Leveling Up through Eating

Minhyuk could tell from Evan’s words that the true God’s Prison was beyond that door. Those that were located before that door? They were nothing but small fry.

He had also determined that no one beyond that door could hear or feel whatever commotion happened in this place, whether it was a loud explosion or a powerful shockwave.

That was the main reason they were now seeing countless monsters carrying the name “God” flocking toward them and trying to get past the dense lines of iron bars. Minhyuk even used the Supreme Overlord’s Technique to burn these monsters down if they weren’t already burning from the iron bars.

Crackle–!

A colossal firestorm shot toward the monsters that had gathered before them.

“Kihyeeeeeeeeck!!!”

“Keuhaaaaaack!”

“Graaaaaaaaaa!!!”

The monsters screamed violently as their flesh began to burn and melt. Enraged, they charged more fiercely toward Minhyuk, but the iron bars stopped them in their tracks and made their flesh melt even more.

Once the flames died down, Minhyuk and Evan were greeted by a gruesome and terrible sight. The monsters’ flesh had melted from the fire and the iron bars.

However, Evan could see that not one of them had died. This was proof of their high vitality and defensive power.

“See. The damage that you have brought upon these monsters…” Evan’s words trailed off.

Crackle–

“...?”

Evan was shocked. The overwhelming power that the young man named Minhyuk released earlier was triggered once again. The blazing flames once again shot toward the monsters and devoured them.

Crackle–

This time, the blazing flames slowly turned the monsters into ashes that disappeared with the wind. When the black flames disappeared, not one of the monsters was left.

Evan could only look at the scene in front of him in shock. No matter how strong this young man was, these monsters were considered to be God-rank beings from each of their races. Among them were the Orc God, Goblin God, Werewolf God, Ogre God, and many more. Yet he could kill more than five hundred of them in just one or two attacks?

Meanwhile, Minhyuk listened to the notifications constantly ringing in his ears.

[You have gained 11,315 platinum.]

[You have gained 15,413 platinum.]

[You have gained 12,315 platinum.]

[You have gained 17,000 platinum…]

[You have gained… platinum…]

[...gained…]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Minhyuk’s level increased by three in one go.

‘Did the amount of EXP needed to increase my level by one increase significantly with each level up?’

Minhyuk expected to increase his level by at least five with how many mobs were present. But the amount of EXP he would need to raise his level had risen significantly with each level.

‘This is really diabolical.’

Even so, it was still quite a good harvest. After all, it was tough for ordinary players to increase their levels by three in one go.

‘This time, the amount of gold that I have obtained is around nine million platinum.’

It just went to show how insane the standards of this dungeon were. And Minhyuk? He knew he could not enter a dungeon of this caliber again.

Then, there were the artifacts. No artifacts had dropped ever since he entered this dungeon.

‘In exchange for the insane amount of EXP and gold, no artifacts will drop. I should not expect any artifacts to drop.’

Minhyuk nodded. Then, he checked something else.

[Hunt Rate: 17%.]

If he killed the monsters and gods in this place and reached a 40% Hunt Rate, he could obtain the Light of Purification.

Minhyuk thought he had already reached 40% at this point, but things seemed more challenging than he thought.

‘Well, Grandpa Beradon said he did not accept disciples easily.’

This meant that he would not create an easy quest. After checking everything, Minhyuk moved to enter the prison's depths.

Evan saw this and immediately persuaded him not to continue. He said, “Are you really thinking of going inside?”

Evan admitted that his shocking idea allowed him to hunt all those monsters in one go. But once he went through those doors, he would face not mere orc gods but real gods.

‘Of course, there’s no doubt that he’s strong. After all, he’s the next generation Battle God.’

The position of Battle God was not something one could obtain just because they had excellent skills in commanding and ruling their men. Nevertheless, the fact that he was alone remained unchanged.

“I believe it’s more appropriate for you to go out and inform the current generation Battle God about the situation inside the prison and ask him to send an army.”

Evan’s words were both realistic and not realistic at the same time.

“We… We are already at the point where we cannot get out of this place until we purify everything.”

“...!”

Evan hurriedly looked behind him. Although he could not see it, he could feel a strong force blocking the exit.

“And I don’t know if the Battle God knows about the situation here or not. But they cannot enter or exit this place freely from the outside.”

These were nothing but Minhyuk’s guesses. But they were also very realistic. After all, he heard that he would not be able to leave unless he purified the prison or was forced to log out when he stepped foot in this place.

Minhyuk walked steadily down the dark path.

“We have to open that door at the end of this path and go inside.”

Evan could not refute Minhyuk’s words. At this moment, he felt like everything before him had gone dark. He said, “I will be released in 600 years, but…”

A complicated expression settled on Evan’s face. He was once the Battle God who ruled and commanded the world. Then, he became nothing but a prisoner locked up in this dark and dreary prison. At one point, he started thinking about the life he would live once he got out of this place. He wished to live an ordinary life.

“Now, all I want to do is live a normal life. Perhaps get married, just like those ordinary human beings.”

The previous generation Battle God Evan had lived for a long time and he was clearly exhausted from such a life. He hoped to live a normal and ordinary life once released from prison.

“Now… I’m not even sure if I will be able to survive this situation.”

Evan had been imprisoned in this place for a long time. Over time, his power had weakened. Wasn’t he an Absolute God? But with the situation that he was in now, he was no match for an ordinary god, let alone an Absolute God. Of course, the ones waiting for them behind that door were in a similar state as him. But Evan knew he could not deal with more than three gods by himself.

A sparkle appeared in Minhyuk’s eyes when he saw Evan like that. He said, “There’s a way to make that happen, you know? You can join me and help me in purifying this place.”

‘That’s very easy to say,’ Evan thought, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

But Minhyuk did not stop talking. He said, “I’ll report it to the current generation Battle God, too. I will tell him that the previous generation Battle God Evan fought desperately to maintain peace in the Land of the Gods. He wants to become human, so turn him into a human. Also…”

Minhyuk’s gaze was focused on Evan.

“Acknowledge his contributions, cut his sentence short, and let him out of the prison immediately.”

“...!”

Evan’s eyes grew wide. That scenario was not impossible. Of course, that was only on the premise that they could purify this place.

His heart started to thump wildly. The remaining 600 years of his sentence would be terminated, and he would be released immediately. Then, he could live the ordinary human life he longed for.

Then, Minhyuk asked, “So… What will you choose, Evan?”

***

Minhyuk knew that The Growth Cultivator had created this quest, which was related to the Battle God. When he read it, he noticed that it was hinting at Evan.

Evan was the previous generation Battle God. However, that was a long time ago. And just like the man said, although he still possessed all his powers, they had grown weak.

‘Even so, that does not mean that the fact that he was once the Battle God would be null and void, no?’

Minhyuk had already noticed that he would be able to obtain a lot of things from here. And Evan? He understood what Minhyuk’s words meant.

“What do you want?”

“A special skill of the Battle God that only you have, Evan. An artifact that is solely for the use of the Battle God or maybe a reinforcement of an artifact that I own. I want everything related to the Battle God.”

Evan was once the Battle God. Some of the things he possessed might be worse than what the current Battle God had, but some would definitely be much better. It was like how Rhoando, the Food God’s progeny, had the Overlapping Delight and The Famished One’s Cooking.

Evan seemed to understand what Minhyuk wanted. The young man wanted something that only he possessed, something that not even the current Battle God had.

“I have hidden my Battle God’s Sword before I was imprisoned here.”

Minhyuk did not react much when he heard the words “Battle God’s Sword.”

‘No sword can compare with the Sword of Aeon.’

That was what he had concluded. Just when he was about to ask for something else, Evan piped up.

“But I don’t, and I can’t think of the Battle God’s Sword as a real sword.”

“...?”

Confusion settled on Minhyuk’s face when he heard those words. It was a sword, but he could not think of it as a real sword?

“The Battle God’s Sword can fuse with any sword. Once fused, the attack power and special abilities that the Battle God’s Sword possessed will not be lost. It would even be combined with the sword that it fused with.”

“...!”

Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide. This was a completely different concept from reinforcement. There was also the fact that he could fuse the Battle God’s Sword with the Sword of Aeon. In other words, if the Sword of Aeon had 1,000 attack power and the Battle God’s Sword had 200, the resulting sword would have 1,200 attack power once they were fused.

‘But that was not all. The skills attached to the Battle God’s Sword can also be used with the Sword of Aeon.’

This was beyond reinforcement. It was like one sword having the power of two swords.

“What is the sword’s attack power and special abilities?”

“It’s not at an overwhelmingly outstanding level. But once it’s fused, everything changes.”

That was the truth. Even if it only had 200 attack power, adding that much to the Sword of Aeon was like allowing the Sword of Aeon, which could not grow anymore, to grow further.

Evan did not tell him anything more than that. Instead, he talked about the skills the current generation Battle God lacked.

“Great Sovereign.”

Minhyuk looked at Evan in confusion when he heard the man suddenly say “Great Sovereign” out of the blue.

“That is the special power that I possess.”

“Ah.”

That was when Minhyuk realized the skill was called “Great Sovereign.”

As for Evan, he intended to keep the power of the skill private. All he said was, “You can make your enemies, no matter who they are, immobile for ten seconds.”

“...!”

Minhyuk was shocked.

‘It won’t matter who or what they are?’

It was a big deal that his enemy would be left defenseless and unable to move for ten seconds.

“And it’s also a Consumable Power.”

A consumable skill meant it would completely disappear after being used a couple of times.

“But if you can achieve great achievements while we purify God’s Prison, then I can change it and turn this power into a permanent one before I bestow it upon you.”

Evan was also making a deal right now, just like how Minhyuk struck a deal with him.

“Of course, if you get the consumable version, its duration would be greatly reduced.”

Even so, it would definitely be a skill anyone and everyone would want.

“But what would you gain if I purified God’s Prison and made great achievements, Evan?”

Evan chuckled. “Then, I, Evan, will gain the reputation of helping the one who achieved great achievements and purified the God’s Prison to protect the Land of the Gods.”

Even if Evan had to leave the Land of the Gods, he wanted to leave it with honor. This was nothing but ordinary greed, something that everyone had. Despite wishing for something like that, Evan thought that he would already be fortunate if he could survive this ordeal.

“Achieving something great… Will I be able to achieve that if I defeat all of the berserk gods behind that door?”

Evan laughed when he saw the young man speak confidently like that. He said, “That’s right. But that will be a hard feat…”

At that moment, Minhyuk took out his Food God’s Almighty Tool and various ingredients.

“Boy, what are you doing?”

Evan could not understand why the boy did something like this so suddenly.

“If I cook and eat my dish, I will become stronger.”

“...?”

What kind of nonsense was this boy spouting? He would grow stronger after eating the dish that he cooked? Of course, Evan was aware of buffs. But from what he knew, what the young man wanted to do would only happen if he could eat a dish made by the God of Cooking or the Food God.

But the moment Evan saw how skillful and excellent Minhyuk’s movements were as he cooked, he realized that he had completely missed something.

“I am the Battle God. But I am also the Food God.”

“...!”

Looking at the shocked Evan, Minhyuk said, “If a great dish comes out, then I will be 40% stronger than I am now.”

Evan did not believe the young man’s words. Minhyuk also offered to cook for Evan, but the previous generation Battle God refused.

“I don’t feel really well right now.”

Evan was completely tense, caught up in the thought that he would die at any given moment. Even if he was a god, the fear of death was deeply ingrained in his bones.

“Then, I’ll make two servings for now,” Minhyuk said as he continued to cook.

After he finished cooking, the young man began to eat happily.

‘His speed is outstanding. Even so, in a situation like this, how can he…’

How could the young man eat so happily like that?

‘Become 40% stronger? That’s ridiculous.’ Evan shook his head. He wondered if the next generation Battle God was just someone filled with hot air.

Not long after, Minhyuk stood up and opened the door. At that moment, Evan saw something flash from the crack that opened.

While wondering if Minhyuk was just bragging, he forgot to tell the young man that a hydra would await him once he opened the door. A hydra was a gigantic snake with nine heads. If they failed to cut all of its head within two minutes, all of its injuries would recover, and its head would grow again.

“This– Damn it…! There’s a hydra in front of the door!”

But it was already too late. Minhyuk had already completely opened the door. One had to be fully prepared before fighting a hydra. They had to think of a plan that would allow them to cut off all of the hydra’s heads within two minutes.

Bang–!

Then, one of the hydra’s heads shot toward the ground at that moment. Evan’s eyes widened when he saw the thick cloud of dust that bloomed from the impact.

“Now that I have eaten, I can deal with a hydra within two minutes.”

“...?!”

Evan’s already eyes grew even wider. A hydra was a monster god that even five gods fighting together could not defeat. But Evan saw that the young man only took twelve seconds to cut one of the hydra’s heads and make it fall to the ground.

[You have cut off one of the Hydra’s heads!]

[You must cut off the remaining eight heads within two minutes.]

With two swords in the young man’s hands, it took him another nine seconds to cut off another head.

[You have cut off two of the Hydra’s heads.]

Minhyuk flew up and slashed at another head five times in a row. This time, it took another twelve seconds.

[...three of the Hydra’s heads…]

Using Like the Wind and other appropriate skills, he leaped to the sky again and cut off another head. It took eleven seconds.

Shwaaaaa–!

[...four of the Hydra’s heads…]

“Ego Chain Sickle.”

Clank, clank, clank–!

He blew off another head with the help of a sickle with a long chain.

[...five of the Hydra’s heads…]

Minhyuk jumped fiercely and stabbed his two swords into the center of one of the hydra’s heads. Then, he inserted some force and separated it from its body.

[...six of the Hydra’s heads…]

Flash–!

At the same time, the chain sickle moved and cut off the seventh head.

Fwoosh–!

“Heaven Tearing Sword.”

[...eight of the Hydra’s heads…]

Minhyuk’s body flashed as he ran toward the remaining head.

Spurt–!

Blood spurted out of the hydra’s neck as half of its neck was cut off.

[In four seconds, the hydra’s heads will regenerate!]

“I told you it would be difficult…!” Evan shouted, his face completely ugly. This was because the remaining head was only cut halfway.

But Minhyuk moved with the Ego Chain Sickle and split the remaining half of the neck away from its body. It was as if it was all within the young man’s calculation.

Swoosh–!

[You have cut off all the Hydra’s heads within two minutes.]

[You have hunted the Mythical Monster Hydra.]

“...”

Evan felt goosebumps rise on his back as he watched Minhyuk look at the collapsing hydra with an indifferent expression.

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