Leveling Up Through Eating

PR: MattForgenti

42 Ballad’s Cup, Shabu-shabu

The most embarrassed was the person present himself, Caillan who was left in the dungeon that housed the corrupted God Juis! He couldn’t even control his dumbfounded expression when the Wrathful God Juis suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.

‘T, this……?’

The same was true for Black who was right next to him.

“What is it?”

At that moment, the notifications rang in their heads in succession.

[God Juis’ anger has been appeased.]

[All of the catastrophe that God Juis had doomed the continent with had disappeared.]

[God Juis has blessed the Northern Continent.]

[EXP acquisition rate and item drops from monsters will increase by 25% for one month.]

“......!”

Caillan’s eyes met with Black’s eyes as he turned around. The two of them heard the notifications clearly.

[The quest has failed.]

[The quest penalty will now be applied, you are banned entry in the Northern Continent.]

“......”

The two of them were once again left speechless.

The quest failed?

This meant that they were not able to kill the Wrathful Spirit of God Juis. It just literally disappeared in front of them.

Why? Because the anger of God Juis was appeased?

When he heard about the information that Valk had gotten from the priest that he had summoned through the soul summoning he knew that the dungeon would only be created once God Juis was angered.

Caillan and Black once again made eye contact. They could both see the dumbfoundedness in each other’s eyes.

Then, a thought flashed through Caillan’s head.

‘We spent almost a week just to prepare for this attack…… We also need to pay the mercenaries that we hired in this attack, as well as the potions that they took including the maintenance for their equipment.’

It nearly amounted to 1,000 platinum. Or if they based it off of the regular calculations their expenses were almost at 100 billion gold. And if they converted it to cash? Billions of won.

Caillan suddenly burst out in tears, he couldn’t help but weep at their impending doom. And just in time, one of his tactless guild members also added salt to the wound.

[Guild Chatting Revo: GM-nim! The viewership rating is over 40% now! It’s totally awesome! Wow! So awesome!]

The ratings were over 40%... In other words, 40% of the people in the country were all tuned in to the joke that they have become. If he could see them, they would probably be going ‘Hahahaha…… They’re Xcked.’ and laughing at them in contempt.

[Guild Chatting Rod: …...Revo. You’re not watching the live broadcast right? If you don’t want to get kicked out of the guild then you better shut up.]

[Guild Chatting Carman:......]

[Guild Chatting Hama:......]

[Guild Chatting Luck:......]

[Guild Chatting Revo: What, what’s wrong?]

The guild chat was filled with condolences and crying. The same scenario was also playing in the Louvert Guild’s guild chat. What was even worse was that Black accepted an interview before about Legend Guild’s Chef trying to cook a dish to satisfy God Juis. This was what he said…

[Black: His efforts are commendable. (smile)]

But now, even without looking at the comments he could still imagine the viewers’ comments.

[BlackRiceFlavor: hehehehehehehehehehehe look at Black’s expression hehe. It’s like he was saying ‘Where did it go?’. Now he looks like he has lost everything in the world.]

[fadd512: I just can’t help but feel angry…… The mobs did not drop any gold or artifacts, what the hell is wrong with this dungeon? I heard before that the drops would appear after killing the Wrathful Spirit of God Juis. What did they do all this time?]

[TeacherTongman: What did they do? Slashing in the air, most likely.]

[fad31: Let’s not roast them too much…… They also tried to save us…… I feel a bit sorry for them. Fi. Ght. Ing.]

“Ha, hahahahaha…...!”

Black suddenly laughed loudly. When Caillan saw him laughing he couldn’t help but just laugh out loud too.

“Hahahahahahaha!”

The two men laughed crazily for a while.

Ballad’s cup, the acknowledgment of Black’s cooking and even the possibility of recruiting senior rankers had all been blown by the wind. After laughing crazily, a thought flashed in Black’s head.

‘God Juis gave her blessings to the Northern Continent……’

As a result, the EXP acquisition rate as well as the drop rate had both increased by 25%.

Which meant only one thing…

‘That chef bastard, who the hell is he?’

God Juis giving her blessings to the Northern Continent meant that she was satisfied completely, this meant that they were able to provide her with a legendary dish.

***

At the moment when Caillan and his team were entering the boss room in the dungeon…

Minhyuk was hurriedly moving towards the temple where Eidni was praying as hard as he could. They were quite fortunate that God Juis responded to their calls quite quickly this time.

Minhyuk entered the temple as he presented the dak-galbi in front of God Juis. Once she laid eyes on her dish, her eyes grew the size of the saucers in shock.

‘H, how did you know?’

She was truly craving for some dak-galbi right now! And there was even the cheese that looked like Moses’ miracle in the middle of the dish!

The dish was still steaming hot and once she lifted a piece of chicken and dipped it on the cheese, the cheese seemed to stretch out infinitely. She couldn’t help but lick her lips in anticipation.

I can only try and eat food once a year after all! Is the flavor not good?

She slowly moved away from the dish, it seemed like she was a bit afraid to taste another failed dish. However, before she could even move away, she felt an unusual power from the dish.

‘D, don’t tell me… for real?’

She quickly checked the information of the dish. Her expression morphed into that of genuine surprise as she looked at Minhyuk who was still bowing in front of her.

‘Truly impressive……’

The legendary dish that had only appeared in the past!

In fact, after the second catastrophe, Juis had thought that she should just let the next catastrophes out over time. She knew that it was entirely impossible for a legendary dish to come out and satisfy her so she would just let the catastrophes out to appease her anger.

However, there was a legendary dish that was sitting in front of her. What was more surprising was that it was a dish that she wanted to eat the most!

At that moment……

“......?”

She suddenly saw an amazing sight once again… a round pan filled with the same delicious food as hers magically appeared in front of Minhyuk.

“God Juis!”

“Speak.”

“I have the ability to manifest the same dish that I have cooked for others. May I have the honor of eating with you?”

Juis thought for a moment.

Is this his God’s innate ability……?

However, his skills were still truly impressive.

In all honesty, Minhyuk hadn’t slept for four days straight because he wanted to finish this quest. One could even see the traces of tiredness on his face. However, he still wanted to taste the legendary dak-galbi that he had created!

“You’re allowed.”

After Juis gave him her permission, she quickly picked up her chopsticks while Minhyuk stood up from his position. And Juis who was ready to taste the food couldn’t help but gulp down her saliva.

‘Well then, first……’

She finally stretched out her chopsticks as she clamped down on the chicken that was fully coated and covered with the bright red sauce. She slowly placed it in her mouth as she savored the flavor and texture.

‘S, soft……!’

It was like the meat melted in her mouth. After feeling the texture, she could taste the spicy flavor of the sauce slowly spread in her mouth. The taste and texture were so enticing that she couldn’t help but let out a small smile. And when she tasted the soft and chewy gultteok, she couldn’t stop herself from shouting.

“I never tasted anything like this before!”

“Hehehehe! It’s delicious if you eat it like this!”

Minhyuk picked a piece of chicken and dipped it on the cheese. As he lifted the chicken up……. The cheese stretched out! Minhyuk quickly placed the chicken in his mouth and the stretched cheese was pulled out from the pan.

“I see, you know how to eat!”

“God Juis-nim, this, this sweet potato is also a delicacy.”

“Chomp. Of course. It feels a bit nice to eat with you.”

Just like what he said, Juis also picked out a piece of sweet potato.

Chewing on the sweet potato that was also covered in the savory sauce, she could taste the spicy flavor of the sauce. However, the aftertaste… The aftertaste was beyond sweet. It was a truly exceptional taste.

In the middle of their eating, a notification rang in Minhyuk’s head.

[Kongie is requesting for a summons.]

My goodness! It seemed like Kongie smelled the food and is now intensely requesting for a summons!

In fact, Kongie could also gain EXP even if he was in the summons room as long as Minhyuk ate delicious food. In other words, Kongie could also eat deliciously inside.

But he’s now asking for a summons?

‘Perhaps it’s because it’s more delicious when you eat together.’

Minhyuk suddenly spoke.

“God Juis.”

“Yeah.”

“May I summon my pet?”

Juis who was savoring and enjoying the taste of the food suddenly stopped.

‘Incarnation……’

However, based on her observations it seemed like Minhyuk was not aware of his existence.

As soon as she nodded her head in agreement, Kongie appeared. And Kongie who appeared on Minhyuk’s shoulder suddenly hit him hard with his small fist.

Slap!

“Ooiink!”

How can you eat such delicious food without me! Oink!

Kongie quickly plopped down on the floor as a dish appeared in front of him. Kongie ate like he wanted to hide the food from everybody else. He picked up the udon noodles first, then…

“Sluuuuurp!”

Kongie almost sucked all of the noodles in one go! There were even traces of sauce left around the rim of his mouth.

“Oink!”

Kyaa! It’s the best! Oink!

Juis grinned at him.

“That’s an interesting pet.”

“Well, yes.”

“It looks just like you.”

“......”

Minhyuk speechlessly looked at Kongie. Kongie was literally a baby piggy and they were telling him that he looked just like Kongie… In other words? It meant that he looked like a pig, right?

Minhyuk quickly spoke up as if he was trying to defend himself.

“Ey, no way.”

“Oink?”

Kongie looked at Minhyuk as he grinned widely.

Don’t even try to deny it, Master. Oink!

“......”

Minhyuk was left speechless.

Then, he just quietly placed a piece of pickled radish on top of the chicken and placed it in his mouth.

“Keuhahahaha!”

He quickly picked up some chewy sujebi.

“I, I’m so happy……”

“I also feel happy. I can’t believe that I’ll eat such delicious food after 1 year……”

Minhyuk was shocked speechless when he heard her words.

“A, after 1 year……?”

“I don’t eat any food except for when they hold a ritual and ceremonial service for me.”

“......You truly deserve to be angry.”

Minhyuk nodded his head at her while Juis also nodded in agreement.

Somehow, he could feel some sort of sorrow and sadness for her. The people of Valkyrie Kingdom had always said that she loved to play tricks and they would even downplay it and say that it wasn’t that big of a deal but she was making such a huge mess out of it. But when you think about it, it was a day that she has been looking forward to so much after a year of waiting and anticipation! And that day was even ruined!

“I understand. I also would have been angry if I was in your position. I’ll definitely tell His Highness, Varen, to prepare harder from now on!”

Minhyuk had truly understood her mood from the bottom of his heart.

“Hoho. Then, thank you.”

Suddenly, Juis paused in her tracks. She couldn’t believe herself, without realizing it she was already speaking familiarly with the human being in front of her. It felt like she had known him for quite a long time.

“Ah, God Juis-nim. I’ll prepare fried rice for your first meal in a year.”

“Hoo. That’s good!”

Juis nodded her head happily.

Minhyuk quickly moved. With a flick of his wrists, he had already gathered the remaining sauce in Juis’ pan. Then, he added some left over pieces of meat and white rice on it. Just like that, he added some prepared and chopped perilla leaves, lettuce and kimchi in the pan. He also did not forget to add a sprinkle of sesame oil and some gochujang. Then… He started to stir-fry the delicious rice.

“Ooink!”

Kongie was also frying his own fried rice behind Minhyuk. What an extremely amazing pig(?).

Minhyuk’s stir-frying was quite a flamboyant and brilliant affair. After quickly stir-frying the vegetables and rice, he pressed the rice down on the pan to toast it some more. Then, he cranked up the heat to the highest flame possible.

Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!

It was the light and cheery sound of the bottom of the fried rice being cooked perfectly.

[This is the best time to turn off the heat.]

Minhyuk quickly turned off the fire and plated the dish.

Then, he quickly made his own fried rice. He also did not forget to scratch the bottom of the pan with his spoon.

“He……”

The bottom was toasted to a perfect brown. When he saw the bottom, he couldn’t stop himself from scraping a spoonful and placing it in his mouth.

“It’s really, really delicious!”

“Oiiink!”

“I like it too!”

A pleasant meal was shared between the three of them.

After finishing their meals, Juis felt that her stomach was exceptionally full. But she faintly realized that it wasn’t the end yet. She saw Kongie making a gesture.

“Oink, oink, oink!”

He looked like he was pouring something on a glass!

Minhyuk quickly understood what he meant so he pulled out some cider out of his inventory. The cider appeared in front of Kongie. Then, he quickly picked up a spoon with his tiny hands and opened the bottle with a pop!

“Oh.”

Clap, clap!

Minhyuk clapped his hands. He was quite impressed with Kongie and his antics. Kongie laughed proudly as he poured the cider into three glasses.

“Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.”

Juis finally tasted a refreshing and clear cider! Her expression at this moment was screaming ‘Ah, I’m finally feeling alive!’. Kongie who gulped his cider with an ‘Oink!’ and Minhyuk who gulped down the cider greedily both let out gasps of enjoyment.

“Kyaa!”

She was in awe.

God Juis nodded her head in happiness.

‘I was really satisfied……’

She might have been disappointed with what happened with Rald’s dish, but the dish that the chef in front of her had given her was truly the best of the best.

Once again, she nodded her head in happiness.

Then, notifications rang in her head after she finished her meal.

[You ate a dish from a recipe specially made for you.]

[You won’t be able to eat another dish from a recipe specially made for you for a month.]

[You can’t receive any duplicate buffs during the duration of the buff retention period.]

[Dak-galbi.]

[For 60 days, God Juis’ blessings would have a +6 increase while her holy power will have a x2 increase.]

Her eyes grew the size of saucers when she heard the notifications.

Isn’t this buff too amazing?

Then, Minhyuk decided to check his satisfaction level. Juis was literally a god so Varen, Crow and Locke were definitely incomparable to her.

How much did the bar go up?

Minhyuk quickly clicked on the satisfaction bar.

***

Food Discussion Corner

Dak-galbi (닭갈비) - spicy stir fried chicken usually cooked or served in a large cast iron pan. Many ingredients are added into this dish. Noodles, cheese, udon etc. An all around dish!

Gultteok (꿀떡) - steamed rice cakes that are shaped into bite-sized balls.

Sujebi (수제비) - hand pulled dough. Usually added in soup or dough used in the Korean-style pasta soup.

Sari (사리) - Sari was used to describe udon, noodles, cheese and the other ingredients added in da-galbi. They are literally extra ingredients or ingredients that aren’t necessarily in the recipe but you can add on the dish.

TL’s corner!

I’m not gonna lie, I had a hard time getting this chapter done. I don’t know why, I just couldn’t bring myself to finish it so I’m quite glad that I’m done with it. But the food still sounds oddly tempting… Ah, time to look for a dak-galbi recipe.

PR’s corner!

Of course Juis feels like she knows Minhyuk, that’s his charm on full blast. It’s already ensnared Alicia and Lucia.

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