On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 34: Reality is the Way for Games

My ants had evolved.

Were they even ants at this point? Sure, they still retained their antennae and long abdomens, but aside from those, they looked completely human. If anything, they resembled beast folks commonly seen in genre novels. Maybe calling them insectoid humans would be more precise.

What happened while I was out?

The God-Maker app, manifested through my ability, wasn't user-friendly and didn’t provide game logs. Still, I had a certain innate power. Calming myself down, I focused on my ants.

Ding!

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

-----

[Saintess and 100 followers of the Black Tribe]

Originally a lowly race, but have evolved through the grace of God Yu Il-Shin and the experience points gained from killing the Demons of Catastrophe.

Race: Gayami (tribe)

Special note: A cutie.

-----

They evolved after I gave them random names? They even had a field indicating their race now. In archaic words, Gayami meant ants.

“O’ Lord Almighty, are you repulsed by what we have become?”

Anty and the other ants—no, Gayami looked up at me with deep uneasiness, like a bunch of puppies afraid of being abandoned.

“Hm? N-no. All of you look fine. Why didn’t you evolve sooner? I like this, by a whole lot! Hahaha!”

“Waaah! God Yu Il-Shin is pleased with our transformation!”

Anty and the Gayamis danced and cheered. I laughed awkwardly while scratching the back of my head.

They’re kind of cute.

As I watched this mini-sized tribe...

Boom boom!

Just then, firecracker explosions appeared on the screen, along with a few messages.

[It’s only natural for followers to resemble their god.]

[Congratulations. God-Maker user Yu Il-Shin’s level has increased by 1.]

[Yu Il-Shin is now Level 2.]

Huh? This game has levels?

[The increase in level has unlocked the Civilization Revival menu.]

A button appeared on the screen, leading to a new menu

“What’s this?”

I clicked on it, and the following description appeared.

-----

[Civilization Revival]

Gods can develop the civilization of their followers. Grow their civilization and increase their faith in you. The higher their faith, the stronger your power will become.

The following menus are available at Yu Il-Shin’s current level:

>??, ??, ??

The menus can be activated with a touch.

-----

There were three unknown menus in total.

How intriguing. Now this looks more like a game. Let me take a look at the first menu.

Ding!

[Congratulations. You have activated the Development menu.]

Development?

-----

[Development]

Develop forests or wastelands, turning it into a territory.

Cost: 1,000 Gcoins

-----

1,000 Gcoins are just chump change to me now.

I activated it immediately.

[Land development begins.]

Sizzle.

A thousand Gcoins vanished from the corner of my room, and the screen on God-Maker changed.

Sizzle! Rumble!

The forests and rocks around Gayami’s village melted away and were soon replaced with fertile land.

[You gained 1,000-pyeong of land from the development.]

[You can transform the developed land into farmland.]

-----

[Farming]

Gain food to feed your followers.

Cost: 1,000 Gcoins

-----

Click! Ding!

[Transforming land into farmland.]

Then, shoots began to sprout, transforming the once-empty farmland into a field of golden wheat. The Gayami widened their eyes in shock.

“U-unbelievable!”

“God Yu Il-Shin has performed another miracle!”

“Ooh!”

Wow, this is kind of interesting.

I then clicked on the last menu.

-----

[Construction]

You can create buildings for your followers. For now, you are able to build the following buildings:

-----

[House]

A place for followers to stay.

Cost: 100 Gcoins

-----

[Training Ground]

A place for followers to train their bodies.

The Warrior class can be unlocked once the Training Ground levels up.

Cost: 1,000 Gcoins

-----

[Temple]

A place for followers to worship Yu Il-Shin and receive education.

The Priest class can be unlocked once the Temple levels up.

Cost: 2,000 Gcoins

-----

[Fortress Walls]

A sturdy barrier that protects followers from the outside world.

Cost: 50,000 Gcoins

-----

I felt bad seeing Gayamis living in shacks, so I built a house for each of them. After building a hundred houses, I moved on to build one of every other building on the menu. I especially liked the Training Ground and Ramparts.

Now, whenever they were bored, they could do something else besides praying. The Ramparts would also ensure their safety. All in all, it was a worthy investment. Not like it cost me much, anyway, only less than 100,000 Gcoins. Even more so when I was rewarded 300 million Gcoins from eliminating the roaches.

Rumble!

After purchasing everything, my phone vibrated loudly and the scene underwent a dramatic change.

Swoosh!

The rundown shacks, made of dirt and wood, transformed into a hundred white, modern two-story houses. At the center of them all was a temple so elegant and beautiful, reminiscent of ancient Greek architecture. Next to it was a circular structure, looking similar to an ancient colosseum.

However, the most overwhelming of them all were the Ramparts. The walls were a hundred times taller and thicker than the Gayamis, which surrounded their village and farmland I had just created.

“Unbelievable! Did I just see farmland and buildings springing from thin air?! Am I dreaming?!”

“A-a miracle! God Yu Il-Shin has bestowed another miracle upon us!”

The Gayamis stared at me, joyful and heartfelt tears streaming down their faces.

“Everyone! Did you see that? Have you witnessed the miracle our Lord has brought upon us?! When he pointed at the land, a field of wheat rose so we wouldn’t go hungry, houses so we wouldn’t shiver in the cold, and majestic walls so we wouldn’t be harmed by evil hordes!” Anty exclaimed.

“Ah, God Yu Il-Shin!”

“Praise be to the Almighty God Yu Il-Shin!”

Seriously, they were making a mountain out of a molehill. Well, I enjoyed hearing them cheer. Also, this really took me back to when I was playing a certain simulation game.

Now, only one last menu left.

Feeling excitement and anticipation, I tapped the button.

“Huh?”

-----

[Tower of Warriors]

A tower of penance and trials condensed over eons.

Produce the Warrior class.

Cost: 50,000,000 Gcoins

-----

“W-warrior?”

Did they mean the apostle of justice?! The very same beings who fought demons and demigods, with the purpose of taking over the world?!

“So this is an RPG game all along?!”

***

Meanwhile, in the empire, the frigid voice of the emperor echoed from within the veil.

-You have disappointed me, Cockroach.

Hearing that, the powerful sorcerer of the empire, whose power reached far into the demon realm, collapsed to his knees, trembling pathetically.

“T-this can’t be happening.”

-Pay with your life.

Cockroach went white at the declaration of the emperor.

“Y-Your Majesty! As a sorcerer, I’ve made a pact with the Demon King! Please give me one last chance! I’ll be sure to eradicate the black tribe this time!”

-I won’t repeat myself.

Slick—

From behind the veil, a black hand reached out with the forefinger pointed at Cockroach.

“Arrrgh!” Cockroach let out a piercing scream and tried to flee the Great Hall.

At the same time, a dazzling light shot out from the emperor’s forefinger!

Rooooar!

Like hot, hardened steel, extreme heat swept through the Great Hall, so intense it felt cold. Even the subjects present seemed to be frozen

Pzz, smack!

The fleeing Cockroach collapsed into a pile of ashes in the middle of the room.

-What a bunch of useless insects! Must I do everything myself?!

Rumble!

The emperor finally rose to his feet, accompanied by an earthquake.

“Your Majesty, please compose yourself! You are the direct descendant of a majestic demigod! Your hands are too precious to be used on such lowly subjects!” his subjects repeatedly slammed their heads against the floor, pleading.

-Silence! Do you still expect me to wait and trust any of you after everything?! You can’t even get rid of those lowly black ants, you worthless knaves!

As if responding to the emperor’s anger, the Great Hall glowed bright red like scorching iron.

“Argh! Your Majesty! Please calm down...!” his subjects pleaded, gasping for air in the blistering heat.

However, the emperor was undeterred. He lifted the veil slightly and reached out.

Drip! Drip! Sizzle!

Beads of sweat dripped from the kneeling subjects, evaporating the moment they hit the floor. At this rate, everything in this palace would be burned to the ground without exception.

“Hoho. Please quell your anger, Your Majesty,” a female voice, sweet as honey, echoed through the Great Hall.

The sweltering heat engulfing the Great Hall dissipated in the blink of an eye. Then, a strand of translucent thread extended from the ceiling.

Ssss.

The woman descended like a flowery dress, her entire body embroidered like a colorful-patterned silk.

“Oh, Goddess!”

The subjects lit up as soon as they saw her.

-Millady, you’ve returned.

Even the emperor’s voice, coming from behind the veil, sounded uncharacteristically soft.

She was known as the Yin Sword, the strongest of the Ten Swords, and was also the emperor’s favorite. One mustn't be fooled by her beauty, for even a demigod like the emperor couldn't lay a finger on her. Such was Goddess Arachne, the one who oversaw the countless gods worshiped by the empire.

“Yes, I’ve safely fulfilled the mission entrusted by Your Majesty and returned.” Arachne curtseyed.

-I-in other words...?

As if his wrath from before had been a lie, the emperor’s voice faltered slightly.

“The Owner of the Hundred Seats, the Mightiest of Gods, assured me that he unabashedly recognizes you as the god of this planet.”

-Hahaha! At last, after 500 years! Those arrogant bastards finally acknowledged me!

The emperor beamed.

“Indeed. Congratulations, Your Majesty.”

“C-congratulations!”

Sensing it was their cue, his subjects praised him in unison.

Arachne then bowed again.

“I have heard of everything that has transpired recently. Your Majesty, you’re a sovereign. Soon, you’ll transcend your demigod status and be reborn as a true god.”

Arachne’s voice had a charming quality, like beads rolling smoothly on a tray. She could thaw the man’s heart. Of course, no one dared to speak ill of the emperor’s woman.

“Leave the worldly affairs to your subjects, My Lord. I suggest that you prepare for your ascension to the realm of gods. I will see to the eradication of the lowly black tribe and the malevolent god they serve. Not a single soul shall be spared. I swear upon my name, Arachne.”

The emperor sank back into his throne. No trace of the man who was about to go on a rampage earlier remained. Right on cue, the vortex of energy that enveloped the Great Hall vanished.

-Very well, Lady Arachne. I shall take your word for it. Do not let your guard down, three of the Ten Swords have lost to them.

Arachne’s black lips twisted into a bewitching smile.

“Hoho. Your subject, Arachne, is different from those brutes who only know violence. Let me show you. Those who mistook a mere malevolent god for a true god were nothing but frogs in a well.”