Death, or Jung Ji-Hoon, went out of the capsule with a satisfied smile on his face. He said, “I’m glad I died a less painful death today!”

It was not the usual gang beating, but a swift and easy twisting of his neck. As of today, Jung Ji-Hoon had already made five visits. Death’s first two visits were made in quick succession but after that he decided to take some breaks in between.

This was because of what Minhyuk had told him on his second visit. He said, ‘I’ll give you a hint every time you die. Ah, Do you have any problem with dying every time? If you have, then you don’t have to come. It’s totally up to you.’

That was right. Death continued to visit and die, despite the high penalties. But he also wondered…

‘How come?’

Why was he showing mercy to him? Minhyuk was supposed to kill him, so why was he showing mercy to him? It was simple. Death wanted to stay with Minhyuk but he was Rocard Kingdom’s enemy. It was only right for him to die every time under the hands of the people of Rocard Kingdom. However, even after killing him time and again, the people’s resentment did not decrease. After all, they had lost their family and precious people.

Throb—

It has been a long time since he last felt his heart ache. Death thought that he lost all of his emotions. However, the more he went to find Minhyuk, the more he felt his emotions come back.

‘Although it’s just a game, what I did was no different from what those people did to me.’

He trampled, mocked, and tried to plunder their resources with force. Although they might be NPCs…

‘It’s also like a world to me…’

Just like how he lost his parents, he also took away their precious families. After finding the first hint, Death still continued to welcome his death there.

‘Even if they kill me a hundred or a thousand times, their resentment towards me will never disappear.’

This was the result of what he did. Besides, he was doing this to gain enlightenment and find a way to be happy. And today, two weeks before the start of Athenae: World War, Death came to die for the seventh time.

“Argh! Urk! Aack! Heok?! Keheok! N, not, not there!”

Spurt—

He did not know how many times that part had exploded! However, the anger and wrath of the people of Rocard Kingdom did not subside, despite the fact that they had killed him many times, and continued to trample on him.

“I understand. I’ve committed a great sin.”

However, even if he realized that, it did not mean that they would forgive him. This was a burden that he had to carry for the rest of his life. As Death welcomed his death again after being beaten badly by the people, he sent a whisper to Minhyuk.

[Death: I came here to get beaten and die once again. However, I’m very curious about one thing. What did you mean when you told me that you were similar to me?]

Not long after, an answer came back.

[Minhyuk: I meant it literally. The only difference is the circumstances that surrounded us. You will continue to die here today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that. However, I will not entertain your whispers anymore.]

The end of Minhyuk’s words made Death flare up in anger, ‘What the hell?! Are you telling me that I’m not even worth your whispers?! Huh?!’

Death wondered furiously what Minhyuk was trying to get at, when he had not even given him the exact answer that he wanted. His head was completely filled with anger!

[Minhyuk has blocked you.]

“…!”

Death’s anger flared up again, and he vowed to never return and die at the hands of the Rocard Kingdom again. For a moment, he believed that Minhyuk’s words about them being similar and him telling about how to be happy were all lies.

‘How can this trashy life of mine be worth something?!’

In the first place, he believed was born as a pathetic trash.

Then, the next day, Death still went back to Rocard Kingdom.

“Bastard! You’re here again?! Good. I was just thinking about more painful ways to kill you.”

“You damn bastard! Why do you come here everyday?!”

“Die!!!”

Death, just like usual, was stoned and beaten to death by hundreds of people from the Rocard Kingdom. But even though he was just being cursed at and spat on by the people inside the game, Death’s mind and spirit, which had long been corrupted and rotten by the criticisms that the world had thrown at him, was slowly changing for the better.

‘I’m sorry. I acted just like the people that I hated. I plundered and took away those precious to you.’

And just like that, he died again. After logging out, Death could only stare blankly into space with a bitter smile on his face. In the end, he would still go back tomorrow. He sighed deeply before going on the internet and ordering his food for tomorrow. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

‘What… what the hell is this?’ Death thought in shock.

Both the local and global community sites were boiling. The number one real time search word was ‘Food God’ while the second search word was ‘eating addiction’. Death read the various articles that appeared on his screen the moment he clicked on the topic of discussion.

[Food God Minhyuk and Eating Addiction. What kind of rare disease was he afflicted with?]

[It’s a rare disease where one cannot stop eating for the rest of their lives. A disease with a survival rate of less than 1%.]

[It is a terrible disease that has shocked the global medical community.]

[Who was the informant that tipped about the Food God to Despatch[1]?]

[Food God Minhyuk has filed a complaint and will be taking tough actions against the informant.]

[A huge and fat man of 170kg, this is the man called Food God.]

Death’s eyes widened in shock.

‘A rare disease? A mysterious informant?’

Someone mysteriously informed the media about Minhyuk’s disease during this precarious time leading to the Athenae: World War, especially when the entire world was paying attention to him.

In a way, it was quite amazing that this news leaked at this point in time. After all, it was a secret that Minhyuk had guarded for a very long time. News travels as fast as the wind, so it was very surprising that it had not been leaked all this while. Minhyuk also declared that he would be taking tough actions against the informant.

The worst part was the fact that a picture was also attached to the article, showing Minhyuk and his huge, 170kg body. His figure looked horrible. The shape of his face could not even be seen from the flesh that hung all over his body. Even his legs were larger than a normal person’s waist. There were a flood of comments under the photo.

[This is the handsome Food God? Uweeeck!!!]

[Woah. What the hell is this? This is the Food God?]

[OMG. That’s shocking… I was originally his fan but I’m going to stop now!!!]

[I’m so shocked. I can’t believe that I liked a person like this. I’m going to leave his fan cafe now.]

[As expected. God is fair. Hahahahahahaha. Bastard piggy!]

Death’s eyes widened even further after seeing the comments.

‘He said that he was similar to me, right…?’

Death finally realized why Minyuk said that. No, perhaps Minhyuk lived a far more difficult life than him. After all, this was a paragraph taken out of a transcript written by a world-renowned doctor:

[Living feels more painful than experiencing death. From the time they open their eyes in the morning, until they close their eyes to sleep, they would feel extreme hunger. It would feel like they’re living in hell. The Food God is living a hellish life.]

Many had expressed their sympathy towards him. However, the curses were still rampant. This was how people were. Most hated seeing someone else live a good life, and once they grabbed a hold of their weakness, they would curse them vehemently.

‘He’s similar to me but he’s living a different life from me…’

It seemed that Minhyuk was living a life like that. But in Athenae, Minhyuk was able to overcome his hell and live a good life. Tears dripped down Death’s cheeks as he thought, ‘Someone intentionally let out the news!’

Jung Ji-Hoon’s anger flared up again. What he hated the most was seeing people mocking others’ pain. He quickly grabbed his mobile phone and used his Athenae ID to send a whisper to Minhyuk. He was still unable to access the game because of the death penalty, so all he could do was use his phone.

[Minhyuk is currently logged out.]

“…?!”

Death sighed. Minhyuk must have been devastated. But then, at that moment, he received a letter from Athenae on his mobile phone. If one was logged in Athenae, the letter would be delivered via pigeon.

[You have received a letter sent by Minhyuk.]

Athenae’s letter function was very accurate and flexible. One could, in fact, schedule a letter to be sent later. That was when Death remembered the words that Minhyuk said a few days ago. ‘You will continue to die here today, tomorrow, the day after tomorrow, and the day after that.’

[I’m suffering from a rare and unimaginable disease. However, there’s a reason why I have overcome it.]

The letter ended at that. Then, it disappeared by itself.

[This letter will immediately disappear after you read it.]

It was set like this so that Death would not be able to say it to anyone. And even if he let out the news and used the letter as reference, his voice would eventually be buried without any evidence on hand. Death felt his heart clench in pain when he saw the letter.

And just like that, the day before the Athenae: World War finally came.

***

The very first World War was of course held in Korea. The global rankers arrived, one after the other, on private planes loaned to them by their own countries, before heading straight towards the huge stadium where the World War would take place. They went there a day earlier to take pictures and strengthen their resolve. Meanwhile, the cameras were broadcasting live and showing the figures of their own rankers.

[The Korean players are entering!]

[Mage Ali, Blacksmith Hyemin’sDaddy, Emperor of the Sword Carr, Knight of Agony Alicia, and Jefreet’s Descendant Locke! The Korean players are entering one after the other!]

[We can see how tense the Korean players are even through the broadcasting camera.]

[However, they’re one person short. We don’t see the Food God. Not too long ago, news about the Food God and his eating addiction, a rare disease, had spread not only in Korea, but all over the world.]

[It’s a shame but I will keep on rooting for Player Minhyuk and his complete recovery.]

[It’s alright even if he doesn’t show up. He will always remain as our nation’s ‘hero’.]

One of the commentators, Jan, was stunned when she heard the word hero.

‘Minhyuk…’

Jan had the chance to get acquainted with him before, so she was a little bitter when she heard his sad story. Well, everyone was thinking the same thing. They all knew that he would not show up. With his heavy and huge build at 173kg, he would definitely not come. Yeah, it was better for him to not show up. After all, the world would just laugh and mock him.

‘I’m rooting for you. Please make it happen!’

She hoped that Minhyuk could recover from his disease completely. Right now, all that was left for the commentators to do was simple, and that was to meet the other Korean representatives heroes.

“Mr. Locke, give us a few words! Did you hear anything from Food God Minhyuk?”

“Mr. Khan, when was the last time you’ve seen Mr. Minhyuk? Did you know about his eating addiction?”

“We refuse to answer those questions.”

All of the players from South Korea refused to answer the reporters’ questions. Meanwhile, Mage Ali looked at the seat next to him. This was the seat where Minhyuk was supposed to be.

‘Is that why he did not confirm his participation?’

Perhaps that was the reason why he was a bit reluctant to participate in the World War.

Meanwhile, on the community sites…

[I guess the Food God ran away? What? Is he trying to lose weight?]

[Trashy Korea is now without any hope.]

[Stop that. Who would want to be like that? No one. Why are you criticizing him so harshly but you did not praise him when he was doing well? You’re all bastards.]

[Why isn’t he showing up?! Are we just going to give up on the World War just like that?!]

[Hey, if it were you, would you be willing to show up with a body like that?]

Their opinions were divided. On the other hand, the players from all over the world felt a bit relieved. Simply because…

‘The most dangerous guy is gone.’

After all, there was nobody who would not be delighted if the greatest threat disappeared by themselves. Among the hundreds of players gathered together, darkness seemed to shroud the heads of all of the Korean players.

Meanwhile, the Japanese player, Kentaro, thought, ‘You’re not coming?’

Kentaro chuckled bitterly as he stood still amidst the countless cameras that were focused on him.

‘However, what I think about you won’t change. I still think that you’re the best.’

Just when Kentaro was going to let out another bitter laugh, a sudden disturbance occurred on the side where the Korean players were.

“What?! He came?!”

“What did you say?!”

“He’s coming?!”

“He’s already here?!”

Kentaro’s eyes widened.

‘Who’s coming? The Food God?’

The commotion grew louder while dozens of cameras turned to focus on the entrance where the vehicles stop at. Just then, a slick limousine, a limited edition sold only to the 50 richest people in the world by Benza, stopped together with several black SUVs. Then, dozens of handsome and strong-looking bodyguards quickly got off the SUVs and lined up on either side of the limousine, as a man slowly opened the door. Exclamations burst out from the mouths of the people that watched the scene.

“Waaaaaaaaah!”

Click, click, click, click, click, click—

Hundreds of cameras clicked away to capture the man’s face, while plenty of women screamed unknowingly. Someone even looked like they were going to faint after making eye contact with the man. Kentaro could not see what was happening due to the crowd. The guards lined up and created a path for the man.

No, to be exact, the crowd unknowingly paved a way for the man.

Clack, clack, clack, clack, clack—

The click of the man’s heels rang loudly in the area amidst the silence.

Clack, clack, clack—

The hundreds of cameras and thousands of people all watched the man in silent awe.

Clack, clack, clack, clack—

The representatives from all over the world turned to look at them in doubt. That was when Kentaro finally saw the man.

The man’s bangs were perfectly brushed up, showcasing his thick and smooth eyebrows, sparkling eyes, straight nose, sharp jawline, and small face. He was around 185 cm tall, with legs long enough that could rival that of a model. Even his shoulders were wide and strong.

Everything seemed to have been set in slow motion as the man continued to walk. Kentaro and the rest of the people looking at the man felt their breath stop.

Clack, clack, clack, clack—

The click of the man’s heels continued to ring loudly, overwhelming the entire crowd. The man, wearing a black suit, walked with one hand on his pocket and a gentle smile on his face. His looks were comparable… no, his looks surpassed even that of an actor. The man’s gorgeous looks were enough to incur any man’s jealousy and steal any woman’s heart.

The mysterious man continued to walk until he stood in front of the photo zone. His gait and gaze remained natural as he stood in front of thousands of cameras.

“Crazy…”

“My goodness… That man’s really handsome…”

“I’ve never seen such a handsome Asian before…”

The man, with his hand still in his pocket, looked at the audience confidently, while the representatives from all over the world looked at him in surprise.

“What the hell? He’s so handsome.”

“Can a person really look that gorgeous?”

“He looks like his looks have been carved in stone.”

“It seems like South Korea has already won a gold in terms of appearances.”

The man stood in front of thousands of flashing camera lights and said, “Food God Minhyuk. Participating in Athenae: World War.”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

Murmur, murmur.

Click, click, click, click, click, click—

His gorgeous appearance, striking proportions, and gentle voice left everyone and the entire world astonished. Minhyuk, standing at 185cm and weighing 77kg, had made his appearance!

1. A reference to Dispatch, a media company in Korea. Somewhat like the Korean version of TMZ ☜