— — — — — —
The evening sun streamed through the tall castle windows, painting the third-floor hallway in gold.
Leaning against the windowsill, Ryo looked out across the lush, green plains.
Those plains stretched behind the castle—territory assembled from various regions under his authority as a domain ruler. Altogether, the land covered about a hundred square kilometers.
In the six-digit class of communities, that was considered upper mid-tier territory.
Yet on this vast field, only a little over a hundred livestock grazed lazily, scattered like dots across the grass.
That was because the younger members of the community were worried the cattle might wander off, so they kept them close.
Watching the scene, Ryo sighed softly. "Still a long road ahead…"
"You've already done more than enough."
From the shaded corner of the corridor, Leticia stepped out, her golden hair glinting faintly as she smiled.
"In just half a month, you revived the land, elevated the community's rank, and formed an alliance with Perseus. Normally, that kind of progress would take at least ten years."
Then, with a teasing grin, she added, "Admit it, Leader—you're not human."
"I am human. Certified by Little Garden's central system, thank you very much," Ryo muttered.
He was always human and always would be.
Leticia chuckled softly, though she seemed curious. "You really care that much about being recognized as human?"
She didn't expect that from him.
From what she knew, Ryo wasn't the type to care about race or divine lineage—unless he was pretending for some scheme. He was sentimental, yes, but not above underhanded tactics if that's what it took to win.
"My humanity's a little special," Ryo said quietly after a pause.
Back then, his goal had been simple—to break the so-called divine consensus that "humans can't reach the three digits" and slap a few arrogant gods across the face with it.
But after he obtained the Cosmo, everything changed.
He lifted a hand, swiping the air. A glowing interface from the Dimensional Forum flickered to life.
On it was an old post he'd made, not long after awakening the Cosmo:
[Q: After becoming a god in Little Garden, can the Cosmo still evolve?]
[A: Based on calculations, divine power in Little Garden and Cosmo energy have different structures. Combining them would cause interference. Maintaining human status is strongly recommended.]
[Once the holder reaches two-digit level, the Cosmo is highly likely to evolve into a higher power. Maintaining human identity is advised.]
"In short—it's complicated," Ryo said, dismissing the interface with a wave.
He bought two invitation passes, preset them to be sent to Pandora and Sita in twenty minutes, and turned back to Leticia.
"How are Athena and the others settling in?"
"Athena and Lancelot are getting along well with everyone," Leticia replied with a smile.
Ryo nodded, unsurprised. "Yeah… I figured Luo Hao would be the odd one out."
"Luo Hao wants to live near the edge of the plains—closer to the world's boundary," Leticia explained, still smiling. "Black Rabbit agreed to help her set up there. After all, every domain needs its guardian, and ten kilometers isn't far for us."
"So basically, she just can't stand being surrounded by kids," Ryo said dryly.
He understood, though.
"She's at least self-aware about her personality," Leticia said with a helpless smile. "Honestly, the fact that all three of them chose to stay in a six-digit community like ours is a miracle."
In Little Garden, raising a community's rank required hard conditions.
For example, to qualify as a five-digit community, you needed at least one member whose strength was officially rated five-digit.
Communities that lacked power but met other standards would often spend a fortune hiring strong outsiders as consultants—or even leaders.
Given that, people like Luo Hao and Athena were the kind of figures others would pay lavishly to worship as ancestral patrons.
For them to remain in [No Name]—a group that, aside from its recent strength gains, was still considered six-digit—seemed absurdly wasteful.
The only reason they stayed was Ryo Yagami himself.
Leticia knew that, and it worried her.
Emotional bonds could bring people together, yes—but they weren't something you could burn through indefinitely.
If the community wanted to truly keep them, it had to provide a reasonable share of tangible benefits, not just affection and sentiment.
But since [No Name] had only just regained self-sufficiency, resources were still scarce.
Five-digit power, six-digit pay—it was not a sustainable balance.
Ryo, though, seemed unbothered.
"Plenty of groups are built around their leader's charisma. Ours won't be the first or last."
He gave a small grin. "Besides, it's just temporary poverty. I made that clear to them before they joined."
Of course, he couldn't help thinking wryly—'charisma' might not be the right word for it.
Considering his complicated relationships with Luo Hao, Athena, and Lancelot, "entanglement" might've been more accurate.
People rarely joined for ideals, but partners often stuck around longer.
"Leader's charisma, huh?"
Leticia blinked innocently, squinted a little, then quickly glanced downward—only to whip her gaze back up, pretending nothing happened. A knowing smile tugged at her lips.
"In that case, Black Rabbit has my deepest sympathies."
"Tch."
Ryo clicked his tongue. Sometimes her sharpness was more trouble than it was worth.
"By the way," he said, changing the subject, "we're getting two more arrivals soon—former goddesses. Not like the others. They're just collaborators from another world."
"So their treatment gets downgraded?" Leticia asked in mock surprise.
Ryo gave her a look. "Do we even have high-tier treatment to offer?"
"Good point," she admitted with a wry smile. "Right now, our only real asset is the underground library."
"Exactly why I need to be 'less human,'" Ryo said, grinning at his own pun. He was referring to her earlier joke about his inhuman level of progress.
Leticia snorted with laughter and gave a graceful bow. "Then go on, Leader. Run as far and as fast as you need. Black Rabbit and I will keep the home safe."
"That was way too formal all of a sudden," Ryo said, shrugging.
Leticia smiled again, then hesitated for a moment before asking, "I didn't bring it up earlier since everyone was around, but…"
"The King of End, right?"
Ryo's tone turned thoughtful. After a pause, he said, "In a little while, Thousand Eyes should deliver the authentication papers. Once they do, I'll be able to legally wield the King of End's power within Little Garden."
Leticia blinked, then smiled faintly. "Sounds like you've reaped quite the reward."
She didn't press further. Even if Ryo trusted her, some secrets were safer unspoken.
The fewer people who knew, the safer he'd be.
"It was a good haul," Ryo admitted.
He thought of Highness, the Sun Authorities, and finally—the flag of Arcadia.
"I've got news about the flag," he said quietly, eyes fixed on the plains.
Leticia froze, eyes widening in shock.
[No Name] was once known as Arcadia—a proud community with its own name and flag. But after the fall, they lost both, becoming truly nameless.
As the community leader, Ryo's goal was clear: to reclaim the old flag and restore the community to its former glory.
It was his duty — for Canaria, who had saved him; for Black Rabbit, who had protected and cared for him when he had nothing; and for every child in the community who had lost their family when the fall happened.
Ryo Yagami — the Problematic Human of Arcadia, the Shaper of Anime Worlds.
What will he do next?
.
.
.
(The End of Volume 1)
I hope you've been enjoying the story so far! I've done my best to translate it as smoothly as possible up to this point. There may have been a few minor mistakes early on, but nothing that should have affected the overall reading experience.
Only in the Bleach arc was there some incorrect information from the author, but it will be corrected when the arc returns.
Also, the part where the Cross is portrayed as an enemy might have made some readers uncomfortable—I felt the same way, actually. But it's meant to show an imposter figure, and the context is based on real historical discussions. For example, "Jesus" wasn't his original name, and even his birth date isn't certain. I found it interesting to explore an imposter version of something many people today take as fact.
That said, please remember—it's purely a work of fiction and has no impact on real life. Just enjoy the story for what it is.
Volume One has come to an end, and Volume Two will begin. I hope you continue to enjoy the journey, as the story will only get better from here!