Leveling Up Through Eating

PR: MattForgenti

36 The Chasers

Not long after, five mysterious machines were installed in the village. It was said that this was a machine that could allow people to play Athenae.

‘This is the machine that could let you play Athenae. The game was released just a few days prior and was created by the company that supported us, you know. Maybe you should learn about the world through this game?’

Kaistra felt that they would leave the village sooner or later.

‘We won’t be here forever so when something happens to your village, send a whisper to the nickname Ilhwa with codename 313513.’

Then they left.

Currently, everyone in the village could eat to their heart’s content. This was all because of the profit that Kaistra had gotten from playing Athenae.

‘If I go to the Northern Continent, then I can make more money.’

This was what Kaistra thought.

The Northern Continent had not yet been pioneered. This meant that there would be an update.

Meanwhile, a light flashed and Penrus walked beside Kaistra.

“Grr!”

It was a wolf that was covered in gray fur. One of the five incarnations of light, a new monster with a class that surpassed the legendary class. It was born from an egg of a god class beast. This was Penrus.

Penrus was able to hunt dozens of Dullahans alone. It was now rubbing its head against him comfortably and leisurely.

Then…

It looked over at one place and let out a wary growl.

Penrus had some special abilities. It could detect strong monsters which included the legendary and mythical monsters except for those beings that were far above it.

Kaistra looked at Penrus inquisitively.

“Penrus, what’s wrong?”

“Grrrrrrr!”

Kaistra’s expression stiffened when he saw how rigid Penrus had become.

“Is it another incarnation?”

He turned to look at the direction where Penrus was also looking.

***

“Brrrrrr, pwiiiii. Brrrrrr, pwiiiii.”

Minhyuk wanted to recall the summoning but as he looked at Kongie’s tiny nose as it slept on his shoulders comfortably he decided not to. Once the pet’s summoning was recalled, it would return to a summoning room.

He was going to go and visit Boroto, the former Chef’s Tower’s tower master, again. Just like what he said, he went to the land of Salov and found the hint about the God’s Legacy Dishes. He was even able to eat the first dish there.

Well, you’ll never know.

He was wondering whether there was another food quest that Boroto could give him.

Minhyuk knocked on the door. Soon after, Boroto opened the door.

“Oh, Food God-nim. Were you able to eat the God’s Legacy Dish?”

Boroto bowed respectfully. As he raised his eyes, he found a pig lying comfortably on Minhyuk’s shoulders.

“So you got a pet? It looks just like you!”

Before Minhyuk met with Boroto, he took his helmet off. It was just good manners and a sort of courtesy towards him.

“Is, is that a compliment?”

“Of course. Hahaha!”

In the end, it meant that Minhyuk looked like a pig. However, he did not voice out his complaints since he wanted to get something from him.

“Are there any things that you need my help with? The rewards should be something delicious, or some delicious ingredients. I hope something delicious comes out!”

“Hmm. There’s something. But… Let’s go inside for now.”

Boroto led Minhyuk inside.

“I’ll give you a glass of water, let’s drink and talk calmly.”

“Yes!”

Soon, Boroto came out again and brought out a glass of barley tea. It wasn’t water but barley tea.

‘Hiya… it’s barley tea!’

He remembered drinking a lot of barley tea when he was young. Barley tea was just made with plain water but it was a bit savory and he always drank it whenever he ate. But recently, it was made with purified water and the taste was not the same.

Minhyuk gulped it down.

It was a bit savory to the taste but there were no pieces that got caught in his throat. Without noticing it, he was able to finish one glass of barley tea in one fell swoop.

“Please give me another cup.”

“I made a big mistake. How dare I offer just one cup of barley tea to the Food God?”

Boroto brought out a huge kettle and placed it in front of Minhyuk. Minhyuk quickly drank one, two, three glasses all at once.

“Kgggghk! When I was a kid, I used to pretend that it was beer since they almost looked the same.”

“Hoho. However, we don’t have enough ingredients to make them again.”

“Oh. Will I get something delicious in return if I do that?”

Boroto nodded his head.

But at that moment…

Knock, knock.

Someone knocked on the door.

“Is someone inside?”

The voice definitely sounded like a woman.

Minhyuk and Boroto both tilted their heads in unison.

But before Boroto could stand up and go to the door.

“P, please wait… Boroto-nim!”

“Yes?”

Boroto frowned when he saw how serious Minhyuk’s expression was.

“D, don’t tell me…… Why do I feel like my life is on the line? Maybe the person outside is out there to assassinate me.”

“No. It was because I smelt something delicious.”

“Hmm?”

Boroto sighed in relief. When he thought about it, who would assassinate someone like him? A former tower master from the Chef’s Tower who was now living in a small humble house.

Just as he thought about that, Minhyuk stood up.

“I’ll open it for you.”

“Is that so.”

Boroto agreed with his suggestion as Minhyuk walked forward and opened the door.

As soon as he opened the door, Minhyuk was taken aback. There was a woman standing in front of him. However, he was quite confused as to why she let out a surprised gasp when he opened the door.

“Heop…...!”

The woman that was standing beyond the door was Genie with surprise coloring her face.

***

‘I wonder how great that buffed dish is? Is it really greater than what the Twilight Chef can make?’

Genie arrived at the Chef’s Village, Raven. She was now almost at the front door of the cabin where Boroto lived.

Right now, she was eating a delicious croquette.

She used to be as round as a stone and as big as a rock before but thanks to her efforts, she had now slimmed down. The process was a bit bloody but all of her efforts were worth it. The only thing that she could do to maintain her figure was to eat in Athenae. She ate quite a lot in Athenae after all she belonged to the most common Korean women… The women who loved to eat. This was also the reason why she was still called the Flower Piggy by her friends.

“Ah. Croquettes are really delicious!”

Genie smiled in delight.

She could feel the crispy texture of the bread as she took her bite out of the croquette. As she chewed more on this delectable snack, she was able to taste the flavors of the meat, the onion and the carrots stuffed inside. It was promptly followed by the spicy and rich flavor of the curry that spread in her mouth in every bite.

Genie easily finished two croquettes and she hesitated to open her third one.

‘Hmm, hmm. It’s not polite to meet someone for the first time with food in my mouth.’

Before she knew it, she was already standing in front of Boroto’s door. She promptly knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Is someone inside?”

She heard voices coming from inside.

“P, please wait… Boroto-nim!”

“Yes?”

“D, don’t tell me…… Why do I feel like my life is on the line? Maybe the person outside is out there to assassinate me.”

“No. It was because I smelt something delicious.”

She was taken aback when she heard their conversation.

“.....Huh? What’s this? Ah, don’t tell me…..!”

She had heard about it before. A class that had the ability to turn the user into a beast! Transformation!

Maybe that user turns into a ‘wild dog’?

It was actually quite surprising that a user would be together with Boroto. She laughed at the thought.

‘Will they turn into a puppy? A poodle, maybe?’

As she continued to speculate about the identity and abilities of the user inside, she heard them continue to talk.

“I’ll open it for you.”

“Is that so.”

But she thought that there was something strange.

The owner of this cabin was the former tower master of the Chef’s Tower. However, he was talking respectfully towards a user.

Then, the door opened.

Genie had no choice but to freeze in surprise when she saw the person who opened the door.

‘Mi, Minhyuk-ah!’

They were trying to look for him so much but he was right in front of her right now.

She could see that he had changed a lot since the last time they had met. He had grown a lot taller and his face had matured a lot.

As she looked at him, her heart began to thump wildly as her stomach fluttered in nervousness.

Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff━

“Heop…..!”

Minhyuk’s eyes widened.

‘D, did he recognize me?’

Yeah, you’ll definitely be surprised! Everyone told me that I have changed so much that they won’t be able to recognize me. But, Minhyuk is a delicate and meticulous man, he definitely recognized me.

Then, he said…

“Wow. Nim, aren’t you really beautiful?”

‘Eh?’

Genie was taken aback.

‘What’s happening?’

“Wow. I just ate something but I couldn’t stop my drool from flowing when I smelled the scent of oil. I’ve never seen a beauty like you! Your figure is even voluptuous! You must have made a lot of men cry in reality. Haha! What you just ate earlier, judging from the smell and the crumbs left on your mouth it must be croquette. Do you mind if I have a piece?”

‘......OMG?’

Genie finally noticed that he did not recognize her. He only wanted to eat the croquette that she just ate!

‘But how did he know that I ate croquettes? Don’t tell me it was just by the smell?’

She was both puzzled and shocked by his words.

‘I wonder what this punk’s story is?’

She was extremely curious. She heard from Rovan before that he ate a lot. He used to eat well when they were still in middle school but according to Rovan he was eating a lot more than what he used to eat.

‘That’s right. Minhyuk listened to me well whenever I gave him food.’

Genie handed her remaining croquette to Minhyuk.

“Thank you. Thank you very much! You’ll be blessed and live a long life!”

Minhyuk nodded his head like a chicken pecking on grains. Then, he quickly ate the croquette. He opened his mouth in one big bite.

“Boy, who was it?”

“Ah……!”

Genie woke up in a trance when he heard Boroto’s words that reminded her of her existence and what she needed to do in this place.

“Did you have any business here?”

“Yes. I came here because I heard you needed something.”

“Ho. Come inside.”

Boroto willingly let her enter.

“Hehe. Croquettes are delicious!”

Minhyuk happily licked his fingers as he finished eating his croquette. He sat down as he chuckled to himself while savoring the flavor that was lingering in his mouth.

Genie sat beside him as Boroto gave her a glass of water.

‘Eh… what’s really wrong with you?’

She tilted her head as she looked at him while Minhyuk opened his mouth and asked her.

“But Nim… your voice sounds like someone I know.”

“Is, is that so? What kind of person is she? If you listen to my voice, it’s quite pretty~ so I guess she has a nice personality, right?”

Minhyuk’s expression turned solemn when he heard her words.

“I don’t think so?”

Genie’s hand that was holding the glass of water suddenly tightened.

Crack━

It was the sound of the glass cracking!

“Ho, hoho. Is, is that so?”

Minhyuk looked at her seriously as he continued to talk.

“She was my friend back in middle school. Whenever she comes down, my classmates would shout and say ‘Here comes the wildboar!’. Yes, that’s what they said. I still remember it clear as day. I took a bite out of her pikachu tonkatsu and she dragged me behind the washroom and beat me. I almost died that day. Sometimes, whenever I sleep on my bad side, I would dream of that horrendous scene. Hoo. It was terrible.”

He truly was drenched in cold sweat when he dreamt of that day.

“......Sh, she wouldn’t beat you to death, right? It must have been a joke~ hohoho. That lady must be such a beauty now since she was like that as a child. When I was young, I heard that ugly kids always become pretty when they grow up.”

Minhyuk thought about her words but eventually shook his head.

“Impossible.”

Crack!

The glass in her hand finally broke into pieces. If she hit him on the back of his head right now then she would be the Genie who dragged him behind the toilet and almost beat him to death(?).

‘Hoo. Patience, patience……’

I have to learn about his story!

“Ar, are you okay?”

“I’m fine~ Ho~ Ho~ Ho~”

“Anyway. Thank you. You’re my benefactor now Nim!”

“Ho~ Ho~ Ho~ Then let me sla…… Hoho!”

“Yes?”

“N, nothing~”

Genie managed to hold herself back.

Then, Boroto spoke up.

“Ah, when I think about it… the request that I am going to give the Food God-nim is the same as the request that this woman came here for.”

‘Eh, Minhyuk will be taking the same quest as I do?’

As far as she knew, Minhyuk was stronger than what his level was. He was even able to defeat Rovan.

“Do you know about the Northern Continent?”

“The Northern Continent?”

Genie had a hunch.

‘It’s already quite rare for an NPC to give you a quest related to the Northern Continent……!’

Each and every player were now eager to receive a quest about the Northern Continent. Receiving a quest related to that meant that they received a quest that was almost on par with a hidden quest.

“I’ve been to the Northern Continent once in the past.”

“Really?”

Genie was quite surprised.

You have been to the Northern Continent?

“Yes. I went once when I was very young. Of course I did not go deep inside. It was such a dangerous place after all.”

Most of the people who entered that place would die. And this man was able to explore the place even for a bit. And that man was the former tower master of the Chef’s Tower.

“If you go to the place on the map that I will give you, you will be able to reach the Valkyrie Kingdom.”

“Ki, kingdom……?”

Genie was once again caught in surprise.

A kingdom in the Northern Continent?!

His words also meant another thing.

‘A kingdom meant that there will be new towns and villages. It means that there will be a lot of land that you can get.’

Of course, there was still a lot of land available in the Eivelis Empire but most of them already had owners. The land was either owned by nobles or great guilds. In fact, even the Legend Guild had a land in the empire. However, the more territory and land you own, the better.

She listened more intently to what Boroto said.

‘He even said that he will give us a map……!’

Giving a map meant that Boroto was one of the few NPCs that could give them quests related to the Northern Continent! And once they reached the kingdom, there would be a lot more quests, rewards and new hunting grounds!

Genie listened intently until the very end.

“Go there and meet with the legendary chef.”

“......Legendary chef?”

Minhyuk asked as Boroto nodded his head in agreement.

“Yes. He’s a person who has reached the zenith of cooking! I was fortunate enough to taste his dish before.”

Boroto recalled those days.

“When I tasted his food, I felt that my cooking was extremely shabby.”

Minhyuk was caught by surprise.

Boroto was once the top chef in the prestigious Chef’s Tower! This was definitely because he was a chef with great skill.

“I also know that the legendary chef knows a hint about the pure extract.”

“Pure extract?”

“Yes. I heard that it was extremely precious water that came from deep underground. They also said that this pure extract would give you a boost once you drank it. Rumor has it that it was a very delicious water.”

Boroto looked like he couldn’t wait to tell them what it was.

“Because it was carbonated water!”

***

Food Discussion Corner

Pikachu Tonkatsu - Literally a tonkatsu shaped like Pikachu. It’s sold as streetfood in Korea. And it’s also very big.

TL’s corner!!!

And… They met!!! I thought she would just hear about him but in the end they met in person. Lol. I hope things get sorted out between these guys. And lol at Genie who totally ignored Boroto\'s \'Food God\' when she heard that Minhyuk and her would go on a quest together. Kek.

About the Pure Extract, actually it says that it\'s some oil but…. Boroto described it as water, and carbonated water at that so I don’t think calling it oil would work so since oil is a liquid extracted from most things, we are going to name it as Pure Extract. Kek.

PR’s corner!

Poor Genie. She has her work cut out for her with Minhyuk’s superhuman denseness.

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