Chapter 28

Low-Rank God Lee Shin (5)

The new world Blue Star had gifted him was on a completely different level from any of the worlds Lee Shin had owned until now.

Its abundance aside, it was a peaceful world where there did not seem to be any crisis worth calling a crisis.

It was practically a utopia.

“We... greeted you, so... can we sleep now?”

“Sleepy....”

The dinosaurs sprawled across the field merely opened their mouths wide and yawned.

There was none of the blind loyalty or fervent faith the believers of his other worlds had shown him.

“It’s daytime, so... nap time....”

“Yaaawn.”

According to the status window, these dinosaurs were currently listed not as Lee Shin’s believers, but simply as residents of the world.

They acknowledged Lee Shin only as the owner of the world, not as their god.

And as far as Lee Shin could tell, these dinosaurs, who lacked for absolutely nothing, did not seem to need a god at all.

「TIP: What should we do? Hehe.」

Even the status window did not seem to have any brilliant ideas.

Looking at the enormous dinosaurs nodding off, Lee Shin spoke.

『Big ones. May I take some of this grass?』

“Grass... there’s... plenty anyway.”

“Take... as much as you want....”

The dinosaurs answered without even opening their eyes.

Lee Shin used [World Interference] to pull up several clumps of grass.

「TIP: What are you thinking?」

Even the status window, which normally always had an answer ready, seemed unable to figure out what Lee Shin intended.

Apparently, it assumed he had some clever plan.

But he did not.

“I’m going to plant it in a few places. It looks like it’ll grow well.”

He had no intention of forcing faith upon residents who did not need a god.

If they were already living contentedly, was that not beautiful in itself?

Leaving the dinosaurs, who seemed perfectly happy with their current lives, alone, Lee Shin merely gathered grass from the fertile plains.

He thought it would be useful if he planted it in Eve’s world and Jude’s world.

「TIP: Is it really okay to be that relaxed? If those dragons were to take action, even the governor’s army in the dwarf world would be nothing to fear. Even though their wings have atrophied, dragons are still considered a superior race in the Worlds of the Stars.」

「TIP: If you could secure their assistance, you could advance your worlds all at once.」

The status window was not wrong.

Lee Shin merely smiled.

“I don’t think they’d want that.”

Being large and powerful did not mean someone was obligated to fight.

Lee Shin could clearly see the childlike innocence dwelling within those enormous, powerful dinosaurs.

No one had the right to stain that innocence.

And then—

“Mm... he really... left.”

“Why...?”

“He didn’t... make us do anything....”

After Lee Shin disappeared, the dinosaurs began whispering among themselves.

Then one of them suddenly said,

“He must’ve... heard about us.”

“That we’re useless... losers. That we can’t fight... and that we aren’t brave. He definitely... heard all of it before coming....”

“Don’t expect... anything, idiot.”

“No one... wants us....”

A gloomy mood settled over them.

Baby dinosaur Rex stared up at the sky for a while before slowly lowering his head, chewing on a blade of grass sticking out in front of him.

He basked in the warm sunlight.

“...They’re right.”

***

After returning to the other worlds, Lee Shin distributed the grasses he had brought from Large but Lazy World.

Unfortunately, the grass failed to survive in Jude’s world.

“Waaah! I hugged the grass and it all died!”

Jude pretended to sob despite having nothing but bone for a face.

The soil in Jude’s world had been dead for far too long, its nutrients having completely vanished.

Jude’s plan to plant flowers on the high hill behind his home and show them off to Eve had failed.

Fortunately, his desire to grow flowers by planting grass was not completely crushed.

“My God, my God! The flower Jude planted is growing! This flower doesn’t have a skeleton stem, and it doesn’t have skeleton roots either! It’s really alive! Kyaaaaa!”

The land of Small but Deadly World was barren, but it still had basic nutrients and water.

As Jude clattered his teeth in delight, Eve danced as well.

“God, God! New life is growing! Now we might be able to produce food without depending on God! Yaaaaah!”

Overcome with excitement, Eve poured Divine Power into the grass planted in the soil and bestowed all kinds of blessings on it.

Each time she did, the grass shot upward at tremendous speed.

The other dwarves rejoiced at the birth of new life as well.

There was just one problem.

‘It’s huge...?’

True to the scale of the giant world it came from, the plant itself became enormous.

At first it had been around the same size as the dwarves, but now it had grown nearly as large as the forge, the biggest building in the Red City of Gepetto.

Fortunately, despite its tremendous size, it did not seem harmful.

Instead, the fruits it dropped whenever it shook its body became a new food source for the dwarves.

“One of these is enough to fill you up!”

“They taste amazing grilled over a flame.”

It was not the small, pretty flower Jude had wanted.

In fact, once it fully matured, it no longer looked like grass at all, but rather an enormous tree.

Its vivid colors and grotesque patterns even gave it a somewhat eerie appearance.

‘It should be fine, right?’

Pababababa!

The enormous plant would occasionally spray powder into the air, and by the next day, dense trees would have sprung up all around it.

Before long, sprouts were appearing not only inside the Red City of Gepetto, but outside the walls and even along the outer ramparts.

The dwarves, a race descended entirely from blacksmiths and knowing absolutely nothing about plants, simply rejoiced that they had more food.

And since the plants did not actually seem to be causing any harm, Lee Shin decided not to worry about it for the time being.

Thanks to the world Blue Star had gifted him, the dwarves had become somewhat capable of self-sufficiency.

Lee Shin then called Santiago and explained what his father had suggested.

“So rather than merely preparing for the enemy to come to us, we send scouts in advance to assess their situation and use tactics to throw them into confusion.... That sounds like a very good idea.”

『....』

“It’s practically a strategy worthy of a god of war.”

A god of war....

His father would probably be delighted if he heard that compliment.

The moment Santiago heard Lee Shin’s proposal, he began preparing to carry out the operation.

The dwarf population was still small, so there were not many more people available for deployment.

However, thanks to the effects of the various buildings, every member of their small force had become an elite soldier.

“These fellows should be suitable.”

Ding!

「A party has been formed.」

「Included Apostles: 0」

「Core Forces: None」

「A party consisting of 5 dwarves.」

「3 Paladins, 2 Hunters」

「Synergy activated.」

「Synergy: Small Scouts [Tier 4]」

「Type: Combat」

「Condition: A scouting party composed entirely of dwarves.」

「Effect: They are difficult to detect.」

「Overall Assessment: Small things pack a punch!」

This time, neither Eve nor Santiago was included.

The party consisted entirely of ordinary residents of Gepetto.

Apparently, they were veterans who had been thoroughly tempered through two wars.

“A glorious mission!”

The three Paladins were clad from head to toe in plate armor, while the Hunters wore outfits similar to Santiago’s and had determined looks in their eyes.

“We will assess the situation in enemy territory and, if possible, bring our brethren who are surely suffering there back into our embrace, God!”

They were brimming with confidence.

Lee Shin gave them one instruction.

『Return safely without getting hurt.』

It was fine if the mission failed.

What mattered was that they all came back alive.

***

“They say the atmosphere at the Academy is going to get stricter from now on. They’re also getting rid of the unfair practices among the trainees, and apparently there’ll be a lot more practical training. Honestly, I didn’t like just sitting in the grand auditorium listening to theory lectures either.”

It was time for Choi Bom to return to the Academy.

After what she had experienced in Cheorwon, her resolve seemed even firmer than before.

“By the time I graduate from the Academy, it’ll probably be right before the fifth cycle begins. I realized so much this time. And I learned just how many people a single hero can save.”

“Still, don’t push yourself too hard.”

“Don’t worry. There are tons of things I want to do, you know? I learned that if I train properly while I’m there, I’ll be less likely to get hurt once I become a Hunter. So I’m going to work really hard.”

Lee Shin had heard that many trainees had withdrawn from the Academy after the recent incident.

But Choi Bom had not been swept up in the atmosphere or intimidated by it.

If anything, she had become more mature.

“I knew you awakened some ridiculously amazing ability. So I’m going to work hard too, until I can properly pull my own weight.”

“I believe in you.”

“Hmph. I believe in myself too, you know?”

“Anyway, expect me to be completely different the next time I come out. And you’re introducing me to Hunter Seong Chan-yang then, okay? Everything was so chaotic in Cheorwon that I didn’t even get to properly greet him.”

Lee Shin gave Choi Bom another gift before she left.

One of the reasons she had been able to stay safe during the incident was the equipment the dwarves had given her.

And after upgrading the forge to Tier 1, Lee Shin had received even more valuable items, so he gave some of those to Choi Bom as well.

“This....”

“Make sure you always carry it with you, okay?”

There were various weapons and pieces of armor.

Among them, one item stood out above the rest.

「Name: The Smallest Conviction」

「Category: Armor」

「Grade: Unmeasurable」

「[Highest-Rank Physical Defense], [Highest-Rank Magic Defense], [Complete Immunity to Status Effects]」

「Unique Engraving: “Though the beginning may be humble, the end shall be great.”」

「—It contains the wish of the dwarves, who are still small but hope to one day become great beings. This equipment grows together with its wearer.」

「Overall Assessment: Being small is no reason one cannot be great.」

“....”

Most of the gifts Lee Shin had received until now either possessed specs vastly superior to existing items or came with blessings that normally required a support-type Hunter as basic effects.

But this item possessed something no other item in the world had.

It could grow.

Choi Bom understood exactly how valuable such an item was.

Words rose all the way to her throat.

You should sell something like this to someone else instead of giving it to me.

It would be much more useful if you gave it to Hunter Seong Chan-yang rather than me.

But in the end, Choi Bom did not say any of them.

Instead....

“I’ll never lose it.”

She simply expressed her gratitude.

If Choi Bom possessed an ability like Lee Shin’s and had obtained an item like this, she would have given it to him as well.

Not to just anyone.

To her most precious friend.

Lee Shin smiled, satisfied with her answer.

And just like that, Choi Bom left, leaving the house feeling strangely empty.

A huge pile of items gifted to him after upgrading the forge had accumulated inside.

It was about time he started deciding what to do with them.

Of course, there was something he needed to handle first.

“My name is still all over the internet, and I imagine I’ve been making things difficult for you. I think it’s about time I publicly address what everyone’s curious about and explain what I plan to do.”

He called Manager Kim Dong-seok.

It was obvious that everyone had been working themselves ragged because of Lee Shin, so he intended to settle this matter first.

—I’ll come see you right away.