Leveling Up through Eating

When Minhyuk arrived in the Land of the Leaders, a man named Rokan met him to explain about the King of All Creators, King of Good, and the King of Destruction.

Rokan also told Minhyuk that nothing good would come out of him if the King of All Creators hated him. He also did not forget to rave about how great the King of Good was. Perhaps it was only natural. After all, the Land of Leaders, filled with chaos, arguments, and brawls, grew peaceful the moment these two beings appeared.

Minhyuk found it ridiculous. The guide told him to act courteously and bow politely to the Monarchs of All Creations when he met them. But was that all? No. One of the Monarch of All Creations looked arrogantly at him and ordered him to bow down to him.

“I don’t want to,” Minhyuk spoke bluntly, plunging the entire hall into a dead and frozen silence.

These words also made Rokan's face grow ugly. He acted and laughed arrogantly as if he were the King of All Creators.

“How dare you discuss common sense with me, the being closest to the King of All Creators?!” Rokan was not the type of person who had a good attitude and personality. “I told you calmly, yet you dared to act out like that? You truly are quite arrogant for someone who only knows how to eat.”

Many of the people present had heard that Minhyuk was 1st place in the Advanced Polls. They had also heard he wanted to be the Pillar of the Gourmands.

“I don’t want to raise my voice and fight with you.” Minhyuk remained firm. He believed that there was no need for him to clash with them. So, he stepped forward and passed the Monarch of All Creations Rokan.

“If you’re the Pillar of the Gourmands, you’ll eat anything and everything, right? Can you eat something like this, then?” Rokan shouted, prompting Minhyuk to turn to look at him.

But the sight that greeted Minhyuk was Rokan throwing away the food on the plate in his hands. Even the other people in the banquet hall poured the dishes on their plates in front of Minhyuk. All of them looked at Minhyuk with contempt.

Rokan stomped the food with his boots before saying, “Shouldn’t you gobble this up too? You’re the Pillar of the Gourmands, right?”

Minhyuk looked at the food that they had wasted on the ground. Then, he looked up at them as if they were pathetic and said, “So, this is the standard of the Pillar Candidates of the past?”

At that moment, everyone’s faces grew red. Some of them even avoided eye contact. But among them, one man looked down on anything and everything and did not even care about such things.

“The King of All Creators is someone we all follow and respect.”

The man hailed as Axeman Wels stepped forward. He also served the King of All Creators.

“Oh. Axeman Wels.”

“He’s the one who chopped off the heads of five emperors with his axe without any hesitation or mercy.”

Axeman Wels was a gigantic man, about 230 centimeters in height. When he stood face to face with Minhyuk, the two looked like grown adults facing off against children.

As for Minhyuk, he was puzzled when he saw the level of the man in front of him.

‘Level 700?’

Of course, it was a high level. If someone were at Level 700, they would be considered strong enough to write a new legend if they appeared on Earth immediately. However, some of the Pillars and the Pillar Candidates that Minhyuk had seen before had levels beyond Level 1,000.

‘Maybe…?’

Minhyuk recalled the words of the Lord of the Monsters Barbarian. Barbarian clearly said that he did not expect that there would be many strong men in the current era. After thinking about it deeply, he realized that he had heard similar words when he fought against Great Demon Verus and the strong men of their era.

–Are there really this many powerhouses in this era?

Minhyuk finally reached a conclusion. Based on his observation, there was a high chance that there weren’t as many strong men in the past as there were now when the world was teeming with shining stars.

Minhyuk had learned one important thing during the Advanced Polls.

‘As surprising as it might sound, it’s not difficult to be nominated as a candidate.’

Take Ellie, for example. Even if her level was only in the late Level 600s, she was still nominated as a candidate in acknowledgment of her work as the Continental Emperor. Upon closer look, even if the master reinforcer, The Strengthener, possessed tremendous power, it could be seen that his level was also only in the late Level 600s.

‘The only ones who stood out the most during the Advanced Polls were the Master of Nature and the Pillar of Death.’

Those two were the only ones with levels that far surpassed Level 1,000. As for the other eight, which, of course, included Minhyuk? They could be considered mediocre at best when compared to the two.

‘Those currently sitting in the position of a Pillar… are they truly outstanding people, or are they the only ones that stood out compared to the other candidates, who were lacking?’

Perhaps the words “second fiddle” were the best words to describe the other candidates?

‘Perhaps the reason Obren became a Pillar back then was…’

It was most likely because his power had reached a level beyond anyone’s imagination back then.

“Lay prostrate in front of the monarchs now. Of course, you must pay your respects and prostrate yourself in front of the King of All Creators once he arrives. If you do that, I will no longer pressure you.” Wels growled.

He threatened Minhyuk by slapping his axe on his palm as if ready to move at any moment.

“You’re nothing but a man who only knows how to eat, yet you dare to act arrogantly in front of us? If you continue acting that way, perhaps I should wipe the floor with you.”

“Woah, Wels! What if he can’t endure a single strike of your axe?”

“Fufufufufu. He’ll probably kneel and beg for his life once he gets hit once?”

“A person who only knows how to eat is nominated as a Pillar Candidate? I don’t think we have to look into the level of the current era’s candidates anymore, no?”

These people had lived in this place for a very long time. They knew nothing about what was happening outside.

Then, Wels said, “You should know I once scratched the Evil God Obren’s body.”

“...?”

“Evil God Obren lost exactly two drops of blood because of my attack.”

“...?”

Minhyuk looked at Wels in stunned silence. He remained speechless as he watched the people shower the Wels, who was shrugging proudly, with admiration.

“Yes, yes. Wels made such an achievement!”

Wels was not telling the whole truth. He had indeed met with Evil God Obren once. However, he peed his pants from fear the moment his eyes landed on the Evil God. So, why did he bring up Obren’s name? Well, the reason was simple.

‘Evil God Obren, one of the Pillars, will still be an object of fear even in the current era.’

Wels could be considered the representative of the braggarts. Either way, the others would not know if his words were valid. After all, they did not have any way to check them.

“If I had met Helenia, I could land exactly one attack on her.”

Wels shrugged again, his actions screaming, ‘Ahem, I’m such an amazing person!’

Once again, Minhyuk was rendered speechless. The other monarchs, seeing his stunned appearance, laughed at him.

“Although our Wels is considered one of the weaker ones among us, he still has that much influence.”

“This is how candidates are supposed to be, you know? As for you? You only know how to eat and pig out.”

The entire banquet hall mocked Minhyuk.

At that moment, a notification rang.

[The Linked Quest: Receive the Recognition of the Candidates of the Past has been created.]

Ring–!

[Linked Quest: Receive the Recognition of the Candidates of the Past.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: The one invited to the Candidates’ Banquet.

Rewards: The Ingredient Brimming with Potential will grow with every recognition you receive from the candidates.

Penalty for Failure: You will be kicked out of the banquet.

Description: The candidates of the past are ignoring and mocking you. You will be kicked out of the banquet if you don’t receive recognition from more than ten candidates.

Minhyuk quickly accepted the quest. Then, he said, “You’re saying that you’re the man who made Evil God Obren shed exactly two drops of blood?”

Wels laughed maniacally. “Fufufufu! Indeed! Now, you know, right?! You should know what kind of person I am, right?! However, even someone like me is a small fry before the King of All Creators. So, now…”

“Even so, I would never kneel or worship anyone.”

The words made Wels's face grow ugly. “It seems like I have to make you taste my axe.”

“Wait. I believe we shouldn’t spill blood in this sacred and holy banquet hall, no?”

Wels thought Minhyuk was scared of him because of his words. But then, Minhyuk continued, “Let’s do it with our fists.”

The King of All Creators banned the candidates from fighting with the intent to kill. If the King of All Creators learned what they wanted to do, then Wels would be severely punished.

Wels was confident about his strength. That was why he believed that he would be able to beat up and force this man, who only knew how to eat, to kneel.

“I like the sound of that. I’ll beat you to the point that you wish you were dead.”

“Is it alright if I use my powers?”

“It doesn’t matter. You’re nothing but a candidate who only knows how to eat. What kind of power does an insignificant being like you have? Cooking?”

Minhyuk nodded.

At that moment, the other candidates began to surround the two. They were preparing to watch a good show.

Monarch of All Creation Rokan said, “Wels, bring that greedy candidate to his knees before me.”

“Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”

Wels stood before Minhyuk, the confidence oozing out of his entire being. Then, he slapped his chest and said, “How about you hit first?”

Wels thought that Minhyuk’s punch would feel so light that it was like he was just being tickled.

In the first place, Wels was the type of person who tended to ignore people with a production class job and immediately label them as weak. This was especially the case for chefs. After all, he believed that chefs only knew how to make dishes and did not know how to use their strength or power.

“I see. Very well, then.”

Minhyuk had already equipped the Imperfect Working Gloves that Rocado had left behind for him. Surprisingly enough, the Imperfect Working Gloves had 1,800 attack power, which made its power comparable to any God-rank swords.

The best part about this artifact was that it could seep through his skin upon equipping it. No one would know if he had it on or not. This was why Minhyuk asked Wels to fight with their fists.

“Food God’s Swordsmanship.”

Minhyuk immediately put a buff on himself.

“Overlapping Delight.”

His throat bobbed as the food immediately went down to his stomach. At the same time, a golden and black die appeared behind him.

“Ho. I thought he only knew how to eat his food, but he also has some skills under his belt.”

“What kind of skill is that?”

The expression on Minhyuk’s face grew colder as he listened to the words of the people around him.

“If I knock you down in thirty seconds, will you apologize?”

“Bwahahahahaha!”

“Apologize? Are you saying you want me to apologize?! You only know how to eat, yet you think you can knock Wels down in thirty seconds?!”

Despite their crazy laughter, Minhyuk just continued to walk toward Wels. Then, he said, “If I knock you down in twenty seconds, will you kneel in front of me?”

“You should speak about something that you can do!”

“Yo! There’s no end to your mindless bragging, huh?!”

“How dare you speak arrogantly when you only know how to pig out!”

Their mocking words continued to rain down upon Minhyuk. As for Wels? He thought he should beat this bold and arrogant candidate so severely that he wouldn’t even want to return to this place for the rest of his life.

The approaching Minhyuk was much shorter than Wels. There was around a forty-centimeter difference between the two, which made him look like a child in front of a grown adult.

Wels looked at Minhyuk and caught sight of the cold and sharp look on his face. At that moment, an unknown pressure heavily weighed down on him.

Minhyuk, with a cold expression, opened his mouth again and said, “Then, if I knock you down in ten seconds, will you treat me like I’m your hyung or oppa?”

“Sure, why not?”

Another candidate’s voice rang out, “If you can do that, I’ll treat you as my hyung.”

“This crazy bastard has the fighting spirit huh? So funny,” The mocking words continued to ring out, “Yeah, yeah, sure. I’ll call you oppa by then. Hoho~”

Meanwhile, Minhyuk raised his hand and triggered Frenzied Blade. Then, he punched Wels, who was a head and a half bigger than him, right in the abdomen.

Crack–!

“Keuaaaaaaack!”

The gruesome sound of Wels’ ribs cracking and the blood spurting out of his mouth echoed within the banquet halls. Alas, Minhyuk’s attack did not end there. Twelve more punches with 600% additional damage continued to land on his abdomen, in addition to the fact that the Frenzied Blade had a 90% chance of ignoring the opponent’s defensive power.

Bang– Bang, bang–!

Since Minhyuk did not use a sword, the sound that echoed in the hall was not the sound of flesh being torn apart but the dull and blunt sound of flesh hitting the flesh.

“K-keuaaaaaack–!” Wels’ scream echoed non-stop in the hall.

“Only two seconds have passed.”

The eyes of all of the candidates present grew wide when they heard Minhyuk’s words.

When the third second passed, Minhyuk used the Sword of Carnage and punched the pit of Wels’ stomach with all his might.

Bang–!

The Sword of Carnage had a 100% chance of ignoring the opponent’s defenses. Not only that, it could launch thirty-eight attacks in just one second.

This attack landed on Wels, who was still reeling from the effects of the Frenzied Blade.

Boom, boom, boom–!

Wels felt like a heavy object was hammering his entire being. The attacks twisted and almost turned his bones to dust. In the end, he collapsed with a scream. As Wels fell to the ground, silence overtook the entire banquet hall. How long did it take for him to collapse?

“Five seconds.”

Minhyuk looked around. He made eye contact with the Monarch of All Creations Rokan and asked, “You. How old are you?”

“...”

Rokan did not answer. However, this year, he turned 4,700 years old. As for the candidates present, most were over 2,000 years old.

“Me? I’m 21 years old this year.”

“...”

“...”

Everyone declared that they would treat Minhyuk as their hyung and oppa if Minhyuk could knock Wels down in ten seconds.

Of course, Minhyuk did not forget to drive this fact deeper.

“I have never had such ugly and stupid younger siblings like you in my entire life.”

An overwhelming sense of shame enveloped every single person present in the hall.