On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 232: #That Omelet Roll Tastes Like Life

If anyone ever wondered what the human equivalent of a constipated dog looked like, they could just picture me glaring at the laptop on my dining table.

Curious about what I was doing? I was editing the manuscript for the paperback edition of my novel. As for why I didn’t just compile the chapters I’d already uploaded on the serialization platform? Well, that was all just words.

I had to write a biography for the book sleeve, reorganize the chapters, then double-check the entire manuscript for any errors or typos. Honestly, I didn’t want to work on it at first, knowing how tedious it’d be.

[Infinite Abundance says not to worry too much about Silently Crawling Nightmare. Though Silently Crawling Nightmare may be reckless, but she's still formidable. She also adds that confrontations between Top-tier gods can last from a month to hundreds of years.]

[All-Cutting Heavenly Sword chuckles and says that you’re too weak and would only get in her way. He adds that Silently Crawling Nightmare is just as strong as he is and suggests you stop worrying and simply wait to hear from her.]

Ever since I became a High-tier god, I could vaguely sense my stalkers’ presence. Still, the power gap between me and my Top-tier god stalkers was like that between an adult and a newborn.

I went ahead and trusted what my stalkers said. Impatient or not, I was still stuck on Earth, so I put my faith in Silently Crawling Nightmare and focused on the tasks at hand. Still, although I had begun working on my backlog, it wasn’t easy.

“What are muscles? Am I muscles? Are the muscles me? Alas, the ultimate muscle is too difficult to attain,” mumbled a nearly two-meter-tall, burly giant with rippling muscles.

Il-Ho could’ve ascended to godhood, yet he left the Tower of Warriors and borrowed Infinite Abundance’s powers for my sake instead. Once everything had settled down, I planned to send him back, but he burst into tears.

“It’s too early for me to return! Lord Yu Il-Shin’s crisis is far from over! I have traveled across space and time to be your shield! Please allow me to remain by your side!”

Tears welled up in my eyes when I heard his heartfelt cries. He’d spent eons to save me.

“Waaah! Il-Ho! Thank you for being so considerate when I’m such a pathetic god!”

“Hic, hic! Lord Yu Il-Shin! That isn’t true! You’re the only god I’m willing to serve!”

Thus, we wrapped each other in a passionate embrace between a god and a follower!

“Urk, aargh! Il-Ho, my waist! You’re suffocating me! Go easy on me!”

And that was how Il-Ho became my first tenant and why my muscles were still sore.

Groooowl!

Right in the middle of Il-Ho’s muscle meditation, his stomach rumbled loudly.

His eyes darted open. “Time to eat!”

He picked up one of the huge barrels that were piled up in the corner of my house.

The label read “Muscle King Protein.”

Unscrewing it, he poured it all into his mouth.

“Keke! Tastes amazing!”

FYI, Il-Ho’s favorite flavor is chocolate.

“As expected of the protein from a god’s realm! Oooh, I can feel my muscles growing!”

In the past, the people of Gayami Nation did get mysterious benefits when they had sugar from Earth. Was that why he could bulk up to the point of exuding a chocolatey glow? I was starting to suspect he didn’t want to go home because of the protein.

“Haa...”

Seeing the protein powder scattered across the floor made me regret buying them for him. I could afford it if it was just for Il-Ho, but...

“Des...troy!”

Sam-Shin, my little alter ego, held a spoon like a warrior, destroying a chocolate cake as huge as himself. He was Tenant Number Two, who’d been staying in one of the rooms of my small house ever since the Hunter War.

Did Jeanne Lehman buy that cake? The world’s third-strongest Hunter adored Sam-Shin so much that she’d visit Korea and shower him with lots of food and gifts.

I don’t see it. Is he really that cute?

Dark, panda-like eye circles; skin so pale that the veins were visible; and jet-black lips. No matter how I looked at him, he seemed to have come right out of a horror movie!

“Sam-Shin, is it that delicious?”

He was enjoying the finest cake from the finest boutique hotel.

Sam-Shin nodded in response. He had chocolate cream all over his mouth.

Grrrrr!

My stomach signaled to me that I was getting hungry too. I thought of having some sugar to get my creative juices flowing.

“Hey, can I have a bi—”

Sam-Shin stopped eating, his eyes glowing ominously with intense bloodlust. Had I said another word, he would have probably given me a taste of his destruction beams.

“Okay, okay! I won’t eat it! So petty!”

I wasn’t afraid of him or anything. I just didn’t want to be a bad adult who stole a kid’s snacks.

Ding!

God-Maker sent me a notification out of the blue.

[You have 2,100,241 new followers from Earth.]

I turned on the television.

Beep!

「Breaking news! South Korean Hunter Yu Il-Shin, who has been missing since Spain, has been sighted again! As if to fill the void left by S-rank Hunter Sasaki Roki, he single-handedly repelled an S-rank silk moth monster! 」

The monster had a monkey’s head, a tiger’s body, and a snake’s tail. A handsome man trampled on its decapitated head and then glared sharply at the camera.

「Trust me.」

The audience gasped in astonishment. Was that the reason behind the sudden increase in my followers...?

I don’t get it. We look the same, so why is he more popular than me?

“Bad boys are all the rage, huh?”

I tried mimicking Yi-Shin’s trademark expression—a poker face and sharp look—when I heard a contemptuous sigh from behind.

“What are you doing?”

“Ack! You surprised me! At least make a sound!”

Yi-Shin—Tenant Number Three—stood behind me. After the Hunter War, the Proliferating Thumb of God’s duration was no longer a concern. Just like Sam-Shin, Yi-Shin had become a High-tier god, allowing him to stay for a whopping 666,666 minutes. In other words, 11,111 hours or over 462 days.

Now that he had more leeways, he could travel the world, slay monsters, and gather more followers as a bonus.

“Il-Ho, get ready! Let’s spar!”

And here I was wondering why he showed up. So, they were having another sparring session?

Il-Ho wiped the protein powder off his mouth with his forearm and then jumped to his feet. “Kekeke! I’ve been waiting, Other Lord Yu Il-Shin! My muscles are itching for a fight!”

“I won’t go easy on you! Today, I'll definitely win!”

“I admire your determination! I won’t hold back today as well! Muuuscles!”

I inwardly cheered for their departure. Yes, leave! My house is only supposed to hold one person!

Clunk!

Just then, the front door burst open, and visitors rushed in.

“Hey! What kind of house doesn’t even have a working doorbell!”

“Hehe! Mr. Yu, I’m here!”

“Mhm~ Mr. Sword God~ Lin mei is here~!”

“Mr. Yu! I’m here too!”

“Mr. Sword God! Please let me join the training too!”

“Huh, you have a younger brother? Shall we have a celebratory drink on your safe return from the hospital?”

“Haha! How could we spend a great day like this without drinks!”

“I’m here, Grandson-in-Law!”

“Kyaa kyaa~!”

“Il-Shin! Yi-Shin! Uncle Sam-Shin! I’m here too! Let’s play~!”

Sung Mi-Ri, Sung Mi-Na, Lin Xiaoming, Xu Zhu, Sword Demon, Choi Kang-San, Baek Yoo-Hyun, Ko Sa-Deuk, Lilith, and even my niece Seong-Yeon had arrived...

I-It’s too cramped! It’s suffocating!

My small house became as crowded as a bustling marketplace due to the sudden rush of visitors! Seeing me and my alter egos initially confused them, but they quickly got used to it. A little too quickly, if I might add.

Yi-Shin shot Sung Mi-Ri a sharp look. “You’ve come at the right time, Sung Mi-Ri. I was wondering how to use your skill to enter the Red Lightning state. You’re welcome to join in our training.”

“Ah! You’re talking about the one Mr. Yu pulled off during Hunter War, right? He was really awesome back then! How did you do it, Mr. Yu?”

I scratched my bald, scarred head. “Huh? I just... did?”

Yi-Shin glowered at me, gritting his teeth. “Don’t be so arrogant. I can do what you can!”

“Yeah, sure...”

Just then, Lin Xiaoming pulled out a huge stack of bento boxes from the bundle strapped to her back.

“Mr. Sword Gods~ Training is great and all, but you haven't eaten yet, have you? Please have some of this. I've brought enough for everyone, so please dig in. Hohoho!”

The extravagant feast laid out before everyone looked so delicious that even Sam-Shin was salivating, abandoning his cake.

After taking a bite of Lin Xiaoming’s cooking, Choi Kang-San gave a thumbs-up. “Ooh, this is delicious! Definitely tastes great with alcohol! She’s wife-material!”

“Hoho, I'm flattered.”

With a bleary look, Sung Mi-Na shoved the bento box she had brought toward me.

“I made some too, so dig in! Don’t misunderstand; I was just bored and made too much!”

“Wow, it looks so cute!” Seong-Yeon exclaimed upon seeing the bento box.

Sung Mi-Na had molded black rice into cute-looking bears, with several side dishes forming a sunflower. She seemed to have put a lot of thought into the meal’s nutritional value.

Sung Mi-Na puffed out her chest. “Uh-huh, I used to be an art student, you know.”

Her bento box seemed to have sparked Sam-Shin’s curiosity. He reached out to take a piece of the rolled omelet from the leaves. However, he vomited it out immediately after.

“Blegh!”

“Eeek! Uncle Sam-Shin!”

How amazing, Sung Mi-Na.

That was the first time I’d seen Sam-Shin say something other than destroy.

“H-how strange. There’s no way...”

I fetched my laptop and stealthily left the tearful Sung Mi-Na and my other followers.

***

Tadaktadak!

At the park, I sat on a bench under the sun, eating Sung Mi-Na’s bento as I worked on my laptop. No one else seemed likely to eat it, and it felt wasteful to throw it out after she’d made it.

Nyam, nyam.

The rolled omelet was salty and sweet, with a tinge of bitterness—just like my life right now. What exactly did she put in this?

Gulp!

When I was poor, I had to eat plain rice with soy sauce, so this was considered a feast.

“Hello," a female gently greeted me as I focused on my manuscript.

I looked up to see a beautiful woman with curly locks. Her belly was visibly rounded, making it obvious she was pregnant.

She smiled brightly at me. “Do you mind if I sit here?”