Arcadia had entered a period of peace and harmony. Everything seemed to be functioning exactly as it should. The creatures were developing steadily, the food chain was stable, and the reincarnation cycle had established itself without any apparent flaws. For the first time since awakening as a goddess, Ariana felt that her world was breathing in balance.

  With that in mind, she decided it was time to take another step forward.

  Using the faith she had accumulated, she planned to purchase another Time Acceleration Card from the system’s shop and advance Arcadia five more years into the future. After that, she would observe the true impact of all the choices she had made so far.

  She understood the risks well.

  During those five years, everything would be completely outside her control. She would be unable to interfere in any way until the accelerated time fully concluded. Still, before using the card, Ariana decided to make a few final adjustments.

  Several days had passed since the creation of the Natural Law of Reincarnation, and as she walked through Arcadia, she began to notice something that deeply bothered her. With the increase in animal populations and predator activity, there was now an unsettling number of corpses scattered throughout the world. In many cases, decomposition was far too slow. The smell was unpleasant. The sight was even worse.

  Ariana stopped and reflected for a moment.

  If she advanced Arcadia five years in this state, the number of bones scattered across forests, fields, and remote regions would become absurd. That would affect the world in ways she did not want. Determined to resolve this issue before accelerating time again, she decided to create a creature responsible for handling organic remains—rotting flesh and bones alike.

  At first, she considered creating specialized insects, but quickly dismissed the idea. In order to consume bones, they would have to be far too large, and the mere thought of giant insects was enough to make her abandon the concept.

  Instead, Ariana imagined something more discreet. A creature that wouldn’t draw attention, one that would perform its role quietly, far from the eyes of most living beings.

  She knelt down and placed her hands on the ground. Using her power, she began shaping a new form of life. The creature had an elongated body, similar to a worm, but relatively small in size. Its mouth was wide, filled with aligned teeth designed to grind bones and hard remnants. It had no eyes and would spend most of its existence underground, emerging only when necessary.

  When the creation was complete, the system reacted immediately.

  [Creature successfully created: Bone-Devouring Worm]

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  Its appearance was far from pleasant, but its function was clear and efficient. Ariana had drawn inspiration from vague memories of her past life—movies where massive worms devastated entire cities in deserts. Of course, she wanted nothing even remotely close to that. That was why she had made sure these creatures were weak and small, incapable of disturbing the world’s balance.

  With that issue finally addressed, Ariana began planning her next move. She knew she would need to wait a few days before her ability could be used again, and she didn’t mind the delay. She wanted to be absolutely certain that everything was in order before advancing time once more.

  Still, something else continued to trouble her.

  Ever since she had questioned the system about why the World of the Dead was so empty, the thought had lingered in her mind. That place had no direct form of administration, and she feared that, over time, something might spiral out of control. She needed something—or someone—capable of seeing souls, moving freely between the world of the living and the dead, and ensuring that the reincarnation cycle functioned properly.

  A being with access to nearly all of Arcadia, with the exception of the ocean.

  When her ability finally became available again, Ariana made her choice.

  She created a bird.

  Majestic.

  It possessed white feathers that reflected the moonlight and a single deep-green eye that seemed to see far beyond the physical world. The moment they appeared, the birds took flight and perched on nearby branches, staring at Ariana in complete silence—as if they understood far more than they let on.

  It was night.

  The green glow of their eyes contrasted disturbingly with the surrounding darkness.

  Ariana watched them for a few seconds before murmuring quietly,

  “…Creepy.”

  With these two creations complete, Ariana believed it was finally safe to advance time by five years.

  But then, a thought crossed her mind.

  What if I create… humans?

  The idea lingered. She wasn’t sure whether humans would be able to adapt to Arcadia as it was now, nor did she understand the full impact of creating humans at this stage.

  Maybe I should wait until after the five years pass, she thought.

  Then another idea surfaced.

  Perhaps she didn’t need to create humans just yet. Maybe she could create something similar—semi-humans, or creatures capable of living in groups and forming primitive societies. She flipped through countless possibilities in her mind, envisioning hundreds of different creatures, until she finally settled on one.

  Ariana gathered an enormous amount of power in her hand. It felt as though she were about to create something massive—but that wasn’t the case. The energy demand came from complexity, not scale.

  A powerful force gathered around her. The grass and trees swayed violently as a small vortex of energy formed around Ariana. It quickly dispersed, splitting into seven distinct points of light. Each point began shaping something around it—bones forming first, then flesh.

  Moments later, the creatures were complete.

  [Ding!]

  [Social life form detected]

  [Life form with societal potential created]

  [Creation successful: Goblins]

  Seven figures, roughly five feet tall, stood before Ariana. Their appearance was far from pleasant. There were two females and five males in the group. They looked at one another briefly, then turned their gazes toward Ariana.

  One of them growled at her.

  Ariana rolled her eyes.

  She rose into the sky, leaving the creatures behind.

  I hope they don’t cause trouble.

  In her past life, books and movies almost always included goblins—and most of them caused problems for humans. Of course, humans did not yet exist in Arcadia.

  And if Ariana ever sensed that the goblins posed a threat to Arcadia in its current stage…

  She would simply eliminate them.