Thousands of years passed.
Arin didn't feel age.
He didn't feel tired.
But he definitely felt hot.
Unreasonably hot.
Because his three cursed skills—Burning, Bleeding, and Blood Regeneration—kept making him produce more lava, more heat, and more eruptions than any natural planet should.
The result?
Arin took much longer to cool than any world in the universe.
Volcanoes that should've died after a few thousand years kept roaring for tens of thousands of years.
Eruptions that should've stopped continued endlessly because he kept regenerating "blood."
But eventually…
Just barely…
After countless eruptions and endless bleeding…
The rate of volcanic activity dropped.
From thousands of active volcanoes…
To hundreds…
To dozens…
To just a few glowing giants still spewing lava.
And afterward—
The world began to cool.
Slowly.
Painfully slowly.
But steadily.
First, his atmosphere cooled.
The thick toxic clouds gradually settled and thinned.
Steam condensed in the upper layers of the sky.
Temperatures finally dropped enough for water molecules to survive.
And then…
A miracle happened.
Rain.
Soft, delicate droplets fell from the sky for the very first time in Arin's entire existence.
But the moment the water hit his still-hot crust—
SSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!
Steam exploded outward.
The water evaporated instantly, rose back into the sky, condensed again, and fell as rain again.
A continuous cycle.
Rain → Steam → Clouds → Rain
Over and over again.
Arin watched it in awe.
"…So this is the first rainfall… this is how planets cool…"
He felt something warm inside him—emotionally, not physically for once.
His world was changing.
Days passed.
Rain continued endlessly.
Until—
DING!
The system spoke.
And Arin immediately regretted being alive.
[Enough records of Crying gathered.]
Arin's consciousness jolted.
"…SYSTEM. NO. I AM NOT CRYING. IT'S RAIN."
The system ignored him entirely.
[Generating skill…]
[Skill generated.]
[Skill: Crying]
{Effect: Host can cry 1% more while consuming 1% less water.}
Arin stared, horrified.
"…WHAT!? CRY MORE!? LESS WATER CONSUMPTION!?"
He checked himself.
Rain continued falling.
The water cycle continued.
The atmosphere thickened.
He panicked.
"WAIT— IF I CAN 'CRY' MORE EFFICIENTLY… WON'T MY WATER LEVEL JUST KEEP GOING UP!?"
A terrifying thought hit him.
"One day I might be FULLY covered in water… A WATER PLANET!"
He paused.
Then thought deeper.
"…But Earth had that stage too. The water world stage. Maybe this is good. Maybe this means life will form…"
He actually felt excited.
But unfortunately, the system was not done.
Another message popped up:
[Enough records of Bathing gathered.]
Arin blinked.
"…Bathing?… No… no please don't—"
The system continued:
[Generating skill…]
[Skill generated.]
[Bathing]
{Effect: Host can wash 1% more efficiently while consuming 1% less water.}
Arin went silent.
Very silent.
"…SYSTEM, YOU— YOU ARE AT LEAST A LITTLE RIGHT THIS TIME."
He admitted reluctantly.
"I guess a planet covered in rain IS kind of like bathing…"
But then he realized something horrifying.
Bathing increased water efficiency.
Crying increased water output.
Water was now regenerating faster.
Water levels were rising.
Rain was increasing.
"…Oh no. I'm going to overflow."
Lightning crackled in the distance.
Arin muttered:
"First I bleed lava endlessly. Now I'm going to drown myself in rain…"
But inside, he felt a spark of hope.
Water meant oceans.
Oceans meant chemistry.
Chemistry meant life.
His voice trembled with excitement:
"…System… do you think my planet can have life one day?"
The system responded immediately:
[…]
Silence.
Of course.
Arin sighed.
"Well… if you won't answer, then I'll find out myself."