On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 187: #Destroyer Yu Il-Shin (2)

The sudden Monster Wave in South Korea could potentially cause countless lives, but the crisis was averted by rising Hunter Steve Choi. Nevertheless, like the U.S. Monster Wave caused by the Beast of Deceit and Rapacity, this one was no coincidence.

At an abandoned building in the suburbs, a group of people clad in pure white masks and clothes gathered like the infamous KKK(white supremacy secret order). The only difference was the fierce, roaring dragon emblem on their clothes—the very same dragon that had once threatened the world, mankind’s despair, the Despair Dragon.

“Brothers!”

A similarly dressed man stood on the altar. On his neck was a necklace that should’ve belonged to a newborn, threaded with skull-shaped beads.

He lamented, “Before we begin the meeting, I have sad news to share. The ritual we’ve painstakingly prepared has been destroyed by nefarious obstructors!”

“Bunch of heretics!”

“How could they not accept fate?! Salvation for the fallen!”

“Who are they?! Father, I’ll make them pay with their blood!”

Roars of madness and anger filled the room in all directions.

The priest continued, "The one who slew our brethren—Apostle Johan and Divine Beast Gustav—is none other than the self-proclaimed god and zealot, Yu Il-Shin! The one who cleared the Monster Wave, preventing us from offering sacrifices to the Despair Dragon, is Steve Choi!”

At the priest’s signal, photos of Yu Il-Shin—dressed in a training suit and slippers like a local fool—alongside Steve Choi, a blond, skirt-chasing hooligan, were plastered on the wall.

“They’re our biggest enemies!” The priest hurled skull-handled daggers at the photos. “Great brothers of despair! Who’d like to punish them?!”

“Father, please leave it to me! I’ll show them no mercy!”

“No! Choose me, Nishimaru, for I am bestowed the Blessing of Gluttony by the Despair Dragon himself! I'll devour them and everyone connected to them until their blood runs dry!”

“No! Give Issac, bestowed with the Blessing of Scorching Heat, the chance to burn them alive!”

The priest watched his brethren with satisfaction.

“Oh, Brothers! How pleased I am to see that you’re willing to risk your lives for the cause! Surely, our master, Despair Dragon, will be delighted as well!”

His eyes glinted through the slits on his mask. He chose a few volunteers and gave them his blessings.

“Now, Brothers. Let us pray for our fellow brethren who have stepped forth. When the world falls into chaos, the Despair Dragon shall rise, and God of Destroyer shall descend! Destruction upon this corrupt world!”

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“Destruction upon this corrupt world!”

The assembled cultists of the Despair Dragon shouted in unison at the priest’s declaration.

***

“Des...troy.”

I sighed.

“Hey, are you sure you’re not Yi-Shin?” I asked, wondering if Yi-Shin had regressed and shrunk in size.

But the kid only frowned slightly, looking offended, and repeated the same line as before.

“Des...troy!”

So, he really isn’t Yi-Shin? What went wrong here?

I had an existential crisis all of a sudden. First, there was that punk Yi-Shin, and now this weird little kid who spoke like a broken record. And all I wanted was an extra thirty minutes of sleep! Was that asking too much?!

Haha, I’m going crazy.

At first, Seong-Yeon hid behind me, but after getting used to the new kid, she observed him closely. Even as my alter ego, I kept a close eye on him because he could pose a threat.

Meanwhile, Seong-Yeon boldly asked, “Are you Uncle, too?”

To which the boy nodded. “Des...troy!”

“Aaaw! You’re cute!”

...Seriously? My niece, how exactly is he cute?

His panda-like dark circles contrasted sharply with his powder-white skin. His red eyes glowed ominously. He also had full, ink-black lips. No matter how I looked at him, he was just like that ghost boy from a classic Japanese horror movie!

Eek! Scary!

Suddenly, a thunderous rumble reverberated in the air. I looked outside the window, thinking it was going to pour, but it was bright and sunny.

Where did the noise come from?

Ruuumble! Baaaam!

Seong-Yeon pointed at the little alter ego’s stomach and shouted at me, “Uncle! I think Little Uncle is hungry!”

“Des...troy!”

My head throbbed when I saw my little alter ego nodding in agreement.

***

Like an old saying, “You solve one issue only to create another.” I now had two kids to take care of.

"Welcome, sir. What may I get you?"

In contrast to the all-smiling Deria employee, I responded with a haggard look. “Haa. Two kid’s burger sets and a shrimp burger set, please.”

After paying for the meals and getting the drinks, I returned to our table. Seong-Yeon couldn’t take her eyes off little alter ego, now nicknamed Sam-Shin. He was expressionless like a wax doll.

Why “Sam-Shin”, you ask? Because he’s the second alter ego after Yi-Shin.[1]

I knew some would complain about my naming sense, but simple was best. I'd read many novels with names so complicated, even the authors forgot them after a while. Because of that, I found Sam-Shin very memorable and familiar.

Anyway, back to the situation at hand.

I asked Seong-Yeon, who still had her eyes on him, “Do you like him so much?”

“Yeah! I like Little Uncle a lot!”

I could never understand her. Sam-Shin just looked like a vengeful boy spirit. Right, didn’t Seong-Yeon ask her mother for a younger brother back then? Fed up with her insistence, my older sister tried to get Seong-Yeon to call me Oppa. Seong-Yeon rebutted it, saying, “Uncle is Uncle, not Oppa!”

“Little Uncle, eat the hamburger! It’s delicious!”

Sam-Shin looked at the hamburger, took a whiff of it, and grabbed it from her.

“Des...troy!” He opened his mouth wide and shoved the entire burger into his mouth.

Gulp!

See? I didn’t call him a ghost for nothing.

“Little Uncle, do you want this too?” Seong-Yeon asked, handing him a barely eaten burger.

Sam-Shin snatched it, shoving it into his mouth.

“Wah! Little Uncle must be very hungry!” She then handed him my burger as well.

Hey, that’s mine.

“Des...troy!”

Gulp!

...There goes my burger.

Seong-Yeon’s eyes grew wide as she poked my sides.

“Uncle, Uncle. More hamburgers, quick!”

“Alright. Stop poking me!” I couldn’t resist her urging and went to order more.

I finally witnessed what a bottomless pit was—or rather, a bottomless hamburger pit. At the same time, I also recalled a slang, HMB, a short for “how many burgers (can one eat)? Sam-Shin inhaled the burgers like a vacuum cleaner. He must’ve had thirty of them at once!

This monster!

Sam-Shin was a nuisance of a different breed than Yi-Shin! I’d really go bankrupt at this rate!

“Little Uncle, you’ll get sick if you don’t stop eating. You need to peel it first. Here, follow me.”

My only consolation was seeing how happy Seong-Yeon was.

Alright, should I take this chance to work on my manuscript?

I pulled out the laptop from my bag. I should work on my manuscripts during my spare time. Great works were built from bits and pieces. Of course, I also had to submit some before my furious editor came knocking on my doorstep after my unannounced two-month hiatus.

If asked why I stayed a writer instead of earning more as a Hunter, I had no clear answer. Perhaps loyalty to my editor, who’d been overseeing me since I was a kid, or basic courtesy for my readers, who’d supported my work over the years. I also had a sense of duty as a writer. Still, one thing was certain—if even one person found joy in my work, it wasn’t in vain.

That’s a bit embarrassing...

Tadak, tadadak—

As I worked on my manuscript, I felt a burning gaze on me. Sam-Shin was glaring ravenously at my laptop.

“What? Do you want to try working on manuscripts?”

Sam-Shin nodded.

Why would I entrust this job to a teenager?

However, I began writing when I was ten. Back then, I was hailed as a genius, and my editor had high expectations. Just how did I end up like this, indeed. Still, Sam-Shin could be a young prodigy.

“Alright. But don’t break my laptop.” I handed him my laptop with anticipation.

With gleaming eyes, Sam-Shin grabbed it and began typing at breakneck speed.

Tadadak! Tadadadak! Tadadadadak!

“Ooh! Incredible speed!” I marveled. He was typing at least ten times faster than me!

As expected of my alter ego!

If he could do my job for me, I’d gladly buy him a hundred burgers!

Go for it, Sam-Shin!

After typing furiously for the next ten minutes, Sam-Shin expressionlessly shoved the laptop back at me.

Sure enough, it was filled with words.

Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. Destroy. ...

Scratch that, with just one word, typed over and over again in red. My head throbbed as if hit by a sledgehammer.

“Des...troy!” Sam-Shin crossed his arms expectantly, as if asking for my feedback.

I knew it! You’re useless! Ugh, no, it’s my fault for even having expectations...

I tearfully erased the text.

Suddenly, sirens wailed in the distance, signaling a monster attack. Soon after, everyone's phones in the restaurant rang with an ear-piercing alert as well.

A monster, presumed to be Rank A, has appeared at Gangdong-gu Office station! Citizens in the vicinity are required to evacuate to the nearest evacuation center!

The location of the incident was only about ten kilometers away from where we were.

1. In Korean counting numbers, 1 = Il (which is the MC himself), 2 = Yi, 3 = Sam. Hence, why I say our MC has bad naming sense in the first place. But now that I think back, he's probably just lazy at this point. ☜