Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 967

[BaldDirector has donated 5,000,000 won.]

[BaldnessMedicinePlease has donated 1,000,000 won.]

[IDidElastine has donated 2,000,000 won.]

[ADropOfShampoo has donated 50,000 won.]

[18thGenerationBaldy has donated 30,000 won.]

Shockingly enough, the notification window almost froze from the constant wave of donation notifications from the sponsorship system.

When Minhyuk thought about it, he recalled that the ordinary(?) Corr had been creating huge waves all over the world. He was even hailed as the Hope of men.

Of course, the live chat room was going crazy too.

[Th– They have appeared...!]

[The baldies from all over the world are gathering!]

[Guys, this is frfr. When I saw hair grow out of that man’s shiny head, I jumped up from my seat and cheered. All hail... God Talmor...!]

[Sob... I couldn’t even stop my tears!]

[Hooray for the baldies!]

[Talmor Fati!]

[Dididi~! Dididi~ Didi!]

[Baldies! Let’s all show them our power!]

[BaldyGeneral has donated 50,000 won.]

[BaldyKnight has donated 40,000 won.]

[BaldySoldier has donated 40,000 won.]

The rest of the viewers were in awe of their solidarity. Instantly, they changed their nicknames and plastered their bald heads on their display pictures. Then, at that moment, something happened that made the entire live chat room freeze for about two seconds.

[BaldEagle has donated 5,000,000,000 won.]

“...?”

Even Minhyuk froze on the spot. Minhyuk even blinked a few times to confirm. He thought that his eyes were playing tricks on him just now.

Five billion. That was the amount of the donation that suddenly flashed on his screen. Even the donor's nickname was quite unusual.

‘BaldEagle?’

Then, the live chat room went nuts.

[Someone just sent five billion as a donation...?]

[OMG. Who is it?!]

[Suddenly, a hidden tycoon appeared...]

Minhyuk could not hide how flustered he was. After all, it was not a small amount of money.

“Mr. BaldEagle. Thank you for your donations. But... I think it’s too much. Did you send it by mistake?”

But with his words, a short and straightforward comment appeared in the live chat room. It was the picture of a leader bald eagle glaring sternly at his bald eagle team members.

[Lol. Hahahahahaha.]

[Ah. That picture is so funny. Lololol.]

[The king of bald eagles. Lmao.]

[It looks like he’s declaring that he’s the king of all the bald eagles. Hmm?]

Minhyuk might not know it, but ‘BaldEagle’ Jeep’s assets were around 200 trillion won. For him, spending five billion as a donation was nothing more than throwing pennies around. It was similar to how someone with a fortune of a hundred million won would spend thousands on water. Yes, Jeep was an extremely wealthy tycoon. But even though he had those assets, he was very stingy.

[Follow the BaldEagle!!!]

[BaldOstrich has donated 10,000 won...]

[BaldBeanie has donated 30,000 won...]

Another wave of donation notifications began to ring. Minhyuk was suddenly bombarded with more donations than he initially expected and was overwhelmed. Thankfully, a few comments had relieved him of some of the burden.

[They’re only a few tens of thousands of won for me. Besides, we have all seen how much the Beyond the Heavens Empire has sacrificed and lost for Athenae. Maybe your losses have reached billions of won, no?]

[Donating to the Beyond the Heavens Empire is not a waste of money. After all, you protected Athenae.]

[Beyond the Heavens Empire and Emperor Minhyuk has protected our alternative world for us.]

A small smile curled up on Minhyuk’s face. Today, he realized how meaningful this kind of vlog was. It was a valuable experience for him; the player hailed as the Supreme and the idol of many players in this game, especially since he was able to communicate with those who cared, respected, and loved him.

Minhyuk continued to film his and the others’ daily lives as he walked around the empire. Then, he saw Ben, who was resting against a gigantic elephant.

Ben turned to him and said, “Your Majesty, this elephant can excrete around fifty kilograms of dung daily.”

[No. Lololol.]

[Why did elephants suddenly appear here?]

[The poop that an elephant makes in a day is much heavier than me...]

“With the dung this guy excretes alone, I can make around a thousand cups of elephant dung coffee daily.”

Unlike the viewers, who thought it was a joke, Ben was very serious. With his head bowed respectfully, he reported, “This servant of yours... can probably make enough coffee to fill Your Majesty’s bottomless stomach.”

“...Good job, Grandpa. You did a great job!”

“Your Majesty...”

“Grandpa...!” Minhyuk shouted, a small smile on his face. He looked at Ben as if he was really, really precious.

[Why did the vlog suddenly turn into BL after they talked about elephant poop? Lmao.]

[No, what hahahahahahaha. They both look so serious. Lolol.]

[Hyaah~ I really like Grandpa Ben ??]

[He looked so happy when he saw Emperor Minhyuk's excitement upon hearing that he could drink elephant dung coffee.]

[GrampsBen has donated 500,000 won.]

[TwoMenBromance has donated 1,000,000 won.]

[KingPoopy has donated 300,000 won.]

Another wave of donation notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

This time, Minhyuk met Luna and Elizabeth, two of the youngest members of the Beyond the Heavens Empire, as he continued to walk on the street. The two kids had grown up a lot. Luna could polymorph now. Her polymorphed form was a girl who was overloaded with cuteness and beauty on par with Elizabeth.

“Kyaaa! Grrrr!” Elizabeth, who saw Minhyuk, immediately acted cutely. The act immediately made the donation notification window to bring in another wave.

Minhyuk continued to walk and film the daily lives of the NPCs of his empire in his vlog. And the viewers? They began to realize how unique a nation the Beyond the Heavens Empire indeed was and how the place was filled with energy and happiness.

Minhyuk had only done the live for the first time, but many people had started to think about moving to Beyond the Heavens Empire after watching glimpses of their lives in this broadcast.

And since the vlog was literally an “A Day in the Life” type of vlog, it could not only show them the fun and interesting things.

Brod, carrying his luggage on his back, approached Minhyuk and knelt on one knee. Minhyuk looked down at him with cold eyes.

[Why did the atmosphere suddenly change...?]

[Minhyuk had ordered Brod to work with Valentino and pioneer the Aveid Territory for a year. He has been demoted.]

[But Brod did a great job this time. Shouldn’t they give him an award?]

[Besides, aren’t the two of them close? Brod is a completely loyal vassal who is willing to sacrifice his life for Minhyuk. And Minhyuk cares deeply about him. So, why?]

The viewers voiced their doubts as the atmosphere of the daily life vlog suddenly changed.

Then, Brod said, “Your Majesty. I promise to do a wonderful job pioneering the Aveid Territory for one year and make it more beautiful than any other territory.”

But Minhyuk’s gaze remained cold as he looked at Brod. “Brod. Do you hate me now? Are you disappointed in me?”

Brod shook his head. “I have sinned by defying Your Majesty’s orders. To be honest, I think the price I must pay for such a sin is too light.”

“I understand how loyal you are to me. But if you died there, then the sense of loss that would weigh down on me would be unimaginable.”

Brod immediately pressed his forehead to the ground when he heard those words. “Forgive me, Your Majesty.”

“I want you to reflect on what you mean to me and think about what is best for you and me during that year.” After leaving those words, Minhyuk turned around.

“Your Majesty! Please stay healthy!” Brod followed Minhyuk’s figure before knocking his head on the ground again. After watching Minhyuk slowly walk away, Brod stood up and hoisted his old bag before walking away, his figure forlorn.

Minhyuk stopped and hurriedly turned to look at Brod’s departing figure. He stretched his hand out and lowered it just as quickly.

“Take care and come back safely,” Minhyuk whispered, a complicated expression flashing.

The viewers, who watched the entire situation unfold, finally realized what happened.

[At the end of it all, Minhyuk is the emperor ruling his empire. Before he went to war, he gave an order to all of the NPCs. “Do not come to the fortress.” This was because, for players, death was nothing but a forced logout. But for NPCs, death is a true and complete death.]

[Even if their NPCs were strong, it was still dangerous. It was an episode related to Helenia, with countless anomalies and variables they did not know of.]

[But Brod went against Minhyuk’s orders and came to the fortress to save him.]

[Minhyuk probably understands what Brod was feeling more than anybody else. But Brod broke the imperial decree. As the emperor, he must treat Brod coldly to emphasize that he might have lost him back there.]

[Although everything worked out well in the end, the emperor still has to do what an emperor should do.]

[When Minhyuk stretched his hand out toward Brod’s departing back and bit his lips, he looked like he was saying, “Thank you, and I’m sorry.”]

[Minhyuk is still young. But he’s carrying a huge and heavy burden.]

[But the two are very close to each other. Things will work out between them.]

[Cheer up, Minhyuk!]

[Cheer up!]

[MinhyukFighting has donated 30,000 won.]

[LongLiveBeyondtheHeavensEmpire has donated 20,000 won.]

[FoodGodLove has donated 50,000 won.]

The suffocating feeling in Minhyuk’s chest lessened slightly with the viewers’ comforting words and gestures.

‘Is this what it feels like to receive the care and comfort of others?’

Their comforting words and gestures were much more significant and warmer than he thought. At that moment, Minhyuk thought that perhaps it was alright for him, even if he was the Supreme, to share some of the burden he carried with the people who looked up to him and supported him sometimes.

Minhyuk chuckled lightly before moving again, only stopping when he met another NPC. When he saw the NPC, he thought, ‘Wow... There’s going to be a donation rush...’

This was because the NPC was none other than the world’s best-selling author, Aruvel. The moment the viewers saw him, the live chat room was immediately flooded with their comments.

[Erotichey!]

[Erotichey!]

[Erotichey!]

[Erotichey!]

The “Erotichey!” the viewers used to greet Aruvel was short for “Erotica Author, Hey!”

BaldEagle, who donated five billion won in one go, posted a question in the live chat room.

[Who’s Aruvel?]

[Aruvel is the world’s best-selling author, not only in Athenae but also in reality. His first-ever work, "Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?” has already reached 28 billion unofficial views.]

[He’s the best erotica author of this era. His writings are remarkable. His main job is as an author, and his side job is as a sage.]

[All hail, God-vel!]

BaldEagle, whose interest was piqued, replied.

[I’ll come back after reading it.]

Then, he disappeared. Meanwhile, Minhyuk continued to observe Aruvel. Aruvel was sitting on a chair and scribbling in his notebook, which was firmly placed on his desk and conveniently spread out on the street. Suddenly, Aruvel’s eyes grew wide. He shouted, “Ah– Aaaaaaaaaaaah– It’s coming! The inspiration! This inspiration is coming!”

With a delighted and satisfied look on his face, he began to write furiously in his notebook. Minhyuk immediately focused the camera on him to capture the impact of the birth of his new work.

“The lady named Arumi, an orphan, discovered an injured puppy in the forest. She gently treated the puppy and even began to raise it. One day, the puppy led Arumi somewhere.

“And in the place where the puppy led him was a man dressed in shabby clothes collapsed on the ground! Arumi hurriedly helped the man and brought him to her home to treat his injuries.

“And the man? It was none other than the empire’s first prince! Aaah! The puppy that returned the favor that it received! The creaking bed! And the rough and harsh groans of the two people!”

[Wooaaaah! Squeak, squeak!]

[This insane drama is the best!]

[WOW!]

The viewers cheered as their expectations for Aruvel’s new work reached an all-time high! At the same time, another tremendous wave of donations poured in. After around twenty minutes, a notification suddenly went off.

[BaldEagle has donated 10,000,000,000 won.]

[Hahahahaha. Wait. Lol. He said that he would read it before coming back... He must have read it carefully.]

[Wow. Shit. Ten billion won worth of donation? For real? Lololol.]

Then, BaldEagle said...

[All hail... God Aruvel...]

***

Locke had a ZTube channel under Captain NGSB[1] Locke. He created this channel to prove that being ugly was not a sin and that they could also be confident in their skin. He often filmed his day-to-day life as a forever single person. The channel was so popular that it already reached 1.5 million subscribers.

‘Minhyuk is doing a ZTube live. Should I go and teach him the ropes?’

Ztube’s great senior, Locke, had decided to teach Minhyuk several things about Ztube. Locke knew that he was behind Minhyuk in most things. However, he believed that he was better when it came to live broadcasts. After all, his daily income from live broadcasts alone was well over ten million.

Finally, Locke met Minhyuk in front of the castle.

Minhyuk had already ended the live in front of the castle. He groaned softly as he swiped through the hologram before him.

“Minhyuk.”

“Oh, Locke! You came at the right time!”

Locke smiled happily, knowing that Minhyuk needed him. He already had a rough idea of how things would unfold. He said, “I heard you went live on ZTube today. How’s the number of views? How about your earnings?”

Of course, many people must have seen the live and the profits he earned would be incredibly high. After all, he’s the most controversial person at the moment. However, Locke still had great pride in himself. He was very proud that he could teach Minhyuk something as a senior ZTuber! Besides, Minhyuk was not necessarily better than himself.

Minhyuk said, “I’m happy many people came to see me.”

“Really? So, what are you looking for?”

“The details of the donations.”

Since ZTube had a contract with Joy Co. Ltd., one could check their daily view count and the amount of sponsor donations that they had received while still connected inside the game Athenae.

“Okay, let me teach you,” Locke said. He thought that since this was Minhyuk’s first broadcast, there would be at least 200 million won in donations.

‘It’s only natural since this is Minhyuk.’

Locke taught Minhyuk carefully and introduced him to all of the details.

“Oh! It’s done,” Minhyuk shouted. He was left in shock and amazement when he saw the details of the donations.

“Wow. I’m grateful to the viewers.”

“Did you earn a lot?”

“Yep. A lot.”

Locke thought about Minhyuk and his expectations. Minhyuk was both the successor to a large corporation and the emperor of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. The fact that he would say that it was a lot meant that it was much higher than what Locke expected. Maybe it was not 200 million, but 500 million won?

So, Locke asked, “Can you share it with me?”

“Okies.”

[You want to share your ZTube Donation Information with Locke. Confirm?]

Minhyuk quickly confirmed. Then, the daily earnings were posted in front of Locke.

[Daily Sponsor Donations: 26,031,003,001]

“...?”

“???”

“...?”

“???”

Locke was rendered speechless.

1. No Girlfriend Since Birth ☜