Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 892

The entire world was left in a buzz. Everyone, including players, broadcasting stations, and commentators, continued to talk about the episode about the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.

[This is wild. An episode has been triggered just because of one single dungeon? How high is the difficulty of this Transcendentals’ Holy Land?]

[Guys, only one million people can enter this dungeon. However, what’s more surprising is that there was no limit to the level of the one million people that would enter this dungeon.]

[Keke. If there’s no limit for the level, then does that mean that all of the rankers of the Luvien Empire can enter the dungeon?]

[Think about it; this is not just for rankers. The Luvien Empire has the strongest army with the most significant military might. Only the elite of Luvien’s troops would enter this dungeon. The Luvien Imperial Army had recently revamped itself. The minimum level of their soldiers was at Level 560, and their knights have since grown and reached Level 600. But do you know what’s more interesting?]

[What?]

[Almost half of the population of the players in the Luvien Empire are players that have achieved Level 600.]

[I will go to the Luvien Empire once I achieve Level 600.]

[Yep, yep. That’s right. The conditions that they present are just that good.]

Most of the players that have reached Level 600 were people who once represented their countries during the Battle of the Thrones and easily exceeded fifty. And nearly half of that number belonged to the Luvien Empire.

The biggest reason for this was because the Luvien Empire had given their all to help those who had received quests related to achieving Level 600 and those who had already reached Level 600 to gain more power. However, there was something far more interesting than that.

[At Emperor Nerva’s command, a Second Order of the Sword of the Gods has been created.]

And the knights of the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order? They were none other than players. The most surprising fact was that the Second Order did not lag behind the First Order.

The difference between Level 599 players and Level 600 players was like the difference between heaven and earth. The rankers that have achieved Level 600 have proven this fact when they joined the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order.

However, they weren’t the only ones who joined the Second Order. Countless players had built their kingdoms, only to join the Second Order by handing over the management of their domains to their successors.

Because of these reasons, the Luvien Empire grew even more powerful.

[The Sword of the Gods’ Second Order knights are genuinely impressive. The problem is that I don’t want to look at them or see them.]

[What do you mean by you don’t want to look at them or see them? They're just taking advantage of their profits.]

[But you know, don’t they find it a bit awkward? The Second Order is standing at the vanguard and destroying all of the forces going against the Luvien Empire.]

However, the players that made up the Second Order also had to pay a price. They had to become the dogs of the Luvien Empire and be at their beck and call. And now, they were working with Duke Ruffiso and standing at the forefront of destroying the forces against the Luvien Empire. The players against the Luvien Empire hated them, while those who stood in line with the Luvien Empire strongly supported them.

[Wow, shit. I can’t wait to see their dungeon attack strategy.]

[Me too! +2!!! How many strong monsters will be there? Ah, what kind of rewards will be there? How many amazing rewards will they get? Kghhk!]

While the players were having a heated discussion in the community sites...

[Guys! The Luvien Empire has decided to send Duke Ruffiso and all of the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order members!] Follow current s on novelenglish.net . Fɪre.nᴇt

[That’s unbelievable... Luvien is going all out, huh?]

[Wow. Are Duke Ruffiso and the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order going to fight together? Keke. That’s going to be freaking amazing. I’ve heard that Duke Ruffiso’s level is over Level 800.]

[I think his level is really over Level 800, though. If you watch his videos, you can see that Duke Ruffiso is very strong.]

[Since Duke Ruffiso will be there, don’t you think the Transcendentals’ Holy Land is already in the bag?]

[Well, that’s not for sure, right? The Transcendentals’ Holy Land’s boss, the ‘Transcendental Being,’ might be stronger than Duke Ruffiso. After all, this dungeon is already an episode, right?]

[Hmm. Is that so?]

[They’re going to enter the dungeon tomorrow at 6:00 PM.]

With Duke Ruffiso and all of the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order members added to the mix, more players, commentators, and broadcasting stations began to pay attention to the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.

***

Minhyuk, the Transcendentals’ Holy Land’s boss monster that received the attention of many, was busy checking the authority's rules to run a God-rank dungeon.

1. The Manager who used the right to run a God-rank dungeon can receive help from players. The manager has to be the lord of a territory or the ruler of a kingdom. If you’re an emperor, you can get your vassals' help.

2. Players participating as dungeon monsters will receive 50% of the forced logout penalty upon death. In the case of NPC vassals, they will be revived outside of the dungeon and will receive no penalty whatsoever. However, the dungeon manager would shoulder the penalty the vassals would receive. The penalty would depend on the level of the vassal and is mostly just a loss of EXP.

3. The players and vassals that will follow the manager and participate in the dungeon will appear as monsters following the settings of the dungeon. You can only have three exceptions to this rule.

4. When the dungeon's difficulty is set to the highest, the total number of players, vassals, and soldiers can participate is 200,000. According to the dungeon settings, you can also use 300,000 monsters as mobs.

5. The Dungeon Manager can also weaken the enemy using the debuffs provided by the dungeon. The manager can only use this once.

6. The Dungeon Manager can give buffs to his allies using their abilities. However, the buffs that can be applied must only be up to the extent permitted by the dungeon.

7. The Dungeon Manager will become the boss monster and must set the rewards corresponding to their capabilities. If the rewards are insufficient, the dungeon will not be produced.

8. As for the monsters provided by the dungeon, they will have their respective rewards. However, for players and vassals brought by the manager, the manager has to set it so that the appropriate rewards corresponding to their abilities will drop whenever the enemies hunt them.

9. When hunting enemies, the manager, the vassals, and the players can acquire EXP and loot.

10. The Dungeon Manager can modify and set the contents of the notifications sent out.

11. The Dungeon Manager can set their appearance as they appear in the dungeon.

12. The Dungeon Manager, vassals, and players’ skills will change according to the changes made to their appearance.

13. The Dungeon Manager...

14. The dungeon’s difficulty can only be set to the highest level if it approves it. Upon confirming the approval and operational status of the dungeon, the manager can trigger an episode related to the dungeon and set a restriction on the number of people that can enter the dungeon.

15. Vassals can also enter the dungeon and become mini-bosses. Only three vassals can act as mini-bosses.

16. ...

17. ...

Minhyuk, who looked through the explanations, smiled faintly when he saw the 15th clause.

‘...I don’t know when you’ll be back, but I’ll always leave a spot for you, Conir.’

Conir, the boy with an intellectual disability, left the nest to become stronger. Minhyuk wanted to leave a spot open for him. After all, he might come back at any given moment.

The boss monster, the Transcendental Being, sitting at the end of the Transcendentals’ Holy Land, was now waiting for his enemies to come.

***

Boom–!

Boom–!

Boom–!

The booming sound of the drums echoed loudly worldwide as the long procession of the Luvien Imperial Army started their march. The procession was spearheaded by Duke Ruffiso, one of the Stars of the Luvien Empire. He was immediately followed by the members of the Sword of the Gods’ Second Order and the countless numbers of rankers, knights, and soldiers that belonged to the Luvien Empire.

The Transcendental Being was not a god. But he might just be someone who wielded power that was beyond that of a god’s own. This was why the Great Luvien Empire was very interested in the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.

Meanwhile, Duke Ruffiso led the long procession with a blank expression.

‘I couldn’t wring and snap all of the necks of the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire and the nobles and aristocrats with a friendly relationship.’

Duke Ruffiso was the one who personally chopped the heads off of the nobles of the Lonstrei Empire, the empire that forged a friendly relationship with the Beyond the Heavens Empire, and hung them on their walls.

‘But since this place is called the Transcendentals’ Holy Land, I hope to obtain the transcendentals’ weapon. If I get that, I will set out alone and punish the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Perhaps I will also be able to unveil the secrets behind my birth.’

Once Duke Ruffiso cleared the Transcendentals’ Holy Land, he would become the major contributor and would be able to obtain one of the dungeon’s rewards. If that happened, Duke Ruffiso, who held the slightest sway and influence in the empire, might become the most influential among the three dukes.

[I feel like I’m choking just by looking at Duke Ruffiso’s momentum and dignity.]

[To be honest, Duke Ruffiso could be considered the real transcendental being of this era, no?]

[There are a lot of stories about transcendentals in Athenae. There’s a story that says that they are human beings who have refused to walk the path of a god but eventually surpassed them. There was also a story that says that they are born with the body of a transcendental and have already exceeded the limits of a human and a god at birth. I have also heard a story about a kingdom where all the transcendentals have gathered. Overall, there are plenty of stories about them and their origins.]

[I have heard the story about Duke Ruffiso’s birth. It goes, ‘On that day, the sky opened and the angels, with their wings spread out, came down to Luvien with him in their arms.’]

[Duke Ruffiso is so powerful that he can be considered someone who has exceeded the limits of a human being and a god. There are a lot of assumptions and speculations regarding Duke Ruffiso’s birth. There are even rumors about how he was born from transcendental beings.]

[Perhaps the secret of Duke Ruffiso’s birth will be revealed inside the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.]

[As we speak, the Luvien Imperial Army has now arrived before the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.]

[They did not even hesitate. With one gesture of Duke Ruffiso’s hand, the knights and soldiers began to enter the dungeon!]

[At this moment, ATV Broadcasting Station’s viewership ratings have reached 30%!]

[That’s how many viewers pay attention to the match between Athenae’s most challenging dungeon and the Luvien Empire.]

[The broadcasting stations’ cameras and drones are now coming in. We will now show you the inside of the dungeon with the highest level of difficulty in the history of Athenae.]

***

The total number of the knights of the Luvien Empire’s Sword of the Gods’ Second Order was sixteen. By partnering with those that were somewhat lacking, like the 15th and 16th places, Duke Ruffiso could divide the imperial army into ten divisions. Each division was led by the knights of the Second Order and had around 100,000 soldiers each.

The Tenth Division was led by God of Shields Valentino and Mage Alex, who were in 15th and 16th place in the Second Order. Even though they were just in 15th and 16th place, the combination of these two high rankers was enough to take down and trample on the order’s 5th place. The Tenth Division was marching forward and acting as the vanguard.

[Abyssal Knight. Level 586.]

[Abyssal Mage. Level 599.]

Just as expected of the dungeon with the highest difficulty level, their basic mob’s level was already very high. The more shocking part? Almost 20,000 Abyssal Knights and 5,000 Abyssal Mages appeared at the same time.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang–!

Valentino stood at the forefront and defended against the Abyssal Mages’ high-tiered magical attacks.

“Don’t let them reach us!”

But it was not just him. Several tankers built a wall with their square shields and blocked the enemies from advancing further. At the same time, Alex led the other mages and began to cast their magic.

“Fire Storm.”

“Fire Storm.”

“Fire Storm.”

Rumble–

Countless magical attacks poured down upon the charging Abyssal Knights and inflicted them with constant damage.

“This is just the beginning, so this should be more than enough.”

“Even so, the damage the enemies can deal is much higher than we expected. Please be careful.”

This was the conversation that unfolded between Alex and Valentino. Just when they hunted nearly half of the 25,000 enemy knights and mages and finally moved forward gradually, they were greeted by a terrifying sight.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Woaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Around 30,000 more Abyssal Knights ran out from the dungeon's depths and began to charge toward them. At that moment, Valentino immediately used the strongest shield he had acquired when he reached Level 600.

[Bentino’s Wall.]

[Bentino’s Wall, the size of a castle’s wall, will protect you and your allies!]

[You have an additional 8,000% defense!]

[Bentino’s Wall has a duration of three minutes.]

[Using the skill will destroy 1 point from your STM.]

Valentino had already decided to risk his life early during this dungeon’s attack. After all, he would receive a considerable reward from Nerva if he could become one of the contributors to the clearance of this dungeon.

Bentino’s Wall, as large as a castle, rose inside this vast dungeon, preventing all enemies from charging forward. No matter how hard the knights charged at Bentino’s Wall, they could not pierce its defenses.

“Kehahahahahahaha!” Valentino cackled.

Viewers! Are you watching me?! Duke Ruffiso! Can you see this?! His laughter seemed to convey those words. It seemed like he was boasting that only a single player was blocking the mobs of the most challenging dungeon. Of course, the troops did not stay idle. They took the time to take down the knights with their arrows and magic.

Meanwhile, all the commentators were watching Valentino, who was laughing like crazy, in awe.

[The knights and mages close to Level 600 continuously launch attacks, but Bentino’s Walls remain impregnable!]

[It still has around 50% of its durability left!]

[That’s truly amazing! This proves that Italy’s God of the Shields, Valentino, is worthy of his position as one of the knights of the Luvien Empire’s Sword of the Gods’ Second Order...]

But then, at that moment...

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang–

The sound of an explosion rang in everyone’s ears. Valentino’s eyes immediately turned to follow the sound of the blast and were greeted by the sight of a bloody and hideous spear stuck gobsmack in the middle of Bentino’s Walls.

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack–

At the same time, web-like cracks appeared all over the shield's surface.

Swoosh–

The bloody spear pulled itself out of the wall and flew back to the hands of someone. Like that, Bentino’s Walls, which still had 50% durability left, began to fall. A man carrying the bloody spear from earlier was right beyond the collapsing wall. The man rode atop a ten-meter horse. Both beings were sporting scorched skins and a grotesque appearance.

[A fragment of the Transcendental Being has appeared!]

[Transcendental Being’s Fragment Hanu. Level 654.]

[Transcendental Being’s Fragment Bein. Level 774.]