Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 943

Most of the Athenae players have participated in or encountered the Infinite Battlefield at least once in their entire gameplay. There were even times when some of them would disappear for a few days so that they could play in the Infinite Battlefield.

Why was the players’ interest in the Infinite Battlefield so high? This was mainly because of the thrill they could get from it. Fighting against someone at the same level would be thrilling and allow them to know and learn how good they were compared to others. There was also the fact that they could gain wealth the more they participated in matches in the Infinite Battlefield. After all, they could obtain double the amount they betted if they won. These were also a part of why Captain Rice’s videos uploaded on ZTube became such a huge hit.

The one bearing the name of the strongest in the Infinite Battlefield was Alexander. No one did not know about Alexander, the one who had never been defeated. He participated in 500 matches and won all 500 of them. Although Alexander did not own an empire like Minhyuk, some people claimed that he alone could devour and lay several small kingdoms to waste.

All the players were curious: ‘Will we be able to see Alexander’s winning streak be broken?’ The one with the highest probability of making this happen was Captain Rice. After all, he had won 200 matches in a row, just like Alexander.

Many waited and hoped Alexander and Captain Rice would fight on the battlefield once. However, even if the two matched and fought, they had the right to decide whether to publish their match.

The people found it a pity that they would not be able to see the battle between the two, even if they fought. They lamented that they would only be able to see the results.

[The Event: Infinite Battles has started in the Infinite Battlefield!]

When the notification rang, several broadcasting stations had signed a contract with Joy Co. Ltd. before ZTube began broadcasting. On their screens, they saw Alexander and Captain Rice, the two people that they longed to see fighting, appear facing each other. There were even apparent signs of a fierce battle before the broadcast started.

[Wow, shit! Look over there! Alexander and Captain Rice must have fought against each other!]

[Is it over? Did they determine who won and who lost?!]

[Nope. It looks like they’re going to participate in the Infinite Battles?]

[OMG! This is going to be freaking amazing!]

[Yep, yep! I wonder how many Alexander and Captain Rice can defeat by themselves?]

For players, the Infinite Battles was like a fresh take on fighting. As they continued to fight and win against their opponents, the number of players they had to deal with would double. Since it depended on how many one defeated, they could fight against 10,000 or even 1,000,000 opponents. Of course, everyone was aware that it was an impossible number. Even so, there was no harm in dreaming.

Just like that, word of mouth spread, and viewers began to flock to watch the broadcast of the Infinite Battles, in which Alexander and Captain Rice duke it out and fight nonstop.

***

Alexander and Minhyuk both looked quite disappointed.

Although they had yet to start and were yet to determine who the winner or the loser was, they could tell that the rewards from the event that Joy Co. Ltd. had prepared were too unconventional. They would obtain fifty Infinite Points for every Infinite Battle challenger they defeated. Not only that, if they became the MVP, they would also be able to get 500,000 Infinite Points and 100,000 platinum.

Then, Minhyuk said, “Alexander, shall we see who could defeat more?”

“...Interesting.”

They did not need to finish their battle to determine the winner or the loser. All they needed to do was defeat more enemies.

The two disappeared in a flash of light and appeared in a new place.

[You will now be transferred to the Infinite Battles’ Combat Zone!]

Minhyuk quickly looked around. The combat zone was a barren and desolate field surrounded by large, transparent walls in all directions. On the other side of the transparent walls were Alexander and the other players, who had won ten consecutive matches in the Infinite Battlefield and were now participating as the defenders in the Infinite Battles.

“Were they aiming for this?”

“They are. 100%.”

They were talking about the fact that Minhyuk and Alexander appeared in the same place and were standing right next to each other. They were sure that this was what Joy Co. Ltd. aimed for. The company held events to entice players who had left the game to come back and recruit new players. Putting Minhyuk and Alexander side by side was an intentional move since they would create the hottest issue.

[Alexander and Captain Rice are in the same area!]

[This is going to be interesting...]

[OMG...]

[Joy Co. Ltd. I love you!!!]

And just like they expected, the viewers’ response to their arrangements was hot!

[The Infinite Battles are starting!]

Immediately after that, a light flashed in front of Minhyuk, revealing the presence of a player. The same happened for Alexander and the other players who appeared earlier. The moment the opponents appeared, Alexander and Minhyuk moved.

After circling the opposing player, Minhyuk swiftly knocked their Achilles’ heel.

“Urk!”

Minhyuk pulled him by the ankle, effectively knocking him to the ground. Then, he stabbed the opponent in the chest once before slashing their throat.

“Urk! Ack! Ugh! Y- You’re too much–”

It only took a second for the first player to disappear. When Minhyuk turned around, he saw that the player who had appeared before Alexander had also been forced to log out and disappear.

[You have defeated one opponent!]

[Summoning two opponents!]

At the same time, two people–one mage and one swordsman–appeared in front of Minhyuk.

Minhyuk leaped forward and slammed his knee on the mage’s chest, stopping him from finishing his casting.

“Ugh!” The mage groaned as Minhyuk’s dagger stabbed him swiftly and quickly all over his body.

He easily dodged the swordsman, who attacked him on the side. Then, he raised his hand and stabbed the man on his flanks.

Stab–!

The power of Destruction, a passive that could strike the enemy with sixteen thick and bloody lightning bolts in a row, appeared as an assassin’s skill. One stab turned to sixteen slashes that mutilated and forced the swordsman to log out.

[...2 opponents!]

[Summoning 4...]

This time, four people appeared in front of Minhyuk. However, neither Minhyuk nor Alexander used any active skill to deal with them. Was it because they felt like their opponents were beneath them? Of course not.

Even if Minhyuk and Alexander won against their opponents, their HP, MP, and skill cooldown would not reset. In other words, the defenders would get increasingly exhausted the more they won. And it was not only that. The number of their enemies would also continue to increase. This meant that they would have to reveal their skills sooner or later.

Baaaaaaaaaaang–!

“Heup...!” Minhyuk groaned as his body was sent flying by a mage’s Explosion.

Seeing this, the mage’s face immediately lit up. “Quick! Beat him up!”

It seemed difficult to deal with four players all at once without using any skills. Of course, this was only on the general audience’s standards.

Minhyuk, who was flying in the air, triggered Shadow Steps. Although Minhyuk suffered some damage, it was not serious, thanks to the afterimage left behind by his movement skill. He also created another variable after he stabbed the mage with his dagger. This variable was none other than the Slaughterer’s Absorption. Transformed into an assassin’s skill, it now could absorb the blood of the opponent that his dagger had stabbed into and use it to treat his injuries.

Baaaaaaaaaang–!

His passive skill Explosion, which was also transformed, gained a new form. The body of the mage that Minhyuk stabbed exploded, sweeping the surrounding area.

Now, eight enemies were standing in front of both Alexander and Captain Rice. The speed at which they summoned enemies was almost neck to neck.

[This is nuts. They’re all on the same level, but... How can there be such a huge difference?]

[They might be on the same level, but rankers are in an entirely different realm. Even though their levels were lowered, rankers generally have higher stats, greater titles, and better skills than others.]

[Above, then you’re saying that they can deal with that much because they are rankers?]

[Sry.]

As the viewers continued to watch the broadcast, they slowly realized that a truly skilled powerhouse might be able to deal with ten opponents at once.

[You have defeated 32 opponents!]

[Summoning 64 opponents!]

After winning against sixteen and thirty-two opponents, they have now reached sixty-four opponents. Minhyuk pulled his mask up higher. He was not fighting without using any skills at all. He was fighting by mixing skills with quick cooldowns and basic attacks. Minhyuk took a deep breath after dealing with sixty-four opponents with just two of his skills.

[You have defeated 64 opponents!]

[Summoning 128 opponents!]

“...”

Minhyuk could tell that he had used the fewest skills to deal with his opponents up until this point.

Meanwhile, the viewers from all over the world felt a shudder run down their spines.

[So cool...]

That was the only word that came to them to describe what they were feeling when they saw one lone assassin raise his mask while being surrounded by 128 opponents.

Minhyuk charged toward his enemies.

Stab–!

Boooooooom–!

Explosion’s power triggered and devoured the area just as several arrows shot through Minhyuk’s back. Minhyuk hurriedly cut the arrows, pulling one in the process and using it to stab the neck of one of the knights next to him. Then, he continued to move around them like the embodiment of the assassin, focusing only on the necks of his enemies.

Clang– Clang, clang, clang– Slash, slash– Slash, slash, slash–!

The world went wild at the sight of an assassin moving at lightning speed and slashing the necks of his opponents one after another.

What about the damage he was incurring and the skills attacking him? The others only saw Minhyuk wearing light, thin black clothes and a mask. But the truth was different. Minhyuk had the Transcendental’s Armor equipped now. Although its defensive power had been lowered to match its current level, it still had more than twice the defensive power that ordinary players had.

Stab–!

Of course, Minhyuk would also refill his declining HP using the Slaughterer’s Absorption from time to time as he stabbed his dagger into the hearts of his enemies.

“Aaaaaaaaack!”

“K- Keuaaaaaaaack!”

“Aaaaaarghhh!”

Minhyuk’s enemies continued to drop to the ground while grabbing their necks. It did not take too long for the comments, which had turned speechless, to become noisy again.

Alexander also displayed a pattern similar to Minhyuk's. But between the two, it was the newly emerging Captain Rice who the people deemed as the strongest both in control and skills in reality. Everyone gulped dryly as they watched Captain Rice cut the throats of his enemies as he passed by them. It was just like the scene in the movies.

After 128 people fell, Minhyuk said, “Next.”

Immediately after his word fell, 256 people were summoned. Like the previous opponents, they bombarded Minhyuk with attacks to eat away at his HP. However, the moment he came near them, it was clear that they were no match for Minhyuk.

What were the strengths and advantages of Minhyuk’s original class? Cooking buffs. And these cooking buffs had been converted and transformed into a variety of assassin buffs. Even though his level was lowered to Level 400, his strength was on par with Level 500 players, thanks to his buffs alone. There were also the artifacts he had equipped and the stats, which were much higher than ordinary Level 400 players, that he had built early on in the game, contributing to his power.

“Next,” Minhyuk said after knocking down and eliminating 256 enemies.

[Crazy...]

One of the viewers who heard him could not help but voice out.

Minhyuk charged at the 512 enemies and went on a rampage. He looked like a lion left amidst a flock of sheep as he cut their throats and forced them to log out. And Alexander? He was also moving at a pace similar to his own.

Minhyuk looked coldly at the last of the 512 enemies and stabbed him in the heart with his dagger.

Many people were clamoring and saying that between him and Alexander, it was Alexander who would have the upper hand when it came to individual skills. This was partly because he had the enthusiastic support of the Americans and partly because he was a combat-class player.

This was a considerable pressure and burden to Minhyuk, the first emperor and player to build an empire. There was even a time when he thought that he wanted to have a proper competition with the man every time he watched Alexander’s videos. He wanted to break the man and receive everyone’s attention.

“Next.”

One thousand and twenty-four. This was the overwhelming number of enemies that appeared and stared at Minhyuk.

Swooooooosh–!

Minhyuk threw his dagger toward the 1,024 enemies that appeared in front of him. The dagger, which shone a dark light, carried the skill Supreme Overlord’s Technique. The AOE attack skill Supreme Overlord’s Technique transformed and turned into tens of thousands of daggers, rotating fiercely and tearing through the 1,024 enemies like frail papers.

‘There is only one sky encompassing the world. And that sky will be me.’

Minhyuk looked coldly at his fallen enemies and said, “Next.”