Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 766

Joy Co. Ltd.’s conference room.

Everyone in the room felt sweat in the palm of their hands, while their lips opened and closed in excitement as goosebumps rose in their bodies.

The same was true for President Kang Taehoon. who had jumped from his seat, his eyes staring intently at the monitor while his hands clenched into fists. This was the ‘Assembling of the Gods’ that was carried out by a mere player.

Someone asked, “Why did the gods that did not respond to Minhyuk earlier turn up in the end?”

“The gods are also quick-witted beings.” The Story Team’s leader looked bitter as he continued, “The Absolute Gods have gathered, how would they, the ordinary gods, not join them? The excuse that Minhyuk is a mere Continental God has disappeared the moment the Absolute Gods made their appearance.”

That was the truth. To put it into perspective, it was like inside a human kingdom in Athenae, if the king appeared and answered the call, yet his subordinates and servants snorted and ignored it? Would that be even possible?

President Kang Taehoon continued to stare at the monitor. He watched as more than 2,000 gods gathered around the Evil Incarnate and waited for Minhyuk’s orders.

“A player…” Kang Taehoon licked his dry lips. “…has become a key character in Athenae.”

At the same time, Minhyuk’s voice rang from the monitor.

[Destroy him.]

***

The Evil Incarnate glared at silver-haired Minhyuk that stood in front of him. This person was a mere human being, the Lowest God. Yet, the gods answered this child’s call.

At the same time, bright white light bloomed as the gods fulfilled Minhyuk’s order.

“God’s Bullseye.”

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

The God of Archery’s arrow with 12,000% additional attack pierced through the neck of the Evil Incarnate.

“Roaring Whip.”

Craaaaaaack—

A ferocious whip stretched forward and struck the Evil Incarnate’s body with seventy attacks per second, tearing apart his skin and flesh.

“Kehehehehehehehehehe! Enouuuuuugh, stoooooooooop!” The Evil Incarnate shrieked as the hundreds of Disses in the form of spears made of light sent by the God of Magic stabbed into his body all at once.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—

“P, pleaaaaaaaaaaaase!”

The Absolute God that existed everywhere and nowhere, the being that existed where greed, despair and frustration ran rampant, was now shrieking desperately from pain.

The body of the Evil Incarnate, which was already turning into a stream of black air and getting ready to disappear, materialized once again. What awaited his body was an onslaught of attacks.

That was not all. There were plenty of gods that had gathered, gods like the God of Parchment, the God of Alchemy and the God of Buffs. These gods poured out their buffs on Minhyuk, who had summoned them.

[God of Buffs’ Blessings.]

[All of your stats have increased by 13%!]

[Your sword’s attack has increased by 10%.]

[Your physical and magical defenses have increased by 20%.]

[This is a buff that can overlap with other buffs.]

[Parchment of Benevolence.]

[All of your stats…16%.]

[Your skills’ attack power…32%.]

To allow Minhyuk to receive several buffs, the gods chose to add the overlapping buff effect on top of the buffs that they sent to Minhyuk. However, in return, the effects of the buff that they cast was much weaker than their original buffs. Still, it was enough. Minhyuk, who was constantly being covered with light, was growing stronger by the second.

At that moment, the shrieking Evil Incarnate suddenly utilized one of his life-saving cards.

[Connecting Pain.]

[The Evil Incarnate has linked himself with another, causing the target to feel and suffer from the same damages and pain that he is receiving.]

“…!”

“…!”

It was a terrifying and gruesome skill, one that appalled both gods and viewers alike. More importantly, It mattered who the Evil Incarnate used the skill on. All of them turned tense as they held their breath. Amidst the nerve-wracking silence, someone released a shallow groan.

“Kghhk…!”

“…”

“…”

“…”

Everyone turned to look at the direction where the familiar voice came from. There, they saw a man gasping as cold sweat dripped down his face. The man was none other than the ‘Battle God’.

“S, stop attacking…!” One of the gods hurriedly shouted.

However, the skills that had already been released could no longer be taken back. They continued to attack the Evil Incarnate and whenever these attacks landed on him, the Battle God would suffer a pain that seemed to tear apart his entire being. Damage and pain were constantly intertwined. So, as the pain continued to bloom in the Evil Incarnate’s body, the Battle God also continued to suffer damages.

“Keuaaaaaaaaack! Stooooooooooooop! Please, please, please…!”

Unlike the Evil Incarnate that continued to scream and shriek, the Battle God just gritted his teeth and endured the pain. This was the endurance of a god and the dignity of an absolute being. However, none of them was aware that the Battle God’s HP was also rapidly falling.

The Battle God was the ‘God of Armies’. However, now that he had temporarily lost his power to lead his army, he was nothing but a god with strength and power. Soon, he stumbled on his feet.

Belson’s older brother, Farrow, looked at him in worry.

“Ki, kikikikikikikiki! Kihehehehehehehe… If I die, then the Battle God will die too.”

The gods stopped attacking the dirty and shameless Evil Incarnate. The skills that they had triggered previously had come to a stop.

At the same time, Minhyuk had been listening to the sounds that the Battle God had made.

“…What?” Minhyuk looked at the Battle God in surprise. However, the Battle God just smiled bitterly and nodded at him.

Immediately after that, the Battle God opened his mouth and said, “Attack the Evil Incarnate. This is a command.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The gods were left speechless. When the Evil Incarnate dies, so then would the Battle God. Unfortunately, the Battle God was the pillar of the Land of the Gods. Not long after, the Battle God used his Divine Order.

“Attack him!!!”

[The Battle God has given a Divine Order!]

[The gods will not be able to resist the Battle God’s Divine Order!]

Following his orders, the gods began to attack the Evil Incarnate once again.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—

“Grrrrrrrrrrr! Kihyeeeeeeeeeeeeeck!” Screams and shrieks continuously rang out from the mouth of the Evil Incarnate.

Each time an attack landed, the Battle God would feel pain as if his bones were being wringed out and his entire body was being torn apart and burned.

“Belson…”

“Brother.”

Farrow looked at his brother sadly. This was the choice that he made.

“I am the Battle God.”

Indeed, he was the Battle God. He ruled over all of the gods and he had a mission; to protect both humans and gods alike.

“Thanks to you, brother, I was able to become the god that stood at the highest point.”

“…”

Both viewers and commentators that watched the scene were in awe and admiration. The gods always showed majesty and arrogance. However, there had always been a sincerity deep within them and the Battle God was showing it right now to protect the humans and the Land of the Gods.

The gods were great, but they were also arrogant. This was the story of the man that walked silently amidst criticisms and the story of someone that chose to leave for everyone’s sake.

Meanwhile, the Evil Incarnate chose this moment to rush inside the body of the Battle God.

[The Evil Incarnate has taken over the body of the Battle God while he is in a weakened state!]

The Evil Incarnate thought that if he became the Battle God, then the gods would not be able to attack him. However, even if he took over the body of the Battle God, control did not come so easily. The Battle God’s vision was turning dark, but he endured with his strong spirit and resilience.

“Quickly… stop!”

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash!

Blood spurted out as the body of the greatest god got torn apart, the blood flowing all over the place. However, the Battle God did not shake an inch. He just stood there with a bitter smile on his face.

Then, an unknown voice rang all throughout the world. The voice belonged to Belian, the nanny of the gods that was shown during the ‘War of Destruction’’s advertisement. It was immediately followed by the voices of the young gods, who asked questions one after another.

[But whenever I see Mister Belson, who became the Battle God, he looks so scary.]

[That’s right. The Battle God always has this serious expression on his face every day.]

[I heard that the Battle God purged a lot of the other gods.]

Nanny Belian told them in a calm voice.

[The Battle God is a ruler with a heart that is warmer than anybody else’s.]

The Battle God looked around the players and NPCs that had not died yet and burned the image into his mind. He looked up at the beautiful sky and thought of how these people that survived would go home with laughter in their faces.

[He’s someone that has to be colder than anybody else to maintain order. However, he is also a man who cares deeply about the gods and humans, more than anybody else.]

[The choices that he made has always been for the good of the gods and the humans.]

[In the process, he had no choice but to purge the ones that he cherished and loved. Every time the Battle God would have a hard time making that final choice.]

[However, deep inside he knew…]

[He knew that he had to make the choice for the good of everyone.]

[He is the god that carried that much pain on his shoulders.]

[However, as the greatest god, he could not show that he was dealing with such pain.]

[He has the humblest, yet the greatest name.]

Then, all of the gods’ skills stopped.They could only use one of their skills or their powers through the effect of the Assembling the Gods. At this point, the Battle God was already reduced to a point where he was breathing roughly.

Everyone looked at the Battle God. All of the gods knew that the Battle God lived only for their sakes. He had always made the choice that was right for them and because he was there, the Land of the Gods had remained peaceful. However, unlike them, who enjoyed the peace that he brought them, the Battle God had always been suffering from the pain of his choices and the sadness that came along with it.

A single attack. Just one more attack and that would kill the Battle God.

“Battle Gooooooood!!!”

“Gooooooood!!!”

“No!!!”

“You can’t die!!!”

“Battle Goooooooood!!!”

[And he is someone that is loved and admired by many gods.]

The Battle God looked at the other gods. Even the other Absolute Gods knew that he was the one that had been sacrificing. Unlike them, who lived arrogantly and acted lazily with their title as the Absolute God, the Battle God had been busy handling and governing the Land of the Gods. Yet, he looked at all of them with a small smile on his face.

At that moment, a man with silver hair fluttering behind him walked up to the Battle God. The man aimed his sword at the Battle God’s heart. This man was Minhyuk.

The Battle God had told Minhyuk earlier that he should kill him. It would, in turn, kill the Evil Incarnate. This was the only way for everyone to live peacefully. The Battle God did not have any regrets. He had become a great ruler, and he was even able to meet his older brother Farrow.

[And he is the god that will give his all for the sake of everyone until his very last moments.]

[And that is…]

Spuuuuuurt—

[The Battle God.]

The God that had lived for everyone’s sake gently patted Minhyuk’s cheeks, while on his last breath, thinking that this god who ended his life might blame himself despite the expression on his face not betraying his feelings.

“Child.” He smiled lightly. “Thank you.”

With that, the Battle God’s body slowly collapsed.

[The Greatest God has died.]

In the case where an Absolute God died, the game would be temporarily suspended and all of the players could watch the god’s death. Of course, it was their choice to watch it. Players could choose to keep playing as they were, or watch the process of the god’s death. As of this moment, most of the players chose to watch the death of the Battle God.

They watched on their screens as a man clad in white walked toward the light. He looked like he just got out of the shower, with not a single scratch or dirt on his body, as he walked toward the ‘Gates of Death’. There was a small smile on his face as he continued to walk toward the light.

“I had a pleasant time.” He looked at the gates that were within his reach and said, “I smile whenever I see the young gods running peacefully and happily because of the choices that I have made.”

The Battle God abandoned his majesty and charisma as he slowly approached his death. He said, “I would often get angry with Nanny Belian whenever I saw her make mistakes. However, she is also very dear and precious to me.”

He grinned widely. “Because there are people that believed in me and worshiped me, I, as the Battle God, was happier than anybody else.”

That was right. Even though everybody said that he had been suffering through pain, the Battle God felt like he had been blessed.

Step, step—

The Battle God continued to walk. As he reached the end of the road, he stopped and turned to look at the rest of the world. Then, he said, “I do not regret my choices.”

With the bright light shining behind him, the Battle God grinned widely.

[Battle God.]

[He is the greatest god.]

[He is the god that is loved by many.]

The Battle God slowly grabbed the handle of the Gates of Death.

“There are still so many people that need you though,” Minhyuk said, a bright smile on his face as he grabbed the Battle God’s wrist.