Chapter 817

Chapter 817

“We will eat potatoes! Ahoo!!!”

Potatoes were delicious. Whether they were sliced thinly, or turned into French fries, or even if they were ground finely and turned into potato pancakes, they were still delicious. In fact, they were already appetizing even if they were just steamed and dipped in salt.

Minhyuk happily dug the potatoes, not a sign of exhaustion on his face.

“Ahoo! Ahoo!” Hella shouted, following behind Minhyuk and working happily on the field.

However, at that moment, Hella crouched when she felt something strange in her body. Of course, Minhyuk did not miss this scene.

“Urk!”

He could see the blood on the palm that she used to cover her mouth.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah. It’s nothing. I probably just consumed too much mana.”

Hella made it sound like it was nothing, but Minhyuk could tell that there was something off. After all, he could see how her body suddenly turned translucent before returning back to how it was.

“Shall we go back to working on the field again?”

Hella tried passing it off as nothing. However, Minhyuk could clearly tell that there was something truly wrong with her.

At that moment, a quest window suddenly appeared in front of Minhyuk.

[Sudden Quest: Harvesting Ingredients Before Hella’s Soul Perish.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: The One Chosen by the God of Death.

Rewards: The second seal of the Sword of Aeon will be lifted.

Penalty for Failure: Expulsion from Hell

Description: The God of Death is watching over you and Hella as you both try to harvest the Sin’s Ingredients. However, Hella’s soul will be destroyed in a few days’ time. Harvest all of the Sin’s Ingredients before that and help her enter the cycle of reincarnation safely.

“...!”

The God of Death was watching them. However, after reading the quest window, a frown appeared on Minhyuk’s face.

‘Perish?’

Hella had been in Hell for thousands of years. She had been here for far too long, it was hard to tell the exact length of time that she had been here.

‘She is giving up her chance to enter the cycle of reincarnation just so she can help Hell thrive and prosper.’

Minhyuk was in awe and admiration of Hella’s firm determination. Furthermore, the God of Death offered to lift the second seal of the Sword of Aeon as a reward.

Because of that, Minhyuk swung his hoe with greater vigor.

Thud, thud, thud—

‘I don’t know what’s happening between the two of them, but...’

Minhyuk was already motivated enough with the God-grade ingredients that Hella would give her with every successful harvest of the Sin’s Ingredients. Now, the lifting of the second seal of the Sword of Aeon was also added as a reward. However, the reason why Minhyuk’s swinging grew stronger and faster was more than that.

‘That determination and desire to change Hell even at the expense of your own well-being...’

Minhyuk’s swings grew faster as he looked at Hella, who started to swing her hoe again after vomiting another mouthful of blood.

‘I’ll let you reincarnate safely.’

Thud—!

***

In the passageway between the continent and Edea.

At first, there were nearly a hundred million players that entered the passageway.

[Episode Quest: Cross the Passageway and Enter Edea.]

Rank: ???

Requirements: Level 400 or higher.

Rewards: +4 in all stats.

Penalty for Failure: Banned from entering the passageway.

Description: The Jade Emperor is calling for all of the heroes from the continent to fight on his behalf. Cross the passageway and reach Edea.

The reason why a huge number of players entered the passageway was because of the unconventional rewards.

On average, ordinary players would have around seven stats while high rankers would have around nine stats or more. These stats were STR, STM, AGI, INT, WIS, DEX, CHA, Observation, Will, Courage, and many more. Just by passing through the passageway, they could stand to have all of these stats increase by four. This would have the same effect as having their levels increase by three.

On top of the +4 in all stats once they successfully crossed through the passageway, their EXP acquisition rate and artifact drop rate would increase by 1.5x while fighting inside. Due to all these, nearly a hundred million players had gathered together to cross the passageway.

However, by the end of the passageway, the number of players left was only twelve million. Aside from the high ranking players, the rest of the players could not endure the high level of difficulty of the passageway and had all been forced to logout.

The players that stood at the vanguard looked tired and exhausted.

“Damn it. I didn’t expect us to take three weeks.”

Initially, they had thought that they would only take two weeks to break through the passageway. However, they took an additional six days before they could completely cross and reach Edea. They had been forced to wander around the Maze of Death that was located at the end of the passageway.

Most of the ones that were able to cross through the passageway were around Level 450 or higher. In other words, only the elite were able to survive. Thus, the hundred million players that first entered the passageway dwindled to a mere fraction that reached the exit that would lead to Edea.

[The exit is already in front of the players.]

[They only need to go a little further and they will be able to reach Edea.]

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh—

“Huh...?”

Bastien felt that something was off. The arrows sent by the soldiers of Edea only pierced through the players’ vital points, like their necks or their hearts.

‘What?’

Then, at that moment, hundreds of thousands of Edea’s Allied Forces’ soldiers charged forward as the lower portion of the turtle ships opened.

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!!!”

The charging soldiers of Edea’s Allied Forces collided with the players that ran toward the turtle ships.

Slaaaaaash—

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—!

Swooooooosh—

“...What the hell?”

“They aren’t at Level 450!!!”

“The level of the soldiers is much higher than what we expected!!!”

The spears and swords of the troops of Edea’s Allied Forces were much faster than the players’ own. That was when Bastien turned to look at the level of the soldiers in front of him.

[Edea’s Soldier. Level 451.]

“...?”

That was strange. Joy Co. Ltd. clearly published the average level of the soldiers of Edea’s Allied Forces. Yet, these soldiers were easily cutting down the players in front of them, leaving them in a disastrous situation.

“...This— this crazy bastard...”

Only then did Bastien and the commentators realize the situation in front of them.

[Pl— Player Minhyuk must have fed the soldiers of Edea with his dishes!]

[However, what is scarier is the fact that the soldiers did not just grow 10% or 15% stronger.]

[From what it looks like, they have grown at least 20% stronger!]

A huge variable had suddenly appeared, which allowed the soldiers of Edea to sweep the players.

As mentioned many times before, NPCs were better than the players at the same level as them. After all, they had been trained in the way of their weapons since they were young, with most of them training from the moment they woke up, until the moment they slept. On the other hand, the players had only touched swords or other weapons inside the game. This was the clear difference between players and NPCs.

However, a grin still spread on Bastien’s face. “It doesn’t matter.”

Some players would possess something that put them at an advantage over NPCs. That was none other than their artifacts and skills.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—!

“Use your skills!!! We can push those soldiers back if we shower them with our skills!!!”

Bastien’s grin grew wider. Their opponents might believe that they had prepared enough. However, if it was just to this extent, then they would never be able to overcome the players.

Unbeknownst to them, this was not the only thing that Minhyuk had prepared. He did everything he could, employing all means and methods.

Notifications suddenly rang in the ears of all of the players that successfully entered Edea.

[The Food God is proposing a quest to the players!]

Kings could give quests to players that belonged to their kingdom, while gods could suggest quests to any player. The notification window popped up in front of them.

[Quest: Hunting the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army.]

Rank: ???

Requirements: Players that have passed through the passageway and entered Edea.

Rewards: Fairy’s Tears (1)

Penalty for Failure: Gaining the hostility of the Jade Emperor’s Envoys.

Description: You will gain one Fairy’s Tear for every soldier of the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army that you kill. However, you will only be able to receive the Fairy’s Tears if you can successfully reach Edea’s Allied Forces’ fortress.

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

Silence enveloped the battlefield for a very short moment. Even though the magical attacks and arrows were raining upon them, the players all stopped moving.

However, the one that was extremely alarmed by this sudden turn of events was none other than Bastien. In fact, he could barely breathe from the shock.

“This— Thiiiiiiiis— This— cr— crazy bastard...”

The commentators kindly spoke for him.

[This— this is crazy!!!]

[You will be able to get one Fairy’s Tears if you hunt one player?! Just so you know, you will be able to get twenty platinum if you sell this Fairy’s Tear on the market. In other words, it’s worth around a hundred million won in cash!]

[To think you can get one for every player that you successfully hunt!]

That was right. Minhyuk was using every means and methods available to him. This was the second part of his preparations.