Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 813

Minhyuk looked at Zhu Bajie, who was very touched to the point that snot ran down his pink pig snout even though it was only five packs of ramyeon.

‘This is crazy. I did not expect that things would turn out this way.’

Zhu Bajie was the king of the Runt Kingdom, one that produced ingredients that could quadruple one’s chances of producing higher grade dishes. If Zhu Bajie became Minhyuk’s knight, then those ingredients would be as good as his. Just the thought alone brought a thrill down his spine.

After slurping up and eating the delicious ramyeon, the deeply moved Zhu Bajie suddenly turned depressed. He looked at Minhyuk and said, “I am trash.”

He could clearly imagine the situation outside of this armory.

“Many of my soldiers have died while the rest of them continue to walk the tightrope between life and death until now. Those that have lost their comrades and the parents that have lost their children are probably crying their hearts out.” He sighed. “Yet here I am, enjoying food in this place.”

Then, additional notifications from the God and Knight rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[The king of the Runt Kingdom is both very sad and anxious. With the power of God and Knight in effect, your words and act of comfort might have a bigger impact on Zhu Bajie.]

At this point, Minhyuk understood the path that he should take. Meanwhile, Zhu Bajie had already lowered his head. If he had to be honest, he was also very, very afraid.

‘I don’t want to die yet.’

He wanted to live longer. After all, there were still plenty of delicious dishes and ingredients in the world, just like the ramyeon that he ate just now, that he had not tasted yet. Seeing Zhu Bajie tremble pitifully like this, one might say that he was a bit too shabby and weak to be considered a king.

Pat—

But then, a warm and gentle hand patted his shoulder. This was the same hand that had just beat him to a pulp just a few moments prior. When Zhu Bajie looked up, he saw a bitter yet soft and gentle smile on the man’s face.

“Scared?” Minhyuk asked, making eye contact with Bajie.

Actually, Minhyuk was very embarrassed. However, he was still willing to do it to win the heart of Zhu Bajie, if it meant getting him and the Runt Kingdom on his side. Besides, Minhyuk’s words would have a greater impact on Zhu Bajie thanks to the effects of the God and Knight.

The bitter smile on Minhyuk’s face grew deeper when he saw Zhu Bajie nod his head.

“To be honest, my kingdom is also currently in the midst of preparing for war.”

“…?”

Zhu Bajie was very shocked when he heard that. If they were preparing for war, then why was he here?

“We have to fight a war against an empire that is so powerful that one would think that it is impossible for us to win. Even so, I still had to come here.”

Of course, it was also necessary to moisten one’s mouth with saliva.

“Because while the residents of Edea are afraid, they still keep on charging forward. I came here for that reason and that reason alone.”

Just like he said, part of the reason why he came here was because the residents of Edea kept on popping up in his mind. There was also the connection that he had forged with Sun Wukong. However, the greatest reason that made Minhyuk come here was because he was confident that he would be able to obtain Edea if he could win this fight. If he got Edea on his side, then he would be able to win the war against the Luvien Empire.

“Are, are you alright?” Zhu Bajie voiced his concerns when he saw Minhyuk’s eyes start to turn red.

“However, I believe that my kingdom will be able to endure and hold out. That’s why, I will protect this place and go back to them.”

Minhyuk, whose eyes had turned red, shed a single tear! Zhu Bajie felt his heart shake when he saw that tear.

‘It must have felt very painful to leave his kingdom to come here despite the current situation. He has that firm determination to fulfill his promise to return victorious. This is a great responsibility both as a king and a god.’

Zhu Bajie knew that it was a completely different weight from the one that he carried on his shoulder.

Then, Minhyuk said, “That is why I am here. I will devote myself and do my best to protect you and your beloved Runt Kingdom.”

Bang, bang.

Minhyuk thumped his fist on his chest loudly.

“Don’t worry. I will make sure to protect you all, even at the cost of my life!!!”

Zhu Bajie felt his heart shake again when he saw the determined expression on Minhyuk’s face. Bajie could tell that the man was telling the truth, especially since he had such an innocent look on his face.

‘I can’t believe that he’s shedding tears for his people.’

At the same time, he was also determined to protect the people of Edea. Zhu Bajie stood up as he looked at Minhyuk. He stretched out his pig-like hand and wiped the tear that dripped down Minhyuk’s eyes.

If one had to imagine, Zhu Bajie had the face of a pig. And this very same Zhu Bajie was crying while wiping the tear off of Minhyuk’s face.

“…”

Minhyuk was left speechless. He could not believe what he was seeing, a pig crying! He was not even crying properly himself to begin with.

“I will do my best to help you gain victory in this place so that you can meet with your people quickly.” Zhu Bajie knelt down on one knee. “I will do anything for you, even if it means sacrificing my life!”

[The God and Knight has succeeded!]

[You have acquired God’s Third Knight.]

[God’s Third Knight ‘Zhu Bajie’ is the king of the Runt Kingdom, a kingdom that has 890,000 strong troops!]

[The relationship between God and God’s Third Knight is a Submissive Relationship.]

[Keep in mind that Zhu Bajie is the king of a nation. If you disappoint him or ask too much of him and his people, then he may leave you.]

[However, if Zhu Bajie suddenly decides to abandon and leave you for no apparent reason, then he will be forced to die.]

Minhyuk smiled faintly as he patted the kneeling Zhu Bajie, who vowed to serve him in tears. “You said that you would do anything?”

Zhu Bajie nodded firmly, determination evident in his eyes.

Then, Minhyuk said, “Then, bring all of the god-grade and legendary grade ingredients from the Runt Kingdom.”

***

Sun Wukong, Xuaxang, Zhu Bajie and Aaron all turned to Minhyuk and asked, “How many foreigners do you think would come here through the passageway?”

Minhyuk answered, “Over eleven million.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Everyone in the room could not help but groan.

The total population of the world was at around eight billion. Based on the available data, around 2.5 billion people had subscribed and were playing Athenae. Of course, there would be plenty of people that had played the game once or twice before giving up and others, who had not accessed the game for a very long time. However, even after excluding those numbers, there would still be around a billion, perhaps more, that were actively playing and enjoying Athenae.

It would be very difficult to pass through the passageway connecting the other continent to Edea. Low and mid-level players would never dare to set foot in the passageway. However, even if only Level 500 high leveled players joined in the game, their numbers would still be huge.

Taking things one step further, even if a lot of them were forced to log out as they challenged the passageway, the number of foreigners that would cross over and enter Edea would definitely be at around eleven million.

The problem was the current troops of Edea’s allied forces had already decreased. They only had around eleven million soldiers on standby. This number would definitely go down since they had to deal with the Heavenly Army that would be sent at set intervals.

“In order to win, we have to do everything that we can,” Minhyuk said as he took out his trailer and started to make large batches of dishes. “We need to narrow the gap between the Heavenly Army and the foreigners.”

The level of the troops of Edea were far higher than the level of the troops back in the continent where the players came from. However, the level of the Heavenly Army far exceeded their levels too.

Beeeeeeeeeep—!

Rumbleeeeeee—

Minhyuk, who was cooking inside the trailer that was spewing flames, said, “I have brought a thousand bottles of potions made by the God of Alchemy from Beyond the Heavens and 20,000 high-ranking potions from the other continent. There are also thousands of outstanding explosives and traps made by God’s Trap Installer, as well as artifacts and defensive equipment.”

This showed how much Minhyuk had prepared for this war.

“Namo Amitabha Buddha…”

Xuanzang spun the beads in his hand.

‘Has he poured everything into this?’

The amount of things that Minhyuk was giving to the troops of Edea was not something that a simple kingdom could have. Minhyuk had done his preparations by spending all of the funds on his hands, as well as the money that he borrowed from Calauhel.

‘If we win, we will be able to gain a profit that’s several times more than what I have invested.’

That was why he did not consider this to be a waste. That was not all. Minhyuk had his dishes as well. They only had ten more days left. Before Minhyuk came here, he had countless discussions with the Tower of Knowledge’s God of Tactics Jarrod and Dwarf Olger. He also had several conversations with Ilhwa Construction’s president, Roadol.

Preparations had to be done. The millions of residents of Edea and the more than four million troops worked together to create something that would help them in their fight against the Jade Emperor.

***

Just like that, a day has gone by.

“This is ridiculous…”

“It’s just a simple dish, so why are we getting this much power from it?”

“If it’s like this, then I feel like I can even twist the necks of the soldiers of the Heavenly Army!”

The soldiers, who had seen the dishes created with the Runt Kingdom’s ingredients that could quadruple the rate of producing higher grade dishes, were impressed.

***

Three days later.

“Thank you for the food.”

“This is truly an amazing dish.”

“Namo Amitabha Buddha…”

The kings ate the outstanding dishes that Minhyuk had made for them.

***

After a week had gone by.

“…”

“…”

“…”

The residents, soldiers and kings of Edea were shocked to see the trailer still spewing out flames.

“It seems like he is the only one that could truly save Edea.” Xuanzang smiled as he thought about something else.

‘Perhaps, the person that is with you might also be another savior.’

Buddhist Monk Xuanzang was a person with very special abilities. He could see through the essence of a person and even know of their limitations. Sometimes he could help them break through those limits and gain new power. He was also a very mysterious being that could, at times, lift the seal on one’s power temporarily.

While Minhyuk was cooking in the trailer, Obren’s voice, which sounded half worried and half nagging, rang out.

—Take a day off. Rest is also a form of preparation for war. This idiot king.

Minhyuk was happy to hear his voice, especially the warmth that was veiled by his scathing remarks.

“We’ve already come this far, Obren. Perhaps I might truly become an emperor.”

Although Minhyuk sounded very optimistic, Obren could feel the pressure weighing down on the boy even from inside the seasoning jar.

‘Can he do it? Can he really become an emperor?’

As he listened to Minhyuk’s words, Obren wondered if he could aid the boy in this goal.

***

A dark-haired handsome young man could be seen sitting on top of a high hill overlooking Edea. This man was none other than Obren. He came out of the seasoning jar for a while after waking up from his slumber.

In the ten days or so that passed by, the trailer only stopped spewing flames for two days.

“Idiot,” Obren muttered, a small smile curling at the corners of his lips.

The boy had always been like that ever since the first time they met. No matter what it was, he would make sure to do his best even if it took a toll on his body. Of course, he always made the impossible possible.

At the same time, Obren thought, ‘I want to protect you here.’

In this place, there was no Brod, no Spear God Ben, and no Sword of the Gods Luo. Just as the thought flashed in his head, he heard a voice.

“The friendship between you two is amazing.”

Xuanzang stood right next to Obren, as their eyes made contact while he turned the beads in one of his hands.

“Why are you here?”

“You’re asking me why I came here? Isn’t it more appropriate to say that you have been waiting for me to come here?”

Obren turned silent for a moment when he heard Xuanzang’s words. It was the truth. He was truly waiting here, for Xuanzang, who possessed special powers.

But before they could discuss such matters, Xuanzang asked, “I want to hear your story. The story of how the Evil God became friends with the human king.”

Obren frowned as he looked at Xuanzang. However, he did not hate the fact that the monk was asking about their story, and he began to talk.

“When I first met him, I was in the form of a Grumpy Gochujang.”

A smile bloomed and stayed on Obren’s face as he narrated their story.

“Every time I see that brat move a step forward, I feel very happy and proud,” Obren spoke, his eyes watching Minhyuk.

“Whenever he felt sad, I would also feel sad.”

Buddhist Monk Xuanzang silently stood there and listened to his story.

“Whenever he felt happy, I would also feel happy.”

Obren looked down at his hands. The true power of the Evil God was slumbering in his body.

‘If only I have that power again.’

“That’s why I would do anything as long as I can protect that child.”

A faint smile appeared on Xuanzang’s face. It was truly an interesting and wonderful friendship.

“Well then, let’s hear what you have planned.”

Obren looked at Xuanzang once again. Xuanzang had always been watching him even though he was with Minhyuk. It was only natural that Obren would feel his gaze.

“I heard that there are nine Absolute Gods in the world.”

Obren nodded.

“The Jade Emperor, the god protecting Edea, may very well be the tenth Absolute God.”

It coincided with what Obren thought of before. However, since this world was on a different map, the people would only think that there were nine Absolute Gods.

Xuanzang looked around Edea for a while before turning to look at Obren once again. Then, he said, “You should become the tenth Absolute God.”