Chapter 599: First Teacher, First Friend

The mission of the great Athenae Religion’s Saintess was to bring judgement to those that had been stained with evil. The typical examples of this were the demons and the undead. The saintess was also given the mission to stop the ‘Six God Monsters’, existences that even the Absolute Gods feared. Each and every single one of them had their own personalities, attributes, and abilities, and they were extremely strong.

Millions of sword lights fell down like a meteor and pierced through Elizabeth’s body in one go. The swords, which received the saintess’ blessings, exerted stronger power than before. After all, the paladins’ powers would only show its true colors when exorcising ‘evil’.

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

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaack!”

A scream burst out of Elizabeth’s mouth at the first sword light that pierced through her body.

“…Mother?”

Leona could not hide how flustered she was. Was her great mother going to be sent to eternal rest just two minutes after her appearance?

“…”

The commentators and viewers alike were mesmerized by the beautiful woman that appeared. The same was true for Richard and the members of the Maserrati Guild.

‘Crazy…’

‘He’s even friends with the Saintess?’

‘At this rate, are you telling me that he’s also close with Athenae’s President Kang Taehoon?’

However, unknown to everyone, Saintess Loyna was currently under a great deal of pressure.

‘Among the Six Monster Gods, their youngest, Elizabeth, is known to have the strongest six monster power.’

Of course, that ability had been weakened. However, that was the problem. Elizabeth’s abilities were so ridiculous that it was still overwhelming, even after it had been weakened.

Loyna hurriedly prayed to God Athenae,

‘Saintess’ Prayers.’

A bright light burst out from Loyna’s hands, healing those that had been hit by Elizabeth’s attack and were suffering from severe internal injuries.

[Elizabeth’s Poison has left your body.]

[Your internal injuries are healing rapidly.]

The ones that were brought to the brink of death had regained their rosy complexions as their internal injuries were healed completely.

“So, this is the power of a true saintess…”

Even Sword Emperor Ellie was in awe of Loyna’s power. After all, who would believe that a single woman possessed the power to heal everyone here? But unbeknownst to everyone, sweat was already dripping down Loyna’s forehead.

‘It’s worth a try if we’re with Saintess Loyna.’

‘If we have Saintess Loyna’s buff then…’

‘We have the chance to wipe out one of the Six Monster Gods from the world.’

The Named NPCs that gathered at Minhyuk’s call thought the same thing. All of them thought that Loyna healed them so that they could fight. However, it was the complete opposite.

“All of the troops have to return! Run as far and as fast as you can!”

“…Why?”

“She’s beyond what we can handle. Hurry, before she comes back to her senses!”

Everyone could not understand Loyna’s words for a moment. The number of troops gathered here almost reached five million. On top of that, the saintess was with them. They could not understand why she was telling them that their enemy was beyond their ability to deal with.

“Hurry, there’s not much time…”

“You’re weaker than what I thought.”

“…!”

Then, Elizabeth’s gloomy and creepy voice rang in Loyna’s ears. Elizabeth was smiling wickedly despite the sword blades piercing through her body.

Swiiiish—

The swords made of light slowly slipped out of her body as her injuries regenerated at a rapid rate. Then, Elizabeth spread her arms and…

“Damn it!” Loyna shouted, her face turning white.

[Elizabeth has borrowed the power of Wolf King Loraudi.]

[Wolf’s Fang has been activated.]

Wolf King Loraudi was known for having the strongest physical ability among the Six Monster Gods. Immediately after that…

Slaaaaaaash—

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud!

“Kyaaaaaaaaack!”

…a gigantic wolf appeared and bit Loyna’s leg, staining her white priestly robes with blood. Then, the same set of fangs appeared on the bodies of everyone present.

“Keooooook!”

Some collapsed and died instantly, bleeding from the bite that appeared on their necks.

“Keuaaaaaaack!”

Some sank to their knees, their weapons falling on the ground as bite marks appeared on their arms.

“Urghhhh!” Ellie groaned as she dropped her sword, suffering a bite mark on her wrists. The ability was unbelievable. It inflicted massive damage on everyone present without even attacking them directly. Everyone received damage except for one. Minhyuk, who was inside the Let’s Have a Meal barrier, was safe and sound.

“…”

Minhyuk was left speechless at the sight that unfolded in front of him.

‘Black Dragon Vormon… Demigod Asura, and even Great Demon Verus are no match for this…’

Back then, 50% of Great Demon Verus’ power had been sealed. However, Minhyuk thought that he would still be no match against Elizabeth even if he had his full power.

‘Everyone… will die…’

Just when the thought flashed in Minhyuk’s head, he saw Sword Emperor Ellie hold her sword with her left hand. Elf King Argon, who was limping on one leg, picked up his bow and aimed an arrow at Elizabeth. Yes. For Minhyuk, ‘giving up’ meant logging out. But for them, it was different. And it was also because of that reason…

[Would you like to purchase Ingredient that can Unconditionally Make God-Grade Dishes?]

“Yes.”

[You have used 200,000 cash to purchase Ingredient that can Unconditionally Make God-Grade Dishes.]

Minhyuk immediately checked the detailed description of the ingredient.

[The Ingredient that can Unconditionally Make God-Grade Dishes has a 100% chance of making a God-grade dish. However, even in the same grade, there are dishes that are excellent and dishes that have lesser effects than others.

You have a chance of making Absolute God-Grade Dish or ordinary God-Grade Dishes.

The grading of the dish that you will make will be divided into

Weak

,

Ordinary

,

Fantastic

and

Absolute God

.]

Minhyuk tried to cook. But that also became a problem. Elizabeth’s gaze turned to Minhyuk. It seemed like she noticed the powerful force emanating from deep within him.

‘The power of a god?’

Elizabeth could tell that the man had the power of a god and that he was trying to do something. It was clear that it was not an ordinary power of a god. Also, the man annoyed Elizabeth. Why was the man unaffected by the ability that she expressed earlier?

Actually, it was working. The moment Elizabeth pointed her hand toward Minhyuk…

[Let’s Have a Meal’s barrier has started to sustain damage!]

[Warning!!! Nothing is ‘Absolute’ in front of Elizabeth’s overwhelming power!]

“…!”

Minhyuk made eye contact with Elizabeth. At that moment, everyone knew…

“All troops, retreat as far back as possible!”

“Retreat at full speed!!!”

“Don’t look back, just run!!!”

The kings of other races, the empress of Eivelis Empire, and even Great Demon Gremory immediately ordered their army’s retreat. As the troops immediately stepped back, their eyes remained on Elizabeth who was taking a step forward in the air. The leaders of the various groups all chose to remain and not retreat.

Why? Because Minhyuk was in danger.

“Shit…! All of you should run and escape!!!” Minhyuk shouted but it was useless. Spear God Ben and Sword Emperor Ellie had already leapt to the skies.

“Sky Ripper…”

“…Frenzy.”

Just when the two cast their skills to attack Elizabeth…

Shwaaaaaaaaa—

Shwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—

Gigantic anacondas appeared on Elizabeth’s body, shooting straight toward Ellie and Ben and restricting their movements. Not long after…

Shwaaaa—

Shwaaaaa—

Hundreds of anacondas appeared and wrapped around all of the people that surrounded and protected Minhyuk, restricting their movements and stopping them from moving.

“Ughhhh…!”

“Your Majesty!!!”

“Minhyuk!!!”

“…”

Minhyuk bit his lips as he watched the barrier slowly melt away.

‘Right now, who are you worrying about?’

Minhyuk was a foreigner that would be able to come back to life, yet the people around him threw themselves forward to try and save him. In just a blink, the Let’s Have a Meal Barrier started to melt away.

Loyna broke free from the anacondas’ hold with Athenae’s power. She was the only one that could use ‘Athenae’s Barrier’. If she could cast the barrier, Elizabeth would not be able to pierce through Minhyuk. However…

“Hmmmph, hmmmph!”

Elizabeth flicked her fingers and Loyna’s mouth turned shut, it was as if they had been sewed tight.

“Is he the person that you care about and treasure the most?”

Elizabeth found it interesting that a single person was able to gather all these high-profile NPCs. On top of that, he was a human. Everyone turned desperate. And in that desperation, Elizabeth hoped that they would feel frustration and helplessness. After all, everyone would feel despair and frustration upon Minhyuk’s death. Then, Elizabeth arrived in front of the disappearing barrier.

Shwaaaaa—

Shwaaaaaa—

However, Minhyuk was secretly preparing an attack and waiting for her to approach. The attack was none other than the ‘Overlord Technique’. Minhyuk had already judged that Elizabeth was an overwhelming opponent the moment she appeared, so he decided to use Overlord’s Technique right away. Even though he did not fight, his Overlord’s Mana had been constantly increasing.

“Overlord’s…”

Just when the strong power started to surge from within Minhyuk’s body, Elizabeth waved her hand and…

[Your casting of Overlord’s Technique has been stopped.]

“…?!”

What kind of overpowered existence was she? In the end, Elizabeth appeared right in front of Minhyuk, her yellow eyes glinting sharply as she said, “I’ll make you suffer tremendously and make your death as painful as possible.”

While everyone was looking at Elizabeth’s cruelty and viciousness in abject terror, an unidentified voice rang, “God’s Sacrifice.”

“…?!!!”

God’s Sacrifice. Perhaps Elizabeth was the only one that knew about it. There were only a few of the Continental Gods that had this power. It was a power that granted the Continental Gods a force close to an Absolute God’s power, in exchange for all of the divine power in their body. The price for using this power was death.

Flaaaaaaaaaaash—

A bright golden light burst out as a man appeared in front of Elizabeth.

“…”

The man was someone that Minhyuk knew very well.

***

This was a story that happened a long time ago, back when Minhyuk had just started playing Athenae and had connected Instructor Valen with Instructor Roina.

Instructor Valen had been living a lonely life, a life without interaction, having left behind his glorious days as the Sword God. However, a young man suddenly appeared in front of him, came to his house, and served him a delicious and warm meal.

‘Hehe, Instructor!’

Valen treated the young man with a bright smile kindly. He spent most of his time with the young man. When the young man received his god class, ‘Food God’, Valen was near the dungeon.

‘Good going.’

When the young man first met the members of Legend Guild…

‘It’s good that you made good friends.’

When the young man became king…

‘You look cool.’

When the young man was in danger…

‘You can get over it.’

Valen watched over the young man all the time. It was to the point that his wife said,

‘Why don’t you just go and meet him instead?’

But Valen just smiled and shook his head while saying,

‘This much is enough.’

He had always remained invisible as he supported and cheered the young man from afar. So, the question was… Who was Minhyuk to him? At one point, Valen started to keep a diary. Perhaps the diary was some sort of will? It was made just in case the boy was placed in danger some day.

As he wrote his diary, he prayed and begged Athenae,

‘God of Origin, I beg you. Please give me the strength to save that child if he ever comes across danger.’

God of Origin Athenae heard the prayers that he made every time and she was both pleased and sad at the same time. Here, she was witnessing the friendship of the guardians and the foreigners. One day, Athenae decided to listen to Valen’s prayers and grant him his wish.

On the day that Athenae gave Valen his wish, Valen wrote the last chapter in his diary.

***

A bright golden light burst out as a man approached Elizabeth and Minhyuk. Elizabeth vehemently denied the man’s power,

‘There’s no way that Athenae will listen to that man’s prayers!!!’

God’s Sacrifice was a power that not anyone could invoke. It was a deadly skill that could only be triggered if one gained Athenae’s approval and recognition. But not long after, something surprising happened.

[God of Origin Athenae grants a final power to the one that wants to protect.]

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

The moment Valen swung his sword, hundreds of blades slashed Elizabeth’s body.

Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—

“Kyaaaaaaaaaaaaack!”

Valen immediately approached Elizabeth and brought his sword down.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaam—

“In… Instructor…”

Valen’s figure was slowly fading. However, he just smiled slightly at Minhyuk. He did not want to say anything to Minhyuk because he knew that the boy would be sad if he did so. But there was one thing that he wanted to tell the boy.

‘Don’t ever stop. Keep on moving forward.’

As time went by, Valen’s figure grew more and more transparent. At the same time, the power that Valen did not wish for but Athenae granted to him was suddenly triggered and made its appearance.

[Athenae has handed Valen’s Diary to you.]

The diary hidden in Valen’s body flew out and flipped its pages on its own. The letters appeared in front of Minhyuk. He was the only one that saw the letters and the words that they formed.

[Everything is still vivid to me. The day he first visited my cabin and the warmth that he left afterwards.]

[He became the Food God. I’ll continue to cheer him on and watch him from afar.]

[Ah, he met new friends. Were they the Legend Guild? I’m glad that he has met good friends.]

[He became a king. He…]

[He did…]

[He…]

[He’s…]

[He was the first person to cook for me.]

[He was the only child that smiled sincerely at me, who has been alone all my life.]

[He was the only one that made me laugh after a long time.]

Then, he read the last words written in the diary.

[He’s my first and last friend.]

[He’s my first and last disciple.]

After that sentence, there were traces of words that had been erased. Minhyuk desperately tried to read the words but there was a limit to how much he could read from the erased characters.

[B t l t m s th s to s t fy m ow g. Y a my f st s.]

At that moment, Athenae’s powers were triggered and made the erased and blurred characters turn clear. At the same time, Valen soared to the skies. As he rose to the skies, to deal with Elizabeth, Valen’s gaze remained on only one person and one person alone, Minhyuk. That was when the erased letters were restored, appearing in front of Minhyuk clearly.

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

Then, an explosion of light devoured Valen and Elizabeth. Minhyuk called for Valen desperately, “Instructooooooooooor!!!”

Amidst the tumultuous skies and the shaking earth, the letters finally turned completely clear and arranged themselves to complete the last chapter of Valen’s diary.

[I know that I shouldn’t say these words. Still, it wouldn’t hurt since everything will remain in my imagination, right?]

[I’m being too greedy, I know. Yet I can’t stop imagining how it feels like to watch him grow up. Watch him go to a Swordsmanship Academy. Watch him become a soldier. Watch him turn into a knight.]

[This is just me being greedy. That’s why I’m going to erase this last chapter of my diary.]

[But let me just say this to satisfy my own greed. You…]

Minhyuk’s eyes followed the words and read the last sentence of the diary.

[…are my first son.]