On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 91: The True Muscle, Super Strong Body!

Word had it that Ko Sa-Deuk was a shaman in his younger days. Back then, his spiritual powers were so great, even big shots made a queue for his services, ready to splurge. Some even said that he dabbled in black magic.

Then, he awakened.

The newly established Hunter Association had high hopes for him. But, he awakened with a bizarre and unheard-of ability: Corpse Communion. It allowed him to detect a corpse within a 1 km radius.

At that time, the system for measuring awakened abilities hadn’t been established yet. As such, those who awakened were evaluated based on their physical specifications and concrete abilities. Thus, Ko Sa-Deuk was determined to be a C-rank.

With his ability as a base, Ko Sa-Deuk organized a team named the Three-Legged Crow, the predecessor of the Immortal Guild. Their main purpose was to retrieve corpses and relics of fallen Hunters from the cracks or dungeons that had become their final resting places. They were akin to crows that scavenged the hunting ground remnants, and the Hunter on the frontlines despised them for it. In spite of that, Ko Sa-Deuk continued to lead the team for over a decade.

One day, an SS-rank gate suddenly opened on Jeju Island! Emerging from the gate was a legion of thousands of demons, led by an SS-rank Monarch-type monster: a 10-meter, three-headed Chimera King.

-Be honored, you lowly races! My master, Beast of Deceit and Rapacity, demands all of your blood!

The Chimera King’s roar was broadcast across South Korea. Although no one understood it, panic erupted. People were still recovering from the aftermath of the Despair Dragon. The Hunter Association and the military abandoned Jeju Island. Instead of a direct confrontation, the government decided to use Ragnarok to mitigate the damage. It was a strategic weapon developed by the U.S. in the wake of the tragedy.

An evacuation command was launched on the island of despair. But then, a mysterious middle-aged man arrived, armed with a black longbow. His armor radiated a sinister aura.

“Tsk! Miracle, that ghost bitch! Leaving me with such a troublesome task...”

“Hoho, if only you weren’t so greedy. You reap what you sow.”

“Hmph. I’m still going. It’s been a while since there was an S-rank corpse. What a shame. If only Choi Kang-San were dead too.”

As he assessed the encroaching legion of demons on Jeju Island, the mysterious figure’s multicolored eyes glowed.

“Phew, that is a lot.”

“Five thousand beasts in total, and all of them are B-rank or higher. Their commander is a quasi-apostle.”

“Ha! Another apostle?!”

The mysterious figure glanced briefly at Ko Sa-Deuk. “This is going to be tough. Need some help?”

“Hmph! You stay out of this! A weak girl shouldn’t interfere in a man’s work!” Ko Sa-Deuk’s black lips twisted, as if he’d just heard an insult.

“Oh, my. Did you just call me weak? No one is as brazen as you.”

Meanwhile, the SS-rank Chimera King turned all six arms at Ko Sa-Deuk and the mysterious figure. As it commanded its troops, its three heads were red with fury.

Ko Sa-Deuk frowned. “It’s been fussing nonstop since earlier! Lilith, what did it say?”

The mysterious figure, who wore a helmet, snorted. “Nothing, just calling us a ‘traitor’ and a ‘filthy old man.’ He even asked me why I mated with such a lowly creature just because I had no partner.”

Crack!

Gritting his teeth in anger, Ko Sa-Deuk pointed his black fingernail at the Chimera King. “Tell that fucker I’m going to rip its mouth off for insulting my woman!”

“Oh, my. You’re so cool~”

Plop!

Ko Sa-Deuk brandished his long spear and went for the demon legion on his own. As a C-rank Hunter, his action must’ve seemed suicidal. But he wasn’t alone.

“Rise, my Yaksha soldiers.”

Riiiip!

As if a gate had opened, the space around Ko Sa-Deuk split open, and masked soldiers crawled out of them like a swarm of ants. They were the corpses of the Hunters he’d collected over the past ten years.

“Since ancient times, soldiers always wait for the opportunity to strike.”

Ko Sa-Deuk sneered, “Keke. Now, the world shall witness the strength we’ve forged through years of relentless toil.”

-Kihihihi!

-Keekeekee!

The bloodthirsty Yaksha soldiers clashed against the demon legion. That day, Ko Sa-Deuk and Choi Kang-San became a legend in South Korea.

***

Truly impressed by Ko Sa-Deuk’s feats, a certain writer even wrote a novel based on it, titled A Million Yaksha Soldiers Under Me.

-Kihihi!

-Keekeekee!

The aforementioned soldiers were now flashing before my eyes. Their masks were both hideous and terrifying. Of course, saying there were a million of them was just an exaggeration. Regardless, there seemed to be over 10,000 around me.

How did I find myself in this strange space with the Yaksa soldiers, you ask?

When I saw God-Maker’s message, I stormed out of the principal’s office.

“No! Il-Ho!”

At that moment...

Riiiiip! Grab grab!

“Huh?”

The space behind me split apart. Hundreds of arms shot out toward me, grabbing me from all directions, dragging me into this strange space. Distracted, I couldn’t react in time. At first, I was taken aback, but the Yaksha soldiers didn’t seem to mean any harm. Not like I had time to care about them, since I was concerned about Il-Ho’s safety.

-----

[Ko Sa-Deuk’s Yaksha Soldiers]

Necromancer Ko Sa-Deuk's lifelong collection of familiars.

Special note: Originally ordered to kidnap you, but they disobeyed his orders and now wish to eat you.

...At least, until the Yaksha soldiers tried to eat me.

Drip drip!

Sticky liquid dribbled down behind their masks to their chins. Apparently, I was as irresistible as a fried chicken at midnight.

Bam bam! Thud thud!

Moreover, I could hear something approaching. It was so heavy, the ground shook with each step. The owner was incomparably larger than the rest of the Yaksha soldiers, and it had three heads.

My powers assessed it.

-----

[Ko Sa-Deuk’s Yaksha Captain]

An exceptional corpse amongst Necromancer Ko Sa-Deuk’s lifelong collection of familiars.

Special note: Used to be an apostle of Beast of Deceit and Rapacity

-----

Swooosh!

As I was stunned by the word “apostle,” a black-armored monster landed in front of me. Beneath its helmet, its multicolored eyes glimmered mysteriously. A pair of spectacular bat wings sprouted from its back.

-----

[Ko Sa-Deuk’s Yaksha General]

An exceptional corpse amongst Necromancer Ko Sa-Deuk’s lifelong collection of familiars.

Special note: Used to be an apostle of Seductive Nights

-----

Just who the hell is that grandfather?

His familiars consisted of not only Yaksha soldiers, but also two apostles?!

Ding! Ding!

-Here I come, bony lizard! Muuuuscles!

Suddenly, on my phone screen, Il-Ho could be seen fighting the skeletal dragon.

“Uhm, I’m a little busy right now. Can I take care of this first?”

I tried to reason with the soldiers, but...

-Kihihihihi!

-Kyaaaak!

Like insects, the hungry soldiers swarmed around me.

“Haa... there’s no other way, huh?” I let out a heavy sigh. Well, I didn’t expect it to work anyway. “Equip malevolent god title: Brutal Killer (B).”

Thus I, Malevolent God Yu Il-Shin, started facing off against over 10,000 Yaksha soldiers.

Baaaaam!

***

Back on the Thirtieth Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Dead Dragon...

Creaaaaak!

Pushing open the iron gates of the Dead Dragon’s dungeon, Il-Ho stepped inside.

Thud!

There, a dragon with nothing but pure white bones greeted the intruder.

-Grrrr!

“This has to be the strongest enemy I’ve ever encountered!” Il-Ho thought to himself as he glared at the colossal dragon.

His usual tactics when facing gigantic enemies were to burrow into their bodies and tear out their organs. Naturally, it wouldn’t work against a monster with nothing but bones.

Creaaaaak!

The skeletal dragon looked down at Il-Ho and opened its jaw. It was about to spew acidic breath! Chills ran down Il-Ho’s spine. No matter how rigorous he trained, he still couldn’t withstand the acid.

Then, he just had to defeat the dragon before it could unleash a breath attack!

“Skill, Strong Body!”

Throb throb!

Il-Ho’s muscles swelled rapidly. It was a secret skill he’d learned in the Tower of Warriors, which amplified his strength tenfold.

Still, deep down, Il-Ho knew it was far from enough. His bulky yet slow muscles were no match for the skeletal white dragon.

Il-Ho closed his eyes and recalled the zombie elf’s final lesson. She condensed every ounce of her destructive power into that dazzling golden arrow. Il-Ho’s bulging muscles began to shrink, producing noises akin to that of a press machine.

Compress! Compress! Compress! Focus! Focus! Focus!

From his nose and mouth, a steady stream of blood bubbled and trickled, yet he didn’t stop.

-Kyaaaa!

Sensing danger, the white dragon spewed acidic breath at Il-Ho.

Flash!

Just then, Il-Ho opened his eyes.

Roaaaaar! Baaaam!

A blinding golden light, as bright as the sun, emanated from Il-Ho’s body. His body was no longer bulky and ripped like a bodybuilder. Instead, he had a lean and muscular one fit for battle, similar to the legendary martial artist, Bruce Lee.

“Ultimate Skill, Super Strong Body!”

Bam bam bam!

In a flash, Il-Ho stomped on the ground, leaped into the air, and swiftly reached for the white dragon’s skull.

-Grrr!

Red light glowed from the white dragon’s empty sockets, seemingly taken aback by the sudden turn of events.

“Weight Increase, 100 tons!”

Tzzzz!

Il-Ho raised his dumbbell sword, which glowed a brilliant golden light.

“Take this! This is the ultimate muscle that I, Il-Ho, have perfected! Super Strong blow! Muuuuscles!”

Il-Ho’s dumbbell sword struck the white dragon’s skull.

-Kyaaaak!

Thump! Pssss!

The dragon’s skull shattered, raining down like snow. Soon, the headless corpse collapsed into a pile of ashes.

Ding!

[Congratulations! The Thirtieth Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Dead Dragon has been cleared.]

[The challenger has been rewarded with the Heart of the White Dragon from Eternal Seeker.]

***

-Muuuuscles! Lord Yu Il-Shin! Did you see that?! I single-handedly defeated the bony lizard! I dedicate this victory to the almighty and merciful God Yu Il-Shin! Puck puck!

“Y-yes, you did it, Il-Ho. I know you can do it.”

-But Lord Yu Il-Shin, you look exhausted. Did something happen?

Il-Ho stared at me, full of concern.

Something did happen, actually. Ghostly wails of the Yaksha soldiers rang in this dark space.

-Hiiiiiiic...

-Waaaaaah...

However, unlike those creepy screeches from earlier, this sounded a lot more mournful. Wistful, even. They came from the mountain of corpses of the Yaksha soldiers, which I’d dispatched using my black flames. The upgrade on the malevolent god title, Brutal Killer, truly did a number on it.

Then, I recalled something. Didn’t Ko Sa-Deuk say he was selling them at a billion each?

...Fuck, what if he demands reimbursement from me?