Chapter 6
Eve the Evangelist (3)
Following Choi Bom’s advice, Lee Shin began looking through his Status and thought that, fitting for such an unusual ability, even its descriptions were remarkably unusual.
「Class: God (神)」
「You are great.」
「Trait: Creator」
「LV. 1」
「The Creator is great.」
Everything else was written in the same manner.
The Creation skill creates, World Observation observes, World Interference interferes....
Every description was simple and straightforward, yet somehow made it impossible to learn anything in detail.
「TIP: The abilities you possess are so vast and contain such limitless potential that they cannot be described in detail.」
「TIP: (·3.)」
After sending a dejected-looking emoticon, the status window began sending additional messages.
「TIP: With your current Divine Power and Interference Power, it is still difficult to utilize your other Authorities aside from [World Observation] and [World Interference].」
「TIP: Once you accumulate sufficient resources, I’ll let you know at the appropriate time, so there’s no need to worry!」
It really was a considerate status window.
Lee Shin nodded with a satisfied smile, only for another message to arrive.
「TIP: For now, try checking the new entries first!」
Doing as the status window instructed, Lee Shin scrolled all the way down.
「Apostle Management: Manage your Apostles. You can use Divine Power to strengthen your Apostles or check the current condition of the Apostles you possess.」
「Apostle List」
「1. Eve (Small and Deadly World)」
When he read that he could check their current condition, Lee Shin tapped the blinking status window.
Eve appeared before him as though a video had begun playing.
—Seeing the jjajang ramen broth spilled on the ground suddenly reminds me once again of how magnificent God is for coming to this abandoned world and mercifully ruling over us....
“.....”
Eve was wandering through the streets conducting surprise worship sessions.
Watching her scamper around and chatter away without pause brought a pleased smile to Lee Shin’s face.
「Offerings: Receive offerings.」
「As the omniscient and omnipotent Absolute Being who is the master of all things, you may receive offerings from the worlds you possess.」
It meant he could receive gifts from Eve’s world.
But taking anything from a world that was already short on food and water would simply be cruel.
「Descent: A new function of [World Observation].」
「Enter a world you possess in person.」
「Consumes twice as much Interference Power while active.」
This was an ability that allowed him to personally enter Eve’s world.
However, this ability seemed difficult to use as well. If Lee Shin appeared in a world inhabited by dwarves, his sheer size would cause no end of trouble.
「Summoning: A new function of [World Interference].」
「Summon one of your believers into reality.」
「Consumes Interference Power every second in proportion to the believer’s stats.」
「If you find yourself in a dangerous situation, this function will activate automatically.」
Lee Shin liked this one the most.
“I can summon Eve whenever I’m eating something delicious and share it with her. Besides, Bom said she wanted to see Eve at least once, didn’t she?”
Cute things were meant to be shown off to everyone.
Lee Shin loved NewTube creators who showed off their cats and dogs, and now that he finally had something adorable of his own to show off, he was delighted.
Animal lovers were always gushing ridiculously in NewTube comment sections.
Lee Shin, who had enjoyed joking around with other people in those comments, thought that perhaps starting his own NewTube channel someday wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
Eve might be clumsy and have a few screws loose, but if people saw her scampering around with that perpetually bright smile, they would undoubtedly lose their minds over how cute she was.
“God! My God! You’ve come!”
Today, too, Lee Shin came to see Eve the moment his Interference Power had recovered.
Unlike Eve, who stretched her arms toward the sky as she looked up at him, the other believers merely glanced around in confusion.
“Where is God?”
「TIP: Souls possessing the power of a cleric can sense divine beings more keenly than others.」
「TIP: Ordinary souls will be unable to perceive your presence unless you speak first.」
After reading the helpful explanation, Lee Shin understood why the others couldn’t see him.
Nodding, he looked over the Red City, Gepetto, and saw that its appearance had changed considerably since the last time he visited.
They’ve made a lot of progress.
It was because the people who had lost all motivation after being abandoned by their god were now working energetically again.
The roads and buildings of Gepetto, which had practically been ruins, had been completely repaired in just a single day, while new buildings were being erected here and there.
It was nice to see the hopeful expressions on the residents’ faces.
“God, my God! Your little servants have prepared a gift for you!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
With the entire city bustling back to life, Eve spoke with her star-shaped eyes sparkling.
“Thanks to you choosing me, this lowly Eve learned what new Authorities our God has obtained! So I told the believers, and they said they wanted to present you with an offering!”
Making a huge fuss, Eve pointed toward a large mass of metal standing in the middle of the city.
It looked absolutely enormous here, but in Lee Shin’s world, it would probably be just large enough to fit the upper body of an ordinary person.
It was a suit of armor.
「TIP: The dwarves, inhabitants of the [Small and Deadly World], once possessed supreme craftsmanship that was admired by every blacksmith throughout the world of the stars during their glorious age.」
「TIP: Countless artisans perished in the destruction that befell them, and countless techniques were lost. However, the extraordinary talent engraved into their very souls has not disappeared.」
According to Eve, the residents of this place were descendants of dwarves.
Even in fantasy stories, dwarves were a race renowned above all else for their exceptional talent at crafting things.
「Name: Fragment of Starlight」
「Category: Armor」
「Grade: Unmeasurable」
「[High-Rank Physical Defense], [High-Rank Magic Defense], [High-Rank Fatigue Recovery], [High-Rank Resistance to All Attributes]...」
「Overall Assessment: An item forged by dwarves who had lost all motivation, only to regain new hope once more. Compared to the mythical creations crafted by the dwarves during their most glorious age, it is infinitely crude. Nevertheless, it is deeply imbued with their heartfelt wish for their God’s safety. As this world continues to develop, the legends and myths they once lost shall once again be recreated upon this land.」
It was an item loaded with all sorts of different effects.
Lee Shin couldn’t tell whether it was actually good or not, but he did know exactly who he could give it to.
I should give it to Bom as a present.
Rather than Lee Shin, who was always holed up at home, it would be perfect for Choi Bom, who worked while putting her life on the line.
The thought that he could finally give her a present after so long put Lee Shin in a good mood.
“We offer it to yooooou!”
「You have received an offering.」
In the blink of an eye, the mass of metal in the center of the city disappeared.
The people stared in astonishment before prostrating themselves in worship.
“Worshiiiiip Hiiiiim!”
Eve leaped energetically into the air, laughing, “Kyahaha!” as she performed three consecutive somersaults.
Everyone applauded and cheered.
Then Eve attempted her secret technique, the Fifteen-Consecutive Rolling Thunder Somersaults, botched the landing, and snapped her neck.
Thanks to that, Lee Shin discovered just how effective [High-Rank Healing], one of the new cleric abilities Eve had gained as an Apostle, actually was.
Eve came back from the brink of death.
“Gasp... I just visited God’s embrace.”
Eve subsequently received a divine command forbidding her from doing somersaults for the time being.
She became visibly dejected, but considering she had nearly killed herself by getting carried away, she had no excuse.
As Lee Shin occasionally showered them with water and food, the residents of the Red City, Gepetto, eventually all began praising God.
Regular worship services were even held in the city square every evening, and 92% of the Red City’s population—92 people—had become believers.
His current number of believers was 93.
Things in this world really must be terrible. If 92% equals 92 people, that means the entire city only has a population of 100....
That was fewer people than a single apartment complex.
As Lee Shin watched his believers smiling brightly, the status window spoke.
「TIP: Gain three more believers within two days.」
「TIP: Two days from now is the weekly day on which you collect Divine Power.」
「TIP: You can obtain 5 Divine Power per week from each Intermediate-Rank Believer and 1 Divine Power per week from each Low-Rank Believer.」
「TIP: At your current rate, you will obtain 97 Divine Power.」
「TIP: I recommend reaching exactly 100 Divine Power.」
The status window was telling him to gain three more believers.
Lee Shin didn’t know what was so special about reaching exactly 100 Divine Power, but listening to the status window had never led him wrong so far.
There must be a reason, right?
Lee Shin relayed the suggestion to Eve and the believers of the Red City, Gepetto.
Unlike Eve, whose eyes sparkled as she exclaimed, “Of course we can do iiiit!” the other believers exchanged uneasy glances.
“That will probably be difficult.”
“Why?!”
“News that God has returned has already spread throughout the entire city. Those who still refuse to believe are... probably all fanatics.”
In other words, all eight of the remaining nonbelievers were fanatics.
What if Eve ends up in danger like when she met that unbeliever before?
Lee Shin hesitated at the thought.
“It’s okay! Even if they’re fanatics trapped in false beliefs, once they learn that God has returned, they’ll all come back to the proper path! I am the chosen Apostle, and I have a duty to lead all the dwarves of this land! Eve shall handle it!”
Eve, however, was overflowing with enthusiasm.
Lee Shin worried for a moment, but then remembered the zombie-like vitality Eve had demonstrated not long ago and relaxed.
She had been perfectly fine even after getting hit by a motorcycle, and now she had risen another rank on top of that.
At this point, perhaps he should be more worried about Eve’s enemies than Eve herself.
『I’m counting on you, my Eve.』
“Kyaaaaah!”
And thus, her full-fledged missionary work began.
Eve set off brimming with confidence.
Unfortunately, things were difficult from the very beginning.
“Hehehe! You found us!”
“But even if you found us, there’s nothing you can do, right?”
“Yep! We can just kill ourselves!”
The instant three fanatics were spotted by Eve, they killed themselves without the slightest hesitation.
Eve’s jaw dropped as she stared at them in utter disbelief.
「Three residents of the Red City, Gepetto, have died. They have returned to the Devil’s embrace.」
Persuasion?
They died before she even had the chance to try.
Worse, the others were much the same.
“Come! Let us go to hell!”
「They have returned to the Devil’s embrace.」
“I choose death!”
「They have returned to the Devil’s embrace.」
By now, Eve had gone completely blank.
“G-God, my God... I-I think I’m going insane. I think I’m going insane.”
The other believers who had warned her that it would be difficult had been right.
It was like some absurd sudden-death game. Forget persuasion—these people killed themselves immediately without leaving even the slightest room for conversation.
Thoroughly dejected, Eve continued walking until she discovered a shabby little hut.
There was something ominous emanating from it.
Eve took a deep breath.
“E-Even so! As the First Apostle, I, Eve, will prove my abilities beyond any doubt! This time, I’ll definitely succeed!”
Steeling her resolve once more, Eve reached out with trembling hands and opened the creaking door of the old hut.
A cloud of pink smoke suddenly billowed out from within.
And before her appeared a scene entirely different from anything she had encountered so far.
「You have discovered the [Dreamers].」