Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 162: Minhyuk’s Activities

Upon hearing those words, Zank did not hesitate at all.

Thuud!

He dropped his knees to the ground and bowed quickly before saying again, “Zank of the Heavenly Spear Masters says his greetings again! I give my greetings to the Legend of the Continent, the Father of all the Spearmen, Ghost Spear Ben!”

“You finally learnt some manners.”

Then, Minhyuk said, “Grandpa. That’s quite rude. Please let him get up.”

Ben laughed, scratching his head in embarrassment before turning to Zank and saying, “I’m just being silly. Boy, stand up.”

“Huh? No, it's fine...!”

“Stand. Up.”

Fwoosh!

Zank immediately stood up as if he had seen a ghost. Once he was standing, Grandpa Ben turned towards Minhyuk with a smile and said, “I already made him stand up. It’s fine now, right?”

Grandpa Ben looked like he was telling Minhyuk?‘I did a good job, right? So compliment me!’.

“Aigoo. You did~ well~!”

“Hohoho. Thanks.”

Crow watched Grandpa Ben talk happily with Minhyuk as he mumbled, “Ben... Ben... Where did I hear that name... Ghost Spear Ben...”

Crow continued to mull over the familiar name as well as Zank’s violent reaction. After thinking about it for quite some time, he suddenly jumped up in shock, his eyes widened and shouted involuntarily, “The Ouroboros Hunter Ben...!”

Ouroboros! It was a gigantic snake comparable to the size of a dragon and was a legendary monster that was estimated to be at around Level 500. Crow was a spearman and he had heard about Ouroboros Hunter Ben from the NPC that changed his class to a legendary class.

‘You’re really a great spearman.’

‘Crow. Would you believe it when I say that there’s an even better spearman above me?’

‘...?!’

‘In the past, Ghost Spear Ben had successfully hunted an Ouroboros that had swallowed a whole village down.’

“What’s wrong, Crow? Who’s that old man?” Genie asked. She could not understand why both Crow and Zank reacted violently towards Grandpa Ben.

Crow quickly gathered his thoughts before saying, “That person is just like a legend. Be it the Continent’s Thousand Heavenly Spear Masters, or even the Hundred Heavenly Spear Masters, they are all like children in front of that old man, Genie.”

Crow shook his head in disbelief as he continued to say. “Perhaps, we have gotten ourselves a ridiculously strong vassal right now.”

“...!”

Genie turned to look at Minhyuk and the old man in surprise.

“Did you kill the Ouroboros?”

“Killed it.”

“Where did it go?”

“I dismembered it and sold the parts.”

“But, it would have been delicious if we made it into some snake wine...!”

“Oh dear! I did not think of that! Do you want me to catch one now?”

‘He might be a bit weird but he’s the best vassal that we could ask for.’

***

America’s Black Swan Guild, the third in America’s guild rankings, was gaining a lot of attention globally after they surpassed the 45-minute threshold in the Time Attack Dungeon.

In particular, this Time Attack Dungeon was happening in?Athenae?and the only requirement for them to be admitted was that they needed to be ‘only three people’ and ‘could only enter five times per day’. In addition, there were various factors that contributed to the ranking, like the final clear time, as well as damage inflicted. Black Swan had recently achieved an S-rank for the first time.

“Can we ask you a question, Mr. Michael?”

Michael was being surrounded by reporters. He was God?Bavecka’s?Child, Julian, in the game. Although his name was quite similar to a woman's, he was definitely a straight, white male.

“Actually, I heard that there were quite a lot of ways to raise Holy Power. However, the limits and requirements are clear and definite. That’s why we want to know how Mr. Michael has achieved an astounding 1,500 Holy Power?”

Michael gave a wry smile when he heard their question. He said, “I simply completed a variety of services and activities for God Bavecka.”

“Activities... I heard that these activities and services were horrible in nature, is that true?”

Every single reporter present knew for a fact that the services performed for a god could truly raise Holy Power. However, these acts and services were all inhumane and impossible to do.

“That’s right. Every day, I had to bow a thousand times towards God Bavecka. Then, I had to keep silent inside the game for over a month. I was also only allowed to eat hard bread and wine given to me in?Bavecka’s?Sanctuary. I was not allowed to hunt any monsters. I was not allowed to sleep for five days and was only tasked to pray to God Bavecka.”

“Is... Is that really what you did?!”

Michael just smiled silently.

Click, click, click, click, click, click, click!

The camera flashed endlessly while the reporters were all left speechless by what they had heard. However, based on Michael’s personality, they could deduce that he might not have been silent for only a month. Perhaps, he had already started to stop talking from the moment he became God Bavecka’s Child.

Also, the hard bread that he had mentioned was literally the bread that was served during service in?Bavecka’s?Sanctuary. However, this bread was very dry and stale, and was really just not fit for consumption.

He even had to pray for five straight days without any sleep… Would anyone do that patiently? It was even done inside the game. Was there anybody in their right mind who would do something like that inside the game? It was definitely not something that a normal person would do.

“You’re really amazing. I’m truly speechless.”

Clap, clap, clap!

The reporters all clapped at his dedication.

Then, one of the reporters said, “But... If there was a player that increased their Holy Power through an easier method then, would you feel pain for your efforts?”

Michael laughed bitterly when he heard those words. He said, “Currently, it is known that medicines and God’s blessings can increase Holy Power. But, receiving God’s blessings is also difficult and God’s blessings are not for everyone. In addition, if we don’t have the medicine, then we won’t be able to eat them and gain Holy Power.”

The interview finished after Michael had said that. Then, he quickly went home and accessed?Athenae. Once he logged on as Julian, he would not be able to say any more words.

The Guild Master, Smith, approached him. Julian also would not send a whisper, so the only way to communicate with him was through a whiteboard, which he quickly wrote on.

[Goddamn reporters! They asked me how I would feel if a player found a way to increase their Holy Power in an easier way, instead of how we got it. That was the question that was most irritating.]

“Yes. I understand your feelings. That’s why you better calm down.”

Julian was not a pure, innocent and clean person like what was being portrayed in the media and through people’s stories. It was just that he had found a special way to showcase himself and his fame surprisingly flew high. Smith saw him as his closest aide and confidant.

‘A companion with 1,500 Holy Power? Isn’t that too crazy?’

In fact, his silence would only last for another two weeks, but he still had to bow to God Bavecka a thousand times per day.?Even?Smith felt horrible, while standing at the side as he watched Julian perform the tasks. He had to admit that Julian was really a tenacious person. Suddenly, Smith thought about what the reporter had said earlier.

‘Will there really be someone who can get a high Holy Power like Julian through an easy method?’

He chuckled helplessly.

‘That’s impossible.’

***

Genie, Khan and Locke were all talking about the Time Attack Dungeon.

“I feel our biggest problem is the boss monster, the Dullahan King. Its defense is really high.”

“Yeah. Ah...We only have three chances left...”

Minhyuk suddenly spoke up after listening to their stories. He said, “Do you want me to come with you?”

“Huh?”

“...”

“To the Time Attack Dungeon?”

The three of them paused when they heard him volunteer. This was because Minhyuk might be stronger compared to his original level, but he was still weak if he was compared to them. It did not matter if they were friends, but they could not make a rash decision when the guild’s reputation was at stake.

“I gained a lot of Holy Power this time so I thought that it might be of help.”

The three of them laughed bitterly when they heard him say that he had received a lot of Holy Power. God?Bavecka’s?Child, Julian’s Holy Power was over 1,300. No, according to the interview recently, he had already achieved 1,500 Holy Power.

Just in case, Genie still asked him, “How much?”

“1,000. Ah. But, in reality, the effect is around 2,000?”

“Huh...?”

“Eh...?”

Genie asked him while sporting a confused expression on her face, “H…how did you get it that high?”

“I just ate diligently...”

“...”

“...”

Khan, Genie and Locke all thought back to the hardships that God?Bavecka’s?Child Julian had gone through and all of them thought of one thing.

‘Julian, I feel sorry for you...’

‘As expected, life is really unfair...’

‘It’s like he ate raw spinach without boiling it...’

***

Genie, Khan, Locke and Minhyuk all stood in front of the entrance to the Time Attack Dungeon.

‘2,000 Holy Power,’?Genie thought about it again, and the ridiculous notion of it was so strong that she just laughed it off.

In exchange for helping them in their attack, Minhyuk asked them for a favor. He told them,?‘I want you to get the best and finest cooking ingredients that you come across.’

The reason why Minhyuk chose to ask for the best ingredients was simple.

‘I’ll call my friends in Athenae and eat together.’

Of course, his father was also included in the list. He had never eaten together with his father and his friends who lived with him for five years. Therefore, he wanted to make the best dish with the best ingredients for his father’s upcoming birthday.

That was the only condition that Minhyuk stated in order for him to join this Time Attack Dungeon. Perhaps, it was more like a favor than a condition. He asked them for help because he knew that gathering all of the ingredients by himself would definitely prove to be too difficult and time-consuming.

There were only three people allowed to enter the Time Attack Dungeon, so a person had to be left behind. Genie volunteered to be the one, saying, “I’ll be waiting for you guys in front of the entrance.”

“Yep.”

“Just keep your eyes wide open.”

The reason why Genie decided to be left behind was because she could not deal a higher damage compared to Khan. On the other hand, Locke could serve as both a healer and a dealer, while Minhyuk was the person with the highest Holy Power among them, so the only choice left was her. Originally, the skill God’s Targeted Praise was attached to Pandora’s Helmet, but he recently used it on Ben, so it could no longer be used.

‘Will this work?’

The trio went inside but Genie was still left worrying. They knew that Minhyuk’s attack and defense were doubled, but his level was still too low. What was more worrying was that while his attack and defense were doubled, his speed remained the same. Genie knew that they already had no chance of narrowing the ranks between the other countries in this Time Attack Dungeon, but she still checked the current ranking.

[United States Black Swan Team: 43 minutes 38 seconds. Rank: 1st.]

.

[South Korea Legend Team: 1 hour 5 minutes 21 seconds. Rank: 14th.]

The Legend Team had narrowed the time as much as they could, but they had reached their limit. What they knew was that the top three teams would be rewarded after the Time Attack Dungeon closed today. The first to third place only. There was no clear list of the rewards yet, but she was sure that it would be tremendous.

Meanwhile Minhyuk, Khan and Locke moved inside the dungeon. As soon as they entered, a notification rang.

[You have entered the Time Attack Dungeon.]

[The Time Limit for your attack is 2 hours. You will not be allowed entry if you fail to clear the dungeon.]

Minhyuk had heard a lot about this before he entered the dungeon. He knew that the Time Attack Dungeon was a repetitive dungeon, so all they had to do was target their enemies better and narrow down the time as much as they could. On top of that, they only had three remaining tries to attack. The first out of the three tries left was set for Minhyuk to adapt and gain a better understanding of the dungeon.

Locke rushed directly towards the cursed dragon.

[Crazy Priest’s Heal.]

[Continuous bleeding will be triggered. There’s also a 20% probability of placing the enemy under an abnormal state.]

Locke had to try for quite some time before succeeding in his attack, since the cursed dragon had a tremendous defense. Khan and Locke struggled fiercely before they successfully killed the dragon.

“Did you see? They’re really strong.”

“Hmm...” Minhyuk hummed and nodded. His situation was like coming to a Level 300 hunting ground, only to find out that the monsters were actually Level 450. He was clear on how strong the monsters were.

The next one to appear was the Ghoul King. The three-meter-tall Ghoul King immediately launched a poison attack towards them.

“At this point, you have to drink the detoxification potion!”

[You have inhaled the poison of the Ghoul King.]

[You have an invincible body that can ignore and resist all abnormal states.]

[You have resisted an abnormal state.]

“Oh. Really? Please give me a bottle!”

“Here.”

Khan hurriedly threw the detoxification potion to Minhyuk. He had complete resistance against abnormal states, but he was thirsty so he still asked for a potion. However, when he gulped it down...

“...Tastes bad!”

Minhyuk firmly decided to never drink a detoxification potion ever again. They kept on moving forward after dealing with the Ghoul King. At this time, Khan said, “This is the third point. This is the second most agonizing place, with the Dullahan King being the first. There are a lot of monsters in this area. The toughest thing here is getting past them in the shortest amount of time.”

Khan continued his explanation, saying, “We’re having a hard time since Locke and I don’t have any AOE skills. If we had an AOE skill, it would be easy to clear this point.”

“I have an AOE skill. Should I try it once?”

“Oh.?You?have an AOE skill?”

Locke and Khan turned towards each other. They knew that Minhyuk could exert a tremendous amount of power when he was dealing with a single person so they both had great expectations towards his skill.

Khan hurriedly drove back the Cursed Dragons and Furious Specters that prevented them from moving further inside. Then, he said, “Try it.”

In fact, they were just excited, but they did not expect too much. Even if Minhyuk had doubled his attack power, this place was still difficult for someone of his level. Minhyuk stepped forward after hearing their consent. Then, the next moment, the space was torn apart as a sword imprinted with a Phoenix appeared.

[You have summoned the Ancient Water Dragon?Barraca’s?Greatsword.]

Minhyuk quickly grabbed the hilt of the sword.

Shwaaaaaaaaa!

A red current surrounded Minhyuk’s body. It fluttered around him like ashes floating from an ember.

“Keuhahahaha. Doesn’t Minhyuk look cool?!” Locke laughed loudly as he blocked the mobs that tried to get closer to Minhyuk. Then, he saw Minhyuk slam the greatsword down on the ground.

Stab!

“Blooming Sword.”

[Blooming Sword.]

[Swords will indiscriminately rise from the ground and attack your enemies within an eight meter radius from your position. Successful stabbing of the swords will cause an explosion that deals an additional 70% damage.]

Hundreds of swords appeared within an eight-meter radius from Minhyuk.

Stab!

Stab!

Stab!

Stab!

Stab!

The swords immediately stabbed straight through the bodies of the monsters. Upon every successful attack...

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

…The monsters exploded!

Plop, plop, plop!

Plop, plop, plop, plop, plop, plop━

Plop, plop, plop!

More than 40 monsters that were blocking their way exploded in an instant.

“...”

“...”

Locke was frozen in shock as he stared at the place where the monsters exploded. Then, he turned towards Minhyuk and asked, “What’s your level?”

“291.”

Locke was at Level 437.

“Y…yeah...”

Khan and Locke suddenly hung their heads low and looked at the ground. Not long after, Locke raised his head as he stared at a faraway place, his mind in a daze, and murmured, “I suddenly miss my mom...”