I Became a God in the Refrigerator

88. Human

“Throughout history, Earth has been exposed to numerous threats.”

Collisions of massive comets, volcanic eruptions, and earthquakes.

The ruthless ice ages and the viral epidemic that wiped out most of the creatures during the Pangaea era, etc.

Those threats were countless.

So numerous that it would take her ages to express them all.

The threats were diverse, with a variety of types that could be listed endlessly.

Each of them was a global-scale threat to the planetary level.

If just one of them were to reappear in this modern era, it would undoubtedly cause near-extinction damage to the majority of modern humans.

Perhaps the entire ecosystem of Earth itself could be on the brink of extinction.

[However, those were not an issue. They were disasters for living beings, mere everyday occurrences from my perspective.]

Every day, large and small meteorites flying towards the surface.

A biological catastrophe on a scale that would lead to the extinction of all life forms on Earth.

Yet, throughout her long life, such catastrophes had always existed.

Yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Events so ordinary and trivial that they were not even worth noting in a diary.

[But the biggest event among them was, undoubtedly, the issue of the sun nearing the end of its lifespan.]

The sun was fading away.

Perhaps, from Earth’s perspective, it was akin to the arrival of an ice age.

There had been signs before.

From Noble mtl dot com

Like a light bulb nearing the end of its life, the sun had dimmed several times, and ice ages had come and gone.

However, this time was different.

Since the most recent ice age began, the brightness of the sun had been continuously diminishing.

[After much deliberation, it was finally decided to create a new sun.]

The result is the sun that modern humans face every morning when they wake up.

People believed the sun had been born around 4.6 billion years ago, but in reality, it was a young star, not even tens of thousands of years old.

[In fact, this catastrophic event almost happened not too long ago. It occurred after humans appeared on Earth.]

Yet, no one knew this fact.

They were unaware of the impending crisis.

Even the fact that the sun was on the brink of extinction.

Thus, not only Earth but also all the planets in the solar system were on the verge of experiencing problems with their rotation and revolution.

The Earth was about to become a desolate ice planet where nothing survived.

She looked back and asked.

[But despite being exposed to numerous threats and crises, why do you think Earth remained unscathed?]

A man with a casual demeanor, lost in thought while reading a book, raised his head.

Their eyes met.

After a moment of silence, he, who seemed lost in thought, replied.

[Hmm. Well, I don’t know, at least.]

She spoke while staring at the ape, a Homo erectus standing before her.

[It was because my preparations were obstructed. The atmospheric layers stretching over 10,000 kilometers that burned almost all the asteroids, the ozone layer, and the tiny space debris still wandering outside the solar system, subtly altering the orbits of the surroundings.]

[Hmm.]

The man, who briefly stroked his chin in thought, eventually turned his gaze towards her.

[I seem to be one of your countless diseases. Included in that.]

She smiled faintly.

[Similar situation.]

Then suddenly, she raised her head as if taken aback.

[Oh. This is serious.]

[What’s happened?]

[A meteor. About 70 kilometers in diameter. It’s practically a small celestial body, to the point where even the expression doesn’t seem too odd.]

The man’s eyes twitched.

[Does that mean it’s heading towards Earth?]

[That’s the idea. Probably won’t take long. It’ll reach Earth and collide within a year at most. The aftermath of the collision alone will submerge the world in seawater and initiate an ice age.]

[Hmm.]

As he stroked his chin for a moment, contemplating her words, the man’s response was as follows.

[A serious matter.]

A brief remark.

It was a serious matter, but they carried on as if merely watching a neighbor’s house on fire, unperturbed.

[A serious matter, yet nothing surprising. Events of this magnitude happen daily. The number of small asteroids crashing into Earth in just one day exceeds 700. Of course, most are smaller than a fist.]

Yet, despite discussing such a grave topic, there was no sense of urgency in their voices.

Or perhaps, they didn’t realize it because they had already distanced themselves from such subjects.

[The leader of the Hwagwasan.]

[…What?]

[Will you go take care of it and come back?]

[…….]

At those words, a long-armed orangutan, engrossed in a book, raised its head.

With a keen, wild gaze, it stared directly at her.

The man, who had been staring blankly for a moment, snapped his fingers.

Snap-

Another orangutan, identical to him, soared into the sky.

After a moment, having briefly gazed upwards, he replied.

[Just took care of it.]

“You’re still quick at handling tasks.”

She smiled faintly.

From the man who had been gazing at her, the first to speak was him.

“I feel like having samgyetang today. I’ve exerted as much energy as a single strand of hair, so it’s only fair to expect that kind of reward, right?”

“You did prevent the end of the world. That’s the least you deserve.”

Snap!

As he lightly flicked his hand, a steaming samgyetang appeared before them, emitting a tantalizing aroma.

“It’s a freshly made samgyetang with whole chestnut mushrooms. Cooked by the god of cuisine.”

“You’re quite talented.”

“Well, being a god, it’s only natural, isn’t it?”

***

Bloop…

Han marveled at the water gathered in his hand.

“Isn’t this amazing? Just by touching a book, it delves into the concept of water.”

Han held a thick book with the title [Water.] written on it.

Simply by unfolding the pages and touching some of the numerous characters, he felt a distinct understanding of water like never before.

But that was not all.

It was just a small part.

[The manipulations here have direct and indirect effects on the real world. While you may not be able to manipulate the physical laws of water in the entire universe, if you add content about it to this book, it will undoubtedly have a significant impact on the history and laws of water in the entire universe.]

The system expressed it like this.

[If you write that water has the property of burning, water will burn, it may even turn into a solid instead of liquid, and depending on what you write, all the laws of creation will be reversed.]

It was nothing short of astonishing.

With just a brief modification to a single book, common knowledge across the universe could be altered.

“Then, is there information about Earth here?”

[Here it is.]

Click.

In response to Han’s question, thick books numbering in the tens and hundreds floated over from nearby bookshelves and piled up in front of him.

[Australopithecus.]

[Civilizations of Western Europe around 1700.]

[Marine life from A to Z-219.]

[Tablets developed until 2024.]

The vast history of Earth, its creatures, civilizations, and technologies were haphazardly listed.

As Han imagined, the pages unfolded revealing the contents.

He opened the page under ‘Sperm Whales.’

Han, staring at the contents of the book.

His gaze fell on a passage in the text.

[Sperm whales typically have three fins. One dorsal fin and two pectoral fins. The dorsal fin is located in the center of the whale’s back─]

Han, staring at the contents of the book, asked, “What if I add content here saying that sperm whales have four fins?”

[Sperm whales will have an additional fin. However, there will also be a corresponding recoil. Perhaps all sperm whales worldwide, unable to adapt to their suddenly changed bodies, may perish simultaneously. A whale hunting with its trajectory set may end up smashing its head on a rock and die, or a fleeing whale, unable to control its body, may be hunted down.]

It was chilling.

Just with a single concise addition, all life on Earth could suffer a significant blow.

“We must not tamper recklessly.”

It was a dangerous object.

Yet, these kinds of books were so densely packed on the shelves.

He carefully placed the book he had opened back on the shelf.

Han observed a few advanced gods moving back and forth here.

[…Go… Act… To…]

[I… Understand… To…]

They were writing fervently with books open before them, unchanged in that posture for hours already.

According to the mention of the system, even those who have remained unchanged for years like me are called novices.

To make modifications without defying the essence of the universe, a complex process involving endless vast information is required.

It seems like a difficult task.

It was at that time.

[…I should modify the birth of the Nightbus Rabbit Wasp Divine being. As it is a divine being, I should pay careful attention.]

“…Huh?”

At that time, a faint voice could be heard from somewhere.

Instinctively, I looked around.

However, I couldn’t tell who it was.

The voices that came from those around me were also fragmented.

It seemed like a whisper coming from a very distant place.

It was strange, but distance held no meaning here.

Sounds from far away could seem very close, while sounds from nearby could feel distant.

“System.”

[Please speak.]

He continued to look around, recalling the unknown voice and asked.

“If all beings in the world are recorded here, does that mean the information about the Nightbus Rabbit Wasp Divine being I created is also written here?”

[Yes. Now, as needed throughout the universe, depending on the situation, slowly but surely their existence will spread. Just like humans did.]

Just like humans did, huh.

Suddenly, a question arose.

“If the existence of the Nightbus Wasps spreads, could it be that humans also spread in a similar way? By the will of the gods?”

To that question, the system responded with a question of its own.

“Do you really think that humans are the only beings unique to Earth in this universe?”

“…No?”

“It is arrogant to think that humans are unique only to Earth in this universe. For example, the Red Orcs and Elves you encountered. These beings exist similarly on other planets as well. They exist uniformly across numerous planets and dimensions. Just like how humans encountered other beings in dungeons.”