The God's Abode (1)
Convenience store. I'd already taken nearly half of it. Still, there was plenty of drinks left. The coughing auntie was cracking open a rice drink and feeding it to her daughter. The skeletal uncles and aunties around her were eyeing me nervously, wondering if they should grab more.
"Leave this convenience store be for now. In exchange, I've cleared all the nearby buildings. The ones with broken windows outside? Those are the ones I've cleaned up, so loot them. They'll be safe."
"Th-thank you, God!"
"But, God... um..."
Everyone was thrilled, but the leader auntie spoke up.
"Why... aren't you taking any believers...?"
This question seemed hugely important to them. They were all staring at me intently. No real reason to lie, anyway.
"Two main reasons. First, I'm not fully prepared yet. Can't take in a lot of people. Second, if I took you all in, that Daemo bitch would definitely turn hostile toward me or my followers. I'm a god. I don't want to casually kill humans. Unless there's no other choice, I don't want to go out of my way to oppress or torment them."
The skeletal aunties and uncles exchanged glances, looking like they had a lot to say. Damn, that Daemo woman really must've lost all the people's trust.
"She might not sit well with you all, but to me, she's just another human."
"Um... God. That..."
"What?"
One skeletal uncle ventured cautiously.
"When... will you be ready...?"
"Who knows."
If I slaughter zombies like crazy and rack up coins like a motherfucker, it'll be quick. "To start taking in believers properly... nah. Better not say it, or you'll get your hopes up."
A collective "Aww..." of disappointment.
"I'll stop by this convenience store every time I come here, stuff or no stuff. If you have something to say to me, leave a note behind the counter there."
"Understood."
They all nodded in unison. Huh. Prospective believers? Whatever, fuck it.
Speaking of which, the coughing auntie and her skeletal daughter. They were taking whatever I gave them, but... hmm.
"My place is a 30-minute walk. You could run, but your body's too weak for that. What do you think?"
"I'll... be fine. But Mother..."
"I'm okay too, God. Really."
"Alright then. Everyone, let's get moving. You, hop on my back."
The auntie helped her daughter onto my back.
* * *
The problem was this: my home, my abode, my shrine. Once I expanded it enough, I could take in people. But what about these uncles and aunties?
For now, my house was for my followers. Women only. That was non-negotiable. An absolute principle, a divine command that would never change.
But the aunties and uncles? Once I cleared the apartment complex with my claws, there'd be plenty of empty units. Assign them one building each? Not a bad idea.
The issue was defense. If it was just my building, I had Ushabti, my sarcophagus by the bed, and ways to handle threats. But next door? If something happened, why should I care? Zombies, fish-faces, maggots show up? Fine by me, more coins. But people might die.
If people died? What happens to their faith in me? I had to consider that.
If I took them in, I needed to guarantee their 'complete safety'. Only then would they build thick faith toward me under my protection. Doubt or anxiety would just make things annoying.
How to make that happen? That was the homework.
Say I figured it out. I'd rake in a shit-ton of coins either way. No avoiding it—I had to farm coins like a motherfucker.
Of course, commoners like these aunties and uncles, lay believers? Low priority. That's why I didn't answer.
Top priority—zero priority—was expanding my home. My shrine, where my women would stay. With me.
Lost in those thoughts, 30 minutes flew by. We trudged along in silence until we reached my apartment.
* * *
One hand clutching four bags stuffed with drinks and snacks, the other piggybacking a girl, coughing auntie trailing beside me.
As we entered the apartment parking lot, she asked,
"Um... God."
"Yeah?"
"How are... Hyeyoon and Yeonsu doing...?"
Her tone was incredibly cautious. Her face screamed anxiety. She didn't know where she was going or what lay ahead—natural to feel uneasy. Her daughter had dozed off on my back.
I glanced back and said,
"Why not ask them yourself?"
"Ah... they're here with you...?"
Even more hesitant. Like she was wondering if I'd eaten them. Man, zombie apocalypse really fucks people up.
"Of course they're here. Oh, and we have some helpers at home. One's a snake. Don't freak out when you see her."
"Pardon? S-snake?"
"Snake-human, maybe? Anyway, she's a good one. Especially her voice—it's amazing."
"Uh... huh?"
Her face was full of question marks.
Anyway, we were there. Beep, bleep-boop. Door unlocked.
Stepped inside to fresh air and laughter right away.
"Hahaha! We lost! Oh man, we lost!"
"A zombie right there of all places! Ugh, but this is so fun."
"Whoa, really... huh?"
Yeonsu and Hyeyoon were playing a board game. They spotted us and their eyes went wide.
"J-Jeong-eun unnie?"
"Oh my god, Iseo!"
The women rushed over. Ushabti approached too. Coughing auntie and the girl on my back flinched.
At the same time, "Visitors, I presume?" Sechem Yaret slithered over from the Fountain of Life, where she'd been splashing water happily.
"Eek!"
Coughing auntie jumped. The girl on my back trembled.
"S-sna... snake, sna-sna-snake...!"
"Yeah, yeah. That's the one I mentioned."
I set the girl down, and Yeonsu and Hyeyoon made a fuss.
"What happened? Iseo, your face is..."
"What on earth?"
They crowded close, then froze, stopping short. No touching or supporting. Their hands shook.
Yeah. I get it. I was like that too. Now you know. An Ushabti stepped in to support her instead, but the girl shook in tension.
Sechem tilted her head, flicking her tongue, and said,
"My, this human is dreadfully frail. No apparent disease in her body, but what happened?"
"I healed her. For now, Sechem—can you look after these two? Take them to the fountain, help them wash up, and if they can eat something..."
"Of course, God. The Ushabti have prepared fresh egg porridge. Ladies, can you manage some porridge?"
Coughing auntie looked like she'd faint standing. The daughter, supported by an Ushabti, was petrified, speechless.
"Come on, Yeonsu. Hyeyoon. Help these ladies out? Still plenty of bath stuff by the fountain, right?"
"Y-yeah."
"Unnie, come on. Let's go together."
Yeonsu and Hyeyoon finally approached, taking hands and supporting them—their faces dead serious.
Yeah. That's why I wasn't dropping the possession yet.
"I shall assist as well, if you humans are amenable."
Sechem slithered after them, tongue flicking. Coughing auntie kept yelping, nearly tripping.
She'd need time to adjust.
"Sechem."
"Yes, God?"
"Open all the windows for now."
"Of course."
She was about to call Ushabti, but they were trailing the auntie and daughter, mopping up their muddy footprints. Sechem had to do it herself. As intended.
Phew... how bad off are those women? Time to check.
I finally shut the front door. Then rose from the sarcophagus.
"...Gasp."
Fuck. Bedroom door's closed, and already the stench of sweat and shit.
I bolted up and flung open the bedroom window.
"Hoo..."
...This is insane. Welcome to the zombie apocalypse. The end of humanity starts here, shit.
* * *
Decided not to leave the bedroom. Didn't want to deal with... that smell. Plus, I had loot from today.
Current coins: 902. Damn... half of what I had yesterday. Can't be helped. Cleared the whole complex, and the warrior dove off buildings, burning stamina like crazy.
Still, enough to level up once.
Sure, I could spend it all expanding rooms or whatever, but levels are king, right?
This time, the builder. Spent 400 coins to raise Nephmes to level 5.
Immortal Sanctuary
The Immortal Sarcophagus skill that produced the sarcophagus has been enhanced to 𓉐 𓋹 𓊗.
Hmm... sanctuary, huh. Let's try it.
"Immortal Sanctuary."
A glowing hammer. And holy shit. A massive hologram of a sand hall—at least 50 pyeong wide. My place was 20 pyeong; this was way bigger than my apartment. Even bigger than combining it with the next door.
What the hell was this? I fiddled with the hammer, examining the hologram closely.
...One single space. Multiple rooms that looked like bedrooms. Four or so, plus a separate bathroom? Four pillars in the center with... was that the Fountain of Life?
Ah, builder. Makes sense—collaborating with producers on placement, designing the building around existing stuff?
What else? Oh, a huge central living room or hall. Stone bookshelves? Wood? Some library with multiple shelves.
Kitchen, obviously. Toilets too? But kitchen, toilet, tub—modern style?
Ah...! Got it. This blueprint shows how the current contents of my home will be arranged!
Fuck... what kind of mad genius is this builder? How does this even work? Demolish existing structure and build new—like magic.
Anyway. Let's build it. The women are bathing outside—hope it's fine.
"Hey! Can you hear me?"
"Yeees!"
"Of course, loud and clear, God."
Hyeyoon and Sechem replied. Splashing water sounds.
"Something weird's about to happen—don't panic!"
"Huh?"
"What kind of weird?"
"Of course, God."
Hyeyoon, Yeonsu, Sechem in sequence.
Couldn't explain what—how do you describe this? So I just did it. Slammed the hammer on the floor.
Thud.
Everything around me began to change.