I Built a Divine Zoo in Another World

Lukas took a deep breath, allowing the information about the ability to organize itself within his mind like pieces of a puzzle that were finally beginning to fall into place.

The area of influence, the connection of consciousness, the mental commands, its evolutionary nature, and its origin in Rourke, the Mutant Rat, each of those pieces of information seemed to open a new door, revealing a world of possibilities that he was only beginning to understand.

Until a few days ago, Lukas had not even known or imagined that he would possess an ability like that. Now, he discovered that he could establish a connection with other rats, observe the world through them, and apparently even transmit commands.

But there was still something bothering him, a question that kept repeating itself in his mind. The description mentioned an area of influence, an invisible limit that defined the range of his power.

That meant the ability had a defined range. It did not work on every rat in the world, only on those within that region.

And Lukas needed to discover what that range was, to understand the limits of his new power.

He closed his eyes, once again sinking into the inner darkness. Sitting atop the great rock, he kept his back straight and his hands resting on his knees, the familiar position he had assumed so many times during his meditations.

The afternoon wind continued passing over his body, moving his white hair and making the leaves of the surrounding trees whisper ancient secrets.

This time, however, Lukas was not interested in the sounds of the forest, the beauty of the sunset, or the cool breeze on his face. He was searching for something within himself, something he was only beginning to perceive.

His consciousness slowly sank beyond his superficial thoughts, descending into deeper layers of his mind.

First, he found the familiar pulse of the Lunar Source, the small complete moon that remained within his chest, slowly rotating as it absorbed and stored the mana circulating through his body.

Then came the five main channels, the two legs, the two arms, and the head, all perfectly connected to the Source, forming a complete network.

But beyond that familiar network, there was something else. An extremely subtle sensation, almost imperceptible at first, like a strand of web stretching beyond his body.

Lukas tried to reach it, extending his consciousness toward that presence.

At first, nothing happened. Only silence, the darkness of his mind, the pulse of the Source.

Then... it expanded.

A sensation traveled through his consciousness like an invisible wave, spreading beyond the limits of his body. It was not exactly sight, nor hearing, nor any of the senses he knew. It was something different, a perception that went beyond the physical senses.

As if a part of his mind had extended outside his body, touching the world in a way he had never experienced before.

Lukas felt a presence. Then another. And another. And another. Within a few seconds, the number began to grow at an absurd rate, each new presence adding more information to his perception.

Dozens. Hundreds. Thousands.

His expression changed, the muscles in his face tightening in surprise.

”What...?”

The small presences began appearing within his perception as extremely faint points, like distant stars in a night sky. Each possessed a different signature, a unique vibration that distinguished it from the others.

Some were nearby, others very far away, their lights shining with varying intensities. Some moved rapidly, their signatures changing position at an accelerated pace. Others remained almost motionless, like fixed stars in the firmament.

Lukas could not directly see their forms, could not see their bodies or their movements. But he instinctively knew what they were, as if an inner voice were whispering the truth into his ear.

Rats. All of them. Scattered throughout the forest like an invisible network. Beneath the earth, in tunnels dug out over generations. Among the roots of the trees, hidden in darkness. Inside hollow trunks, protected from the sight of predators.

In improvised nests, caring for their young. Running between bushes in search of food. Some even close to areas inhabited by humans, surviving on the edges of civilization.

The number was astonishing, almost beyond his ability to comprehend.

Lukas tried to understand the extent of that perception, extending his consciousness farther and farther. The sensation continued advancing, like a tide spreading along the shore, reaching new points, new presences.

Until, at a certain moment... it stopped.

It was like touching an invisible wall, a boundary that could not be crossed. The presences beyond that point were outside his reach, inaccessible.

Lukas opened his eyes for a moment, the surprise still evident on his face.

”So that’s the limit?”

He had no way to measure it precisely at that moment, nor could he calculate the exact distance. But he tried to estimate it mentally using the position of the forest that he knew, the landmarks his father had taught him.

The distance seemed enormous. Approximately five kilometers in every direction, forming a gigantic circle around him, like an invisible sphere encompassing a vast portion of the forest.

And within that circle, there was an absurd number of rats.

Lukas estimated approximately twenty thousand. Twenty thousand small presences, twenty thousand existences that he could feel, twenty thousand lives that were under his influence.

The number made his throat go dry, a knot of awe forming in his chest. He had imagined perhaps a few hundred, perhaps a few thousand, after all, with the death of the Rat King, almost all of those in the region seemed to have been wiped out.

But twenty thousand was practically an entire small population, a hidden community that lived in the shadows of the forest.

Lukas remained silent for a few seconds, trying to absorb that information, his brain processing the implications.

”If I can really influence all of them...”

His imagination began to run wild, glimpsing possibilities that had previously seemed impossible. A network of eyes and ears spread throughout the entire forest.

Messengers capable of crossing distances in seconds. A force that could be mobilized in times of need.

But he immediately interrupted his own thoughts, reining in his imagination. He still did not know exactly what he could do or what the true limits of his power were.

First, he needed to test, experiment, and understand.

He chose one of the most distant presences he could sense, almost at the edge of his area of influence. A small light that glowed faintly at the farthest reaches of his perception.

Lukas concentrated his consciousness on that small existence, extending his mind toward it like an invisible hand. He did not try to give commands, nor did he try to alter its behavior. He simply wanted to... see.

The transition happened almost instantly, as if a door had opened before him.

The world disappeared.