Leveling Up Through Eating

But this same Hegemon King knelt on one knee and said, “Until you become the true ‘monarch’ who leads all of the gods…”

The once immature young man has now become an emperor.

“...I, Hegemon King Ellie, will protect you.”

The mighty empress did not break and even became more flexible.

“Battle God, I wish to become your strength,” Ellie spoke with not a single shred of regret in her tone. “I…”

But before she could finish, Minhyuk spoke first.

“I…” He looked at Ellie with love, respect, and care. “I will honor and respect you as my noona forever.”

“...!”

Minhyuk approached Ellie, who had already lost her initiative and momentum and helped her stand up. Full of sincerity, he said, “I’m happy.”

Hundreds of cameras focused on Minhyuk and Ellie alone. Minhyuk then chose this moment to emphasize his point further.

“Because my noona has become the Hegemon King.”

“...!”

He was saying it was OK if she did not show loyalty to him. The fact that he was given the right and the power to call Ellie noona was proof of the strong and steadfast relationship between the two—a relationship that could never be reached by mere submission, obedience, and loyalty.

Minhyuk wanted to protect Ellie’s image as an emperor who worked for the sake of her people and not just him. He wanted to let her know that he was already very grateful to her and that he cared about her deeply.

Ellie had proven her capabilities as the Hegemon King, while Minhyuk proved that their relationship surpassed a relationship of obedience and submission. The people’s expectations for Ellie were immediately transferred to Minhyuk. As a result, Minhyuk’s votes soared.

The commentators were all left shocked.

[Mi-Minhyuk’s votes have started to catch up with Boleyn’s votes.]

[There’s only a 1% difference.]

Amidst the rising votes, Minhyuk and Ellie stood in front of each other with smiles. The viewers who saw this scene kept moving their fingers.

[The Advanced Polls have been refreshed.]

1st place: Pillar of the Gourmands Minhyuk. Percentage: 40.7%

2nd place: Pillar of Death Boleyn. Percentage: 37.9%

Minhyuk surpassed Pillar of Death Boleyn. And the votes were not stopping yet. The number of people who have voted so far has been continuously increasing. This meant that the rest of the population who had not yet cast their votes were now voting for Minhyuk.

[The Advanced Polls’ voter turnout has exceeded 99%.]

[The Advanced Polls’ voting period has ended.]

[The Advanced Polls’ final ranking will now be revealed.]

1st place: Pillar of the Gourmands Minhyuk. Percentage: 44.3%

2nd place: Pillar of Death Boleyn. Percentage: 38%

3rd place: Master of Nature…

4th place: Continental Emperor Ellie…

[Congratulations. The 1st place in the Advanced Polls is Minhyuk.]

The entire world was shaken when the first place in the Advanced Polls was revealed as the only player among the candidates.

[I believe all of the Koreans are going crazy right now!]

[The people who have voted for Minhyuk must have heard the notifications by now.]

[Congratulations to all players who obtained the 1-Level Level Up Potion.]

[Even though Player Minhyuk is a player, it was tough for him to gain the votes of his fellow countrymen.]

[Indeed. If the people of South Korea voted for him, they would experience a 40% reduction in their Level EXP.]

[But Player Minhyuk beat all odds and won 1st place.]

[As a player with the most significant potential to become a Pillar, we can confidently say that Player Minhyuk is now the most influential man in the world.]

Their expectations had skyrocketed.

Hundreds of cameras pointed at Minhyuk, who was busy listening to the notifications ringing in his ears.

[The rewards for winning 1st place in the Advanced Polls will be given to you later.]

[The one who has won 1st place in the Advanced Polls can now accept the Pillar Candidate Quest.]

“Pillar Candidate Quest?” Minhyuk murmured, a puzzled expression on his face.

***

South Korea was in a state of excitement. This included the employees of Joy Co. Ltd. who were sitting inside the conference room. They all jumped up and cheered loudly when the results of the Advanced Polls came out. Even the Joy Co. Ltd. executives felt their hearts thump wildly with joy.

“All of us said he would never become 1st place in the polls.”

They all found it funny. After all, they were the first ones to deny and ignore Minhyuk and Ellie. But Ellie became the Hegemon King, and Minhyuk used various powers to win 1st place in the Advanced Polls.

“He’s truly an amazing player.” Team Leader Park Minggyu was indeed in awe.

It did not matter what methods Minhyuk used; the fact that he won first place in the Advanced Polls remained the same.

However, something unexpected happened.

“I did not expect Player Minhyuk to be the one to receive this Sudden Quest.”

Whoever achieved 1st place in the Advanced Polls did an excellent job. However, the rewards that Chaos had set would only be available later. Furthermore, this reward was a consumable item. After all, it could only be used during the competition between the Pillar Candidates.

Joy Co. Ltd. determined that the reward that had been set was minimal and trivial compared to the effort that the candidates had put in the polls. That was why they prepared a sudden quest for the person who would achieve 1st place in the polls. Of course, NPCs would also be able to receive this sudden quest. But it would appear differently in their eyes and not carry the name “Quest.”

The problem was even if the method of going to that place were similar for both the players and the NPCs, the process of giving rewards would be completely different.

The Story Team’s leader, who created this quest, said, “In the NPCs’ case, the rewards were set up so that they could get stats or something special while going through the process. It’s because they’re NPCs, and they would be unable to go through the quest step-by-step like the players. So, it was set up so that the NPCs would be able to get what they wanted or needed in the end once they received recognition.”

So, what about in the players’ case?

“It’s different for Player Minhyuk. With every level he goes through or every recognition he receives, there’s a chance that the reward that he will receive will grow even more special.”

In that place, if an NPC could get 1, then a player would be able to get 2. Of course, the task was no easy task. However, several problems needed to be solved in that place.

“What can Player Minhyuk ultimately receive by the end of the quest?”

This was a loophole.

“You should know this too, President. The rewards we have set are already pretty good in and of itself.”

Once they reached the end, their rewards would be very generous regardless of NPCs or players. This was only natural. After all, this was a reward set to be given to the person who achieved 1st place in the Advanced Polls. Of course, they would not be able to receive any rewards if they failed the quest.

“If we’re talking about Player Minhyuk, then there’s a chance that the ‘Ingredient Brimming with Potential’ will grow and become ‘Fantastic Ingredients.’”

The Ingredient Brimming with Potential was an ingredient that would grow whenever Minhyuk accomplished something or completed the quest. It was an event-type ingredient that would never be obtained again in Athenae.

“What’s the level of the Fantastic Ingredients based on our current grading system?”

“It’s probably around the level of an Absolute God-grade ingredient.”

Naturally, the Fantastic grade would only come out if Minhyuk could achieve the highest grade in the quest.

“Is there a higher grade?”

“Phenomenal is the final grade that one can obtain. It’s next to Fantastic. But I don’t think obtaining something graded with Phenomenal will be easy.”

“Indeed. It will be challenging.” Kang Taehoon smiled bitterly.

They had also declared that winning the Advanced Polls was difficult and even impossible. Yet here they were. So, they had to be open to all possibilities.

“If a Phenomenal-grade ingredient appears, how can you describe its power?” President Kang Taehoon asked.

The Story Team’s leader pondered momentarily before saying, “It’s probably equivalent or greater than a Pillar-grade ingredient.”

***

[Pillar Candidate Quest: A Banquet for the Departed Candidates.]

Rank: ???

Requirements: The one who achieved 1st place in the Advanced Polls.

Rewards: ???

Penalty for Failure: None.

Description: Pillars and Pillar Candidates are very special existences. Many of those chosen as Pillars and Pillar Candidates were allowed to go to the ‘The Land of the Leaders’ instead of Hell after their deaths. This is a land under Chaos’ rule. One can stay or enter the River of Reincarnation in this place. Host a banquet for them as the leading figure of the current era.

The host of the banquet will obtain the Ingredient Brimming with Potential. The Ingredient Brimming with Potential will be able to grow depending on the situation. As someone qualified to become the Battle God, you can summon one of your knights for five minutes.

Minhyuk looked at the sudden quest in front of him with interest.

A banquet for the departed Pillars and Pillar Candidates. Someone’s figure immediately came to mind the moment he saw those words. He was someone who could immediately bring a smile to Minhyuk’s face just with the thought of him alone.

‘It doesn’t matter what happens. There’s no penalty for failure anyway.’

Minhyuk agreed since there was nothing for him to worry about.

[You have obtained the Ingredient Brimming with Potential.]

At the same time, a small basket appeared in Minhyuk’s inventory. And in this basket lay a tiny seed.

From what it looked like, this seed would grow during the banquet he would host.

‘Well, the Advanced Polls are over. So…’

His work here was basically over. After a friendly and joyful conversation with Ellie, Minhyuk returned to his office.

[Would you like to participate in the Candidates’ Banquet?]

“Yes.”

Minhyuk disappeared in a flash of light.

***

The Land of the Leaders had always been noisy. Would a place filled with countless arrogant, prideful, and powerful candidates ever be quiet? They could never back down as the leading figures of their own era. Because of that, they would often clash with each other. Of course, they were separated into several factions, just like any other land or territory. Each of them followed and supported the faction that they wanted to support.

But everything changed with the arrival of the King of All Creators. Upon his appearance, many of the people living in this place chose to support him. And because he did not desire power, peace finally came to the Land of the Leaders for the first time in a long while.

Of course, those who were supporting someone else were still abundant. But for now, they all watched the King of All Creators. Thanks to that, an unexpected and unprecedented peace came over the Land of the Leaders.

A huge event broke out in the Land of the Leaders one day. They heard that the current era’s leading candidate would visit this place. This meant that a banquet would be held. This would be the first banquet since the King of All Creators arrived.

Hundreds of people who were once candidates appeared in the banquet hall. Among them were the Monarchs of All Creation. The Monarchs of All Creations were similar to knights, and they served as the King of All Creators. To be exact, the King of All Creators did not want them and even hated their existence, but they wanted to become his knights.

Why would they do that? Well, the reason was simple. They wanted to stick close to the King of All Creators and gobble up all the crumbs they could under his umbrella. They wanted to profit off of him.

Monarch of All Creations Rokan looked around him.

“It seems like many people from the faction of the King of Good and the King of Destruction are present.”

The King of Good was a candidate who had recently arrived in this place. He had as much influence as the King of All Creators and was also not interested in any power struggle. That was why peace had been maintained so far.

Although the King of Destruction desired power, the influence of the King of All Creators and the King of Good was so significant that he seemed a bit too redundant and insignificant lately.

Everyone was waiting for the candidate. They could see him coming from a distance, guided by a messenger sent by Rokan. When he arrived, he bowed politely to everyone in the banquet hall.

Many people were gathering in the banquet hall at this time. Of course, Rokan and the other Monarchs of All Creations made sure to strike while the iron was hot.

“I have heard your story. You are the Pillar of the Gourmands, no? Can something like that even be a Pillar?” Rokan said. Of course, he was very arrogant. “You must have heard about the King of All Creations on your way here.”

“I’ve heard about him.”

Rokan nodded, a smile of satisfaction gracing his lips. He wanted to drag this man to the faction of the King of All Creations before the factions of the King of Good and the King of Destruction intercepted him.

“Since you’ve heard about him, then things would be easier. What should you do now?”

“???” The man looked at Rokan in confusion.

“Your greeting is wrong,” Rokan emphasized, an arrogant smile on his face. “I am Rokan, one of the Monarchs of All Creation. Standing in my presence is like standing in the presence of the King of All Creators. Bow down to me.”

Tap, tap–

Rokan tapped the ground with his toes, then said, “Put your head here and show courtesy to me. Be very polite and courteous.”

Rokan smiled in delight at the thought of the man bowing down to him,

But then, the man said, “What bullshit are you spouting?”

“...?”

“Are you the King of All Creators?”

No. He was not the King of All Creators. Not even close.

“Besides, why must I bow to the King of All Creators? I haven’t even seen him yet. Does that logic even make sense?”

“...”

The logic did not follow common sense. No, it did not even make sense.

However, at that moment, the air in the banquet hall turned cold. It was as if cold water had been splashed all over the place.