A sudden popup appeared in front of me.
What is this? A donation? Mana Stones? A test?
【Check your inventory.】
“Inventory?”
In the first slot on the left—among several boxes—I saw 100 Mana Stones.
What the hell? Why are these just showing up out of nowhere?
As I reached toward them, another popup appeared:
[How many would you like to withdraw?]
“Uh… one?”
I extended my hand. I felt something rough in my palm and instinctively curled my fingers. When I brought it to my eyes, it was indeed a Mana Stone.
I glanced back at my inventory. The count had dropped to 99.
“This is great. I don’t even need a bag anymore.”
【Pretty convenient, right?】
“Yeah, but what’s with the donation? Why now?”
【You seemed like you were really struggling. Think of it as a little push to help you return to being a god.】
“…”
Yeah, right. Safely return, my ass.
You’re clearly just enjoying the show.
Still—100 Mana Stones in one donation? I wasn’t about to complain.
In this world, Mana Stones were everything. The economy practically ran on them. Their value never dropped.
Depending on the market, just one could go for at least 100,000 won—and most dungeons only gave out ten at best.
That’s why even low-rank Hunters with the right connections could make decent money. They’d tag along with elite parties and scoop up the leftover Mana Stones the top Hunters didn’t bother with.
It wasn’t much compared to what I planned to earn later, but hey—free money is still money. I tossed the Stone back into my inventory.
Just then, Shayna walked over, tail swishing. Her eyes sparkled with suspicious delight.
Something felt off.
【Broadcasting is a huge trend in other worlds right now. Let’s try it too!】
“Broadcasting? What do you mean, broadcasting—?!”
I shot up and grabbed her by the scruff of the neck.
“Are you crazy?”
【Actually, Corne already spread the word. Your bet with him is the hottest topic in the divine realm right now. Tons of gods are betting their temples on your victory. But watching from the divine realm is tricky unless they monitor the whole world. Broadcasting makes it easier—they can focus just on you. Plus, the donation system helps. They’ll want to support you, so it’s a win-win!】
“Don’t talk nonsense. If you really did this, I won’t just let it go.”
The fox’s eyes narrowed sweetly.
A chill ran down my spine.
No way… right? You’re not the god of mischief. Tell me I’m wrong. Please.
【Too late. It’s already live.】
“What? WHAT?!”
☆ LoveIsTheBest has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
Love conquers all—even the apocalypse! (´ ˘ `).｡oO ( ♡ )
That message… where have I heard that cheesy line before?
I stared at the popup with growing dread.
From the fox still dangling in my grip, I heard laughter.
“…What is this?”
☆ AetherFan has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
As soon as I heard Aether was streaming, I ran over! (๑•̀д•́๑)」
☆ Eha has donated 300 Mana Stones.☆
If you see the sea, it’s an ocean view. If you see Aether, it’s “I love you.” (¯ ³¯)♡
Wait—these are actual gods? They’re really showing up to watch me?
Do they seriously not have anything better to do?
Don’t they have entire worlds they’re supposed to be managing?
【Anyway, I’m heading out.】
She started wriggling in my hands, trying to escape.
Oh no you don’t. After stirring up all this mess, you think you can just run off? You sly little fox…
I tightened my hold, grabbing her by the body before she could escape.
“You’re canceling the stream. I don’t care what it is—cut it off. Now.”
【Even if I cancel it, they’ll still watch. Everyone’s too excited to see a god playing hero.】
“There’s a big difference between thinking I’m being watched and knowing I’m being watched in real time. Suspicion and certainty are two very different things!”
【Come on, try to understand. Everyone’s bored these days…】
“Then tell them to find something else to entertain themselves with—not me!”
【But you’re making money from it too! You seemed totally fine with it earlier!】
“That was before I knew the whole divine realm was tuning in! I’d rather earn nothing than keep this going!”
【Too late. The word’s already out. Everyone knows.】
“Cancel. It. Now.”
I growled. The fox turned her head to avoid my gaze.
I grabbed her snout and forced her to look me in the eye.
“If I return to the divine realm as a god… do you really think I’ll let this slide?”
【…Fine. I’ll shut it down. Just let me go.】
I let go of her face and the scruff of her neck.
Back on the ground, she flicked her front paw.
At her gesture, I knelt down and bowed my head. Her paw touched my forehead again.
Behind her small paw, I could see her smirking, eyes narrowed—just like before.
【Sorry.】
And with a shimmer of sparkling light, the fox vanished.
☆ Hibis has donated 100 Mana Stones.
Today’s fortune: you may be betrayed by a close friend. ( Ĭ ^ Ĭ )
‘Well, you’re a little late for that, Oracle God…’
I buried my face in my hands, overwhelmed.
What’s wrong with the gods around me?
One throws me into a doomed world as a human just to win a bet.
Another turns me into their personal entertainment.
‘Is this what my new divine life has come to…?’
Rustle, rustle.
As I sat there, wallowing, the sound of antennae rubbing together snapped me out of it. I stood up, suddenly remembering where I was.
What’s done is done.
There’s nothing I can do until I see Shayna again—so for now, I should just focus on my original objective.
“…Should’ve bought a flashlight.”
Clicking my tongue at my own stupidity, I pulled out my phone.
It was a piece of junk, but the flashlight still worked like a charm. I switched it on and used it as a stand-in.
The ceiling above looked at least twice my height. Thin pillars were scattered throughout the tunnel, supporting the nest’s structure. And then—
‘Ugh. Gross.’
Giant black ants—each about the size of my body—were clustered in the corners of the tunnel, rubbing their antennae together.
They looked just like the regular ants you’d see on the street—only supersized.
Apparently, they couldn’t see light, because even with the flashlight aimed at them, they didn’t react.
“Can I… just walk past them?”
They didn’t seem to hear either. The ants just kept twitching and clustering like I wasn’t there at all.
Taking a chance, I shined the light forward and carefully took a step.
That’s when I felt something snag on my foot.
-Kyee!!!
“Ah, damn—scared the hell out of me.”
☆TeddyBear has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
Why ants of all things?! I hate bugs!!
One of the huge ants turned toward me and screeched. The others, still gathered in the corners, all twisted their heads in my direction.
Their antennae twitched. And then—they charged.
Disgusted, I frowned and raised my hand.
It had been a while, but I summoned my power.
A breeze stirred around me, seemingly from nowhere.
It fluttered through my hair briefly—then began to grow stronger.
In the enclosed tunnel, the wind whipped up sand and gravel from the ground, scattering it wildly.
The oversized ants hesitated, briefly startled by the sudden wind—but only for a moment. One, likely their leader, shrieked again, and the swarm resumed their charge.
The wind sharpened—no longer gentle, but bladed, slicing through the air.
“Let’s do this.”
At my words, the wind wrapped tightly around me.
Ssshhhh!!
The wind’s familiar howl rang in my ears, and I couldn’t help but smirk as I kept walking. Laced with sand and gravel, the wind slashed into the charging ants like spinning blades.
Watching their heads, thoraxes, and abdomens get shredded like they were tossed into a blender made me grimace.
I flicked my hand again.
The tight spiral of wind unraveled, stretching into a long, narrow vortex.
☆Sigf sponsored 100 Mana Stones.☆
Even bugs are living creatures… this breaks my heart ㅠ-ㅠ
‘Sorry, God of Insects. I gotta survive too.’
Just as I was beginning to grimace at the sight of ant guts and splattered fluids, the corpses on the ground started to shimmer—then dissolved into sparkling dust.
“…Huh?”
‘Did I see that right?’
I paused and looked at the closest corpse.
After a moment, it too crumbled into glittering particles and scattered into the wind.
“Why are they disappearing?”
Sometimes monster corpses showed up at auctions. High-tier ones, like dragons, could sell for over a billion won.
‘So why are these ants vanishing? Are they supposed to do that?’
I hadn’t learned much about monster behavior. My old boss never taught me anything useful.
‘I’ll have to ask someone later.’
Scratching my head, I strolled through the cave at a relaxed pace.
In the dim cave, something sparkled and caught my eye.
“Oh, Mana Stones.”
In my previous life, I would’ve scooped up every last one of them. But now? My inventory was already stacked with donations from sponsors.
‘Forget these scraps—I’m here for the big score.’
Ignoring the ants lunging at me, I walked straight ahead. Before long, a gate leading to the second floor came into view.
I’d heard some dungeons could take over a full day to clear… but this one felt short.
Or maybe I’m just that good.
I shrugged and stepped through the gate—only to be instantly swarmed by soldier ants.
Their massive pincer-like jaws didn’t even get close before the wind tore them apart.
“I’ve got no business with you guys. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
☆Eha! has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
So cool! That wind! I wanna be swept away too!
‘Swept away…? Who even is this god?’
From what I remembered, the gods I met in the divine realm were always composed and dignified, greeting others with calm smiles and an air of grace.
Even when delivering prophecies to heroes, they upheld their divine authority. This? This wasn’t like them at all…
Did they all eat something weird at the same time or what?
I tilted my head in confusion and kept walking. Unlike the short and simple first floor, the second level of the ant nest lived up to its name—twisting and maze-like.
Occasionally, I hit a dead end, but it wasn’t a problem. When a path was blocked, I just turned around and tried another.
“I should’ve brought coffee or something.”
Strolling casually, I began memorizing the tunnel layout as I went.
Now that I had my divine powers back, remembering things was automatic—whether I wanted to or not.
☆ ILoveAether has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
There’s something inside that room! Go check it out!
‘I was already planning to go anyway.’
Most of the tunnels were empty, but then I came across one swarming with soldier ants.
I cut down every ant blocking the entrance and stepped into the chamber.
There were two side rooms. On the right: a pile of gear, probably around C-rank. On the left: empty ant eggs, likely where larvae had hatched and moved on.
‘How much is one ant egg worth again?’
I stared at the mound of eggs, quickly doing the math.
At roughly 300,000 to 400,000 won per egg, the haul in this one room could easily pay for a full set of home appliances.
‘Well then, I guess all of this is mine now!’
Grinning in satisfaction, I got to work collecting the ant eggs and the C-rank gear.
Thanks to my inventory system, I didn’t even need a bag.
I happily tossed everything in one after another, and by the time I was done, sweat had started to bead on my forehead like I’d just finished a workout.
Final count: 345 ant eggs and 28 pieces of C-rank equipment.
☆LootEverything has donated 100 Mana Stones. ☆
Now that’s a proper god of wind—cleared the place like a hurricane. Not a thing left behind.
Even though I’d just cleared everything out, thanks to the nature of ant-type monsters, this dungeon would be overflowing with loot again soon.
‘Guess I’ll be back for another round soon.’
I stepped into the glowing gate.
The ant nest had three levels. This was it—the boss floor.
* * *
As the blinding light faded and I opened my eyes, I saw several small-bodied nurse ants crawling around.
I hadn’t expected the boss room to look much different, but it completely threw me off. It didn’t feel like a cave at all.
It resembled a massive open plaza—and sunlight was actually streaming in.
‘Is the queen’s chamber supposed to be this fancy?’
☆ NoFunHere has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
Sure, you’re using divine power, but this feels like cheating. No tension. Kinda boring.
‘What, you wanted to see me struggle or something?’
I shot a glare toward the cave ceiling, imagining whichever god was watching from above, then shifted my focus back to the nurse ants.
They were crawling everywhere, but none of them attacked.
They were far too busy protecting the massive larvae—future queens, most likely.
Once I passed through the nursery, I entered a vast chamber.
“Well, hello there… Queen Ant.”
She was enormous—easily the size of the 63 Building. The queen rustled her wings, and her twitching antennae made me scowl.
‘Ugh. Disgusting. Let’s kill her quickly and get out.’
I stretched out my hand, drawing the surrounding wind together. It started as a sharp breeze, then rapidly twisted into a roaring cyclone.
☆Hurricane has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
It’s a hurricane! An actual hurricane! I can’t believe I’m watching Aether’s wind live!
☆Aether’sWife has donated 100 Mana Stones.☆
As expected of my husband—so cool! Smash it all up, baby!
‘…Wait. Since when do I have a wife?!’
Hello, folks. I want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has supported me by both purchasing or donating from RH or the Ko-Fi shop and to those who’ve left kind comments. I’m so grateful for all of you and your continuous support. Please feel free to share any feedback or thoughts—I’m always eager to hear from you. Wishing you a day filled with love, light, and positivity. List of my projects : https://linktr.ee/Cleizs || Join my discord here : https://discord.gg/EPVhg2QKsg ||
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