Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 893

The commentators immediately turned their attention to the new arrivals. Even the viewers were very interested in the Transcendental Being’s Fragments, Bein and Hanu, which appeared in the form of a man and a horse, covered with skin that was scorched and burnt to coal.

[This was the first time since the release of the virtual reality game Athenae that a dungeon, the Transcendentals’ Holy Land, with the highest difficulty level has appeared.]

[And inside this dungeon, mobs called quasi-bosses or mini-bosses have appeared.]

[Their momentum is jaw-dropping. And with just one spear, that man broke the number one in the tanker rankings, the Level 600 God of Shields Valentino’s Bentino’s Walls.]

[That man’s skin is scorched and bloody. He looks very grotesque. However, the most important thing to note is that he has the words ‘Transcendental Being’s Fragment’ in his name.]

Everyone was nervous yet thrilled, including Valentino and Alex, who were present on the battlefield. What made them nervous was that the man could break Bentino’s Walls all at once. However, the mere thought of the rewards they would obtain once they killed this man thrilled them.

‘And it’s just a fragment of the Transcendental Being’s Fragment.’

‘I wonder how high the EXP and how awesome the drops would be from the most difficult dungeon’s mini-boss level mob monster would be?’

Alex and Valentino looked at each other, sweat trickling down their spines. As if on cue, Valentino immediately cast a shield while Alex bombarded the two with his AOE magical attacks. And with them at the lead, the Luvien Imperial Army would pour attacks on them and push them back.

“Now...!”

Just when Valentino was about to cast another skill, Bein, sitting atop Hanu, pulled the reins and ran away.

“...?”

At that moment, Valentino and the other troops were left in a trance.

[The Transcendental Being’s Fragments that have appeared just a few minutes prior are set up as the mini-bosses of the Transcendentals’ Holy Land. Because of that, I believe they were made to show some of their prowess at the beginning before returning.] Thᴇ link to the origɪn of this information rᴇsts ɪn Novᴇ(l)Fɪre .ɴᴇt

[Ordinary dungeons would usually have one or two mini-bosses in them. This means that the existence of these fragments is significant to the Transcendentals’ Holy Land. Perhaps this outcome was only natural.]

[My heart is already trying to get out of my chest. The Transcendental Being’s Fragments Bein and Hanu’s levels are already impressive. I wonder how strong the Transcendental Being truly is?]

[However, according to experts: “The levels of these mini-bosses are quite disappointing, especially since this is the dungeon with the highest level of difficulty in Athenae.”]

[Once one reached Level 700, a ten-level difference would mean the difference between heaven and earth. The experts had assumed that the level of the mini-bosses in the Transcendentals’ Holy Land should have been around Level 785 or higher.]

Knowing that a dungeon should only have around one or two mini-bosses, the viewers and commentators believed that the Luvien Empire would be able to clear this dungeon. After all, the level of the mini-bosses that appeared in front of them was much lower than they had expected.

Meanwhile, the Tenth Division, led by Valentino and Alex, continued to march forward. And, of course, their hunting method remained the same. Valentino would cast a giant shield to stop their enemies, while Alex and the mages would bomb them with their magic. It was a method that allowed them to nibble away at their enemy's numbers. However, a variable had suddenly appeared.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaang–!

A bloody spear was once again lodged in the giant shield that Valentino had just created.

Crack, crack, crack–!

Bein’s bloody spear, boasting massive damage, instantly smashed the newly erected shield.

“Hiiik...!”

Then, just like before, he immediately ran away. The two fragments of the Transcendental Being would appear every time Valentino cast his defensive skill and turn them into smithereens. And the more they did this, the more Valentino grew worried. After all, he was losing out while utilising his essential skills one after another.

As for the commentators? They quickly began to analyze the situation.

[From what it looks like, there will be at least two or three Transcendental Being’s Fragments here in the Transcendentals’ Holy Land.]

[Because he’s an essential factor in this battle, I think the fragment that uses the spear is attacking Valentino, who is responsible for setting up the troublesome shield.]

[Since there would be only three zones for this dungeon, it is best for the fragments to defend the first area as much as possible!]

After witnessing the appearance of the first fragments, many judged that it would be easy to conquer the Transcendentals’ Holy Land. Then, another commentator shared his analysis.

[In fact, most dungeons are accessible to players and NPCs alike. If they entered a dungeon and died every time, then who would want to join it, no?]

[That’s right. To be honest, I think there’s an 80% chance that this attack would be successful. There’s nothing much we can do about it unless this is a unique dungeon.]

As the commentators said, the attack rate of the dungeons in Athenae was usually around 80% or higher. This was because the players used these dungeons to level up and grow. What would happen if a player's probability of successfully attacking a dungeon fell below 80%? The answer was simple. The players would immediately lose interest in the dungeon. As for those who wanted a higher level of difficulty in dungeons? They would often just go and find a dungeon with a higher ranking.

The intense heat and excitement finally cooled down. Although the Tenth Division suffered considerable damage, they could still advance safely. At that moment, a notification rang in their ears.

[You have successfully hunted 10% of the monsters inside the Transcendentals’ Holy Land!]

Valentino and Alex laughed.

“It seems like the number of monsters inside this dungeon is around half a million, huh?”

“We’ve killed around 50,000 while we were advancing. So, I think your estimate is correct.”

On the other hand, the Luvien Empire had brought in troops that numbered no less than a million. Easy. Conquering the Transcendentals’ Holy Land, a dungeon they believed to have the highest difficulty level, was much easier than they thought.

“No. Isn’t it because the Luvien Empire is the one that stepped up to conquer this dungeon?”

“There’s a high probability that that’s the case.”

They finally entered a vast hall, discussing how easy it was to conquer the dungeon. And what greeted them inside the hall were towering walls. However, they were not ordinary walls. The towering walls were moving and shifting constantly.

“...Everyone! On guard!”

Everyone sensed that something strange and unusual was about to happen.

[The Labyrinth of Death has been activated!]

[All people who entered the Transcendentals’ Holy Land will simultaneously be warped inside the Labyrinth of Death!]

[You can only escape the Labyrinth of Death in two ways. One would be dying, and the other would be clearing the labyrinth itself!]

Flash–

Flaaaaaaash–

Flaaaash–

A blinding light enveloped the entire Luvien Imperial Army.

***

“...”

“...”

Valentino and Alex immediately changed their tune as they looked ahead of them.

“Alex.”

“Stop calling my name. I’m agitated and nervous here.”

“Even though it is said to have the highest difficulty level, don’t you think this is too high?”

“Yeah. That’s really how it looks. But if you think about it, these guys are only half a million in numbers while we have a million on our side.”

“But this is still a bit...”

The two were still left speechless. Some beings resembled the earlier bloody and grotesque Transcendental Being’s Fragment. One of them looked ordinary. However, the two bloody red daggers hanging in his hands made those who looked at him shudder in fear.

[Transcendental Being’s Fragment Rho. Level 756.]

In other words, this being was different from the fragment that wielded a spear they saw earlier.

The Tenth and Ninth Divisions had appeared together in this place. The remaining divisions leading the 800,000 remaining troops were also probably left dealing with a fragment of their own. This meant at least eight Transcendental Beings' fragments were inside this dungeon. It was a number that went far beyond their expectations. However, that was not all. There were more things that they had to worry about.

[Transcendental Being’s Broken Fragment Arie. Level 601.]

[Transcendental Being’s Broken Fragment Ruk. Level 599.]

[Transcendental Being’s Broken Fragment Hydra. Level 586.]

There were too many broken fragments. The broken fragment named Arie held a staff, indicating that he was a mage. On the other hand, Ruk had a massive axe in each hand while sitting on top of one of Hydra’s enormous heads.

At that moment, Fragment Rho made a move.

“Damn!!!”

The Labyrinth of Death was a terrible place. This was because there were towering walls blocking their paths. They could also expect countless Abyssal Knights and Mages waiting for them throughout this labyrinth. However, they had a bigger problem to worry about. The labyrinth most likely sent them to fragments after assessing the strengths and weaknesses of each of their groups.

The Tenth Division comprised mages and tankers, while the Ninth Division had a proper balance of archers and knights. However, the greatest nemesis of all archers, mages, and tankers were assassins. Tankers were generally slow and were unable to keep up with the speed of the assassins. Archers, conversely, would find it difficult to hit the assassins with their arrows. As for mages, they had lower physical defenses and HP levels, so they were highly vulnerable to the assassins’ attacks.

Flash–

At that moment, Fragment Rho’s figure disappeared from their very eyes. At the same time, dozens of mages in the rear collapsed with blood spurting out of their necks. One strike, and they were dead. However, Rho’s attack seemed to be the first shot.

[The Transcendental Being’s Wrath!]

[You have been subjected to abnormal statuses after being exposed to the Transcendental Being’s Wrath!]

[All of your stats have dropped by 15%!]

[Your physical and magical defenses have dropped by 20%!]

[Your skill casting time has increased by 20%!]

[You cannot use any parchment or potion!]

[The Transcendental Being’s Wrath’s duration is twenty minutes!]

“...!”

One look and they could tell that the Transcendental Being’s Wrath had engulfed all of the Luvien Imperial Army. A notification rang in their ears while Alex and Valentino were staring at the debuff in horror.

[1,311 troops from the Ninth and Tenth Divisions have died!]

“What?”

“This is crazy...!”

Everywhere the Transcendental Being’s Fragment was in the form of an assassin passed by, blood would spill and rain. It all happened in the blink of an eye. However, shockingly enough, the power that the fragment was showing was far stronger than his level, which was Level 755.

They might not know this, but the Transcendental Being’s Fragment they were facing now was Minhyuk’s Shadow Luo. And Luo had eaten a dish made with the ingredients harvested from the Field of the Gods, which boosted his AGI significantly.

However, it did not end there.

“Kihyeeeeeeeeeeeck!”

“Kihyaaaaaaaaack!”

A pillar of blazing flame and a stream of bone-chilling frost shot out of the mouths of the Hydra that the Fragment Ruk was riding on.

Crackleeee–!

The blazing flames melted the mages, while the bone-chilling frost froze the archers.

Crack, crack, crack, crack–!

Then, at that moment, Ruk jumped from above the Hydra.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash–!

With every swing of Ruk’s axe, the knights fell one after another. But the disaster that the Luvien Imperial Army faced had not yet ended. But what was it? A tooth for a tooth, an eye for an eye? Arie, the broken fragment wielding a staff, then raised his staff to the sky.

Rumbleeeeee–!

The most extraordinary AOE magical attack, Meteor, began to fall.

“...Ha- haha.” Alex could only laugh at how absurd the situation was.

Before they knew it, another one of the Sword of the Gods appeared beside them.

“Can you break this?”

The Second Order’s Sword of the God that appeared in front of them was none other than the 8th-ranked God of Archery Miao.

***

At the same time.

Duke Ruffiso, sitting atop a horse, looked at the Transcendental Being’s Fragments in front of him with a lofty expression. The two fragments had massive builds and tall statures.

[Transcendental Being’s Fragment Brood. Level 779.]

[Transcendental Being’s Fragment Effis. Level 754.]

At that moment, the fragment named Brood leaped forward, a powerful sword light shooting out of his sword and annihilating 20,000 of the imperial army in this narrow labyrinth in one go.

Duke Ruffiso climbed down his horse while analyzing the current situation that they were in. ‘I don’t know why, but the number of fragments is larger than expected. They’re even stronger than their level.’

However, after thinking about it deeply, he realized it did not mean they had to be nervous just because the dungeon’s mobs and monsters were strong. The bosses and mini-bosses of most dungeons were much stronger than usual. Even so, the attack rate of dungeons was maintained at 80%. Why was that the case? Well, the reason was very, very simple.

‘Anyone that entered the dungeon can use potions and parchments’–on the other hand,–’ Mobs are not allowed to use any of that.’

This was an established law and was the reason why the dungeons’ attack rate was very high. Just when this thought flashed in Ruffiso’s head, the other tall fragment moved. No, it was not correct to say that he moved. The space behind the fragment ripped open, and countless high-level monsters poured out. Their number? It easily exceeded 100,000.

‘A... summoner?’ Duke Ruffiso thought.

But at that moment, the fragment that summoned the hundred thousand monsters suddenly shielded his sword.

‘Splitting the Devil.’

The sword, which was not as powerful as the swordlight that Fragment Brood had released but was still powerful enough to cut down the Sword of the Gods, engulfed thousands of the troops of the Imperial Army.

‘...Attacking this dungeon will not be easy.’ This was Duke Ruffiso’s honest assessment.