Leveling Up through Eating

Minhyuk once heard his father talk about his dreams.

–Son, this father of yours will become a dragon one day.

When his father talked about his dreams back then, he looked just as excited as a child. He could not help but smile when he saw his father gush about his dreams like that.

‘I have received a lot from him.’

Minhyuk’s father was his sole driving force. He was the only reason why Minhyuk did not collapse and continue to struggle and fight against his eating addiction. Because of that, Minhyuk had always wanted to do something for his father.

And just like always, he asked Abel about it. But after sending a reply to the whisper, Abel did not answer.

[Minhyuk: Abel?]

[Abel: Minhyuk, I am very serious about this. You have to listen carefully to me.]

Abel suddenly sent a very solemn whisper. Sensing the tone of the whisper, Minhyuk also turned serious.

[Minhyuk: Why? Koreans like rice the best. When someone has not contacted you for a long time, you say, ‘Let’s have a meal later!’ When you meet someone on the street, you say, ‘Let’s have a meal later!’ When someone does something you’re grateful for, you say, ‘Let’s have a meal later!’ But you’re refusing that meal? OMG…]

[Abel: No. It’s because you say you will always buy me a meal, but you also eat my share!]

‘Uhm. I can’t deny that.’

For some reason, Minhyuk felt very sad.

‘I felt like it was more delicious whenever I stole from Abel’s plate…’

[Minhyuk: Okay, I understand…ㅠ]

[Abel: Alright. Thank you. Anyway, there are two methods to become a real dragon. Let’s set things straight first. I only found one of the methods.]

Minhyuk quietly listened to Abel’s story.

[Abel: There is a place called Dragon Land. It’s a place where only dragons live. I have gathered that it’s an entirely different place from the World of Hybrids where your father is currently.]

As far as Minhyuk knew, his father, Black Dragon, was acting as the Dragon Monarch and was working actively in the World of Hybrids. Then, suddenly…

‘If my dad becomes a real dragon, would he become the owner of Dragon Land?’

If that truly happened, Black Dragon would be able to lead the half-dragons and the dragon army. At that moment, Minhyuk could already imagine the sight of his father smiling grimly as he swept his hair up!

‘Fufufu! A real dragon is going berserk in my body!’

But that was not the end.

‘The blood in my body is boiling. It’s calling for my brethren!’

Then, tens of thousands of dragons and half-dragons would charge forward and fight by his side!

‘Wow…’

It would be a sight to see. Of course, Minhyuk was still listening to Abel as he imagined his father.

[Abel: According to the information I have gathered, the necklace possessed by the old Dragon Emperor can turn someone into a real dragon.]

Minhyuk also confirmed with Abel how to get to Dragon Land and meet the Dragon Emperor. However, he was not in a rush.

‘I’ll take care of these boring tasks first and then go there immediately.’

Minhyuk felt extremely happy at the thought of his father’s smile.

***

Black Dragon chose food as the final reward in the Dragons’ Grave for his son, Minhyuk. He did not have any regrets at all. It was fine. After all, there were two methods.

Since he knew there was another way, Black Dragon could unlock more information about the other method without much difficulty.

“Children, this time it’s for real.”

“Kekekekekek!”

“Kikikikikiki!”

“Ahihihihihihi!”

Black Dragon and the four legendary dragons all laughed grimly. Perhaps it was because they were given a short preview of what would come; they felt even more motivated to reach their goals.

After following the information he obtained, Black Dragon and his four dragons finally reached Dragon Land.

***

The Qingdao Kingdom was a nation built by one of the Chinese high-rankers, Xu Jiaqi. Its main pillars were the Black Dragon Order, a group that dominated the Chinese Server in the past.

Back then, the Black Dragon Order’s members all had the pinnacle skill that no other player had. However, the pinnacle skill they once monopolized had now become a thing of the past.

The Qingdao Kingdom was located in the Chinese Server. This meant that its population and territory were much larger than those of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, a nation that was hailed as an empire. But even if that was the case, they still lagged completely behind the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Why? It was because of their level.

Even so, the Qingdao Kingdom was still quite a mighty nation. It aimed to become the second empire established by a player.

“This is quite reassuring.”

Lamber chuckled when he heard Xu Jiaqi’s words. Lamber was one of the members of the newly reconstructed God’s Children.

The Gods' Children seemed to have completely disappeared when Rex, one of them, failed to complete the God of Death’s story. However, new Gods' Children were born to the world to carry their pride. They also have the same high reputation that they had in the past.

Lamber, in particular, possessed a very unique ability.

‘Ruler of Range.’

The Ruler of Range was one of the Absolute Demigod Classes. Although its attack skills were excellent, the class’ other skills were far more outstanding. The class possessed a very absurd skill called Absolute Range. The skill user could set up a range that could reach up to 1.5 kilometers and reduce the skills, artifacts, and abilities of the people caught within the range by 30%.

‘In other words, everything they have will drop by 30%.’

It was a ridiculously phenomenal skill. Of course, Lamber’s ability came with a massive penalty. His level would drop by one every time he used the skill. Not only that, he also had to pay around 1,000 platinum to trigger the skill. It was quite a massive penalty for just one skill.

However, skills with such huge penalties could be considered a player’s one-shot kill skill. It was purely up to the player’s discretion whether they would benefit or lose from using this skill.

And the Qingdao Kingdom had been benefiting greatly from Lamber’s unusual ability. Even if dozens of Qingdao Kingdom’s top rankers had gathered together, it was difficult for them to raid a boss mob. However, with the addition of Lamber, they could raid such monsters easily.

Xu Jiaqi, who walked with Lamber, looked around her. Thirty Level 600 players and countless of the Qingdao Kingdom’s elite troops marched in front of them. Seeing this, Xu Jiaqi felt very reassured.

‘Many players have achieved Level 600 popping all over the world.’

The number of players at Level 600 has increased rapidly since Alexander achieved Level 600. The current estimate of the total number of Level 600 players is around 1,000.

As far as Xu Jiaqi knew, the Qingdao Kingdom had the highest number of Level 600 players compared to other nations. Simply put, it would be difficult for other empires and kingdoms to keep up with them. This was mainly because of their large population.

Meanwhile, she looked at the end of their marching path. In this place lived another race. And this race was none other than the dragon race. A place that was teeming with true dragons.

“When it comes to true dragons, there’s nothing that we can throw away. From their spines to their cintamani stones, to their toes, and even their skin. Everything has value. One dragon is worth 10,000 platinum. And if we capture those dragons and torture them, we can get Dragon Tears from them. Each drop of such tear is worth 5,000 platinum.”

This was information that they had learned from Sima Qian, the aide and tactician of the Qingdao Kingdom.

“It wouldn’t benefit us to hunt the dragons right away. We have to capture the Dragon Emperor first. The tears of a Dragon Emperor are far more valuable than any other Dragon Tears. We’ll have them remain in our captivity and obtain those tears forever.”

“Amazing,” Xu Jiaqi said, a vicious and disgusting smile on her face as she slowly walked toward their destination.

***

Black Dragon was extremely nervous when he finally reached Dragon Land. In the first place, dragons were legendary spiritual beasts, even in Athenae. Of course, the four dragons by his side were a bit special.

As for the dragons he would meet in this place, they were not like the dragons he had encountered in the Dragons’ Grave. Since they weren’t dead, he did not know whether they would be hostile or friendly to him.

Black Dragon, who grew closer to Dragon Land, saw the dragons guarding the entrance to what seemed like an ordinary empire. He slowly and carefully walked toward the entrance.

The two dragons stationed at the gates looked at Black Dragon warily. Dragons had eyes similar to that of a snake. So, when they narrowed their eyes at him, it looked even more intimidating.

“Do you have human or dragon blood flowing in your veins?” One of the dragons snorted, flame shooting out from his nostrils.

Then, Black Dragon saw…

[Dragon Guard Gian. Level 598.]

[Dragon Guard Conon. Level 601.]

And just as he expected, the dragons were at a much higher level than ordinary mobs. Black Dragon had done extensive research and studies about dragons. From what he had gathered, these dragons possessed a unique power that was different from the power that the four legendary dragons possessed. He also knew that there were many kinds of dragons.

“Who are you?” The dragon asked, a cold and vigilant glare aimed at him.

Who am I?

Without any hesitation, Black Dragon said, “Fufufufu. Did you just ask who I am?”

Black Dragon laughed majestically, his chuunibyou coming through. Then, he breathed the sweet air around him and said, “Ahem. My blood is boiling. I am a human who wants to become a dragon. Seeing my brethren personally makes the blood in this body of mine boil. Ooooh! I want to share the same hot blood flowing through your veins. Fufufu. Kghhk…!”

Black Dragon trembled as he held his right hand. Then, he said, “The being in my right arm is about to go berserk…!”

“...”

“...”

The two dragons looked at each other. At this moment, Black Dragon thought that a fierce battle was inevitable. If a fight truly broke out, the path leading him to become a dragon would be stained with blood.

“Let me guide you to the Dragon Emperor.”

The dragons led Black Dragon inside. When he stepped inside, he saw a peaceful and quiet land. Although what they seemed to eat was different from what humans ate, they also practiced the same practices and bought and sold wares and food to each other. They also stopped on the streets to talk and laugh with each other.

‘Living is the same for everyone,’ Black Dragon thought as he followed the Dragon Guards.

Finally, he reached the castle where the Dragon Emperor lived. A shudder suddenly ran down Black Dragon’s spine when he caught sight of the black energy surrounding the black-and-white castle. That was not all; blood dripped all over the castle. This scene made Black Dragon excited.

‘My goodness! There’s blood dripping down the castle!’

Not long after, Black Dragon entered the castle and met face-to-face with the Dragon Emperor. The Dragon Emperor was around 1.5x bigger than ordinary dragons, and his eyes? It was entirely black, with no distinction between the pupils and the whites of the eye. He was also donning a torn and ragged red cape that heightened his impressiveness in the eyes of Black Dragon.

“Fufu. You have brought me an insignificant human being? Shall I take your heart and dye my hands a beautiful color with it? If not that, then shall I hang your heart on the castle and let your blood drip down and soak the world until the land begins to wail?”

“Fufufufufu. It would be his greatest honor and pleasure if you allow his heart's blood to soak the land, Your Majesty.”

“Today’s sun is quite intense. It is just like you, Your Majesty. However, this connection is just like a spring breeze. Keuhahahahahaha!”

At this moment, Black Dragon felt his heart thump wildly. He finally understood why the Dragon Guards said nothing else and guided him here. The way they spoke was just way too excellent. They were just like him!

Black Dragon took a step forward and said, “Fufufufu. Can you see it, Your Majesty the Dragon Emperor? Can you see this being on my right hand, twitching like crazy and hoping to rush out just because we have seen you?”

“Is that so? This is also the first time that I have met a human like you who carries the same air as us. My heart is growing as intense as the sun. Ahhh. The four dragons under your command shine as brightly as the stars. They are so bright that they blind my eyes. Kghhk!”

The Dragon Emperor and Black Dragon looked at each other’s eyes.

“Fu– Fufufufufufufu– Fufufufufufufu!”

“Keuhahahahaha– Keuhahahahahahahaha!”

At this moment, Black Dragon, who cackled heartily, felt like he had met a true friend. He raised his hand elegantly and said, “For your eyes carrying blazing flames, cheers!”

Black Dragon was indeed pleased.

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