Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1242

One hour ago.

[King of Races Reikan has evolved into Emperor of Races Reikan.]

[The Allied Races have started propagating and reproducing through Reikan’s power.]

The entire world was thrown into disarray after this world message rang.

Richard and the other kings received a report on what was happening in the Masserrati Kingdom. They immediately informed Minhyuk about the situation.

‘More than a million of the Allied Races have been born?’

Minhyuk assessed the situation and ran through several outcomes until he finally came to a conclusion.

If the Masserrati Kingdom fell, the Allied Races would be uncontrollable. Even if the Luvien Empire and the Beyond the Heavens Empire cooperated, they would definitely have a hard time dealing with them.

‘We are in a situation where we don’t know how many times Reikan can propagate and reproduce.’

The gears in Minhyuk’s head turned quickly. It did not take too long for him to find the answer. He talked to Richard before hurriedly returning to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

Immediately after that, he came to find the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal, Sun Wukong. Sun Wukong was a strong person with whom Minhyuk made a connection when he went to the Land of the Forgotten Heroes.

‘Although there’s still not much information about Sun Wukong on Earth.’

Like the other NPCs and players, Sun Wukong grew a lot. What was surprising about Sun Wukong was…

‘He can lend his powers to others.’

Minhyuk had borrowed Sun Wukong’s Flying Nimbus, his Clone Technique, and other special powers he possessed when he rescued the Bull Demon King, Hanwoo.

“Your Majesty, you can use that power. Though if you use it, the other Clone Technique chapters will be completely unusable.”

No matter how strong or outstanding Sun Wukong was, it was still very difficult for him to use that much power.

“The clones will only carry a portion of the power of the main body. The more clones there are, the lesser the power they can wield. If we use the Clone Technique to create tens of thousands of clones, then they will only have 20% of the power of the original body.”

Having 20% of power was quite useless, so to speak.

“I’m sure you already know this, Your Majesty. Clones with that level of power can do nothing but hide the original body. Nonetheless, if we can concentrate the power of the Clone Technique and gather it in the Ruyi Jingu Bang, we will be able to create tens of thousands of clones with 40% of the power of the original body.”

[You have borrowed some of the power of the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal Sun Wukong!]

[You can only use the 32nd chapter of the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal Sun Wukong’s Clone Technique.]

[Active Skill… Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal’s Space and Time…]

Minhyuk immediately went to Atlas after borrowing the skill.

***

Brod, just like Minhyuk, was almost 30% weaker than usual. Regardless, the King’s Stigma’s buff effect offset that issue. Of course, while Brod’s clones were much weaker, there was one interesting fact about them.

‘The clones can use the skills of the original body.’

Brod’s Emperor’s Pinnacle Swordsmanship was hailed as the most outstanding swordsmanship known in Athenae.

The twenty thousand Brods stared at the charging five-meter-tall Mutant Werewolves and said, “Animal Farm.”

Tens of thousands of copies of the overwhelming force that looked like the fierce leg of a fighting cock appeared and struck the Mutant Werewolves non-stop.

BANG–!

The werewolves were sent crashing to the ground. Just like that, more than 10,000 Mutant Werewolves turned into ashes. Even so, the power of Animal Farm continued to ravage anything and everything in its path.

Huge shadows appeared above the heads of the tens of thousands of the Allied Races charging to take down the castle walls. What caused the shadows? They were none other than countless giant pigs. These pigs, with numbers almost blocking out the sky, fell simultaneously.

Bang–!

When the largest pig fell, an explosion that could rival the largest nuclear bomb explosion erupted. Countless smaller explosions then followed it.

Bang, bang, bang–!

The countless explosions swept away many of the charging Allied Races troops. As for the ones that survived the blast, they continued to advance even though they were covered with severe injuries.

The horses threw the riders off and left them behind. Although the damage was not as bad, this gave the troops of the kingdoms’ Allied Forces a short reprieve, allowing them to regroup, clean up, and maintain their frontlines once again.

[345,588 of the enemy troops have been killed!]

The troops of the Allied Races were terrifying because they possessed bodies with strength and power that transcended the limits of a human. Killing almost 350,000 of their forces was practically equivalent to the death of 500,000 soldiers of an ordinary imperial army.

Countless Brods descended from the walls non-stop. What was special about the clones was that they also possessed the skills and experience of the original body, Brod. And even if Brod could only exert 40% of his power, he would still be very powerful. In other words, it was just like him, who was akin to an elephant in terms of power, becoming a lion.

The 20,000 Brods charged forward and continued to cut down the enemies, their Emperor’s Pinnacle Swordsmanship spreading like wildfire and slaughtering everything in their paths.

[The Battle God’s Subordinates Path has been activated.]

[The 500,000 troops under the command of the appointed commander of the Battle God will receive buff effects.]

[The buff effects the 500,000 troops under their command will receive will depend on the appointed commanders’ achievements, power, level, skills, and many more.]

[You have made outstanding achievements.]

[The power you possess goes beyond that of some of the other Pillar Candidates.]

[Your level has gone beyond common sense.]

[All of your troops’ stats will increase by 19%. Their skill levels will also increase.]

[All of their fears are swept away by the appearance of a very reliable and trustworthy commander.]

[The morale of the Allied Forces can almost reach the skies.]

“As expected of the Battle God…!”

“It’s the collaboration between the Battle God and Brod!!!”

“Waaaaaaaaaah!”

The entire world was stunned as they witnessed the activation of one of the Battle God’s skills that Minhyuk had not yet shown to the world. The power of the skill was beyond imagination. And with the power being bestowed upon Brod, the people gained the confidence that they would win.

Alas, this confidence was shattered in just a brief moment.

“Awoooooooo!!!”

[Emperor of Races Gaze.]

[No being can raise their head in front of the Emperor of Races.]

[All buff effects will be nullified.]

[All activated skills will be canceled.]

“...?!”

Poof! Poof, poof– Poof, poof, poof–!

Minhyuk saw how Brod’s clones disappeared one after another.

[The King’s Stigma has been canceled.]

[The Battle God’s Subordinate’s Path has been canceled.]

“I have never heard about a skill that can cancel skills and abilities on such a large scale,” Richard murmured as he caught sight of Reikan’s figure.

He had overlooked something. Reikan had never stood in the vanguard, meaning they had not seen all of his powers and abilities. He remained at the rear because he was arrogant and confident. However, when he discarded his arrogance and finally made his move, his actions were beyond shocking.

“Awooooooo!!!”

Another loud howl echoed in the ears of all Allied Forces troops.

[Wailing Howl.]

Blood flowed out of their ears, and their bodies turned numb and unresponsive.

[You have been inflicted with Abnormal Status: Bleeding.]

[You have been inflicted with Abnormal Status: Extreme Fear.]

[You have been inflicted with Abnormal Status: Slow Army.]

“Awoooooooooo!!!”

The ones who bled from all seven orifices were those with low resistance to abnormal statuses. However, even the powerhouses holding on and enduring the effects of the howl were all flustered.

[Restricting Howl.]

[All of your skills, except for your basic ones, will be under restriction. You will not be able to use your skills for six hours.]

[It does not distinguish between friend or foe.]

The players roared.

“F*cking damn it…! My charging skills are restricted?!”

“Mages!!! Can you use your magic?!”

“We can still use our 1st Class Magic!”

“Priests! Heal! Give us some heals!”

“We can’t use heals!”

“Knights?! What about your swordsmanship?!”

“Hey! We can still use our swordsmanship!”

“Is it because it’s a basic skill?”

Richard listened to their loud cries, grabbed the railings tightly, and his body shook and trembled. He also heard the notification that his skills were restricted.

Almost 50% of the troops of the Allied Forces were players. Of course, NPCs also had many skills in their possession. However, they did not solely rely on them, unlike the players who were almost reliant on them.

‘We could hold on for this long because of our skills.’

The enemies also received the same restriction, though they did not receive any special help initially.

Orcs couldn’t use any skills and only used their monstrous grip and overwhelming physical strength. Although the werewolves could not use their special skills, they were still inherently strong. Thankfully, the dragonkin could not use Breath. Even so, they could still engage in aerial warfare, which left the Allied Forces stumped and unable to cope.

The Allied Forces troops and the enemies clashed for thirty minutes straight, and everything was chaotic. Brod, who had returned to the walls, and Minhyuk were curious about one thing.

‘Why does Reikan remain at the rear?’

The Allied Races would gain an easy victory if Reikan came forward. Yet he chose to remain at the rear.

At that moment, Minhyuk had a thought. He said, “If Reikan comes forward, the propagation will probably be met with problems?”

The chances of this being the case were very high.

An hour had passed, but things became even more chaotic.

[Only 1.1 million Allied Forces troops have survived.]

The kingdom’s Allied Forces once exceeded 2.5 million. Now, a lot of them have died.

[The walls’ durability has dropped below 20%.]

Minhyuk groaned as he watched the walls' durability fall rapidly. He had to find a way to escape the situation quickly.

“Are these the only troops that the five kingdoms have?”

“Players are naturally the foundation of player kingdoms. Alas, players will find it ridiculous to fight in this war where destruction is just right around the corner and with no rewards.”

Only 30% of the players that belonged to the five kingdoms had participated in this war. This meant that they could still rally around three million people to fight. Regardless, there were two glaring issues.

‘Even if we gather troops, will things change?’

No, it wouldn’t change anything. Even if their numbers increased, the enemies would continue to propagate and reproduce.

‘Will they come here?’

No. They would not. In their eyes, the only thing they would get in participating in a war to protect a kingdom on the verge of ruin was a forced logout penalty.

‘We have to give them a reason to come. And it should be because their power will increase.’

At that moment, light flashed and Spear God Ben and Conir appeared beside Minhyuk. When the kingdoms’ armies saw the two, a flash of relief appeared on their faces.

“Gather all of the outstanding vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire in Atlas,” Minhyuk announced through the guild’s broadcast.

“Minhyuk. If you break your promise with the Luvien Empire…”

“No. I’m not breaking anything.”

Immediately after that, the outstanding vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire appeared in the City in the Skies. Minhyuk immediately entered Atlas.

“...Are you going to observe the battlefield with your vassals?”

“Endure and hold on for an hour. Also, apply for an alliance with the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

Not long after, the five kingdoms received the approval for an alliance.

When Minhyuk and Brod disappeared, the kingdoms’ armies began to retreat faster. The only reason they could endure and hold out was the bombs and siege weapons they had on hand. Once they used up all of these, they would be pushed back again.

‘Whatever his plan is… will it change the tides of this war?’ Richard looked up at Atlas, worry etched on his face.

***

Atlas.

[Clad’s Authority: Army Swordsmanship Creation has started.]

[Many people can give their input and contribute to Clad’s Authority: Army Swordsmanship Creation.]

Clad’s Authority: Army Swordsmanship Creation was the power Clad handed over to him before he died from Minhyuk’s sword. Surprisingly enough, this power that Clad handed him was not something Minhyuk could use personally.

‘The swordsmanship created from this power will be learned and used by all troops under my command.’

***

At the same time, in the Special Players Management Team office.

The executives were all perplexed. They could not understand why a sudden and urgent meeting had been called. It was even more confusing because it was not President Kang Taehoon, who was currently on a business trip, who called for a meeting, but Team Leader Park Minggyu. No matter how outstanding a team leader Park Minggyu was, he was still in a position much lower than most of the executives here.

Unable to grasp why they were called to a meeting, the executives could not help but show irritation and discomfort toward Team Leader Park. They looked at him, who had placed his hands on the table and leaned forward as if to emphasize the seriousness of the matter, and began to talk.

One said, “The Battle God applies the swordsmanship he created and gives it to his army. I don’t see any problem with that. What kind of repercussions will there be when Battle God Minhyuk uses the power he obtained from Clad?”

Another chipped in, “In the first place, the Food God’s Swordsmanship that Battle God Minhyuk had created in the past was nothing but an inferior and subpar swordsmanship. I don’t understand why you must call us for a meeting when we’re all busy…”

Team Leader Park interrupted them right there and then. He said, “Since you don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the matter, I will break it down for you. Clad was a villain, yes. However, he was strong enough to become one of the Battle God candidates. He was the one who created the most outstanding swordsmanship in the entire Land of the Gods. And the thing that he longed for the most was…”

Everyone looked at Team Leader Park with disdain.

“...for the Battle God, who will lead the future generation, to create a better swordsmanship than his own that will help him protect the Land of the Gods. That’s why Clad’s Authority: Army Swordsmanship Creation, a power that can be applied to all troops under the Battle God’s command, has no limits and restrictions.”

Department Head Kim Dae-Il expressed his doubts, “Creating excellent swordsmanship is a very difficult task. Even if Minhyuk is a genius, there’s no way…”

However, Department Head Kim Dae-Il suddenly trailed off. He unknowingly stood up and stared at the monitor in stunned silence.

“Damn…”

He and the executives finally understood how serious the situation was. They all broke out in cold sweat as Team Leader Park said, “Right now, the people that have been gathered together to create that swordsmanship are…”

Team Leader Park ticked them off one by one.

“The one who created the Emperor’s Pinnacle Swordsmanship, Brod.

“The one who had achieved almost all of the pinnacles and supremes, Rundalk.

“The one who can increase the probability of obtaining something excellent by using the effects of the system, Elizabeth.

“The one who has a lot of experiences and can fill in what is lacking, Spear God Ben.”

The more Team Leader Park said, the more speechless they became.

After listing ten of Minhyuk’s vassals, Team Leader Park put the final nail in the coffin.

“And finally.” He looked at the monitor, which reflected a young boy's figure. “The only one among all of the Sword Gods in history to have mastered the Heart Sword, Conir.”

All of these people were participating in the Army Swordsmanship Creation.