Chapter 1359

Chapter 1359

The world was in an uproar.

[Emperor Minhyuk has allied with the Ardo Empire. He has also absorbed the six kingdoms allied with the Ardo Empire before.]

[The Ardo Empire has unilaterally broken off the hundreds of years of relationship that they had with the nations allied to them. This is no different from saying that the Ardo Empire is now the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s vassal state.]

[The six kingdoms, who seemed to have been abandoned, had their royal treasuries robbed clean by God of Thieves Hermes. As a result, they fell into the hands of the Beyond the Heavens Empire!]

[The Beyond the Heavens Empire is moving unusually right now.]

Many had expressed negative opinions about the changes that took place in just under a month.

[The Beyond the Heavens Empire is expanding its territories and increasing its influence rapidly.]

[This poses a lot of problems. Regardless, I think the most glaring issue is none other than the existing armies that once belonged to the Ardo Empire and the six allied kingdoms.]

[The Beyond the Heavens Empire is known to be one of the nations with the best army and the strongest military power.]

[Unlike the reputation that they had in the past, the Ardo Empire’s army had grown very weak. As for the level of the six allied kingdoms’ armies? You all know without me saying.]

[A ragtag bunch... Is it correct to describe them like that?]

[That fits. They have absorbed the six kingdoms and secured a large population and several territories. However, it’s nothing but an empty shell.]

[Perhaps they might just become parasites who would eat away at the resources and funds of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

[To avoid a situation like that, they have to train their newly acquired army and transform them into better and stronger soldiers.]

[That will be very difficult. Their commander-in-chief, Brod, has now become the emperor of the Luvien Empire. Because of that, Ben took over his position. However, Ben alone is not enough to train all of their soldiers right now.]

[They have acquired more than forty million new soldiers right now, but they are in a situation where they cannot enjoy such gains.]

Beyond the Heavens’ conference room.

Minhyuk was fully aware of the problems that would arise from this. He was also aware of the public’s concerns.

“Now that we have become complete and true allies with the Ardo Empire, I think it’s high time we send Sir Amacar back to them.”

Amacar was the one who made the Ardo Empire into a powerhouse. With him sent back to the empire, they would have no problems with the training of their soldiers. The problem was the ragtag bunch of the six allied kingdoms.

“Forty million...” Minhyuk smiled wryly. “I’ve got some money from the artifacts that Hermes had given me. I think we can use that for training. Grandpa Ben, how are the soldiers’ level and basic understanding?”

“It’s terrible. To be honest, it’s already amazing that they could protect their kingdom until now with their level.”

When Minhyuk checked their levels, he confirmed that they were only at around Level 350. That was truly a disastrous level because the ordinary soldiers of the Beyond the Heavens Empire were already almost at Level 470.

“They have survived only because they have been leeching off the Ardo Empire.”

Back then, they had the support of the strong Ardo Empire. Because of that, none of the other empires and kingdoms dared to engage in war with them.

“This is a problem.”

Even so, Minhyuk would still make the same choice. He was presented with a massive spread of food. He would be a fool not to eat it, no?

“With the way things are, it will be impossible for them to train alongside our soldiers. We have to train them separately.”

However, the Beyond the Heavens Empire had a shortage of manpower.

‘Even if we have enough manpower... we have to raise the level of the soldiers from Level 350 to Level 450. It’s impossible. Unless someone who has a special power that could nurture and help with the growth of the soldiers appears, then...’

At that moment...

“Lady Athena has arrived.”

“Athena?”

Athena was one of the Gods of Olympus. She was the representative that Gaia Continent had sent during the recent diplomatic exchange to train the elite soldiers of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“Why is she here...?”

Minhyuk suddenly felt tense. He was wondering if some kind of commotion would break out soon. To his shock, when Athena came in, she declared, “I ran away from home.”

“...Yes?”

“I want to stay in the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

“What...?”

“Please give me your permission.”

‘So suddenly? No. Wait. Are you saying that Athena, one of the Gods of Olympus, ran away from home?’

“I heard your conversation outside. Don’t you need someone to train your soldiers? I’ll take care of that for you if you let me stay here.”

From what Minhyuk had heard, Athena possessed countless passive skills that were aimed explicitly at training soldiers.

“Are you joking with me?” Minhyuk frowned. “This is not a shelter for runaways!”

The furious Minhyuk looked around the conference room. Just as he expected, even his vassals were all left flustered and embarrassed. Yes, she ran away from home. But why did she have to come here? Why did they have to accept her out of the blue? How absurd it was for them and their emperor.

“Give me a house!”

“...?”

“I told you! This is not a shelter for runaways!”

Nevertheless, her arrival helped solve all of their problems. Minhyuk felt as if all of the tension and congestion in his body had been released.

Just then, a bird flew into the conference room. It was none other than the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You.

This was the same bird that gathered Ellie, King Raldo, and the others with its superb acting skills during the sudden raid of the God of Snakes’ child, Leona. It was also the same bird that gathered Bender and the Attention Seekers in the most recent incident with Grand General Jenel, where it lied by saying that Jenel had trampled on Minhyuk and spat on his face.

Basically, it did its job well.

Minhyuk had ordered the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You to keep an eye on Philos. He ordered the bird to come and tell him if someone had harassed or bullied Philos or if she had gotten into some kind of trouble.

“

Chirp! Chirp, chirp, chirp!!!

”

Everyone present in the conference room listened carefully to the words of the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You.

***

One hour earlier.

Dimension Monarch Inel was once considered for the position of a Pillar Candidate. He possessed a special power that allowed him to go toe to toe with a lot of the Pillar Candidates.

His power not only allowed him to create another dimension that no one could easily enter, but it also allowed him to create a variety of things within it. He could create a world in a new dimension that was blocked from the world outside.

That was what Dimension Monarch Inel did. He built a huge kingdom inside his dimension, rivaling an ordinary empire in terms of power, and also had a significant advantage. They could be hidden whenever Inel pleased.

‘The only reason why I did not become one of the Pillar Candidates is because Chaos thought that I’m unfit for the role.’

Inel was sure about this reason. And it was valid to a certain extent. Inel had gathered countless evil men in his newly created dimension. After all, the world was filled with wicked people, and they needed a place, a shelter, where they could hide.

‘They’re all outstanding! They’re so outstanding that you wouldn’t even be able to imagine what they’re capable of!’

And in this place where these people had gathered had created a kingdom.

‘That kingdom is none other than my kingdom, Pasden. As for the number of people who can break through my barrier in this world? They can be counted on one hand.’

The Pasden Kingdom caused problems that were far more serious than the rest of the world expected. This was because the evil men who belonged to the Pasden Kingdom would commit countless heinous crimes, loot massive amounts of money, wreak havoc outside, then flee back to their kingdom right away and hide under the protection of Inel’s barrier.

Recently, Inel had received a report about a girl.

“There’s this weird brat. All of the artifacts on her body looked plain and shabby, but whenever she fought against monsters, she could deal with them with just a swing easily.”

Inel immediately thought,

‘Is the girl purposely hiding the true appearance of her artifacts?’

The truth was that Minhyuk had changed the appearance of Philos’ artifacts and deliberately made them look shabby and plain, hoping that she would be less exposed to danger.

Alas, Inel possessed a pair of eyeglasses that allowed him to see through his opponents’ artifacts. And it showed him that the artifacts that Philos possessed were all God-rank artifacts of the highest level.

“Hmm. How should we take those artifacts away from that little girl?” Inel spoke with a dark smile.

Inel’s aide, Asga, suggested cautiously, “How about inviting the girl to the Nobles’ Party that we’re holding tonight?”

“Ho? The Nobles’ Party?”

Inel instantly understood his aide’s intentions when he saw the way he was smirking.

‘So, you want us to lock her up until she gives us everything that she has.’

They would not use any physical threats. They would just tell her that they would lock her up and only let her go if she gave them everything that she had.

“That’s quite a good idea, huh? Well, we should coax the girl by feeding her something delicious. Haha!”

“Yes. And since she’s an honored guest of our kingdom, we can also send her a beautiful dress.”

“Oh my~ A beautiful dress will suit a beautiful girl more than a sword, a helmet, and armor, right?”

“Of course. Haha. We can just tell her that we’ll throw those old artifacts away for her.”

“Ah! But...” Inel recalled that the girl was a foreigner. If that were the case, then the girl would have a strong backer. Her parents would be strong. However, Inel did not worry that much.

‘In the first place, they will not be able to find where our kingdom is. And even if they find it, they will not be able to come in.’

Inel chuckled to himself. Nonetheless, just to be sure, he also tore a parchment.

‘Level Confirmation Parchment.’

It was an item that allowed the parchment user to check the level of players. And it could only be used on foreigners.

[Level 154.]

Her level was also on the low side.

Inel raised his finger and pointed it at the girl, who was munching on something while hunting monsters. At that moment, a black shadow popped up from the ground and hit her. Then, a black stream of energy swallowed her figure. When it disappeared, the girl had also disappeared. She ended up in the Pasden Kingdom.

Suddenly, a bird flew to the place where the girl was before.

“

Chirp?! Chirp, chirp! Chirp?!

” The furious bird rushed straight toward Inel and his aide.

“What the hell is that?”

“Maybe that bird is protecting the girl?”

“That’s funny. Well then, let’s go back too.”

Swoosh!

A black stream of energy appeared once more and engulfed the figure of the two men. By the time the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You arrived where they were, the two had already disappeared.

***

Minhyuk had finished listening to the report of the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You.

“A different dimension? A kingdom?”

The Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You loved to exaggerate things. This time, it was very furious. As a result, it exaggerated its story even more.

“WHAT?! You’re saying that they’re going to take everything from Philos and lock her up in jail?!”

“Did you just say that they will lock her up in prison and let her rot there for the rest of her life?!”

Minhyuk’s hands clenched into fists. He had originally placed a group of escorts around Philos to protect her. But he removed them in the end at the girl’s request. Philos had said that it made her feel very uncomfortable and awkward. So, they compromised.

Since no one at the same level as her would be able to defeat her, he decided just to leave the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You by her side.

[Philos is currently located in an unknown location.]

As Philos’ guardian, he possessed a parchment that would allow him to protect Philos right away. The problem was that Philos was trapped in another dimension. Because of that, the parchment did not work.

Minhyuk’s face grew red from anger. At that moment, Abel came in. He said, “If it’s another dimension, then it’s the handiwork of Dimension Monarch Inel. I’m already looking for the coordinates where his dimension is located. I’ll be able to locate it today.”

Of course, the Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You knew about the people who cared about Philos. It had flown away to inform the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire who were not present. All of them had rushed back the moment they heard the news.

“Where’s Philos?!”

“Which bastard dared to touch her?!”

“When I get my hands on that bastard, I will make sure to kill him!”

Alas, all they could do was wait for Abel to find the coordinates. All of them sat there, stewing in their anxiety and impatience as they waited for the location.

***

Bender came to visit the Beyond the Heavens Empire after a long time. When he arrived, he heard that something unusual had happened to the empire. So, he went to the conference room right away.

“Ah, Bender.”

Even though Bender came to visit after a long time, Minhyuk just could not bring himself to greet the man enthusiastically. Not today.

After Bender understood the ins and outs of the matter, he said, “Minhyuk, why don’t you join my Bender and the Attention Seekers today?”

“Bender! Why are you talking about that? At this moment?!” Minhyuk burst out, unable to rein in his anger. This was related to Philos!

Minhyuk knew that Bender had been living his new life happily and energetically under the name of Bender and the Attention Seekers. However, wasn’t it a bit too much for him to recruit him in this situation?

Bender had once jokingly said...

–

One day, I will recruit you and turn the group into Minhyuk and the Attention Seekers.

Of course, Bender was not someone who did not know how to discern what was right from wrong.

“I’m not joking around. You’ll never know when an opportunity like this will appear again. If you get the people’s attention, it means that others see you as someone powerful, someone to be feared.”

Minhyuk’s breathing turned ragged.

“You have to join us so that no one in this world will ever dare to touch Philos. You have to let them know that this is what they will go through if they dare to touch this girl named Philos. Of course, I won’t deny that we will be able to get attention. After all, I intend to appear in the coolest and most shocking way. But don’t you think that this will also be another way to protect Philos?”

Bender’s words made a lot of sense.

“Hoho. I see, I see. We have to

kill the chicken to scare the monkey

. This will show the world that no one can touch my dear granddaughter!”

It was not solely because Bender wanted to have fun. The expression on Bender’s face was as serious as that on Minhyuk’s face.

“I’m sorry I got angry at you.”

“I’m sorry too. I know that the way I worded it does not sound good.”

Yes, his words were just worded wrongly.

Minhyuk stared at the conference room. There were a lot of people rushing in from the outside.

“Where’s the bastard?!”

Among them was Luvien Empire’s Emperor Brod, who warped to the Beyond the Heavens Empire the moment he heard the news.

[Who is it?! Who dared to touch my dear Philos?!]

There was also Evil God Obren, one of the Eight Pillars of the world.

“Los-Los!!! My Los-Los! Who dares to touch my dear Los-Los?!”

Even the blacksmith, Hephaestus, was among them. Countless strongmen and powerhouses rushed inside the conference room. All of them looked like wild beasts ready to go wild and tear their prey apart.

As for Minhyuk? He did not like the name Bender and the Attention Seekers. So. He changed it.

“Philos’ Family, prepare for war.”

This was the birth of a new group that succeeded Bender and the Attention Seekers.