Earth's Overlord

Drake was not a true deity; he was merely a dragon who had acquired a 'divine essence,' which is the most crucial aspect for a god. Not naturally born a god nor having ascended to godhood, his understanding of the divine realm was limited. He wielded powers that seemed god-like, but his efficiency in harnessing divine energy was low—a classic case of knowing the effects but not the causes.

After depleting the modest reserve of divine energy within his divine essence, Drake grappled with how to accumulate more. Lacking the innate abilities of a god, he was unclear on how to convert faith into divine power. Yet, the minute contribution of divine energy from the worshipping tribespeople excited him—it was a small but delightful discovery.

'Is it due to their devout faith?'

Drake observed the prostrating tribespeople. Even without a shred of belief in any deity himself, he could sense their earnest devotion. To these people, living primitively without any knowledge, witnessing a being capable of human speech, breathing fire, and possessing a formidable form instinctively compelled them to revere him as a god. This paralleled the totemic culture representing humanity's initial response to inexplicable natural phenomena.

'No wonder the civilization of Saint Soren is so backward...'

An epiphany struck Drake. With its vast diversity of races, countless planes, and wondrous magic, Saint Soren's civilization should not be as underdeveloped as it was. A significant reason for this stagnation might be that the gods did not allow for excessive advancement of civilization!

As humans grasp the truth for themselves, they would no longer believe in gods; even if they did, few would offer absolute devotion. In modern societies, religious followers are numerous, but religion acts more as a power structure than faith. People seek comfort in their gods rather than blind devotion. The more primitive the society, the greater the awe and fear of the divine.

'But it's not absolute; as civilizations develop and populations grow, overall numbers of fanatics might increase despite a lower proportion among believers.'

Drake mulled over this, believing he might have uncovered secrets about the divine. Recalling information from Saint Soren, gods were plentiful, but the total number of devotees wasn't exceedingly high. Not everyone worshipped, suggesting that gods might have a limit to how many followers they could sustain—it wasn't always 'the more, the merrier.'

Otherwise, the gods of that world would have waged wars among themselves, with their followers fighting each other for more faith rather than living harmoniously in a polytheistic society like the Church Nation.

Drake shook his head, warding off further speculation. He wasn't yet equipped to delve fully into the divine realm.

Aside from the couple dozen tribespeople he first encountered, the tribe, including children and elders, numbered around seventy or eighty. Drake considered using them to experiment and unlock the mysteries of divinity. These ignorant primitives were the perfect source of faith for the gods!

If not for their tribal structure limiting population growth, perhaps the gods would have strived to keep all races in a state of primitivism.

'Set it as a long-term research project. But for now, finding food remains the priority.'

With this in mind, Drake pondered his next steps.

...

In a rundown village on the outskirts of the Amazon rainforest, three Apache attack helicopters landed amidst the fierce wind generated by their rotors. The local residents, holding their curious children, watched with a mix of fascination and fear as the fully armed personnel disembarked.

Dressed in standard-issue United States military gear, these few soldiers bore the hallmark of an elite squad.

"Boss, can you finally tell us what this mission is about? Are we here to chase down terrorists in the Amazon? Oh, Lord, the humidity here is killer. I'd rather not stay longer than necessary. Heck, I don't want to be in this country at all. I've got two fine Cuban cigars at home, waiting to be smoked. I miss that exquisite flavor!"

One soldier complained as he approached his commander.

The commander, ignoring the grumbles, donned sunglasses and gestured for silence. The complaining soldier snapped to attention, and the rest of the team quickly formed up.

"At ease!"

"Attention!"

The commander, hands clasped behind his back, circled the troops, speaking in subdued tones: "This mission comes directly from the President and the Secretary of Defense."

His words elicited a proud stature and eager faces among the soldiers.

"Unfortunately, this isn't about countering terrorists or taking down drug lords, nor is it a covert assassination of a political figure. We've been given no detailed instructions from the higher-ups, just orders to investigate a specific area within the Amazon. The dense forest makes aerial reconnaissance impractical, so we're proceeding on foot. Prepare yourselves!"

"Sir, yes, sir!"

The soldiers, though disappointed the mission lacked the expected grandeur and was merely an odd investigation, responded loudly.

"Commander!"

A soldier spoke up, eyes fixed ahead.

"What is it, Private Burns?"

"If we're here to investigate, then what are they here for?"

Burns indicated a group of civilians who had followed them—Stanford University's ecology professor and his students, who happened to be conducting ecological research in Brazil. Although the soldiers were expert jungle warriors, navigating the unknown forest with a specialist was advantageous, a decision mandated from above.

"We must remember that we are in another country, on someone else's land. Our military operations need a good pretext. Professor Johnson is a renowned figure in domestic biology, and our mission is to operate under the guise of providing him protection."

The commander's remark almost drew laughter from the soldiers.

What pretense? They were the proud soldiers of the United States, Earth's overlord, the world's peacekeepers, with their aircraft carriers patrolling all oceans, and their aircraft reaching any corner of the globe. A small-scale military operation in a third-world country of South America was hardly an invasion. Any explanation was just a formality!