Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 826

There was no one among the Athenae players that did not know who Alexander was. He was among the best of the top rankers and was once hailed as the Supreme.

Alexander remembered clearly how frustrated he was in the Supremes’ Plain after failing to clear the Eight Pillars’ Class Weapon Master’s Class Change Quest over and over again. The difficulty was just too high for him.

Back then, Alexander only had one chance left. If he failed, then he would not be able to change his class to Weapon Master. On top of that, his level would drop by at least ten levels.

For high rankers, a decrease of ten levels was equivalent to their downfall. It did not matter how outstanding or powerful the ranker was, they would still be pushed out of the top 1,000 in the rankings and it would be extremely difficult for them to recover.

That was when he approached him.

—Shall we have a meal?

He was the man that Alexander was chasing after. This man had been weaker and less known than Alexander before. But at some point, he grew rapidly. Unexpectedly, the man that Alexander was chasing after was the one that lent him a helping hand.

—What I want in return is something simple. Help me and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.

Alexander actually wanted to say no. After all, Minhyuk’s defeat in the battle in Edea and the Beyond the Heavens’ fall with the war against the Luvien Empire might happen at the same time. Even if he did not make a move, the current Supreme might fall at any given moment.

On the other hand, he did not like that. Alexander actually knew the reason why. Minhyuk’s existence was giving him the determination and the driving force to run faster and to chase after him. On top of that, he might also climb to the ranks of the Supremes if he gained the power of the Weapon Master.

So, Alexander accepted Minhyuk’s request and ate the meal that he prepared. After that, he cleared the Eight Pillars’ trial. Back in the present, he smashed Valentino’s Shield Wall.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—!

Whatever weapon it was, as long as it existed in the world, they were under the control of Alexander. Just like that, tens of thousands of weapons shot toward the Shield Wall and ripped it apart.

Valentino looked surprised as they watched Alexander gently land on his feet. In fact, he was not the only one that was surprised. The entire Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army was taken aback.

[A— Alexander...?]

[It’s Alexander.]

[Alexander, who gave up the throne of the Supreme, has— has just invoked the ‘God’s Voice!’]

[After he invoked God’s Voice, Alexander declared himself as the ‘Supreme!’]

[That declaration obviously has a lot of connotations. Perhaps it is a declaration aimed at Food God Minhyuk. Now, the ‘Throne of the Supreme’ is mine again!!!]

[From what I heard, ATV Broadcasting Station’s viewership ratings have soared beyond 44% now!!!]

[Aaah. That should be the natural result. Everyone is waiting to see the changes of Alexander after reaching Level 600. And that’s not all. As he declared that he is a Supreme, he also declared that he’s standing on Edea’s side!]

[We still don’t know who the true Supreme is. I don’t know if this is the right expression to describe the situation.]

[Two Supremes are protecting Edea!!!]

Mumble, mumble, mumble—

A commotion broke out among the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army.

The notifications about the new Eight Pillars’ Class, the Weapon Master, had actually rung quite a while ago. Everyone had tried to guess who it was, but none of them knew, until now.

Then, someone said, “I— I knew it... Alexander must be the owner of the greatest sword in the world!!!”

“Wh— what?!”

“He’s the owner of the sword that has cut even an Eight Pillars?!”

“Come to think of it, Alexander’s sword has changed, right?!”

Alexander’s sword had definitely changed, which served to prove the assumptions of all of the people present.

“That’s right. Since he’s a Weapon Master, then that means that he can handle the greatest sword in existence, right?”

“He definitely got the sword from one of the Eight Pillars when he changed his class to Weapon Master.”

“That’s crazy. Then, does that mean that Alexander has become the true Supreme?”

“...”

Alexander was left speechless. Yes, it was true that his sword was given to him by the previous Weapon Master. However, that was the only thing that they got right. Everything else was wrong.

Alas, it was not just the people present that were wrong in their assumptions. Even the viewers that were watching the broadcast of this battle were cheering loudly, thinking that they had finally discovered the truth!

‘Alexander is the owner of the greatest sword in existence!’

“...”

Was there even anything that he could say in this situation?

Meanwhile, Valentino gulped dryly. He had awakened just now. The notifications that rang in his ears and the power coursing through his veins were proof of that.

[Congratulations! You have achieved Level 600.]

[Your achievements will be known to the world.]

[Rewards will be given to those that have reached Level 600!]

[All five of your basic stats will increase by 16%.]

[Your physical and magical defense will increase by 40%.]

[Your defensive skills will get 40% better!]

[You have reached Level 600 as the God of Shields!]

[The God of Shields recognizes you as his successor!]

[You have acquired the God of Shields’ ‘Divine Shield Arts.’]

The notifications clearly told Valentino that he was almost 1.4x stronger than before. Especially with the addition of the Divine Shield Arts’ Bentino’s Wall, which had the following effects:

[Bentino’s Wall.]

[Bentino’s Wall, the size of a castle’s wall, will protect you and your allies!]

[You have an additional 8,000% defense!]

[Bentino’s Wall has a duration of three minutes.]

[Using the skill will destroy 1 point from your STM.]

Valentino was the new God of Shields and had a higher basic defense than any other tanker in existence. On top of that, Valentino’s Bentino’s Wall had an additional 8,000% defense. It would be very hard for any high rankers to even put a scratch on him.

Although Bentino’s Wall could only be activated for three minutes, it would play a huge role when used in a battlefield where every minute counted.

Unfortunately, Alexander broke it apart so easily.

“Alexandeeeeeeeeer!!!”

It was a roar of shame, a roar that made all of the troops of the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army freeze on the spot. However, there was one thing that they kept in mind.

“We have two Level 600 players on our side.”

“No matter how strong Alexander is or how he is the king of the kings in the Battle of Thrones, he would not be able to deal with two Level 600 players.”

At that moment, Master Archer Miao pulled the strings of her bow while thinking, ‘Sun Wukong would have been dead if it weren’t for him.’

She felt like it was a pity. However, if she could just kill Alexander, the results would still be the same. Miao, with her hands pulling on the strings of her bow, walked out the crowd. Of course, the same was true for Valentino. They both know that fighting against Alexander with numbers was meaningless.

A subtle smile appeared on Master Archer Miao’s face as she said, “Guided Lethal Shot.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

The same skill that almost drove Sun Wukong to his death was invoked.

[Guided Lethal Shot.]

[Your arrow, with a 100% certainty, will pierce through your enemy’s vital point. Additional 7,000% attack will be added to the shot!]

[You can shoot the Guided Lethal Shot for a total of four times within three minutes after the initial skill activation!]

As mentioned above, the Guided Lethal Shot could be shot four times in a row. In other words, it could take down four rankers upon activation.

Riiiiiiiiiiiip—

The deadly arrow pierced through the Supreme’s chest.

Staaaaaaaaab—

[Your HP has dropped below 80%!]

“...”

Alexander looked at the blood dripping down his chest.

‘As expected...’

He smiled bitterly. It was not just him that grew stronger. If it was the Miao from before, her one-shot kill skill would have only decreased his HP by around 8%. That was not the case right now. Still, Alexander was unafraid.

“Uwoooooooo!” Valentino roared, a brilliant and golden light covering his body as he charged forward with his shield.

[Bentino’s Aggro.]

[Two of your enemy’s attacks will be forced to hit your shield!]

It was a skill that would drag the enemy’s attack unto his own square shield. It could easily nullify an attack aimed for someone else and could be used effectively against stronger opponents aiming for weaker ones.

Alexander’s sword grazed Valentino’s shield lightly. That was the first one.

Clang—!

Then, another one...

Clang—!

Regardless of where Alexander aimed, his sword still hit Valentino’s shield. At that moment, Master Archer Miao moved swiftly, her arrow aiming for Alexander’s back.

Ping— Ping, ping, ping, ping, ping—

Alexander’s expression remained unchanged, his amazing control allowing him to evade the arrows aiming for him.

“Exploding Shot.”

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaang—

Then, Miao shot an arrow toward his feet, causing a huge explosion that sent Alexander flying through the air. Valentino did not miss the opportunity. He quickly jumped above Alexander and raised his shield to swing at him.

“God of Shields’ Wrath!!!”

Vwooooooooooong—

A shield that glittered brightly like a diamond swung down toward Alexander’s head. If this attack hit Alexander’s head, then it would deal critical damage and would incur twice the amount of damage inflicted. That was to say that the damage of the attack, which had an additional 6,000% attack, would double.

Tap—

The tip of Alexander’s sword gently tapped Valentino’s shield.

[Bentino’s Shield has been temporarily rendered useless!]

[You will not be able to use Bentino’s Shield for one minute!]

“...Huh?”

Valentino was left in shock. The only thing that made contact with his shield was the tip of Alexander’s sword. However, his shield, Bentino’s Shield, had lost all of its function, including its attack and defensive skills. But that was not all.

[The Weapon Master’s Transcending Limits has been activated!]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has exceeded Level 9!]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has achieved MAX Level!]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has transcended the limits and has reached Level 10!]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has transcended the limits and has reached Level 11!]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s...]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s...]

[Sword Mastery...]

[Sword Mastery...]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has exceeded Level 20!]

[Sword Mastery...]

[Sword Mastery...]

[Sword Mastery Skill’s Level has achieved Level 22!]

What was a weapon mastery skill? Mastery was a passive skill that all players possessed. Swordsmen would have sword mastery, archers would have bow mastery, mages would have staff mastery or wand mastery and many more. Basically, every single person had a mastery skill.

Whenever the mastery skill grew, the player would gain additional strength in their physical and skill attacks. For example, if one had a Sword Mastery skill, then when the skill grew, it would greatly increase the power of all of the person’s sword-related skills.

Transcendental’s Mastery. This was the power of the Weapon Master. The notifications that rang before, and would rang from here on out, was proof of the greatness of this skill.

[You have temporarily achieved Sword Mastery Level 22!]

[Your sword will have 75% additional attack and skill attack.]

[All of your sword related skills will be 1.4x stronger.]

[Whenever you swing your sword, your critical hit rate will double!]

[The Transcending Limits’ duration is three minutes!]

A black haze slowly rose from the blades of Alexander’s sword. Seeing this, Valentino, whose Bentino’s Shield had lost all function, quickly pulled out his sub-shield. However, Alexander had already narrowed the distance between them, his sword cutting through Valentino’s shield and inflicting damage upon his body.

[Your HP has dropped below 80%!]

“Keuaaaaaack!”

Valentino was very shocked. He was the God of Shields and that meant among the people present, he had the highest HP and defense. He was even almost 1.5x stronger than before. However, more than 14% of his HP was shaved off by just one of Alexander’s basic sword attack.

The problem was Alexander was swinging his sword non-stop.

Stab, stab, stab— stab, stab, stab, stab—

Alexander moved swiftly and gracefully, his sword stabbing Valentino’s body all over.

“I can’t lose like this!”

[God of Shield’s Will.]

[Your HP and MP has recovered to 100%!]

Valentino’s morale was greatly uplifted after his HP had recovered. In response, Alexander opened his mouth and said, “Reckless Strike.”

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—

Reckless Strike was Alexander’s frequently used successive attack skill. It could instantly unleash twenty three strikes with additional 1,500% attack. With Alexander’s Sword Mastery at Level 22, the additional attack of the skill had increased to more than 3,000%.

The Reckless Strike devoured Valentino’s whole body, forcing him down on his knees.

“Keuaaaaaaa...”

Alexander swiftly swung his sword and cut off Valentino’s head the moment he fell down.

Rumbleeeeeee—

At that moment, Master Archer Miao sent out an arrow that turned into a tornado, which almost overturned the ground.

Cracklee—

Alexander, who was in the middle of the storm, received continuous damages. Of course, Miao took this opportunity to unleash her skills relentlessly.

“Exploding Arrows.”

Hundreds of arrows shot toward Alexander.

Clang, clang, clang, clang—!

A sharp and murderous glint, like that of a hawk’s, appeared in Alexander’s eyes as he cut down the arrows coming his way. Then, he pointed his sword at Miao.

“Weapon Eruption.”

Miao saw several weapons appear around Alexander. Then, these spears, swords, iron maces, maces, great swords, katanas, and many other weapons shot toward her.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—

Slash, slash, slash, slash—!

The weapons that pierced through her body immediately exploded upon contact.

Baaaaaaaaaaang—

A huge pillar of dust bloomed as the explosion erupted. When everything settled down, not a trace of Master Archer Miao was left.

Alexander, who was standing in front of Edea’s Allied Forces, looked at the Jade Emperor’s Coalition Army with a strange look on his face.

[A— Alexander forced two players that have reached Level 600 to log out!]

[We have just witnessed a scene that will, without a doubt, prove that he’s once again the Supreme!]

[He’s literally the ‘Supreme!’ He’s Athenae’s Supreme!]

[Breaking news! From what I hear, ATV Broadcasting Station’s viewership rating has exceeded 50%!]

There was not a shred of doubt on the faces of all of the viewers that watched Alexander fight. Now, Alexander was truly the Supreme.

***

At the same time.

[The One that Advances’ Authority’s Bestowing Time has ended!]

[Sword of Aeon has been successfully reinforced and strengthened by +3!]

The one that was sitting on the throne of the Supreme was handed a far more stronger Sword of Aeon.