Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 822

Hella disappeared after crossing the River of Reincarnation. However, she looked the happiest until she was completely gone.

The reason why Minhyuk triggered the Battle God’s Voice was not because of the God of Death.

‘I acknowledge and respect your firm determination and pride in turning the barren lands of Hell fertile and green.’

Hella had struggled for thousands of years and eventually disappeared. However, her efforts throughout the millennia deserved all the respect. So, he triggered the voice as a show of courtesy to the first God of Farming.

“…”

“…”

After Hella left, the two men were left with an awkward atmosphere. Perhaps it was only natural. The only reason why Minhyuk was able to talk to the God of Death was because Hella was there. Besides, the God of Death was considered the coldest god out of all the gods in existence.

However, this cold God of Death remained standing in front of the River of Reincarnation with a blank look on his face. The problem was an hour and thirty minutes had already passed since Hella had disappeared.

‘…No way. There’s no way that the God of Death is staring at the River of Reincarnation because he’s feeling awkward, right?’

When this question flashed in Minhyuk’s head, he had no choice but to open his mouth. After all, it was frightening to think that they would keep standing here forever like this.

“You know…”

“Hmm?”

Only after Minhyuk spoke did the God of Death turn to look at him. The moment Minhyuk saw the expression on the God of Death’s face, he knew that he had guessed right.

‘I knew it! I was right! He was pretending to look at the River of Reincarnation because he’s feeling awkward!’

Among all of the Absolute Gods, the God of Death was the most headstrong god. He was also someone that had not met many people in his long life. So, this meant that he was at a loss when it came to handling people and having conversations.

The God of Death’s legs, who finally turned around to look at Minhyuk, trembled slightly.

‘He stood in place for an hour and a half to look at the River of Reincarnation, of course his legs would feel numb,’ Minhyuk thought, a wry smile on his face.

Then, the God of Death said, “Give me your sword.”

“…?”

Minhyuk tilted his head in confusion when the god suddenly asked for the Sword of Aeon.

The God of Death seemed to know what Minhyuk was wondering about, and he explained, “The effects of The One that Advances can strengthen and reinforce your sword.”

“…!”

Minhyuk was shocked to hear that. The God of Death already had the power to lift the sword’s second seal. That was why it was very surprising to hear that he could even boost the power of the Sword of Aeon.

“Do you know what kind of sword the Sword of Aeon is?” The God of Death asked as he looked at Minhyuk nonchalantly, as if Minhyuk was an insignificant ant.

To be honest, Minhyuk did not really know. Usually, one would be able to learn about the story behind the artifacts that they obtained by going through a quest. However, in Minhyuk’s case, he was able to obtain the Sword of Aeon by choosing cooking ingredients from Rumacar’s Treasure Box.

Minhyuk immediately focused on the God of Death’s words. It seemed like the god in front of him knew the story of the sword and what kind of sword it was. However, the God of Death suddenly stopped talking.

‘Why did he stop talking?’

Minhyuk knew then that the God of Death would not tell him even if he asked. Perhaps the system had restricted the God of Death from divulging any information about the sword. Or perhaps the God of Death was just not in the mood to tell him about the sword. Either way, Minhyuk would not be able to pry any further. So, he just handed the Sword of Aeon to the God of Death.

“It would take three days for the power of the Authority to seep in and spread in the sword.”

“What…?”

It was unexpectedly long. The problem was it came at a time when Minhyuk had many urgent matters to attend to. He had to return to Edea and help the Allied Forces, whereas the unsealing of the sword was Minhyuk’s personal situation.

“Can it be done a bit faster?”

“Absolutely not. If you don’t like it, then give up some of your powers.”

Perhaps the God of Death’s reinforcement could make his sword truly stronger. Minhyuk estimated that the sword would unconditionally be reinforced by +1 every day for those three days. He did not think that it was correct to give up on the reinforcement and just go back to Edea like that. Besides, the reinforced and strengthened Sword of Aeon would absolutely exert a huge power once he returned to Edea with it.

“I understand.”

Fortunately, Edea’s Allied Forces and the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army had not yet entered a full-on war.

‘They can survive for three days.’

He was sure that Edea’s Allied Forces would be able to hold out for that long. The God of Death grabbed the blade of the Sword of Aeon with both of his hands.

Drip, drip—

Red blood dripped from his hands and seeped into the Sword of Aeon.

[The God of Death has triggered the Origin Authority: The One that Advances on the Sword of Aeon in your possession.]

[The reinforcement of the Sword of Aeon has begun!]

[0%… 0.2%… 0.3%…]

Minhyuk looked at the slowly progressing reinforcement bar. Suddenly, he felt something suddenly vibrate in his inventory. When he took out the item, he could not help but wonder. The item that was vibrating was the Puzzling Seasoning Jar where Obren always slumbered.

“Obren…?”

Minhyuk looked anxiously at the vibrating Puzzling Seasoning Jar.

***

The day that Minhyuk left Edea to go to Hell was also the day that Obren left to do something. Obren had watched Minhyuk pass through the Gates of Hell, staring at the place where he disappeared from with a bitter smile on his face, before turning in the opposite direction.

“Have a safe trip, idiot.”

The stupid idiot would have to go to Hell to greet the God of Death, he could not help but worry. Then, Xuanzang approached him.

“Shall we go?”

Obren nodded. He remembered Xuanzang telling him to become the tenth Absolute God. The only way to do so was to kill the Jade Emperor and take over his throne. However, it was not as easy as it sounded.

‘It wouldn’t be easy for you to win against the Jade Emperor as you are now. And even if you win, you wouldn’t be able to take his throne.’

Master Xuanzang clearly knew that Obren was an outstanding character. However, that was the Obren of the past. In fact, even if it was the Obren of the past, there was a chance that Master Xuanzang would not see him as someone strong and powerful.

—You’ll have to get the Absolute God’s Necklace. It’s currently in someone else’s possession.

—Absolute God’s Necklace?

—It’s the necklace that someone, who wanted to become an Absolute God, has taken a long time to create. If you have this necklace, you will become the new Absolute God after killing the Jade Emperor.

—Then, who owns the Absolute God’s Necklace?

This was the most important thing. Who was the one that has been preparing for a very long time to take over the Absolute God’s seat? Obren was absolutely sure that it was very hard to deal with this guy. After all, this guy had been preparing to become an Absolute God.

—The people call him the Great Demon Verus.

—…!

Obren groaned when he heard the name Great Demon Verus. If Evil God Obren was the object of fear of many in the past, then the present had Great Demon Verus.

From what Obren had recalled, Minhyuk had sealed the Great Demon Verus a few years ago. The problem was that it was just a seal placed upon him on earth. The Great Demon had most likely already started to regain his power in the Demon World and was only waiting for the time of his awakening.

“We have to obtain the Absolute God’s Necklace in the Demon World.”

Master Xuanzang was someone that possessed special and amazing powers. He hung the beads that he usually turned in his hands on Obren’s wrist and continued, “These Buddhist mala beads will help to awaken your sealed powers.”

[You have equipped Buddhist Monk Xuanzang’s Buddhist Mala Beads.]

[You were once hailed as the Evil God. However, you are currently in a weakened state.]

[You will receive rewards if you kill evil beings while wearing the Buddhist Mala Beads.]

[You can immediately use the power of the Buddhist Mala Beads to remove the sealing force that has sealed your own powers. Or you can choose to wear the beads for a period of time and let it permanently absorb the sealing force and help you regain your powers.]

Master Xuanzang's mala beads could be considered as a mysterious and bizarre artifact. Obren could clearly feel a god-grade power coursing through it.

Then, Obren asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Master Xuanzang smiled bitterly and answered, “The Jade Emperor will definitely take advantage of the foreigners from the other continent’s invasion to descend upon Edea himself. Do you think the Food God will be able to stop the Jade Emperor once that happens?”

“…”

There was a loophole in the agreement between the Battle God and the Jade Emperor. Although the descent of the Jade Emperor’s envoys could be controlled, his own descent did not have any restrictions at all. Of course, if one looked at the cycle, the Jade Emperor could only descend for thirty minutes at most. However, he could easily wipe out all of Edea’s Allied Forces in those thirty minutes.

Basically, Xuanzang was supporting Evil God Obren for the sake of Edea’s safety. If Obren could become the Absolute God, then he would be able to bring peace to Edea.

“What a funny little monk.” Obren, the dark-haired handsome man, giggled as if he found Xuanzang funny and interesting.

On the other hand, Xuanzang just kept silent as he drummed the muyu in his hands.

Tak— tak— tak…

“Namo Amitabha Buddha…”

As someone that could make the most rational judgment out of all of the kings in Edea, perhaps it would be safe to say that the Buddhist Monk Xuanzang was the most logical, but also the harshest character of them all.

“Since you want to protect Edea, then you have to come to the Demon World with me.”

”Of course, I will go with you. I can come and go as I please in Edea.”

“What a truly interesting power. Who are you?”

Master Xuanzang felt Obren’s cold gaze. Obren was quick-witted, he knew right away that Xuanzang possessed powers that were beyond ordinary.

“It’s just like what you said. I am a monk. So, my powers are bestowed upon me by Buddha.”

“Speak any more bullshit and I will twist your head off.”

Obren was the type of person that did not trust other people. His trust and belief was reserved for one person and one person alone, which was none other than Minhyuk.

“Open the path.”

Xuanzang and Obren went to a quiet and deserted place. The two of them entered the door that led to the Demon World the moment Xuanzang beat his muyu.

Thick demonic energy wrapped around the two as they crossed over to the Demon World. It was as if the thick and cloying energy was greeting them. Xuanzang, who suddenly received the pressure from the thick and heavy demonic energy, could not help but groan.

“Hey.”

“…”

Xuanzang, who had closed his eyes to try and stabilize his body from the heavy demonic energy that surrounded him, opened his eyes quickly.

“You said that no one would be at the entrance.”

“N— Namo Amitabha Buddha…”

Tak— tak— tak…

Master Xuanzang could not hide how flustered he was. What he intended to do with Obren was to take the Absolute God’s Necklace from Great Demon Verus, who was currently sealed and was in the form of an egg, without alerting anyone in the Demon World. However, there were around 300,000 demonic beasts waiting standing in front of them, as if they had been waiting for their appearance.

“The— The Lord Buddha would also make mistakes sometimes…”

“…”

Xuanzang knew that their plans had already gone awry and would probably go down the drain soon. From what it looked like, the demonic beasts waiting for them were at around Level 450~500. Perhaps the Great Demon Verus had set it so the Demonic Beast Army would be summoned once an intruder entered the Demon World.

Xuanzang only had a rough estimate of the extent of Obren’s power. However, even though he had been called the Evil God in the past, most of his powers were currently sealed. From Master Xuanzang’s point of view, there was no way that Obren could take on the 300,000-strong Demonic Beast Army on his own.

“Shall we turn back?”

They could just turn around and return. However, Obren shook his head and said, “Just give me five minutes.”

Xuanzang frowned. They would be very foolish if they did not run away right at this very moment. So, he persuaded, “No. If we don’t turn back now then…”

However, Master Xuanzang was not given the chance to finish his words as tens of thousands of the Evil God’s Books floated in the sky and shone a dark light all over the area. When Obren took a step forward, black lightning bolts rained down upon the enemies from the books in the sky.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!

The demonic beasts turned into ashes and disappeared without a single trace. Obren continued to walk amidst their collapsing ranks. Then, another book, which looked different from the other books, slowly rose to the sky.

[Book of Restrictions.]

[You have used the Book of Restrictions.]

[The power of the Evil God that has been temporarily suppressed and sealed has started to be unsealed!]

Vwooooooooooooong—

Obren’s dark hair fluttered with the wind and covered most of his handsome face. However, his dark eyes shone a dangerous glint from between the gaps of his hair.

Only then did Master Xuanzang realized, ‘I— I have already measured his strength but it seems like he was still holding back?!’

Most of Obren’s power had been sealed. This was the assumption that was deeply ingrained in Master Xuanzang’s head. However, even though Obren’s powers had been sealed, his current strength had already reached that of an Absolute God’s power. It was only natural that he could still display this much power in a weakened state.

Then, Obren said, “Get lost.”

Another Evil God’s Book floated in the sky. Black flames burst out and burned the book down. Then, it turned into a huge meteor that was completely engulfed by the very same black flames that devoured the book.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaang—

The meteor shot down and devoured all of the demonic beasts on the ground, destroying everything until there was nothing left of them. The time it took to sweep away and destroy the 300,000-strong Demonic Beast Army was exactly five minutes.

Obren stood in the middle of the aftermath of his one-sided slaughter. Seeing him stand there, Master Xuanzang recalled the conversation that he had with Obren in the quiet and deserted place that they went to in Edea before coming here.

—You see, there’s something I’m very curious about. If you become an Absolute God, then what kind of god would you like to be?

All of the gods had a role to play. Since he was an Evil God, it seemed like it was only appropriate for him to opt for the name God of Evil once he became the tenth Absolute God. If not that, then it would be even better to be called the God of Goodness. The choice was up to him and whatever path he wanted to tread on.

Obren thought for a moment before opening his mouth to answer that question.

—A Guardian God.