Chapter 12: God vs 100,000

“Oh my god!”

Since my room was less than 10-pyeong[1] wide, the endless horde of red ants covered my room within seconds! It felt like an absolute nightmare!

Krik! Krrr! Craaack!

Their buzzing pierced my ears like an awl. I still couldn’t believe this was reality.

The ants in God-Maker had appeared in real life!

This can’t be happening!

Swat swat swat! Tap tap!

Of course, by this point, my finger had gotten used to crushing them. Nevertheless, having 100,000 ants gather in one space was simply overwhelming!

The red ants wouldn’t stop falling from my ceiling. It was raining red in my studio apartment. The ants had crawled all the way up from my slippers and on my body.

“

Aaargh

!” I screamed, and dashed to the exit.

Clack clack!

However, no matter how hard I tried, the door wouldn’t budge.

Chomp! Chomp!

All of a sudden, the ants bit me!

“

Aaargh

!”

Did I just get stung by a wasp?! The pain was so excruciating. When I was younger, I played with ants, but they never bit this hard.

“Fuck! Get away from me!”

I took off my top and swatted off the ants on my body. Just then, I saw it—

my savior, the window!

I reached for it in a hurry. Since I was staying on the second floor, I should be able to jump safely.

“

Ack

!” Just like the door, the window refused to open.

In the meantime, the ants continued biting me all over.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

“

Aack

!”

I finally understood why even the most ferocious beasts in the Amazon flee at the sight of the marabuntas.

“Fuck it!”

As a last-ditch effort, I picked up a chair and threw it at the window.

Claaang!

But instead of breaking the window, the chair bounced off it. It was as if the window was inherently made of steel.

Drip!

Blood began to flow from my wounds, soaking the ants. Yet, I could see them raising their heads, opening their pincer jaws wide, as if rejoicing at their successful attack.

Shiver!

Chills went down my spine. I was trapped in a 10-pyeong room with all these ants. I was at my wit’s end. I could easily picture myself dying and eventually being reduced to bones by such a massive army of ants.

“

Aaargh

!”

I remembered joking around with my friends, saying that I’d live and die alone like a proper writer. Never once did I imagine I would die this way.

Clatter!

I grabbed whatever was within my reach and hurled it at the ants. My feet also desperately stomped on them.

Ding! Ding!

[You have been rewarded with 30 Gcoins.]

[You have been rewarded with 41 Gcoins.]

Clang! Clang!

Every time, coins would pop out of my phone, but only in the dozens.

These ants were so agile, almost like cockroaches. They spread like wildfire, with nothing to stop them.

Swoosh swoosh swoosh!

Just then, I heard an annoying noise. Reflexively turning around, I saw a horrifying sight.

“Oh. My. God.”

A volley of red needles.

-

Kyaa

!

The army ants, led by a thumb-sized red ant, marched in unison toward me. Raising their abdomen, they lunged at me. I had nowhere else to run.

Poke poke!

In an instant, the needles struck my entire body, turning me into a pincushion.

“...!” I couldn’t even scream.

Not only did it feel like being stabbed by a flaming needle, there were thousands of them all over my body! My mind instantly went blank. It wouldn’t be strange if I fell into shock right there and then.

Thud!

As the world before me began spinning, I collapsed.

“

Cough! Cough!

”

Are those needles poisonous?

My chest constricted, making it difficult for me to breathe. I began foaming at the mouth, seizures taking over my body.

Swish, swish.

The army ants swarmed all over me. They felt like hunters trying to end the life of a wounded beast. I was dying. Death was encroaching, slowly but surely becoming an inescapable reality.

I don’t want to die.

At the very least, not because of being eaten by a bunch of ants.

Krrr, krrr.

However, the endless waves of red ants surging toward me heralded the inevitability of death.

“...!”

Just then, I caught sight of something rolling on the floor. A bottle of F-Killa, which I bought to repel mosquitos during summer. I didn’t know if it would work on the ants, but it was my last hope.

Trembling, I reached for the F-Killa with my numb hand, but to no avail. Although it was only a meter from me, it felt as if I was gazing at a desert mirage. So close, and yet so far away.

Krrrr!

Meanwhile, the swarm of ants continued their onslaught. They crawled all over my body—on my limbs and even my face. At a glance, it was as if I was clad in red armor. Just before I was fully devoured by them, I gritted my teeth and pointed my finger at the button on F-Killa.

“Crushing... Forefinger of God!”

Click!

***

“

Hahaha

! How’s that, you monster?! Feel the might of the Great Empire!” Hibiscus, the second-in-command of the army, was ecstatic.

The first time he saw the monster worshiped by the black tribe, his heart sank.

-

Grrr.

Looking up at its colossal figure almost broke his neck. Moreover, the dark murderous aura it exuded made all his hair stand on end. He could see why the empire’s mightiest general, Stoogi, was defeated easily. No doubt, the monster was worthy of the title “god.” Still, it was no match for Hibiscus.

-

Grrarrrgh!

Drenched in its own blood, the monster let out a deafening roar, which thrilled Hibiscus even more.

“No god or monster can stand against His Majesty’s Great Imperial Army!”

Their empire didn’t only face tribes of their own kind across the continent. They had also faced and slayed countless other monsters that claimed to be gods. Especially Hibiscus, who was part of the general’s team and the backbone of the God-Slaying team.

“Do you think I’ve never faced any of you self-proclaimed gods before?! Artillery team, charge!”

Clack clack!

Commanded by Hibiscus, ten thousand archers assembled into a group, wielding their giant crossbows.

Pzzz!

The crossbows were loaded with sinister, large red arrows. It was their secret weapon—a poisonous arrow that could take down even gods.

“Monster! Taste the God-Slaying Poison! Fire!”

Peeew! Swooosh!

A volley of red arrows was fired at Hibiscus’ instruction, engulfing the monster.

-

Aaargh

!

Thud! Clatter!

The monster, pierced with arrows all over, let out a miserable scream before finally collapsing.

-

Cough! Cough!

The monster writhed in pain, suffering seizures from the poison. Seeing that, the army ants rejoiced all at once.

“

Hahaha

! How do you like that, Nameless Monster! This is the might of the Great Empire!” Hibiscus grinned triumphantly, then issued another command. “All troops, charge! Kill that monster! Cut off its head and present it to His Majesty!”

“

Aaaaaah

!” The army ants charged toward the fallen monster. Right when the hunt was about to come to an end...

“What a fool.”

Is that what a heavenly voice sounds like?

Hibiscus looked in the direction of the voice.

It was the Saintess of the black tribe who was imprisoned beyond the barrier where the monster dwelled. Unlike the rest of the lowly black tribe, her skin was dazzling white. Even when compared to the women of the empire, she was the fairest of all. They cared not about the spoils from wiping out the black tribe, only about the Saintess.

“Know your place, soldiers of the empire! Do you think insignificant beings such as you stand a chance against God? If you still cherish your lives, turn back!” the Saintess spoke solemnly.

“

Hmph!

Saintess of the black tribe, don’t you see that monster is on its last breath? Maybe your jewel-like eyes are just that—a mere decoration!” Hibiscus was rendered speechless.

“I shall never doubt God Yu Il-Shin. I only pity your foolishness.” The Saintess clasped her hands together and prayed.

“

Aargh

, you foolish witch! Let’s see if you can still say that after I rip off that monster’s head!”

Enraged, Hibiscus unsheathed his longsword. He charged at the monster that was surrounded by the red soldiers.

-Crushing Forefinger... of God!

Tssss! Tsss!

With a tremendous surge of vigor, a huge cloud of mist bloomed, enveloping the monster and the soldiers who were trying to slay it.

“

Cough cough!

”

“

Cough! Cough!

”

The soldiers, who were delightfully gnawing on the monster’s flesh, soon clutched their throats in agony. Hibiscus flinched and quickly covered his nose.

“P-poisonous fog?”

It wasn’t lethal enough to warrant an instant kill, but still dangerous. He yelled at his soldiers, “Everyone, stand back! The monster is about to unleash its final attack!”

Despite the unexpected retaliation from the monster, Hibiscus was unfazed. After retreating to a safe distance, they could keep firing poisonous arrows until the monster died.

Just as Hibiscus and his army swiftly avoided the poisonous fog and the monster...

-Fucking ants, die, all of you!

The monster roared ferociously. Even though Hibiscus couldn’t understand the monster, those words paralyzed him on the spot. It seemed to have the same effect on his soldiers. Some of them froze mid-escaping, staring at the monster in horror.

The monster was holding a large chunk of metal in its hand.

Click!

The monster flicked it, producing a small light.

Pow! Crunch! Clang!

Once it touched the poisonous fog, what started out as a small spark erupted, swallowing the imperial army.

“

Aaargh

!”

“Save me!”

“O-oh my god!” Hibiscus exclaimed in horror.

The world was burning. Hibiscus dropped his sword at the phenomenal sight. This monster couldn’t be compared to the ones he had hunted before! Most likely, it was a true god—one that the whole empire had to use their absolute power to defeat!

“I-is this the power of god...?”

Flurry!

Such was Hibiscus’ last words before the roaring flames devoured him.

***

Ding! Ding!

[You have slaughtered countless creations. This is an incredible feat for a new god.]

[You have been rewarded 100,000 Gcoins.]

[Yu Il-Shin’s karma has exceeded 100,000.]

[The massacre has raised the rank of your malevolent god title, Brutal Killer, from E to D.]

[The rescue of the poor Saintess and the black ant tribe has raised the rank of your benevolent god title, Benevolent Savior, from F to E.]

[The newly leveled up malevolent god title brought the alignment of Yu Il-Shin closer to a malevolent god.]

[The emergence of such a talented divine being has piqued the interest of some high-ranking malevolent gods.]

[High-ranking benevolent gods are watching you with concern.]

Ding!

[A high-ranking malevolent god, Silently Crawling Nightmare, has sent Yu Il-Shin a present.]

[Favors or gifts from high-ranking malevolent gods may cause a shift in your alignment.]

[Would you like to accept the gift? (Yes/No)]

1. ?/pyeong is a measuring unit used in Korea and China. It is roughly 33 sqft. ☜