I Have a God Simulator

In the Four-Direction Kingdom, every resident was required to serve on patrol. Those with sharp minds served for shorter periods, while the less clever ones usually served much longer.

It wasn’t that the army discriminated; it was because the length of service was tied to one’s contributions. Soldiers with quick wits found opportunities more easily, allowing them to retire early or even receive rewards from the King.

Only the smart could live better lives.

Otherwise, they would spend the better part of their lives as patrolmen, just like Niu Sanxi and his father.

But in the Sinful Corps, General Hai didn’t demand that his soldiers think. He established a military rule: soldiers were not to think for themselves, only to execute orders.

This was a stark contrast to the Four-Direction Kingdom. However, it was also for this very reason that Niu Sanxi was able to join this powerful legion.

“Assemble in formation.”

At General Hai’s command, all the Clay Corpse Demons who had been building fortifications fell into neat ranks.

Niu Sanxi stood at the very end of the leftmost flank. Though he was the shortest, he still did his best to puff out his chest.

He glanced to the side out of the corner of his eye.

In just a few short days, the Eastern Route forces had already constructed a camp. It was surrounded by low walls and barricades, and the interior was divided into several zones, each with warehouses built from stone and clay.

“Today, we will conduct another live-fire drill. Unlike before, this one will incorporate powerful combat equipment.”

General Hai said, “I hope to still see all of you after the drill is over.”

He clapped his hands, and the Sinful Corps split down the middle into two teams, black and white. Each team painted their faces either white or black, and each had a Corpse Demon Captain.

Niu Sanxi was assigned to the black team and smeared his face with charcoal dust.

The Captain gave him his orders: “Find the enemy’s cannon carriage while ensuring your own safety.”

“Once found, destroy the enemy cannon carriage immediately.”

Niu Sanxi accepted his orders and climbed into a Fire Steam Cannon Carriage.

He was initially very cautious with this mobile device built by the Yao Race, hardly daring to touch it.

General Hai had told him not to overthink it; he just needed to understand how to drive it and how to use the two Conqueror’s Purple Roses mounted on top to bombard the enemy.

Operating this metal carriage was easier than handling real livestock; as long as he followed the instructions, it wouldn’t act up. Niu Sanxi had driven it around the camp for thirty-two days and had mostly grasped the basics.

Besides that, he had also come to believe in the Yao God during this time—the King didn’t require Faith from anyone. Niu Sanxi was both curious about and in awe of the God that General Hai so devoutly followed.

General Hai had told him it was an order. Offering Faith to Lord Yao God was the fundamental duty of every soldier in the legion.

Niu Sanxi executed the order.

His dream was to get some sweet potatoes—what the Yao God had given him already far exceeded that standard.

He just hadn’t expected to face real combat so soon.

Both teams entered the drill area, hiding behind rocks and in ravines.

Soon, the Clay Corpse Demon Scouts from both sides spotted each other, and the first clash erupted. Explosions rang out one after another, and Niu Sanxi’s hands wouldn’t stop shaking as he watched.

It was only then that he remembered what General Hai had said.

—’I hope to still see all of you after the drill is over.’

‘This isn’t a drill!’

‘This is a real life-or-death battle!’

Niu Sanxi couldn’t process much else. He began searching for the enemy cannon carriage’s position.

Searching with the naked eye was difficult; sticking his head out would make him an easy target for a surprise attack.

Fortunately, the Sinful Corps had a useful tool: the Telescope.

Hiding in a crevice between rocks, Niu Sanxi used the Telescope to look into the distance, scanning left and right for his target.

‘The enemy’s cannon carriage… it’s not behind the pile of rubble to the left, nor in the ravine further back, not in the marshy area to the right… Is it straight ahead?’

He looked straight ahead and, sure enough, saw the enemy carriage had already fired once at the black team’s soldiers. A purple flower-orb spat out by a Conqueror’s Purple Rose exploded on the front line, sending Clay Corpse Demons flying and causing immediate localized casualties.

Niu Sanxi drove the cannon carriage, rushing over.

‘I have to get within Range to ensure a hit.’

He maneuvered the carriage until both his and the enemy’s vehicles were within each other’s Range.

The Rose Flower Cannon had a slow reload time, making the first shot crucial. It was better not to fire without certainty than to leave the carriage in a non-threatening state.

The two carriages circled each other like a pair of prowling bulldogs. They carefully maintained their distance, the Conqueror’s Roses mounted on their roofs aimed at each other, initiating the lock-on process.

Niu Sanxi firmly remembered the operating instructions.

‘The Conqueror’s Purple Rose needs time to lock onto an enemy. As long as I keep it aimed at the target, it will understand what to attack. Once the petals remain tightly contracted, it means it’s ready.’

Aim complete. Lock-on established.

Now all he had to do was pull the firing hook in front of him. The attached line would then apply the Rose Potion to the Rose Flower Cannon, causing the rose to fire.

Just as Niu Sanxi’s hand gripped the hook, about to pull it, the sound of a horn echoed in his ears. It was the signal to retreat.

He immediately turned the carriage around and returned to his position.

The confrontation between the black and white teams came to an abrupt halt. They regrouped, while some of the wounded rested off to the side.

A sudden incident had just occurred.

An unidentified Demigod had appeared on the Four-Direction Kingdom’s Western Route and was killing soldiers and residents.

According to the Messenger Bird that came with the report, the Western Commander was already dead, and the Defense Team had suffered over fifty percent casualties. General Yuann and General Shi had already led reinforcements from the Southern and Northern Routes, only to discover there were actually two Demigods.

The King had therefore requested aid from General Hai, as he could only manage to hold back one of the Demigods.

General Hai issued the order: “Everyone, our target is the Demigod on the Southern Route.”

“For the great Yao God! Sinful Corps, advance!”

The Corpse Demon Soldiers roared.

“For the Yao God! Advance! Advance!”

The Sinful Corps force-marched toward the Southern Route.

The Clay Corpse Demons at the front were incredibly fast, leaving the cannon carriages far behind. For safety, however, each carriage was still escorted by two Corpse Demons in case of an emergency.

When Niu Sanxi steered his cannon carriage to the front line, he witnessed the invading Demigod up close.

It was a Dragon-like creature. Wings grew from its thick, long arms, bony bat-wings that were hard and sharp—less like wings for flying and more like two massive scythes.

The Demigod’s head was huge and narrow, its face split by massive mouthparts that looked like gaping wounds. Its mouth was filled with sharp teeth resembling a jumble of blades.

It was indiscriminately grabbing soldiers of the Four-Direction Kingdom, tossing them into its mouth to rip apart and chew. Its face was covered in blood of various colors.

The Clay Corpse Demons charged the Demigod.

In a cold and orderly fashion, they detonated themselves at the moment of contact, blasting deep, bone-visible cracks into the Demigod’s Divine Body. The God’s dark purple blood gushed from the wounds.

Some Corpse Demons were snatched up by the Demigod. Its huge claws seemed to possess some ability to neutralize attacks, and the captives were stuffed into its mouth and eaten with a CRUNCH, CRUNCH.

“Fire.”

General Hai commanded.

Niu Sanxi immediately went through the motions: aim at the target, lock on, load, and pull the hook!

BANG!

The first shot from the Conqueror’s Purple Rose’s cannon struck the Demigod’s left shoulder. The purple petals exploded, blasting a large, purplish-brown flower of blood out of its shoulder.

Niu Sanxi mechanically continued the procedure.

The second shot hit the Demigod’s right side, blasting a bloody hole.

The Demigod spotted the Fire Steam Cannon Carriage. It howled and lunged forward, intending to smash the device with its claws.

But from another direction, a second Fire Steam Cannon Carriage also began its bombardment. Purple flower stamens bloomed across the Demigod’s back, tearing its rear torso apart.

The moment the Demigod revealed an opening, other Corpse Demons who were lying in wait swarmed it in a mass Self-Destruction. Amidst the continuous explosions, its high-pitched, furious roars were tinged with pain and madness…

Niu Sanxi just focused on operating the cannon.

He was an artilleryman in the Sinful Corps. His duty was to hit the enemy with as many cannon shots as possible.

After firing the second round, Niu Sanxi suddenly noticed that the massive Demigod had already collapsed into a pool of its own blood, its dismembered body no longer moving.

‘It’s… really dead?’

‘A Demigod died that quickly?’

He couldn’t quite wrap his head around it.

“Artillerymen, you did very well!”

General Hai praised them. “Today was your first battle, and you excellently completed your mission, carrying out the orders to attack from a distance and draw the enemy’s attention.”

“Especially you, Niu Sanxi. That last shot of yours was beautiful. You hit the bastard right in the head.”

“Artillerymen, you will bear the crucial offensive mission in this legion. You will be the indispensable backbone of the Sinful Corps!”

“Now, let’s deal with this Demigod’s corpse. This is a part I’m sure you will all enjoy.”

Niu Sanxi dazedly climbed out of the carriage, his nose picking up a strong, rich, metallic scent.

‘A Demigod… a Demigod comparable to the King… I took part in killing a Demigod.’

Niu Sanxi felt very strange.

He should have been thrilled and excited, but why did he feel like it was nothing special?

It didn’t seem all that different from the live-fire drill.

He looked around. The Corpse Demons in the legion were all indifferent, pointing at the Demigod’s corpse as if they were evaluating a slaughtered pig.

Just then, Niu Sanxi felt a warm light shine down on him, and his entire body filled with power.

‘It’s a Blessing from the Yao God!’

He quickly knelt, pressing his head to the ground, and stammered, “Grateful, so moved… Thank you for the power you’ve granted me. I, Niu Sanxi, will definitely… definitely be a good artilleryman!”

General Hai, standing beside him, chuckled. “My judgment has always been sound, whether for our own people or for enemies. You are an excellent soldier, and the Hero of this Demigod Hunt.”

Niu Sanxi laughed, a little embarrassed.

A new ideal and goal suddenly sprouted in his mind.

Besides getting sweet potatoes, maybe he could also “get” some Demigods.

But a hint of melancholy also crept into Niu Sanxi’s heart.

‘If my good brother Niao Feijue hadn’t gone to deliver the message back then, maybe he’d be here with me now, serving as an artilleryman and experiencing this same Joy of a bountiful harvest.’