Chapter: 166
The world has become peaceful.
The gods who used to attack other gods to increase their faith and turn everything upside down are now as docile as toothless and clawless beasts.
Thanks to this, most gods are taking care of their believers and nurturing their faith, shifting to an economy based on hunting and raiding… Can I even call it an economy? Anyway.
The social structure of the gods has gradually changed from a hunting and raiding system to an agricultural one.
In the process, the power dynamics among the gods have changed a bit, but let’s skip over that. After all, Baal is still holding on as the king of the gods.
So, the gods are now listening to their believers and using their powers to help them. Hmm, this is what a proper god should be like.
Compared to the chaos-causing gods, this is way healthier.
Thus, the gods of the pantheon have started growing slowly as they nurture the faith of humans… Hmm…
Now, can I take a break?
I’ve divided up my tasks among various avatars and let them handle things on their own. Unless the continent suddenly crumbles or the chunks of Erebus from way down below decide to gang up and make a grand appearance, there shouldn’t be any need for me to step in.
So.
“I’m going to hibernate for a bit.”
“What?”
Shamash, who had come to whine about some divine trial, looked at me with wide eyes as if I were speaking Spanish.
“Hibernate, out of nowhere?”
“I think I need some rest.”
“Mom needs to rest…?”
Shamash stared at me like I had just grown a second head. Hmm. What does this one think of me?
Physically, I’m not tired, but mentally? Oh boy, I’m exhausted! I need some time to hibernate and scroll through the internet from other worlds.
Honestly, I’ve been working way too hard up till now. It’s about time for a break.
And it’s getting boring with Baal running over every five minutes whining for help.
I’ve set things up so that the stuff that needs doing gets done without me. Unless the world is on the brink of destruction, there’s really no need for me to wake up.
So, here’s the plan.
“Tell the other kids and Baal that I’ll be hibernating for a while.”
“Uh… is that really okay? Everyone’s going to lose their minds!”
“How can that be a problem? If I say I’m taking a break, who could possibly stop me?”
Life without a hibernation can get pretty mentally exhausting. It feels like you’re awake all the time because falling into deep sleep is just a no-go.
Let’s say it’s like working for days on end without a proper snooze… Ahem.
Anyway, I’m going to rest! Really rest! I’ll wake up after a couple hundred years!
The humans and other races will be taken care of by the gods, and since divine wars are off the table, it’s highly unlikely things will go south.
I’ve made sure that everything I need to do is set to run automatically. It’s basically the perfect scenario for me to take a nap!
“I get it. If that’s what Mom wants, I can’t say anything.”
“Mm. Thanks for getting it.”
Though, honestly, it wouldn’t matter much if you didn’t.
I could just cut off all communication, dig a hole underground, block the entrance, and snooze away. Simple as that.
“So, how long are you planning to hibernate?”
“Hmm. About 500 years?”
“500 years… that’s pretty long.”
“Trust me, I’m cutting it down already.”
If I really let myself go, I could easily nap for thousands of years.
“Got it. I’ll let everyone know.”
“Great. Thanks for that.”
With that, I sent Shamash away and went to look for a nice, quiet spot.
A rough location? The western edge of the continent.
It’s a rugged mountainous area, monsters are common, meaning it hasn’t been developed much.
There aren’t many humans around, and a ton of monsters… but those little nuisances won’t disturb my beauty sleep, that’s for sure.
Since it’s essentially a ghost town, other gods won’t be poking around either. Hmm. Perfect! I can snooze in peace here.
After digging deep into the ground and sealing off the entrance to my cozy cave, I curled up on the ground in my original form.
Alright then… sleep tight!
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
The world is just full of unfair nonsense.
Just because some idiots hit the lottery and got nice parents, they’re stuffing their faces while smart cookies like me are out here struggling as orphaned beggars, unable to find real work.
At least the temple took me in, so I’m not starving like some other orphans… but it’s still unfair.
“Hey! Rat!”
See, this dullard is picking a fight with me again.
“Rat! Why are you ignoring me?”
“Because you’re not worth the hassle.”
I muttered while pulling weeds from the garden.
The priest at the temple is super nice, but he sticks to the rule “those who do not work, shall not eat.” If I slack off, my meals are going to shrink.
I already feel guilty for eating more than others. If I don’t do any work, I’ll be in deep trouble.
“Why are you doing boring work like that?”
“This is just helping me eat dinner, so leave me be and go play with your goofy friends.”
Two of that idiot’s silly friends are watching from over there.
“Hmm… if dinner means I don’t have to pull weeds, then that’s good, right?”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
But like dinner just falls out of the sky, right? The last time I had a whole loaf of bread was ages ago. Only big stones from the gods drop like that.
Even in a tiny little village, this place is way too poor.
Why did Mom leave me in this shabby village? If it was a wealthier place, I could’ve managed to scrape by somehow.
In this rural spot, the only jobs for kids are silly errands that don’t even pay.
Ugh… I should’ve clung to any trader that came through and hitched a ride to the city. I could’ve done something in the city.
“Alright, I’ll get you dinner. But in return, let’s go play.”
“Stop talking nonsense. How can you bring me dinner?”
“I’ll just give you my meal. I’m cool with skipping a bite or two.”
This idiot’s dinner? Hmm…
I briefly did the math in my head and nodded.
If I can fill my belly just by playing with this kid, that’s way better than pulling weeds.
“Come on, rat. Let’s go! I found a new cave in the back mountain.”
“What? The back mountain? Monsters are lurking deep in there!”
“The cave I found is near the entrance; no monsters, I promise. Let’s go! It’ll definitely be fun!”
This blockhead is pulling me along. Seriously, when is this fool going to grow up?
“I keep saying I’m older. Just because I’m a rat beastman, I’m smaller, that’s all.”
In about a year, I’ll be an adult. Then I’m outta here, leaving this small-time village behind.
And so, I found myself dragged by this fool toward the back mountain.
– – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – – –
Long ago, in a forgotten memory, someone told me tales.
They said there’s a dragon sleeping somewhere in this mountain.
It must have been a drunkard’s blabber, but honestly, how many would believe such a story?
And a dragon? That’s a monster that belongs in legends or tales of heroes. Dragons? Seriously?
But… this ridiculous nonsense.
[Grrrr…]
Why is there one right in front of me?
A massive silver dragon. It seems to be napping, eyes closed, breathing in a way that sounds like thunder.
In front of this dragon, I took a deep breath and started backing away as quietly as I could.
Ugh. I shouldn’t have listened to that fool. What cave? I fell for that nonsense about treasure inside like a total nincompoop!
There was a believable gap inside the cave, and I squeezed in, only for the ground to suddenly drop beneath me, and I slid down like I was on a ride, arriving at the cave where I saw a faint light, thinking it was the way out.
And lo and behold, there’s this giant silver dragon!
I’ve got to get out of here! That mouth could swallow me whole without even chewing! A whole house could fit in there!
How could such a terrifying dragon be lurking in the back mountain’s cave… No way the adults would believe this. Nope!
What’s later is… well, we’ll skip that part until I make it out of here.
I tried to back away super quietly.
One step… another step. But in the middle of my sneaky retreat,
I tripped over something.
Thud!
“Ouch!”
I slapped a hand over my mouth at the involuntary yelp that escaped, which wasn’t too loud, right? Surely the dragon hasn’t awoken or anything!
This should be fine! With a dragon that big, my tiny voice must be practically inaudible to it! So…
I cautiously turned my head to peek at the dragon.
“Yikes!”
My eyes met those massive, golden eyes.
“EEEK! EEEEK!!!”
I scrambled back on all fours, away from the dragon! I’m gonna be eaten! I’m done for!!!
The dragons from tales of heroes are fierce beasts, breathing fire and having scales harder than steel!
I’m totally getting gobbled up!!!
I crawled away, hiding behind a rock in the corner, trying to keep as quiet as possible.
Please, just let this dragon ignore me and go back to sleep.
I clamped my mouth shut and held my breath, freezing in place.
After a while, the dragon’s rumbling faded into silence, and I peeked out from behind the rock.
If that much time has passed… the dragon must have fallen asleep again.
But…
[Small beastman.]
The massive dragon’s head was right in front of me.
And then everything went dark.
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