Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1412 - Side Story 21

Minhyuk heard both sides of the story from the chairmen and presidents, as well as the gods. After listening to the entire story, he was reminded of what his grandpas had told him in the past.

–Minhyuk, do you know what’s the most important thing when dealing with transactions?

–What is it?

–It’s getting what you want without putting in too much effort.

Minhyuk knew the chairmen and presidents all too well.

‘They definitely threw the bait, right?’

The notifications might have honestly bothered and annoyed them. Regardless, they made use of it to their advantage. After all, they told Minhyuk that someone was bothering them. But from what Minhyuk could see, they had set the board in a way that they could get Minhyuk’s help and use it to their advantage.

‘Old people raise their voices because they don’t know anything.’

They made it so the others would look at them with that mindset. And even though they knew that Minhyuk was called the Master of the Western Continents, they changed his name to fit the board. Owner of the West? And what was the result? They got what they wanted. They did not even need to go and finish their class change quests. [You have completed the Class Change Quest: The Way of the God of Archery.]

[You have changed your class to God Class: God of Archery’s Descendant.]

[You have completed the Class Change Quest: The Way of the God of Fraud.]

[You have changed your class to God Class: God of Fraud’s Descendant.]

The chairmen and presidents smiled happily.

‘I feel like I’m going to die from resentment and grievance…’

‘How can this be…’

‘These old men had us dancing in the palm of their hands.’

The gods could tell that they had been played. They realized that these old men had already intended to accuse them of this voice phishing thing and use it to demand they meet them personally, all the while shouting as if they were ignorant of the world.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk recognized a crucial factor. He thought, ‘At the end of the day, the successors have to depend on the gods.’

Nothing good would come out if they fell out of the good graces of the gods. Although the chairmen and presidents had received benefits now, the consequences of their actions would surface later. As a result, they needed to find the proper harmony in this relationship.

“This happened because the grandpas are old and they’re not used to the notification system.”

The gods had already realized that these old men were not truly ignorant of the world.

“Grandpas, I’m sorry to say this, but how about doing something that the gods offered to you?” Minhyuk spoke, his voice small. “It won’t be bad to be on good terms with them.”

Minhyuk glanced at the gods.

“They’ll give you missions. And if you complete those missions, they will recognize you as their true successors.”

“Hmm. Well, it doesn’t sound so bad,” the God of Archery answered, convinced by the way Minhyuk handled things.

The class change quest would determine if they genuinely had the qualifications to become gods. Since this part had been omitted, there was a chance that this person would not be able to rise and take over the throne of the God of Archery or any of the gods here.

‘We also need to find a way to get the chairmen and presidents to stick to the rules and system of Athenae.’

“Then, let’s make a bet.”

The gods smiled. They intended to prepare the most difficult trial that they could make.

“If you can do this, then we will give you a weapon that is most suitable for your use. This weapon will become stronger every time you level up. Just like this God-rank bow.”

The God of Archery showed Raesta’s Bow, which was comparable to the bow that he was using. The other gods also pushed forward the outstanding weapons that they had on hand.

‘We’ll give you a mission that you won’t be able to complete.’

It seemed like the gang of old men had completely offended the gods.

“I hope you also acknowledge this. If they fail to complete this mission, we will disqualify them from their position as successors.”

“Hoho. Alright.”

“Well, let’s do it like that.”

[The Class Quest: Acknowledgement of Qualifications has been created.]

A notification rang in the ears of the chairmen and presidents. Just like that, they separated to complete the missions that the gods had given them. After everyone dispersed, the only ones left were Assemblyman Man-Deuk and Haze.

“Are you not going to give me a mission?”

“Yes. I don’t have any specific mission to give you. I’ll just follow you around.”

“I see.”

The real name of the God of Fraud was the God of Devotion. If Assemblyman Man-Deuk only swindled and scammed others, then he would eventually be deprived of his position as her successor.

***

Joy Co. Ltd.

The entire conference room was in a buzz.

“The rewards that the gods have put forward are truly outstanding. Just look at Raesta’s Bow. That’s an artifact that the third generation of God of Archery had used! It’s also an artifact that can grow stronger as the player’s level grows.”

“The Rifle of Light that the God of Marksmen had offered is also a very outstanding rifle.”

“I can already feel that the balance will be broken soon.”

Team Leader Park smiled bitterly.

“The problem here is that there’s no way for us to stop the collapse. After all, that’s just the result of their hard work and achievements.”

They did not spend a single cent, nor did they cross the line when taking advantage of the situation. The chairmen and presidents were just… too good.

“The Beyond the Heavens Empire has obtained amazing talents.”

Of course, they still had to keep a close eye on the situation.

At that moment, one of the team leaders said, “I think the reason why the gods offered such high rewards is because they wanted to remove the qualifications of the chairmen and presidents. They’re banking on the fact that higher risks would give them higher returns.”

Indeed. The higher the difficulty, the greater the reward.

“There’s a high chance that the chairmen and presidents won’t even be able to complete this task. If they won’t be able to receive the rewards, then there’s no need for us to watch the situation closely, right?”

Many people agreed.

Then, Department Head Kim Dae-Il asked, “What about Assemblyman Man-Deuk? He wasn’t given any special mission or offered a reward. Obtaining the right to take on the position of the God of Devotion is very difficult. Just being the God of Fraud’s successor does not mean that he can take over the position, right?”

There was only one way to become the God of Devotion: to obtain Haze’s approval. There had been many who became the God of Fraud. But Haze had deprived them of the name of the God of Devotion.

“Because Haze cannot tolerate those who only swindle others and are only committed to filling their stomachs. She cannot tolerate those who do not have a single ounce of devotion in themselves.”

One of the executives burst out laughing. “If that’s the case, then Sir Man-Deuk, who was once a member of the National Assembly, cannot become the God of Devotion. After all, he has consistently failed to keep his promises. Politicians are…”

Alas, the executive could not finish his words. A flash of surprise appeared on his face when he realized that President Kang Taehoon was close to Representative Man-Deuk.

“Well, that’s fine. You can think whatever you want to think.” Kang Taehoon smiled. “You should know it, right? I’m very picky when it comes to making friends.”

Everyone in the conference room agreed. Everyone here was fully aware that the people Kang Taehoon associated with had never been involved in any nasty gossip.

“Man-Deuk hyung is the person I respect the most,” Kang Taehoon commented, his words filled with underlying meaning.

***

Haze looked confused as she watched Man-Deuk observe and search the territory carefully and meticulously.

“You’ve already inspected everything.”

What were they inspecting in the first place?

Finally, Man-Deuk walked toward the lord’s castle. The soldiers immediately recognized Man-Deuk. Man-Deuk asked the soldier to call the territory’s supervisor.

“You… You are…?”

The supervisor recognized Man-Deuk. This was one of the old men who brought down the evil and vicious territory lord!

“Alright. Take this,” Man-Deuk said as he handed over all of the items that he had obtained while playing Athenae to the supervisor.

“May I ask what this is?” The supervisor asked in confusion.

“There’s a settlement created under the large pine tree in the west. There are many orphans living in that area. Buy something to eat with this and give it to them. The walls in the east look old, too. It won’t be strange if it breaks down anytime soon. Use some of this money to repair that, too.”

“...?”

Both Haze and the supervisor were confused.

“I’m close to Emperor Minhyuk. So, if you steal this money, I’ll make sure that he takes your head!”

After Assemblyman Man-Deuk made the threat, he walked away with his hands behind his back.

“Ah. I’m broke again.”

Haze frowned. “I don’t understand. That amount of money will be of great help to you.”

“Hoho. I’m old and dying. I’m just spraying my saliva and spitting words like I used to because I’m greedy~”

Haze looked as if she still couldn't understand.

“It’s as you say, money will help me greatly to become stronger. If I use it for myself, then I will be thrilled. But you see, that amount of money can also make a thousand people smile.”

“Yes?”

“I can make a thousand people happy with the same money that can make me feel happy alone.”

“What…?”

The thought went beyond common sense. After all, all human beings wanted to be happy by themselves, no?

“I have lived my entire life in politics. Do you want to hear my story?”

Then, Man-Deuk began to tell his tale. He told her how he ran in the elections and became a member of the National Assembly thanks to the support of many.

“That was when I made my first promise. I made that promise after seeing my people peeling the bark of trees and eating it because they were hungry.”

“What promise did you make?”

“I promised that I will make it so that everyone in South Korea is always full,” Man-Deuk said. Then, he kept his mouth shut.

It wasn’t easy. The other assemblymen were busy filling their stomachs while Man-Deuk, who was trying to change the law to benefit the people, became the outcast. Man-Deuk was even called the National Assembly’s Hong Gil-Dong. He always gave back what he got. However, in the end, he had to leave the political scene.

Why did he leave? The answer to that was simple. He thought that the rotten board could not help him change the world. Instead, he chose to become a chairman, run a company, and accumulate a substantial amount of money. With the money that he gained, he used it to save the nation. As time passed by, the people of South Korea no longer grew hungry.

“It was the only promise that I kept.”

Yes. He failed to keep many of his promises. Among the numerous promises he made, only the first was kept.

[Your favor with Haze has reached the MAX level.]

Haze smiled at Man-Deuk, who was now looking at her in confusion.

However, she would not give it to him at that moment. This was because his level was still lacking, and she had only observed him for a very short time. Nevertheless…

‘I don’t think I will ever regret choosing you as my successor.’

Haze sat down with the old man, who had only been able to keep his first promise, and looked up at the sky.

***

Athenae had surveyed tens of thousands of players as participants.

‘What kind of God Class do you want to have the most?’

Naturally, the class that ranked first was the Battle God. After all, the Battle God was the Absolute God who led all troops and ruled over the Land of the Gods!

Surprisingly enough, the one that ranked second was the God of Marksmen. The God of Marksmen had demonstrated his power on Earth on several occasions. The sight of him taking out his rifle and shooting the enemies’ heads from hundreds of meters away with one bullet after another was enough to garner the attention, excitement, and admiration of many.

Not only did he gain the admiration of the women and children, who were afraid of monsters, but he also gained the admiration of those who only participated in hand-to-hand combat and were far from being close to his class. Many had been fascinated by the sight of the God of Marksmen hunting enemies with just a single bullet from his rifle.

Unfortunately, the dream of obtaining this class was… unreachable. Guns were tough to handle. Although it might seem like it was easier to handle than the bow, it was not that easy. And the God of Marksmen, Verakhan, was also a problem.

The other gods have offered many people their class change quests. Regardless, many had failed them. But that was not the case for God of Marksmen Verakhan. He had not offered any players a class change quest before this.

‘My standards are high.’

Indeed. Verakhan’s standards were far too high. And when he finally chose someone…

‘He became the God of Marksmen’s successor without even taking the trial of the class change quest?!’

Based on Verakhan’s standards, this was entirely out of line. As a result, he grew to hate and resent the old man who had been offered the quest.

Verakhan had a dream. His dream was to cultivate a successor more outstanding than any of the other gods. He also wanted to be included in the ranks of the Battle God’s Five Generals, a position that all of the gods dreamt of obtaining.

‘As for you, who rose to the position of the descendant of the God of Marksmen using immoral methods…’

Verakhan stared at Chairman 6 Park Tae-Soo with a gaze filled with disapproval.

‘I should just give him the test that had been passed down since the start of time and force him to drop the class.’

All of the Gods of Marksmen had to undergo a test. However, even the most outstanding of the God of Marksmen had never been able to finish this test. He wanted to make this old man scratch his head with the butt of his gun.

“Can you see that village?”

Park Tae-Soo squinted and saw a village filled with hundreds of orcs. They were even Red-Head Orcs who were at Level 90, a level far beyond Tae-Soo’s own.

“Your task is to eliminate at least 50% of those hundreds of orcs by yourself. As for your skills and abilities related to marksmanship and guns? They will all be restricted.”

The level of the orcs depended on the level of the God of Marksmen being tested. In other words, the level of difficulty would be adjusted based on the individual's current level of proficiency. Nevertheless, it was still challenging to kill hundreds of orcs with just a gun by their side.

“How many were you able to hunt, God of Marksmen?”

“I was able to wipe out at least 65% of the orc population. I even received the praise of the previous generation God of Marksmen because of this.”

The test was challenging. Even the first-generation God of Marksmen was only able to kill 80% of the entire orc population during his time.

Chairman 6 Park Tae-Soo nodded.

‘This is easy.’

Park Tae-Soo had a history of single-handedly wiping out an entire company with just a gun by his side.

‘Those bastards were even armed with guns and grenades back then.’

Tae-Soo grinned.

“Then, I’ll do my best to annihilate them.”