Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1144

The Battle God’s Statue was a collection of a portion of the souls of all the Battle Gods to have ever existed. Although it contained all their thoughts and insights, it was still separate from the Battle Gods.

Bharal had also gained a lot from the Battle God’s Statue in the past. When Bharal handed his position over to the next generation of Battle God, the Battle God’s Statue told him this…

[The achievements that you have made are greater than any of the other achievements that the other Battle Gods have left behind.]

Those who left would always leave something for their descendants. And, of course, the same was true for Bharal. Bharal had left a lot of things to the Battle God’s Statue. And one of them was the Most Radiant Crown.

With a sincere and earnest heart, he told the Battle God’s Statue…

–When you meet a Battle God who you think will surpass me, please give this to them.

Bharal knew that the Battle God’s Statue was wise and noble. After all, it represented the thoughts, wisdom, and knowledge of all the Battle Gods that have ever existed.

So, even if he was stuck on the wall and was suffering from the pain of his bones being broken and torn apart, he tried his best to endure and continue to open his eyes and see everything about the man that the statue had chosen.

[For the first time, you are moving on to the next stage.]

Bharal felt his blood boil. As for the other surviving prisoners, they were all staring at the man in the cape carrying the symbol of a fork and knife crossed together.

What appeared immediately after that were the Repetition’s Monsters, and there were even twice as many as before. Of course, they also heard what they needed to do.

[The Prison of Repetition will only end if you kill the Repetition’s Monarch Akkaman.]

Bharal bit his lips tightly.

There were twice as many Repetition’s Monsters as before, three Repetition’s Ogre and the Repeater Akkaman, who were just watching the situation on the battlefield.

The man in the white cape skillfully commanded and led the prisoners, whom he had only met for the first time.

‘Why?’

Bharal just could not understand.

‘Why the hell?’

He kept repeating this question over and over again in his head. The Most Radiant Crown should only be worn by the greatest Battle God. But the man did not look like he was the greatest Battle God.

‘Where is his power to summon hundreds of thousands of troops?’

The Battle God’s powers were inherited. Before they could inherit that power, they had to create and develop their ability to lead an army independently. There were a variety of abilities related to leading an army.

When they finally became the Battle God, the abilities that they had developed and the unique abilities that they had inherited from the previous Battle Gods would combine to create the true Battle God.

‘He obviously has no power to summon an army.’

‘He lacks the absolute charisma and majesty that a Battle God possesses.’

‘He’s weak.’

That was why he could not understand.

In the end, the man could not hold out any longer and died after being hit by the monsters.

Nothing changed. Everything started to repeat.

***

[You can only use three consumable items per repetition inside the Prison of Repetition.]

[Upon repetition, your three consumables will appear once again.]

[You have been forced to log out inside the Prison of Repetition.]

[If you are forced to log out three times inside the Prison of Repetition, you will receive the basic forced logout penalty.]

[As a player, there are two ways for you to escape the Prison of Repetition.]

[Either clear the Prison of Repetition or suffer from 1,000 repetitions.]

“...”

Minhyuk, who came here to save the prisoners, suddenly felt sad.

‘I came here to rescue them, but I’m suddenly imprisoned too?’

Tears started to well up in his eyes. He never expected anyone who came in, regardless of whether they were judged to have committed or not committed a crime, would be imprisoned.

And in Minhyuk’s case, one of the ways for him to get out was to suffer from 1,000 repeated deaths. If he died 1,000 times here, then his level would drop by at least 40.

‘And unlike other places of repetition, time does not flow slowly here.’

If he had to be locked up and suffer 1,000 deaths here, then at least a year would pass by in the outside world. If that happened, then there was a high chance that Minhyuk would have already been dragged down and left behind by the other players.

[The repetition has begun.]

When Minhyuk, who had died after being crushed by the monsters, opened his eyes again, he was already standing on the walls.

All the prisoners standing in the area looked at him. Bharal looked at them and gave them his orders: “Enough. Let me talk to him.”

Anyway, the same thing would happen over and over again. Nothing would change even if they did not give it their all today.

Minhyuk bowed politely and said, “Leo sent me here. Are you the Army Revolutionary Bharal?”

“That’s right. And I used to own the Most Radiant Crown you now possess.”

“...?!” Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide. ‘Is that the reason why he’s called the Army Revolutionary?’

Even so, Minhyuk did not bother to ask the reason why the greatest Battle God was in this place. It was probably for the same reason as Leo, finding something unreachable and impossible and trying to make it happen. Only at this moment did Minhyuk understand why Gardin said that he would get closer and closer to the territory he wanted as long as he followed the revolution step by step.

‘Perhaps Bharal is the master of that territory.’

Since Bharal was a Battle God in the past, Minhyuk thought they might have no issues with their conversation.

[Your favor with Bharal has decreased.]

“...?”

Minhyuk looked at Bharal in confusion.

“I just don’t understand it. Why did the Battle God’s Statue give you the Most Radiant Crown?”

Minhyuk knew the value and burden one must carry when wearing the crown. Of course, Minhyuk was strong. But in a way, he was also weak, especially in the standards of Battle Gods.

It wouldn’t matter how strong Minhyuk became; the NPCs of Athenae would continue to grow alongside him. Even if Minhyuk had become stronger than before, there was no way that he could be on par with the current generation Battle God. So, in the eyes of Bharal, a Battle God who has left the most significant achievement, Minhyuk was nothing but a mere child.

Even so, Bharal decided to err on the side of caution and asked him, “Do you have the power to summon a million troops?”

“I don’t have one.”

“Can you summon and rally some of the gods?”

“That’s impossible at the moment.”

“Then, do you have a Battle God’s power that you created yourself?”

“No. I don’t have one.”

“Then, are you saying that you only possess the power that all Battle Gods generally inherit?”

“That’s right.”

Bharal’s expression grew ugly. He asked if the man had not shown his power on purpose. As it turned out, this man's power was merely those powers that all Battle Gods would initially inherit.

However, there was no reason for Bharal to be angry when such a person had become a Battle God. There was just one thing that he could not understand. Why did the Battle God’s Statue give this man the Most Radiant Crown?

“So, why did the Battle God’s Statue give you my crown?”

Minhyuk did not bother to explain it to Bharal. He was fully aware of the reason.

‘The only reason I could make such an achievement is because of the help of Rundalk and the Pillar Candidates.’

It was not entirely because of his power alone. If it weren’t for them, Minhyuk would never be able to obtain the crown. Regardless, there was one thing that Minhyuk could say for sure.

“That does not mean that I did not do anything. I try harder than everybody else…”

“Things in this world can never be achieved by efforts alone.”

This was the reality. Effort and hard work were something that Bharal found to be ridiculous.

‘Who in the world does not do their best?’

This was especially true for those who survived the fierce competition to become the Battle God. They have made tremendous efforts to reach the position that they had been in. Everyone has worked hard. So, why was he trying to say that his efforts alone were special?

Then, Minhyuk said, “For whatever reason it is, as the person hailed as the greatest Battle God, you should never point fingers and criticize the life that someone else had lived. Even if you had judged that the lives that they have lived are lacking, you should never carelessly make a comment about it.”

“...”

Bharal faltered for a moment because of Minhyuk’s momentum.

‘He has pretty good momentum.’

Bharal was the greatest Battle God. The fact that this man could release this kind of momentum and force toward someone like him could already be considered amazing.

Just as the man had implied, Bharal had truly made a mistake. Dying more than 1.33 million times had frayed his nerves and put him on edge. The appearance of someone new had raised his expectations and made him think, ‘Maybe this time!’

Alas, witnessing the man being ripped apart so quickly left Bharal frustrated and angry.

“That…”

Bharal was the type of person who could admit his own mistakes, so he tried to do so.

“That’s enough of that. I admit, no. I don’t like to say that either. Why do I have to meet the qualifications you’re saying?”

Minhyuk’s tone and gaze had already grown cold.

“At the very least, I will show you why I’m here and the path I have seen.” Minhyuk looked at Bharal and said, “I’ll get all of you out of here.”

Bharal no longer said, ‘Someone like you?’ or denied the man’s qualifications. He did not want to make any more mistakes.

“So, what would you do for me in exchange?” Minhyuk went straight to the point.

Things had now changed. This was now a transaction. Bharal looked at Minhyuk as if asking him to clarify what he meant and wanted.

Minhyuk said, “I need a territory. A vast territory that can allow my people to rest in peace and farm whatever seeds they sow. I also want a place where my people will be protected regardless of the threat.”

At first glance, the territory seemed to only exist in fantasy. It was probably impossible for such a territory to exist in this world.

A territory with varying seasons and optimal temperatures for growing seeds well could attract not only people but also monsters. That was why it was important to station soldiers in that territory to protect the people from any threat.

But Minhyuk wanted a territory that could protect his people. Even though Minhyuk said it himself, he knew the territory he was talking about was beyond common sense.

“There is a territory like that.”

“...?!”

Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide.

“To be exact, you can create a territory like that.”

This was far more surprising than what was said earlier. “There is” and “can create” meant two entirely different things.

“It’s a power that can make any barren land fertile. It can also protect the people living within it from any danger.”

“What kind of power? A force that stops the monsters from approaching?”

Was it like the power that Aemira used on the Beyond the Heavens Empire? The power that deflected the disasters and catastrophes coming their way?

“No. That kind of power can only stop monsters at best.”

Bharal was called the greatest Battle God. However, he also carried the name Explosion Monarch.

“The moment the territory senses that its people are in danger, weapons hidden in the territory will appear and bombard the enemy.”

Minhyuk’s breath hitched. ‘This is crazy…’

When hidden assassins suddenly appeared in the territory and attacked someone, they could only detect it after someone had died. People weren’t perfect; they could not stop anything they had no idea about. But with that power, it could prevent something like a surprise attack from happening.

‘This power is cheat-like. It can be instrumental in war.’

Bharal said, “If you can get me and the other prisoners out of this place, I will give you a portion of the power to help you create such a territory.”

Ring!

[Class Quest: The Greatest Monarch.]

Rank: Class

Requirements: Those who received Bharal’s offer.

Rewards: Territory Reinforcement Stage 1

Penalty for Failure: Bharal’s favor will drop.

Description: Bharal wants to get out of this horrendous and sickening prison. Rescue him.

“Stage 1 gives you the power to turn any barren land into fertile land.”

It was just Stage 1. Nonetheless, its power alone was enough for Minhyuk and his empire to acquire many abandoned territories under the banner of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

It did not take too long for the prisoners to die under the hands of the Repetition’s Monsters. Right now, the only ones left were Minhyuk and Bharal.

“Everything will be repeated here. Continuously and without stopping.”

Dying at this point would not make any difference.

“I will hand over the command to you in the next repetition.”

Bharal had made a cold and objective analysis. He thought, ‘If only he had inherited all of the Battle God’s powers, then…’

Then they would probably be able to get through this.

The walls slowly fell. The debris falling from the destroyed walls crushed Bharal’s body. And Minhyuk? He was ripped and torn apart by the monsters. However, it seemed like the young man was pondering over something as he got mauled and bitten by the terrifying claws and teeth of the monsters.

Bharal thought, ‘There’s just one more person.’

Either way, nothing much would change from their situation.

[The repetition has begun.]

When Bharal opened his eyes after the notification rang in his ears, he realized that something had changed. The man named Minhyuk looked at him and said, “Including you, gather ten of your most outstanding men.”

The changes did not end there. Something else began to change.

Minhyuk took something out from his pockets and tore it apart. Then, he mumbled, “Summon Meteor using Magic Scroll.”

A meteor three times larger than the usual meteor that an ordinary mage could summon appeared in the sky above them. It shot straight toward the hundreds of thousands of Repetition’s Monsters charging at them.

Bang–!

“The Famished One’s Cooking.”

An irresistible smell wafted all over the castle walls for the first time.

“Everyone’s Happiness.”

A dish appeared in front of the ten most outstanding prisoners.

Everything happened in an instant. Shockingly enough, it was not some tiny change that happened. It was a very huge and significant change.

When Bharal looked at Minhyuk, Minhyuk said, “Have you ever heard about this saying?”

Initially, Bharal wondered what a single person could do to change their desperate and helpless situation.

Then, Minhyuk said, “The flap of a butterfly’s wings can change the world.”

The situation that had been repeated 1.33 million times was changing, and they were witnessing significant changes along the way.