Leveling Up through Eating

Xu Jiaqi declared the destruction of the Qingdao Kingdom. At the same time, she disappeared from the world. To put it simply, she went off the grid. Many players guessed that she had become a fugitive because she ran away from paying the vast debts she had incurred after causing the mess.

Now that the Qingdao Kingdom had been destroyed, the countless players who belonged to it were scattered. Many believed that the Beyond the Heavens Empire had obtained tremendous wealth after absorbing it, but the experts had different opinions.

[In fact, the Qingdao Kingdom is a nation composed mainly of Chinese players. Compared to the number of ordinary citizens, the Qingdao Kingdom has an overwhelming number of soldiers. This should have been impossible.]

[They have an overwhelming number of soldiers because they have more players than NPCs.]

That was right. Although the Qingdao Kingdom was known for having the largest territory and population, the number of NPCs residing in its lands was pitifully small. Many people wondered why the Qingdao Kingdom had not yet become an empire, considering its size and population. But after opening it part by part, they realized that it was festered and had far too many rotting parts.

[90% of the population of the Qingdao Kingdom is made of players. War prisoners are the most valuable thing one could obtain after winning a war. Even if the Qingdao Kingdom was significant, the fact is that he could only get 10% of the population. And if you consider those who have died in the war and those who have abandoned their kingdom, Minhyuk would only be able to obtain around 5%~7% of the kingdom’s population.]

[There’s also the territory obtained by the Beyond the Heavens Empire. They currently did not have the capabilities to control such a vast territory.]

That was right. The Beyond the Heavens Empire did not gain much from its victory against the Qingdao Kingdom. This was what the experts believed. But then, a series of articles completely turned the situation around.

[Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor Minhyuk declares that he will return the territory the Qingdao Kingdom had seized to their original owners.]

Both the people and the experts were shocked. Even though they could not control those territories, their value remained enormous. Not long after, one of the clever experts realized and grasped Minhyuk’s intentions.

[Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor Minhyuk is really amazing. He can strengthen the bond with these nations by giving away the territories, which they could not control in the first place, back to the people that the Qingdao Kingdom had robbed!]

[The Qingdao Kingdom has taken away and exploited many kingdoms and groups. The number of kingdoms alone had reached dozens. If you include the tribes and families, the number will shoot up. If you give them back their territories, will they just receive it as it was?]

[They will definitely give whatever they can to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. And once the Beyond the Heavens Empire is in danger, they will naturally send troops to aid them!]

[The fact that he offered to return the other territories means that only the territories initially owned by the Qingdao Kingdom would genuinely be owned by the Beyond the Heavens Empire. It seems like it’s not too much for the Beyond the Heavens Empire to handle anymore.]

[Ho. I can’t believe he’s just 21 years old.]

[As expected of our Lord, the Food God…]

That was right. Minhyuk took every bit of advantage of the situation by giving away the territories they could not afford to take under their care. And the words ‘Long Live our Lord, the Food God!’ rang worldwide.

***

A long line of procession could be seen as the prisoners from the Qingdao Kingdom got transferred to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. The number of prisoners tied up with ropes was no less than 15 million.

The Qingdao Kingdom came to be only because Xu Jiaqi raised an army and took away the land and the people of the Looms Kingdom. Because Xu Jiaqi had staged a coup, there were no prisoners of war. It was more accurate to say that most of the NPCs that belonged to the Qingdao Kingdom were once citizens of the Looms Kingdom.

The Looms Kingdom was considered one of the weak nations. The prisoners of war, who not only lost their king but also their kingdom, looked like they had fallen into the abyss.

One of the prisoners of war, a boy named Nagren, was trembling in fear as he listened to the people around him.

“Is it true? I heard they would only give the prisoners one potato daily and ask them to work all day?”

“It seems like they ask the prisoners to work twenty hours daily. Prisoners of war don’t get treated as human beings.”

“I heard that a lot of people die because of their fierce whippings, too.”

“I also heard that they will drive you into the mines, and if you can’t breathe and die inside, then they will just burn you inside.”

“And the women…”

One of the men gulped, tears streaming down his cheeks.

Then, someone said, “What about sleeping?”

“More than fifty people will be squeezed inside a room during sleeping time. You won’t even be able to lie down. You have to sit down to sleep. The same goes for clothes. You’ll wear the same thing in the winter and hot summer days.”

“I’d rather die.”

They have already lived a pitiful life, exploited by a greedy king who took over the Looms Kingdom after a coup. They had suffered and paid ridiculous taxes that reached almost 35%. It was to the point that they could only barely survive. No. Many people died of hunger in the Qingdao Kingdom. But the royal family did not care. They were just happy that they could fill their pockets. If tax had been collected, then the welfare of the people should also be considered. But there was no welfare provided at all. Even so, they still missed that life now that they were reduced to a prisoner of war.

Then, one of the men said, “I might be a prisoner of war, but I will make sure to take down at least one of those soldier bastards who will torment me.”

“Me too.”

“Sob, sob. I’m scared. I’m so scared,” Nagren cried, his fear growing as he listened to them talk. Tears even started to drip down his cheeks.

Tap–

Flinch–!

Nagren was shocked when one of the soldiers beside him patted him and flashed a soft smile. The soldier said, “There’s nothing for you to be so nervous about.”

But Nagren did not trust the soldier's words. He was sure that the soft smile was hiding a demonic figure behind it. Not long after, the long line of prisoners had received their brands.

“This prisoner’s brand is a unique brand produced by the Beyond the Heavens Empire. With this brand, we can track your location and send a tracking team to pursue you if you set foot outside the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

“Also, this prisoner’s brand will explode and lead to your death if you ever harm someone from the Beyond the Heavens Empire. This brand will disappear after a year. Then, you can go wherever you want.”

“...?”

The prisoners began whispering amongst themselves.

“Do… Do they expect all of us to die within a year?”

“Hiiiiik!”

“Is– Is that really the case?”

“They are saying that because they know that we’re going to die of labor.”

Nagren agreed with the other prisoner’s words.

Finally, the Beyond the Heavens soldiers led them to the concentration camp. The prisoners were expecting a camp filled with rotten stench. But the concentration camp was too clean. It looked pretty large and magnificent, too. It looked more like a giant village that had been newly built rather than a concentration camp.

Then, a man stood in front of the podium. He said, “This place was originally built to welcome the new migrants of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. But His Majesty Minhyuk allowed the prisoners of war to stay in this place so they could live comfortably for one year. Families can live together in larger rooms while single individuals will be given smaller rooms.”

“...?”

“...?”

But the prisoners of war still did not believe it.

“Now, I will tell you about your work.”

It’s coming!

They were going to give them a good place to sleep, but they would whip them and not allow them to sleep properly! They would exploit them by only paying them 50,000 gold per month!

“You will be assigned to the construction sites or asked to work on the fields. Your basic salary will be 1.5 million gold.”

“...!”

“...!”

Everyone was taken aback. This was because their average salary in the Qingdao Kingdom was only 300,000 gold. According to the Asgan Continent’s Basic Salary Table, an ordinary person should have a basic salary of 1.8 million gold. This showed how much the Qingdao Kingdom had exploited these people.

“As for the women…”

“Sob, sob, sob. Mother!”

“No! NO!”

“Don’t even think about taking our mother! You bastards!”

“My– My wife! You can’t touch a single strand of Ruko’s hair!”

A bitter smile flashed on Park’s face when he heard their words. Then, he said, “Those who want to work can work. Those who wish to rest can rest. Girls and boys can go to the academy and apply if they want to study. That’s all.”

“...?”

“...?”

Everyone was stunned by the ridiculously unbelievable words that came out of Park’s mouth. And the same was true for Nagren.

‘What kind of nonsense…’

The salary they would receive here was several times more than the salary they received in the Qingdao Kingdom. And the academy? It was a place that they could only enter if they had the money. But the Beyond the Heavens Empire was telling them that this learning opportunity was free and they could take it whenever they wanted.

Maybe they were just empty words?

“Now, now. Please bring the wounded here. We will now begin treatment.”

The soldier, who looked at Nagren with a soft smile before, saw the massive gash on the boy’s arm. He immediately applied medicine and put a bandage on the boy.

“Now, it won’t be infected.”

Even so, Nagren still could not bring himself to believe it. There must be a catch somewhere along the line. But when they were brought out for a meal, they were greeted by a luxurious buffet-style restaurant. It was a scene that none of them had ever seen.

“His Majesty hopes that no one will ever go hungry. All of your meals are free.”

The prisoners from the Qingdao Kingdom had a difficult life. It was very hard for them to taste meat before, so they were all in a hurry when they ate. Once their meal was over, the soldiers approached them one by one and began to help them find a job. It was just like they said before.

When the night came, Nagren could sleep in a warm and comfortable room. He thought, ‘I still can’t trust them!’

After a few days, they realized that the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire treated them like normal human beings and not like prisoners. No, if they were honest, this treatment was leagues better than their treatment in the Qingdao Kingdom.

A few more days later, Nagren met the soldier who he met before. He asked, “Wh– Why are you treating us like this? Aren’t we prisoners taken from the nation that has lost to you?”

The soldier smiled at him and said, “His Majesty had told us, ‘They are the nation's people that have lost to us in the war. But they are not guilty of any crimes. I wish to embrace them. But if they want to leave, then let them leave.’”

Nagren trembled. He had never heard of such a wonderful and kind emperor. From that point on, Nagren worked hard and concentrated on his studies. Why? Because he wanted to repay the grace given to him by the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

A year later, the prisoners’ brand disappeared from their bodies. Nevertheless, none of them left the Beyond the Heavens Empire. They were no longer prisoners of war but citizens of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

***

A week after the Beyond the Heavens Empire took in the prisoners of war.

The fact that the Beyond the Heavens Empire treated the prisoners of war warmly and kindly spread through word of mouth. This created another huge wave.

[Sob. He’s a genuine emperor. Our Lord, the Food God!]

[Yes! Minhyuk’s crazy class has made a comeback!]

[But if you think about it, if those prisoners of war became the people, whether soldiers or ordinary citizens of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, the empire would obtain more than 15 million more people. And there’s probably some great talent among them, too.]

Many were quite impressed at how Minhyuk treated prisoners of war. After all, it was different from how prisoners of war were treated in the Middle Ages.

Meanwhile, Sima Qian, who fled after the fall of the Qingdao Kingdom, headed toward the Beyond the Heavens Empire after hearing the news about the prisoners of war. There were around fifteen rankers who played a massive role in building the Qingdao Kingdom by his side.

Sima Qian was a talented strategist. He was confident that he would greatly help the Beyond the Heavens Empire, and even the other rankers thought the same thing.

‘There is no way that the Beyond the Heavens Empire, who readily embraced those prisoners of war, would abandon us.’ This was what Sima Qian had judged.

Not long after, they arrived in the Beyond the Heavens Empire and received a cold greeting from the guards.

“Tie them up.”

Sima Qian and the other rankers obediently allowed themselves to be tied up and restrained. In the end, everything was the fault of their king. They would be released quickly if they talked with the Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor.

Sima Qian knelt in front of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. He declared that Xu Jiaqi alone was responsible for all their evil deeds, and he was willing to give his life to the empire.

“Yeah. That won’t fool me.”

“...?”

Sima Qian and the rankers were all flustered. The reaction that Minhyuk, who had willingly embraced the prisoners of war, showed them was far too cold.

“You are sentenced to 300 years in jail. Lock them up.”

“W– Wait…!”

Sima Qian just could not understand. Why were the prisoners of war, who were worth nothing and did not have any use for the empire, given warm homes, generous salaries, and learning opportunities while they were treated like this?

Minhyuk understood his confusion. But he just laughed coldly and said, “You guys are trash. You’re trash that can’t even be recycled. As for those people? They’re just pitiful people who have been taken advantage of.”

That was right. Minhyuk was a strong emperor. However, he was the type of emperor who acted strongly against the strong and gently with the weak.

“And for trying to nitpick against my words, I will sentence you to 500 years in prison.”

“N– NO!!!”

Sima Qian died of old age inside the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s prison while the rankers gave up on playing the game.

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