On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons

Chapter 120: Please Call Me Bodyguard Yu Il-Shin

Once, the people of Jinan City in China’s Shandong province led peaceful lives.

“Aaaaaargh!”

“A-a monster!”

“Eeeek!”

But one day, everything went up in a smoke as a gate opened, from which monsters emerged.

-Hooo! Hooo!

Amidst his escape, Wang Chen had stumbled and fallen onto the ground. He could only helplessly stare at the monster before him. A rhinoceros monster larger than a dump truck, with horns sprouting all over its body, salivated over him. An A-rank Spiky Rhinoceros.

Sweating bullets, Wang Chen’s shaved head was soaked, as if drenched in rain.

Why?!

Why was this monster chasing him, of all people?! He was just an unattractive, middle-aged man! Surely, someone younger would be much tastier?!

Sniff sniff!

The Spiky Rhinoceros’s nostrils, larger than an adult’s head, flared wide as it sniffed the bag at its feet. Inside were the dumplings Wang Chen had spent an hour in line for at his favorite restaurant, Half Moon Hall.

Was this the cause?!

In the next moment, a tall shadow loomed over him. The Spiky Rhinoceros spread its cavernous mouth, about to swallow Wang Chen and the dumplings at once!

“Aaargh! Buddha! Please save me!” Wang Chen screamed, squeezing his eyes shut.

If I’d known this would happen, I would’ve gotten married first!

Swoosh!

Just then, a man appeared in the sky. He descended at tremendous speed, slamming his fist into the Spiky Rhinoceros’ head.

Baaaam!

Then, something incredible happened. Like a squashed watermelon, the terrifying Spiky Rhinoceros’ head exploded into a messy spray!

“...?” Wang Chen cautiously opened his eyes.

A grubby, shaggy-haired beggar stood before him with a bushy beard and a tattered training suit. Even the clothes underneath were ragged.

One of those who hid in the area recognized the beggar and exclaimed in delight.

“Beggar God! The Beggar God has appeared!”

“Oh! The rumored Beggar God!”

The Beggar God. Nowadays, in China, a certain beggar had become a hot topic, reminiscent of the Flower Beggars of the past. Despite his scraggly appearance, he actively healed the sick and defeated monsters more than any local Hunter, putting him in the spotlight.

“Beggar God! Beggar God!”

As people started to cheer and surround him, the Beggar God leaped into the sky. He was clearly avoiding the lavish attention.

Baaaam! Swoosh!

The Beggar God saved those in danger and left immediately afterward! Truly a hero of modern times! After such a close call, Wang Chen decided it was time for him to start going on blind dates. He didn’t want to become a bachelor ghost!

All of a sudden, Wang Chen felt hungry. Well, let’s have lunch first. However, his bag of dumplings was nowhere to be found. No, wait. The Beggar God had it! And he was walking into the distance!

“Beggar God stole my dumplings!”

***

Ding!

[Your good deeds have increased by 1.]

-----

[Quest: A Hundred Good Deeds a Day Makes the World a Beautiful Place.]

Quest rewards: Secret Elixir of Resurrection.

Effects: Can resurrect the dead. Made by Infinite Abundance by consuming her causality.

Good deeds required to complete the quest: 5,201/10,000,000

-----

I was on the rooftop of a building, where an LED board displayed an advertisement featuring an actor from the Greater China Region.

Glance glance—

I cautiously looked at my surroundings. After making sure no one was around, I opened the bag I had with me. A bald guy had given it to me in appreciation for saving him.

[Infinite Abundance preaches, saying although you did great saving people, stealing dumplings wasn’t good.]

I can’t hear you~

Ignoring Abundance noonim, I took out the dumpling, its steam warming me up.

Ugh! How long has it been since I had proper food?

[Infinite Abundance wipes her tears, wishing to continue preaching.]

For those curious about how I ended up as a beggar, I wandered around Taishan until I found the abandoned village where Xu Zhu’s mother was. There, I came across many other sick and injured people. Apparently, the villagers still had some humanity left, and those who were less ill would take care of those in worse condition.

Thankfully, I had arrived in time and was able to cure everyone in the village, including Xu Zhu’s mother. Seeing her tearfully expressing her gratitude made me unable to tell her about her daughter’s demise.

So instead, I introduced myself as Xu Zhu’s teacher at the Hunter Academy. I also told her that Xu Zhu was studying hard at school and advised her not to worry too much, but to focus on her own recovery instead.

“Huu...”

I cried the whole time I descended Taishan.

Although I became a Mid-tier Malevolent God in the aftermath of the incident, only Benevolent God could resurrect the dead. Obviously, I still had a long way to go before reaching the level of a High-tier God.

But then, Abundance noonim, who wouldn’t stop crying, gave me an offer.

[Infinite Abundance offers the quest: Secret Medicine of Resurrection. Although it’d significantly affect her causality, as long as you’re willing to walk on the path of a Benevolent God, she’d gladly put up with it.]

“Thank you! Thank you, Abundance noonim!”

I jumped in delight after reading the quest details.

Becoming a Mid-tier Benevolent God was already a high hurdle, let alone a High-tier one!

However, the quest itself was quite a challenge. Although the name was similar to the one I had taken in the past, simply picking up trash no longer counted as a good deed. Instead, it had to have correlations with human lives.

“It’ll be fine! I’m up for it!”

That’s right! I’m not that loser, Yu Il-Shin, anymore, but a god! I can even defeat an S-rank Hunter!

Brimming with motivation, I decided to head back. Thanks to the map given by the villagers, my trip down the mountains went without a hitch. Afterward, I returned to civilization. However, after being stranded for so long, I ended up looking like a beggar. Since I couldn’t speak Mandarin, the locals didn’t bother speaking to me. On top of that, my phone went out of battery.

Funnily enough, I could still run God-Maker. While I was trying to find my way home, a series of coincidences led me to save people in an epidemic-stricken area. I also defeated a monster that appeared out of nowhere.

At first, I didn’t do it for the quest, but seeing the number of good deeds grow at a staggering rate made me reconsider. Why didn’t I just complete the quest while at it? That was how it all began. As I became more prominent among the locals, the Chinese police and Hunters started tracking me down! To make matters worse, they somehow found out I was a South Korean! They even camped in front of the South Korean Embassy building!

Beggar God Yu Il-shin, an illegal immigrant and fugitive! n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

That was how I ended up hiding here, enjoying my dumplings. Ah, just thinking about it makes me sad...

“Hic...”

Just as I was about to take a bite of the tear-soaked dumpling...

“Hey, Uncle.”

Flinch!

Then, I heard a familiar voice, spoken in Korean.

“Why are you in this place?”

I didn’t run away. Instead, while desperately calming my pounding heart, I turned around. A lovely beauty, whose face resembled a cat, pinched her nose with a frown.

“Ugh, you stink! When did you last sho—”

Instantly, I was overcome with emotions, as if I’d just been reunited with a long-lost family member.

“Ms. Sung Mi-Na!” I charged at her like a buffalo.

Hug!

“Eek! W-what are you doing! Let me go!”

Sung Mi-Na panicked, trying to push me away.

“Waaah! Ms. Sung Mi-Na, I missed you so much!”

My tears overflowed like a broken dam. In this foreign land, Sung Mi-Na was like an angel to me.

“Haa...”

Seeing I became a sobbing mess, Sung Mi-Na sighed before hugging me tightly.

Pat pat—

“There, there. Don’t cry. U-Unni—no, Noona’s here. Aren’t you a good boy?”

***

Gone were the days when I would eat dumplings I’d picked up from the ground like some beggar.

Chew chew! Nyam nyam!

I was currently seated in first class on a chartered flight back to Korea, elegantly relishing my meal. The exquisite taste pleased my mouth, while the cozy seat pampered my ass. No wonder people loved first-class seats when traveling by air!

Sung Mi-Na, who sat across from me, frowned. “Haa. No one’s going to steal your food, so slow down.”

Despite her teenage appearance and prickly attitude, she was kind and trustworthy.

“Gulp! Mi-Na noona, thank you! I’ll never forget the kindness you’ve shown me today!”

She turned away, blushing.

“...You should thank the Chairman of the Hunter Association and Shin Yoo for preventing this from turning into an international issue. By the way, Shin Yoo used all his connections to arrange this chartered flight for you.”

Oh, Shin Yoo, is it? So he isn’t just an annoying fanatic! I’ll be sure to be nice to him the next time we meet. I wonder if his training is progressing well?

“Also, keep this in mind. We agreed on a narrative that the relief work you did in China was covertly requested by the China Hunter Association. If anyone asks you, you know what to say, right?”

“Yes.” I nodded vigorously.

I wasn’t sure what they discussed in detail, but it was probably a grown-up thing. I’d accept everything as long as I could return to Korea.

“But why would you appear on Newtube? Did it never occur to you that if you become famous, someone might recognize you?”

“Huh?” I stared blankly at Sung Mi-Na, who then sighed.

“I’m not sure if you’re smart or naive. Sometimes, you’re like a frightened child, and other times, you’re as trustworthy as a god. What the hell... Ugh.”

She pulled out a piece of napkin and wiped the sauce stain in the corner of my mouth.

“Anyway, as soon as we land, we have to see the Chairman of the Hunter Association.”

“Why?”

“In case you didn’t know, things have been quite chaotic in Korea recently. A few high-ranking Hunters went missing all over the world. Moreover, at least hundreds of Hunters suddenly went missing in China, including that crazy bitch, Lin XiaoMing, whom you failed to kill. That’s how serious it is.”

Flinch—

I stopped eating altogether. I knew they’d learn about the Three Martial Association sooner or later, but thinking that I might’ve been the cause of all this made me uneasy.

“U-uhm, so why is the Chairman looking for me?”

“They’re requesting some sort of protection. I’m not sure, but they especially asked for you. Well, they’re most likely dirt-rich, so the reward should be more than plenty.”

Protection? Like a bodyguard?

My heart skipped a beat as I imagined myself wearing a fancy suit while protecting a beauty, just like a bodyguard from a classic movie. Truly, it was every man’s dream!

Even after arriving in Korea, my heart still thumped with excitement. The same happened when I went to the client’s suite.

“Oh, you’re here.”

There, a middle-aged man with a handsome, Western actor-like beard waited for me in a bathrobe. He was the S-rank Creation-type Hunter, Kang Woo.

My hope was dashed.