Chapter 1086: Chapter 1077

The Pillar Evaluators, who filled their stomachs with dog food, had only met with the first candidate. They still had to evaluate many candidates, some of whom could receive nominations. Of course, some's qualifications to become candidates remained to be judged.

The evaluators talked amongst themselves as they walked to their next destination.

“I don’t know if the next one is qualified to be nominated as a candidate.”

“Among the ones we must evaluate, she’s the least likely to become a candidate.”

“But there must be a reason why he chose that woman.”

All of them were filled with expectations.

Not all the candidates, whether their qualifications had been acknowledged, the newly chosen candidates, or those whose qualifications would be accepted later, would become one of the Eight Pillars.

“He said that the selection for the EIght Pillars will be done differently.”

The evaluators thought that the new method for selecting the members of the Eight Pillars would be a battle between the chosen candidates.

‘A battle between those who control and rule over this world.’

Of course, this would only happen in the future. Regardless of the new selection method, they continued on their way to meet another chosen candidate.

“This time should be a bit easier.”

“That’s right.”

They were 100% sure that Minhyuk’s case was unique. This time, they were sure that they would be treated courteously. So, with the mentality that they would be given the highest form of hospitality, they intended to take it easy at their next stop.

Finally, they were able to meet the woman that he had chosen.

“We are the Pillar Evaluators. We came here to evaluate and judge if you have the qualifications and are worthy of being nominated to become a Pillar Candidate.”

“Ah, you’re here.”

“...?”

‘Wait.’

At this moment, Ruba could tell that something was wrong. No. Why did things keep on deviating from the scenario that they had expected?

Even though Ruba was frustrated, he could not yell. After all, there was a chance that he was watching over them.

He could only growl lightly. “Why are your words so brief?”

“You’re the ones who spoke briefly first, so I did the same. Is there a problem?”

“...”

‘Ah, she’s right.’

Ruba looked at the woman silently. The woman's blonde hair was tied tightly in a ponytail, and she held a sword.

This woman was none other than Sword Emperor Ellie.

***

Minhyuk was confident that nothing would happen even if he presented the meal he prepared for his Cerberus to the evaluators because he had already heard that his qualifications were sufficient and had already received their nomination.

When he and Arlene had successfully created the Supreme Dish, he had been given the title “The One Who Reached the Pinnacle.”

According to the title’s effects, Minhyuk's dishes from that point on would at least be epic grade, whether it was a simple ramyeon or egg fried rice that could be made in just five minutes.

Now that the problem with the evaluators was over, Minhyuk wrapped up the conversation with the Transcendentals. Minhyuk had already obtained the chance to spar and compete with Bender. Still, Minhyuk wanted not just to “spar” with him but also to gain a foothold that would help catapult his growth.

‘The EXP needed to get to Level 699 from Level 698 is…’

The amount of EXP he needed was equivalent to the total amount he needed from Level 680 to Level 698. It had reached a ridiculous level.

‘I have to reach Level 700. Once I reach that level, I can go beyond my limits.’

The limit that Minhyuk was talking about was not about strength. It was the limit related to his cooking and his DEX. Minhyuk knew what he wanted well.

‘I want to become the Pillar of the Gourmands.’

Cooking and DEX would significantly influence becoming the Pillar of the Gourmands.

So far, Minhyuk had met two candidates–Lord of the Monsters Barbarian and The Teacher Beradon. Regarding dexterity, there was also the Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado, the Pillar hailed as the Father of Dexterity.

Rocado and the two candidates he had met were incredible people in their respective fields. Minhyuk was aware that his current level was incomparably low compared to theirs.

‘Although, at the moment, it seems like the standards have been lowered to some extent.’

That was just how ridiculously high the wall was. Minhyuk could clearly remember how he had only won once against Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado, while the man had won more than tens of thousands of matches against him. One thing was clear: Minhyuk was far from reaching their position.

However, before Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado went into eternal rest, he gave Minhyuk a gift.

[Once you reach Level 700, the 1st quest to help you find Rocado’s power will open and reveal itself.]

[This will give you more power and help you take one step closer to becoming the true Eight Pillar.]

Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado’s power would most likely help Minhyuk fill the deficiency in his powers.

‘I have to reach Level 700 first.’

Minhyuk’s heart thumped wildly. Reaching a higher realm in cooking meant he could cook and eat more delicious food in the future. That was why he wanted to reach Level 700 quickly.

This was also why he applied The Growth Cultivator, the power left behind by Beradon to him, on Bender. This power, which could create a quest on its own, was a power that was equivalent to the Eight Pillars’ Disaster. In exchange for using this power, one’s level would drop by one.

[The Growth Cultivator has started to create quests for you.]

[Please set the contents of the quest, the rewards, and the penalty for failure.]

[If you set a reward that is excessive concerning the quest's difficulty, the system will be the one to set the rewards.]

[If you set an excessive reward and the system chooses to put it, you will receive a reward much worse than what you want.]

[Your level has dropped by one.]

Minhyuk’s level dropped to Level 697 once again with the penalty for using the Growth Cultivator. For Minhyuk, he had to level up twice to make up for the loss.

‘Considering the amount of EXP I have, the difficulty should be very high.’

This meant that he could increase the reward. As mentioned before, Bender had a power similar to Beradon’s. A power that could help someone raise their EXP just by their recognition alone.

‘Increase my level by two for three successful attacks on Bender. Also, Bender’s guidance on swordsmanship as an additional reward.’

Minhyuk quickly set the difficulty of the quest and the rewards while looking at the hologram.

[The rewards set are far too high compared to the difficulty level.]

Minhyuk bit his lips. When he saw Bender’s fight with Ruba, he realized that he was fortunate to be able to use Overpower and take the pen away from him eight times in a row. That was why he set the condition to only landing three successful attacks. But the notifications refused the conditions and the rewards.

‘If I fail to create a quest with all the three tries I’m given, then the Growth Cultivator will set the reward itself.’

If that happened, the reward it would set would be much lower than what Minhyuk wanted. Furthermore, it would also be the one to set the quest's difficulty level. That was why Minhyuk had to be very careful.

‘To get two level-ups as a reward then… right. Let’s set it as reducing his HP by 5%.’

Minhyuk set the conditions for the quest, remembering that Bender had an overpowered regenerative power and a body like steel.

[The amount of EXP needed for leveling up is too high.]

[The rewards set are far too high compared to the difficulty level.]

Minhyuk’s face grew ugly.

‘Has it considered that I can use skills like Calamity?’

Of course, the Growth Cultivator would also observe and consider the skill users themselves. If Minhyuk used one-shot kill skills like Calamity, then it would be able to see that he could cut down around 5% of his opponent’s HP.

Minhyuk had to tread carefully. He carefully set the conditions and the rewards of the quest for his last try. He set the condition to cut down Bender’s HP by 25%.

[The amount of EXP needed for leveling up is too high.]

[The rewards set are far too high compared to the difficulty level.]

Minhyuk’s face twisted horribly. The system judged that two level-ups were a ridiculous reward for Minhyuk’s current level.

Minhyuk started to feel nervous. Now, the system would set the quest's difficulty and its rewards.

[The Growth Cultivator is creating a quest. It is now setting the level of difficulty and the rewards.]

Ring!

[Quest: Cut Down Bender’s HP by 50%.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: Level 650

Rewards: Two level-ups and Bender’s Swordsmanship Guidance.

Penalty for Failure: Your level will drop by two.

Description: The Growth Cultivator has assessed that the previously set rewards were too excessive for the difficulty set. It has now set its level of difficulty and rewards.

“...?”

The rewards did not get worse. The only thing that changed was the penalty for failure. If he failed, then his level would drop by two. On top of that, the condition had increased. Now, Minhyuk had to cut down Bender’s HP by 50%.

Just in time, Bender, Nekk, and the other Transcendentals entered his office. From the looks of it, Bender had already heard something about it, too. This was because his expression was filled with interest.

Nekk sensed the unusual air around them and asked, “What’s the matter?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. Minhyuk just offered a bet with me. He’s saying that he can seriously injure me during our spar.”

“N-no. I didn’t do that…”

“Well, it sure is similar to a bet. He took the pen from my hand so easily, so he must have thought it was possible.”

“What you’re saying is…”

All of the Transcendentals looked at Minhyuk at the same time. Their expressions were saying, ‘What’s the problem with you? Why did you do that?’

The Transcendentals have all recognized Bender as the strongest. They all knew that they could not cut them down even if the gods appeared.

“So, I’m going to take Minhyuk to the Fortress of Fantasy.”

“...?” Minhyuk looked at Bender in confusion.

“If you enter the Transcendental’s Training Room inside the fortress, you will still be revived even if you die. You can spar all you want in there.”

“...”

Minhyuk could see the desire for victory blazing in Bender’s eyes.

‘I think I’m in trouble.’

Minhyuk could expect his opponent to give it his all.

***

The Transcendental’s Training Room was a place with extraordinary power. Anyone inside this room would not experience actual death. If they died inside, they would be revived right away. The best part? They would not suffer from any penalties, and there was no limit.

Time did not flow inside the room. Even if they stayed inside for five minutes, thirty minutes, a year, or ten years, the actual time that had passed outside would just be five minutes.

The main reason why the Transcendentals’ force was so outstanding was because of this training room. When many Transcendentals were still alive, Bender had used this training room to train them. And most of the Transcendentals that he trained had something in common.

‘All of them are arrogant.’

The Transcendentals, or the Albraim Race, were an entirely different race from humans. Since they were inherently stronger than all other races, the Albraim Race was filled with countless arrogant men.

Bender was just a unique case. He had lived as a human being most of his life and had only realized that he was a Transcendental later in life. Because of that, the arrogant Transcendentals refused to acknowledge him and his power. Bender, ignored by the Transcendentals, discovered a way to teach these arrogant men a lesson.

‘Just overwhelm them.’

He would grasp their faults and shortcomings and make them realize their powerlessness.

“Anyway, that’s how it is.”

“I see.”

Minhyuk made it clear that he had not set up the bet. But even though he had cleared the misunderstandings, Bender still decided to overwhelm him completely.

Since the two had nothing urgent to do, they decided to rest well for the day after returning to the Fortress of Fantasy.

“Let’s start,” Bender said, moving quickly when he and Minhyuk entered the Transcedental’s Training Room.

Bender was the strongest being and an object of fear to the gods. When Helenia appeared, and the gods were in danger, they ran and asked him for help. That was why the gods hailed him as “The One who Kills Even the Heavens.” Bender liked that title to the point that he even modeled his power around that title. One of those powers was…

“Heaven Destroyer: Linked.”

Minhyuk, standing in front of Bender’s sword, was ripped apart a hundred times over. He could only stare at Bender as his body succumbed to the sword lights.

“Thankfully, foreigners don’t feel pain.”

Because of this, Bender decided to kill Minhyuk hundreds of times and let him experience what actual training felt like.

Stab–

Just one slash from Bender forced Minhyuk’s HP to drop to the bottom. Minhyuk staggered, turned into light, and disappeared. When he reappeared, surprise could be seen on his face.

‘What the hell was that?!’

A shockingly powerful yet invisible force ripped Minhyuk apart a hundred times in mere seconds. But it did not end there. Bender swung his sword toward Minhyuk’s neck, and another chapter of his Heaven Destroyer slammed straight into Minhyuk.

Baaaaang–!

A massive explosion erupted around Minhyuk. Fortunately, he did not die.

Slash– Slash, slash– Slash–!

Despite the thick cloud of dust, Bender continued to cut down Minhyuk. Minhyuk did not even last thirty seconds before he was forced to log out a second time.

A third time…

Stab– Stab, stab–!

A fourth time…

Bang–!

A fifth time…

Boom, boom, boom–!

Nekk, who watched this unfold, said, “He’s giving it his all.”

“Although Minhyuk has already explained and resolved the misunderstanding, you must know that punk Bender is very petty.”

Indeed. Bender was petty and narrow-minded. Watching on the sidelines, the Transcendentals all looked at Minhyuk as if he were pitiful when they saw that he was forced to log out six times in a row.

“Even so, he will still force him to feel discouraged.”

“From what I can see, he’s going to kill him twenty more times.”

Bender did not show any hesitation. He did not give Minhyuk any room to breathe and continued to hit him again and again and again.

Although Minhyuk was the one who killed Helenia, it seemed like Bender wanted to make him realize that it was only made possible by borrowing Obren’s power.

‘Take that arrogance away. Only if you discard that will you be able to recognize your limits and go even further.’

Bender, who had killed Minhyuk for the tenth time, had already used up much of his mana. Even so, Bender was still very confident.

‘At this rate, he will feel helpless. By then, I will still be able to kill him a dozen more times, even if I don’t have enough mana.’

Besides, Bender could still use his skills a lot of times. This time, he used one of the powers under Heaven Destroyer, Restriction. With this power, the overwhelming power of a Transcendental would surge out of his body and ultimately control the movements of anyone weaker than him for seven straight seconds.

Bender approached Minhyuk, who was stuck in his position. Then, he was taken aback by what he heard.

[The opponent has resisted your Restriction!]

Minhyuk was already waiting for Bender. He chuckled when he saw Bender’s shock when the man realized he had resisted his power.

“I’ve been waiting.”

“...?!”

“You must have used most of your mana by now.”

At this moment, Bender realized that the arrogant one was not Minhyuk but himself.

“Transcendence.”