Twilight
Pink smoke filled the inside of the hut. Within the entirely rosy-hued interior sat one old man and two children, seated in rocking chairs.
All three had their eyes open, drool trailing from their mouths, frozen in place as if time itself had stopped.
Were these people the Dreamers? As the unfamiliar term surfaced, the status window—perhaps sensing Lee Shin's curiosity—sent a message.
TIP: Dreamers is the term used for followers of the succubus Lilith.TIP: The dream demon, succubus Lilith, is the demon with the greatest number of followers in the [Small but Lethal World].
A demon. Following dwarves, another fantasy-like term appeared.
TIP: Humans who contract with a succubus give up their souls and fall into eternal sleep. They escape reality, dream only sweet dreams, and slowly die.TIP: For that reason, succubi are welcomed in ruined worlds.TIP: Under the slogan "a sweet death rather than a painful life," succubi have destroyed many worlds.
A sweet death rather than a painful life… It was a chilling phrase. Yet it was one that could easily tempt people who had lost hope and the will to live.
"How do we wake them?"TIP: You must persuade them."Persuade them?"TIP: You must make them choose your reality over the demon's sweet dreams. There is only one way to escape a succubus's dream—by waking up on one's own. That is extremely difficult.
Even Lee Shin, living in an ordinary world, sometimes didn't want to wake up from sweet dreams. How much harder would it be for people living in a ruined world like this?
It didn't seem persuadable.
TIP: You can do it!TIP: Demons are the sworn enemies of all gods. You must not lose. You have to show them what you're made of!
Sworn enemies? Lee Shin felt curious at the status window's words. Shortly after, an explanation followed.
TIP: Demons and gods. The lives that exist in the World of Stars can believe in only one of the two. And the inexperienced and naïve gods have often been defeated time and again by demons who stop at nothing."..."TIP: You must show your greatness to demons who ruin worlds by offering only sweet pleasure and fleeting joy.
Was it really something he could do? Lee Shin had awakened less than a week ago, while the other side was an ancient, stagnant force that boasted the largest number of followers in this world.
As he quietly looked at the old man and the two children, Lee Shin was suddenly reminded of his past.
There had been a time when he, too, had chased dreams instead of reality.
When he was young, Lee Shin longed for the attention and affection of his peers, but he was a child shunned by everyone. There was a time when the loneliness and desolation he felt amid a crowd became too much to bear, and he refused to go to school.
He thought it would be better to just lie in bed and dream for the rest of his life.
How had the Lee Shin of that time managed to overcome his weakness and keep moving forward?
Recalling the past, Lee Shin spoke inwardly.
"How do I persuade them?"
Soon, the status window gave him an answer.
TIP: Try using the [Soul] tab under [World Interference].
Connect to the Dreamer's inner self.
Retrieve soul information.
The pink scenery shifted. Lee Shin, who had been inside the hut, now found himself in a completely different space. The world writhed and changed.
Dreamer Santiago was a hunter.
As the world transformed, the status window—just as it had shown Eve's past—began to reveal the past of the sleeping old man… Santiago.
In his youth, Santiago was famous. On Earth No. 444, the [Small but Lethal World], there was no one who didn't know of his skill. Monsters fell one after another before Santiago.
The skill Santiago displayed in the reflected past was truly outstanding. Even massive monsters were routinely cut down when facing him.
But the enemies were too many and too strong. In the endless waves of calamity, Santiago's small world was ultimately destroyed. Amid the brutal war, Santiago's wife and children died horrific deaths. Crushed by the loss of his family, the heart of the once-valiant Santiago finally broke.
Santiago's life flashed by like a panorama. The old man, who had once been a hero slaying monsters, wept like a child before the bodies of his dead family.
He had tried to take his own life, but Santiago still had family left. The small children his dead son and daughter-in-law had protected with their lives—the twins, now four years old. They were his grandson and granddaughter, whom Santiago had to protect no matter what.
Seeing the grandchildren's faces, Lee Shin realized that they were the same two children who had been with Santiago inside the hut.
The entire family had fallen into the dream.
Santiago did his utmost to survive in the ruined world. But now, Santiago had grown too old and weak. One day, after enduring for as long as he could, he looked up at the sky and begged God to at least spare these children—but no answer ever came back.
God had abandoned them.
Instead, a demon appeared.
The demon that came to Santiago, who had been pushed to the very edge, gazed at the two children sleeping peacefully and made a sweet offer to the broken old man.
The demon spoke.
"Don't you want to return to the days when you were happy?"
Santiago did not refuse.
And so, this family became Dreamers.
Connection complete.
As Santiago's past came to an end, the writhing world soon transformed into a world of dreams. As Lee Shin looked upon the fully formed dream world of Santiago, the status window spoke.
TIP: Fighting!!
TIP: (0·0-)0令
Santiago's dream world was the [Small but Lethal World] from before its destruction. Not a civilization reduced to total ruin, but a city far more advanced and splendid than Earth stood there.
Passing through people living abundant and peaceful days within that advanced civilization, Lee Shin soon saw an old man sitting on a picnic mat spread over green grass. A man with a deeply wrinkled face.
The owner of this dream.
"…A great being has come to visit,"
Santiago said, sensing Lee Shin's arrival.
"When I searched for you, you were nowhere to be found. Why have you come only now?"
Resentment filled Santiago's voice.
"O God, you came far too late."
Santiago's eyes were hollow.
"When this old man cried out so desperately, you turned away. Only after I sold my soul to a demon did you finally appear. Have you come to punish us insignificant ones?"
The old man let out his emptiness in his voice, then turned his gaze aside and muttered. Where Santiago was looking, children were running across the grass, laughing brightly.
"Let me ask just one thing, great one."
They were the same children who had slept in the hut with Santiago. His grandson and granddaughter—the ones he had wanted to protect until the very end.
"You may pass any punishment you wish. You may split this old man's body from head to toe. You may throw me into burning flames for a thousand years. I will gladly accept any cruel divine retribution. But could you not forgive those little ones?"
Santiago's voice trembled.
"The children… they are without sin."
Hearing the small wish of an old man who was willing to discard himself for it, Lee Shin remained silent. Even though no response came, Santiago continued to look up at the sky. Lee Shin thought,
"I didn't come here to persuade you."
How could Lee Shin possibly soothe the resentment of this noble old man who had burned his entire life trying to protect the world and its people until the very end?
Lee Shin was merely a twenty-four-year-old young man who had grown up receiving love from kind people. Compared to the old man, he was endlessly immature—nothing more than a fledgling.
He hadn't come here to convince the old man with grand logic or eloquent words and force him back to the original world. There was simply something he wanted to say to this elderly man who had fled into dreams to escape a painful reality.
—My son, if things are hard, it's okay to rest for a while.
Just as the precious people in Lee Shin's life had once said to him.
Living in this world is hard. Sometimes, you don't ever want to wake up from a dream. But you know—if there's a painful today, then there's also a tomorrow that shines brighter than anything. A hard today can become the most brilliant memory someday, or a stepping stone toward a wonderful future.
—There's nothing you need to be afraid of. Your mom and dad, you see… will always be on your side. Forever.
Worried that his feelings might not be conveyed properly, Lee Shin decided to use the power he had newly obtained.
Unlike the godly figure they might have expected, he had no overwhelming majesty—just an utterly ordinary presence. But Lee Shin hadn't come to this world to be worshiped.
He had simply come because there was something he wanted to say to this suffering old man. For today, that would be enough.
Activating Descent.
Constructing a physical body suited to the [Small but Lethal World].
Contrary to his worries, Lee Shin took the form of a small dwarf. Crossing the grassy field, he quietly sat down beside the old man on the picnic mat.
Rather than descending in an awe-inspiring form, the god had borrowed the body of a dwarf to enter the dream world. Had He come to personally judge this old man and make an example of him?
Santiago had never trembled before any monster, but he didn't even think of opposing God. Though the god had taken the body of a dwarf, the overwhelming divinity he radiated had not diminished. Closing his eyes, Santiago waited for divine punishment to fall.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
But no divine punishment came. The god seated beside him began with an apology.
"Was it very hard?"
"…It was."
"I'm sorry I couldn't take care of you."
Once again, he apologized.
"I don't know what kind of beings you think gods are. You might think of us as omniscient sages, absolute beings who can do anything. But as you can see, I'm not such an impressive existence."
"...…"
"Other gods might be like that. But I'm not. I'm insignificant and lacking."
The god denied his own greatness.
Why was that? Santiago couldn't understand.
A god becomes greater the more believers he has.
A god becomes greater the stronger the faith becomes.
That was common sense.
That was why all gods tried to embellish themselves—to appear greater, more omnipotent.
"But this one…"
Instead, he revealed his own inadequacy. Why? This, too, Santiago could not understand.
He had fought his entire life. He knew the weaknesses of every monster, could craft any tool with ease, and had survived hundreds of battles through sheer experience…
An old man who knew almost everything. And yet, this god was full of things he could not comprehend.
"I am lacking and unimpressive. I know that you resent the gods. At the moment when you shone the brightest, your god turned away from you. Your world collapsed, and no one offered you a shoulder to lean on."
"..."
"This world was far too cruel to you, Santiago. You couldn't help but hate the world. To the point where you no longer wanted to live."
"..."
"But was the world only hateful?"
A gentle breeze blew past.
The same kind of wind had blown when he held his son for the first time, still unable to wash the blood and entrails of monsters from his body.
The same wind had blown on the day of his wedding—when the ceremony he had prepared so carefully for over a year was nearly ruined by pouring rain, yet his wife smiled brightly and said she was happy.
"That can't be all, Santiago."
"..."
"Some days were so joyful you'd never want to forget them. Some days shone so brightly they ache to be remembered. And some days made you think that nothing in this world could be more beautiful."
The demon had said this:
Gods are arrogant, beyond saving, and never acknowledge their own mistakes or failures.
The god and the world that abandoned you will torment you for the rest of your life—
so you should abandon the world.
"I saved a small girl wandering the wasteland. Her name was Eve.
A girl who once sobbed from hunger now smiles brightly, no longer crying."
Santiago had believed the demon's words.
But—
"The people of the Red City of Jepet smile freely now.
Those who once starved regained their smiles once they had food and water.
Those who were suspicious and trembling with fear now share what they have and look after one another.
At night, they light fires and even hold festivals."
"..."
"Sorrow turned into laughter, and the sound of people laughing is more beautiful than any instrument.
I want the people of this world to smile without worry.
I want everyone to be happy."
Were the demon's words truly the truth?
"I'm still lacking and unimpressive.
The world hasn't changed dramatically, and only a single city has reclaimed its smile.
A small world changes slowly.
Ruined buildings will still be ruins, the dead will still be dead, and the sorrowful will still grieve."
"..."
"But one day, it will change."
Santiago thought—
If a god like this truly existed, perhaps the tragedies of the past would not be repeated.
Perhaps the beautiful glory of those days really could return to this world.
"…What do you seek by saying all this?"
"I seek nothing."
And yet, Santiago still could not understand.
In the World of Stars, there must be abundant worlds—
caring for a ruined, desolate little world like this would bring you no benefit whatsoever.
So why do you care for us?
No one desires something without value.
That was something Santiago had learned over a lifetime.
When pigs were slaughtered, humans wanted only the useful parts.
When monsters were dismantled, they took only what could be used.
And when an old man who had devoted his entire life to the world begged for a small kindness, not a single hand was extended.
There is no country for old men.
Gods would be the same.
And yet—why would you do something so incomprehensible, lighting a fire in an old man's chest like this?
Still—still—Santiago understood nothing.
The old man who had known everything when fighting monsters now felt like a child who knew nothing at all.
"Because it is my world. Because the world gave me the name of god."
"..."
"Everyone has moments when this world feels frightening. Everyone longs for unwavering faith and love, everyone yearns for someone they can lean on at any time, and everyone desires warm care and attention. That's how all people are."
"..."
"You may believe in me. I will never abandon you, and even when you become the most wretched and insignificant, I will forever be on your side. I believe that is the duty of one who bears the name of god."
You are forever responsible for what you have tamed.
Santiago recalled a line from a book he had once read.
And yet—
"I have never felt such shivers in my life. I look forward greatly to the world you will create. It will surely be different—far more wonderful than this false world made by that demon, Lilith."
"Then… shall we see it together?"
"No. It's too late now. Now..."
Santiago shook his head.
"This old man is too tired."
Before the benevolent god, Santiago reflected on his past life.
The day he was first thrown into society.
Clumsy, yet successful hunts.
The greatest wedding he held with his innocent, beautiful wife.
The day of childbirth, the loud cry of a newborn baby.
The weight of life felt in his arms.
His son's first day at work.
The bland side dishes his daughter-in-law made.
The tie he tied for his son with his own hands.
The collapsed city.
Our burning home.
The cold temperature of corpses.
His grandson and granddaughter hiding inside a wardrobe.
An old bicycle.
A family photograph stained with blood.
Expired milk.
Moldy slices of bread.
The gaze of the two children who looked only at him.
The old man in the mirror.
A body that had broken down.
A mind worn to nothing.
After a brief recollection, Santiago spoke.
"I want to rest now."
"I see."
"May I ask one thing?"
"As much as you like."
The old man no longer had the strength to move forward.
"Please take in those little ones."
"I will."
Santiago nodded.
The world of dreams was peaceful and sweet. But in a false world, daily life only repeated itself, and children never grew. No child ever grows within a dream.
A prison of time that was beautiful only on the surface, where nothing flowed—
it was a dreadful place. Still, it had been better than reality, so he had fled here. But now Santiago knew.
Children needed a world that moved forward.
A new world, one a new god would create.
There would be times of hardship, times of suffering, and times of unbearable sorrow.
But even those would pass someday. And just as he had, they would one day encounter joys and happiness they could never forget—precious moments that could not be exchanged for anything.
This world was not a place to be hated alone.
Life was simply like that.
By the side of a benevolent god, the children would grow up happily.
It would be far better than the rough, clumsy care of an old man.
The children, too, would be satisfied. Before entering this dream world, how harsh their lives had been. They might even secretly feel glad that this dreadful old man was disappearing.
No one has the right to stop a child's time.
All children have the right to become adults, and the right to live lives of their own.
For the flowers yet to bloom, the withered old man had come to the time when he must leave.
"I will take the children with me."
The god stepped forward and approached the grandson and granddaughter, speaking gently to them about this and that. The children, who had been running around, stumbled in surprise, then listened with wide, round eyes.
Soon, the two children came running over in a hurry,
their eyes brimming with tears.
"Let's go together, Grandpa!"
"If Grandpa doesn't go, then we won't either!"
Santiago smiled without realizing it.
"…Why would you like an old man like me, who yells at the drop of a hat and feeds you moldy bread?"
"We were starving for a whole week, but you gave it to us."
"I'd rather stay here. I'd be fine eating moldy bread for the rest of my life. No—even if we starve forever, it's fine. I want to stay by Grandpa's side."
"If you reject God, you'll go to hell, you fools."
The children answered without hesitation.
"Hell is fine too. As long as we're with Grandpa."
Santiago fell silent for a moment.
Slowly, light returned to the old man's hollow eyes.
Why had God said He would devote Himself to this fragile, insignificant world?
Why did this exhausted old man feel vitality surge through him like in his youth at just a single sentence from these children?
At that moment, Santiago understood.
"You are forever responsible for what you have tamed."
That line he had once read in a book was not meant only for that ideal god.
This small, insignificant old man, too, had something he had tamed—and something he had to take responsibility for.
A parent is a child's entire world.
From the moment Santiago took these children in, he had taken on a duty he was never allowed to abandon.
Until a child leaves their parent, no parent should leave their child.
Perhaps the reason that being had made such a choice was the same as Santiago's.
Yes… perhaps that god was—
Thinking so, Santiago met the gaze of the god looking back at him.
Then Santiago witnessed a scene he could scarcely believe.
The face of the god, who had worn the appearance of an ordinary young man, began to ripple and change.
It became the face of his wife who had left him first,
then his daughter-in-law,
then his son,
and finally the faces of Santiago's own parents, who had passed away long ago.
After standing there in a daze, Santiago slowly closed his eyes.
When he opened them again, hot tears streamed down his face.
Santiago prostrated himself on the soil and grass before that great god and begged,
"Please… take in this old man as well…"
**
Your number of believers has increased by 3.
Current believers: 96
100% of the residents of the Red City of Jepet believe in you.
There are no longer any unbelievers in this city.
Achievement reward granted.
You have taken followers of a succubus for the first time in a ruined world.
You have achieved an astounding feat.
Hero-grade reward granted.
Believer [Santiago]'s rank is [Hero].
You are the first lowest-rank god to obtain a Hero-rank believer.
You have achieved an astounding feat.
Hero-grade reward granted.
"Many collapse when faced with ruin and destruction—but today will not be that day."
As the first [Lowest-Rank God], you have redeemed a [Demon's Follower].
You have achieved a great feat.
Legend-grade reward granted.
"A god never extends a hand to those who do not act."
You have redeemed a demon's follower at the fastest recorded speed.
You have achieved a great feat.
Legend-grade reward granted.
Your great achievements are beginning to spread widely across the [World of Stars].