Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 982

The heroes of Utopia were the chosen ones.

If one were a half-god, half-transcendental, they would already be considered to have fulfilled the most basic requirement to be a chosen one. However, not all of the half-god, half-transcendental beings were outstanding individuals. That was why there was also a second condition that they had to fulfill. And that was to pass the trials of the Tower of Heroes.

In Utopia's thousands of years of history, only around a hundred individuals were able to pass the trials of the Tower of Heroes. Those who passed the trials of the Tower of Heroes in the current era became the heroes who ruled Utopia.

Around 300 years ago, a mighty hero appeared in the world. This man broke the record and became the fastest individual to clear the trials of the Tower of Heroes. He even killed a Tower Commander, a being that only descended every thousand years inside the tower.

The entire Utopia was left in shock. The Tower Commander was a symbol of Utopia’s strength. Because of that, the other heroes began to follow this man, who defeated this symbol of power and strength. This man became the de facto ruler of Utopia and God’s puppet. The people called him the Hero King.

And Hero King Rakk heard stories about another world.

‘The humans and elves in the world outside are infinitely weaker than the people of Utopia.’

‘They kicked out the hybrids from their world because of their inferiority complex.’

It was a world where those weaker than the Utopia residents lived. When Rakk learned of that fact, he thought he could become god not only in this world but also in the entire universe.

But now, Utopia’s strongest, the man who could easily crush and kill thousands of Utopians with a single word, felt fear for the first time in his life.

‘W- what…’

The most shocking part was the fact that the subject of that fear was the Food God.

Rakk’s memories of that time were still very clear. He could clearly remember the descent of a true and complete god. Many people had high expectations for the descent of a true god. However, the god that appeared in front of them was not strong. He just liked to eat.

Rakk laughed at him back then. ‘A f*cking idiotic god.’

Then, Rakk spread the word throughout the world. He declared that the Food God was weak and trivial. He said he was the most useless god in the world, where strength is power.

But when he caught sight of the gaze of the current era’s Food God, Rakk was left terrified and overwhelmed. The reason why Minhyuk could overwhelm Rakk with just his momentum alone lay in his CHA. His CHA easily went beyond the CHA of other gods.

The panicked Rakk quickly calmed down. ‘No. This bastard will not be able to kill me.’

The Food God was alone. He, on the other hand, had the other heroes with him. Not only that, the Heroes’ Army would also arrive soon.

‘This bastard had only killed the divine dragon. Compared to me…!’ This thought flashed in Rakk’s head.

But then, a sword appeared in Minhyuk’s other hand with a wave. This sword was none other than the Sword of Aeon. Minhyuk usually used the Continent Destroyer Sword as his primary weapon and would just swap it with the Sword of Aeon if the situation called for it. And the moment this sword made its appearance.

[The Hero King’s Sword is resonating!]

[The Hero King’s Armor is resonating!]

The sharpness and function of the sword and armor Rakk and the heroes had equipped were temporarily rendered useless.

Rakk’s eyes grew wide. ‘My sword and armor are shaking in fear?’

It was utterly ridiculous. He had never heard of a sword and an armor trembling in fear. Even so, he still was not worried.

‘Even if this bastard attacks me, he will not be able to inflict a huge damage…’

He could barely even finish the thought.

“Sword of Carnage.”

With the effects of Dual Swordsmanship in effect, more than sixty attacks landed on Rakk’s body. And this was when his defensive armor’s defensive power was dragged back to one.

Stab, stab, stab, stab– Stab, stab, stab, stab–

“Keuaaaaaaaaaaack!” Rakk screamed from the pain.

The other heroes looked at Rakk in shock. In their eyes, Rakk was not only a pillar of spiritual support but also the highest and strongest man in the world. Seeing Rakk screaming in pain jolted them awake.

“Bastard!”

“How dare you! Sir Rakk!”

The shocked heroes charged at Minhyuk. However, their attacks were useless. After all, their swords only had one attack power right now. Also, Minhyuk, the one whom they were attacking, had the Transcendental’s Armor equipped. It was an armor with a highly overpowered defensive power that most attacks could not easily damage.

Minhyuk quickly ignored the damage that they had inflicted upon him. Either way, it would be alright. Even if he received damage, he could trigger Slaughterer’s Absorption by attacking Rakk and recover from his wounds.

Of course, Minhyuk knew. ‘I can never win against Rakk.’

Rakk was a high-level NPC with a level that exceeded Level 800. And Minhyuk’s superiority only lay in his outstanding artifacts and skills. Once the Sword of Aeon’s power that neutralized his opponents’ weapons and defensive armor disappeared, Minhyuk would be in danger.

At the very least, Minhyuk was confident that the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire would arrive soon. It did not matter to him how many people came. If Brod, Spear God Ben, and Luo came, Minhyuk would be at an advantage and be able to take control of this battle.

So, he needed to find a way to hold out until the people of Beyond the Heavens Empire arrived. Minhyuk ran several simulations in his head until he finally chose one method. At the same time, the word “Destruction” appeared on the blade of his sword.

‘I’ll just go and bash one bastard.’

Minhyuk approached Rakk, staggering after being hit by the Sword of Carnage.

‘Why– Why…?!’

Rakk couldn’t understand, even after seeing the other heroes attack Minhyuk non-stop. Even though the damage he received did not seem too big, why was he ignoring them and coming toward him?!

Rakk immediately raised his sword to defend against Minhyuk’s attack. But Minhyuk was a step faster than him.

Bang, bang, bang, bang–!

Lightning fell and struck Rakk. Rakk was left dazed from the excruciating pain that he had never experienced in his life before.

“Sir Rakk!”

“Hero King!”

The heroes hurriedly tried to protect Rakk, but it did not work. Minhyuk was like a wild and unbridled colt. But at that moment, the power that restricted Rakk and the other heroes slowly disappeared.

Slaaaaaaash–!

Finally, one of the heroes’ attacks inflicted massive damage upon Minhyuk. Despite the blood in his mouth, Rakk cackled. “Now, you bastard…!”

“Shut up.”

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash–!

But Minhyuk continued to ignore the attacks sent by the other heroes to attack Rakk alone. At that moment, Minhyuk said, “Viel’s Puppet Doll. Ego Chain Sickle.”

Envoy Viel could deal the highest and most significant damage. As for the Ego Chain Sickle, it was an item that could not be broken easily, even after many attacks. Even though the other heroes did not cause much damage, the fact that the two were able to restrict them from approaching Minhyuk.

While the two kept the others busy, Minhyuk kept on attacking Rakk. And Rakk, who was constantly being hit and beaten, felt an unbearable humiliation wash over him.

“How dare you! Do you not know who I am…?!”

Then, something shocking happened. Two streams of light rose from Rakk’s body. One was a white light, and the other was a black light that represented a transcendental. Rakk was a half-god, half-transcendental. However, one special attribute helped him become the Hero King.

[The Hero King’s Special Attribute has been triggered.]

[Once the Hero King’s Special Attribute has been triggered, any attack landing on Rakk that did not come from a god will decrease by 70%. His attacks will also become 50% stronger.]

[Once the Hero King’s Special Attribute has been triggered, any attack landing on Rakk that did not come from a transcendental will decrease by 70%. His attacks will also become 50% stronger.]

In fact, the words half-god, half-transcendental could not appropriately describe Rakk. Although the blood of both beings ran through his veins, it was more apt to say that he was both a god and a transcendental.

And because of this particular attribute, no one could deal with Rakk. Even if a god came, since they did not have the power of an intangible, their attacks would still be 70% less powerful, while Rakk’s own would become 50% stronger. Of course, the same was true for a transcendental.

“I am the superior race.”

He was a true god and a true transcendental. And Rakk expected that the man in front of him, the Food God, did not have the blood of a transcendental flowing in him. Rakk slashed Minhyuk with all his might. But…

[The Hero King’s Battle Intent is responding to a transcendental! You cannot inflict 50% more damage!]

“...?!”

Rakk was left frozen for a moment. Were his ears playing with him? According to the notifications that he heard, Minhyuk was a transcendental being. That was impossible. He was nothing but a mere Food God. And he was not even one of the hybrids. So, how come he was considered a transcendental being? And Rakk was able to find the answers to his question not long after.

“N– No way…?”

“Intangible Sword.”

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash–!

Hundreds of invisible swords slashed at Rakk. At this moment, Rakk, who was being beaten one-sidedly, finally caught sight of Minhyuk's armor. The armor carried the power of a transcendental being.

At that moment, the white light strengthened and tried to reduce the damage brought about by Minhyuk’s attack.

[The Hero King’s Battle Intent is responding to a god! You cannot inflict 50% more damage!]

Minhyuk was a true god, so there was no way that his attacks would be reduced or Rakk’s damage would increase. At this moment, Rakk felt he had met an opponent he should not have met.

Minhyuk found himself in a very unexpected situation. ‘It seems like the Hero King’s Special Attribute is the power that supported Rakk.’

Gods and transcendentals were existences that had never gotten along since time immemorial. Simply put, there should never have been a god like Minhyuk, who would wear armor made by a transcendental.

‘That power has collapsed.’

The main reason why Minhyuk always held back on using his skills when fighting against Named Monsters or high-leveled NPC was because he wanted to use them at the right time. After all, using one’s skill indiscriminately was a shortcut to one’s defeat.

However, Minhyuk has a lot of outstanding skills that could easily surpass and overwhelm NPCs at Level 800 or higher. But this was only possible if he was allowed to use his skills as he pleased.

Knowing that his strong allies would come soon, Minhyuk decided to go all out. He bombarded Rakk with all of the skills that he had on hand.

“Supreme Overlord’s Technique.”

Crackle–!

Never-ending attacks landed on Rakk and put pressure on him.

“You bastard!”

“How dare you do that to Sir Rakk!”

Slaaaash–!

Bang, bang, bang, bang–!

The other heroes continued to attack Minhyuk like crazy.

[Your HP has dropped below 50%.]

[Your HP has dropped below 45%.]

But Minhyuk did not stop attacking Rakk.

“Sword of Frenzy.”

Stab–!

Rakk, who could not help but receive the attacks, triggered another power in his body.

[The Hero King’s Pride has been triggered.]

[The Hero King’s Pride increases your stats by 2% per second.]

[Rakk’s stats have increased by 2%.]

[Rakk’s stats have increased by 2%.]

[Rakk’s stats…]

[Rakk’s stats…]

Rakk’s anger had already reached its peak. This bastard in front of him was nothing but a mere bug. The only reason he was being rendered helpless was that he was not given any time to respond to the onslaught of skills coming his way. As soon as this bastard’s skills were used up, he could easily crush him.

Rakk, with the power of the buff boosting him, was confident that he could crush this man all at once.

[Battle God’s Order.]

[You can cancel all the buffs or abnormal status applied to your opponent.]

“...?”

Minhyuk opened his mouth, and the power surging within Rakk’s body instantly disappeared. Of course, he did not stop there. Minhyuk triggered another skill.

“Sword of Absolute Death.”

Lightning bolts fell from the sky and instantly put Rakk in misery. Ultimately, Rakk could only think, ‘Why– Why me alone…?’

Minhyuk knew how to instill fear in people like Rakk and the heroes. He knew how to drag these people, who have never known fear, down. He was well-versed in maintaining the upper hand even if he was alone.

Slash, slash, slash, slash–!

Minhyuk hacked and slashed at Rakk’s body non-stop. Despite having a high regenerative ability, Rakk’s blood continued to spurt out of his body. In the end, he was left crawling on the ground from the onslaught of the attacks. But the attacks did not stop even after Rakk was stabbed in the back.

“S- Stop. Please stop…!” Rakk began to beg.

This was the first time someone like Rakk, who had never felt fear before, had been unable to control his emotions.

‘If his head is calm and rational, he will understand that I will lose once I have exhausted my skills.’

However, fear has consumed Rakk. And this fear had completely taken over his rationality. Minhyuk did not stop even after hearing Rakk’s pleas. At this point, Rakk’s entire body was covered with stabs. He looked like he was about to die. The other heroes were all left terrified when they saw Rakk’s state.

“P– Please. Please stop…”

“Please let Sir Rakk go.”

“Please stop.”

The heroes all fell on their knees. As mentioned before, Rakk was the heroes’ pillar of spiritual support. The thought of him dying in front of them made them all kneel to plead.

But Minhyuk continued to attack Rakk. When the heroes tried to attack him again, he instantly snarled.

“Lay a hand on me, and I will kill this bastard right away.”

“...”

“...”

The heroes had no choice but to stop and continue to sit on the sidelines. The truth was, Minhyuk had already used up almost 90% of his skills in just five minutes. Once Rakk was made aware of this, Minhyuk was 100% sure he would be forced to log out.

“P– Please, I beg you! STOP!”

But Rakk’s fear had a firm grip on him to the point that he could not see the truth. In his eyes, Minhyuk was like a demon. He was a powerful demon standing above him.

At that moment, Rakk’s HP started to recover rapidly. Minhyuk was still constantly attacking him with Destruction. However, with Rakk’s nerves repaired, his motor skills and instincts helped him avoid the attacks. Because of that, many of the attacks started to miss. The worst part? Minhyuk’s damage could not keep up with the speed of his recovery.

Because of that, the pain that he was suffering from gradually began to subside. With the pain subsiding, Rakk’s consciousness and spirit also started to return. The fear that had gripped him slowly receded, and he finally understood the situation before him.

‘Was he aiming for this…?’

Rakk understood that the man in front of him had deliberately used all of his strength briefly to put intense pressure on him and instill fear in him. After this, this man would have no other special skills. Rakk’s face grew ugly the moment he realized this fact.

Then, the sound of footsteps rushing inside the dungeon rang. The Heroes’ Army had finally arrived with troops at around Level 700. A vicious and grotesque smile graced Rakk’s face. He knew that the tides of this battle had finally turned.

This useless god had tricked him in front of him and even forced him to beg for his life. But now, it was time for payback. With a vicious smile on his face, Rakk grabbed his sword. He would kill this man. As if following him, the heroes and the Heroes’ Army all held their swords and aimed at Minhyuk.

***

Radon, leading the Heroes’ Army, was also one of Utopia’s heroes. He and the Level, 700 troops of the Heroes’ Army, were all powerful individuals and had deified the leader, Hero King Rakk, who led this army and the rest of the heroes.

He and the Heroes’ Army were slaughtering the village, which went against the heroes' orders, and dared to eat cooked potatoes when Radon received a summoning order from Rakk. They immediately rushed out the moment they received the order, an act that showed how much they revered and worshiped Rakk.

Rakk had told them he would become the Battle God and make the world kneel beneath his feet. But when Radon and the army entered the Dungeon of Oppression, they were greeted with a completely unbelievable scene.

A terrified Rakk was slumped on the ground and pleading for mercy. There were even the other heroes kneeling, helpless and unable to do anything, begging with both of their hands for the man to stop attacking Rakk.

At that moment, Radon felt awe for the man who had single-handedly brought the Hero King and the other heroes to this state. He admired the man even though he was their enemy.

And after hearing Rakk’s words, Radon immediately understood the situation.

“Bastard! I know that you no longer have any power left to use! Get ready; I will tear you apart for mocking me! Since you can no longer use your skills, I will easily rip you apart.”

Radon was a very realistic and rational man. He did not know how this situation came to be, but he understood that the heroes had lost the war even if they had won this battle. He could see the mocking smile gracing the lips of the man wearing the cape with a fork and knife crossed together.

“Everyone, kill him!”

“As you command!” Radon shouted and charged forward with the 4,000-strong troops of the Heroes’ Army behind him.

But the man smiled at Rakk and said, “There’s still one left.”

The man raised his sword, pointed it at the charging Heroes’ Army behind Rakk, and said, “Calamity.”