I Have a God Simulator

Shaker was born stronger than other Sand Worms.

Typically, the larger a Sand Worm, the more awe it commanded from its kind.

But when size became excessive, awe turned into fear and unease.

By the time Shaker reached adulthood, his body was already twice as thick as a normal Sand Worm’s. The other Sand Worms all kept their distance, afraid he would eat them.

As a result, Shaker was always alone.

He hid underground to sleep, trying to avoid startling other creatures. Only when he was starving would he burrow to the surface to find food.

Shaker yearned for the ocean.

Compared to the land, the ocean was vaster and more accommodating. There, he would just be an inconspicuous little guy.

He began learning to swim.

Shaker wriggled in the water, a sight that drew much ridicule from his own kind.

"Shaker, are you out of your mind? Why would a Sand Worm go into the water?"

"Get out of there already, you’re killing yourself, you idiot!"

"That guy’s been different from the rest of us since birth... He really doesn’t seem very bright."

"Look at him. He doesn’t have fins or limbs. How could he possibly swim?"

When Shaker emerged from the water, the other Sand Worms were instantly terrified and scattered.

He didn’t quite understand.

’They’re not happy when I go for a swim, and they’re not happy when I stay on land.’

’So what am I supposed to do to make them happy?’

Shaker was lost in thought.

He came to no conclusion.

He continued to practice paddling and diving.

It was certainly not easy for a Sand Worm to swim. He could only stay submerged for a short time before burrowing into the sand and mud at the bottom, then emerging on another shore. It was less like swimming and more like drilling through sand underwater.

But it didn’t matter.

The ocean was truly fascinating. Whether it was the turtles or the crabs, they were all used to massive creatures. Even when Shaker wriggled past, they would only give him a token glance before going about their business.

Shaker loved the ocean.

One time, as he surfaced, he spotted someone drowning. It was a small person, their struggles in the water already faint. They could drown at any moment.

It was only after Shaker rescued him and brought him ashore that he realized it was a Deep Sea Fishman.

’Fish People can drown?’

Shaker was deeply impressed.

The fellow vomited all over the ground, introduced himself as Yu Gu, and explained that he’d eaten poisonous mushrooms from the mountain, which made him dizzy in the water.

Yu Gu loved the land. He enjoyed stuffing anything and everything into his mouth for a taste. He had tried most of the food in the ocean, but there were still many things on land he hadn’t sampled.

Yu Gu believed that everyone had their own aspirations; a fish could yearn for land, and a bird could learn to walk.

They were both outcasts among their respective races and shared similar frustrations, so they quickly became friends.

Shaker and Yu Gu put their heads together and decided to set out to find a new place to live.

During their preparations, Shaker accidentally swallowed a strange coffin underwater. The coffin possessed a peculiar magic power that made him gulp it down before he even knew what was happening.

When he came to, the foreign object in his stomach caused him unbearable misery.

Yu Gu tried the traditional remedies of various races, concocting pastes from dung, herbs, and dirt in an attempt to make Shaker vomit the object up, but nothing worked.

Just then, the Yao God shed its light, and Apostle Isabel descended from the heavens. She and Philos, the King of White Bones, extracted the King’s coffin and awakened the slumbering Apostle Pinkman from within.

Afterward, Shaker and Yu Gu followed Pinkman and began planting roses in the Rose Garden of the Divine Valley.

It was here that Shaker saw Yu Gu’s true talent.

He wasn’t afraid of getting dirty or working hard, always using his mouth and stomach to test the flavors and properties of various plants and fruits.

Yu Gu was always able to concoct various pastes from rotting matter, dung, special soils, plant ash, and fruit. These mixtures turned out to be the best fertilizer for flowers.

On several occasions, Yu Gu nearly poisoned himself to death, but a well-prepared Pinkman was always there to quickly save him.

The rapid flourishing of the Rose Garden was thanks in no small part to Yu Gu’s secret fertilizer recipes—and his long-suffering mouth and stomach.

Shaker greatly admired his friend’s creativity.

Yu Gu was a born-and-bred master gardener. Even if he weren’t cultivating roses, but other flowers, crops, or even livestock, he would have undoubtedly made a great name for himself.

It was a well-known fact throughout the Rose Garden that Yu Gu was infatuated with Hongye, the Rose Envoy.

Hongye, however, was focused on cultivating roses. She was quiet by nature and dedicated to creating more Rose Envoys to restore the former glory of the Rose Kingdom.

But when that man appeared, Hongye became passionate as fire and quickly fell in love with him.

A heartbroken Yu Gu took a leave of absence.

But when he returned from his long break, he came back to find Hongye and that man holding their wedding in the Rose Garden, with Pinkman himself officiating and giving them his blessing.

Yu Gu’s wounds were ripped open anew.

He told Shaker, "I need to find a new place to live. I have to leave. Seeing the roses just reminds me of Hongye... I’m going to enter the Martial Arts Tournament and become a Sand Walker."

As it turned out, Yu Gu was eliminated in the first round and came back black and blue.

"I’m going to enter again. You should join too, why don’t you? I think you’re really strong. You have what it takes to be the champion."

Yu Gu said, his eyes swollen.

He wanted a heart that could be shattered and then quickly heal. Sand Walkers could achieve that.

Shaker decided to lend a hand.

He had already been sensing a vague voice within himself, a voice that led him toward two different paths. To the left lay the growth of the mind, full of the unknown. To the right lay the extension of his Sand Worm body, an embrace of power.

Shaker chose the latter.

’After all, in everyone’s eyes, a Sand Worm is just a clumsy, simple creature.’

’I’m Yu Gu’s friend. I have to help him.’

Shaker transformed into the Sand King.

...

Yu Gu was heartbroken over Hongye for a while, but he eventually recovered.

There were still many roses in the Divine Valley waiting to bloom. Before long, there would be Yellow Leaves, White Leaves, and even Black Leaves. The female Rose Envoys were all graceful and lovely.

A new young rose girl would always come along.

What dealt Yu Gu the biggest blow was his own complete lack of appeal.

That man, Shang Xun, was more handsome, more eloquent, and had even improved the Brass Furnace Dragon and invented the Fire Steam Carriage... but ’if I had been talented enough,’ he thought, ’it should have at least made Hongye hesitate a little.’

But the moment Hongye saw him, she had walked right up, started a conversation, and smilingly asked if he was hungry.

This had shaken Yu Gu to his core.

It was a world apart from her indifference toward him.

It was as if Yu Gu had been jolted from a long dream.

He reflected on it. Besides messing around with fertilizer, it seemed he couldn’t do anything else—and even that was just a byproduct of his habit of wanting to taste everything. He had only become a follower of Pinkman by the grace of the Yao God.

Yu Gu was incredibly envious of Shaker.

Unlike a mediocre person like himself, Shaker was born with immense size and strength. And Shaker wasn’t stupid at all; he was very clever, he just chose to remain silent most of the time.

He didn’t like lying.

This was another reason the Sand Worms ostracized and feared Shaker. They were both terrified of and jealous of his gifts.

Unlike the Fish People, who just ignored him completely.

Being ignored was far more disheartening than being feared or worried about.

Yu Gu wanted to do something big to show everyone what he was made of.

Right now, the most high-profile event among the Yao Race was the Martial Arts Tournament, held once every five years. He had failed once, but he wasn’t discouraged.

He’d failed so many times already that one more failure was no big deal.

As always, Yu Gu was all talk.

"I’m going to enter again."

"I’ll definitely make it next time!"

When he learned Shaker was also entering the Martial Arts Tournament, Yu Gu was ecstatic.

"My good brother! Let’s go together!"

"Last time I lost to Shi Xiao the Burrower Monster. He was the reigning champion, so technically, you could say I was basically the runner-up... If he shows up again, you have to get revenge for me. Beat him to a pulp."

Shaker said he would do his best.

Yu Gu noticed that Shaker’s body had grown even larger. The color of his tough, coarse hide had deepened. Just looking at him was enough to feel a sense of pressure, and his entire being radiated the kind of aura only the truly powerful possess.

This made Yu Gu very happy.

The excessively modest and reserved Shaker was finally starting to live up to his potential!

The third Martial Arts Tournament began as scheduled.

On that day, Shaker suddenly addressed the Guest Monk who was hosting the event. "Venerable Guest Monk," he said, "I have an audacious request."

"Please, speak."

"I think we can speed this tournament up."

Shaker raised his massive head and looked at the other Extraordinary Beings. "All of you," he declared, "come at me at once."

"I don’t want to waste any time."

The Guest Monk consulted the other participants for their opinions.

The fighters present were the champions of their various races. They couldn’t stand for such a direct provocation. One by one, they cracked their knuckles, eager to teach the big lug a lesson.

Yu Gu jumped, startled. He nervously whispered to Shaker beside him, "There’s only two of us. How can we possibly beat them? There are... a hundred of them! That’s way too many!"

"I’ll handle it. You just watch for now."

Shaker charged into the enemy ranks like a tiger into a flock of sheep, crushing every Extraordinary Being in his path. His tough, resilient hide deflected most of the damage, allowing him to suppress and send flying the opponents who charged first. Many contestants were quickly incapacitated.

Yu Gu hid in a corner, watching the fight.

He pulled some pine nuts from his right pocket and started munching on them as he watched. The more he saw, the more excited he got.

Finally, the more reserved powerhouses at the back could no longer sit still. To be routed in a one-against-a-hundred battle was an unacceptable humiliation for any cultivator dedicated to pushing their limits.

As the stronger Extraordinary Beings joined the fray, Shaker gradually began to struggle.

Yu Gu could see it clearly.

Shaker was finally starting to take damage. His hide was torn and broken, and the injuries from various abilities layered new wounds over old scars across his body.

By now, everyone realized this Sand Worm truly had the power to fight one against a hundred. Every single contestant fought with all their might, determined to take down the monster who had challenged their collective honor...

The last Extraordinary Being was incapacitated and declared disqualified by the Guest Monk.

Covered in blood and ghastly wounds, Shaker turned and slowly moved to stand before Yu Gu.

He said, "It’s just us now."

Yu Gu suddenly raised his hand. "Venerable Guest Monk! I forfeit!"

Shaker froze.

Yu Gu broke into a wide grin. "When you’ve got talent like that, you have to show it off! You were always meant to be the kind of guy people tell stories about and remember, Shaker. That was a great fight. Congratulations!"

"Also, this."

The Fishman pulled the pine nuts from his left pocket. "Saved these for you. See? I didn’t eat them all myself."

The Great Sand King and the Little Fishman looked at each other and smiled.