After observing for some time, Rico saw ants laying on the weeds and gathering grass juice. He didn't see any mosquitoes attacking the ants. He also noticed that much of the soil was curled, seemingly by earthworms, beneath the dense, green grass. It was common to find earthworms in this area. He was curious about the number of insects he had brought inside and decided to wait and see.

Suddenly, an earthworm the size of a chopstick emerged from the dirt. The earthworm approached an ant that was biting a piece of green grass, and the ant vanished as the earthworm returned to the soil. Rico was surprised and thought to himself "How did they become carnivores? Earthworms should be eating dead plants."

All of the insects in the Cradle appeared to have evolved. The ants were now two centimeters long and the earthworms consumed them. Although the mosquitoes had yet to exhibit any unusual behavior, Rico assumed they had also evolved. He decided to end his observation and give the Cradle one more glance.

In reality, Rico was standing there unmoving and blank. He thought about the possibility of a snake biting him on the mountain and decided it would be a drag.

Once Rico had stopped his observation, time started to move quickly once more. The Cradle was quickly filling up with weeds, ants, insects, and other critters, and was gradually growing larger. The Cradle recorded how everything inside of it developed. Rico realized that the weed was planted two years ago from now, which is roughly 500,000 times faster than time in the real world.

Other Cradle species, like ants, mosquitoes, and earthworms, had also experienced modification. They had expanded and appeared to have evolved as a result of the additional origin that the genesis of this world left behind. The ants, earthworms, and mosquitoes quickly changed after entering the Cradle and absorbed the mana from the lesser version of Origin. They grew to be more powerful than their real-world counterparts. Their body structure had also changed and contained something distinctive, indicating that this was not a simple evolution.

The ant had become stronger, and their progeny had also experienced significant alterations. In terms of hardness, the carapaces of these second-generation ants were as hard as human fingernails. A geometric alteration had occurred.

Rico was overjoyed with the evolution of these animals since it brought him closer to his ideal world of mythology. He wondered what would happen if he absorbed mana as well. Would he instantly morph into a tank of muscle capable of destroying tanks? But he didn't dare to test himself since it was too soon. More monitoring was required.

Following death, the essence, mana, and spirit of an animal are used to feed the world's creatures, grow the Cradle, and purify and cleanse the atmosphere, in that order. The leftover material is transformed into World Source, allowing Rico to use it on the Cradle in any way he sees fit while also preserving the Origin he held.

The more mana an organism absorbs from the environment, the stronger it becomes. It appears that mana is advantageous because, when absorbed by the body, it strengthens the flesh, making the body more solid and robust. Additionally, it adapts to the creature's genotype and drives evolution, whether it's for the better or worse.

Rico took a long, hot bath when he got home. After cooking dinner, it was 7:30 p.m, he decided to call Old John.

“How are you, old bloke?” Rico inquire

“I'm still here, healthy, alive, and lonely, but I have to go right away to take care of a matter at home.” John voice rang on the telephone

“Okay, okay, don't worry I'll find someone to love you, just let me work my magic.”

“Oh, please don't. The last time you tried to set me up, she turned out to be a professional mime.” John voice was in pain as he said those last words

“Hey, at least she was silent and easy to read!” Rico smirk

“Ha! Very funny. But, I think I'll stick to doing my own love hunting.” He said sarcastically with a smile in his voice.

“Suit yourself, but if you change your mind, I've got a whole list of women who love a man with a "matter at home" to take care of.”

“I'll keep that in mind. Thanks, Rico.”

“Anytime, old bloke. Sweet dreams and good luck on your love hunt.”

Taking a breather outside, Rico lit his cig and rested on his sofa.

……

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