On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 40: Peaceful Life of Yu Il-Shin and the Gayami Tribe

Struck by an arrow in the forehead, Il-Ho fell limp. Despite my huge shock, he didn’t die. Thanks to the Trial of Rocks, his body had become as solid as a rock.

To overcome the Trial of Wind, Il-Ho would have to climb to the third floor while dodging flying arrows. With renewed vigor, we tried again, but the results were still disastrous.

“Uaaaah! I’m sorry for burdening you, My Lord!”

“Okay, okay, don’t move. An arrow is still stuck on the back of your head.”

Il-Ho ended up looking like a hedgehog. After removing all the arrows stuck on him, I used the Healing Ring Finger of God to heal his wounds.

However, the root of the issue wasn’t resolved yet. Il-Ho was so slow, he couldn’t avoid any arrows. So, we tried a workaround this time.

What if we used the boulders from the first floor to block the arrows? They would serve as shields to help him advance. But when we tried it out...

[No tricks are allowed in Tower of Warriors!]

[The challenger must rely solely on their physical strength to overcome the trials!]

A deafening roar rumbled through the tower, followed by a volley of arrows. Even after making quick work of Il-Ho’s boulder, the arrows were still falling. They were coming for Il-Ho!

“Argh!”

Instinctively, I shielded him with my finger.

Puk! Puk puk! Puk puk puk!

After fearfully screaming some gibberish, Il-Ho then asked, “M-My Lord! Are you alright?!”

I was getting teary-eyed. It felt as if I was in an acupuncture session, getting pricked by hundreds of needles at once. Still, I forced myself to sound calm.

“Of course. 'Tis just a scratch.”

“B-but there’s a lot of b-blood...”

“That’s not true at all!”

Fleeing from the volley of arrows, both of us returned to the waiting room on the first floor.

Sigh, what a pain...

Not to mention, for the past ten hours, I’d been doing nothing but this. My editor would kill me if he found out.

“I’m going to get some sleep. Il-Ho, you’ve had a rough day today, so don’t overexert yourself.”

“Yes, My Lord. Please have a good rest.” Il-Ho bowed down on the ground.

I left my phone aside and laid on my bed. I decided to get some rest before figuring out how to get Il-Ho out of that damned tower.

***

Left alone in the tower, Il-Ho crossed his arms and racked his brains.

“My Lord said to rest, but how can I?”

Il-Ho couldn’t forget how God Yu Il-Shin shielded him from the hail of arrows, bleeding profusely. His god got wounded because Il-Ho didn’t heed his words. In the first place, none of this would’ve happened if Il-Ho hadn’t recklessly stepped into that tower! How was he supposed to rest without worry?!

Il-Ho looked back on the Trial of Wind. He definitely couldn’t avoid those deadly arrows with his stubby legs, but look at it this way. What if he rigorously trained his muscles to be able to withstand them?

Glug glug!

Emptying the bottle of Blessing of the Growth God, Il-Ho glared at the pile of boulders on the first floor like they were his sworn enemies.

“Hyaaa! Muscles!”

Il-Ho no longer used them as makeshift weights or dumbbells. Instead, he began charging at the boulders like a raging bull.

Bam bam bam!

After a few hundred, then a few thousand charges, dust rose like mist, and the boulders slowly turned into gravel.

Bam bam! Craaaack!

Even the massive boulder that had crushed Il-Ho to death began cracking.

“Muuuscles!”

Bam bam bam!

Ding!

[Eternal Seeker smirked as he looked at Il-Ho, the challenger who was now walking down the path of a true man.]

Blessing of the Growth God increased the drinker’s potential, while Ver. 2 optimized their physical abilities during training. And lastly, Ver. 3, the Red Bull drink, was a blessing of “time,” directly correlating to how much blood, sweat, and tears the challenger had spent inside the tower.

Il-Ho had been practicing smashing rocks with his body for a week. But in the real world, less than an hour had passed. Such was the true power of Ver. 3, Eternal Seeker’s masterpiece.

Thud!

Exactly two hours later, despite being turned into a pincushion, Il-Ho managed to pass through the passageway of the Second Floor, successfully reaching the third floor. The arrows that pierced him all over couldn’t penetrate his muscles, ultimately failing to inflict a mortal wound.

[Congratulations!]

[The challenger has been rewarded with Blessing of Wind from Eternal Seeker.]

[Challenger Il-Ho takes on the Third Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Steel.]

Ding!

[Congratulations! The Third Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Steel has been cleared.]

[The challenger has been rewarded with Blessing of Steel from Eternal Seeker.]

[Challenger Il-Ho takes on the Fourth Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Fire...]

***

Grooowl!

I woke up famished, and the world was spinning around me. Ugh, I can see why. Despite only just recovering from my fever, I didn’t rest much because I got caught up with Il-Ho’s trials.

“This can’t go on. I need to take care of my health.”

I pulled it out from the fridge, which I had bought a few days back. While the amount was small, let’s not forget about the power I acquired from God-Maker.

Thump thump!

“Oof, I sure am nervous.”

I probably acquired this power just to use it in this way. I stared at it seriously.

This is it! Please work out!

I resolved myself, as if I was about to confront my mortal enemy. Then, I solemnly raised my thumb, screaming, “Proliferating Thumb of God!”

Yes, it was the very same power I had acquired from the roach extermination. And the results...

Ding!

[You have succeeded in multiplying the target: Hanwoo 100g.]

Flash!

Along with the dazzling light, the 100g Hanwoo doubled! I pumped my fists in the air and cheered, “Yay! I did it!”

Holy shit, this power is awesome. From now on, I'll be able to eat Hanwoo every day!

I first used this power when I was drunk. Even then, it was on the ants, so I didn’t know how it’d work out in the real world. But the results were just wow!

I did feel guilty for only buying a 100g Hanwoo from the madam at the butcher. But after seeing this, it was definitely worth it!

“Ah, but the plate didn't multiply.”

It seemed that my innate power only applied to organic matter. If not for that, I’d have multiplied gold and become a millionaire overnight.

Well, this is good enough. Hanwoo is just as wonderful.

“Proliferating Thumb of God! Proliferating Thumb of God!”

Flash! Flash!

Hehe, they're increasing. More, more!

Just as I was gleefully salivating at the Hanwoo which continued to multiply at my will, God-Maker rang.

Ding ding!

Worried that something happened to Il-Ho back at the tower, I rushed to my phone. However, the one looking for my attention wasn't Il-Ho.

“Oh Almighty God Yu Il-Shin! You have descended!” exclaimed Baek-Ho, who prostrated himself at my arrival.

Unlike Il-Ho’s rectangular appearance, Baek-Ho's face and body were stretched like a cucumber.

“Were you looking for me?”

“I have made a song that praises your actions.” Baek-Ho solemnly said.

“A song?”

“Yes. Please have a listen!”

“S-sure. Sing it then.”

Baek-Ho cleared his throat, humming at first, then began dancing to the groove...

“WoOoh! Our God Yu Il-Shin! Defeats the enemies! Burns the enemies! WoOoh! God Yu Il-Shin has appeared! Soil your pants, Empire! God Yu Il-Shin roars! Demons, run! God Yu Il-Shin raises his thumb! WoOoh! Damned Emperor, prepare yourself! God Yu Il-Shin has descended!”

Ouch, my ears... He was kind of loud for an ant.

“Stop...”

But the others seemed to have heard Baek-Ho’s voice and gathered.

“God Yu Il-Shin has descended!”

“Sam-Ho greets you, My Lord!”

“Greetings, God Yu Il-Shin! I, Chilyi-Ho, offer the fruits I’ve picked from the forest!”

“Hmph! How could you offer mere fruits to Our Lord! Lord Yu Il-Shin! Please accept my offering! A ferocious beast had been roaming around the city. I, Il-Ho, pierced his head in one fell swoop! Please praise me!”

“Sure. That’s a ferocious-looking pill bug...”

“What kind of crude offering is that?! My Lord! Please take a look at the fish that I, Gu-Ho, have caught! This is the largest fish I’ve ever caught in my life!”

“Woah, it’s a huge minnow...”

“Lord Yu Il-Shin! Please look at my, Gusip-Ho’s, offering!”

After having some of the hundred bottles of Blessing of the Growth God, the Gayamis seemed to have evolved. Each of them had a distinct personality now, I guess... Of course, it was a good thing. But listening to them talking non-stop was exhausting. I felt like a huge mascot doll surrounded by children at a kindergarten.

Just then, someone came to my rescue.

“How disrespectful of you! How can you summon Lord Yu Il-Shin for such things?! He’s a busy man! Now, get back to work!”

“...Understood, Saintess.”

Saintess Anty appeared and started nagging them. Afterward, the Gayamis retreated with slumped shoulders.

Heave! Ho!

They soon returned to work, building a statue of me. It was extremely huge, incomparable to the ones I’d seen before. At a glance, it seemed at least ten times larger—and that thing would show up in my room? I had shivers thinking about it.

“Anty.”

“Yes, at your command, Almighty Lord Yu Il-Shin.”

“Do you absolutely have to make that?”

Anty turned pale and fell on all fours.

“Aah, I apologize! Of course! Compared to the grace Our Lord has bestowed upon us, this is simply too small and insignificant of a repayment! I shall instruct them to build a much larger and more majestic statue right away!”

No. Don’t. Please.

After much persuasion, I finally managed to convince her to not offer the completed statue to me. Instead, it would be placed at the center of the city. She hesitated for a while, then finally decided that it wouldn’t be a bad thing to show her tribesmen my majesty.

With that, my small personal space was saved.

“But Anty, did you drink that Bacchus—no, Blessing of the Growth God?”

“Correct. It’s a holy drink bestowed from my lord. Of course I made sure to drink it.”

“Hmm...”

“My Lord, why do you look at me that way?”

“No, I just thought that you’ve gotten prettier.”

That’s right.

When she first evolved, she looked adorable. But now, she was basically a cutie. She was three-heads tall, looking much prettier than the dolls my older sister played with when we were younger.

“O-omo[1].” Anty’s pale cheeks turned beet red. “I never imagined myself, a mediocre girl, to be praised by you, My Lord. Hehehe.”

She must’ve been happy to be complimented.

“Good luck with the construction, then. I am going to eat.”

“Yes! Please look forward to its completion! The next time you descend, the statue will definitely be finished!” Anty shouted, clenching her small fists.

No, you don’t have to.

“Don’t push yourselves. Be sure to take proper breaks.”

“Yes! In accordance with your words, I will have them work twenty-two hours a day!”

Twenty-two hours a day? What country’s slaves are you guys?

Well, let’s look on the bright side, they were once ants. I exited God-Maker, scratching my head.

The ants—no, Gayamis, had evolved into humans. I could no longer take them lightly, as they could even communicate with me directly.

“Ah, should I share my Hanwoo with them?”

Since Hanwoo’s the way to everyone’s heart, I was sure they’d love it as well. Thus, I picked up the plate, about to grill a few to share with them and Il-Ho in the tower...

“...Huh?”

About twenty portions of Hanwoo I had multiplied earlier were all but gone, leaving only the original plate of 100g Hanwoo.

“Where did my Hanwoo go!”

Then, my eyes helpfully assessed the situation.

[The effectiveness of Proliferating Thumb of God has dropped.]

[A higher-ranked divine power is required to maintain the multiplied stage in the Earth branch where Yu Il-Shin belongs.]

“N-no way.”

Plop!

I collapsed onto the floor in despair.

There goes my dream of having Hanwoo for every meal...

“But wait. Then I just have to eat them all up before they disappear, right?”

An hour on God-Maker was about two to three minutes in real life, so I should just finish it before the duration ended. Otherwise, I could just pretend I was eating beef tartare.

Ohoho, such a genius I am.

My desire to have Hanwoo burned once more!

“Proliferating Thumb of—”

I was about to use my power, but...

Ding dong! Ding dong!

Sheesh, why is everyone ruining my Hanwoo moment?!

Still, I didn’t remember making an appointment at this hour, so who could it be? Ms. Sung Mi-Ri?

However, someone completely unexpected appeared at the door.

“Who are you?”

“Hello, Mr. Yu. It’s a great honor to meet you. I’m the lead Hunter scouter of Brilliance Guild, Department Head Kim Tae-Min.”

An elite-looking man bowed to me and introduced himself.

1. Omo is a kind of exclamation. Like, oh my but cute and embarrassed. ☜