I walked over to the console,.and touched it. The hologram pulsed before it exploded outwards.

  I clicked yes, and the screen changed again.

  The words melted, and behind it stood a webpage that looked a lot like Amazon's front page. With each passing second, it felt like a lot of the stuff here was inspired by human technology and I wasn’t sure how to feel about that.

  Anyway, since I’m here, I should figure out what I need to get for my world to flourish. “Helios, do you have any input on starter stuff?”

  “Well, there are a few things that you will need to consider when raising a world,my liege.” The man stood up and dusted his dirty hands on his pant legs. “While it isn’t so simple as to say drop the life on the planet and let them do what they will do. Instead, they need strife and danger to help mold them.”

  “So essentially, you’re telling me they need to have their lives in danger to mold them. That’s an odd way to think about it.” I paused and thought back to my time on Earth, and really, I don’t remember any kind of pressing danger. Outside of the political climate, and other social stuff.

  “Not individually,but as a society. When threats are knocking on their doorstep, they need to grow or die. As harsh as that may sound, that is life in this universe.” Helios shrugged and walked over to me.

  That was such a Darwinian concept that it chilled me to the bone. It was a concept that I think I wouldn’t be able to understand for some time. But I had to try. After all,it was the wellbeing of what I was working on. “I’ll try Helios. But no promises.” I reached out towards the console and clicked on the search bar. “So, what do you think I should start with?”

  “You can gather some monster spawning packs, some basic magic packs, and settle on a permanent operating system to start. Which I recommend you do first. I’ll watch over your shoulder and I’ll comment on anything I see you might need.”

  With a quick nod, I typed in ‘system’ into the search bar and a few options popped up.

  Oh! This was cool! So, let's see, from the top of this list, I had the standard system. Which was pretty self explanatory. It was the quintessential system I’ve seen in a lot of novels and games. So I knew roughly what to expect. The next was a trait-based system, which I don’t recall ever coming across. At a glance, I could write it off, since it seemed like it would be a headache to keep up with.

  The specialized system felt like an extension of the standard system. I could even remember having the same conversation before about sub starts, and quite frankly, I don’t think I wanted to deal with it. I mean, yeah, it would be good to narrow my path, but min maxing wasn’t my thing, and it felt like that was going to be the eventual outcome with this system. So no thank you. But the hybrid system seemed like it was going to be a really solid choice.

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  Organic growth seemed like it would be the right option out of all of them. That was how I grew up on Earth. Without a system, and without everything being quantified. Life to me wasn’t based on levels, or a rigid class, but based on how we grow. So in my heart, I knew that the hybrid class was the right choice. I reached out, and I clicked it and a notification flashed on the screen telling me that this was going to cost me two hundred creation points. That was a hefty amount,but I knew I had some to spare. Especially since I decided I didn’t want to buy any races, since I had more than enough for now.

  The annoying screen flashed, and I quickly dismissed it. I always thought game-like stories were cool, but I didn’t realize how frustrating they could be with text flashing up in my vision every few minutes.

  “Oh, a hybrid system. That was a good pick, my lord.” Helios spoke up behind me, and approval sat heavy in his voice.

  “It felt like a good choice. It would allow for the world to grow to best suit them I think.” I dismissed the screen and typed in monster spawn packs.

  “It was. Freedom is a good thing. But not excessively so.” His honey smooth voice rang out like gentle chimes behind me and a stray thought crossed my mind.

  The more I got to know him, the more I realized he was a little Machiavellian. He seemed to care about nature, but was extremely cold and calculating about it. Was he secretly a sociopath? Or did I just not understand his thought process?

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” I murmured in response as I glanced through the first few options of the list. We were all entitled to our beliefs in the end, and I would not tell him that he was wrong. It would serve me well to have a voice of dissent in my ear. After all, having an echo chamber wouldn't do anybody any favours.

  The basic bundle screamed run-of-the-mill fantasy monsters and seemed like a good starter pick. While it contained little information about what was actually inside of it, that was fine. I didn’t have to imagine much when it said it was a basic template. “Helios, what does it mean the monsters have a chance to become sentient?”

  “Well, sentience is a bit hard to explain. But in a sense, it’s a higher tier of life.” He paused for a second, before he spoke once more. “Take a rabbit for example. Its base instinct is to breed, eat, live and die. There isn’t much thought there. But when it gains sentience, it can think, and operate beyond the bounds of its instincts.”

  “I see. So, fundamentally,these monsters are just a walking ball of instincts. That seems like a sad life.” I mused quietly. How painful must it be, to live like that, and not seek anything eelse?

  “I wouldn’t think so. They can’t be sad, when it’s all they know. There's a beauty in the simplicity when you really think about it.”

  “Ah, a poetic type. You didn’t strike me as such.” I replied as I clicked on the first template. The second one was also a good pick in my eyes, as apparently it would scale perpetually with my races. Which, I think, would be a good pick. Plus, it would function as a race that I didn’t have to watch over all the time. That wasn’t even considering the fact there was a five percent chance for one to become sentient. If the odds were in my favor, that would mean I could potentially pull a new race, and not even have to spend a dime. But that would be the long game, and I had nothing but time.

  “I’ve never experienced poetry, so I can’t say I enjoy it.” Helio’s voice trailed as if he were caught in thought.

  “But you are a system companion. Doesn’t that mean you have knowledge of it? I mean,you are sitting here telling me some rather philosophical concepts.” I clicked both templates, and bought them. I watched as my creation points dwindled to the halfway point. I think for now, these two would be more than enough in this department Since money was tight, I knew if I was going to scroll through the list, the desire to spend it would be strong, and I still needed to gather stuff for the planet.

  “When you were human, you knew what space was right? Without ever laying eyes on it yourself.”

  My finger hovered over the search bar and I paused and considered it. “Yes, I was taught in school. So I had a passing idea of it.”

  “That's exactly the same boat I’m in. I know what it is. But I don’t know what it is. In the end, I can only experience it when you can.” His words were sad and almost wistful as I listened.

  Poor Helios. Don’t worry, as soon as I get this world finished, I can send you down there, and I’ll let you experience the life that you never had.