Atlas then changed the subject.

[Now let’s talk about yours. Your evolution method was the complete opposite.]

The projection changed again.

Now it showed Garion sitting at the bottom of the ocean while horrifying gravity crushed everything around him.

Even the surrounding space distorted heavily.

[The gravity pressure there was so extreme that even normal Awakening Realm beings would struggle to survive.]

Garion remembered the pain immediately. His face twitched slightly. "Yeah... I remember that part very clearly."

[You continuously endured impossible pressure while forcing your body to adapt.]

[Your body eventually broke past its original limits and evolved.]

Atlas smiled smugly.

[And naturally, with my assistance, the process became more stable.]

Garion snorted. "Stable my ass. I almost died."

[But you didn’t.]

Garion clicked his tongue.

Atlas floated around him slowly.

[That is why evolving a God Physique depends entirely on the nature of the Unique Physique itself.]

[Some paths are extremely difficult.]

[Some are absurdly easy.]

[And some are completely random.]

Garion rubbed his chin while thinking. "So basically..."

He pointed at himself. "My path was hard mode."

Then he pointed toward Rachel’s projection. "And Rachel basically got cheat mode."

Atlas instantly burst out laughing.

[Hahahaha! That is actually a perfect explanation.]

Garion looked genuinely offended now. "The hell is that luck gap?"

Atlas wiped imaginary tears from his eyes while laughing.

[You trained at the bottom of the sea while getting crushed by gravity.]

[Meanwhile Rachel literally evolved through emotional growth.]

Garion stared blankly ahead. "...I hate this."

Atlas grinned smugly.

[Too bad.]

Garion sighed heavily before shaking his head.

Still, despite the unfairness, he finally understood one important thing now.

There was no single path toward becoming a god. Every God Physique evolved differently.

---

Garion stayed quiet for a while after hearing Atlas’ explanation.

The endless white space around them remained calm as countless thoughts passed through his head.

The universe he once thought was huge now felt unbelievably small compared to the real cosmic civilization.

Garion slowly exhaled before rubbing the back of his neck. "I think I finally get it now..."

Atlas floated upside down nearby while lazily swinging his tiny legs.

[Good. Took you long enough.]

Garion ignored the comment. "So basically..."

He looked at his own hand again. "My physique is valuable because it bypasses normal cultivation limits."

[Correct.]

"And my path toward becoming a true god is smoother because I already evolved into the weakest version of a God Physique."

[Correct again.]

Garion nodded slowly.

Then his expression suddenly became more serious. "One last thing."

Atlas looked at him curiously.

[Hm?]

Garion narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why was I chosen?"

Atlas blinked once.

Garion continued. "That high-level god."

He pointed at Atlas. "Why did she choose me specifically?"

For a moment, Atlas just stared at him.

Then suddenly... Atlas burst out laughing loudly.

[HAHAHAHAHA!]

Garion frowned immediately. "The hell are you laughing at?"

Atlas held his stomach dramatically while floating around.

[You seriously think you’re the only one she chose?]

Garion blinked. "...What?"

Atlas slowly calmed down while wiping imaginary tears from his eyes.

[Of course not.]

Garion stared silently.

Atlas floated closer before shrugging casually.

[You are simply one among many.]

Garion’s eyebrows slowly raised. "There are others?"

[Obviously.]

Atlas crossed his tiny arms proudly.

[The universe is massive.]

[Do you really think a being at her level would place everything on one person?]

Garion rubbed his chin slowly. "So I’m basically just one candidate..."

[More or less.]

Garion clicked his tongue lightly. "Damn. There goes my main character moment."

Atlas snorted.

[You still think like someone from Earth sometimes.]

Garion shrugged. "Can’t help it."

Then his eyes narrowed again. "So these others... they also have systems?"

Atlas nodded immediately.

[Of course.]

Garion frowned slightly. "Wait. You mean there are more people like me running around with cheats?"

[Yes.]

Garion’s mouth twitched. "That sounds annoying already."

Atlas laughed softly.

[But don’t worry... Every one of them is different.]

Garion focused immediately. "Different how?"

Atlas shrugged his tiny shoulders.

[I don’t know.]

Garion blinked. "...What do you mean you don’t know?"

[Exactly what I said.]

Atlas floated upside down while swinging his legs lazily.

[I only know about you because I’m bound to you.]

Garion frowned slightly. "So you don’t know the others?"

[Nope.]

Atlas pointed at himself proudly.

[I am your system, not theirs.]

Garion rubbed his forehead. "That sounds way less impressive than before."

Atlas gasped dramatically.

[Excuse me? I’m still very impressive.]

Garion ignored him completely.

"So basically there are other chosen people out there, but you have no clue what kind of monsters they are."

[Pretty much.]

Garion looked down quietly for a moment. Then he suddenly smirked. "You know..."

Atlas blinked.

[What?]

"This kinda feels like one of those Earth novels now."

Atlas tilted his head.

[Novels?]

Garion laughed lightly. "Yeah. A bunch of chosen people with different cheats thrown into a massive universe."

He pointed at himself. "And somehow I became one of them."

Atlas floated around him slowly.

[Except this isn’t a story.]

Garion’s grin remained. "I know."

His eyes slowly sharpened. "That’s what makes it more interesting."

Atlas stared at him quietly for a second before smiling.

[You adapted to all of this surprisingly fast.]

Garion shrugged casually. His fist slowly clenched. "What’s the point of panicking now?"

He looked toward the endless white space around them. "The old world is already behind us."

His fist slowly clenched. "And honestly..."

A grin slowly spread across his face again. "...if there are other monsters out there with cheats too, then I kinda want to meet them."

Atlas immediately laughed.

[Of course you do.]

Garion cracked his neck lightly. "I want to see what kind of crazy abilities they have."

Then he smirked proudly. "And beat them too."

Atlas shook his head helplessly.

[You really can’t live without competing with someone, huh?]

Garion laughed. "Hahaha! What can I say? Sounds fun."

Atlas floated onto Garion’s shoulder again before sighing dramatically.

[Just don’t die before becoming strong enough.]

Garion snorted. "Relax."

His eyes slowly narrowed with confidence. "I didn’t survive all that hell just to lose now."