Chapter 140
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 140
Chapter Title: Aftermath (2)
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"We're just gonna fortify the walls and hold out."
I'd taken some undeserved flak for being mistaken as an Outer God, getting hit with a coordinated assault in the process, but staying silent and hiding our intel to the end had clearly been the right call.
Even now, openly lurking in the Divine Community, no one suspected a thing.
Thanks to that, I could eavesdrop on their grand plans for stopping us.
This position had paid off handsomely so far, and I was still reaping the benefits right this moment.
"Slow things down a bit. In the meantime, we'll build our strength and prepare to crush them in one fell swoop."
I relayed the oracle to my subordinates.
We'd launch a total offensive right before the dwarf-forged dimensional gate currently under construction was completed, bringing it all crashing down.
Dimensional gate tech—one of the common win conditions among Deities—was something we absolutely had to secure.
Strike too early, and we'd miss out on grabbing it. Too late, and we'd face defeat against the hordes of advanced civilization foes pouring out from there.
Timing it perfectly seemed key.
"We shall all obey the command of the Great One."
Seira looked up at the sky and bowed, as if she'd understood my directive.
Ari was there beside her, and more importantly, Asmodra and Bellona had grown enough to grasp bits of my words now, too.
'Gotta trust 'em.'
I smirked as I watched them.
How could I not feel secure after everything they'd shown?
Situations shifted by the second, and we'd faced no shortage of the enemies' desperate final tricks, but they'd overcome it all with unyielding obsession and grit.
They'd won and survived—that's why we were still breathing today.
Facing off against veteran Deities with far more experience and stronger forces, we'd triumphed despite it being our first rodeo, both as Deity and subordinates.
'Maybe I can finally catch a breather?'
Compared to those fighting tooth and nail in that other world, my side felt cushy, sure—but even I couldn't tear my eyes from the screen for a second while the ants waged war.
Daily life? Same deal. Picking up magic stones to feed the enclosure, tossing in fresh prey for gene devouring—all while glued to the feed.
Mental fatigue was unavoidable.
We were bound by fate; I couldn't afford a single lapse or casual thought.
"Your proxy, preparations are complete. We'll head to the designated rendezvous as scheduled."
"You've worked hard. I leave it to you."
Of course, that didn't mean I could just lounge around doing nothing.
The 'hive' I now oversaw wasn't confined to Edellion anymore.
I ended the call with Baek Jin-seong and flopped onto the living room sofa, pulling up the Divine Net feed again.
That Nezahel bastard's finally sensing the crisis. He's been stalled on expansion and offense by hunters for nearly 3 years now.
Arrogant prick. The number of worlds he's invading at once with his minions is over 120.
This is when we drive the wedge home. Updating the hunter system—entering Phase Two.
A few days back, the 'Earth' board on the Divine Community—which I checked periodically—had blown up with Deities chattering excitedly.
I'd watched it all unfold quietly.
It was a historic moment that had been telegraphed for a while.
And on that board, a Deity called [Order that Bestows Light]—the mediator and rep for the hunter system on Earth, backed by pooled power from the masses—kicked off a major announcement.
'They've even implemented stuff like this.'
My stake in the hunter system was negligible—barely ant-level, if that.
But unlike me, others had poured in multiples, even dozens of times more resources, priming the system for another evolution.
A game to oust Outer God Nezahel's minions and let Deities compete for true dominion over Earth.
Phase Two was kicking off now.
'New dungeon formats, extra rewards galore, a system-run multidimensional auction house, and dimensional exchanges for aid from other planets.'
I skimmed the details and felt a weird déjà vu, letting out a dry chuckle.
This familiarity hit like playing a game.
Just like devs dropping expansion content and events, Deities were treating Earth's hunter system like their personal playground.
The system itself had plenty of features tailored for their amusement.
The Divine Net bound them under order, so it had to offer something worthwhile in return.
We'll announce this globally, but as you know, precisely notifying every subordinate is tricky. So, regional reps will host absolutely neutral summits. Violators get expelled—and punished.
They instructed Deities to inform Earth subordinates via these summits.
Each Deity was obligated to notify their rep subordinate to attend.
Any fallout was on them—no one could ignore it.
"...Speaker's got an external engagement."
Today—the day Baek Jin-seong called saying preps were done and they were heading out—was the day.
Every Deity pausing the rat race to dispatch reps for the summit.
I skimmed the news articles and chuckled wryly.
Speaker's external schedule, conglomerate chairmen on 'vacation,' S-rank hunter interview reschedules, and more.
None of it coincidence.
While tens of millions of civilians wound down their 'normal' day toward bedtime, the tiny elite—puppets of Deities—were converging right now.
"Nervous?"
"A little."
Inside the parked car, engine off.
Baek Jin-seong, in the driver's seat, chatted up Ji Ye-eun in the passenger side.
As he'd noted, she looked a bit pale.
"It's not like we're fighting. Who knows what'll be said."
Ji Ye-eun said she'd rather battle monsters.
She was our human hive queen now, but to me, she was a born warrior.
If anything, more like Bellona than Asmodra.
"Same here. First time in a spot like this. But serving the Great One lets us glimpse the world's truth—how fortunate is that?"
Baek Jin-seong stepped out, opening the door.
A nondescript factory on the outskirts of the dark metropolis.
But underground lurked a massive bunker built atop a cleared dungeon.
Hidden not just physically but via magic and rituals—impossible to find conventionally. A ultra-secret facility prepped by Deities for exactly this.
Through the tense eyes of Baek Jin-seong and Ji Ye-eun heading there, I saw it all raw.
"This is..."
"Hey, I think I know you guys!"
The moment they passed the invisible illusion barrier.
The empty, silent bunker entrance flipped to a bustling space packed with people.
And someone recognizing them piped up casually.
'Assemblyman Jang Man-jung.'
I sighed softly at the pudgy-faced man.
With top S-rank hunter Yoo Soo-hyun as his guard, he was a household name—Speaker of the National Assembly and top subordinate to Korea's biggest Deity power, [Fountain of Discarded Wisdom].
"You're famous these days, Hunter Ji Ye-eun."
"...Thank you."
"Head inside and wait. Everyone should gather soon."
As Korea's regional rep hosting this neutral summit for his master, Jang Man-jung—with Yoo Soo-hyun—took charge of order among core subordinates.
Sure enough, inside the bunker, even more folks chattered noisily.
A rare party-like vibe, absolute neutrality guaranteed by mutual Deity pacts.
Fancy booze and grub everywhere—more banquet than meeting.
'One hell of a red pill. Wonder how the public would react if this leaked?'
I watched it all through their eyes, smirking bitterly.
Rival party lawmakers who'd bickered fiercely in Assembly sessions yesterday now bro-hugged and laughed.
The prosecutor vowing on camera to bust corruption and embezzlement clinked glasses with conglomerate heads; the media boss railing for hunter crackdowns joked with hunters about toning down the act.
This nation danced to their tune.
The masses, deluded into thinking they called their own shots, just chased the bait they dangled.
And it wasn't just here.
Most of the world was like this. Deity incursions had started 20 years back.
"No way..."
"Can't help but be shocked at first. You know? Even the war-torn hotspots buzzing in the news? All rigged games."
Ji Ye-eun froze at the spectacle; Baek Jin-seong chuckled and shook his head.
Fierce rivals who could kill each other, yet bound by strong ties to the same 'order' apart from the masses.
"But isn't that natural? You've seen it yourself, Ji Ye-eun. This land's just a speck of sand, and out there in the cosmos lurk immensities we can't fathom!"
Baek Jin-seong's eyes sparkled, thrilled by it.
The power and knowledge from Deities? Miracles to any normie.
Once tasted, hard to quit.
The thrill of knowing the 'true truth' that only you grasp.
"Hm..."
Honestly, tough to deny.
Fact was, I knew more than anyone in that room—the sole being on Earth who did.
'They're all mine to devour anyway.'
I hadn't told Baek Jin-seong or Ji Ye-eun yet, but I wanted Korea firmly in my grip, at minimum.
Ousting the Deities eyeing it, claiming their forces and subs— it'd supercharge my plan to raise ants and boot Outer Gods and rival Deities from Earth.
And right now, all the hive-mind targets Ji Ye-eun needed to assimilate were gathered here.
Unlike ants, she couldn't spawn soldiers.
But she could subjugate others into her hive.
Power brokers, tycoons, media moguls, elite hunters with muscle.
Devour this crowd, and like they'd done for 20 years, I'd own the nation.
"Alright, then. Time to relay the announcement."
Everyone settled; Jang Man-jung stepped up as rep, reciting the Deity directive.
Hunter system Phase 2 details widened eyes everywhere.
Rule-shattering, paradigm-busting updates that upended the status quo.
Stagnant competition bored them. Deities craved fun, birthing dark horses in the process.
So I was dead certain: this was the trigger to kick my plan into high gear.
[140 - Aftermath (2)] End