Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1204

Fabro’s Clone had been sealed inside the Ego Sword for a long time. One day, the sealed clone suddenly awakened. When it awakened, it heard bits and pieces of Alexander and Rosgol's conversation. The two seemed to be talking about a man named Minhyuk and the Evil God.

–I don’t understand. You’re obviously the Supreme among the foreigners…

–How often do I have to tell you that I am not the Supreme?

–You’re talking about him again? That man named Minhyuk who has the Evil God under his command?

The clone was shocked. ‘The Evil God is under someone’s command?’ Meanwhile, the two kept on talking.

–That’s right. He’s actually the Guardian God now.

–Ho. I still don’t understand, though. How can he accept falling from being a Pillar to an Absolute God? On top of that, he had lost his Evil God’s Books when he became the Guardian God. I’m sure he can no longer exert half of the power he could wield in the past.

The clone was delighted to hear those words. It continued to listen to the conversation between the two until they went outside. Ever since then, the clone had heard bits and pieces of the stories they shared. After listening for quite a while, it came to a conclusion.

‘Evil God Obren has grown infinitely weaker.’

Now that the Evil God had turned into the Guardian God, the being who once left everyone trembling in fear was no more. So, although the clone came to attack Minhyuk, its real target for coming here was Obren.

The one who had dug out Fabro’s eye when he was at the peak of his arrogance was none other than Obren. Then, he met the Supreme and had his remaining eye dug out again. After realizing that there were people who were far stronger than him, Fabro gained the motivation and became even stronger. After all, he had to get stronger to surpass Obren and the Supreme.

However, the clone should have considered one crucial factor: the stories it had listened to were nothing but bits and pieces of the whole. This was mainly because the clone could not hear Alexander and Rosgol from far away, so it missed the key points in their discussion.

That was why Alexander said.

–You delivered yourself to the mouth of the tiger.

The clone did not know the most critical points of their conversation. Also, Alexander did not know much about the Supreme, so the clone did not even hear an inkling of his existence in their discussions.

The two people put their hands on the clone’s shoulders.

[Shall I dig it out again?]

“Shall I dig it out again?”

The terrifying words made the strength leave the legs of Fabro’s Clone. At the same time, extreme fear enveloped its entire body. After all, Fabro had lost one of each eye to each of these two. This was a trauma response.

However, the clone regained its calm. As mentioned in the bits and snippets it had heard, Evil God Obren had become Guardian God Obren and was now weakened.

[C-crazy.]

[This is a ridiculous yet spectacular sight.]

[When the first Master of Weapons appeared in the Beyond the Heavens Empire, the people said the battle leading to the empire's destruction would begin.]

[And that was, in fact, what we had seen. Although Minhyuk and his vassals are amazing, Master of Weapons Fabro is genuinely a monster beyond imagination.]

[Hephaestus has broken our expectations and significantly elevated the status of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

[At this rate, the Master of Weapons looks more like an accomplice. Why does it seem like they’re trying to promote the Beyond the Heavens Empire?]

[Wow… that’s all I can say.]

And just like what the viewers were saying, the clone spat out a sigh of pure admiration, “Woah…”

The viewers, commentators, and even Fabro’s Clone were in awe of the scene unfolding before them.

The Evil God’s Books were utterly black from what the clone had initially heard. This was according to one of the myths that described Obren. It said, ‘On the day of Evil God Obren’s descent, millions of black and sinister books covered the entire world.’

But now, books that looked completely different from the Evil God’s Books were filling the world.

[The Guardian God’s Books protect the Beyond the Heavens Empire!]

Millions of books covered with bright blinding lights floated above the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Then, it began to show the power of the Guardian God’s Books.

[The Guardian God’s Books will protect the Beyond the Heavens Empire from all danger.]

That was right. The story the clone had heard was incomplete and lacked key points. Furthermore, Alexander, the other players, and the experts did not know this.

When Obren became the Guardian God, these notifications rang in his ears:

[The Evil God’s Books in your possession will now be changed into the Guardian God’s Books!]

[Most of the power of the Evil God’s Books will change and move toward the direction of protecting and defending others.]

[The power of the Evil God that Guardian God Obren possessed will slowly disappear.]

Like the clone believed, the Evil God’s Books had been deleted. However, they were replaced with the Guardian God’s Books. Surprisingly enough, there hadn’t been an instance where Obren had to use the Guardian God’s Books in such a large-scale manner. This was the first time that he had ever triggered it like this.

Of course, the Guardian God was subject to many restrictions. What did this mean? Restrictions meant that Obren was temporarily tied down in terms of his powers.

However, Guardian God Obren had grown over time as he protected and defended the Beyond the Heavens Empire and its people. He had also grown whenever he led those who lost their way or needed guidance on the right path. He had also grown whenever he consoled and comforted someone from the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

And the result of his growth was this:

[You can now use all of the Guardian God’s Books.]

[However, you can only trigger this power if the system recognizes a disaster has befallen the empire's capital.]

These notifications recently rang in Obren’s ears. He could only use its power if the capital were attacked. And there was also the tricky condition where the system had to recognize the attack to be at a disaster level. If the conditions were met, Obren could use and control all of the Guardian God’s Books.

Fabro’s Clone’s lips twisted into a smirk. “You f*cking bastard, you have grown wea—”

At that moment, the light covering the Guardian God’s Books pulsed and grew more powerful.

[The Guardian God’s Books releases a brighter light.]

Meanwhile, the vassals had run away swiftly after Minhyuk had finished making a dish. Did they truly run away? Of course not. They all followed Minhyuk’s signals and hid in safe places.

Then, Minhyuk, who acted discreetly, triggered his power. ‘Everyone’s Happiness.’

It was the absolute power that could allow Minhyuk to create the same dishes with the same effects for ten people.

Obren watched the entire situation. The Supreme evacuated the children of the Sprout Academy while the vassals were eating Minhyuk’s God-grade dish.

“...”

The clone gulped dryly. It realized that everyone’s momentum had undergone a complete change. Nevertheless, it turned around and shouted, “A Guardian God?! All of the Guardian Gods that I knew were all good! They are the type of beings who would throw themselves forward to protect those they had to protect!”

Shwaaaa–!

The clone was vicious and evil. It released millions of weapons into the sky. It had decided that this was the best course of action for now. And the place where the millions of weapons were aiming for? It was the shelter just right outside the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

The shelter could not be broken with just any force. However, the power of the clone came from a Pillar. The millions of weapons immediately shot toward the barrier protecting the shelter.

The clone felt delighted. It was sure that Obren was now regretting his choice. After all, he had chosen to abandon his name as the Evil God and instead become the Guardian God.

Right then, the millions of Guardian God’s Books hovering above the Beyond the Heavens Empire flashed at that moment.

Flash–!

Flash–!

The millions of lights that shot like lightning destroyed the millions of weapons, leaving no trace behind.

“...”

The clone staggered back. Obren, who was holding its arm, said.

[Yes, the Guardian God is different. They live to protect others.]

[They’re generally existences that lived for the good and are noble.]

[The Guardian Gods are beings who live to protect people. There are many restrictions placed upon beings like me. I can’t even kill an ant.]

[But I…]

Obren smirked. This smirk was pure evil, a smirk that could only be seen in the face of the Evil God. When the clone saw that smile, it could not help but step back. The problem was that Obren’s hold on its arm was tight.

[I was once hailed as the epitome of evil.]

[I am someone who has killed millions.]

[I am someone who has dug out one of your main body’s eyes.]

[I am someone who has fought a war against all of the gods in the Land of the Gods.]

Then, Obren whispered.

[I am both the Guardian God and the Evil God. Yes, that’s right. I can’t kill you.]

Obren would face penalties if he killed someone.

“I am very good at killing.”

“...?”

Then, the Supreme appeared behind them.

Hundreds of weapons sprung out to protect Fabro’s Clone as Supreme Rundalk swung his sword at it. Rundalk quickly broke the weapons down and cut the clone down.

“Keuhaaaaaaaack?!”

[I can’t kill, but I certainly can trap someone.]

Obren still hasn’t let go of Fabro’s Clone’s arm.

Fabro’s Clone looked around. He was now surrounded by the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, who had already become much stronger after eating Minhyuk’s dish. Hundreds of Guardian God’s Books were releasing light and sending out chains. The weapons of the clone tried to break all of the chains apart, but a few broke past them and wrapped around the clone’s body. Immediately after that, the Beyond the Heavens Empire's vassals took an offensive stance.

Yes, this place was the mouth of the tiger. And right now, the tiger’s mouth had firmly closed in on the clone. Now, all the tiger needed to do was to chew it up and swallow it down.

Finally, Supreme Rundalk raised his sword and cut down the struggling clone. Meanwhile, the vassals, who had become 1.4x stronger than before, constantly bombarded it with attacks. All of the weapons that Fabro’s Clone had summoned were broken apart.

However, the clone could no longer resist, mainly because of the power of Guardian God Obren. The Guardian God might not have been able to attack, but it gave Obren the most excellent defense that made up for this flaw. When a weapon could slip past the vassals’ defenses and pierce through their hearts, a Guardian God’s Book would flash and immediately neutralize the attack.

And the clone? Screams were constantly being ripped apart from its mouth. It did not take too long for its HP to drop to 30%. At that moment, a notification rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[If someone other than the person who possessed the Weapon Master class killed Fabro’s Clone, they will not be able to obtain any rewards.]

[The Sudden Quest: Cooperation with the Weapon Master has been created.]

“...?”

***

Alexander was miserable and sad. He wanted to cry, but he could not.

Alexander had reached a turning point in his life, all because of a letter he had received from a young boy.

‘Hello. My name is Smith. I am the person who respects you the most in the world!’

From what he had heard, the young boy’s time was limited.

‘I believe that Mr. Alexander will become the Weapon Master!’

Alexander had lived a very lonely life. He had never looked back at anyone, continuing to look ahead and run forward. Even so, he still fell behind Minhyuk, which frustrated him. When he realized that even though he was not the Supreme, countless people continued to support and cheer for him. Because of that, Alexander decided to start broadcasting. He wanted to show those who supported him and the boy who respected him that he would become the Weapon Master.

Alexander had never given up. So, why did he not challenge the clone? To be honest, it was mostly because he did not receive any quest notifications, the notification for the quest to hunt down the clone and further awaken his powers.

Surprisingly, a quest appeared when the clone awakened and charged toward the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Alexander immediately started a broadcast. The broadcast name was, ‘Changing to the Weapon Master Broadcast.’

Countless people from all over the world were watching Alexander. They were looking forward to his performance. Alas, he was not even able to show off any performance. He was only able to do something for a short few seconds.

Just when the overpowered clone was about to die, a notification rang in his ears.

Ring!

[The Sudden Class Quest: Cooperation with the Food God has been created.]

[Sudden Class Quest: Cooperation with the Food God.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: Weapon Master

Rewards: You will awaken and receive the first level of power of the Weapon Master. Your level will fall by 100 after awakening the first level of power.

Penalty for Failure: You will not be able to awaken and receive the first level of power.

Description: The system has determined that you cannot kill Fabro’s Clone. However, if you cooperate with the Food God, there is a chance that you might be able to kill the clone. If the Food God cooperates with you, only you and he will be able to deal damage to Fabro’s Clone. The duration will be five minutes. After five minutes, the clone will self-destruct.

Alexander’s frustration reached its peak when he saw the notification. It felt more like he had been shot twice in a row with its words. After all, Minhyuk was his rival.

Rosgol, who had learned of this, was left in a bitter mood. He said, “Let’s go back, Alexander.”

Considering the current situation, no one would want to share their contributions with someone else, especially since Alexander could not do anything. On top of that, the other person was Alexander’s rival and competitor. As a competitor, he did not have to do something for Alexander, did he?

‘There’s also a great risk involved.’

If the quest was accepted, the two had to fight the clone for five minutes. If he looked at it from Minhyuk’s perspective, there was no way he should do something for the sake of others, right?

In the end, even the toughest and strongest man in the world would crumble in front of a situation like this. And that was the case for Alexander. He could only collapse on his knees in frustration. The expectations of the people had weighed down on him and dragged him to the ground. The worst part? He could not meet the boy’s expectations. All Alexander could do was swallow his tears down.

Alexander had to be able to land a hit to kill the clone, but he was unable to do anything.

Alexander sobbed silently, trying to hide his expression and frustration as much as possible from the people watching his broadcast. However, it was very obvious in their eyes. Even so, not a single viewer mocked him.

[Alexander, we’re cheering for you.]

[Bro, you must be feeling a lot of pressure, right? It’s fine. You’ll still be the number one in my heart, bro!]

[Even if the Food God and his vassals are not there, you still wouldn’t be able to win against the clone. That does not mean that you’re worse than them!]

It was just as they said. The situation was dire. Without the Food God, the Supreme, Obren, and the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, they would not have been able to overcome it.

No matter what they said, Alexander just could not bring himself to pick himself up. That was when the notification rang out.

[The other party has accepted the quest.]

When the silently weeping Alexander heard the notification, he saw Minhyuk walking along the path created by his dozens of vassals, who had been surrounding the clone.

Minhyuk said nothing and just reached out to him with his hand. Alexander could not understand his choice. They were rivals. There was even a chance that Alexander would be able to become even stronger than Minhyuk if he got through this.

Then Minhyuk said, “A notification has appeared in front of me. One of the notifications said that I would not be able to get any rewards even if I killed the clone myself.”

That may be the case. After all, the clone’s existence was made solely to help with the Weapon Master’s awakening.

Minhyuk continued, “The second notification said that I will not be able to reduce the clone’s HP once it drops below 30%. Only you can deal damage to it.”

Alexander realized that Minhyuk’s words were nothing but lies. Even if the quest was related to his class, there was no way that it would impose such a restriction. Then, at that moment, he realized something else.

“Alexander, help me kill that clone.”

Minhyuk looked at him as a friend first before a rival.

“I am in desperate need of your strength.”

He was thinking of them as partners who could stand shoulder to shoulder.

Meanwhile, the chatting window exploded.

[Are you saying that I will be able to see the cooperation between these two people before I die?!]

[Crazy! This is absolutely crazy! WOW! WOAH!]

[Hyungs! I love you!]

Alexander slowly stood up and walked side by side with Minhyuk.

Minhyuk’s back carried the white cape with the symbol of the fork and knife crossed together, while Alexander’s back had the black cape with several patterns, including the sword, the bow, the spear, and the axe on it. The capes on their backs fluttered with the wind.

Even if they were strong, there were still circumstances where they could not deal with it alone.

Rosgol, who watched everything unfold, felt a shudder run down his spine. ‘If the two of them fought together…’

No. It seemed like the term ‘the two of them’ could not describe the two men. At this moment, Rosgol predicted what would happen in the distant future.

‘The Pillar of the Gourmands and the Weapon Master…’

He had caught a glimpse of a future in which the two Pillars supported the world side by side.