Leveling Up Through Eating

Cooking the Supreme Dish was technically not difficult compared to other tricky ingredients. What made it even more difficult was the existence of the Supreme Monarch. He could cut down the Battle God and Minhyuk with one swing of his sword and had infinite HP and MP. He was powerful and would not die so easily. Minhyuk and the Battle God were killed nearly ten times under the Supreme Monarch’s hands before they were able to find how to attack him and beat him.

Most dungeons in Athenae would have the weakest monsters at the very beginning. This meant that the Supreme Monarch was the being with the lowest level in this place. And from what Minhyuk could remember, the Supreme Monarch’s level was around Level 940.

“Die!!!”

Minhyuk looked a bit overwhelmed. This being was the one who killed him and the Battle God nine times in a row. Of course, Minhyuk was stronger than he was back then, but the Supreme Monarch’s level was much higher than Minhyuk\'s, and all of his HP and MP were infinite and remained the same.

[The Supreme nullifies ‘all’ Supreme for 30 seconds.]

The Supreme. It was a position everyone hoped and wanted to reach, a being more significant than everybody else, and a name that could overwhelm anyone who heard it.

Vwooooooong–

Regardless, this Supreme was left useless in front of Supreme Rundalk.

[Supreme Monarch. Level 943. HP: 4,100,000. MP: 4,000,000]

The guy’s HP and MP were quickly revealed. This meant that the Supreme Monarch’s infinity was easily terminated by “The Supreme.” What was more surprising was the fact that the members of the expedition were able to overwhelm the Supreme Monarch, even though it was for a tiny bit.

There was something that Minhyuk had overlooked. He failed to see something because of the greatness of the King of All Creators and the King of Good. These people were the strongmen of their era who almost became the Pillars leading the world. And they even ate Minhyuk’s dishes.

‘This is very exciting.’

Minhyuk released a trembling breath. Would he ever experience a situation like this again?

These people could hunt the Supreme Monarch that even all of the Absolute Gods have and still feared.

‘They’re taking me on a ride! This is a bus!’

Blink–!

Minhyuk’s eyes snapped open.

It was not just a bus—it was an express bus and KTX combined that was running at 500 kilometers per hour! Minhyuk hurriedly took out his bow. He did not want to miss the opportunity to get on the bus and deal with the extremely strong Supreme Monarch who once haunted him.

The expedition\'s members shaved off a huge chunk of the Supreme Monarch’s four million HP. They could push the Supreme Monarch to the brink of death in ten out of the thirty seconds of nullification debuff. Rundalk made to slice off the Supreme Monarch’s head.

Fwooosh–! Thud–!

An arrow shot out from somewhere and took care of the Supreme Monarch.

“You look like you’re having a hard time. I thought I should help you, so I pulled out my bow and shot an arrow. Fortunately, it shot straight through his neck.”

Rundalk’s expression screamed: ‘That was not the case though? I wasn’t having a hard time?’

At the same time, these notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[You will receive rewards based on your contributions.]

[You have obtained 916 platinum.]

[You have gained 551, 305, 001 EXP.]

[You have obtained 12 Asteroid Fragments.]

The rewards were huge. And that was already when he landed the final hit.

As for the bow in Minhyuk’s hands? It was made by Transcendental Nekk using the remaining materials that he handed over.

(Unscrupulous Man’s Bow)

Rank: God

Requirements: Level 600 or higher. DEX 5,000 or higher.

Durability: ∞ / ∞

Attack Power: 1,370

Special Abilities

:

•Damage will triple upon a successful shot of the final hit.

•Passive Skill: Bow Mastery +9

•Attack Power will increase by 1.5x based on DEX.

•Penetrative Force will double.

•Critical Hit Rate will triple upon successful shot of the final hit.

•Active Skill: The One who Shoots the Final Hit

Description: This is a bow that Nekk made for an unscrupulous guy. When shooting the final hit, this bow will have more power than any other bow.

The birth of this bow started when Minhyuk saw that there were enough materials to make a bow. He immediately asked Nekk to make a bow that would only be used to shoot the final hit. And, of course, Nekk responded and created an outstanding(?) artifact.

The skill “The One who Shoots the Final Hit” could be triggered once every five minutes. When triggered, it would hit wherever the artifact user wanted. It would also have a 95% chance of triggering a 5x increase in attack power upon a successful shot of the final hit.

“What is this Asteroid Fragment?”

“I guess you got something like that because you’re a foreigner,” Blane said.

He was the candidate who was standing right next to Minhyuk. He pointed to one of the asteroids covered with light and floating in space. Then, he explained, “According to the rumors, you can collect those fragments and exchange them for an asteroid and the power that it possesses.”

“You can collect them?”

Even though they were able to hunt the Supreme Monarch, Minhyuk felt that there was something strange. Why? Because no artifacts or miscellaneous items had dropped.

‘Maybe I’ll be able to exchange a hundred of these for a huge reward…’

After all, this thing could only be obtained after hunting a Supreme Monarch.

“There are many types of asteroids. There are Skill Asteroids, Artifact Asteroids, Consumable Asteroids, Ingredient Asteroids, Ability Asteroids, and many more.”

All Minhyuk needed to do was collect the Asteroid Fragments and exchange them for the asteroid he wanted.

“Another legend also says you can use the asteroids to buy something Supreme. There’s another one that says that if you overcome some kind of trial inside the black hole, you will be able to obtain something Supreme.”

Minhyuk nodded. It was worth remembering that most myths and legends in Athenae were not mere empty talk.

Just like that, the expedition began to advance again.

***

“Hiyaaah!”

“...?”

“Let’s go!”

“...?”

“Shot, shot, shot!”

“...?”

“Euryaaaa!”

“...?”

The mobs that appeared most often in Pandemonium were Supreme Monarchs. Sometimes, two would appear; other times, there were four. Regardless, Minhyuk would pull his bow strings and land the final hit every single time.

“Phew! What a relief! If Candidate Rals made the wrong mistake, his heart would be pierced. If it weren’t for this arrow, then…”

“...?”

“It’s truly a relief…! If Candidate Rals died then… Sob…! I don’t even want to imagine it.”

Everyone was left speechless when they saw Minhyuk rattle on with tears in his eyes. Although they knew what he was doing, they opted to remain silent. Anyway, they could no longer grow, and they did not have any use for the money either.

As they continued to advance, Minhyuk finally encountered a tiny asteroid. This asteroid, which was only slightly bigger than Minhyuk in size, was a Skill Asteroid.

Currently, Minhyuk has collected 402 fragments.

[Skill Asteroid’s Exchange Requirement.]

[Skill Level Up: 200 Fragments.]

[Leveling Up Any Skill: 500 Fragments.]

[Skill Evolution: 1,500 Fragments.]

Skill Level Up was a power that could help Minhyuk increase the level of one of his skills by one. Still, there was a limit to how many he could exchange. He could only exchange it thrice in total.

Leveling Up Any Skill could allow a skill that could no longer grow to grow once again. Skill Evolution, on the other hand, could literally make a skill better than before.

Minhyuk was in awe. ‘Isn’t this reward a bit too crazy?’

As expected of a place called the Supreme. However, he saw something strange from the description.

[If you exchange for something, you cannot check the next slot.]

[You can only check the next slot after collecting 5,000 Fragments.]

“...?”

Minhyuk was puzzled. There was a next slot.

At that moment, Blaine said, “In this place, the asteroids also go by Planets of Desire. Although I don’t know the reason why.”

The answer was simple. Minhyuk felt that something was off. Not long after, he saw other planets too.

[If you exchange for something, you cannot check the next slot.]

[You can only check the next slot…]

The same notification from earlier rang. Minhyuk checked the detailed explanation of the next planet that he encountered.

[You do not need to reach out to the planet to exchange for rewards. All you need to do is call out ‘Planet’, and you will be able to exchange for the rewards.]

Minhyuk decided to put the exchange for rewards on hold for now.

‘If you think about it, collecting 100 Fragments is a challenging feat for players.’

So, he thought that the value of the items at this point should not be astronomical yet. Of course, he also recalled the words that Blaine told him earlier.

‘You can use the asteroids to buy something Supreme.’

“It’s here. This is the place where my daughter is sleeping.”

After traveling through the universe like Pandemonium, there was a single iron gate standing in the middle of it.

“Pandemonium’s Meteor. It’s this place.”

Minhyuk had witnessed Rundalk and the members of the expedition team\'s great chemistry and outstanding power. Nevertheless, they said that of all the attempts they had made, they had never once reached the final meteor where Rundalk’s daughter was sleeping. And that was the case even though they did not receive much damage on their way here.

Minhyuk’s mission was to strike the Infinite Meteor. According to the information that they have gathered, the Infinite Meteor would no longer release meteors if someone possessing outstanding DEX continued to hit it. Among them, the only one who could hit that meteor was Minhyuk.

But there was one question that Minhyuk could not answer.

‘If that’s the case, then why did they not get help from the outstanding people with high DEX before?’

The answer to that question was quite simple.

“Even if all of the people here exhaust their power, we will probably only be able to reach halfway of the path to the Infinite Meteor.”

In other words, they have never reached the Infinite Meteor in all their attempts.

Finally, Rundalk opened the gates.

***

[You have entered the Pandemonium’s Meteor.]

[The Pandemonium’s Meteor has detected the presence of intruders!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

[The Meteor Summon will be stopped if someone possessing high DEX continuously hits the Infinite Meteor in the middle.]

The notifications that rang in Minhyuk’s ears left him nervous.

“We will open up a path. Run straight to the Infinite Meteor!”

In all of their attempts, they could only reach the halfway point. Why was this the case? Minhyuk could also see why the strong candidates were tense.

“What the hell…?!”

When discussing the universe, one would think about countless stars twinkling in the darkness. What greeted Minhyuk was the sight of tens of thousands of meteors falling above them.

[Warning!]

[Warning!]

Tens of thousands of meteors shot toward the intruders. Seeing the meteors grow bigger and bigger, the candidates began to fly toward them.

Bang–!

Minhyuk was shocked when he saw one of the candidates shatter one of the meteors with just one strong punch.

Meanwhile, the other candidates would either avoid or break the falling meteors. And in the middle of them all was Rundalk. Rundalk faced thousands of meteors all by himself.

‘So, that’s the Supreme…!’ Minhyuk shuddered.

“Supreme’s Sword.”

Boom–!

The moment Rundalk swung his sword before him, the universe seemed to split into two. The force that erupted from his sword split the falling meteors in half.

“Quick!”

“Minhyuk, run!”

Five candidates charged forward and smashed all of the meteors hurtling toward Minhyuk. The powerful force the candidates unleashed released a spark that glittered brightly in the dark universe.

‘This is the power of a true candidate…!’

Minhyuk was in awe and admiration.

“It’s much easier than before. And it’s all thanks to you.” Blaine smiled faintly.

Compared to before, they could maintain their composure and break apart the tens of thousands of meteors coming their way.

“It’s going to start now.”

[The meteors start to accelerate.]

[The meteors start to explode.]

[The Supreme Monarchs protect the one slumbering inside the final meteor!]

The one slumbering in the final meteor was none other than Rundalk’s daughter.

The meteors, which had become twice as fast, shot toward the expedition team even more fiercely.

“K-keuaaaaack!”

In the end, several candidates who collided with them screamed and collapsed. Some of them exploded when their bodies touched the meteor, while some burned from the flames covering its surface.

Cold sweat dripped down Minhyuk’s back at the gruesome sight before him.

Not long after, hundreds of thousands of meteor fragments shot toward Minhyuk. Each fragment exploded in turn and devoured everything in its path.

Bang–!

Boom–!

Bang, bang, bang–!

The aftermath of the constant explosions almost reached Minhyuk. However, since he was the only one who could stop and strike the Infinite Meteor, the five candidates escorting him jumped up and used their entire bodies to protect him.

The five candidates swung their swords dozens of times per second, their bodies flashing here and there to stop and destroy the approaching fragments. But that was not the end. The Shield Pillar Candidate used his power and created hundreds of blue barriers in front of those about to collide with the meteors.

Minhyuk believed that this was the first time that he had participated in such a high-intensity and high-quality battlefield. It was a truly amazing experience.

However, as the notification said, the Supreme Monarchs were protecting Rundalk’s daughter. In just a blink, thousands of Supreme Monarchs climbed atop the meteors and appeared all over the place.

Minhyuk gulped dryly. ‘Crazy. And we’re not even halfway there?!’

How could they break through this? At that moment, thousands of sword lights shot out from the Supreme’s Sword and began to force the Supreme Monarchs and the meteors to crash and die.

This was the expedition team’s eighth attempt to clear this place. They knew the best solution was to ensure they could cut down many Supreme Monarchs.

“Let’s go!”

“It’s much easier than usual!”

Even though they said that, out of the five candidates protecting Minhyuk, two had already died.

***

Hope appeared in Rundalk’s eyes. This was the first time that they had reached this point. Of course, around ten of their men had died and had turned into cold corpses in this place but compared to their other attempts, the damage that they received this time was much less.

There was only one thought running in Rundalk’s head as he destroyed the meteors and beat down the charging Supreme Monarchs.

‘Bellamy.’

All he wanted was to pick up the daughter who had been taken away from him. That was the only thing he could see at this point.

Before they knew it, they had already reached the halfway point. They could also see Minhyuk land safely on the Infinite Meteor, pull out his pickaxe, and begin his arduous task.

Rumble–

The meteors that were summoned and were still out of sight stopped.

Rundalk smiled. “Now, as long as we reach the end…”

Alas, there was something that he did not know. After all, this was their first time reaching this place.

[The Infinite Calamity drops the strongest and greatest meteor.]

The infinite calamity stopped but dropped the most enormous, fastest, and most solid meteor down in exchange.

The thousands of meteors that appeared above them gathered and combined before shooting toward Rundalk. The candidates who saw this scene hurriedly squeezed their strength and used their powers simultaneously.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh–

Unbeknownst to them, Supreme Monarchs crawled up from below and attacked all of the candidates.

Slash, slash, slash–!

Rundalk moved frantically, his sword swinging non-stop at the giant meteor falling toward him. When a crack appeared, he put all his strength into his sword and swung it at the meteor.

‘Yes…!’

At that moment, he realized that he had run out of strength. He thought hitting the gigantic meteor with a powerful strike was enough to break it and allow him to see his daughter. But he couldn’t go any further. He failed to control his strength and wasted his final attack on the gigantic meteor.

Despair enveloped Rundalk. He knew none of his men could help him, especially with the meteor before him.

‘I’m sorry, Bellamy.’

He also felt sorry for the other candidates.

Rundalk had kept something hidden from them. Unlike the candidates, Rundalk’s death here and now would mean his complete extinction even if the door was opened by someone who achieved the Supreme.

“Didn’t I tell you?”

Rundalk stared at the man standing before him with his white cape fluttering with the wind. This man should not be here. He should have been hitting away at the Infinite Meteor.

Turn–

Rundalk turned his head, his eyes widening when he saw the Food God’s Almighty Tool, which had transformed into a pickaxe, was still hitting the gigantic Infinite Meteor from afar.

Minhyuk smiled at Rundalk. “I’m also powerful.”

Rundalk had heard that Minhyuk was able to kill Helenia because Obren fused with him. He thought it was only natural to kill Helenia because Obren was present.

Nonetheless, he was wrong. Obren had grown infinitely weaker. In fact, his powers were only half of what he had in the past. So, that meant that half of the power that made it possible to kill Helenia was from Minhyuk.

Rundalk was faced with a variable in the form of a giant meteor. Now, another variable has appeared in the form of Minhyuk. This variable was standing in front of him and blocking the gigantic meteor that was right in front of their faces.