Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 729: The Sage’s Tower of Magic

‘Why?’

In the past, Brod had competed with Nerva to become the Battle God’s successor. He was sure that the man dreamt of standing in that position too. So, he could not understand why Brod was serving another person now.

‘He’s nothing but the king of humans, the lowest of the Continental Gods, why serve him?’

In the first place, such a person could not possibly hold on to a talent like Brod. So, the Battle God Reached his hand out to Brod.

‘Come to me. Come back to me and bring the world under your rule once again. I will give you one more chance to sit on the emperor’s throne!’

But, Brod never answered his calls. The only thing that he wanted to do was to serve and protect his humble and poor king.

‘What kind of human is he for Brod to act like that?’

The Battle God was very curious. Then, Andeiro asked to see him. The Battle God smirked. A mere human mage was actually trying to summon him. However, there was perhaps something going on. Andeiro kept on calling and asking to meet with him.

‘Doesn’t he know that I might unleash my full wrath upon them if they’re so careless with me?’

The Battle God started to get irritated from the continuous calls and requests. However, he still chose not to respond. In fact, what he wanted to do was scold Andeiro. So, he looked at Andeiro from where he was.

But the person that he saw in front of him was different. There were many many handsome men among the gods, but this man was a cut above the rest. Even if he was placed among many good-looking people, this young and handsome king would still stand out. This allowed the Battle God to recognize his identity right away.

‘So, you’re Brod’s king?’

Who in the world was he? But even though he was curious, the Battle God still did not have any intention of responding.

At that moment, that young and arrogant king said, “Ah, that m*th**f*cker. He must have ran away because he’s scared. That must be the case, no? He must have ran away just now because he’s really scared?”

Prickled, the Battle God did not have any choice but to respond. He immediately descended upon the bronze statue.

The Battle God was a proud, arrogant and great king. Plenty of gods prostrated at his feet and all of the emperors and kings on earth would kneel in front of his successors and descendants.

‘So, who the hell does this king of a kingdom think he is?’

[Battle God’s Wrath.]

[The Battle God’s Wrath is forcing you to your knees!]

[The Battle God’s Wrath will force you to kneel down and worship him!]

All of the souls, even Andeiro, could not hold out against this power and were forced to kneel down one after the other.

“…”

Meanwhile, Minhyuk, with his trembling knees, looked up at the Battle God. However, the Battle God knew that this guy would eventually kneel in front of him.

The Battle God was delighted when he saw the arrogant and impudent king, that was chosen and loved by Brod, slowly bend his knees. That was right, in the end, everyone would bend their knees and prostrate at his feet, let alone the king that Brod served.

However, Minhyuk’s cold eyes continued to glare at the smirking Battle God.

“What a joke…”

Minhyuk straightened his knees that were just about to bend.

[The Unyielding One has been triggered.]

[The Candidate for the Eight Pillars is someone that will never give in and yield to anyone!]

When everyone yielded and gave in to the Battle God, only Minhyuk remained standing still.

‘The power

of the Eight Pillars…?’ The Battle God was surprised. However, he did not let it show on his expression.

“Lowest God, why did you call for me?”

Minhyuk went straight to the point in reply to his question. “Stop trying to kill Brod.”

The Battle God could only laugh at how straightforward Minhyuk was.

‘Who are you to dare say something like this to me?’

“I refuse.”

“How come?”

“Brod has brought forth a huge mess by blocking the gate connecting the Land of the Gods to earth. He is also responsible for injuring and killing countless soldiers and gods of the Divine Army. He has committed a sin that is worthy of death. It’s only right that he receives what he deserves.”

“Bullshit.”

“…”

‘What a truly arrogant and foul-mouthed human. Did this human not think about the consequences of his actions?’

Minhyuk thought differently. ‘To get the results that we want, I have to act as wild as I can.’

“Shall I tell you a fact, then? You want Brod. However, he does not want to go back to you. So, being the petty being that you are, you thought that if you can’t have him, then he should just die. Am I right?”

The Battle God did not reply. It was true after all. The Battle God truly wanted Brod by his own side. That was why he sent the Divine Army after him and attacked him. It was all so he could get him. However, the man was strong and stubborn, and had kept on refusing his outstretched hand.

“Even if I’m not here, you will still not get Brod.”

“What are you getting at?”

The Battle God had already decided. No matter what happened after this, he would make sure to rip the mouth of this damn bastard in front of him.

“Do you want to kill me?” Minhyuk asked provokingly. He slowly approached the statue and looked at its face. “You must think that I’m nothing like a god, no?”

That was right. It was quite suffocating and annoying to see a mere Continental God claim themselves to be a true god.

“Why don’t you make a bet with me?”

“A bet?”

Minhyuk was aware that the Absolute Gods liked to make bets. After all, he had already gambled with both the God of Cooking and the God of Will.

“If I can protect Brod from the gods and the Divine Army that you send, then you will no longer interfere with me and Brod.”

The Battle God could only cackle when he heard those words.

‘Does this lowly god not know who I sent?God of Conflicts Belovan is my most reliable hunting dog.’

Belovan was not called the God of Conflicts for no reason. In the past wars between the gods, Belovan had killed almost forty gods by himself. Adding on the number of gods and soldiers of the Divine Army there, it would be impossible to protect Brod.

Glance—

His cold eyes glanced around and saw that the legends and gods that dominated the previous era were here. They wanted to go and help Brod? Even if they went, they would not be his men’s opponents.

The Battle God sneered and asked, “Then, what are you going to bet on, the lowest and most insignificant god? Ah, don’t tell me…” The Battle God’s eyes sank deeper. “…are you willing to bet that insignificant position as a god of yours?”

[The God that Commands All of the Armies has made a bet with you!]

[The Battle God offers you a bet to ‘Save Brod’. However, if you fail to do so, you will be stripped of your title as the ‘Food God’.]

Minhyuk had already prepared for this. Just like Andeiro said, to save Brod, they needed to go through a process. The first step was to win the hearts of the Food God’s friends. The second step was to make a bet with the Battle God so he would no longer interfere with Minhyuk and Brod. All that was left was the final step.

‘Brod eating my dish.’

The Absolute God-grade curry rice and tonkatsu had a special power hidden in the dish.

“I accept the bet.”

***

The friends of the Food God were all legends and gods that commanded the continent and had become the topic of many. However, these very same people were afraid.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

With every swing of Belovan’s sword, hundreds of the Heavenly Army and monsters disappeared without a trace.

Slaaaash—

To everyone’s dismay, the man that was hailed as the greatest swordsman of all time got his neck cut down, dying with his soul scattering into nothingness. But Belovan did not stop there. He threw the sword with all his might.

Baaaaaaaaaaaang—

“Food God’s successor… ”

The Continental Emperor looked at Minhyuk sadly, the sword thrown by Belovan piercing through his chest.

“I hope you achieve what you want.”

“…”

Clench—

Minhyuk clenched his palms into fists. Belovan was far too strong. Even the soldiers of the Divine Army that fought together with him were also very strong. The legends were not even at a level where they could leave a scratch on them.

“Keuhahahahahahahaha! Where’s that arrogant look of yours earlier, huh?!”

Flaaaaash—

Just like leaves falling in autumn, the legends fell one after another under Belovan’s sword. After killing his way, he charged at Minhyuk at the speed of light.

Minhyuk blocked the first attack and moved to try and block the next attack.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—

However, although Belovan only swung his sword once, the attack pierced through Minhyuk’s entire body.

[Your HP has dropped below 60%!]

[Your movements are temporarily restricted after being stabbed through several places all at once!]

Minhyuk’s face turned ugly. He had never faced anyone this strong. It was not only his swordsmanship, he even had a special passive that ignored artifact effects as well as various powerful active skills.

‘…He’s a monster, right?’

Belovan stepped back and swung his sword once again. At that moment, hundreds of sword lights stretched out from his sword and pointed toward the 100 legends. It was strength that could make anyone despair.

“Continental God.” Belovan grinned arrogantly. “And Brod.”

He wanted to show how foolish they were to try and stand up against the Battle God.

“Look carefully at how your king dies.”

Belovan’s special skill unfolded.

Lethal Exploding Sword.

A powerful force shot toward Minhyuk from Belovan’s sword.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

[Lethal Exploding Sword]

[The attack has a 15,000% additional damage that will unfold the moment the attack lands on your target. There will also be a powerful explosion that would erupt seven times in your opponent’s body.]

The attack came at the speed of light. Minhyuk could tell that it was too fast for him to stop. However, even if that was the case, there was still a small smile lingering on his face.

“Brod.” Minhyuk looked back. “How is the food?”

***

The Battle God knew that Belovan’s Lethal Exploding Sword was powerful enough to kill several gods. Still, he watched the battlefield along with several other Absolute Gods. There were even several of them that favored Minhyuk. Why were they there? Well, it was so they could give him strength the moment he won the bet.

“The God that Loves to Cook. The God that Never Backs Down.” The Battle God looked at them and snickered. “I feel very sorry for you. Why do you expect something from a mere Continental God?”

Arlene, the God of Cooking, said, “It would be good for you to not underestimate Minhyuk or think as if he’s a simple human being.”

Even the God of Will, the man that never backed down, added, “He is the toughest and most amazing human I have ever seen in my life.”

In response, the Battle God just laughed, “In the end, he’s nothing but a mere human. Hahahahahaha!”

That man would be deprived of his position as a god and Brod, the man that left the Battle God’s side, would die.

“It’s not yet over,” the God of Cooking mumbled softly, a smile adorning her face.

That was when they heard Minhyuk’s voice.

[Brod, how is the food?]

Then, a man answered his question.

[It was very delicious.]

“…”

The Battle God turned to look at the scene. There, he saw Brod, the Absolute God’s Sword, standing in front of Minhyuk with a kind and gentle smile on his face.

[Your Majesty.]

Brod looked at the Lethal Exploding Sword coming at Minhyuk before turning to look back at his king.

[This is the power that this vassal of yours once had. Today, Your Majesty has allowed me to display this power once again, even if for a short time.]

Then, Brod slashed his sword down.

Shwaaaaaaaaa—

The moment his sword met with the Lethal Exploding Sword, Belovan’s skill fluttered in the air until it became a soft and gentle breeze.

“…!”

Only then did the Battle God realize once again why he wanted to have Brod so badly. This was because Brod was extremely powerful. He was powerful enough that even the God of Conflicts Belovan was no match against him.

“No way…!”

Arlene said, “The dish that that human child made has a variety of effects. One of them is none other than awakening the power that Brod wielded in the past.”

“…!”

The Battle God’s eyes grew wide. Then, Brod, who completely offset the Lethal Exploding Sword, spoke out again.

[Your Majesty.]

He knelt down on one knee and looked up at his king.

[This servant of yours once dreamt of becoming an emperor.]

Minhyuk nodded.

[I will act rudely and become an emperor today in front of Your Majesty. I am hoping for your kind understanding and consideration?]

Minhyuk nodded softly as Brod smiled at him.

Then, at that moment, the God of Will opened his mouth and said, “Did you forget?”

“…”

“You had two suns. You did not need to speak to us to brag about them.”

“…”

“However, one of your two suns burned so brightly to the point that you feared him every so often.”

“…”

“From what I remember, that sun’s name was Brod. And he is now burning at his brightest.”

The Battle God’s pupils shook. That was right. He wanted Brod but he also feared him. That was why he had turned a blind eye when Nerva resorted to trickery and killed Brod’s knights. If he were to be honest, Nerva’s Swords of the Gods were far weaker than Brod’s Swords of the Gods.

Flash—

Light flashed in the space in front of Brod. When it faded, it revealed the figure of Mage Andeiro, who was wearing a cape carrying the symbol of the wolf. Andeiro pointed his staff at Belovan’s neck.

But that was not the end.

Flash—!

When the light faded away, more than twenty knights appeared, with their swords raised and pointed at Belovan’s neck.

These were the ‘Red Sword Knights’, the knights that grew under Brod’s careful care and nurturing, that once transcended the other Swords of the Gods.