Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 58: Beef is Always Right

Translator: ChubbyCheeks

PR: MattForgenti

Of course, it was the user’s freedom to find any way to win the tournament. However, the problem was the massacre that the monster would do.

In the first place, the Minotaurus was a monster that the Athenae God decided on and placed in the tournament.

But there was no way that the users would know that.

Some might say that the organizers of the competition were crazy and reckless. They would even say that the final highlight of the competition was ruined by the appearance of the Minotaurus.

Team Leader Park Minggyu suddenly said…

“If it really happens then……”

The woman nodded her head.

“There are only two people who can stop it.”

***

Jackal, the Black Wizard’s Descendant, was hiding himself in the bushes.

At a distance not too far away from where he was located, he could see plenty of users flocking together to fight against the named monster, Brackan.

“Ah, fXck. Nim, shoot the arrows straight to the monster!”

“Ah, then you do it!”

“Nims, it’s not the time for us to fight each other. We have to focus on killing the Brackan!”

Unity.

They weren’t doing a good job at this but they had no choice but to unite their forces. There was only one reason… Anyone who participated in the killing of the monster would get the right to acquire the artifacts that the monster drops once it died.

In fact, the reason why they wanted to kill the Brackan was mostly because of the artifact.

Also, they were just participants in the tournament and not even acquaintances. It was rare for acquaintances to pass together through the preliminaries like the Bacallo guild members.

‘Not yet. There’s still a stronger monster.’

The administrators shared the information that there would be named monsters in the tournament even before it started.

And Jackal, who also participated in this tournament, was very happy because he had the Absolute Domination skill..

‘I may not be able to level up for 3 months and my current level will drop down to Lv1. However, I will be able to control a monster with a level that’s twice as high as my own level for 1 hour!’

His skills could allow him to brainwash the other users and let them fight among each other but he needed to save his MP and mental strength so he could use Absolute Domination. The mental strength that a Black Wizard uses for his brainwashing skill was quite similar to a chef’s buff.

‘The Brackan cannot be the final monster.’

There should be a monster with a higher level than this. A monster that can show the greatest charm of this tournament. And once I use the Absolute Domination at that time, then I will be able to take the lead in this competition.

‘Keuhahahahaha!’

The mere thought of it sent a thrill down his spine.

There was only one reason why he wanted to use Absolute Domination despite the huge penalty was…

‘I would let the whole of Athenae learn of the name Kang Hyeonsoo before I enlist in the military!’

…because he was joining the army starting tomorrow.

He was going to burn his name in a splendid manner on his last day!

Thuuuuud!

At that moment…

[The users have successfully hunted the Brackan.]

The Brackan has fallen.

[Please proceed to the indicated area in the map.]

[If you go beyond the area indicated, your HP will continue to decrease by itself.]

Jackal opened his map. He could see that the range where they could move in the game was getting smaller.

He ran in the direction of the convenience store then he continued to hide within the indicated area. That was how he bided his time.

[There is only 1 hour remaining in the tournament.]

[The number of users currently alive is 42.]

He then heard another notification…

[The Siren is being summoned.]

‘Siren? A siren uses its charming skills to lure and seduce the users before killing them but its fighting power is too weak. It’s not the siren.’

Sirens were special because of their charming skills however, aside from that there was nothing that could be said to be extraordinary.

Jackal shook his head.

‘Are there no other special mobs that will come out?!’

If that was the case, then he would be in big trouble. If the tournament ended without him having a single kill, then he would join the army with nothing but regrets.

Jackal waited with bated breath.

‘Please, please, please, please.’

At 20 minutes before the end of the tournament, the siren has not yet been successfully hunted yet.

Right at that moment…

[The Minotaurus is being summoned.]

[The Minotaurus is not a seon mob.]

[Only users who want to fight against the Minotaurus are free to take up the challenge.]

“Oh…!”

Jackal was struck in awe.

***

Go Eun-ah was sitting on the bleachers watching the game. She was a reporter. Her hoobae [1] was sitting right next to her.

“Sunbae. Lucia will really be number 1 like what we predicted.”

“Yeah. That person who killed the Bacallo guild is still eating in the convenience store. Ah, it’s not fun if it goes too well.”

A variable.

It would be good if a variable would appear. Because they weren’t here to have fun like the other users. They needed a scoop. And with things like unexpected variables, they would be able to get a more interesting and more catchy article.

[Eumooooooooooo!]

At that moment, the roar of a monster that could shake the heavens and the earth was heard in the stands. Jan’s voice also accompanied this loud roar to the stands.

“With only 20 minutes left in the competition, a Minotaurus is being summoned! And just like what the notifications announced, only those who wanted to challenge the Minotaurus can fight it. It’s a monster that you don’t have to fight if you don’t want to!”

“Wow, a Minotaurus…… What Lv80 tournament will place a Lv150 monster in it? This is a complete balance breaker.”

Go Eun-ah shook her head when she heard those words.

“Yeah. In addition, a Minotaurus is a unique ranked, named monster……”

A Minotaurus also had a special skill. This guy might only be at Lv150 but it was considered to be much more threatening because it could wield a 4th class magic.

The Minotaurus on the monitor was just standing there and roaring.

“Look at this. No one wants to challenge it.”

“It feels like it’s just standing there like a mascot for the Eivelis Empire’s tournament.”

Go Eun-ah laughed at what her male hoobae said.

Then, a man suddenly appeared and pounced on the Minotaurus.

Then.

Slam!

He was logged out in no time.

“Puhahahaha!”

“Ah, what was that.”

Laughter broke out in the stands when they saw the man got logged out in one strike.

“Now, no one will challenge it anymore after seeing that user die.”

“Right. He was logged out in a blink of an eye. Huh? Is that Lucia? Where did she come from?”

“Oh, she’s probably going to take a break after killing the siren.”

“Shoot it well. Even if Lucia picks her nose it will still be a good article.”

“Yes.”

The two were talking like that when they suddenly heard the others exclaiming while looking at the monitor.

“What’s that person doing? He looks so gloomy?”

“What the… He’s approaching the Minotaurus?”

“Suicide?”

The audience were murmuring what they thought when they suddenly saw a black mist explode from the man’s body.

[Puhaaaa!]

The black mist reached out towards the Minotaurus and soon seeped through its body.

[Eumooooooooo!]

The Minotaurus roared loudly.

The audience began to stir in agitation.

Then, the Minotaurus approached a user that was resting nearby…

[W, what! Why are you coming towards me? Cow, you bastard. Stop! Don’t go scaring me…!]

Before he could even finish talking, the Minotaurus swung his axe at him.

Slash!

“……!”

Silence enveloped the audience.

[Eumoooo!]

[Keuhahahahaha! It’s a success, a success!!]

Together with the Black Wizard, the bull burst forward.

Go Eun-ah tapped the man beside her.

“Hey, hey, hey. Shoot it, it’s a scoop! A scoop!”

“Ah, yes!”

“Write an article right now. A mysterious robed man tamed the Minotaurus! And…”

Go Eun-ah has high expectations for the future.

“Sweeps the competition.”

***

“Kyaaaaaak!”

Lucia picked up the dropped items after she finished the female-type monster, Siren.

‘Seduction Ring?’

It was an item that was associated with the lower ranks of the double ring system. It was very valuable but she wasn’t happy with it.

“Iryaaaaaa!”

“Eeeeeeck!”

Lucia dodged the sword of the man who suddenly attacked her and quickly logged him out.

Then…

“Aaaaaack!”

“Run away!”

“This fXckers. You said that the Minotaurus wasn’t a seon mob!”

She could hear the screams of the other users.

Lucia frowned lightly.

‘A Minotaurus?’

She also heard the notification about its summoning but she felt that there was no need to hunt it.

I can’t kill it.

That was her judgment. She wasn’t a reckless person to begin with. If she tried to kill something that she had no chances of winning against, then the outcome could be easily predicted.

However, she soon saw the situation they were in.

“Eumooo!”

The Minotaurus was running like crazy and slaughtering the users.

It was just one shot. The area was being swept and the users were being forced to log out in a frenzy.

“W, what the hell…”

She was a bit confused. The Minotaurus was not a seon mob. Which meant that it would not attack anyone if they did not attack it first. The notification was the proof of it.

But contrary to what they have heard, the Minotaurus was running amok.

Then… Lucia heard another set of notifications.

[Please proceed to the indicated area in the map.]

[If you go beyond the area indicated, your HP will continue to decrease by itself.]

Lucia’s face turned dark when she heard the notifications.

‘This crazy…!’

The area where they could move was narrowed down. And the area where they were supposed to go was where the Minotaurus was.

But if she did not move right now then she would face absurd consequences and get killed by something completely ridiculous.

Lucia tried as hard as she could to avoid its sight.

But at that moment…

“Eumoooo?!”

The Minotaurus head turned around and locked on Lucia.

“……Damn.”

She bit her lips hard. She was trapped between a rock and a hard place. Behind her was the edge of the indicated area and in front of her was the Minotaurus.

‘Is it a forced challenge, or what?’

She clenched the daggers in both her hands and bit her lips once more.

“Huwiiiik, run away. Right now!”

“You crazy shit, I can’t run away, this is the edge of the indicated area!”

The users started to scream while the Minotaurus took a step forward.

Thud—

Lucia noticed that the Minotaurus’ target had changed to her so she started to run away. However, the Minotaurus chased after her relentlessly.

Thud, thud, thud, thud, thud—

“Hooo……”

She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

How much MP do I have left? What skills can I currently use?

She was calmly analyzing her odds.

The moment the Minotaurus reached her vicinity…

Shiiiiing!

She threw her dagger towards the monster.

[Shadow’s Throwing Technique.]

[Dozens of the weapon’s shadow can cause 60% damage.]

The dagger flew away and created dozens of shadows. However, since they were only shadows, they could only inflict 60% of the original dagger’s damage.

Stab!

Clang—

Except for the original dagger, the rest of the shadows were deflected away.

‘Crazy……! Its level is too high for my attacks to be effective!’

Slaaaaam!

The Minotaurus struck down with its axe.

Lucia nimbly dodged the attack and counter-attacked with a slash on its leg.

Slash!

“Eumoooooo!”

It swung its arms like crazy trying to catch Lucia.

Poof!

Then… Lucia threw a smokescreen. She hid in the white smoke as she quickly jumped behind the Minotaurus.

Her dagger stabbed at the back of the Minotaurus.

Stab!

However, her dagger slid from the top until she fell down to the bottom. It wasn’t what she wanted to achieve.

‘It, it won’t get stabbed…!’

She tried to stab its throat but her dagger wouldn’t even get past through its thick skin.

The Minotaurus turned around and punched Lucia away.

Baang!

“Kyaak!”

She flew backwards. She even had to roll a few rounds to reduce the impact of her eventual crash. In an instant, her HP was reduced by 50%.

[You’re in a temporary stunned state.]

‘N, no…!’

Even a real person wouldn’t be able to get up temporarily if they received a great impact on their body. Athenae was quite realistic with this detail.

Lucia couldn’t feel her body when she tried to move.

The Minotaurus came running towards her.

But right at that moment a man suddenly stood in front of her.

She was very familiar with this wide back.

“Mi, Minhyuk-nim……?”

He was standing in front of Lucia with a very solemn look on his face. She could even see him trembling all over.

“Minhyuk-nim why are you here…… No, look here! You have to run away! Nim, just one strike from that monster will log you out!”

However, Minhyuk did not budge one bit.

As Lucia looked at his trembling back she thought…

‘D, don’t tell me……!’

Her pupils shook.

“Are you trying to protect me?!”