Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1236

The story of the War Tiger was a stain in the history of the Land of the Gods. A single man, with only a sword taken from an ordinary soldier of the Heavenly Army, easily dealt with the Grand General and the Heavenly Captains alone.

‘Grand General Azakas said that we should never make an enemy of that man. We have to make him a friend and an ally.’

It was proof of how powerful the man named Transcendental Bender was. No god in the Land of the Gods could beat Bender in a fight. Of course, the show of excellence did not necessarily mean he was strong. Regardless, as a being who stood above all races, he could easily ignore almost everything.

[Transcendental Bender requests to become the Battle God’s Heavenly General.]

Bender stabbed his sword into the ground. Then, he knelt on one knee and looked up at Minhyuk.

Crack– Crack, crack– Crack–!

Cracks appeared on the ground where the sword was stabbed. These cracks stretched and extended toward the castle behind them. Everyone was left stunned when they saw the cracks extend like that.

[The one standing at the top of the Transcendentals is showing courtesy to you.]

[Transcendental’s Submission.]

[The one standing at the top of the Transcendentals is willing to obey and be under your command.]

[The Transcendental’s Respect has taken into effect!]

[The one standing at the top of the Transcendentals is showing his respect for you.]

As the descendant of the Grand General, Jenel had heard many stories. And from these stories passed down from one generation to another, he had learned how powerful this man was. This made Jenel’s face turn pale as he staggered back. His expression was one of disbelief.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk was left confused.

‘Bender…?’

Bender nodded. He looked at Minhyuk with understanding, his eyes clearly displaying his thoughts, ‘You’ve had a hard time, right? Everything’s fine now. I’m here.’ 𝘳𝘢ŊоΒƐᶊ

‘Why are you like this? Isn’t this too exaggerated…?’

Bender was not the type of person who liked to show off. Although he looked unusual and was a bit eccentric at times, he was not a fan of making such spectacular appearances. There was a reason why Bender exaggerated so much and made such a huge spectacle.

***

Thirty minutes before.

The Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You had gathered everyone who responded to the summons for the Heavenly General’s selections in one place. The people who had gathered together did not show hostility toward each other. They were all here for Minhyuk’s sake.

Among these people, one group was excitedly talking with each other, and a woman was standing at the center of it all.

“What can we do to get the most attentio—no. What can we do to make the best appearance for Minhyuk’s sake?”

“We must do our best to get attention from the Land of the Gods… Ah, no. We must give it our all so that the people of the Land of the Gods will not ignore Minhyuk.”

People flocked around them, wondering what interesting and exciting things they were talking about.

Bender, listening to their conversation, could not help but wonder why they had to make a splendid appearance. He said, “Why do you need to go that far?”

The woman, Ellie, kindly answered Bender’s question and explained, “Senior, please think about it. Our Minhyuk has become the Land of the Gods’ Battle God. However, he was still bullied by the Grand General. What kind of existence is Minhyuk to us?”

Although Ellie did not express this or show it before Minhyuk, she truly adored and cared for the young man. Of course, everyone here felt the same way.

“Just thinking about how that small and frail(?) child being frightened by the rough and tough gods…”

None of the people present denied her when she described Minhyuk as small and frail. Why? Because compared to them, Minhyuk was truly like a small and frail existence.

At this moment, Bender realized how naive and shallow his thinking was. He blurted, “That seems to be the case… I must stomp on their thoughts and ensure they will never dare to ignore Minhyuk again.”

“Seniors, to be honest with you, most of us here are bored.”

The people gathered here had reached the peak of their fields. They found nothing fun or interesting anymore, and because there was nothing more for them to achieve, they often felt bored or skeptical about their lives. Such was the life of the absolute beings.

“Times like this are perfect! It feels nice to get the attention of people.”

“Get the attention? What do you mean by that?”

“If the people of the Land of the Gods see our splendid entrance, they will give us much attention. Let me tell you, the thrill when all their attention is on you is divine! It’s something I can’t explain well.”

“Athe-llujah…” Saintess Loyna muttered, her hands clasped in prayer as she looked up at the sky. Just remembering the thrill back then was enough to fill her face with ecstasy and delight.

Everyone’s interest was piqued when they saw the expression of delight on Saintess Loyna’s face. Then, the notification regarding the summon request rang.

[The number of people who had responded to the summons is too many.]

[The Land of the Gods’ system has judged that those who had answered the summons were disasters that posed a considerable threat to the Land of the Gods. It is stopping your summoning.]

A flush appeared on Ellie’s face. “Senior, this is your chance!”

“...”

“This is an opportunity to get the most attention… ahem. This is an opportunity to make a spectacular appearance and stamp on the arrogance of the people who dared to ignore our Minhyuk.”

“Ho? Is that so?” Bender rubbed his chin in interest. “How should I gain more attention… No. How can I make a better appearance?”

Ellie said, “Rip the barrier apart.”@@novelbin@@

“...That doesn’t sound too bad.”

The first to step forward was Bender. He walked toward the barrier and proceeded to tear it apart.

The members of Ellie and the Attention Seekers, who watched him like that, were confident that they could add new members to their group today.

On the other side, Teacher Beradon and the Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado also had solemn expressions.

“We can’t be left behind by the appearance made by the Transcendental.”

“That’s right. We’re not doing this to get attention. We’re doing this for Minhyuk’s sake!”

The two also began to think carefully about how they would make their appearance so that they would not get left behind by Bender’s performance.

***

The hot and searing gazes pricking his back and the Heavenly Army trembling as they looked at him in shock and awe left Bender overcome with joy and delight.

He stood at the Pinnacle of the Transcendentals and was the only one who could face Helenia in a one-on-one fight. Unfortunately, after Helenia died, Bender no longer had any goals in mind.

Ultimately, humans' goals were the driving force behind their movement and existence. People who worked hard to build wealth would rejoice when they obtained gold and riches.

With nothing left to climb and no goals left to achieve, Bender’s life became more boring by the day. Yet today, the large amount of attention he received in the Land of the Gods left him thrilled and excited.

Bender pulled the sword from the ground and stood beside Minhyuk, sitting on his throne.

Twitch, twitch–

Minhyuk, who saw Bender’s twitching mouth, could not understand why he did this and could not control his expression.

Meanwhile, Jenel, leaning against the wall and trying his best not to collapse, tried to say something. Before he could even speak, something incredible happened.

[Someone stands before the barrier protecting the Land of the Gods.]

[God of Origin Athenae is flustered.]

“...?”

“...?”

Everyone present froze. Why was the God of Origin Athenae flustered?

[The one standing in front of the barrier says…]

[Open the door.]

[Athenae remains flustered. She does not know what to do.]

[God of Origin Athenae hurriedly greets the one standing before the barrier.]

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

[The one standing before the barrier scolds Athenae, who came to greet him.]

[Athenae blushes and bows her head in shame.]

[Someone walked over the opened door with his hands behind his back.]

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

[Warning.]

[Warn…]

[Athenae quickly turns off all of the warning alerts.]

Everyone below could not believe their ears as they watched an old man, his hands crossed behind his back, walk over the wide open barrier in the sky above them. This man merely said, ‘Open the door,’ and Athenae rushed out to literally open the barrier for him and politely welcome him.

A notification rang as the old man walked lightly through the air and landed gently on the walls protecting the castle.

[The Teacher Beradon has descended!]

Jenel, who was still trying to stand up, almost lost the strength in his legs again when he heard the notification. As for the rest of the people present? They all remained frozen. They even held their breaths, and the entire area went utterly silent.

Although Bender was the strongest among the Transcendentals, they had only heard about his reputation. Beradon was different. The Teacher Beradon was the object of everyone’s admiration and was both a myth and a legend.

Beradon was the master of both Athenae and Helenia and was a figure who almost became one of the Eight Pillars. He could become one of the Eight Pillars, but he had declined the offer. He was the symbol of wisdom and a teacher to everyone.

“I might be a bit lacking, but if you want it, I can become one of your Heavenly Generals and teach your Heavenly Army.”

Jenel shuddered. However, there was something that he found strange. The expressions on the faces of both Bender and Beradon were unusual.

Bender silently approached Jenel and asked, “Is it you? Are you the one who harassed our Minhyuk?”

“I heard you weren’t satisfied with embarrassing Minhyuk, and you even spat behind his back?”

“No. I have never…”

“I’ve heard everything.”

“How can you do that to our small and fragile Minhyuk?”

“Wait. How can you even say that he is small and fragile…”

“Do you want me to shuffle your head and your butt?”

“...”

“I can teach you. I can teach you until you reach the heavenly realms. Ah. Do you want me to teach you until you reach hell instead?”

“...”

The lamb Jenel shook and trembled as the wolves surrounded him. He felt wronged. Alas, the shock did not end there. Beradon touched his shoulder and said, “Boy, you must be loyal. Do you want me to tell you the reason why?”

Jenel, who looked into Beradon’s eyes, could not open his mouth.

“Before I entered here, I had a chat with them. The people coming in after Bender and I came here to get attention… ahem. They all came here for Minhyuk’s sake.”

[Someone places his hand on the barrier protecting the Land of the Gods.]

“They all noticed that it would be challenging to create a bigger splash than us. So…”

[The barrier that encompassed and protected the entire Land of the Gods is the strongest. It is created with the joint efforts of the God of Blacksmiths, the God of Barriers, and the God of Shields…]

[The barrier has collapsed.]

[No barrier can stop him, who is very talented with his hands.]

[Warning.]

[Warning.]

[The barrier is now completely canceled.]

This was the very first time that something like this had happened. There were many occasions where the barrier had been torn apart or broken. However, they were only a portion of the barrier. It has never completely collapsed before.

Jenel looked back at the collapsing barrier. The barrier, which was usually invisible, had a blue color. And this blue barrier was now slowly melting away.

“They decided to just go big or go home.”

[With the barrier destroyed, all of the candidates for the Heavenly General selection will be summoned simultaneously.]

Hundreds of people appeared in the Land of the Gods.

Teacher Beradon said, “Look over there, that’s the previous generation Grand General.”

Jenel’s breath hitched.

“That guy over there is the previous generation Absolute God.”

Jenel’s pupils dilated.

“And over there…”

The one with the most splendid appearance stood proudly among the hundreds of people who appeared. This man destroyed the barrier with hundreds of tools floating around him.

“That guy is called the Pillar of Dexterity.”

Beradon grabbed Jenel’s head with both hands and turned it to look in another direction. He saw a woman with bright hair tied in a ponytail proudly walking there.

[Hegemon King Ellie has descended!]

Walking right next to her was the imposing figure of Raldo, the king of the kingdom of warriors and someone who possessed a power that even the gods coveted.

[Overlord Raldo has descended!]

But that was not the end. There was also Great Demon Gremory, the master of millions of demons and demonic beasts, standing atop a golden chariot with a whip in her hands. The one right next to her was…

[The Dragon King has descended!]

A man with the face of a catfish and a body covered with a dragon robe was holding a trident while riding on a huge wave. Behind him, a man with fair skin and a face that could rival the gods was walking silently, with a bow and a string of arrows hanging from his back.

[Elf King Argon has descended!]

It was still not over. A beautiful woman, sporting an expression as if she would grab the gods by the collar and slap them three times on the cheek, walked with her hands clasped together in a prayer. A flood of holy and sacred power that symbolized Athenae was right beneath her foot.

[Pillar Candidate… has descended!]

[Pillar Candidate… has descended!]

[Pillar Candidate… has descended!]

Minhyuk, who saw them appear all at once, was puzzled and confused.

‘I’m very grateful, but… why are you all going over the top…?’

When his eyes made contact with Ellie, Minhyuk realized something.

‘Noo… noona…?’

The corners of her mouth were raised in a strange arc. It was the smile she showed whenever she and her group successfully gained the people's attention.

‘Ellie and the Attention Seekers did it again… wait. Are you saying that she got Bender, Rocado, and Master Beradon on board?!’

Minhyuk was rendered speechless.

And Jenel? He was left confused and unable to understand the situation that he was in right now. All of the people who had appeared had surrounded him. Right now, they looked like wolves surrounding a poor and pitiful lamb.

“I heard that you kicked our dear Minhyuk in the butt?”

Their stories were completely exaggerated and taken out of context.

“I heard you have stepped on our dear Minhyuk with your boots?”

“I heard that you stabbed him with a skewer?”

“I heard that you gathered the Heavenly Army right after our Minhyuk ascended the Battle God’s throne to stage a coup d'état?”

“What? Are you going to strike Athenae tomorrow?”

Jenel had never done or even heard any of the stories that they said. Surrounded by this pack of wolves, he remained silent with his head bowed down. Confused by his lack of reaction, Bender held Jenel’s chin and raised his head.

“Huh? He fainted?”

When everyone saw him lose consciousness, they all shrugged their shoulders. There was even a proud look on their faces. Then, they looked at Minhyuk with shining eyes. Their expression? It was clearly saying, ‘Hehe. We did well, right?’

Minhyuk murmured to himself, “Ah! These attention seekers. For real?”

They were going to turn him insane.