Chapter 844
There was a man inside the Careon Kingdom that many empires and kingdoms coveted.
Mortal Martial Artist Ronson was barely twenty-two years old. However, two years ago, he had defeated the Careon Kingdom’s veteran and most powerful Knight Order Commander on his own.
Everyone called Ronson a genius. There were even talks about how he would become a Continental God, specifically the God of Martial Arts. He still had a lot left in store for him. However, the twenty-two year old Ronson, who was leading the knights that mainly used fists, actually had a secret that he could not tell. He had a condition: limited mana.
People with this condition were very rare. In fact, there were only less than ten of them in the entire continent. So, what did it mean to have limited mana? They were people that could display an explosive increase in mana from ages ten to twenty. However, once they reached the age of twenty, they would no longer be able to increase their mana volume.
People with limitewd mana were fortunate enough to know that their mana would not disappear. However, for the young Ronson, this meant that he would no longer be able to grow. This also meant that he would not be able to reach the level of the God of Martial Arts, like what everyone wished for him.
Since Ronson could no longer make his mana grow and increase, there was only one thing left for him to do. Ronson devoted his life to training martial arts from the moment he woke up to the moment he slept.
“If Sir Ronson comes, then the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s famous and well-known powerhouses would be able to serve as your springboard.”
“Get lost.”
“I’m saying that Sir Ronson could truly become the God of Martial Arts.”
“Didn’t I tell you to get lost?”
Haze had led their troops to try and recruit Ronson. However, Ronson was tough and stubborn.
Ronson’s goal was never to obtain wealth, or fame, or power. All he wanted was to grow stronger. Since he knew that he could no longer grow, he continued to run and train to grow his skills and abilities. People commonly refer to him as The One that Only Knew How to Train. If someone did not have a way to help him grow right away, then he would not bother listening to them.
‘I have told him so much. Why does he refuse going to the Beyond the Heavens Empire when we have Spear God Ben and Brod on our side?’
If it was an ordinary empire, recruiting Ronson would be an absolutely ridiculous thought. However, the Beyond the Heavens Empire was a place where a Continental God resided in. That was why Haze could not believe what was happening in front of her.
‘Why is Ronson so reluctant to be recruited to the kingdom?’
Unfortunately, she could not have guessed that he had limited mana.
Even when Haze hung around him all day, Ronson did not budge at all.
“I’ll come and visit you tomorrow morning. Please think about it one more time.”
“Go back. I won’t change my mind.”
Ronson continued to punch and kick the wooden puppet in front of him like crazy even after the people of the Beyond the Heavens Empire had left. After how many hours, he finally took off his gloves. His gloves were stained with blood and his hands had abrasions from the continuous impact on the wooden puppet.
‘If only I can grow even further then...’
While Ronson was a genius, he was also diligent and hard-working. If he could only grow further, then he would definitely become the God of Martial Arts.
“Sob, sob, sob, sob. Damn it...!”
In the end, he fell on his knees crying. He wailed and cried for a very long time before laying down on the ground in exhaustion. He wiped off the tears on his face and stared at the night sky. It was beautiful, littered with beautiful and twinkling stars. Then, at that moment, something unusual and unexpected happened.
[One of the Absolute Gods, the God that Lives for Someone, Leads Someone on the Right Path and Protects Someone, is looking at you.]
[The God that Lives for Someone says that perhaps he can treat your incurable disease.]
“...!”
Ronson leapt up from the ground, his eyes trained on the beautiful night sky. He knew what kind of existence the Absolute Gods were. They were gods that were completely on a different stage from the Continental Gods.
‘God... Is God feeling sorry for me?’
If one thought about it deeply, perhaps that was true. After all, Ronson was a genius of his time, and yet, his condition meant that he was forced to never grow.
‘He must have felt pity for me, a genius that can no longer grow no matter how hard I try. That’s right. It’s a waste to spoil a talented genius like me just like that.’
Indeed. Ronson was also a narcissist. However, the holy, mighty and noble god was completely different from what he thought.
[One of the Absolute Gods says...]
[Are you going or not? Quick, say it. So annoying.]
“...?”
‘No... wasn’t he looking at me with pity? Wasn’t he feeling sorry for me?’
[The Absolute God is the ‘Guardian Deity of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.’]
“...!”
Ronson was once again left in shock. He recalled hearing that the one called Evil God had become the Guardian God to protect the Beyond the Heavens Empire. To put it simply, it was only right for him to go to the Beyond the Heavens Empire to seek help from this god.
[One of the Absolute Gods is grumbling.]
[How dare you make me do something like this...]
“...?”
What was he grumbling about? Ronson had absolutely no idea. However, he could feel some suppressed anger in that voice.
[One of the Absolute Gods says...]
[Ah. If you don’t want to come then don’t come. So annoying.]
Then, the voice of the divine and great god disappeared.
The next day.
Haze, who had seen Ronson’s stubborn and determined eyes, was fully convinced that she would not be able to recruit him. However, when they arrived to try once again, they saw that Ronson had already finished all preparation and had already packed everything.
“Let’s go. Quick.”
On that day, this voice rang all over the place.
[One of the Absolute Gods is annoyed.]
[One of the Absolute Gods is irritated.]
[One of the Absolute Gods asks if you’re going or not.]
[One of the Absolute Gods turns around to leave without any hesitation.]
It seemed Obren did what Minhyuk asked him to do even though he did not like it.
***
Hound Amacar was the pride of the Ardo Empire. Perhaps he could be considered as face of the Ardo Empire himself. The tales about how he turned the most ordinary knights into the strongest of the continent was already the stuff of legends in the continent.
The very same Amacar recalled what Emperor Consteinus told him before he left.
—If Spear God Ben comes to our empire, then Commander Kond has to give way and give his commander’s position to him. I will just have to make Kond into a deputy commander.
—What position should I give Brod? Hmmm. All of the positions are full. Then, should I give him the position of Duke Loic, who died from the monsters not too long ago?
When he heard those words, Amacar had asked.
—Your Majesty, I’m sorry but Commander Kond had lived as a commander all his life. Why...
—Sir Amacar, the revival of our empire is just right around the corner. Would those things be more important than that?
When it came to giving the position of the late Duke Loic...
—Your Majesty, the late Duke Loic died while fighting to protect your people. Less than a week has passed since his death. Please consider the feelings of the family of the bereaved.
—Sir Amacar.
Consteinus called out his name with a smile on his face.
—You don’t have to worry. This emperor will make sure to keep Sir Amacar’s seat no matter what.
Consteinus looked at Amacar as if he wanted him to believe him. However, Amacar did not really want that.
—Please consider those that are truly protecting the empire, Your Majesty.
All Amacar wanted was for Consteinus to return back to how he used to be. When they were very young, Amacar received Consteinus' order.
—Sir Amacar! Create the strongest and the best knight order in the entire world!
When Emperor Consteinus said that, he looked at his men with trust and faith.
Hound Amacar was said to have only lived for the sole purpose of making the revival of the empire possible. However, that was not really the case. Whether they were dukes or commanders, in the end, they were still the people of the empire. What Amacar truly wanted was to safeguard the safety and peace of the people of the empire.
However, after the battle against the Luvien Empire, Emperor Consteinus had changed. He began to persecute his people and bring them down, while he went on to recruit talented people from another empire.
Amacar recalled the conversation that he had with Consteinus just a few days ago.
—Your Majesty. Please reconsider it. You cannot increase the taxes by 10% more. The number of people going hungry is increasing by the day.
—Sir Amacar. We can’t help it. We have to recruit Ben, Brod and the others at all costs!
—...
The only reason why Amacar protected Consteinus was because their intentions aligned perfectly. But now, Consteinus wanted to have the largest and strongest empire, instead of the safety and the peace of his people.
The worst part was that Consteinus had sent soldiers to the homes of those that could not pay taxes. He forcibly collected money from them in order to recruit the talents from another empire. However, he came back in failure.
“That damned Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor! How dare the emperor of a newly established empire...!”
Consteinus could not hold back his anger upon his return. In the end, he even killed a maid, who accidentally broke a cup, on the spot.
“...Have the soldiers clean this up, Sir Amacar.”
Amacar clenched his fists tightly as he looked at the maid that had been beheaded swiftly just like that. Up until yesterday, this maid had been greeting him with a smile on her face, but now...
‘Didn’t you tell me that you will be the emperor for the people?’
However, Consteinus said, “The Beyond the Heavens Empire will soon dispatch people to recruit our talents. I’m sure they will also approach Sir Amacar. However, I know that Sir Amacar will not leave.”
Consteinus smiled warmly at Amacar. It was a smile warmer than the smile that he used on others. However, that was probably because Amacar was the strongest existence in the empire, and was considered to be the representative of the empire himself.
On that day, he came to find Amacar. The man looked shabby, acting differently from the other diplomats sent by the Beyond the Heavens Empire to the Ardo Empire. Contrary to what Amacar heard, his face was not handsome.
“I don’t think there’s any need to show my face. So, I hid it.”
“...”
“Please come to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”
“...”
Of course, Amacar did not respond. The man kept on coming to him for days. However, Amacar remained silent.
Then, one day, Amacar saw the shabby and rugged man eat with the hungry children.
“Woah! What food is this, hyung?”
“This dish is called chicken porridge. If you eat this, you will feel warm, comfortable and full.”
“It tastes yummy!”
“There’s a lot from where that came from so make sure to eat lots!”
“Oppa, you’re the one that’s eating the most!”
No one recognized him as the emperor. Amacar unknowingly laughed when he saw him eat and laugh with the children. Perhaps it was because of that scene that Amacar opened his mouth when he came back to find him.
“I saw you eating chicken porridge with the children.”
“Food will always taste better if you eat it with others.”
“You are the emperor of another empire, is it really alright for you to act so unbecoming like that?”
In a way, what he did could be considered to be lowly and vulgar. The man called the emperor of an empire was eating in a slum surrounded by rough and scruffy children.
“What makes it so something is considered to be unbecoming and coarse?”
“...”
“I just shared a meal with the kids. Nothing more, nothing less.”
“Why did you share it? They could be the children of your enemies.”
“Even though they are the children of an empire that may perhaps become an enemy to me, it’s not in my nature to just pass by someone who is hungry. What are you trying to ask? Besides, I don’t think an emperor can declare that he cares for the people if he persecutes and ignores the children of his enemies.”
“...”
Amacar realized that he asked the wrong question. The man in front of him was a righteous and upright emperor, even more than the Consteinus of the past. So, he asked, “What are the people to you?”
However, instead of an answer, an unknown voice rang in Amacar’s ears.
[One of the Absolute Gods, the God that Lives for Someone, Leads Someone on the Right Path and Protects Someone, looks at you and says...]
Amacar had also heard about it. He had been very surprised when he heard that the man called the Evil God became the Guardian God, the one and only Guardian Deity of an empire, just so he could protect him. Amacar listened intently to the words of the Absolute God.
[He is the one that will smile at his people first.]
[He is the one that will feel sad if his people are sad and grieving.]
[He is considered as an emotional king, more emotional than anybody else.]
That was right. Perhaps caring for the people was attributed to emotions.
[Among his people, there was a man called the Ghost Spear.]
[Among his people, there was a man named Brod.]
[Among his people, there was a man named Elpis.]
[Among...]
[Among...]
[Among...]
[For him, his subject became the Spear God.]
[For him, his subject became the Commander.]
[For him, his subject became the Great Demon.]
However, even though he was emotional, people still gathered around him. The people that surrounded him grew stronger and tougher despite the risks and dangers just so they could protect their weak king.
[For him, his people are his family.]
[He once told me...]
[In my world, I am afflicted by a very rare disease and was forced to have no friends.]
[So, he made a family in his small nation called the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.]
[For him, his people were his hyungs, noonas and younger siblings. They were also sometimes his mothers and even his fathers.]
[Even I, the Evil God...]
[...became his family.]
“...”
Amacar turned to look at Minhyuk.
Minhyuk pondered deeply about the matter. Then, with a small smile on his face, he answered Amacar’s question. He said, “They’re my family.”
At the same time, something else happened.
[Emperor’s Authority.]
[The Emperor’s Comfort has been triggered.]
Minhyuk’s new power was triggered.
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