On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 87: This Game’s Dungeon is Too Fucking Difficult!

Creaaaak!

Ominous, suffocating darkness awaited us behind the door.

Grrr!

Perhaps sensing our presence, a creature rose from within the darkness, letting out a shrill screech as its eyes emitted a fiery red glow.

Bam bam bam! Ruuumble!

The creature approached.

“It’s coming, Il-Ho! Get ready!”

-Yes! Muuuuscles!

Il-Ho brandished his dumbbell sword, preparing for battle.

The sound grew louder, and at last, the final boss of the Trial of Dead Dragon came into the light.

Il-Ho charged at it, but soon stopped dead in his tracks.

-L-Lord?

“...”

The dragon, thousands of times larger than Il-Ho, radiated a grim, dark aura of bloodlust. But that wasn’t why we were speechless.

-U-um, where should I attack it?

Il-Ho’s voice was tinged with panic.

Just like its name, the dragon was white, alright. I mean, of course, it was a skeletal dragon! Meanwhile, my countermeasures centered around finding its reverse scale! But this dragon had nothing but bones!

“Stay calm, Il-Ho! This is unexpected, but there’s still one more weakness! Its heart...”

-B-but Lord Yu Il-Shin, I don’t see anything like that.

He was right. The skeletal dragon’s body was hollow.

“Look on the bright side! It’s just bones, so it should be easier to deal with!”

-You’re right! It’s just a bony lizard! Nothing my sword and muscles can’t handle!

With renewed courage, Il-Ho charged at the skeletal dragon with his dumbbell sword.

-Take this! Muuuscles!

Creaaaak!

Just then, the skeletal dragon looked down at Il-Ho and parted its jaw.

Chills!

I had a bad feeling about this...

Shhhh!

Black-green smoke spewed out of the dragon’s mouth. Okay, but how?! It doesn’t have lungs or a stomach! Soon, the smoke

Black-green smoke poured out of the dragon’s mouth. How the hell was it able to spit that out when it had no lungs or stomach! Soon, my phone screen showed only smoke.

-Aaaargh!

I couldn’t see Il-Ho at all, but I could hear his pitiful scream, along with the sound of burning flesh.

N-no!

“Crushing Forefinger of God!” I quickly aimed my index finger at the skeletal dragon and used my power on it.

Crash!

-Kiiiiieeeeeeeek!

Baaam!

As if crushed under hundreds of tons, the dragon’s head snapped downward, sinking deep into the ground.

[Warning!]

[Only the challenger can clear the warrior’s solemn trial!]

[Moving to the challenger’s waiting room!]

God-Maker issued a polite warning at my intervention.

Swoooosh!

Il-Ho was transported to the waiting room on the 30th floor.

-Cough! Pant!

Tzzz!

Il-Ho was in a grievous state. Despite wearing the God of Destroyer’s armor, his body melted as if he’d been poured with sulfuric acid.

“Hold on, Il-Ho! Healing Ring Finger of God!” I quickly raised my ring finger at him.

Ding!

[You paid 100 Gcoins for the healing.]

Tzzz!

Radiant white light enveloped Il-Ho, instantly healing his injuries.

-Thank you, Lord Yu Il-Shin...

Bowing deeply to me, Il-Ho offered a prayer of thanks. Nevertheless, his expression was sunken, full of sorrow. I hadn’t looked in the mirror, but I probably looked the same way.

I was at my wit’s end, unsure how to defeat that skeletal dragon. On top of that, I spent quite a hefty amount of Godcoins on this dungeon. But now, we were back at the starting point. To reach the final stage, I’d need enough holy water and consumable items, which I could no longer afford.

“Let’s just... rest for now. We’ll try again tomorrow, Il-Ho.”

-Okay...

With slumped shoulders, we bade goodbye. Then, I switched my destination.

“Let’s go to Gayami nation first.”

I needed to obtain more Godcoins for our next try. I’d also like to check on Akdol, whom I had entrusted in Anty’s care.

Tzzz—

My screen showed the image of the Holy Nation of Gayami, surrounded by magnificent fortress walls.

Chatter chatter—

Refugees swarmed in front of the gate.

“Hey, don’t mess up the lines!”

The newly evolved Cheons were also there, with Yi-Ho as the lead. I did feel proud of the names I gave them. Still, it seemed that there were outsiders everywhere.

Driiing!

Baek-Ho, dressed in a funny, woven leaves costume, plucked the strings on his harp and yelled.

-Oh, the continent blazed red! Blood dyed the lands! It’s the wicked soldiers of the imperial army! Not only that! The apostles accompanied them! Those gods’ dogs! The fate of the Holy Nation of Gayami flickered like a candlelight before the wind!

Driiing!

-Little did they know! Of our God Yu Il-Shin’s omnipotent power! A flick of his index finger! Poisonous fog, spread! A word of his command! The imperial soldiers, burn!

Driiing!

-The three apostles of gods! Evil snake! Flying beast! And even a giant fireball that threatened to devour the world! Eventually, they fell to their knees before God Yu Il-Shin! That Goddess even had to make her escape! That spider bitch!

Driiing!

-Those who fear the emperor! Those who seek to destroy the Empire! Come to Gayami nation! Gain solace under the blessings of God Yu Il-Shin! O’ God Yu Il-Shin, puck puck! Praise him, everyone!

Baek-Ho squealed like a pig, yelling “puck, puck.” I was about to stop him when...

Ding!

[Faith has increased by 2.]

[Faith has increased by 3.]

[Faith has increased by 5.]

My Faith had increased. It was a mystery, but some had developed faith after hearing that. Seriously, they were some special bunch.

Ding!

Just then, messages appeared from God-Maker.

[1,130,221 non-followers and refugees would like to enter the city.]

[2,120,221 non-followers and refugees would like to enter the city.]

My reputation rose significantly after that holy war with the imperial army, and more refugees from all over the continent flooded the city.

[Current population of Gayami nation: 100,230,012.]

[Follower conversion progress: 55%]

Since the population of the Gayami nation had exceeded 100 million, collecting Godcoins became so much easier. However, the nation’s progress wasn’t as fast as I’d hoped. In order for me to earn more Godcoins, I needed to increase my faith.

But why don’t I see Anty around? Where did she go?

Usually, she’d stand by the gates, spreading propaganda to the refugees. Today, I didn’t see her there.

Anty, Anty...

I focused on Anty. Soon, a special arrow appeared like before.

Ssss—

I zoomed in on the area pointed by the arrow, and spotted Anty struggling to carry a basketful of minnows on her own. She seemed to be rushing to a pond located behind the city.

She wiped the beads of sweat off her face, and yelled at the pond, “Akdol! I'm here!”

But there was no response.

“Akdol, it's time for your meal~”

Then, ripples appeared on the pond’s surface, and a crocodile with chains around his neck surfaced.

Kyak! Shaaa!

Akdol, who had turned into a petite figure, ran toward Anty.

Kyak kyak!

He then opened his mouth wide, as if asking to be fed.

“Here.” Anty smiled brightly, feeding him minnow.

Chew chew, swallow!

Did he even chew? Akdol had opened his mouth again, asking for more.

“There's a lot where that comes from, so take your time to eat.” Anty placed the entire basket before Akdol.

Akdol began stuffing his own face like a pig.

“Hehe. Akdol, is it delicious?”

Kyak kyak!

Akdol responded cheerfully, wagging his tail happily like a dog. Seemingly finding this side of Akdol cute, Anty gently stroked his head. I watched them anxiously, afraid that Akdol would attack Anty out of the blue.

Suddenly, Akdol’s eyes flashed.

This punk! Is he finally revealing his true colors?!

I was about to use my crushing finger on him when...

Plop!

Akdol plopped to the ground, belly up.

“Hehe, who’s the good boy?”

Anty stroked Akdol’s belly, and the latter rolled side to side, crying out happily.

That scene made me wonder if Akdol was actually a dog. I’d also noticed how much Akdol had eaten in such a short period of time. There was a triple fold in his stomach! Nevertheless, Anty seemed so happy as she petted Akdol, and watching her made me smile.

Looking back, Anty had led such a difficult life with barely any rest. She was orphaned at a young age due to the empire’s invasion. After that, she struggled to unite the surviving tribe, and eventually became the empress of the Gayami nation. Perhaps, an emotional support pet was just what she needed.

Of course, if Akdol ever hurt her, I’d crush him to death.

Akdol shuddered as if he had felt my murderous intent. After petting Akdol for a while, Anty sighed with a pensive look.

“Haa, our population may be increasing, but it doesn’t bode well for our food supply... What should I do? I feel bad having to keep asking God Yu Il-Shin for help... He’s bestowed so much grace upon us, but we haven’t repaid him... If only the Berry of the World Tree would blossom...”

My heart ached as I saw the sadness on her face.

Don’t make such a face, Anty. I’ve received a lot from all of you.

Also, they're lacking in food supply?

Well, it wasn’t surprising, as their numbers had grown explosively recently. Actually, it was my fault for not thinking that far ahead. I double-checked the amount of Godcoins I had on the top of my screen. Ever since the number exceeded a certain threshold, an independent menu appeared.

I have about two million Godcoins left. Okay.

I opened the God-Maker menu.

Ding!

[Launching Construction.]

[You gained 1,000,000 square meters of land from the development.]

[You can transform the developed land into farmland.]

[Transforming land into farmland.]

Ruuuumble!

The forests and wastelands within my fingertip had been transformed into well-cultivated land. At the same time, green shoots sprouted in the area, growing at a tremendous rate.

“U-unbelievable...”

“I-it’s a miracle!”

“These are all grains?”

When they saw the sea of golden grains, the refugees fell onto their knees. They probably had never eaten anything similar to proper sustenance in their lives before.

“Merciful God Yu Il-Shin, thank you for your immeasurable grace... Hic, hic...”

Ding!

[Infinite Abundance smiles upon you, blessing the crops you have created.]

[The yield of your farmland has increased by tenfold.]

Ding!

[Current population of Gayami nation: 100,230,012.]

[Follower conversion progress: 55% → 81%]

“God Yu Il-Shin! Puck puck!” The Gayami nation rejoiced with loud cheers.

***

Ding!

[Exiting God-Maker.]

I closed the APP as the people of the Gayami nation cheered feverishly for me. I might have no Godcoins left, but I was proud of what I did. Now Anty would be able to relax, right?

“That looks like an interesting game.”

I flinched at the voice. I totally didn’t sneak off to the infirmary to play God-Maker after instructing the students to self-study. I turned around in surprise to see a white-haired boy smiling at me. He could easily be mistaken for an idol.

But never judge a book by its cover.

He was one of the top ten S-rank Hunters in South Korea, Shin Yoo.

“Oh? Why are you here, Mr. Shin Yoo?”

“Mr. Yu Il-Shin, I have something to ask you.”

Tzzzz!

In contrast to his gentle smile, Shin Yoo’s hand emitted a blue sword qi, which he’d used to slash Akdol in half before.