Chapter 40
Guardian Angel Eve (1)
「[★Blue Star★]: You really won? You overcame a natural-enemy relationship?」
「[Lee Shin]: Yeah.」
「[★Blue Star★]: How did you win? Explain everything!」
「[★Blue Star★]: I wouldn’t have used a strategy like that!」
「[Lee Shin]: Why not?」
「[★Blue Star★]: There were too many variables. It wasn’t a perfect strategy. If it were me, I would have killed all the dwarves first and used the necromancer to create a legion that perfectly retained the dwarves’ characteristics. Then you could preserve their racial traits while overcoming the natural-enemy relationship.」
「[Lee Shin]: That’s a little...」
「[★Blue Star★]: Besides, undead are incredibly efficient. They possess productive capacity without consuming resources, so they’re quite useful.
Many gods consider undead filthy, but if you establish countermeasures against divine forces, they can be considered a nearly perfect race. I once developed an [Undead Tech] path myself.
After all, undead are a “race that never disappears.”」
「[★Blue Star★]: Anyway, it was a dangerous method, but I’m glad you won. I was worried you might disappear like this, so now I can finally relax!」
「[Lee Shin]: Thanks, Blue Star.」
「[★Blue Star★]: Of course, you’re not going to become complacent, are you? You still have more problems to resolve.」
「[Lee Shin]: Apparently, an evil god has begun taking notice of me.」
「[★Blue Star★]: Ah... That bastard still hasn’t given up after losing one governor? Then again, he’s notorious for having a vicious temper in those circles. They say that once he bites down, he never lets go.」
「[Lee Shin]: Do you know him?」
「[★Blue Star★]: I’ve heard of him, but I’ve never met him. If I had, I would have annihilated him long ago. I absolutely hate evil gods—more than I hate demons.」
「[Lee Shin]: Why?」
「[★Blue Star★]: Because they’ve practically driven newbies to extinction. And to avoid falling victim to evil gods, most newbies stopped using their creativity and began caring only about efficiency.
Everyone follows the same tech trees and creates identical races in identical worlds... The World of Stars became overrun with what you might call “clichéd” worlds.」
「[★Blue Star★]: That’s why authentic newbies like you are so precious.」
「[Lee Shin]: Would it be dangerous if I had to fight that evil god?」
「[★Blue Star★]: He would be too much for you right now. It might be different if you had completed a perfect world, but gods with incomplete worlds are overwhelmingly disadvantaged in world collisions against evil gods who have selected the [Apocalypse] tech path.」
「[★Blue Star★]: If—just hypothetically—you ever find yourself in a truly irreversible situation, send me a message.
Even if everything is about to end, never choose [Apocalypse]. Never.」
「[Lee Shin]: The status window told me the same thing. What exactly is it?」
「[★Blue Star★]: I can’t explain it in detail, but I can tell you one thing. If you choose it, you will never be able to return to your original form.
Neither you nor your small worlds will ever be the same again.」
「[★Blue Star★]: So send me a message. If the current me helps you, the laws of the [World of Stars] will substantially reduce my divine rank—but I’m willing to accept that much.」
「[Lee Shin]: Thank you, Blue Star.」
「[Lee Shin]: But why are you willing to do so much for me?」
「[★Blue Star★]: I told you before. I like newbies.」
「[★Blue Star★]: And...」
「[★Blue Star★]: You greatly resemble someone I once knew.」
***
“So this is that tiny Eve?”
“Yes.”
“Huh...”
Lee Shin’s father, Lee Younghwan, stared at Eve in astonishment.
“Bom is going to lose her mind...”
“Excuse me?”
“Nothing. Never mind.”
Lee Younghwan had good reason to be surprised.
Eve had already been adorable when she was a tiny girl, but after receiving her new body, her appearance was truly radiant.
Her sculpted features could not be compared to those of television idols or actresses. Perhaps the glow of her halo had been absorbed entirely into her skin, because her face shone as though illuminated by dedicated stage lighting.
Combined with the distinctive presence of a Saintess, she radiated a mysterious aura that made her seem almost unapproachable.
Yet contrary to her mystical atmosphere and beautiful face, she kept smiling brightly like a cheerful young girl. The contrast only added to her charm.
“How can you be so pretty?”
Lee Shin’s mother seemed completely delighted.
Eve answered confidently.
“Thank you! The great Mother Goddess is beautiful as well!”
“Mother Goddess...?”
“Oh, is that incorrect? Then what should I call you...?”
As Eve tilted her head, Lee Younghwan interjected.
“Call her ‘ma’am.’”
Smack!
As always, he received a blow.
“Anyway, you’ll be staying here from now on to protect our son, right? We’ll be seeing each other for a long time, so you can simply call me Mother.”
“Yes, Mother!”
Lee Shin’s mother beamed at Eve’s answer.
Meanwhile, for some inexplicable reason, Choi Bom felt a chill run down her spine.
***
「TIP: An evil god has begun taking notice of you. Because the difference between your divine ranks is currently immense, the laws of the [World of Stars] will protect you for the time being.
However, the evil god may soon attempt to force a “world collision.”」
「TIP: You must prepare thoroughly.」
Apart from gaining a new friend in the real world, Lee Shin still had several problems to resolve.
Looking at the status window, he asked,
“Blue Star mentioned it too. What exactly is a world collision?”
An answer soon appeared.
「TIP: A [World Collision] occurs when two worlds within the World of Stars collide. It refers to a god intentionally invading the world of another specific god.」
“Invading?”
「TIP: World collisions can occur in many forms. In one sense, the [Rifts] appearing in the world where you currently reside are also a type of world collision.」
Rifts.
When it was explained that way, the concept became intuitive.
「TIP: Using the terminology of the Earth where you reside, it could be described as an [alien invasion] or an [apocalyptic event].
What is certain is that if a [World Collision] event occurs at this point, [The Small but Deadly World] has no means of overcoming it through its own power.」
“How should I prepare?”
「TIP: You must increase the world’s degree of completion.」
Increase its degree of completion?
What did that mean?
「TIP: You must raise the level of the [civilization] within the Small but Deadly World and advance its tech tree to the upper tiers.
The defending side always holds the advantage during a world collision. The dwarven race’s original specialty is defensive warfare.」
It meant he had to continue doing what he had already been doing—but do it even better.
The fundamental objective had not changed.
‘It looks like the dwarves understand that too.’
Although little time had passed since the war ended, everyone was already working tirelessly.
The passion that had seemed destined to sustain an endless festival had been redirected into productivity. The ruined fortress had already been repaired, and new weapons were being produced under Hephaestus’s command.
Even though Eve had been designated as a Guardian Angel and summoned to the real world, her absence was barely noticeable.
During peacetime, there were not many duties for a “Saintess” to perform.
Other dwarf priests, effectively Eve’s successors, were fully capable of healing the injured and leading prayers.
With Governor Johan gone, countless dwarves liberated from the workshops gathered in the Red City of Gepetto. Meanwhile, the army that had lost its governor scattered in every direction.
Now free of their shackles, the dwarves either came to Gepetto or founded new cities and began building lives of their own.
And every one of them sensed the existence of their new god.
Lee Shin no longer needed to travel from place to place spreading the faith himself. The very existence of the Red City of Gepetto served as proof of his divinity.
Lee Shin’s influence within the small world had already reached an overwhelming level.
‘Things have changed so much since the days when I spread the faith by cooking jjajang ramyeon.’
Once everything began moving along the right track, progress continued smoothly without his direct intervention.
Of course, that was possible only because of the solid foundation he had painstakingly established.
The development of the small world was his highest priority.
Of Lee Shin’s three worlds, it possessed the most brilliant potential. It was also the only one that still maintained anything resembling a “civilization.”
Jude was the only self-aware being in his world. As for the dinosaurs of the Giant but Indolent World, they had helped Lee Shin once before, but he still could not communicate with them.
Although Lee Shin was the master of the Third World, he had not yet received its inhabitants’ faith.
Once he organized the situation, the tasks ahead also became clear.
‘Spread the faith throughout the Third World. Then handle the matters in the real world that I postponed while preparing for the war against Governor Johan.’
Now that his trait had reached level five, the number of worlds he could possess had increased to five.
However, recklessly accepting more abandoned worlds would do more harm than good if he lacked the capacity to manage them.
Lee Shin’s father had told him the same thing. If he increased his size without strengthening his foundations, he would eventually collapse under his own weight.
Lee Shin took his father’s advice seriously.
“O God, O God! The heavens have so much delicious food! This tteok-bokki tastes absolutely heavenly!”
“It’s called tteok-bokki.”
“This twigim is delicious too!”
Rather than disappearing, the enemies they faced were becoming increasingly powerful.
It was time for Lee Shin to take more direct action.
His small worlds were doing well on their own, so Lee Shin needed to focus on the things only he could accomplish.
“Eat slowly. We’ll go out together once you’re finished.”
Here in the real world where Lee Shin lived.
“Yes!”
There were many postponed matters to address.
Lee Shin looked at a message from Manager Kim Dongseok.
—Mr. Lee Shin, currently...
Lee Shin’s standing in the real world had risen dramatically from the moment his meeting with the President of the United States was arranged.
He had received a flood of almost surreal proposals, including a meeting with the President of China and a private meal with the chairman of the World Hunter Association.
The most common requests asked him to close Rifts.
Closing a Rift was a good deed. It could save lives and give the hardworking hunters a chance to breathe.
It was not merely charity, either. The rewards offered to Lee Shin in exchange for closing even a single Rift were enormous.
However, Lee Shin considered the situation more objectively.
Among the accumulated requests, he began searching for those that could provide him with immediate benefits.
Lee Shin’s fundamental nature was that of a god.
And a god required one thing to grow.
“Manager Kim Dongseok.”
He needed to inspire as much faith as possible.
More precisely—
“I’d like to meet these people.”
—A-Are you certain? It could be dangerous.
“It’ll probably be fine.”
—Th-Then... Yes, understood.
He needed to acquire as many believers as possible.
—I’ll arrange a meeting with the... Lee Shin Salvation Church as soon as possible. It probably won’t take long.
The number of unofficial believers already reached into the millions.
It was time to meet them in person.
“O God, O God! Where are we going?”
“We’re going to meet some other believers.”
“Other believers...?”
“Thankfully, there are people in this world who believe in me too. Someone has been spreading the faith in my absence, just like you. Thanks to that person, their help has been invaluable in overcoming several trials.”
“Wow! We’re going to meet a blessed brother! He has performed the admirable deed of spreading the faith, so this lowly Eve—the first believer and apostle of the Church of Lee Shin, as well as the universally recognized Saintess—must offer him my gratitude!”
“Haha...”
“How impressive are his results? Ahem! This lowly Eve does not mean to boast, but I have spread quite a lot of faith myself! I may have been inexperienced at first, but since becoming a proper Saintess, I haven’t behaved foolishly even once!”
How impressive were his results?
Lee Shin smiled brightly.
The Lee Shin Salvation Church.
Then he answered without the slightest exaggeration.
“The number keeps increasing, but right now it’s around seven hundred—”
“S-Seven hundred? That’s incred—”
“Seven million eight hundred and sixty thousand... I think?”
“......”
For reference, Eve’s record...
was seventy-eight.
“It’s all right. The difference is only about a hundred thousand times.”
A missionary force equivalent to one hundred thousand Eves.
Eve began trembling like an ant confronted by an incomprehensible cosmic horror—something she could neither resist nor reject.
“S-Seven point eight six million? H-How many packets of jjajang ramyeon would I have to cook to reach that many...?”