Gourmet Gaming-Chapter 1232

Chapter 1232

The God of Tactics could not believe the situation in front of him.

“Eighty have died, and around a hundred and ninety are seriously injured!”

His pupils shook as the report came in amidst the loud cheers and shouts.

‘A 0.01% chance of survival. Perhaps there was only one way.’

A way that someone like him, who carried the name of the God of Tactics, could not determine even with his powers.

‘They asked for the Seventh Monster God’s help?’

The process was rough and difficult. It was easy to devise but almost impossible to implement, and yet, the next-generation Battle God had done it. At that moment, the flames of anger in the God of Tactics’ heart burned even brighter.

This man should never be the Battle God. He should never be cheered and exalted. They should never be led and ruled by someone who called the death of the people living in this land as mere data deletion. In his eyes, their deaths would be as trivial as the death of an ant. He would hide behind that mask and finally reveal his greed.

Then, at that moment, Minhyuk spoke, “...I’m ashamed.”

He stood amidst the kneeling Heavenly Army, the Five Generals showing their loyalty to him, the people crying out the Battle God’s name and cheering loudly for him, and the gods looking at him in awe. Yet he could not bring himself to raise his head.

Everyone present could not understand. This man had accomplished a feat that no one in the Land of the Gods had ever achieved. The Heavenly Army, who firmly offered their loyalty and lives to him, proved this.

Minhyuk pulled out a sword from his inventory. Then, he stabbed the sword deep into the ground.

Stab–!

“Soldier Belgor.”

This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.

The blood that had dried up on the sword's hilt was glaring. Minhyuk then took another sword and stabbed it deeply into the ground.

“Soldier Ankorr.”

He removed spears, swords, and other weapons from his inventory and stabbed them into the ground.

“Soldier Cain, Soldier Anell, Soldier Kurn.”

He methodically stabbed the swords and spears on the ground while carefully laying out the bows, helmets, and necklaces in front of him. He would call out their names whenever he put down a weapon or an accessory. Each family, who heard the name of their beloved, would cry out.

Minhyuk stood before the dozens of bloody artifacts and bowed his head. He said, “Forgive me. I failed to accompany you.”

The God of Tactics’ mouth dropped open.

Less than a hundred people had died among the 50,000 Heavenly Army troops. However, Minhyuk showed the same respect and courtesy as though he had lost 40,000. He also blamed himself for losing them.

Then, Minhyuk said, “They protected the Land of the Gods from the Abyss.”

He passed on the credit to these people.

As the Beyond the Heavens Empire's emperor, Minhyuk had witnessed many soldiers' deaths. Every single one of them was precious to Minhyuk. This was even more so for the soldiers of the Land of the Gods. First, they were not his people. Second, he believed that the sadness of the families of the bereaved should not be buried amidst the cheers of the tens of thousands of crowds present.

Everyone’s gazes turned misty as they looked at Minhyuk. The less than 100 deaths were almost buried and forgotten by the cheers of the 49,900 survivors.

Meanwhile, the God of Tactics felt a shiver run down his spine. He could see that this man viewed the deaths of those soldiers as real, and not just mere deletion of data. At this moment, the God of Tactics realized that the fact that all foreigners thought the same thing was nothing but his narrow-minded perogative.

A widow approached Minhyuk and bowed. She said, “Thank you for not allowing everyone here to forget.”

Minhyuk smiled bitterly in response.

The Heavenly Army, the Five Generals, the gods, and the rest of the people saw Minhyuk in a different light. They finally saw him as a true monarch who would lead and rule over them, not just the next-generation Battle God who had achieved the impossible.

After honoring the dead, it was time for them to enjoy and wallow in the joy and warmth of surviving and returning safely. The Five Generals and the Heavenly Army troops passionately swore their loyalty, and the people cheered. As for the Battle God, he watched everything from afar with an unreadable expression.

Once everything was over, Minhyuk handed something over to the Battle God. It was the Battle God’s Jade Seal, the item he had obtained after killing Clad.

“It has finally been found.”

The Battle God’s Jade Seal was passed down to the next generation of Battle Gods. It was proof that the Battle God who ascended the throne was the true Battle God. This jade seal was symbolic and needed for the succession ceremony.

After losing the battle, Clad had stolen the jade seal and ran away. Because of that, the current Battle God could not hold a succession ceremony.

The moment the Battle God received the jade seal...

[You have obtained the Battle God’s Jade Seal.]

[You can now start the succession ceremony.]

The Battle God looked at Minhyuk and said, “You should come to the succession ceremony too.”

***

Joy Co. Ltd.’s meeting room.

President Kang Taehoon could not hide the complex expression on his face.

Seeing this, Department Head Kim Dae-Il said, “Minhyuk has completed a Battle God’s quest that he has to complete in the future. Will he receive rewards?”

Just like Minhyuk had confirmed, killing Clad was a Battle God’s class quest he would receive someday. Somehow, the original Battle God’s class quest was suddenly changed into a sudden quest that popped up in front of him. This alone caused several mistakes and twists.

One of the executives said, “From what it looks like, there’s a high chance that he will not receive any other rewards. Since it’s not a quest that the Battle God gave him, he does not need to give Player Minhyuk any rewards.”

Another executive tapped the table with his fingers. “Come to think of it, the jade seal is now back in the hands of the Battle God. There’s no denying the fact that he is the true Battle God. Nonetheless, when he rose to his position, he did it without holding a succession ceremony.”

The jade seal and the succession ceremony had a greater symbolic meaning than expected.

“It seems like the Battle God will now rise to the position of the true and legitimate Battle God.”

Department Kim Dae-Il immediately countered, “Wait, Minhyuk is the next generation Battle God, right?”

“Yes, that’s true. The succession ceremony is a sign that the Battle God has no intention of giving up his powers yet. With the jade seal's appearance, the players can witness the succession ceremony of the greatest Absolute God, the Battle God. This is proving that he is the true Battle God.”

The reasoning was compelling.

“This situation has significantly boosted Minhyuk’s reputation and position in the Land of the Gods. And surprisingly enough, the status of the Battle God is also elevated. He had won the support of the Heavenly Dwellers for opposing the proposed destruction of the Abyss and going against many of the gods. This is the best time for him to do his succession ceremony.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. Funnily enough, that was how power, authority, and influence worked.

‘At what age should I retire? I should step down now.’ These are the words that those who have reached the peak often say.”

Regardless, no one would leave with open arms and applause once they reached that age. After all, they could no longer relinquish the worshipping gazes and the power they had accumulated at their peak.

“Just wait and see. It will go like I said.”

Everyone turned to look at the giant screen.

***

[The Battle God has recovered the lost Jade Seal.]

[The Battle God has triggered the Jade Seal. You can now watch the succession ceremony.]

Countless viewers from all over the world gathered to watch the broadcast. For them, spying on the events happening in the Land of the Gods occasionally was fun.

The world above the clouds slowly unfolded in everyone’s eyes. Although the place in the Land of the Gods where everyone had gathered did not seem much different from Earth, the tens of millions of Heavenly Dwellers and tens of thousands of gods flocked to witness the succession ceremony was enough to leave the viewers in awe.

The Battle God looked at the countless Heavenly Dwellers that gathered before the Battle God’s castle as he activated the jade seal.

[The power of the Battle God’s Jade Seal has been activated.]

[The Succession Ceremony has begun.]

A fantastic spectacle unfolded in front of everyone.

Flowers bloomed and lined the ground of the entire Land of the Gods. Meanwhile, cherubs flew above them and sprinkled light powders as if blessing every inch of the land.

Rumble–!

A colossal platform appeared at the end of the red carpet stretched out in front of the castle. Then, thousands of gods lined up on each side of the platform. At the same time, eight thrones appeared.

Then, the Battle God’s throne appeared before all the thrones. It stood above all, a symbol that the Battle God was the best and most outstanding among the Absolute Gods, the sovereign who ruled them all.

The viewers, who watched the glamorous and splendid display, looked at the scene with interest. And when they caught sight of Minhyuk, their interest increased.

[I saw Minhyuk. Seeing him present in such a ceremony made me realize how amazing he truly is.]

[Wow. He’s the only player who can enter the Land of the Gods.]

A flash of light appeared on each throne, revealing the figure of the Absolute Gods. Out of the eight thrones, there was only one throne left empty. Since the God of Origin Athenae was not expected to attend such an event, this empty throne was meant for one being. And this attracted the attention of everyone present.

[As expected, the God of Death will not attend.]

[Maybe he’ll come...?]

[It is pretty difficult to gain the trust of the God of Death.]

All of the Absolute Gods reacted as if it were a familiar scene, and the viewers treated it as a natural course of events.

At that moment, the Absolute Gods, sitting on their thrones, waved at Minhyuk at the end of the red carpet. The expressionless Obren and the God of Cooking also waved their hands.

Minhyuk looked at them in confusion.

‘Ah!’

He realized they wanted him to sit on the empty throne meant for the God of Death. When he was about to step forward, he suddenly thought, ‘Maybe I should not walk on the red carpet?’

Just when he was about to take a detour to the platform, the Battle God’s booming voice suddenly rang. He said, “Walk on it, Minhyuk.”

“...”

Minhyuk cautiously walked on the red carpet. Then, a notification rang in his ears.

[The Absolute God who Rules Over All of the Armies is watching the first steps of the new Battle God.]

“...”

Minhyuk was dumbfounded. He could not understand what the Battle God’s Voice meant. For a moment, he wondered if he should stop walking. Regardless, he could not stop.

As he continued to walk down the red carpet, changes began to happen to his appearance. With one step, the armor that he was wearing changed. It was no longer the armor he wore but the silver armor that the Battle God should have worn. Another step and the Most Radiant Crown, which was in invisible mode on top of his head, was revealed to the world. As he took another step forward, the symbol on the back of his cloak changed. The symbol carrying the sword, the spear, and the bow appeared on his cloak.

[The Battle God’s symbol has been engraved.]

Finally, he stood in front of the platform. When Minhyuk stopped walking, the gods lining on both sides immediately knelt on one knee and looked up at him.

At that moment, Minhyuk could not take another step forward and climb the stairs. Fear appeared on Minhyuk’s face.

‘Is it really okay for me to be here? Is it really okay for me to sit on that throne? I merely came here to survive and live.’

He suddenly felt afraid. After all, many gods in the world were much stronger and more outstanding than him. Just then, Minhyuk realized something.

“Your Majesty, please go up.”

He was not the only one here. Turning his head, he saw his vassal Ben kneeling on one knee. Minhyuk barked out a laugh.

‘It seems like I’m the only one who did not know?’

Ben’s voice gave him more strength and helped him take another step forward.

“Your Majesty, you are the only one who can climb this path.”

The words of the Fallen Wretched Emperor, the man perhaps more qualified to become the Battle God than him, helped him take another step forward.

“Hyung. Go up.”

He took another step as Conir and Herakel looked up at him. Every one of his precious people shared the pressure weighing down on him. Aafter taking these three steps, Minhyuk hesitated once more.

Obren, sitting on his throne on the platform, looked down at Minhyuk, who could not bring himself to climb the stairs.

[Idiot. Right now, do you think it’s proper for me to look down on you?]

Guardian God Obren reached out a hand. The distance between them was so great that they could not reach each other, but his words and actions helped Minhyuk take another step forward.

Yet after that, Minhyuk stood silently, his entire body trembling fiercely from fear and uncertainty. At that moment, someone placed his hand on his back. When he looked back, he saw the Battle God behind him. The Battle God wore ordinary gods’ clothes embroidered with gold, not his usual sparkling and splendid armor.

The Battle God gently pushed Minhyuk forward. Finally, he stood in front of the last step of the stairs. He looked at everyone on the platform. With every eye contact he made with the Absolute Gods, the thought of running away strengthened in his mind. The fear that he felt was similar to that time.

‘I was also afraid before I started and took on a new beginning.’

He felt the same fear when Lee Jinhwan, the doctor in charge of him, suggested the game Athenae. Although it was a reasonable and sensible suggestion, he was terrified of the consequences. What if a yo-yo effect happened? What if playing this game would bring him closer to his death?

But there were many people around him back then. They all gently and patiently guided him to take this step forward. With his father's trust and belief in him, Oh Changwook’s patient guidance, and the help of everyone at home, he overcame his fear and started this game.

Minhyuk’s legs shook in front of such terrifying and overwhelming fear. Even though Obren’s extended hand was already within reach, Minhyuk still could not bring himself to reach out and hold it. Then, at that moment...

Shwaaaaa–

Someone appeared alongside a whirlwind of black air. His face was covered with his unkempt hair, and his appearance did not fit the grand and majestic atmosphere of the place. Yet everyone was very shocked when he appeared.

The man looked like he had a severe social phobia and could not bear to look at anyone. At this moment, he was looking straight at Minhyuk. When Minhyuk saw the complex emotions flashing on the man’s face, he realized something.

Like him in the past, this man stood before the door to a new beginning. He showed Minhyuk how he had mustered up all his courage and decided to turn the handle and open it slowly. He, the God of Death, had opened that door and chosen to interact with the world. He encouraged Minhyk to do the same and open his door, too.

“I’m also scared. But because it’s you, I’m sure that you can overcome it. Great Monarch who Rules Over the Gods.”

Minhyuk mustered his courage, grabbed the outstretched hands of the Guardian God and the God of Death, and finally stepped on the platform. He let go of his fears.

‘I am no longer the child who once trembled and shook in fear of death.’

The Absolute Gods stood behind him while his vassals stood in front of him and protected him.

The corners of his mouth slowly curled into a smile as he listened to the words of the two people behind him. He slowly caressed the throne, standing at the highest position in the world.

[Please tell the Absolute Gods and the Land of the Gods how you feel during the succession ceremony.]

The gazes of more than tens of millions of people focused on him. He threw away his fear and looked arrogantly at the Land of the Gods and declared, “I am the Battle God.”

[The name ‘Next-Generation Battle God’ has disappeared.]

[You have now become one of the Absolute Gods.]

[You have become the God who Leads and Rules Over All the Armies. You have become the true Battle God.]