Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 589: Lady of the Snakes, Leona

Did Joy Co. Ltd. create the Grumpy Gochujang for no reason at all? Everything in Athenae was related to ‘scenarios’, ‘quests’ or other events, so would they create a gochujang with an ego just for laughs? Minhyuk believed that it was unlikely.

As it turned out, it was a mysterious existence with a power that surpassed even the gods. It even blessed Minhyuk with a +2% increase in all of his stats. On top of that, the spiciness of the dish would vary depending on who would eat the gochujang-based dish.

‘What an amazing ability.’

The dish would set the most delicious spiciness level depending on the person that would consume the dish. Minhyuk had never heard of an ability like this. However, one thing was for sure. This was an ability that all of the chefs in the world would covet.

As for the Puzzling Seasoning Jar that Minhyuk obtained…

‘If it’s a seasoning jar that has the ability that I’m thinking of then…’

If it was as Minhyuk guessed, then its power was likely to be astronomical. In fact, the seasoning jar’s ability that Minhyuk was thinking of was simple. Just as the gochujang adjusted its flavor to suit the taste of the one that would eat it, what if the salt that he would get from the seasoning jar would also make the dish its most delicious version based on the person eating it?

‘That would be insane…’

Any kind of dish served to others all over the world would be seasoned by the chef that made it. However, everyone’s taste buds and palates were different. Some preferred it salty, some preferred it to be plain and simple, while some preferred it bland.

The first thing that Minhyuk did was to check the Puzzling Seasoning Jar.

(Puzzling Seasoning Jar)

Rank: ???

Special Abilities:

????

????

????

?Something that possesses an ego is slumbering inside. It might wake up at unexpected times.

‘It really is a puzzling seasoning jar…’

It was exactly as its name suggested. The seasoning jar was truly puzzling and confusing. However, one particular thing stood out to Minhyuk.

‘That guy is slumbering inside this?’

It seemed like the ego of the Grumpy Gochujang was sleeping inside the Puzzling Seasoning Jar. Minhyuk did not know if its power that went beyond the gods was something temporary or not. However, he was sure that it was a noteworthy existence and it was now sleeping inside the seasoning jar that he acquired.

After he finished cooking and checking everything, Minhyuk finally saw the sad figures of his new guild members approaching his trailer. One look at their sullen figures and Minhyuk began to rush. He quickly prepared various fried fritters and even some rice balls to go with the Bizarre Tteokbokki.

“We’ve been smashed.”

“What kind of record did those guys make in the time attack dungeon?”

“Richard’s power is too strong…”

Most of the guild members that had returned were feeling lost and dispirited. It seemed like the wall that was blocking their path was a tad bit too high for them. From what it looked like they were under great pressure. Minhyuk hoped that his new guild members would forget the stress once they ate this Bizarre Tteokbokki. Of course, the same was true for Minhyuk. He had been very busy these past few days. Because of that, his stress had accumulated. After confirming that everyone had returned, Minhyuk began to distribute the Bizarre Tteokbokki.

Among them was the group that Orleed belonged to. They had experienced a level that they could not reach. All of them were at most only at rank 70.

“So, this is who Richard is…” Orleed said. He had decided to serve Minhyuk in the heat of the moment after seeing countless possibilities with him. However, he still could not hide the bitterness after witnessing how great Richard’s underlings were.

At that moment, Minhyuk gave them a portion of Bizarre Tteokbokki, some fried fritters, rice balls and a can of julpis. Minhyuk said, “This dish will definitely make you feel a whole lot better.”

After distributing all of the new guild members’ shares, Minhyuk settled down and began to eat himself. Orleed looked down at the white stretch of cheese on top of the blazing red tteokbokki.

“Is this the dish that you call tteokbokki?”

“That’s right.”

“Isn’t this super spicy?”

“It’s spicy but it’s also very delicious.”

There were Koreans among Orleed’s group and that was what they said about the dish. Then, Orleed looked at Minhyuk. Minhyuk was smiling happily despite the beads of perspiration dripping down from his forehead as he ate the Bizarre Tteokbokki.

‘This is not the time to eat like that, Your Majesty,’ Orleed thought bitterly, ‘I can’t eat something overly spicy.’

Then, Orleed picked up his chopsticks and clamped a piece of rice cake. Foreigners often had to smell their food first before putting it into their mouths whenever they tried food from other countries. Orleed did just that. When he finally placed it in his mouth, the spicy flavor spread in his mouth as the chewy texture of the rice cake greeted him.

‘It’s spicy… but…’

It was delicious as well. Orleed picked up another rice cake; this time, it was the slightly chubbier one. The rice cake that he picked up was none other than the cheese rice cake. The moment he bit on it, the rich, savory flavor of the cheese burst in his mouth and perfectly complemented the spicy flavor, washing away a bit of its edge.

“…Delicious.”

“Wow. This is really delicious.”

Even the Koreans that were eating together with Orleed were impressed by the taste. Next, Orleed tasted the fishcake that had been soaked with the gochujang-based sauce.

“This fishcake is the best.”

It seemed like Orleed preferred fishcakes over rice cakes in the Bizarre Tteokbokki. This time, he tried the vienna sausage.

“Mhmm~ Yummy!” Orleed shouted in admiration. His mouth felt hot as if a flame had been lit in his mouth and his forehead was covered in sweat. He quickly pulled out a handkerchief and wiped off the sweat on his forehead. That was when Orleed saw Minhyuk gulp down the drink called julpis.

Orleed immediately copied Minhyuk, pouring out the peach-flavored julpis in a cup. The cold temperature of the julpis seeped through the cup and was transmitted through his hand. Then, he immediately gulped the cold julpis.

“Kghhk~ What the hell? This drink tastes so good!”

The drink washed away the lingering spiciness in his mouth. This time, Orleed turned his attention toward the rice balls. The rice balls had some chopped pickled radish, tobiko, seaweed powder, sesame seeds, and the like. When he placed the rice ball in his mouth…

“Wow…”

Orleed wondered how a rice ball made up of the most ordinary ingredients could taste so divine.

“It will taste even better if you eat it like this.”

Orleed watched as the Koreans dipped their rice balls in the tteokbokki sauce before putting it in their mouths. He copied what they were doing and could only stare wide-eyed at the dish in front of him. This time, he tried the fried seaweed roll. Of course, he also dipped the fried seaweed roll in the tteokbokki sauce. And the moment he placed it in his mouth…

Crunch—

The tteokbokki sauce added a dash of flavor in the fried seaweed roll’s crunchy texture.

“Wow…”

Orleed continued to eat, admiration plastered all over his face. From the moment he ate, his mind had been completely empty. He did not realize this fact until he was full and satiated.

‘Is this the reason why Koreans like to eat spicy food when they’re stressed?’

Sweat might have soaked their clothes but the stress that they were feeling was swept away. After eating almost everything on his plate, Orleed gulped all of the julpis in his cup in one go.

“Kghhk~”

Then, the notifications rang.

[You have eaten the Bizarre Tteokbokki.]

[Legendary Grade.]

[All of your stats will increase by 28%. Your class specific skill’s level will increase by +2!]

[All of your attacks will have a fire-attribute attached to it!]

[The buff will last for 12 days.]

“…?”

“…??”

“…???”

Everyone in Orleed’s group was dumbfounded after they finished eating their tteokbokki. The Food God’s dishes were well known for being overpowered, on top of their exquisite flavor. However, some people, who were jealous of the Food God and wanted to undermine him, spread false rumors about his dishes. However, today, they found out the truth. Those testaments were not exaggerated at all. No, to be exact…

‘Crazy! He made buffed dishes with this kind of effect for all 500 people?’

‘Are you joking with me…?’

‘All hail… Our Lord the Food God…’

Orleed gulped dryly. Absolute Monarch Richard had the OP skill Absolute Monarch’s Stigma. The Absolute Monarch’s Stigma could increase the power of around ten people free of penalty, anything more than that, say for a hundred people, Richard had to sacrifice a percent of all his stats to make them grow stronger.

But what about Minhyuk’s dishes? It did not have any penalty. On top of that, they estimated that the Absolute Monarch’s Stigma’s duration would only last for around a day or two. As for the worth of Minhyuk’s dishes…

‘For 12 days, we will be able to hunt boss monsters that we dare not even imagine hunting before.’

‘If we have this much power, then we will be able to complete the quests that we weren’t able to complete before.’

‘We can also get first place in the time attack dungeon.’

Richard’s guild members had higher stats compared to the players at the same level as them. If their stats were made equal, then the ones that would have the upperhand would be the members of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.

‘What a freaking cool king…’?Orleed thought in admiration. Of course, it was not just him, everyone present here were looking at Minhyuk in awe and admiration. Also…

‘I will not be afraid of anything as long as I’m with him.’

All of them had lost their fighting spirit earlier. But now, it was reignited, blazing in their hearts. They wanted to show the world their, and their king’s, outstanding move!

At the same time, a set of notifications began to ring in Minhyuk’s ears.

[The guild members that have tasted your food dream of staying by your side forever.]

[The loyalty of the guild members that have tasted your food has soared to the skies, they will walk through fire if you say so.]

[You have earned 503 cash.]

[You have earned 601 cash.]

[You have earned 731 cash.]

[…earned 511 cash.]

[Additional cash slots have been opened.]

[You have earned 724 cash.]

[…earned 621 cash.]

Minhyuk earned 50,000 cash all in one go. After checking the newly opened cash slots, Minhyuk thought, ‘This slot has legendary-rank artifacts. The ingredients are also of a better quality.’

Minhyuk suddenly grew curious about the items that he would see once he opened another slot. Then, Minhyuk looked at the guild members, whose morale was almost boiling over, and said, “What are you guys doing?”

Everyone turned to look at him at the sound of his voice.

“Go and take the throne.”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

The members of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, with their overwhelming momentum and majestic aura, rushed back to take the throne in the time attack dungeons, the very same time attack dungeons that they struggled clearing earlier.

***

When one clicked on the ‘event’ section located on one side of the Athenae official homepage, everything related to events would appear on the screen. Among these were the Stars’ Path Time Attack Dungeons.

Most of the time attack dungeons located in the Stars’ Path had been dominated by the Maserrati Guild. On top of that, these time attack dungeons would end in two hours. Many netizens and experts had shared their opinion about this matter.

[Maserrati Guild’s domination is a threat to the world. Someone has to stop them.]

[They might be outstanding people, but don’t you think it’s a bit too much to say that they’re a threat to the world? The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is superior and outstanding but you don’t say that they are a threat to the world.]

[No. This and that are completely different matters. The Maserrati Guild has currently taken over the ranking boards. The problem is that many people will be interested in them and knock on their doors. The reason why they are able to dominate the time attack dungeons is because of Richard, the one that recently got promoted to the Absolute Monarch class. In fact, they are even actively promoting that you will be able to gain a stronger power if you come to their guild. It’s a statement that will definitely have a huge impact. Perhaps, their population will even exceed that of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom in two weeks’ time.]

[Then, why are the other guilds just staying still?]

[They are not staying still. Hey, have you really searched things properly? Right now, each and every country in the world is struggling to break and create a new record in the time attack dungeons. But each time, they’re only able to get around a 5~10 minute gap. In other words, they can’t break through.]

[To put it simply, they’re f*cked? But why does it seem like the Beyond the Heavens is not moving?]

[Even if they’re the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, it will still be hard for them to make a difference. Beyond the Heavens have a lot of outstanding Named NPCs and Level 400~500 rankers but most of the time attack dungeons are only for those at Level 300 and below.]

[The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is the best but there’s no such thing as the best in every facet. Their mid-level players would not be able to reach the Maserrati Guild’s level.]

But then, at that moment…

[Abyss’ Dungeon’s records have been refreshed!]

[Abyss’ Dungeon. 1st place. Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. 13 minutes and 30 seconds.]

[…Oh? Beyond the Heavens is doing well, though?]

[Wow… 13 minutes and 30 seconds… that’s dope…]

[As expected, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is the best. They can’t stand the thought of the Maserrati Guild dominating the entire event.]

[Baroque’s Dungeon’s records have been refreshed!]

[Baroque’s Dungeon. 1st place. Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. 11 minutes and 56 seconds.]

[…???]

[…???]

[…???]

[…???]

[Blue Mermaid’s Dungeon’s records…!]

[Blue Mermaid’s Dungeon. 1st place. Beyond the Heavens Kingdom...]

[Gleaming Plain’s Dungeon’s records…!]

[Gleaming Plain’s Dungeon. 1st place. Beyond the Heavens Kingdom...]

[…records…]

[…Beyond the Heavens Kingdom…]

[…records have been refreshed…]

[…Beyond the Heavens Kingdom…]

It all happened in an instant. In just a short fifteen minutes, all of the records in all of the listed time attack dungeons, from one to fifty, had the name ‘Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’ written on them. Everyone that saw this just stared blankly at their screens.

[Hey… Isn’t this a bug?]

[I also think it’s a bug…?]

[Hey, operators! Why aren’t you doing your job properly?! You bastards!!!]

However, an announcement was posted immediately after this had happened.

[Joy Co. Ltd. has immediately reviewed the reports about a bug found on the homepage. However, we have confirmed that there are no bugs. We will continue to work hard to provide a smooth experience for the public. Thank you.]

[Hey, it’s not a bug!!!]

[OMG! Then, it’s true?!!!]

In just half an hour, the entire game was turned upside down. At the same time, words that were enlarged and in bold appeared above the screen where the time attack dungeon records were shown.

[The Time Attack Dungeon event is about to end!]

[Star Coins and Dungeon Master Rings will be distributed to the ones that won first place in the time attack dungeons.]

In the end, the one that got the last laugh was the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.

***

Stars’ Path.

Absolute Monarch Richard was in disbelief after seeing the sudden reversal in the time attack dungeons.

‘How in the world…?’

Obviously, when he had just checked an hour ago, the Maserrati Guild was still dominating and monopolizing the top spot in the rankings. But everything suddenly turned around.

‘As expected, it’s not easy to get one over them, huh?’

Richard did not underestimate the Food God. Richard was a careful, meticulous man and was not someone that would grow upset or angry because he found out that he still underestimated someone. All Richard could do was laugh bitterly.

“What are we going to do?”

“It’s fine. We’ll just make our name known by hunting one of the Six Monster Gods’ children, Elizabeth’s child, the one called the Lady of the Snakes.”

The Six Monster Gods were the key roles in all of the quests and monster scenarios in the Stars’ Path. Just like what was mentioned before, the Six Monster Gods were Athenae’s children that were driven away and eventually settled down in the Stars’ Path. The weakest among them was Elizabeth, the God of Snakes. But even if she was the weakest, no human could fight against her.

But this was not the case for Elizabeth’s children.

The Six Monster Gods all gave birth to children of their own. Their children’s strength was divided according to their ‘class’. Their class followed the same class system in the demon world where they were divided into marquises, counts, barons, and the likes.

The one that the Maserrati Guild was about to awaken was the count-level ‘Snake’s Child’. Even if the child was only at the count-level, one could not ignore its power. In the first place, the Six Monster Gods were beings that had the power to confront the Absolute Gods. Of course, their children would also be born with a strong power. As for those at the count-level, they were beings that even a decent kingdom could not stop. However, the Maserrati Guild was determined to stop such a being.

And the one that would awaken the count-level being was none other than ‘Lion King Benrod’. Lion King Benrod was one of the active figures during the Battle of the Thrones and was a legend among all of the summoners. He was here to awaken the count-level monster. Then, the Maserrati Guild would immediately hunt the monster and declare the creation of their own kingdom.

“From what I heard, the Beyond the Heavens’ King is also here.”

“Are you worried that he will be able to raid the monster before we can even do so?”

“…Yes.”

“You don’t have anything to worry about. The count-level monster will already die under our hands even before he comes.”

But then, at that moment, the sky covering the Stars’ Path suddenly turned bloody red.

“Hiiiiisssss—“

“Hiiiisss—“

“…?”

“…?”

They were shocked to see thousands of snakes suddenly appearing from the trees, bushes, rocks and all over the place. At the same time, a horrifying notification hit them.

[God of Snakes’ Elizabeth First Child.]

[Marquess Leona has awakened to the world.]

A great catastrophe was about to befall the Stars’ Path.