Leveling Up through Eating

After the Battle God’s advertisement video was released, the number of migrant applications for the Beyond the Heavens Empire, which was already flooding in, soared through the roofs.

[35,305,000 people are applying to the Beyond the Heavens Empire!]

Unlike the Luvien Empire, which was still in the middle of a chaotic time and was still trying to regain its stability, Minhyuk had now become the true Battle God. With the release of the advertisement video, the number of migrants applying to join their empire was increasing.

However, this number of migrants was still far too large for the Beyond the Heavens Empire to handle. So, just like before, they planned to take it step by step and approve the applications using a first-come, first-served system.

In front of the Battle God’s Temple.

A man looked at Minhyuk’s figure as he stood before his countless followers, looking at him with shining eyes and listening to every word he said with a small smile. This man was none other than Black Dragon.

Black Dragon looked at his excellent and outstanding son with a small smile before logging out. Although there was a smile on Chairman Kang Minhoo’s face, there was still something that he was very conflicted about. Then, he hurriedly pulled out his handkerchief to cover his mouth.

“Cough! Cough!”

Chairman Kang Minhoo, who had been coughing recently, was feeling unwell. Wasn’t there a saying about how one knew their body best?

He did not know the answer to that. Not long after, Kang Minhoo collapsed.

Knock, knock–

“Chairman, I’m coming in… President?!” Lee Jinhwan shouted.

The doctor arrived right on time. Jinhwan hurriedly approached Minhoo, only to find him gasping for breath.

Perhaps Kang Minhoo was very relieved to see the doctor. He looked at him and mumbled, “Don’t… let… Minhyuk… know…” before promptly passing out.

***

Ilhwa Group was a business legend. In its early days, it was nothing but a mom-and-pop store. However, it rose to the top of the Korean business community. People often say, “There’s no company that is clean,” but Ilhwa Group proved them wrong. They were a very clean and good company.

Chairman Kang Minhoo, the chairman of such a group, was someone that every young person in South Korea dreamed of and aspired to become. However, the object of the masses' admiration was now looking quite shabby as he sat inside a hospital room and looked out the window.

“Cough! Cough!” Minhoo began to cough again. However, he just covered his mouth with a handkerchief and continued to look out the window.

There was a bitter smile on Minhoo’s face. The moment he woke up from fainting, he immediately underwent all the tests that he could take. However, he knew full well about his physical condition. That was why he could see it coming.

‘Minhyuk should be the last person to know.’

His child has just gotten over his illness. When he thought about that, he suddenly recalled something. They were none other than the dragons that he owned in Athenae. There was an Athenae capsule connected in this VVIP room.

–You absolutely have to rest.

Although Lee Jinhwan told him to rest, Kang Minhoo still went ahead and connected to Athenae. Then, he summoned his dragons.

“Kihyeeeeee!”

“Kihyeeeeeeeck!”

“Kihyee?”

The four dragons always liked it when Black Dragon summoned them. They would all make eye contact with him, act cute, and rub their faces all over his body.

Black Dragon stroked their heads gently and said, “I wanted to become the real Black Dragon, the Black Dragon written in the myths and legends, and stay with you guys, but…”

Kang Minhoo had once mentioned this to Minhyuk. His goal was to become a real dragon in the game. A complete and genuine black dragon. And he finally found a clue that could help him achieve this dream.

“It seems like I don’t have much time left.”

Kang Minhoo patted the dragons sadly. After saying his final greetings to his dragons, he logged out and met with Lee Jinhwan, who came just in time as he got out.

“Cough! Cough!” Kang Minhoo coughed. He covered his mouth with his handkerchief and sat on his bed again before looking out the window.

“Chairman, didn’t I tell you you must rest?”

Kang Minhoo just smiled bitterly at Lee Jinhwan’s concern.

Lee Jinhwan sighed and said, “Chairman, the results are out.”

‘I know my body best.’

“Do I have to know?” Kang Minhoo said. Sometimes, it was better for the person involved not to know. Then he continued, “I saw Minhyuk standing in front of so many people today. As his father, I feel very proud and happy. I was overwhelmed with emotions.”

“...”

Lee Jinhwan just silently listened to Kang Minhoo.

“Now, that child can probably lead the Ilhwa Group. However, there’s one thing that I always ask myself.” Kang Minhoo laughed bitterly. “Will that life give my son happiness?”

Did he have to do that? Did he have to push his young child, who had barely gotten over his illness, to carry the enormous burden and be the group chairman just because of his greed?

“I still believe that it’s too much of a burden. That’s why I have been thinking a lot these days. What should I do in the future?”

Kang Minhoo looked up at the sky outside. The blue sky looked gorgeous today.

Then, Lee Jinhwan said, “The results of the tests are…”

Chairman Kang Minhoo’s eyes grew sadder as he looked at the world outside. “Alright. How many days do I have left? A month? A year?”

“Your body age is 35 years old. The fact that your body age is that young despite being 58 years old this year is very surprising. This is the first time we have seen such a young body age for someone your age.”

“...?”

“The results of your liver function tests, lung function tests, and cancer screening tests all returned normal. Even your muscle mass and bone health are better than people in their twenties.”

But Kang Minhoo’s smile remained bitter. “I know my body well. I have been coughing and running a fever and dizzy for a few days now.”

“You have a cold caused by exhaustion.”

“...”

Kang Minhoo looked at the sky again. This time, his bitter expression morphed into sadness.

‘I’m happy about the results, but for some reason, I feel uncomfortable.’

Anyway, what happened had happened.

***

Minhyuk has been as busy as a bee. The number of people who wanted to relocate to the Beyond the Heavens Empire was much higher than he had expected. Because of that, not only did he have to consider expanding his territories, but he also had to consider the homes that these people would live in.

Considering that most of these people migrated to the empire to join the Battle God’s religion, he also had to prepare quests related to the Battle God. He was living a busy life.

“Haze, how long are we going to be this busy?”

Haze smiled awkwardly when she heard Minhyuk’s question. “Normally, I would have already told you, Your Majesty, that leaving this to us is okay. But even though it’s hard for you, I hope you can help us for just a week.”

A week. In a way, working full time as an emperor for just a week could be considered a very small amount of time for an emperor like Min Hyuk. This was proof that the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire had always worked hard for the empire and for his sake.

‘There’s so much to do.’

Minhyuk had to eat delicious food, revitalize the empire, and defeat the Luvien Empire. All he could do was sigh and focus on his work once again.

***

After a good night’s sleep, the now well-rested and perfectly healed Black Dragon logged back inside Athenae. The dragons looked at him with shining eyes and asked, ‘Are you alright now?’

Black Dragon smiled brightly at them. He said, “Fufu. I won’t die so easily. After all, dragon blood is flowing in my veins. Besides, the sky is too blue for me to die, right? Fufufufu.”

It was a cringeworthy chuuni line! But the dragons rejoiced at the return of the healthy and lively Black Dragon. They twisted their bodies while acting cute and asked for hugs from Black Dragon, who found out he was fine.

“It’s time to become a real dragon.”

Black Dragon dreamt of that beautiful dragon body covered in black scales and glittering under the sunlight.

“So, when I become a dragon, I can say this…”

All of the dragons focused on him.

“Fufu. You dare to touch me? My real power, the power of a dragon, is going berserk!”

“Ki– Kihyeeeee!”

“Kihyeeeck!”

“Kihyaaa?”

The dragons’ eyes shone brighter as they looked at the cool, dashing Black Dragon with awe and admiration.

“And you, my four dragons, will fly together with me. Fufu.”

“Kekekekekeke!”

“Keekeekeekeekeek!”

“Ahihihihihihihi!”

The four dragons followed Black Dragon, and all laughed drearily.

Black Dragon had already figured out how to become an actual dragon. From what he had heard, there were, at most, only two ways to do that.

Black Dragon rarely asked for information from Informant Abel. This was because he knew that far too many people needed Abel’s aid. However, the world-renowned Black Dragon had a far more extensive intelligence network than Abel’s own.

“The place where the dragons slumber.”

The Dragons’ Grave. According to the intel that Black Dragon had received, there was a way in that place that would allow him to become a true dragon, not a half-dragon.

Black Dragon did not delay further and left for the Dragons’ Grave.

***

Dragons’ Grave.

Black Dragon and his four dragons fought desperately against the already dead dragons.

When he was young, Black Dragon dreamt about dragons. As they ascended to the heavens, their figures were literally a thing of legend. Even the breaths that they spewed out of their mouths were breathtaking. Now that he was an adult, this dream became his goal.

Black Dragon already had everything. He was left with nothing more to enjoy and be excited about. But when he obtained Britney in Athenae, he took one step closer to becoming the true Black Dragon and again awakened his dreams of becoming an actual dragon. This was his final dream, the last goal he wished to achieve.

“Don’t back down! I’ll protect your backs!” Black Dragon shouted.

He gritted his teeth as he continued to fight with the dead dragons, who were charging at them fiercely. Whenever the four dragons were in danger, Black Dragon would jump up and protect them. He would even go so far as to use his body to receive the attack on their behalf. Then, he would take potions and continue to cut down the dead dragons in front of him.

This was already the third day. Although he and his dragons were exhausted, they continued to move forward.

“Fufufu. Just think about it. Thousands of dragons, ascending to the heavens and flying with me, who has become a true dragon!”

“Keeeekeeee!”

“Kihyeeeeee!”

“Kiheeeeee!”

Black Dragon looked like he had returned to his childhood, as if he had imagined a pleasant thought. After walking for quite a while, they finally reached the end of the Dragons’ Grave.

[Brainwashed Dragon King has appeared!]

The Dragon King was twice as massive as an ordinary dragon. The problem was that hundreds of dead dragons appeared around him.

With his dragon armor, Black Dragon flew to the skies with his own dragons. This final stop held the path that would lead him to his dreams of becoming a dragon.

Slash, slash, slash–!

Another fierce battle ensued. Black Dragon fought for his dreams while the four legendary dragons fought to protect him and his dreams. The four dragons loved Black Dragon more than anybody else in the world. That was why they were willing to do anything and everything for him.

“Keuhaaaaaaack!”

“Kihyeeeeeeck!”

“Kiheeeeeeek!”

When they saw Black Dragon fall after receiving the brunt of the dragons’ breath, the four dragons flew toward him to protect him.

“I’m fine. Let’s go again!”

“Kihyeee!”

“Kihyeeeeeeck!”

The fierce battle only ended after a dark sea of dead dragons had been created. And the soul of the brainwashed Dragon King was finally set free. He said, “You have all the qualifications to become the ruler of the Dragons’ Grave. But to become one, a human like you has to become a dragon. This path would not be easy.”

That was right. Most humans would immediately reject this when they heard they had to become a dragon. But compared to others, there was a slight smile on Black Dragon’s face.

“This is why I will offer you two things.”

Ring!

[The Dragon King offers you two rewards.]

[The first reward is a cintamani stone that can turn you into a dragon.]

[The second reward is a chicken carrying a dragon’s vitality.]

“...”

Black Dragon felt extremely happy that he would finally become an actual dragon. But the other reward was a chicken carrying a dragon’s vitality. When he checked its details, he discovered that it was a God-grade ingredient far superior to any other ordinary God-grade ingredient. On top of that, it looked very delicious.

But Black Dragon had dreamt of becoming a dragon for a long time. He realized he could not make this dream come true so early. A bitter smile flashed on Black Dragon’s face.

“Children, I’m sorry.”

“Kiiii– Kiiiiii!”

“Kihyeeeee!”

The kind-hearted dragons, who struggled and fought fiercely for his sake, respected Black Dragon's choice. All of them nodded their heads and told him that it was fine.

This was a very ridiculous situation. However, ridiculous situations often happen between a father and his child. Black Dragon had frequently heard the other fathers' stories. One of them saved enough money to buy a new padded coat but ended up using his old padded coat because he used it to buy a game console for his son. There was another one of them who chose to quit smoking and had been doing it for decades. Instead, he saved the money that was supposed to be for his cigarettes and used it for his daughter’s wedding.

Although Kang Minhoo has almost everything in the world, in this case, he was still no different from them. He was just an ordinary father. He knew that one father would still laugh happily while wearing his old padded jacket after seeing his child smile and be happy with his new game console. Even the father who used his cigarette money to save and contribute to his daughter’s wedding would send her off without any regrets.

And Black Dragon was just like them. He would willingly choose the food that his child would like so that he could see the smile on his son Minhyuk’s face.

“I’ll choose the second reward.”

That was right. Kang Minhoo was just an ordinary father.

***

At the same time.

Minhyuk, busy dealing with his emperor work, received a whisper from Abel.

[Abel: Minhyuk, regarding what you asked me about the other day? I found a way to become a dragon. I heard that there are two methods, but I only learned about one.]

Just like his father, Minhyuk was an ordinary son, too.

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