With Carter’s atmosphere now in pce, a protective yer enveloped his form, shielding him from dangerous cosmic rays and sor radiation. The once barren and exposed surface now had breathable air, and weather cycles had begun to form. Clouds drifted zily in the thin atmosphere, the beginnings of wind patterns swirling around him.

  [SYSTEM] The next step the host needs to complete is the creation of a stable water source. The host possesses the equation for water, but it is recommended to pull drifting comets onto the pnet to accelerate the process.

  Carter paused, thinking over the suggestion. “Comets, huh? I guess those ice chunks have their use after all.”

  He could already sense several comets floating within his gravitational pull, icy behemoths drifting aimlessly through space. With a subtle shift of his gravity control, Carter reached out, tugging the comets toward him like a fisherman reeling in his catch.

  [NOTICE]

  2.3 million c energy used to speed the process for forming water bodies.

  The first comet crashed into his surface, shattering on impact and releasing vast amounts of ice, which began to melt and seep into the nd. Another comet followed, then another, each adding more water to the growing reservoirs. Rivers started to form, carving their way through the rocky terrain. Lakes and seas began to take shape, filling the deep crevices of his surface.

  Carter watched as water pooled, his barren form transforming yet again.

  "Water cycle initiated," he thought with satisfaction. “I’m really doing this.”

  [SYSTEM] Water source established. Step two complete.

  Carter grinned. The pnet was becoming more and more alive. “What’s next?"

  [SYSTEM]

  The pnet requires a stable climate. The host is currently not in the vicinity of a nearby yellow dwarf star, also known as a “sun” on your home pnet.

  “Yeah, I was wondering when we were going to get to this point. My size now lets me see from thousands of miles away, but I still don’t see the sun.” Carter stretched his Zone Vision as far as possible, searching the vast reaches of space, but there wasn’t any sign of a yellow dwarf star. “How did this pnet even survive without a sun?”

  [SYSTEM]The pnet the host absorbed was a barren pnet. Its sun had been devoured long ago, and the pnet could only survive for another hundred years.

  “Devoured? By what?” Carter felt a shiver run through him, the implications unsettling.

  [SYSTEM]The host will find out in due time.

  Carter frowned. "Blues Clues strikes again..." He was growing tired of the system’s cryptic responses, but he knew pushing for more wouldn’t get him anywhere. Instead, he shifted his focus. The absence of a sun was a serious issue, one that threatened the entire development of his pnet. Without the warmth and energy a star provides, there would be no chance of life flourishing here.

  He thought for a moment. "I’m guessing that means I’ll need to find one, right?"

  [SYSTEM]Correct. The host may search for a suitable star within range or evolve further to create a star of your own design.

  Carter’s eyes widened. "Create my own sun?" The concept blew his mind. "I guess it’s time to go star-hunting then."

  [SYSTEM]With the host's size and developing celestial body, it is not optimal to move around freely right now. It is suggested that the host pulls stars toward him and absorbs enough energy. The cost of creating a miniature sun is 150 million celestial energy.

  Carter blinked, his surprise quickly shifting into amusement. "So, let me get this straight… I’m supposed to pull stars toward me like some kind of space vacuum?" He paused, chuckling to himself. "Wait, that's a real thing, isn't it? I swear I heard that somewhere before."

  [SYSTEM]..........

  Carter grinned at the system's ck of response. "No sense of humor, huh? That’s fine. I guess I’ll just have to start pulling in some stars and figure it out myself. Let’s do this.”

  He stretched his gravity control, reaching far into the cosmos, sensing the distant heat signatures of nearby stars. With his newfound power, he felt the tug of the distant suns, their massive forms slowly being drawn closer. He could feel the energy contained within them, just waiting to be absorbed.

  “With my current gravity control, pulling in stars is gonna be a huge pain in the as—" Carter stopped mid-sentence, suddenly realizing, "I don't even have one anymore… Sigh." He shook his head, knowing what had to be done. “System, upgrade gravity control to level 4 and zone vision to level 5.”

  [NOTICE]25 million C energy has been deducted for upgrades.

  “WHAT?! 25 million?!” Carter shouted in disbelief. "That's insane!"

  [SYSTEM]Zone vision and gravity control have been successfully upgraded.

  Carter’s frustration quickly faded as his new abilities kicked in. His sight expanded exponentially, now reaching over 80,000 miles into the vast expanse of space. His vision had quadrupled, revealing celestial bodies far beyond his previous limits.

  But the real power came with his gravity control. The force he could exert had skyrocketed, allowing him to pull up to 30 stars at once with ease. It no longer felt like a struggle—it was as natural as breathing. "Okay, this is seriously overpowered," Carter muttered, grinning as he prepared to test out his new abilities.

  "Let’s go star-hunting… in bulk."

  Carter began pulling stars toward him, feeling the raw power of his gravity control at work. Stars came rushing down like fiery comets, bzing trails through the empty void. But as they touched the outer yer of his atmosphere, something unexpected happened—each one broke down instantly, dissolving into streams of pure celestial energy before they could even crash onto his surface.

  "Hey, System, why are the stars turning into C energy before they even hit me?" Carter asked, puzzled by the phenomenon.

  [SYSTEM]The host’s evolving body has changed its properties. Now that the host possesses an atmosphere, celestial bodies can be absorbed by simply touching it.

  Carter raised an eyebrow, a smirk forming on his face. "Well, that expins it. Guess I’m more efficient than I thought."

  He continued pulling stars, one after another, watching them shatter and feed his ever-growing energy reserves. The sheer volume of power rushing into him made his form thrum with new strength, but it was a tedious process. After what felt like eons of pulling stars from the vastness of space, Carter finally felt the rush of celestial energy reaching the amount needed.

  "FINALLY!" Carter shouted, exhaling in relief. "That took forever, but I'm done! Alright, System, let’s get this over with. Create my sun!"

  [SYSTEM]The host now has enough celestial energy to create a miniature star.

  As the process began, Carter couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation. This wasn’t just about creating a sun—it was about stepping into a new realm of existence. He was literally bringing light to his world, something so basic yet profound.

  Energy poured out of Carter, slowly coalescing in the void about 20,000 miles from him. At first, it was just a faint glow, but it quickly grew, taking shape, its form expanding as more and more energy flowed into it. Carter watched in awe as the small star solidified before his eyes.

  A miniature yellow dwarf star emerged, not nearly as massive as a full-sized sun, but radiating enough warmth and light to create the perfect conditions for life on Carter. Its glow bathed his surface, giving off a steady heat that, while mild compared to a real sun, was enough to keep a humid temperature across his form.

  He felt the subtle shift in his pnetary body as the heat reached him, transforming his surface further. His atmosphere stabilized, the weather patterns growing more consistent, and the rivers and kes took on a gentle, steady flow.

  Carter smirked. "Not too shabby for my first sun."