reality, Kyle had barely moved from the couch for the past few minutes.
The Primordial Dragon had already returned to the skies while the Black Carp once again disappeared into the depths of the ocean.
Everything appeared peaceful.
"...Looks like nothing's happening anytime soon."
Kyle muttered quietly.
The evolution countdown still had plenty of time remaining.
No matter how much time flowed within Asteria, some things still seemed bound by reality itself.
After watching for a few more minutes, Kyle finally placed the device beside him.
As fascinating as Asteria was becoming...
He still had things to do.
A pile of messages had accumulated while he was at the Valemont Estate.
There were also several reports from Mercer Co. that he had ignored yesterday.
Not to mention Adam had already called him three times since morning.
"That idiot is definitely going to complain again."
Kyle shook his head helplessly before standing up from the couch.
The device remained beside him.
Its screen still displaying the world of Asteria.
Kyle didn't pay it much attention anymore.
After all...
Nothing had happened for quite some time now.
At least...
That's what he thought.
Meanwhile...
Within Asteria, time continued flowing quietly.
Days passed.
Then more days.
The Primordial Dragon occasionally descended from the heavens and lingered above the ocean for a time before returning to the skies once more.
And every single time...
The Black Carp would emerge from the depths.
Neither creature spoke.
Neither attacked.
Yet somehow...
Their meetings became increasingly frequent.
The dragon would circle above the sea.
The carp would drift upon the waves below.
Simply existing within each other's presence.
As though both of them instinctively understood one thing.
They were not alone.
For a world as young as Asteria...
That alone was perhaps enough.
Even Kyle had noticed the pattern before leaving.
The dragon no longer growled whenever it saw the carp.
And the carp no longer stared at the dragon with the same curiosity as before.
Instead...
A strange familiarity slowly formed between the two primordial beings.
A silent bond.
One that neither of them could fully understand.
Nor could they have imagined what they would eventually become.
One destined to rule the heavens.
The other destined to rise from the depths.
But for now...
They were simply the first children of Asteria.
And the world continued moving forward peacefully.
Until—
A faint ripple suddenly appeared high above the skies.
For only a brief moment.
It was so small that even the Primordial Dragon failed to notice it.
The disturbance vanished almost immediately.
As though it had never existed.
Yet far beyond the boundaries of Asteria...
Something had stirred.
Something that should never have noticed this young world.
And for the very first time since its creation—
Asteria was in danger.