Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 992

They were none other than the Heavenly Captains. They weren’t gods or beings that were exceptional in one field. Although they were not inferior to the gods, they weren’t specialized in anything like the Sword God.

Most of them belonged to the Heavenly Army and had polished and trained themselves in using various weapons until they were recognized and given the title of Heavenly Captain.

There were ten Heavenly Captains in total. And Fifth, Captain Rox had heard from the God of Wine that Mad Dog Herakel was coming to the Land of the Gods and would be a massive threat to them.

‘Why is Herakel, who had been hiding for a long time, coming out into the world?’

Rox did not know who Herakel was until now. However, he had heard the story from Edona.

‘He’s the God of Strength and a mad dog.’

Even so, Rox was not afraid. ‘Most of the gods he beat went to find him alone.’

The Heavenly Captains were not weak. They were not inferior to any of the gods. Besides, Rox had already formed a defensive line with tens of thousands of well-trained Heavenly Soldiers facing the direction where the said mad dog would be coming from. And that was not all. These long lines of shieldbearers, which could rival the Great Wall of China, were the “Iron Shield” raised and nurtured by the God of Shields himself.

‘Once they stop Herakel, we will catch him and take him to the Battle God.’

Then, at that moment…

Thud–

Rox looked confused. Why? The ground shook and trembled as if they had been hit by an earthquake. The sudden vibration that spread from their feet even broke out among the Heavenly Army.

Thud–

The commotion grew louder as the shaking and vibrations grew shorter and more intense.

Thud, thud, thud–!

‘It feels like it\'s getting closer?’

The source of the vibrations, which felt like it started from a distance, was approaching them at a tremendous speed. Rox, whose vision was several times better than a human’s own vision, could catch sight of the source of the vibrations.

‘God?’

Rox was left shocked when he saw a topless, muscular man running at them at full speed.

‘Shit. You’re telling me that these vibrations are caused by running?’

He immediately understood that the man was no ordinary god.

‘Is he one of the Six Monster Gods?’

Rox felt like he was facing one of the objects of fear, even for the gods.

It did not take Herakel too long to reach their vicinity. The Heavenly Army looked terrified as they stared at the muscular god, while Rox was left flustered. However, Herakel, who had been running like crazy just a few moments earlier, stopped right before their defense line.

“Haa… Haa… Gaerna’s Life Elixir. Need. Haaa… Haaa… I need…”

But then…

Boom!

An arrow shot straight toward Herakel’s chest. It was an arrow shot by the frightened Rox to get the upper hand for the battle to come. The Heavenly Captains were well-versed in all weapons. That was why he was pretty confident with this shot. However, something very shocking happened.

Ping–!

The arrow that shot straight toward Herakel’s chest fell feebly on the ground as if it had hit iron. Then, Herakel grabbed his club when the arrow made contact with his chest.

“This– This monster…!” Rox was appalled.

Rox’s arrow might not reach the level of the God of Archery, but there was no denying the tremendous penetrative force hidden within that shot. The problem was that it did not even scratch Herakel’s skin.

“Me… Gaerna’s Life…”

“Push him back! We have to stop him somehow! We must not let a monster like that enter the Land of the Gods!”

The Heavenly Soldiers sent thousands of arrows and magical attacks toward Herakel. When the thick cloud of dust, which was kicked up by the countless explosions, settled down, Herakel’s face had grown ugly, and his hold on his club had tightened. The shocked Rox looked at Herakel with wide eyes as he took one strong and mighty step forward.

Thuuuuuud–

Then, Herakel started to run fiercely and swing his club at the soldiers of the Iron Shield.

‘It’s just a club…!’ But Rox was unable to finish the thought in his head.

Boom!!!

When Herakel’s club collided with the defense line, a loud sound echoed, and several shield soldiers were sent flying away.

“Keuaaaaaaack!”

“Uwaaaaaaack!”

And just like an angry bull, Herakel began to swing his club like crazy. Shockingly enough, every swing of Herakel’s club would send dozens of Heavenly Soldiers flying away. A single attack had left them all incapacitated, unable to fight with their bones broken.

“Eight times. Endure… me, club eight times. Rocado… Me, tell you where.”

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh–!

Rox was left stunned by the unimaginable display of force before him. This was the first time that he had seen someone like this. Everyone felt like thousands of tons of weight were striking them with every swing of his club while their opponent remained unscathed with his skin that looked harder than a dragon’s scale.

‘What the hell is he talking about? What will he tell us if we endure eight of his hits?’

Herakel had been spewing strange words with every swing of his club. But Rox ignored his words and shot forward. He slashed Herakel’s chest with his sword.

Spurt–!

The slash was shallow. However, blood spurted out from Herakel’s chest. At that moment, Herakel, gritting his teeth, looked at Rox indifferently and spoke nonchalantly, “My club. Endure eight times.”

“...?”

Thud–

Rox was confident he would not lag behind any gods regarding combat techniques. But when that club swung and made contact with him, he felt his life flash before his eyes with how heavy the impact was.

“Keheoook?!”

Thud–

“Ahaaaaack!”

The impact from the club easily tore apart the full plate armor covering Rox’s body.

“Three. Four.”

Thud–!

Thud–!

Rox could not return to his senses. He felt like he would die if he continued to get beaten up. Only at this moment did he realize that the power and strength that Herakel’s possessed was hefty and could almost be considered out of this world.

“S– Stooooop!”

Herakel stopped when he heard Rox’s roar. He just left behind Rox sprawled on the ground like that and pounced on the Heavenly Soldiers coming his way. After knocking them all out, he caused the ground to shake and vibrate as he ran again.

“Haa… Haa…”

Rox finally returned to his senses and realized that the situation was far worse than he had thought it to be.

‘Are you saying that a monster like that is coming to the Land of the Gods?’

If that were indeed the case, then it would be a disaster.

“Report the current status and the damages received.”

“35,000 soldiers are suffering from broken bones and five with serious injuries. There are no deaths.”

Rox frowned when he heard the report. ‘We’ve been hit and beaten by a club so severely, yet there are no deaths?’

Maybe we’re lucky? This thought flashed in Rox’s mind as he gave his orders. “Report to the Battle God. The entire Heavenly Army is now in a state of emergency! Summon all of the Heavenly Captains!”

“Yes, sir!”

***

The gods knelt in front of the Battle God and gave their reports.

“Battle God, Herakel is going on a rampage.”

“More than tens of thousands of our Heavenly Soldiers, including Heavenly Captain Rox, had been injured.”

“As of now, Herakel is said to be heading toward this place.”

“Please give an immediate judgment and give us your orders.”

“If we delay any further, we will receive more damage.”

The Battle God looked solemnly at the reporting gods. He had sent Rox upon hearing the report of the God of Alcohol. But it seemed like it was still not enough.

When the Battle God hesitated, one of the gods asked, “Why are you hesitating, Battle God? That bastard is threatening the peace of the Land of the Gods and is going on a rampage for no reason at all!”

The Battle God had heard many stories about Herakel. Herakel was the only one who knew where Rocado was. Because of that, many gods sought him out. However, they were all beaten like dogs and kicked out without gaining anything. They even called him “Mad Dog” because he would go crazy and beat the gods with his club. Even so, the Battle God had never ordered to kill Herakel.

‘This is because they were the ones who went to find him themselves. They are only paying the price for what they have done.’

Also, none of the gods who had been beaten by Herakel had died. But now, the situation has changed. It was not just one or two gods but more than tens of thousands of Heavenly Soldiers who had suffered from Herakel. If they did not stop him now, then hundreds of thousands might suffer injuries.

But did he have to go out to deal with this matter? The situation was far too trivial for the Battle God, who was swamped with work, to come out personally. If all of the Heavenly Captains move, then it was likely possible for them to deal with the situation. The most important thing here was to kill Herakel quickly and minimize the damage they would receive.

‘I don’t know the exact reason, but Herakel had caused huge damage to the Land of the Gods.’

This fact would remain unchanged.

The Battle God managed almost everything in the Land of the Gods and was responsible for accepting or rejecting various tasks and orders daily.

As the one in charge, he ordered, “You have the permission to kill.”

“We have received your order!”

“We have received your order!”

As the Battle God watched the gods retreat, he was reminded of Minhyuk.

‘If that guy plays an active role here, then he might be able to receive the support of many gods in the Land of the Gods.’

So, he called for Minhyuk.

***

All of the Heavenly Captains, except Rox, gathered in one place together with 100,000 elite troops of the Heavenly Army. They were all waiting for Herakel to come.

“The Battle God has given his command! We have permission to kill Herakel!”

“As soon as he enters our vision, unleash an attack on him!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Yes, sir!”

The difference between being allowed to kill and not being allowed to kill was immense. After all, if they had permission to kill, they could use all of their strength.

The First Heavenly Captain, Carrack, led the entire Heavenly Army and all of the other Heavenly Captains. Carrack, with his exceptional sight, caught sight of Herakel’s figure. They did not even say anything to stop him or keep him in check.

“Kill Herakel and stop him from disturbing the Land of the Gods!”

Tens of thousands of arrows and magical attacks rained down upon Herakel’s charging figure, creating explosions that caused a thick cloud of dust to rise. Meanwhile, the Heavenly Captains remained vigilant as they looked at Herakel. Then, at that moment, they saw Herakel leap to the skies.

Herakel slammed his club on the ground the moment he landed among the ranks of the soldiers of the Heavenly Army.

Crack–!

The ground shook and trembled as cracks appeared. Slamming the club on the ground caused such damage. It was a tremendous yet mysterious force, one that none of them had ever heard of or witnessed before.

‘As expected. That bastard has to die right here and now.’

“All of the Heavenly Captains will come with me.”

The elite of the Heavenly Army were rendered helpless, unable to keep up with Herakel’s pace and tremendous force. They simply collapsed and fell without even putting up a fight.

The Third Heavenly Captain, skilled with the bow, sent arrows that stabbed deeply into Herakel’s thick, sturdy skin. However, the attack did not stop Herakel at all.

“My club. Eight times…!” Herakel continued to shout strange words as he trampled on the soldiers of the Heavenly Army.

The Second Heavenly Captain moved as swift as lightning and cut Herakel down with the sword. The Second Heavenly Captain smirked when he saw the blood spurting out of Herakel’s body. However, a flash of doubt appeared on his face when he felt Herakel’s hand grab him by the back. The action broke his balance and forced him to fall backward.

Bang–!

What the fallen Heavenly Captain saw right in front of his eyes was none other than a club.

“Eight times! Endure!”

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The Second Heavenly Captain’s bones breaking rang loudly with every hit. The soldiers of the Heavenly Army did not dare to come close after hearing the gut-wrenching screams of the Second Heavenly Captain echoing on the battlefield.

By the fourth hit, the Second Heavenly Captain shouted, “Please stop! Sp– Spare me!”

In the end, the Second Heavenly Captain could only endure five hits. The moment Herakel threw the Second Heavenly Captain away, the Third Heavenly Captain rushed forward and stabbed him with his spear on his abdomen.

Stab–!

The Third Heavenly Captain pulled out his spear and stabbed him dozens of times. “Enough! Die!”

“Rocado… Gaerna’s Life Elixir… Need…” Herakel said, his words sounding nonsensical to the ears of everyone present. However, despite his body being riddled with holes and bleeding all over, he just grabbed the spear that was stuck on the right of his chest and snapped it with his overwhelming strength.

Snap–!

Then, he beat the enemy in front of him once more. This time, the Heavenly Captain could only endure four times.

“I– I understand! Stop!”

Carrack could only watch as the monster overwhelmed them. Even the Heavenly Soldiers could no longer reach him.

‘Is– Is he really a monster?!’

Right now, Herakel looked utterly hideous. He had dozens of arrows stuck in his body, and his skin was charred black by the explosion caused by the magical attacks that rained down on him. But it wasn’t just that. Blood was dripping down his body, which was riddled with holes, while a broken spear was lodged on the right side of his chest.

The Fourth Heavenly Captain struck Herakel’s head with an iron mace.

Bang!

Herakel, who received the heavy blow, staggered on his feet. While the reeling Herakel tried to correct his balance, the Fourth Heavenly Captain took the opportunity to hit him with his iron mace.

“Please, I beg you. Just die!”

Slam! Slam! Slam!

Despite the blood covering his entire body, Herakel remained standing. He quickly caught the Fourth Heavenly Captain’s iron mace and started to beat him with his club.

“Keuaaack! Aaack! Aaaaaaaaaaack!” The Fourth Heavenly Captain’s screams echoed loudly on the battlefield.

Seeing this, the other Heavenly Captains could not help but step back.

‘What the hell…’

Herakel was already teetering on the edge of life and death. It wouldn’t be strange if he died right away. Everyone looking at him felt like they were looking at something grotesque, especially with his head almost broken and bleeding non-stop.

Thud, thud–!

The First Heavenly Captain gathered his courage and attacked the bleeding Herakel. He swung his sword and cut through Herakel’s body dozens of times. Even the Heavenly Soldiers mustered all the courage left in their bodies as they raised their spears, shot their arrows, and bombarded him with their magic.

But the reeling Herakel continued to stand. Ultimately, he grabbed the First Heavenly Captain by the neck and said, “Me… did… nothing…”

“...?”

“Me only need Gaerna’s Life Elixir.”

“What…”

“You… first… attacked…”

But the terrified Carrack could no longer hear or understand the words that he was saying.

“U– Uwaaaaaaaaaack!”

Herakel’s club slammed straight into the head of the screaming First Heavenly Captain.

Thud!

Herakel chased after the reeling Carrack and hit him with his club again.

Thud!

“N– No…!”

“Sir Carrack!”

Herakel’s strength was far too unexpected. It even exceeded the Battle God’s expectations. Or was it only because he was already going berserk because he was already on the brink of death? Was this why he was given the moniker of “Crazy Dog”?

Herakel raised his club toward the fallen Carrack. “Eight times. Endure.”

Vwoooooooong–

Carrack closed his eyes when he saw the whizzing club toward him.

Thud–

The dull sound of the club hitting something rang loudly. However, Carrack could tell that he could not reach his damage.

‘Did he miss?’

It was not impossible. After all, he was already on the brink of death. But what was that terrible sound that rang in his ears?

When Carrack opened his eyes, he saw a man wearing a silver full-plate armor with a cape carrying the symbol of a fork and knife crossed together, standing with his back to him. The man faced Herakel, his blood flowing down from the club that directly hit him on the head.

“Ba– Battle God?”

It was none other than the next generation of Battle God, Minhyuk. He looked at Herakel and said, “That eight times, I will endure it.”