Life in Arin's oceans continued evolving.
Tiny, simple true cells drifted, multiplied, and occasionally bumped into each other like clueless toddlers.
But then…
Something new happened.
A group of cells developed a strange molecule —
a green pigment capable of absorbing sunlight.
The first chlorophyll-like compounds.
They gathered near the ocean surface…
tilted toward the sunlight…
and began converting light into energy.
The world's first photosynthetic organisms.
Arin felt a strange energy shift ripple through his shallow seas.
"…Whoa. Wait… is this it? The beginning of photosynthesis? Ancient Earth had this too!"
He trembled with excitement.
The first step toward oxygen.
The first big jump in life's complexity.
Nature was celebrating.
But the system?
The system misunderstood everything instantly.
---
The misunderstanding begins
DING!
[Notice: Host's children are eating sunlight.]
Arin blinked.
"…They're what?"
[Warning: Children switching to a strange new diet.]
Arin shrieked:
"IT'S NOT A DIET! THEY'RE PHOTOSYNTHESIZING! IT'S BIOLOGY!"
System ignored him:
[Recording collected: Host's children taking light meals ×182374]
[Recording collected: Children refusing normal food ×32838]
Arin:
"THEY NEVER 'ATE' ANYTHING IN THE FIRST PLACE!! THEY'RE MICROBES!!"
[Recording collected: Host allowing children to starve ×83823]
Arin nearly erupted a volcano.
"THEY ARE NOT STARVING — THEY ARE USING SUNLIGHT!!"
But the system continued:
[Notice: Host's children adopting unhealthy eating habits.]
[Warning: Host's feeding responsibility decreasing.]
Arin froze.
"…Feeding responsibility? I never fed them ANYTHING!"
---
The system spirals into parental nonsense
As more cells became photosynthetic, the upper oceans turned slightly greener —
a sign of new pigments and thriving organisms.
But the system interpreted it differently:
[Alert: Children overeating light.]
[Warning: Children absorbing too many photons.]
[Advice: Host should monitor children's sunlight intake.]
Arin yelled:
"HOW DO I MONITOR ANYTHING!? THEY ARE MICROSCOPIC!!"
System added helpfully:
[Host should serve balanced meals, not just sunlight.]
A tectonic plate cracked from Arin's frustration.
"BALANCED MEALS!? I DON'T HAVE HANDS!! I DON'T COOK FOOD!! THEY DON'T HAVE MOUTHS!!"
[Recording collected: Host refusing parental duties ×19]
Arin screamed:
"I REFUSE NOTHING!!"
---
The system finally generates a skill
As the photosynthetic cells multiplied, slowly producing energy efficiently and peacefully, the system came to its usual wrong conclusion.
[Enough light-eating records gathered.]
[Generating skill…]
Arin braced himself.
"Oh here we go again…"
The system chimed:
[Skill generation successful.]
[Skill: Light Feeding]
Effect: Children using sunlight gain 1% more nutrition while Host's responsibility for feeding decreases by 1%.
Arin stared at the sky.
"…I officially have a skill…
for feeding my children…
SUNLIGHT."
The system added proudly:
[Host's parental workload reduced.]
Arin nearly fainted.
"I NEVER HAD A PARENTAL WORKLOAD IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"
[Parental Authority (Feeding) decreased by 1%.]
Arin shrieked:
"WHY IS MY AUTHORITY DROPPING!? THEY DON'T KNOW I EXIST!!"
The system added a final blow:
[Host should take pride. His children are now independent eaters.]
Arin:
"THEY'RE NOT CHILDREN — THEY ARE PHOTOSYNTHETIC BACTERIA!"
Lightning struck.
Volcanoes erupted.
Winds howled.
The system calmly logged:
[Recording: Host celebrating children's new diet ×1]
Arin screamed even louder.
---
But deep beneath the rage and humiliation…
something beautiful was happening.
The green cells were thriving.
Energy filled the oceans.
And slowly… silently…