Chapter 61
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 61
Chapter Title: The Value of Life (3)
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[Selling Promising Prospect with Finnish Nationality, Emil Stone]
[Proposal for Voting on System Modifications in Northeast Asia]
[Lately, it seems like the Chinese Chairman is trying to escape control...]
‘Still the same as ever.’
Kim Jin-hyuk had long known what kinds of things went down on this message board created by the deities who had entered Earth.
They competed within the rules they themselves had set, and ever since the cataclysm began twenty years ago, they had been freely manipulating the entire planet to their whims.
The hunters—whose position and importance had steadily risen over the years—and the system that birthed them were essentially equivalent in value to the deities who toyed with Earth through the Divine Net from some unknown world.
「Contribution Reward Claimable: Current Contribution 0」
‘I don’t know about anything else, but I’ve got to try this at least.’
Though he’d earned the right to participate officially, Jin-hyuk had no intention of posting or commenting yet—not until he was prepared for any contingencies.
Instead, what he’d had his eye on from the start was the authority to directly intervene in the system itself.
Having paid his dues and joined as a full-fledged deity, Jin-hyuk was fully qualified to meddle in this hunter system created and run by the majority of deities.
Contribution rewards—one form of compensation given to deities based on their contributions to the hunter system—was just one example.
And the rewards available through contribution points were incredibly diverse.
Everything from resources, abilities, and authorities needed to build influence on Earth to even ‘people’ themselves.
Of course, claiming those rewards required ongoing investments into the system, but he wasn’t without sources of income.
His subordinates, the ants, were actively expanding, and they’d keep bringing in items like the divine crystals he’d used for entry fees.
A peaceful world just like the tranquil childhood he remembered—one free from invasions by outer gods or the meddling of greedy deities.
That was Jin-hyuk’s goal. He believed that if he could seize control of the system from within, he could guide the world thereafter without major chaos or issues.
And for that belief to come true, his foundation—his everything—the ants would need to demonstrate even greater power.
They still haven’t caught that troll yet?
All we know is they’re in Korea. Tiny country, but with tens of millions of people—how are we supposed to comb through every last one?
“Ugh...”
But among the posts, a few pricked at him uncomfortably.
Even now, as his following continued to grow, drawing ever more attention, there were threads from those seeking him out to suppress the outer god gates he was creating.
‘Still, my hunch was right. As long as I stay quiet, they can’t pinpoint me first.’
The one reassuring factor was that, from their frustrated posts, his identity still hadn’t been nailed down.
Letting out a sigh of relief, he busied himself scanning the multiple split screens.
[Bellona dislikes Asmora building a nest in her territory]
[Asmora tells her to go pioneer new lands if she doesn’t like it]
For the imperial campaign, Asmora was gradually relocating most of her horde.
Leaving behind the untamed primeval forests and the northern lands she’d conquered, a massive nest was taking shape in what had once been orc territory, along with a vast, intricate underground city deep beneath the earth.
It was a monumental task that required countless worker ants and still took considerable time.
But Asmora wasn’t rushing. There was no reason to act hastily with inadequate preparations.
In time, both the new nest and the old one would fully mature anyway.
It would require a ton more food, but they could source that from the newly conquered lands.
“Hurry up and move! We need the tallest, most perfect walls possible!”
Meanwhile, the side targeted by the ants was making desperate preparations of its own.
One example was the massive border wall the Lukadia Empire was constructing—one linking the numerous northern fortresses built over centuries of conflict with the orcs.
Pouring in immense labor, vast resources, and even high-tier magic bestowed by deities, the wall clearly aped the one the Holy Kingdom had built first.
‘Well, it’s not like the ants couldn’t get over it.’
The ants were well aware of that fact, and so was Jin-hyuk.
He scratched his head. The reason the ants hadn’t breached the Holy Kingdom’s wall was simply to periodically harvest food from there.
No one knew what would happen if the ants truly committed to breaching it.
But it was unlikely to be the infallible defensive line the empire hoped for.
What a waste of effort. Send more troops instead of building walls! Wouldn’t more support for us be better!?
Nonsense! If they split off even a small force to raid our rear, do you have any idea how much damage that’d cause?
The orc deity Urmark was deeply displeased by these developments.
He’d assumed he couldn’t invest much in the grassland orcs acting as a buffer, but the empire’s actions seemed to presume the orcs’ annihilation.
‘Is this sly bastard planning to feed us to them?’
Urmark couldn’t help but harbor such suspicions.
Though those in the region had agreed to band together against the ants, deities fundamentally didn’t trust one another.
[Subordinates attempt another invasion]
Meanwhile, the reorganized nomadic horde—now joined by Asmora’s massive army—surged forward, countless ants swarming toward the orcs who had formed defensive lines on the southern grasslands before the under-construction wall.
They aimed to wipe out the orc forces blocking the path to the empire first.
“The Great War God decrees that unwavering courage and valor forge miracles! And you’ve all witnessed it already.”
Orc Lord Gorjan raised the battle axe bestowed upon him and shouted.
Though many orcs had fallen to the ants, paradoxically, the survivors had banded together more tightly than ever.
Uniting so many tribes into one was unprecedented—a monumental achievement.
Had it not been for the ants, it might have birthed the strongest orc empire this region had ever seen.
‘Behold this majestic sight. It feels like we could do anything.’
Gorjan’s lips curled up as he gazed at the tens of thousands of warriors assembled before him. And this was just a fraction.
No matter how formidable the enemy, he now held a historically elite force in his grasp.
“Reports say they’re coming in two groups. One is the horde that’s been active here before, and the other set out from their main nest.”
The orcs had identified the two incoming ant forces.
One was Bellona’s nomadic horde. The other was the troops dispatched by Asmora’s grand horde.
“...This won’t end in a single clash. Fight to minimize losses without overextending.”
Gorjan’s face hardened as he instructed the gathered tribe chiefs.
As he said, the ants were gearing up for a war of attrition.
They were confident that if both sides bled resources and lives in fierce combat, the orcs would collapse first.
“But we have the power to turn that around. And the Great War God never overlooks warriors who earn merit.”
Miracles are called miracles because they turn the impossible into possible.
Gorjan’s words set the eyes of those gathered ablaze.
They had already seen how far a warrior chosen by the god could rise.
Divine blessings, special armaments, and more.
They had to fight to survive anyway, and with such firm promises added, it was more than enough to boost their morale and ignite their desire to rack up achievements.
“Let’s fight!”
“Slaughter the wicked demons and earn our glory!”
With their spirits charged, the tribe chiefs and commanders returned to their units, leading them to pre-planned positions.
With technical aid and siege weapons from the empire, the orcs could at least build fortresses at key points and establish defensive lines, if not a full wall.
“There they are. Reports said they split into three to hit nearby fortresses at once—this must be one of them?”
“At least we’ve got Commander Rune here.”
Rune, the orc warrior who had risen to grand general in the orc kingdom that unified numerous tribes and declared itself a realm.
He wielded the divine sword Palkara, a gift from Urmark, and was a stalwart veteran of the battlefield.
Now, fully armored with his subordinates, he awaited the enemy at his assigned defensive line.
‘Preparations are perfect. All that’s left is to prove ourselves against these demons.’
They’d prepared thoroughly for the ants.
Traps for leaping ants, massive ballistae for dragon ants from the sky, upgraded golems to counter heavy armored ants bulldozing forward.
Of course, variables could arise. That’s why Rune planned to handle them personally with his own strength.
With the divine sword and blessing from the Great War God, he was confident he could fell even the largest foes.
“They’re coming...!”
“Sound the drums and horns!”
At last, the ants appeared on the open horizon, swarming like a living mass.
They marched with majestic menace.
Troops from Asmora’s grand horde.
The mix of variants with diverse appearances matched their expectations.
“...Huh?”
“Commander, those don’t look like the illustrations.”
But as the distance closed and the orcs got a clear visual, murmurs rippled through their ranks.
They’d long shared intelligence on the ants.
Though they couldn’t lead the research themselves, they’d studied the variants’ appearances, powers, and more via other factions or divine aid.
‘What’s this? They look different. Not completely alien, but...’
Rune’s eyes widened too.
Take the most conspicuous heavy armored ants with their massive builds.
Even the heavy armored variant, born from Asmora preying on giant armored beasts, now sported thicker plating than reported—and a huge pincer claw on its forelimbs that shouldn’t have been there.
The other ants were similar.
Their once sleek black exoskeletons had transformed into even thicker, tougher material.
It resembled not insect chitin, but the hard shells of crustaceans like giant scorpions, lobsters, or flower crabs.
[Asmora anticipates victory for her newly upgraded variants]
“Guess they’re making use of it somehow.”
Jin-hyuk gave a wry smile in front of the breeding grounds, eyeing the traces where the ants had devoured everything but scraps.
The newly grown Asmora had consumed and absorbed abilities from giant arthropods and crustaceans like massive scorpions, lobsters, and flower crabs.
All far larger than average worker ants.
Thanks to Asmora’s rapid growth, predation had succeeded, but the horde—still struggling with giant armored beasts—refused to produce even bigger variants.
[Asmora attempts a new approach: Transplanting new abilities to existing variants for incremental evolution]
So Asmora compromised with reality.
Instead of endlessly creating stronger, larger variants, she experimented with transplanting only the newly acquired abilities.
The result: soldiers encased in far tougher shells than before.
[Asmora muses that this might be a more efficient and powerful path]
At the same time, Asmora glimpsed a new direction.
The hive queen was gradually learning to utilize resources ever more efficiently.