Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1184

Minhyuk had always believed that his strength and skills were all thanks to the people he had met and the relationships he had forged so far. After all, they were why he became who he was. Indeed, that was the truth.

Nonetheless, Aelona’s words seemed to have made him realize something else.

–They stayed by your side because you are a strong, kind, and upright man.

Perhaps Aelona had indeed seen right through things. Those words brought a smile to Minhyuk’s face. He felt happy and grateful to know those people stayed by his side because he was strong. This also helped him gain confidence and self-esteem. Through the notifications, he discovered that although he thought he was lacking, Aelona was still genuinely happy to recognize him as her teacher and master.

[Teaching has reached 98%.]

Minhyuk’s gaze turned toward Andreas, who was already beaten black and blue and ripped apart by the Sword of Million Lightnings.

Andreas was livid, especially now that his upper body was almost completely exposed and his blood was dripping all over.

“These f*cking bugs…”

When Andreas arrived in the Gorodis Kingdom, he did not expect a war. The only thing he thought his side would carry out was genocide, as the Gorodis Kingdom was small and insignificant.

But now, he was left in a mess.

At this moment, Andreas realized, ‘I cannot win.’

The teachings that the unknown foreigner imparted upon Aelona were enough to make a novice like her become the master of the sword. And given that Aelona was nearly 1.5x stronger than him, she had now become an opponent that was difficult to win against in the Gorodis Kingdom.

Andreas looked at Minhyuk, Aelona, and the Gorodis’ royal army, which was killing the members of the Slaughter Squad around him. The battlefield, which was earlier filled with the blood of the Gorodis’ royal army, was now dyed with the blood of the members of the Slaughter Squad.

Andreas did not care about the death of the members of the Slaughter Squad. But he was no fool. He quickly regained his senses.

Smirk–

The grinning Andreas said, “We will retreat. But…”

Andreas understood better than anybody else about the guardian deities and the loophole created by their protection.

“Don’t you understand that you are isolated now?”

In the first place, they decided to punish the Gorodis Kingdom to show the world what would happen if they dared to stand up and fight against them. But they had no need to do so in a situation like this.

“You must understand that you will no longer be able to interact with other kingdoms or empires?”

Andreas’ words were straight to the point. The kingdoms and empires of the continent would be busy trying to keep an eye and fawn over Olympus. They would cut off all trade with the Gorodis Kingdom. Even if trade was not cut off, the people of the Gorodis Kingdom would be killed by the members of the Slaughter Squad once they tried to get out of their kingdom.

“How will you obtain iron? How can you repair your broken house? What about your drinking water?”

Just like how one nation buys from another nation that produced oil, the Gorodis Kingdom was left in a situation where they had to buy the items and materials that they needed from others. The underlying meaning beneath Andreas’s sharp words was that the isolated Gorodis Kingdom would eventually meet its end—an end that was no different from being slaughtered.

“Ultimately, your kingdom will meet its demise in fifty years. Huh? Fufufufufu! There will be no kingdom or empire that will ever do business with the Gorodis Kingdom!”

The Gorodis Kingdom’s royal army finally finished fighting off the Slaughter Squad and realized it did not matter if they won. Even if they survived this ordeal, there would still be no place for their children to continue living in this world.

Since they were a chef’s kingdom, they lacked a lot of necessary materials and items for repair. Not only that, they also lacked competent architects and engineers. If a natural disaster came their way and broke down their houses and buildings, then they would have no way of repairing them.

In other words, the Gorodis Kingdom could only survive for a very short time.

Andreas looked at the desperate expressions on the faces of the people who fought against them. Then, he laughed. “You dared to go against the gods…”

“What bullshit are you spouting?” Minhyuk picked his ears. “Why wouldn’t there be any empire that can trade with them?”

Andreas frowned. He wanted to tear apart this man named Minhyuk and kill him. It seemed like it was not enough for him to intervene with his mission; he even began to make stupid and nonsensical statements.

“Will there even be an empire that would want to trade with them?”

Even if there was such an empire, Andreas was confident that the Gorodis Kingdom and that empire would take the path of destruction. After all, going against Olympus was considered treason.

Minhyuk looked at Aelona. “Aelona.”

“Yes, Master.”

Even though they only knew each other for ten minutes, Aelona truly respected and adored Minhyuk. Looking at her polite appearance, Minhyuk said, “I am the emperor of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, one of the countless empires in the several continents located east of this place.”

“...!”

Everyone present was shocked, even the chefs. Minhyuk did not reveal his identity because he thought there was no need.

“Our empire is teeming with brilliant architects and engineers who can turn barren lands fertile and outstanding blacksmiths who can make excellent weapons and tools.”

The Beyond the Heavens Empire was second only to the Luvien Empire.

“If we became allies…”

“Yes!”

“...?”

As mentioned before, Aelona admired and adored her master, Minhyuk. She looked at Minhyuk with sparkling eyes filled with admiration. However, she did not answer him immediately because she admired him. She made this decision and answered quickly because she believed in the path that her master had taken and would continue to take.

[The Beyond the Heavens Empire and the Gorodis Kingdom have allied.]

“Wha—That’s preposterous…!” Andreas looked at them in disbelief.

Regardless, people from other continents could not enter this place at will.

“Foreigners have special privileges. And among these privileges, I possess a very special one.”

Minhyuk referred to his infinite inventory, which allowed him to store many ingredients and materials.

“Iron, copper, rice, drinking water, everything that the Gorodis Kingdom needs can be brought here.”

Of course, Minhyuk could not travel back and forth to the Gaia Continent as he pleased.

‘But if my predictions are correct, we will soon be able to make roundtrips to the Gaia Continent.’

And even if it did not go as he predicted, the Exploration Rate he was filling in would allow other players to come to Gaia Continent. Then, he could just give them the task of procuring ingredients and materials for the Gorodis Kingdom.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

‘It doesn’t necessarily have to be me.’

The Gorodis Kingdom would be the starting point for all players visiting the Gaia Continent. Because of that, Minhyuk could just ask various players to procure the items that the Gorodis Kingdom needed.

Minhyuk also decided to speak out in a situation like this when the kingdom's people were afraid.

‘To form a relationship between us.’

Someone might say Minhyuk was very greedy. However, he believed that he deserved such a reward.

When Minhyuk saw Andreas’ twitching lips, he drove his point home and said, “You have not achieved anything.”

Andreas’ face grew uglier by the second.

“So, shut up and get lost.”

Naturally, with Aelona's current power, she could easily kill Andreas. But no matter how strong they were and how they had the power to protect their kingdom from the gods of this continent, continuing to clash against them would most definitely result in a bad outcome. Everyone here was aware of that fact.

Andreas stared at Minhyuk for a long time before cackling widely.

“Fufufufufufu! Bwahahahahahaha! Interesting. A foreigner from another continent.” The laughing Andreas said, “We will meet again.”

Of the one million Slaughter Squad’s Cavalry who marched here, only 350,000 of them survived. The survivors, along with Andreas, began to retreat.

Minhyuk watched their retreat nervously. He wondered if he would hear a notification about how Olympus would become hostile to him. Fortunately, no notifications of such kind rang in his ears just yet.

After Andreas and the Slaughter Squad’s Cavalry completely disappeared, Aelona jumped back to the wall and rushed to hug her older brother, Ancas. And right there, waiting for them, was King Anton, who was barely holding on.

***

Anton was already at death’s door. The fact that he could hold on until now was only thanks to the efforts of the priests of the kingdom, who had been pouring their holy power on his body, which had become a bottomless jar. He had heard that the war was finally over.

Now, his beloved children, Aelona and Ancas, were trying to hold back their tears as they stood before him.

“Father… father…”

King Anton smiled faintly as he watched Aelona with tears streaming down her face.

“How… How can I save my dear father…!”

“It’s fine.” Anton shook his head.

This was his fate. At one point, he wondered if it dictated that he would never be able to say goodbye to his daughter. But he was able to do it now. Now that his kingdom had been protected, it was time for him to go.

Watching his daughter through his hazy gaze, he stretched his hand out and patted Aelona’s wet cheeks. He said, “You… were born prematurely. Your mother and I have been worried about you since your birth, unable to leave your side for days on end.”

“...”

“It wasn’t hard. All we wished for was for you to survive and live.”

It was a wish that all fathers shared.

“When the priests told us you’re alright, I felt relieved. I felt like I had the entire world in my hands.”

Anton felt happy as he recalled the events back then.

“Then, you smiled at me as if to thank me for not giving up and saving you.”

“...”

“And this time, I’m thanking you. Thank you for protecting this kingdom. I am confident you will be able to protect this kingdom and continue to do so.”

Anton was a good king. The cries that were echoing in the Gorodis Kingdom were proof of this.

“I’m not afraid. It’s because I am holding your hands. I am not sad. It’s because I will be walking alongside our people who had already departed ahead.”

Still caressing Aelona’s wet cheeks, Anton graced them with a smile. This smile was the happiest and most content smile in the world. Aelona and Ancas, who saw the smile, struggled to put a smile on their face. This was because they knew this was the happiest smile anyone could have in the world.

But Anton was already reaching his limits. With great difficulty, he said, “Are you… here…?”

He was calling out for Minhyuk.

“Yes,” Minhyuk answered. He was fully aware that Anton had no regrets left in this world.

“Thank you for protecting the Gorodis Kingdom.”

[You have completely protected the Gorodis Kingdom.]

[You have achieved a 100% Exploration Rate.]

[A considerable number of players will be able to visit the places you pioneered in the Gaia Continent.]

[They will be able to receive a chance to visit the Gaia Continent once.]

[Unlike them, you have been given the right to travel between the existing continents and the Gaia Continent permanently.]

“Please come closer.”

At his request, Minhyuk carefully approached King Anton and knelt on one knee.

King Anton looked at him fondly. Then, he opened his mouth.

***

[The broadcast related to the Gaia Continent Update will now begin.]

All of the players cheered when this notification rang all over Athenae. Finally, they were notified that they would be able to visit a new continent that was several times higher in level and quality than the current continents.

Many people with high ambitions and aspirations were overcome with motivation. Among them was Absolute Monarch Richard, who vowed to establish a kingdom on the Gaia Continent. God of Archery Miao also wanted to build a kingdom that was strictly for Vietnamese people. Countless merchants wished to trade various things with the nations on the Gaia Continent and accumulate a mass of wealth.

A notification rang in their ears while they were immersed in their ambitions.

[You can now watch the Gaia Continent Update Broadcast.]

[Would you like to watch?]

Around 90% of the players agreed to watch the broadcast. As words appeared in front of them, their vision grew dark.

[Gorodis Kingdom. This tiny kingdom in the Gaia Continent has always been persecuted and oppressed by the gods of Olympus. Just recently, the Gourmet visited the kingdom…]

As they listened to the narration, the players could understand the Gorodis Kingdom's situation.

[Their king drank the Potion of Yearning and burned his life to try and save the kingdom.]

People with grand ambitions, like Richard, became even more motivated. This meant that the Gorodis Kingdom was in a very precarious situation. If they could help the kingdom, they would gain great fame and wealth.

[At that moment, someone became the master of the Guardian Deity’s Envoy and led them to their victory.]

Everyone was shocked. They had also heard about the Guardian Deity’s Envoy. The envoy was a very strong powerhouse. That was why they were very envious of the person who became their master.

Light broke through the dark scene in front of them not long after. This light grew and illuminated the Gaia Continent. The camera slowly zoomed in until it showed the figures of two individuals.

It was the figure of the dying King Anton and a man kneeling before him. Everyone’s breath hitched when they saw the face of the kneeling man.

‘This time again?!’

‘Why is it always you?!’

‘Do you even have a conscience…?!’

Everyone harbored the same thoughts.

Then, King Anton said, “Thank you for becoming Aelona’s master. And thank you for protecting this kingdom.”

Anton gathered the rest of his strength and held Minhyuk’s hands with great difficulty. It was a show of respect toward their benefactor.

“I’m sorry, but I have one more request of you.”

Everyone perked their ears up to listen to Anton’s words.

“Aelona has just awakened. She is still far too immature and naive to lead the kingdom. Ancas has received the education for heirs but is still too young. Besides, he is more suited to the Light Dragon Order’s commander position.”

“...”

“You are the best candidate for the person to lead our Gorodis Kingdom. Not only do you make the most delicious dishes, but you also care for and love your people the most,” Anton said with a small smile.

“Please accept our Gorodis Kingdom as your vassal state.”

Everyone, including Richard, Miao, and the other merchants with grand ambitions and aspirations, bit their lips and cursed deep inside when they heard the words.

‘Are you going to monopolize everything, huh?! Minhyuk!’

‘Stop! Enough! You’ve already had enough!’

‘AAAAH! F*ck, shit, shit!’

But then, at that moment, Minhyuk shook his head and said, “I refuse.”

The viewers were all left shocked and in disbelief.

‘Why?’

Anton also looked like he did not understand why the man before him refused. Being a vassal state meant that although the Gorodis Kingdom was operating independently, they would still be under the rule and command of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

Then, Minhyuk said, “I still believe it is better to be allies. Just as I mentioned before.”

All of the viewers were puzzled.

“This is the kingdom that you have protected.”

Everyone perked their ears up to listen.

“As the emperor of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, I do not wish to rule over the Gorodis Kingdom with power. I have felt this when I was fighting alongside you.” With a bright smile, Minhyuk continued, “I sincerely believe that the Gorodis Kingdom will become a wonderful ally and friend to us, the kind of allies that can rely on and depend on each other.”

“...!”

“...!”

Everyone was impressed. If the Gorodis Kingdom became their vassal state, it would be easier to manage and manipulate. After all, they were subordinate to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. But if they were allies, it would be a bit difficult. However, he would be able to win their true hearts.

The dying Anton said, “I can happily close my eyes and welcome eternal rest now. I am thrilled to have met someone like you. However, I hope you don’t argue against this one for me.”

Anton looked up at the sky with a smile on his face.

“Our Gorodis Kingdom is now an ally to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. From this day forward, our Gorodis Kingdom will serve and worship the greatest god, the Food God.”

[The Gorodis Kingdom has completely abandoned the gods of Olympus, the same gods they once worshipped and served.]

[The Gorodis Kingdom has chosen to serve a new god, the Food God!]

[A Food God’s Temple will be built in the Gorodis Kingdom!]

[A statue of the Food god will be built in the Gorodis Kingdom!]

Minhyuk has gained something far more valuable than acquiring a vassal state.