The Cheapest God on the App

The difference between a five-star god and a one-star god was about fifty thousand credits.

Unfortunately, I had exactly thirty-two.

Kai Velez stared at his phone screen while sitting on a cracked stone bench outside Vesper University. Students hurried past him carrying glowing tablets and enchanted backpacks, discussing internship offers and divine contracts as if they were talking about the weather.

Kai envied them.

Not because they were smarter.

Not because they were richer.

Well... maybe a little because they were richer.

Mostly, he envied the fact that they actually had gods.

In modern society, success wasn't determined by talent alone. Everyone knew that.

You needed a divine partner.

A god could boost your intelligence, strengthen your body, increase your luck, or grant abilities beyond human limits. The strongest companies employed entire pantheons. Governments negotiated with celestial beings. Even ordinary students could rent low-tier gods to help them pass exams.

The world ran on contracts.

And Kai couldn't afford one.

His screen displayed the Divine Contract App.

Thousands of gods were available for hire.

Fire gods.

War gods.

Knowledge gods.

Dream gods.

Even a few dragon gods.

Each profile displayed ratings, reviews, and pricing.

★★★★★ Solaris, God of Eternal Flame

Contract Cost: 180,000 Credits

★★★★★ Athena Nova, Goddess of Wisdom

Contract Cost: 250,000 Credits

★★★★★ Tyr, God of Victory

Contract Cost: 310,000 Credits

Kai scrolled downward.

And downward.

And downward.

The prices eventually dropped from impossible to merely absurd.

Then they dropped further.

Eventually, he reached the section labeled:

"Budget Divine Services"

The ratings became noticeably worse.

★★☆☆☆

★★☆☆☆

★☆☆☆☆

Kai grimaced.

There was a reason gods had ratings.

A bad god could ruin your life.

One review described a harvest deity who accidentally turned a farmer's crops into sentient potatoes.

Another involved a weather god who forgot how rain worked.

The comments were brutal.

Kai kept scrolling.

His tuition payment was due next week.

His landlord wanted three months of overdue rent.

His scholarship required him to obtain a divine contract before the semester ended.

Failure meant expulsion.

He didn't have many options left.

A notification suddenly appeared.

SPECIAL PROMOTION

ONE-STAR GOD AVAILABLE

LIMITED-TIME CONTRACT

COST: 30 CREDITS

Kai blinked.

Thirty?

That couldn't be right.

He tapped the listing.

The profile loaded.

No image.

No description.

No portfolio.

No references.

Just a single name.

Zephyr.

Rating: ★☆☆☆☆

Reviews: 1

Kai opened the review.

The reviewer had written only four words.

"Never doing that again."

"...That's reassuring."

Despite himself, Kai laughed.

Who even was this guy?

A god with no information and one terrible review.

The listing felt suspicious.

Actually, suspicious was too generous.

It felt like the beginning of a horror movie.

Yet thirty credits was all he had.

Kai glanced at his balance.

32 Credits.

He could either take the risk or watch his future collapse.

The choice wasn't difficult.

It was simply depressing.

He pressed the Contract Request button.

A warning window appeared.

WARNING

The selected deity has an unusually low compatibility score with humanity.

Proceed?

Kai frowned.

"What does that even mean?"

No explanation followed.

The app simply waited.

Proceed?

Cancel?

Kai sighed.

"If this kills me, at least I won't have to pay rent."

He pressed Proceed.

Nothing happened.

For several seconds, the screen remained frozen.

Then every light on campus flickered.

Kai looked up.

Students paused.

Street lamps dimmed.

The sky darkened.

A strange pressure settled over the area.

It felt as if reality itself had stopped breathing.

"What the..."

A crack appeared in the air.

Not a visual effect.

Not an illusion.

An actual crack.

Like shattered glass stretching across the sky.

The students screamed.

Several dropped their phones.

The crack widened.

Golden light poured through.

Ancient symbols drifted across the air.

The campus alarm system immediately activated.

WARNING.

CELESTIAL ANOMALY DETECTED.

WARNING.

CELESTIAL ANOMALY DETECTED.

People began running.

Kai remained frozen.

His phone vibrated violently.

CONTRACT ACCEPTED.

A second notification appeared.

PREPARING DIVINE DESCENT.

Then the crack exploded.

Light engulfed everything.

Kai raised an arm to shield his eyes.

A figure emerged from the rift.

Tall.

Elegant.

Terrifying.

Long silver hair drifted through the air despite the absence of wind.

Golden rings rotated behind his head.

Countless glowing symbols orbited his body.

The pressure alone forced dozens of students to their knees.

Some fainted immediately.

Others stared in stunned silence.

Kai's mouth slowly fell open.

This wasn't a one-star god.

There was no chance.

Absolutely none.

The being floating above the university looked like something capable of ending civilizations.

The figure gazed down.

Purple eyes met Kai's.

The world seemed to stop.

Then the god smiled.

"Found you."

Kai swallowed.

"Excuse me?"

The god landed gently on the ground.

The pressure vanished instantly.

Students collapsed in relief.

The silver-haired deity studied Kai with obvious curiosity.

Then he glanced at the phone screen.

His expression changed.

"Oh."

"Oh?" Kai repeated.

The god coughed awkwardly.

"I may have forgotten to update my profile."

Kai stared.

The god stared back.

Neither spoke.

Finally, Kai pointed toward the shattered sky.

"You forgot to update your profile?"

"Yes."

"The profile that says you're worth thirty credits?"

"Correct."

"The one-star rating?"

"Technically accurate."

Kai's eye twitched.

"How is that technically accurate?"

The god crossed his arms.

"One person rated me."

"..."

"He had a bad experience."

"..."

"In my defense, he challenged me to a duel."

Kai buried his face in his hands.

Of course.

Of course this would happen.

He finally looked up.

"So who exactly are you?"

The god's smile widened.

For a brief moment, the golden symbols around him brightened.

The air trembled.

Even the sky seemed to recoil.

"My name is Zephyr."

The smile became almost mischievous.

"And unfortunately for both of us, we're now partners."

A new notification appeared on Kai's phone.

DIVINE CONTRACT ESTABLISHED.

Hidden Class Unlocked.

Error.

Error.

Unknown Authority Detected.

Kai stared at the screen.

Then at Zephyr.

Then back at the screen.

The semester had officially become much more complicated.

The semester had officially become much more complicated.

Kai Velez stared at the message on his phone.

DIVINE CONTRACT ESTABLISHED.

Hidden Class Unlocked.

Error.

Error.

Unknown Authority Detected.

"What does that even mean?" he muttered.

The screen flickered once before returning to normal, as if the app regretted showing him the message in the first place.

He looked up.

Zephyr was standing in front of him with his hands tucked into his pockets, gazing at the shattered sky as though it were nothing more than an interesting sunset.

Students slowly emerged from behind benches and buildings. Some whispered. Others pointed.

No one dared approach.

The air still hummed with lingering divine energy.

"So..." Kai said carefully. "Are you going to explain any of this?"

Zephyr tilted his head.

"Which part?"

Kai blinked.

"The part where you descended from a hole in reality."

"Oh."

"The part where the campus alarm called you a celestial anomaly."

"I suppose that was unusual."

"And the part where my phone started displaying errors the moment we became partners!"

Zephyr thought for a moment.

"That one is probably unrelated."

Kai stared at him.

"...You're lying."

"A little."

Before Kai could say another word, every phone around the courtyard chimed simultaneously.

A shrill emergency tone echoed through the campus.

WORLDWIDE DIVINE ALERT

Threat Level: Crimson

The cheerful voice of the Divine Network was replaced by a serious announcement.

"Attention, citizens. A Class-A Blackscale Dragon has breached the northern barrier outside Vesper City. All civilians are advised to seek shelter immediately. Registered gods and licensed contractors are authorized to respond."

The announcement repeated three times.

Panic swept across the campus.

Students grabbed their belongings and ran toward reinforced shelters beneath the university.

Professors began activating protective wards around the buildings.

The once peaceful courtyard descended into organized chaos.

Kai's phone buzzed again.

FIRST DIVINE MISSION AVAILABLE

Mission: Assist in the suppression of the Blackscale Dragon.

Reward: 50,000 Credits

Kai's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets.

"Fifty thousand..."

That was enough to pay his tuition.

His rent.

And maybe even buy food that didn't come in a cup.

He looked toward the city walls.

A massive black silhouette circled above them.

Each beat of its wings stirred clouds into spirals.

Flames escaped between its teeth as it roared.

The sound rolled across the city like thunder.

Kai slowly lowered his phone.

"I don't think fifty thousand is enough."

Zephyr glanced at the mission.

"Hmm."

"Hmm?"

"They're underpaying."

Kai turned to him.

"UNDERPAYING?"

"That's at least a seventy-thousand-credit dragon."

Kai wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

"You seriously rate dragons by price?"

"Freelancing teaches you many things."

A deep explosion echoed from the city.

Smoke rose into the sky.

The dragon had begun its attack.

Kai swallowed.

"What do we do?"

Zephyr looked genuinely puzzled.

"Didn't you accept the mission?"

"I was thinking about accepting it!"

"Oh."

Zephyr smiled.

"That makes more sense."

Kai groaned.

"I thought gods were supposed to help people."

"We do."

"You haven't helped me once."

"I appeared exactly when you summoned me."

"That's the bare minimum!"

"It still counts."

Kai rubbed his temples.

Somewhere in the distance, bells rang throughout the city.

Then the sky turned gold.

A brilliant pillar of light descended from the heavens.

The fleeing students stopped.

Even the professors looked upward.

A woman emerged from the light.

Long silver hair flowed behind her like moonlight.

Her white-and-gold robes shimmered with celestial patterns.

Golden feathers drifted through the air with every step she took.

She landed gracefully atop the university's central fountain.

The atmosphere itself seemed to brighten.

Kai recognized her immediately.

"Lyra..."

The Goddess of Fortune.

One of the highest-ranked freelance gods in the world.

She was practically a celebrity.

Students who had been panicking moments ago erupted into cheers.

"It's Lady Lyra!"

"We're saved!"

"I knew the Divine Council would send someone!"

Lyra offered the crowd a reassuring smile.

"Please remain calm."

Her voice carried effortlessly across the courtyard.

"The situation is under control."

For the first time that afternoon, Kai felt hope.

Then Lyra's gaze drifted past the crowd.

Past the professors.

Past the students.

Until it settled on Zephyr.

Her smile vanished.

Not faded.

Vanished.

A flicker of disbelief crossed her face.

"...You."

Zephyr gave a lazy wave.

"Hello, Lyra."

The two stared at each other.

Kai looked between them.

"You know each other?"

Neither answered.

Finally, Lyra spoke.

"I thought you disappeared."

"I've been busy."

"Busy?"

"I discovered television."

Kai nearly choked.

Lyra closed her eyes for a brief moment, as if silently praying for patience.

"You haven't changed."

"I've changed snacks."

"...That's not what I meant."

Before the conversation could continue, another deafening roar shook the sky.

The dragon swooped lower.

Its enormous shadow swept across the city walls.

Soldiers below fired enchanted ballistae.

The glowing bolts bounced harmlessly off its scales.

Lyra rose into the air.

Golden rings of divine light formed behind her.

Power surged outward.

The wind itself seemed to bow before her.

"Stay here," she told Kai.

"I'll deal with it."

She shot into the sky like a streak of sunlight.

The dragon noticed her immediately.

It opened its jaws.

Blue fire gathered between its fangs.

Kai held his breath.

The two powerful beings faced one another in the clouds.

Everyone watched.

Waiting for the battle to begin.

Then something unexpected happened.

The dragon stopped.

Its burning eyes shifted.

Not toward Lyra.

Past her.

Toward the university.

Toward...

Zephyr.

The dragon froze.

Its wings faltered.

For one impossible moment, the enormous beast hovered perfectly still.

Its pupils shrank.

Its muscles tensed.

Kai had seen fear before.

Students before final exams.

Landlords after hearing "I'll pay next week."

His own reflection in the mirror every time tuition was due.

But this...

This was different.

This was absolute terror.

The dragon let out a low, trembling growl.

Then, without warning—

It folded its wings.

Turned around.

And fled.

Not a tactical retreat.

Not an orderly withdrawal.

It fled as though death itself had just looked in its direction.

Within seconds, the Blackscale Dragon vanished beyond the distant mountains.

Silence blanketed the city.

Even the smoke drifting through the air seemed to pause.

Kai blinked.

"Did..."

He looked at Lyra.

She was hovering in the sky, equally motionless.

Then he looked at Zephyr.

The god yawned.

"Well."

He reached into his pocket.

"...I guess that's over."

Kai slowly pointed toward the mountains.

"The dragon ran away."

"It did."

"It saw you."

"Maybe."

"It looked terrified."

Zephyr shrugged.

"Perhaps it remembered an appointment."

Kai narrowed his eyes.

"I don't believe that for a second."

"Good."

Kai blinked.

"What?"

Zephyr smiled faintly.

"You shouldn't believe everything a god tells you."

Before Kai could ask what that meant, his phone buzzed once more.

A new message appeared on the screen.

MISSION COMPLETE

Reward Deposited: 50,000 Credits

Additional Notice:

Your contract has been flagged for investigation by the Divine Oversight Bureau.

Kai's stomach sank.

He looked at Zephyr.

"You wouldn't happen to know why we're being investigated..."

Zephyr looked toward the empty sky where the dragon had disappeared.

His smile faded for the briefest moment.

"I have a few guesses."

Far beyond the city, hidden beneath a forgotten mountain temple, a pair of ancient crimson eyes slowly opened.

A weathered voice echoed through the darkness.

"So..."

"It has finally found him."

Kai Velez had imagined many ways to earn fifty thousand credits.

Winning a scholarship.

Finding a better part-time job.

Maybe even getting lucky with a lottery ticket.

Never—not even in his wildest imagination—had he expected to be paid because a dragon saw his partner and decided life wasn't worth the risk.

He checked his phone for the fourth time.

Mission Complete

Reward Deposited: 50,000 Credits

Current Balance: 50,032 Credits

"It's real..." Kai whispered.

His hands trembled.

"I can pay my tuition."

A smile slowly spread across his face.

"I can pay my rent!"

For the first time in weeks, he laughed.

The feeling lasted exactly three seconds.

His phone buzzed again.

Notice from the Divine Revenue Bureau

A 15% emergency mission tax has been deducted.

Kai watched as the number dropped.

"Of course..."

Another notification appeared.

Contract Registration Fee: 5,000 Credits

The balance decreased again.

"...Seriously?"

A third notification followed.

Divine Partnership Insurance: Mandatory

Another deduction.

Kai stared blankly at the screen.

"I hate paperwork."

Beside him, Zephyr nodded sympathetically.

"The gods hate it too."

"You have paperwork?"

"We invented it."

Kai wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.

The city slowly returned to normal.

Emergency crews inspected damaged buildings while construction spirits repaired cracked roads with glowing magic.

Students drifted back toward the university, their conversations centered on only one topic.

The dragon.

"No one even fought it."

"It just... left."

"Lady Lyra scared it away."

"I heard it sensed another god."

Kai glanced at Zephyr.

The supposed one-star god had found a shaded bench and somehow fallen asleep.

Half an empty bag of chips rested on his chest.

Kai sighed.

"How are you sleeping after all that?"

"I get tired after standing."

"You barely stood."

"It was emotionally exhausting."

Kai resisted the urge to throw a pebble at him.

Before he could think of a response, another notification appeared.

NEW DIVINE JOB AVAILABLE

Priority: D-Rank

Location: Greenhollow Village

Objective: Bless this season's wheat harvest.

Reward: 8,000 Credits

Kai read the mission twice.

Then smiled.

Finally.

A normal job.

No dragons.

No mysterious errors.

No reality breaking apart.

Just blessing crops.

He accepted immediately.

Zephyr opened one eye.

"We're working?"

"We're working."

"I was afraid you'd say that."

Greenhollow Village sat two hours outside Vesper City.

The trip was peaceful.

Stone roads wound through fields of golden wheat that stretched to the horizon.

Farmers worked beneath a bright afternoon sky while children chased glowing butterflies through the grass.

It looked like the safest place in the world.

Kai relaxed.

"This is nice."

Zephyr looked around.

"It won't stay that way."

Kai frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"Nothing."

"I don't believe you."

"You shouldn't."

Kai was beginning to notice a pattern.

An elderly man greeted them at the village entrance.

"You must be the contractors."

He bowed respectfully.

"My name is Elder Rowan."

Kai returned the bow.

"I'm Kai."

The old man looked at Zephyr.

"...And you are?"

"Zephyr."

The elder's expression remained polite.

He clearly didn't recognize the name.

Kai wasn't sure whether that was strange or reassuring.

"We're honored to have divine assistance," Elder Rowan said.

"Our harvest has been... unusual."

Kai tilted his head.

"Unusual how?"

The elder hesitated.

"The wheat has stopped growing."

Kai looked toward the nearby fields.

They looked perfectly healthy.

Golden.

Tall.

Swaying gently in the wind.

"They seem fine."

"Look closer."

Kai stepped into the nearest field.

The wheat reached almost to his shoulders.

He reached out and touched a stalk.

Cold.

Far colder than it should have been under the afternoon sun.

The stalk suddenly moved.

Kai jumped back.

"...Did it just move?"

"It waved," Zephyr corrected.

"Wheat doesn't wave at people."

"It does today."

Another stalk slowly bent toward Kai.

Then another.

Within seconds, dozens of stalks leaned in his direction.

Watching him.

Kai took one careful step backward.

The wheat followed.

"...Zephyr."

"Yes?"

"The plants are staring at me."

"They're curious."

"They're PLANTS!"

"Plants get bored."

Kai looked at him.

"You sound completely serious."

"I am."

A little girl wandered into the field carrying a basket.

Without hesitation, she patted one of the wheat stalks.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Wheat."

The stalk gently swayed back and forth.

Kai blinked.

"...Did she just greet the wheat?"

The girl smiled.

"They're friendly."

Elder Rowan sighed.

"They weren't always."

"When did this start?"

"About a week ago."

"And nobody thought to mention the living wheat in the job request?"

"We didn't want to scare away contractors."

Kai buried his face in his hands.

"I miss the dragon."

That evening, the villagers gathered in the town hall.

Kai spread the mission report across a wooden table.

"So let me summarize."

He counted on his fingers.

"The wheat is alive."

"Correct."

"It talks."

"Only at night."

"It refuses to be harvested."

"Also correct."

Kai looked toward Zephyr.

"You knew this wasn't a normal blessing mission."

"I had a suspicion."

Kai groaned.

"I hate when you say that."

Zephyr smiled.

"It usually means something interesting is about to happen."

Almost on cue...

A deep whisper drifted through the open window.

Rustle...

Rustle...

Rustle...

Every stalk of wheat outside began moving at once.

Not because of the wind.

There wasn't any.

Thousands of golden stalks slowly turned toward the village.

Toward the town hall.

Toward Zephyr.

For the first time since arriving, Zephyr's relaxed smile faded.

His gray eyes narrowed slightly.

"...That's unexpected."

Kai's stomach tightened.

"You actually look worried."

"A little."

"What is it?"

Zephyr stood.

"It's not the wheat."

Kai frowned.

"Then what are we looking at?"

Zephyr stared into the darkening fields.

"Something underneath the wheat..."

The earth trembled.

A low rumble echoed beneath the village.

Then every stalk bowed at the same time.

As though welcoming the arrival of something ancient.

Something that had just awakened.