Leveling Up Through Eating

PR: MattForgenti

[......!]

[......!]

[......!]

[......!]

The commentator, Lee Seunghoon, was quiet since he did not know what to say. Even the audience that kept on booing and mocking them earlier were now silent. However, he could feel his heart trembling. Not long after, he couldn’t help but jump up from his seat as he shouted……

[Ah!! Team 11!!!!!!! Player Minhyuk blew out 71 candles and destroyed hundreds of monsters all at once!]

[Did you see it?! That skill? It’s a completely ridiculous wide-area of attack skill!]

“Uwoooooooooooo!”

The commentators began to broadcast the events that happened in a blink of an eye.

[Ah, something ridiculously crazy has happened! Player Minhyuk who everyone thought was too arrogant was not really arrogant!]

[Did you see that?! Hundreds of falling leaves flew at a very unexpected speed and instantly destroyed the enemies!]

[Overwhelming! It’s too overwhelming! Can you see the faces of the other players right now? Their expressions are screaming ‘What did I just see?’!!]

[Is it really possible to have this fighting ability with a production class competition?! Is that player really a production class?]

[What the hell is that skill? Are you telling me that there is such a powerful and explosive skill in our country?]

Then, one of the staff members of the Korean War hurriedly approached them.

“What’s going on?”

“The internet is going crazy right now.”

“Internet? Of course it’s going crazy. That player is showing us such a great performance right now!”

“......That’s not it.”

“Then what?”

“That user is the Frying Pan Killer.”

“......!”

“......!”

Lee Seunghoon was caught in surprise as he nodded his head. He could hear the buzz from the audience.

“The Frying Pan Killer?”

“For real?”

It was the same moment when they received messages from the people in reality.

“Wow…… That person…… But, wasn’t the Frying Pan Killer a combat class?”

“What are you saying? He saved Valkyrie Kingdom with his food, you know?”

“Frying Pan Killer…… Who said that he was extremely ugly because he wears a helmet every day…… He’s extremely handsome……”

Then, the crowd started shouting loudly in the audience stands.

“Ting! Ting, ting, ting! Taeng! Taeng, taeng, taeng! Ting, ting! Taeng, taeng! Frying Pan Killer!”

“Ting! Ting, ting, ting! Taeng! Taeng, taeng, taeng! Ting, ting! Taeng, taeng! Frying Pan Killer!”

“Waaaaaaaaaaaah!”

On this day, the fancafe “Peusamo” for the Frying Pan Killer was formed.

***

The fifth in the world rankings, the American player, Pagan was watching the TV with interest. Athenae: Korean War was currently being broadcasted live all over the world. And right next to him was one of his guild members.

“That’s quite amazing.”

Pagan shrugged when he heard his guild member’s words.

“What do you mean?”

“That person is in a production class. How did he…… It’s a wide-area of attack skill that I have never seen before.”

When he heard his words, Pagan just placed his hands on his shoulders as he sighed.

“Yes. That’s amazing. And apparently, that player is a God Class. But think about it, that player will not be able to use that strange power anymore.”

“Will not be able to use his power?”

“Yes. Production class users have restrictions. I don’t know how he did that but the cooldown must be extremely long. So he might not be able to use that ability again. And that’s not all.”

Pagan looked at the screen as he continued calmly.

“What else could he have aside from that ability?”

“Ah……”

“Vhad can summon the monsters once he drew them after the monsters died. He won’t get tired in the long run. But that user definitely has no skills left.”

That’s right. Pagan believed that he was lucky enough to get that skill and he thought that he was also lucky to get a skill that was a cut above the rest. But if he thought about it, it would be as clear as day to him. The skills that a production class could use were clearly limited.

“Then, according to Pagan-nim, they will be left behind.”

“That’s right. And they’re going to run with gritted teeth from now on so they will not be left behind.”

Pagan turned around. It seemed like he wanted to leave since there would be nothing else left for him to see. But just as he was about to step forward, he heard the trembling voice of his guild member.

“......They’ll run with gritted teeth so they don’t get left behind? B, but that’s not the case?”

“Eh?”

Pagan turned his head. Then he saw it.

“......Crazy!”

Run with gritted teeth?

He was even smiling brightly as he picked something up.

It was none other than the ‘Food Parchment’.

***

[From now on, Team 11 will have to grit their teeths to keep the scores from narrowing down.]

[Their beginning was quite surprising. But they only had one skill so the others will definitely close the gap quickly.]

[Huh? But what is User Minhyuk doing?]

“Yahoo!”

He left Kerry behind as he moved surprisingly fast.

There were ‘Food Parchments’ that were left behind from the hundreds of monsters that died. The event was called ‘Eat Quickly’ that’s why there were food parchments that dropped when monsters got killed. And if the player tore the parchment, the food would appear in front of them.

[D, don’t tell me…… The reason why he took the lead in the beginning……]

[He’s not trying to eat something delicious during the time the other users are trying to close the gap, right?]

[I, I think that’s right. Look at that player, isn’t he sporting a bright and happy smile now?]

[Yes…… It really is. It’s a bright and happy smile just like a child’s smile.]

Minhyuk saw dozens of parchments lying in front of him and without any hesitation, he ripped one of them into pieces. It was the parchment for ‘Chapssal Donuts’. Ignoring the ruckus around him, Minhyuk sat down as he admired the chapssal donut that appeared in front of him.

The chapssal donuts glistened brightly with sugar coating every inch of its surface. Minhyuk happily licked the sugar on his fingers as he smiled happily before taking it into his mouth.

“Are, are you not going to do the competition?”

“It’s the Eat Quickly Contest, you know!”

“N, no…… That name…… Eat quickly……”

Kerry wanted to refute him boldly.

In fact he knew that the food in these parchments would fill the depleted HP and MPs or just like what the commentators said, some of them could grant them special powers.

But who will actually eat it? Isn’t it obvious that the other users will try to narrow down the gap when we’re eating?

“By the time we finish, the other players would have caught up! Look, those guys are smacking the monsters right now!”

“Eyy. I’m trying to live by eating here. You too Nim, sit down and take a bite of this sugar-coated donut.”

“I don’t know! I’m going to keep on extinguishing the candles and hunting!”

And Minhyuk finally was able to put the chapssal donut that he had met for the first time in a long while in his mouth. As soon as it entered his mouth, he could taste the sweet sugar on the outside and the chewy texture of the chapssal donut. When he pulled the chewy donut with his teeth, the hot red bean filling instantly filled his mouth and made it sweet.

This time, he ripped the parchment for ‘Sokcho’s Sweet and Crispy Chicken’.

The famous dish in Sokcho market! Sokcho Sweet and Crispy Chicken!

The Sokcho Sweet and Crispy Chicken was sprinkled with peanuts and looked especially warm and inviting. He quickly pierced a piece of meat with a fork and put it in his mouth.

Crunch, crunch.

The texture that he felt when he chewed the chicken was quite good and crunchy. After going past the crispy, sweet and spicy skin, he could taste the tender and lean meat inside. He ate the delicious chicken while he ripped another parchment.

It was ‘cola’. The cola that everyone was fond of.

Fwiiiiiish─

The cheerful and happy sound of a carbonated drink being opened was heard loudly. He also did not forget to take out the ice that he had kept frozen in his food storage inventory. Then, he placed the ice in a glass and……

Glug, glug, glug, glug─

Shwaaaaa─

More bubbles were produced from him pouring the contents of the cola in a glass. Then, he lifted up his glass to moisten his throat.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp─

“Kggghk─!”

He felt the sting from the cold cola that passed through his throat. It was definitely an exhilarating feeling.

Then, the sound that the commentator unknowingly produced spread in the coliseum.

[Gulp─]

It was the unmistakable sound of gulping down one’s saliva.

***

Countless people sitting on the stands in the coliseum were focused on the big screen.

[Gulp─]

Just like the commentator, the countless users in the country were also gulping down their saliva. As they gulped down their saliva, one question floated in their minds.

“What’s this? Why do I want to eat when I’m watching him?”

“I feel strangely at ease.”

“Look at that player’s face. He looks so happy. It’s like he has everything in the world.”

“Hey! Do I really look like I’m giving out a fatherly smile?”

The users all around the coliseum were gazing at the screen with delighted smiles on their faces. All of them were looking forward to it.

What kind of food will he eat next?

Then, they saw Minhyuk rip up another parchment.

“Ra, ramyeon and gimbap combi……!”

“Th, this is the truth! This is the way and the truth……!”

This was like a heavenly combination, a perfect combination in Gimbap Heaven. Gimbap and ramyeon were common in the market so it was no surprise that it appeared here.

Meanwhile, the foreign commentators were hurriedly explaining the live broadcasts to the world.

[Korea’s User Minhyuk has shown us something surprising for the first time.]

[It was the power of the player that everyone had laughed and mocked at. That power was a very powerful wide-area of attack skill that I have never seen in this world.]

[Who in the world is that user?]

[Oh. But that user really eats deliciously! My mouth is already watering even though I don’t know what the food he is eating is.]

[It looks like the plane tickets to Korea will be sold out. The viewers who are watching this live broadcast will definitely go to Korea to eat those.]

And the Korean commentators.

[I, I really can’t help but gulp down my saliva. Player Minhyuk is showing us what the Eat Quickly contest really is like.]

[Aaaah! He held it! Player Minhyuk has picked up his chopsticks!]

[He lifted a huge amount of noodles! He looked like he will eat all of them in one go!]

[There are a lot of people in the world who are interested in the way he eats.]

[Now, we are looking at him eat gimbap and ramyeon. How can he eat  in front of people all over the world?!]

***

A large cup ramyeon. This was what people ate when they were left hungry all day long and all that was left in the refrigerator at home were some kimchi and eggs. At that time of hunger, the food that the people wanted to eat the most was none other than ramyeon. And there was even the gimbap that was greased with sesame oil and sprinkled with sesame seeds. It was a truly delicious combination.

To be honest, the gimbap that was produced in the Eat Quickly Contest had the most perfect and ideal ratio and proportion.

‘The pickled radish is small and the ham is big!’

Before, when he went to Gimbap Heaven, he could see that the pickled radish was big while the ham was so small. And if he ate their gimbap he would sometimes wonder if he was really eating gimbap or he was just eating pickled radish.

However, the gimbap in front of him had a very big ham and plenty of eggs in it.

‘I heard that the grandmas and aunties who were working in the market for decades cooked the dishes for this competition?’

Since this was the biggest competition in the country, Athenae did not slack off. They did not prepare anything that was not beyond perfect. They only prepared food that was made by the artisans who had only made one specific food for a very long time.

With that thought in mind, a big smile appeared on his face. And Minhyuk, who was always hungry, looked hungrier than ever.

Just like that, he quickly blew on the piping hot noodles as he pushed the noodles in his mouth without delay.

“Sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!”

***

Footnotes

[프사모] Name of the fancafe. Literally, Peusamo. I’m assuming that this is an abbreviation for Frying Pan Killer and another word that starts with the syllable 모 which I can’t figure out yet.

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