On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 56: God-Gamer God-Writer

The next day, a small article was featured in the corner of an internet news portal.

A Prisoner at the Hunter Prison Suddenly Passed Away due to a Heart Attack.

The article briefly mentioned that the prisoner was the ringleader behind the recently controversial black market. Even if it didn’t reveal his name, I knew who it was right away. Johan, that perverted head I’d caught.

I felt sick. He was a bad guy. Did it matter if he died? But the suddenness of it made me feel like I was the one responsible for it. Even more so when it affected my ongoing promotion quests.

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[Quest: Low-tier Benevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Normal Followers: 5,212,326/1,000,000,000

Followers of intelligent beings at S-rank and above with potential for transcendence: 1/10

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[Quest: Low-tier Malevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Normal Followers: 0/1,000,000,000

Followers of intelligent beings at S-rank and above with potential for transcendence: 1/10

-----

The number on both quests increased by 1 because of Johan. Turning on selfie mode on my phone, I appraised myself. A few new pieces of information had popped up.

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[Power Seize]

Seize the power of those you slay and terrorize.

-Target: Johan.

1. Demonization

Offer tributes to summon a divine being (exclusive to malevolent gods).

2. Conscious of Sacrifice

Summon a divine being worthy of the live sacrifices offered to the malevolent god.

-----

I recalled the eye of the gargantuan monster that tried to descend onto Earth. Didn’t Johan summon it by sacrificing humans?

“... I shouldn’t overthink things.”

If I hadn't stopped that man, the people around me and I would’ve gotten hurt instead. But still, I couldn't help but feel down.

“Haa...”

After resolving something huge, relief and gaping emptiness washed over me at the same time.

What should I do now?

I wielded various types of powers—there was nothing I couldn’t do now. I could become a famous Hunter, attaining both wealth and honor.

Still, was that what I really wanted? How strange. Even after I’d acquired all these powers, I never even considered that option. My heart felt dreary.

Then, I saw my laptop in the corner of my room.

Ah, come to think of it, I missed my deadline.

I reached for it.

Tadak, tadadak. Tatatak!

Thus, my story began unfolding in the empty, white world.

***

The manuscript was every writer’s life and soul. Before me, laid the result of my sleepless night.

“It’s finally done.”

Approximately 130,000 characters. I was astonished by the sheer volume of words on the document. That’d be about 25 chapters for a serialized book. The market had shifted quite a bit these days, along with its standards. Nevertheless, manuscripts like this could mark the start of a series.

Click.

I accessed Dalpia, a novel serialization site, and created a post on the message board.

God-Gamer God-Writer

This title was inspired by the fact that I was a writer playing god-Maker.

Hohoho! How about that? It sure lives up to the recent trends!

I even uploaded ten chapters for it, along with a prologue.

Thump thump.

“Ah, I’m nervous.”

How long had it been since I last started on a series? Still, this wasn’t the end. After publishing about a volume’s worth for free, the publisher would decide whether or not to add a paywall. It depended on the subscriber count and response. If my free chapters were trash, all my hard work would be for naught.

Of course, I was confident. Not just because my editor assured me this story was interesting, but also because it wasn’t pure fiction. I wrote it based on my own experience—I staked my life on this masterpiece!

“Ohoho. There’s no way this will fall flat!”

Growl!

My nervousness went away, replaced by hunger. That’s right. I hadn’t eaten the whole day.

“Hoo, I was hyper-fixated on writing.”

To celebrate the beginning of my serialization, I added two eggs to my ramyun, along with some dumplings because I was feeling generous. After finishing up my sumptuous meal and cleaning up, I went back to check out the comments.

Ding!

Some readers left comments under my post.

Wow, they’re fast.

My heart fluttered with excitement as I began reading the comments.

Extremely Spicy Chicken: Wow, this writer sucks ass. I could write a better story with my feet.

Ant Lover: No! Not the ants! Don’t kill them! They’re so pitiful T_T

King Sejong Holding Korean Dictionary: Terrible spelling. They didn’t invent the Korean language for this. Come back after you’ve studied more Korean.

Wrecked Balance: Getting off the train!

Silently Crawling Nightmare: How could you block me on Katalk when you barely survived the life-threatening situation? Such a thoughtless writer.

All-Cutting Heavenly Sword: Shitty plot development! If you’re gonna spend your time writing this, return my sword!

...I should stop reading them. Readers were leaving some hurtful comments recently. Although, some of the usernames seemed familiar, or was it just me?

Trickle.

Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t crying. My eyes must’ve been so dry. Yes, it was just a natural response.

...How dare I call myself a writer. I should just consider a career change at this rate.

I buried my face into the sheets, sniffling.

Ding dong, ding dong.

I went to open the door, and saw Sung Mi-Ri standing outside.

“Oh, Ms. Sung Mi-Ri. Are you discharged from the hospital already?”

“Mister!”

Plop!

Sung Mi-Ri went on her knees immediately, seemingly about to cry.

“Huh? What’s wrong? Did something happen?” I hastily pulled her up to her feet.

“Mister, can I ask a really, really difficult favor from you?” There was desperation in her eyes.

Just what happened that made her react like that? I pounded my fist on my chest and answered loudly, “Aye! Just ask me anything! I’ll do everything I can—no, even if I can’t do it, I’ll put my best foot in to help you.”

“Wow, as expected of my mentor! Thank you!” Ms. Sung Mi-Ri rejoiced and pulled me into a hug.

M-Ms. Sung Mi-Ri? Others might misunderstand if they saw us like this.

Just then, God-Maker responded.

Ding!

[Faith of Sung Mi Ri, Earth Branch Follower, has increased by 10.]

Huh? Her faith increased by ten? When I didn’t even do anything yet? What kind of favor was it?

***

Choi Kang-San had a dream.

It was a dream of the time before he became a Hunter. When he was just an ordinary family head working as a street cleaner.

Like many before him, Choi Kang-san lost his dear wife when the crack first appeared. Ironically, he awakened as a Hunter shortly after. Had it happened sooner, maybe he wouldn’t have lost his wife!

Devastated, Choi Kang-San turned to alcohol to escape reality. A few years later, more people awakened, ushering in the era of Hunter careers. But he didn’t join them. Rumors spread that the government was assembling high-ranking Hunters to form an army. Additionally, some powerful Hunters had gone on a rampage, giving Hunter a bad name in the society.

Choi Kang-San chose seclusion. He’d use his awakened ability to protect his late wife’s legacy—Choi Eun-Bi, the cutest daughter in the world. He didn’t care if others called him selfish. If something happened to his daughter while he was involved in something unusual, he couldn't live with himself.

But in a cruel twist of fate, a crack appeared at his daughter’s elementary school. The infamous Minotaur, the strongest S-rank monster, emerged from it. As a Monarch-type monster, it could set up its own territory and summon other monsters at will.

The government and Hunters rushed to seal off the school all at once, planning to drop Ragnarok, an anti-monster weapon developed by the U.S. It played a role in defeating the unprecedented monster, Dragon of Despair.

Some citizens and children were still trapped in the school with the monster. They were deemed necessary sacrifices to prevent a greater disaster. If Minotaur broke through the crack, history would only repeat itself, leading to a second Dragon of Despair incident in South Korea.

Choi Kang-San arrived late at the school. He was horrified to see the army and Hunters setting up barricades a few meters away from the school.

“No! Please, save our Myeong-Seok!”

“Mr. Hunter! I beg of you!”

“Aaaargh! Fucking bastards! Are you even human?! The children are still inside!”

Cries echoed at the barricades as if it were hell as people pleaded to the Hunters.

Many of them were either S-rank or A-rank Hunters that had appeared on TV. Yet, none of them would infiltrate the school to save those trapped inside. Despite wearing designer goods from top to bottom, none seemed willing to risk saving the innocent.

Grit!

Gritting his teeth, Choi Kang-San threw the broom in his hand. He approached the men by the barricades.

“What are you doing? Sir, this place is off-limits.”

“Move. My daughter is in there.”

“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing we can do. Please return, it’s dangerous here. We’re about to detonate the place soon.”

“I said move!” Choi Kang-San roared and charged at them like a tank.

“What? Stop that madman!”

“Arghhh!”

“Permission to use abilities!”

Despite having awakened their abilities, the Hunters couldn’t stop the unarmed middle-aged man from storming into the dark school building.

Bam! Kiekkkk!

Booming explosions and monsters’ screeches reverberated in the air.

Five minutes left until Ragnarok was dropped...

Boom!

All of a sudden, the Minotaur’s head was thrown at the barricade!

Out came Choi Kang-san, covered in blood. He had transformed into a 2-meter-tall brute, shredded with muscles. In his arms were sleeping children.

He glared at the stunned Hunters and government officials.

“You rotten scoundrels! I’m changing this world starting today!”

That day, the legendary Hunter Choi Kang-San, otherwise known as Street Cleaner, was born.

“One, two! One, two!”

The sound from outside the window woke Choi Kang-San. He was seated in the principal’s office at the Hunter Academy.

“I must’ve fallen asleep.”

A table, chair, and a couch. Other than the simplest of fixtures and fittings, his office was pretty much bare—a testament to his character. Oh, there was one decoration. The head of the Minotaur, the first S-rank Monarch-type monster he’d ever defeated. It was stuffed and hung on the wall.

“We! Are the proud Hunters! Of South Korea!”

Choi Kang-San grinned in satisfaction as he watched the students pacing the grounds.

“Yes, atta boys. You guys are the future of our country.”

Choi Kang-San was too old to be doing active duty. Just like how the Yangtze River receded, it was time for him to step down. He decided to devote his remaining time to raising a new generation of Hunters. To ingrain a proper mindset in them so that they could succeed him and defend the nation.

Knock knock.

Someone knocked on the door to his office.

“Mr. Principal, Ms. Sung Mi-Ri is here with her guardian for a consultation.”

“Hoho, come in.” Choi Kang-San stood up.

Sung Mi-Ri, also known as Hunter Thunder Emperor. Her true identity was revealed only to him and the top brass of the Hunter Association. Due to her recent rise in rank, the Hunter Association had high hopes for her. Choi Kang-San was the same. In fact, she was part of the reason why he accepted the position of headmaster at the Hunter Academy.

However, whenever he wanted to give her personal training, she’d often skip. Maybe she was still too young.

I’ll give her a stern warning today. Hopefully, she’ll come to her senses.

“Hoho, welcom...” Choi Kang-San smiled warmly as he greeted Sung Mi-Ri and her guardian.

“Hello. I’m Yu Il-Shin, Sung Mi-Ri’s guardian.”

Choi Kang-San’s expression stiffened when he saw the man accompanying Sung Mi-Ri.

Is that guy...? No, that can’t be. Why would he come here in the first place?

Then, Yu Il-Shin recognized him.

“Oh? Homeless Uncle?”

“Eeeekkk!”

“Huh?! Principal!”

Clatter!

Choi Kang-San screamed, shattering the window and leaping out right away. As a side note, the principal’s office was on the tenth floor.