Chapter 38
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: Heaven's Will (2)
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[Subordinates detect that the enemies' response is somehow strange]
"Huh?"
The notification popped up right after the ants, having taken a brief rest to reorganize and expand the nest, began their full-scale activities—while I was sorting through my belongings for the move.
At the mention of the enemies' odd response, I opened the screen to display what the ants were seeing right in front of me.
'What are they planning? They can't just keep abandoning the land and running forever.'
I could see why the ants felt puzzled.
The northerners aside, the people from the southern regions were supposed to fight fiercely, but even they were continuously abandoning their land and retreating.
They were leaving behind their villages and cities, with only those who looked like soldiers hunkering down in rugged fortresses to prepare defenses.
[Subordinates discover the barrier the enemies are constructing]
"So that's what it was for..."
It didn't take long for the reason to become clear.
They were buying as much time as possible, pouring all their efforts into erecting a towering barrier in what they deemed a suitable location.
From the perspective of the flying scouts, the barrier looked like tiny specks, but it stretched long and high like the Great Wall in reality, clearly designed to sever the land entirely.
"Hurry it up! We don't know when those things will swarm us!"
"Those bastards are exceptionally skilled at digging tunnels and building strongholds underground. Engrave defensive spells at the base of the barrier to prevent them from tunneling through easily!"
Just before the scouts came under attack, I flew them as close as possible and zoomed the screen to its limit, overhearing their conversation as they built the massive wall.
They weren't just stacking a wall—they were layering it with all sorts of spells for defense and adding facilities, thorough to the point where it felt like they were giving it everything they had.
'Even with magic, they built this much in such a short time? Did the Goddess lend a hand or something?'
I still didn't fully understand what magic was in that world.
But I knew it wasn't limited to spewing fire, summoning wind blades, or raining ice spears.
They could make massive stone pillars erupt from the ground or deploy creaking giant stone golems—structures that would take heavy machinery on Earth quite some time to build, yet they'd completed them in this brief window.
That said, it might not all be their own power.
「Accessing Divine Community」
To check, I paused packing and logged into the Divine Community.
I already knew someone presumed to be Goddess Henes was constantly posting on the boards, cursing me out whenever she had a chance.
She complained that nothing was going right for her because of me—or rather, because of the ants draining her strength.
Look at this, another mutant has appeared. What the hell is this crazy mutant?
The mutants are getting weirder and more numerous. After the living bombs, now high-speed ones that run faster than horses?
I hope they haven't reached the Letra Continent yet. Please.
Sure enough, Goddess Henes had left a recent post.
It was about a new mutant born from the queen devouring a vanguard and using its abilities.
Other deities were actively exchanging information about the ants in the comments.
At least it seems they've solidified their foundations thanks to it. Isn't that a good thing?
There were a few smart ones among the subordinates, so we could cull them quickly. It's a shame, but unavoidable.
Through the comments, I vaguely pieced together how the Golden Mandate Society had tightened their internal unity.
From their perspective, they'd used the ants—absolute evils that had to be stopped—as a pretext for harsh purges and crackdowns.
'While the ants were expanding the nest and reorganizing, that's what was happening over there. So that's how they managed to move so nimbly.'
A small sigh escaped me.
It wasn't something I needed to worry about with my ant subordinates—I'd forgotten about it—but other deities would always prioritize internal cohesion.
There were many ways to bind a group, but they'd chosen suppression backed by force and fear.
A method with severe side effects... but as long history proved, its effectiveness was undeniable.
Anyway, preparations seem solid within the timeframe. Block them well. Buying time is key.
Wait, is that all you have to say? This is an Outer God's forces. You're just going to hand over Edellion like this?
I've already provided all the support I could. Thanks to the golems, the barrier construction is nearly done in one go. Isn't that enough? Unlike you, I haven't even finished securing my surroundings.
It also came to light that other deities were helping to some extent.
One responded to her claim that they all needed to unite against the Outer God—me—by mentioning the golems they'd supplied.
The heavy machinery from that world used for the barrier.
'Guess getting ganged up on is inevitable.'
Even setting aside my still-restricted functions, normal diplomacy with the ants was impossible anyway.
Just as before, the ants and I would remain villains in that world going forward.
[Subordinates ponder how to find gaps in the barrier. They judge it crucial to find a path before the barrier blocks all the land]
'Just stalling for time is pointless. There's no benefit in dragging it out.'
The enemies had rallied their forces through violent suppression of their own—expecting backlash from that wouldn't work on ants endlessly craving more food.
The ants hungered for more prey every moment.
If prey was within reach, they wouldn't avoid the fight.
They only exercised patience when it meant devouring even more food later.
If the ants were set on fighting, it was right for me to support them.
[The Queen insists that fighting as soon as possible is the right choice. She believes depleting each other's forces and acquiring spoils in the process will drive the colony's evolution]
As the colony's core, the Queen especially desired swift war.
The ants could only obtain the special resources needed for evolution through endless conflict with hostile forces.
"If only I could procure that for them..."
Watching her, I couldn't help but give a wry smile.
I knew what resource the ants needed most right now, but it wasn't something I could easily provide.
The Queen, who could only devour insects so far, surely couldn't consume magic stones yet.
'As expected.'
For now, we'd proceed step by step with what needed doing, just like how the ants gradually overcame their weaknesses through evolution.
Taking a deep breath, I slowly lifted the heavy breeding case.
When I tried moving it, the portal inside the tunnel remained in the case, not the ground, just as I'd confirmed before.
This meant the move could go as planned.
[Subordinates are greatly flustered by the sudden change]
[The Queen detects an unnatural earthquake and is convinced this is no natural phenomenon]
"Oops."
I'd only lifted and slightly moved the breeding case, but inside, notifications rang out as if the earth was shaking and the world was upheaving.
Seeing the ants' movements accelerate in shock on the screen, I hurriedly set it back in place.
If they reacted like this already, what would happen during the actual move?
[The Queen believes the recent event was influenced by the 'something' watching over the colony]
To reassure them, I opened the lid and tossed in a few mealworms—now more symbolic than food. Worker ants carried them off, and the Queen's thoughts appeared as a notification.
Something. To them, I was still just something.
But the ants had been aware of my presence for some time now, and as they grew, their perception was becoming more defined.
It wouldn't be long before they fully grasped my existence and identity...
"..."
Watching the mealworms fall from the sky, the Queen saw the worker ants dismember them for storage and reflected.
At some point, the periodic mealworm feedings only dropped from the heavens at special moments.
The first she remembered was clearly after a battle victory.
After that, when she evolved, when new mutants were created—whenever the colony grew or achieved something, mealworms fell from the sky.
[The Queen knows it is no coincidence]
Having evolved repeatedly, the Queen clearly understood its meaning.
Even if she didn't know its exact nature or concept, she knew there was something beyond the sky watching over them.
Proof that Jin-hyuk's efforts to imprint and teach them his presence hadn't been in vain.
'More food.'
It wasn't just mealworms falling from the sky.
New materials to evolve the ants dropped too.
The Queen always craved more materials. Her predation ability was still limited to insects, and Jin-hyuk's aid was the only source.
To get that, she had to act in ways that pleased that existence for rewards.
'More war.'
The Queen thought quite rationally.
The colony's accumulated memories didn't fade. Her developed intelligence could uncover new truths from the past.
Based on how he provided new insects after every victory, she inferred his intent.
Thus, she believed he desired war. Since it aligned perfectly with her own desires, it was ideal.
'Who exactly...'
Naturally, concrete curiosity about him began to bud.
And that curiosity snowballed beyond just him.
Who was he, and what was the transparent wall imprisoning them with the soil?
It was no magic. The acrylic wall was a material unseen in Edellion.
Their other world, Edellion, was rapidly building experience—and that experience fueled exploration.
[The Queen thinks they must not give the enemies time]
But for now, satisfying that curiosity took a backseat to sweeping away the enemies before them.
The human colony, in the Queen's judgment, developed steadily over time—not as fast as the ants, but relentlessly.
They couldn't be given time.
[Subordinates identify the weakest point in the enemies' fortress]
The ants had their own expertise in tunneling and construction. Using scouts, they pinpointed the most incomplete and vulnerable section of the barrier, then surged toward it en masse.
A grand army of tens of thousands—mutants unseen on this land until now, blended into one.