Leveling Up through Eating

The legendary Hell’s Emissary class was one of the few classes to enter and exit Hell freely. The Hell’s Emissary was also in charge of procuring supplies for Hell from Earth. They also often conducted research all over Hell. They were also like explorers and would go around Hell to discover new places.

Verak, a player with the legendary class Hell’s Emissary, had recently discovered an auspicious site. Of course, it was not on earth. The problem was that neither humans nor any other race could enter Hell. It was a place that neither the gods nor the Absolute Gods could enter or invade at will.

‘One should consider Hell a place completely different from the Land of the Gods.’

The beings of Hell were bound by the rules and could not leave the world as they pleased. After all, Hell was a place that housed the countless strongmen from the past thousands of years who could not be reborn or reincarnated.

And the one who ruled this place was the God of Hell.

‘If the Land of the Gods and Hell fought, then the one that will gain victory will no doubt be Hell.’

This was also one of the reasons why Verak felt delighted despite being in a place called Hell.

Verak, who discovered an auspicious site, was quite surprised when an unexpected person reached out and told him he wanted to visit this useless place.

This person was none other than the Beyond the Heavens’ emperor. The number of Beyond the Heavens Empire players had already exceeded tens of millions, and Minhyuk was an icon to them.

–Hell’s Emissary Verak. Your real name is Min-Woo, right?

These words left Verak impressed. This was because the rumors about Minhyuk working hard to remember the names of all of the players from his empire were true. Although it might seem trivial to most, the fact that he would do something like this was a testament to how much he cherished every single player under his rule.

As they walked together, Verak could not help but voice his concern.

–Your Majesty, entering Hell will be very difficult. More so because you’re the Battle God. Maybe you’ll be attacked by all of the beings the moment you step foot in Hell.

–Ah. I told Haze about this too! I had a meal once with the God of Death! Oh? I also sat with him to watch his lover enter the River of Reincarnation! Huh? We’ve done it together!

–O-oooooh…!

Verak was shocked.

‘Goodness! He had a meal with the God of Death and even watched his lover enter the River of Reincarnation together! As expected of the emperor! But… what was going on here?’

Minhyuk’s eyes shifted all over the place, his demeanor careful and cautious as he took a peek at God of Death Louis.

“C-can’t you let me?”

More and more of the God of Death’s subordinates raised their weapons and pointed them at Minhyuk’s neck. A certain Death Knight’s sword was only a centimeter away from Minhyuk’s throat.

“It seems like you have forgotten what I have told you. I told you that I will tear you apart and kill you the next time you step foot in Hell.”

Verak instantly understood. ‘In the end, His Majesty is still a man…

This was what a man would generally brag about!

I am close to them!

I can eat ten chickens all by myself!

In the end, they were just a bluff.

The worst part? The God of Death was looking at Minhyuk with a frown. Thankfully, he never issued an order to attack.

Looking closely, one could see a very awkward air between Minhyuk and the God of Death.

“...”

“...”

It was apparent that the two did not know what to say because of how they looked at each other. The God of Death coughed while Minhyuk scratched his head. It was just so awkward.

“You see…”

“You know…”

The two spoke at the same time. As for the air between the two? It grew even more awkward. And once again…

“You first.”

“Punk, you go ahead.”

“...”

Verak, who watched the two, thought, ‘Wow. This is not a matter of being close or not. They’re completely awkward with each other!’

Forget talking about being close; their relationship was the most awkward! Their situation right now is like being left alone during a meeting with friends.

The awkwardness was suffocating Verak.

“You brat, speak first.”’

Fortunately, the suffocating awkwardness finally ended.

“I’ll make you something delicious next time and if you have a favor to ask, I’ll do it for you later. So, can’t you let me in this time?”

“Start with the reason for your visit.”

So Minhyuk explained it step by step. But the more he listened, the deeper the frown on the God of Death's face grew.

“Are you talking about the Boundary Between Good and Evil?”

“That’s right.”

Minhyuk had already learned everything about the auspicious site from Verak. The auspicious site was a ridiculously overpowered place. This was because it was a place that could temporarily increase DEX by 15%~30% and increase the chances of creating higher-grade dishes.

The main reason Minhyuk entered Hell was the auspicious site. It was right in the middle of Heaven and Hell. Surprisingly, countless high-level beings lived in the boundary that separated Heaven and Hell.

The God of Death pondered for quite a while before saying, “There are some troublesome things that I did not have the time to solve yet in the Boundary Between Good and Evil. If you can solve them for me, I will allow you to enter Hell and go there.”

“Troublesome things?”

“I’m talking about the devils living in the Boundary Between Good and Evil. They have been killing countless beings from both Heaven and Hell. Most of those demons are the ones that you have killed before. After reborn in Hell, they did not want to be under someone’s control.”

“You can do it yourself, right?”

“There has been a rule that forbids the leaders, executives, and officials from both Heaven and Hell to enter the Boundary Between Good and Evil.”

Minhyuk nodded. If he could enter Hell by doing this, he would welcome it.

“With no rewards?”

“...”

At that moment, a quest window appeared in front of Minhyuk. The quest was called ‘Quest: Hunting the Good and Evil’s Devils.’ As for the rewards, one random stat would increase by one with every devil he killed.

“Go. Go and get a pass. If you have that pass in hand, then the beings of Hell will not attack you.”

“Ah. Yes.” Verak, who was by Minhyuk’s side, quickly disappeared to fetch the pass.

When Verak disappeared, the God of Death hummed to himself while swatting the flies flying around him with his hands. And Minhyuk? He just scratched his head silently.

“...”

“...”

The air turned awkward once again.

“Be careful; you might catch a cold.” The God of Death uttered these words to try and break the awkwardness.

“Oh. Yeah… y-you too…”

The two could only stand there in silence for the next fifteen minutes. There was not even a little bit of small talk.

When Verak returned, the God of Death, who finally breathed a sigh of relief, said, “Ah. There’s a woman named Aemira in that place. Make sure to keep away from her as much as possible.”

“Aemira?”

“Aemira is the person who created the auspicious site that you want to go to.”

“...!” Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide. She was the one who created the auspicious site?

“She has powers similar to your land’s gods. She has been sentenced to be imprisoned in the Boundary Between Good and Evil for life. Consider this as a warning: do not get involved with her.”

“I understand. I won’t get involved with her. Definitely.”

“Go away. I’m exhausted.”

After finishing the conversation, Minhyuk began to walk with Verak. Minhyuk raised his hand and waved at Louis, just like someone bid goodbye to ordinary people, before scratching his head awkwardly. The God of Death seemed to want to wave back, but he ended up smoothing his hair.

“...”

“...”

The two did not disappoint—awkward until the very end.

Once the two left, the God of Death’s aide approached him and asked, “My lord, the Monarch of Hell has clearly told him not to get involved with Aemira, so he will definitely follow your words, right?”

The aide did not know Minhyuk, so he wanted to confirm whether the young man would follow the God of Death’s warning.

The God of Death shook his head. “No. That guy will get entangled with Aemira.”

“...Sorry?”

“I know that punk better than anybody else.”

“So… why do you two act awkward with each other?”

“...”

The God of Death could not open his mouth to answer that question.

***

Great Demon Verus could not forget the humiliation he suffered at Minhyuk’s hands. Not only did he die, but many of the 72 Devils under his command had died alongside him.

Upon their death, they were sent to Hell. But Verus was not comfortable living in Hell. So, he went to the Boundary Between Good and Evil. In this place, the God of Death and the archangels could not enter as they pleased. They also could not send any of their troops.

Ironically, even the absolute beings like the Great Demon and his devils feared both Heaven and Hell. Especially the beings from Heaven. This was because they all used sacred swords.

To make sure that they would no longer fear them, Great Demon Verus and his devils went through Hell and ate everything that crossed their paths to grow stronger. This was made possible by the power of the 32nd-rank Devil.

The 32nd Devil possessed the “Glutton’s Authority.” With this power, they could devour their target and lay an egg. The egg was nourishing and could be considered a massive chunk of EXP.

Great Demon Verus and the devils devoured this egg non-stop.

However, they did not dare to do this before. This was because they would suffer from adverse effects after eating this egg. The demonic energy in their bodies would flow backward and their bodies would be wracked by pain that was equivalent to the pain of having one’s bones ground into powder.

Of course, these effects were still applied to them. They could endure the pain and continue to eat the egg because they were overcome by anger. Because of that, they had grown stronger, much stronger than before.

While they nurtured their powers, they continued to look for ways to break the rules set in this place. Why? Because they wanted to wipe out those f*cking bastards from the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

At that moment, something astonishing happened. News about Minhyuk visiting Hell to come to the Boundary Between Good and Evil reached their ears. So, they chucked their research to the back and began preparing to give Minhyuk a warm welcome.

***

Verak was honestly very disappointed in Minhyuk.

First, he bragged about his relationship with the God of Death. Of course, humans tend to brag and bluff, so it was not that much of a disappointment. The problem was that many incomprehensible things had happened since that incident with the God of Death.

Minhyuk never stopped collecting things with his hands and hoe as they went through Hell.

“Teehee~ This would be delicious in a soup.”

He could not help but think, ‘Is this person really an emperor?’

He found it utterly incomprehensible that Minhyuk suddenly stopped to sit down and eat.

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry, but are you not going to prepare anything to fight against the devils?”

Verak knew there were truly devils in the Border Between Good and Evil. After all, he had visited the auspicious site and died after meeting some of them. Coincidentally, the God of Death had also given him a quest related to it. The problem was that the strength and the level of the devils there were far too much for him to handle.

Fwiish–

“Now, now. We should eat first before anything else. And that goes for you, too, Verak. Kghhk. This beef is divine! So amazing!”

Minhyuk sounded so carefree that it made Verak lose his appetite. The man in front of him should have been very worried, but he was not showing any signs of it at all.

‘What if I am forced to log out again?’

Verak’s level before was at Level 601. After dying under the hands of the devils, his level has returned to Level 600. If he died here again, then his level would drop to Level 599.

Nevertheless, Emperor Minhyuk told him to eat before anything else, as if he did not know how anxious and antsy Verak was.

‘He’s not what I imagined him to be.’

Of course, he believed that Minhyuk was a good emperor, especially because of his kindness and friendliness. The problem was that this was a time when one had to be fully prepared to fight, no?!

“Fufufu!”

“Kihyaa!

“The juices from the meat are to die for!

“Verak, are you not going to eat? Even though it's delicious?”

“I’m fine. I’m feeling a bit queasy,” Verak answered, his words too blunt and straightforward.

Then, he saw Minhyuk stand up. “We’re going to arrive at the Boundary Between Good and Evil, right?”

“Yes. We’ll arrive soon.” Verak walked toward the barrier that separated the two places and tried to think of a way to get out of the difficulty he would soon face. “We’re not going to meet the devils all at once. I think it’s better to deal with them one by one. Your Majesty, you’re powerful, so if we deal with them alone, our odds of winning will increase quite a bit.”

“Then, that means we have to find them individually. My main goal here is to go to the auspicious site and cook. It’s too troublesome. Tch.”

“If you go without any preparation, then…”

The speaking Verak suddenly felt his body get dragged somewhere. Of course, the same was true for Minhyuk. When Verak opened his eyes, he could not help but groan.

[Great Demon Verus has appeared!]

[The approaching Great Demon Verus’ powerful demonic energy has brought terror and fear upon you.]

[You won’t be able to control your body from the numbing fear.]

[All stats will decrease by 20%.]

[Your morale has dramatically decreased.]

[Ordinary humans will lose their will to fight in Verus’ presence.]

[Verus’ demonic energy has restricted the breathing of all the ordinary humans present.]

[Verus’ Wrath.]

[You have been subjected to Verus’ Wrath. You will not be able to move for three minutes.]

[Everyone will be equal in front of the Great Demon Verus for three minutes.]

Verak was left frozen from the fear and terror that suddenly gripped him from the depths of the bottomless pit. Then, he started to tremble.

He knew that this would happen. Great Demon Verus and his devils knew Minhyuk would come and had been waiting for him. And the gigantic Great Demon Verus and his 72 Devils were standing before them.

The fear that gripped Verak left him drooling and his legs weak. The overwhelming demonic energy encroached upon the surroundings and left him choking.

“Keok! Urk! Kghhk!”

Verak, who felt like someone was strangling him, cried.

‘Am I going to be forced to log out again?’

While Verak was spiraling down the depths of despair, someone touched his shoulder.

[Battle God’s Order.]

[All buff effects, debuff effects, and abnormal status of the chosen target will be neutralized.]

At that moment, both the debuffs and the abnormal statuses that Verus had released had disappeared. Only after Verak’s legs stopped trembling did Minhyuk let go of his shoulder and step forward.

“That’s why I told you to eat a bit. Are you alright?”

“...?”

Verak was shocked to hear Minhyuk speak nonchalantly while slinging his sword on his shoulder.

Minhyuk said, “The dish I offered you could greatly increase one’s holy power. If you had eaten it, you could have resisted the demonic energy to some extent.”

Only at this moment did Verak realize that Minhyuk had been preparing in his way.

“What will happen if you cook something with a lot of smoke and eat a very delicious dish in Hell, a place where food is scarce?”

“...!” Verak’s eyes grew wide. “N-no way…!”

According to soldiers, creating “smoke” was banned when they judged that they were already very close to the enemies on the battlefield. Of course, the same was true with food. They would control the consumption of dishes that needed to be grilled and produce smoke. This was because the smell and the visual would alert the enemies of their position.

To put it simply…

‘H-he deliberately ate dishes that needed to be grilled to lure Verus and the devils?!’

To prove his assumption, Minhyuk said, “Were you waiting for me?”

Minhyuk took out a helmet from his inventory. The helmet was none other than Pandora’s Helmet, which could instantly double one’s holy power upon equipping the item. But that was not the only thing that increased Minhyuk’s holy power. The beef that he ate earlier also greatly increased his holy power.

Of course, there had been an update regarding holy power in the past. Because of that, the player’s attack and defensive power would only increase by 1.5x regardless of the increase in holy power.

However, one had to take into account the fact that Minhyuk was already at Level 700. If his attack and defensive power were increased by 1.5x, then the power that he could exert would be equivalent to the power of someone with a level beyond Level 1,000.

To top it off, Minhyuk’s Holy Power stat had already exceeded 5,000. With the dish he had just eaten and the double effect of Pandora’s Helmet, his total holy power would be around 14,000.

A subtle and gentle light covered Minhyuk’s entire body. This was the stream of holy power usually seen from people with high holy power, like the popes or Saintess Loyna.

“I gathered them all here.”

Minhyuk looked back at Verak.

“Verak.”

“...”

With a calm and relaxed smile, Minhyuk asked him, “How long do you think it will take me to kill all of them here?”

“...!”

Goosebumps rose all over Verak’s body when he heard Minhyuk’s question. And he almost unknowingly answered him with, ‘One minute.’