Chapter 881
Minhyuk, who started the Second Gate, stood amidst the celestial dwellers. He ran with them through the canyons and watched in awe as War God Veyron and the celestial dwellers stopped the Titans’ advance by destroying the canyon. As for the main reason why Minhyuk was quite impressed...
[Titan. Level 681.]
It was because the level of the Titans produced by the black dwarves was ridiculously high. Of course, the celestial dwellers that Veyron nurtured and helped develop also had high levels, high enough to reach Level 500 and above. However, the almost 200-level difference was quite a vast chasm. The fact that Veyron and the celestial dwellers could overcome that huge chasm and stop the Titans was worthy of admiration and respect.
Minhyuk watched the flow of the battle among the celestial dwellers. How did these war heroes end up dying in the line of duty? Finally, he found the answer.
‘It malfunctioned?’
The God’s Cannon Veyron had prepared as their last resort malfunctioned and stopped working.
“Go and fix it! Hurry!”
“Quick!”
The celestial dwellers with high DEX quickly moved to the God’s Cannons and tried to repair them. However, none of their attempts worked. Perhaps it was only natural. After all, these were divine weapons created by the God of Blacksmiths; they were something that mere celestial dwellers could not touch or repair.
The Titans took advantage of the gap in their defenses brought about by the malfunctioning cannons and began to capture the fortress. Seeing this, Minhyuk quickly made a move.
‘As expected, the Second Gate is also very difficult.’
Two conditions needed to be met to clear the Second Gate. The first condition was having strength and power. One had to be strong enough to take down a titan by themselves. The second condition was having the ability to repair the God’s Cannons. However, the problem was that neither a player nor an ordinary god had outstanding skills in both. But Minhyuk was a different case altogether.
‘I played this game so I can eat.’
Because he played this game to eat, he had been working relentlessly to increase his DEX every step of the way. In fact, his DEX reached the point where it was higher than the God of Farming. It was even higher than Hyemin’sDaddy, the God of Blacksmiths’ Descendant.
Why was it so hard to raise the DEX stat? The rate at which one acquired the DEX stat did not change that much depending on one’s class; instead, it was entirely dependent on the amount of repetitive labor and work related to DEX that one did.
Of course, the DEX of someone like Minhyuk, who often made hundreds of dishes a day and often dug continuously in the fields, would inevitably reach an extremely high level. On top of that, he also had the 4x increase in DEX Acquisition Rate attached to Ellie’s Kitchen Knife.
Not long after, Minhyuk saw Veyron and the celestial dwellers gather together in one place.
‘Shit...!’
Minhyuk quickly understood what they wanted to do. Veyron and the celestial dwellers intended to break the dam and flood the area with the river as a last-ditch effort to ward off the enemies. He understood why they were hailed as heroes. They were true heroes who only considered protecting the Land of the Gods and the people within it, even at the cost of their own lives.
The running Minhyuk screeched to a halt before one of the God’s Cannons. His breathing was ragged as he triggered the special privilege of someone who owned an extraordinarily high DEX.
At that moment, countless tiny red spots appeared all over the cannon's surface. Then, words started to appear and float above the red dots.
[Needs screw replacement.]
[Needs hammering.]
[Needs rust removal.]
[Needs parts replacement.]
The first thing that Minhyuk did was to grab his screwdriver and replace the screws that were almost broken apart by the rust that ate through the metal.
[You have ideally replaced the screws.]
[No matter how much time passes by, rust will no longer appear in the screws.]
[You have repaired 12% of the God’s Cannon.]
[The God’s Cannon is still not functional and cannot be operated yet!]
Minhyuk glanced at Veyron and the celestial dwellers, who were holding the switches in their palms after he replaced the screws. His hands moved swiftly as he removed the rust that started to eat away at the God’s Cannon.
[You have perfectly removed the rust from the God’s Cannon.]
[Rust will no longer be able to stick to the God’s Cannon.]
[You have repaired 28% of the God’s Cannon.]
[The God’s Cannon is still not functional and cannot be operated yet!]
However, it was still not enough.
Baaaaang–! Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The Titans swung their greatswords and cut down the celestial dwellers that blocked their paths. Veyron, who seemed no longer able to bear to watch such a devastating scene, slowly closed his eyes while his palm started to close and pushed on the switch's button in his hand.
However, Minhyuk moved a step faster than him, his hammer slamming strongly on the metal of the God’s Cannon.
Claaaaaaaang–!
The impact of the hammer was so strong that sparks splashed all over the place; that was how powerful and heavy Minhyuk’s hammer was. Veyron and the rest of the celestial dwellers all turned to look at him when they heard the sound of his hammer. Minhyuk’s heart almost leaped from his chest with the urgency of the current situation.
A war hero would always be born in every country, nation, kingdom, or empire; an example would be just like Yi Sun-Shin. At this moment, Minhyuk felt like he was fighting alongside Yi Sun-Shin.
“That’s enough. You can stop now,” Veyron said. His voice sounded gentle as if he wanted to console Minhyuk, who was struggling until the end, so that they could live and survive. “You already did your best.”
No. That was not the truth. Minhyuk had not yet shown his best.
Claaaaang–! Clang–! Clang, clang, clang–!
Minhyuk’s grip on the hammer tightened as he continued to strike the God’s Cannon. He was hitting the metal so hard that his hands felt numb. Then, one of the gigantic titans charged at him at that moment. However, despite the looming threat, Minhyuk did not even stop. He ignored the titan that raised its greatsword to cut him and the cannon in half.
Claaaaaaaang–!
[You have perfectly hammered the God’s Cannon.]
[The God’s Cannon durability has reached an excellent level!]
[You have repaired 38% of the God’s Cannon!]
[The God’s Cannon is now functional. You can now operate the cannon!]
“Activate.”
Vwoong, vwoong, vwoong, vwoong–
A powerful force gathered at the mouth of the cannon and shot toward the charging titan.
Baaaaaaaaaang–
Everyone standing atop the walls was rendered speechless from shock when they saw that the Titan was sent flying back. They could not believe their eyes.
‘H- how...?’
‘The God’s Cannon...’
They had no choice but to wonder if the God of Blacksmiths had descended upon them. After all, no one else could repair the God’s Cannon except for him.
“Phew. It’s so hot.” Minhyuk removed the helmet, ultimately revealing his face after he had repaired one of the God’s Cannon with all his might.
The man had deep and dark eyes, a pair they saw peeking through the strands of his sweaty hair, a straight nose, and a sharp jawline. His exceptional appearance made him stand out even more after his shocking performance.
“Who’s that?”
“Who is he?”
“Do we have someone like that among us?”
Of course, they could not know who he was. However, they did not have the time or leisure to further question his identity. This was because the Titans, noticing that something strange was happening with Minhyuk, began to charge at him all at once.
Veyron hurriedly ordered, “Dedicate your lives to protect him!!!”
“Mages! Concentrate your attacks on the Titans!”
“Do not let a single one of them reach that man!!!”
The celestial dwellers began to throw themselves at the Titans.
Slaaaaaaash–!
“Keuaaaack!”
“Aaaaaaack!”
Even though their limbs were being cut off and torn away from their bodies, there was a relaxed and easy smile on their faces. The only thought flashing in their heads was that they could protect the Land of the Gods and allow many more of their brethren to live in exchange for their lives.
“...”
Minhyuk was left in awe and admiration. The celestial dwellers fought until their very last breath for the sake of the Land of the Gods. What else could he do for them? Of course, there was only one thing right now.
Claaang–! Claaaaaang–!
Claaaaaaaaang–!
Minhyuk moved rapidly, swiftly and quickly, as he repaired the God’s Cannons one after the other. His average repair time for each cannon was around three minutes.
Claaaaaang–!
Vwoooooooong–!
“Thank–”
Slaaaaaash–!
The divine subject that guarded Minhyuk, cut down by the titan, smiled brightly as he watched another God’s Cannon get repaired. As if to avenge his death, the God’s Cannon fired a powerful shot that sent the titan flying back.
Baaaaaaaang–!
How many times had he repeated this process? Minhyuk no longer knew. His entire body was shaking and trembling from the impact that constantly traveled through his arms with every strike of his hammer as he repaired each God’s Cannon.
‘It’s because I have over-exerted the muscles that I don’t normally use.’
The degree to which Athenae reflected reality was surprisingly high. In reality, the muscles used to swing a sword and strike a hammer were completely different. Hence, his body was trembling like that. However, even if his muscles had started to ache and spasm, Minhyuk still clenched his teeth and soldiered on.
[The Skill: Divine Will has been triggered!]
[All of your skills and abilities related to DEX will temporarily increase by 30%.]
[All of your stats will increase by 8%.]
[Your attack power and defensive power will increase by 6%.]
Minhyuk’s repair speed suddenly increased. At the same time, his body's shaking temporarily subsided, and his fatigue disappeared. He quickly resumed repairing the God’s Cannons. However, he reached his limits just as quickly.
“...”
Veyron was very grateful when he saw how hard the man was working. Although he did not know who the man was, he could tell that he was forcing his body to move beyond its limits just by looking at his spasming muscles and trembling body.
“Aaaaaaaaargh!!!” Minhyuk shouted, his teeth clenching as he continued to work.
Thanks to his hard work and effort, all of God’s Cannons were repaired and could be operated.
Bang– Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang– Baaaaaaaang–!
The celestial dwellers unleashed the power of the cannons on the Titans, one after another. The repaired cannons could be fired within ten seconds of activation. However, they would take a minute to reload before they could be fired again.
Although the Titans received the brunt of the cannons’ attacks, they were not destroyed. With every shot of the cannon, their durability dropped by around 20%. Of course, the black dwarves immediately swarmed to the Titans to repair the damage.
However, Veyron would not stand still and let them be. He appropriately used the mages’ magic bombs and the archers’ arrows. Their relentless and heavy attacks stopped the black dwarves from repairing the Titans, and as a result, the Titans began to crumble one after another.
With the situation gradually stabilizing, Veyron approached Minhyuk. “Who are you?”
Minhyuk had already expected him to ask this question. So, he answered that question with the answer that he had already prepared in advance, “I am...”
***
God of Dungeons Bentley grabbed his head tightly. “What the hell? How in the world was he able to do that?!”
Bentley just could not make it make sense. Yes, he acknowledged that Minhyuk was strong enough to clear the First Gate- there was no denying it. However, what shocked him was that the man was also quite skilled at the job of a production class.
The Food God was not even remotely close to being a blacksmith-related class. However, the fact that he was able to repair the God’s Cannons was proof that he possessed an unusually high DEX.
If the First Gate was a test of strength and power, then the Second Gate was a test related to production classes. It was mainly because of these two that no god had ever cleared the dungeon. However, the man who challenged the dungeons completely broke the reckless confidence in this idea.
“I- I can’t allow him to do this.”
If things continued at this rate, Minhyuk could pass through the Second Gate easily. The worst part? There was a hidden system in the Second Gate.
‘God Evas respected Veyron more than anybody else.’
Veyron was a hero who protected the Land of the Gods. As a last-ditch effort, he broke the dam and sacrificed himself to buy time for the other gods. His respect for the man made him create the Second Gate like this.
The truth was the Second Gate was a significant gate for the gods. This gate was made with noble and great intentions to honor the hero that Evas admired and respected the most and made the Land of the Gods what it is now.
If the Second Gate were truly cleared, Veyron’s achievements and videos left behind by Evas would be passed on to the other gods. However, the problem was that the key person who would allow them to view this video was none other than the Food God.
Once that happened, Bentley, who insulted, mocked, and jeered both the Food God and the Battle God, would most definitely be demoted. So, he could not allow it.
“I won’t allow you!!!”
Ultimately, the only string holding Bentley’s reason snapped as a sense of urgency overwhelmed him.
‘Anyways, no one would know what is happening inside the dungeon right now.’
No one, including the other gods, knew what was happening inside the Argalis Dungeon. Because of this safety net, Bentley readily broke the rules.
Bentley had always been interested in the Titans created in Evas’ Second Gate. As the Dungeon Maker and a production-class god, he had been working for hundreds of years to reproduce another titan, and he had successfully made one.
The titan that he had produced was massive. Its height reached thirteen meters and was powerful enough to deal with thirty ordinary titans. Its skin was also hard because he made it using the parasitic dragon’s things living in the Land of the Gods.
Bentley also created this spear-wielding massive titan, his masterpiece, in case he was left in a situation where he had to fight against the Battle God.
Just as he was about to enter the cockpit of the Titan of Destruction, the soul of Evas, the creator of Argalis Dungeon, sent him a warning.
[Once you enter the Second Gate with the Titan of Destruction and get killed by the Dungeon Challenger, you will be stripped of your position as the God of Dungeons.]
[You are committing a serious felony by tarnishing the noble and great hero’s battlefield!]
“...”
Bentley also held great respect and admiration for War God Veyron. After all, the War God was a god that received the care of all the gods. However, his greed had already taken over his body and squeezed that respect out of his consciousness. His only thought was to enter the Titan of Destruction’s cockpit. At the same time...
[If you break into the dungeon, the Dungeon Challenger will receive extra privileges!]
However, Bentley ignored the warnings and maneuvered the Titan of Destruction.
***
“Who are you?” was the first question War God Veyron asked the mysterious man who appeared in their moment of crisis.
Who was he? Was he a god sent by the Battle God to help them? Or was he an unknown, hidden god who came here to save them?
Minhyuk had prepared an answer to such a question. This man in front of him deserved all the respect in the world. Even though he had already died an actual death, he was still standing in front of Minhyuk.
“I am...” Minhyuk, who could not help the tears that dripped down his cheeks, said, “I am someone sent by the War God.”
“...?” Veyron looked at him in confusion. He was the War God. What was this man saying?
“I came from the future.”
Minhyuk weaved a story, his words containing both truths and lies. He had a reason for this.
So, he began to tell his tale. He told Veyron about how he was already dead, about how the Battle God felt heartache for him and helped him fulfill his wishes by sending him to earth. He told him his name...
“Amacar. He’s the one that sent me.”
“...What kind of person is he?”
Minhyuk answered Veyron’s question slowly and carefully.
“He’s strong, just like you.”
“He’s great, just like you.”
“He cares for everyone, just like you.”
“He’s a man that will become a hero, just like you.”
To be fair, Minhyuk thought Veyron would sport a complicated expression once he heard these words. However, there was no denying the truth that he was dead. But contrary to his thoughts, Veyron chuckled slightly.
“That’s a relief. I’m quite happy that the other me can fulfill my wishes and is receiving the love of everyone around him.”
Veyron looked up at the sky. He had calmly accepted the fact that he had died. Then, he turned to Minhyuk and asked a very heart-wrenching question, “Did my death...”
“...”
“...did my death allow many people the chance to smile once again?”
Minhyuk felt his heartache at that question. However, he flashed a bright and wide smile at the great and noble hero and said, “Yes. You have given many, many people the chance to smile again.”
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