Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 1137

‘If he hadn’t helped me back then, then I might not have been able to complete the skill requirements.’

Minhyuk’s body started to creak and hurt by the 5,000th bow. So, it went to show how much help he received. Of course, there were other reasons, too.

‘I remember the first food I have ever tasted in this game and the happiness I felt back then.’

He knew more than anybody else in the world the happiness food could bring someone. Because of that, he hoped that the sacred being would feel more happiness and be more delighted.

Besides, no success or failure restricted him when doing the additional bows. So, he was free to do whatever he wanted. This time, Minhyuk would log out when exhaustion hit him from bowing. Then, he would sleep until he recovered before logging back in to continue bowing.

The Briah’s River sent fishes flying out to show concern for Minhyuk. Still, Minhyuk did not stop. On the sixth day, Minhyuk had completed the number of bows needed for the sacred being to be able to eat the remaining God-grade dishes.

After finishing the bows, he looked at the river with a small smile and asked, “How is it? Are they delicious?”

The answer to his question was immediate.

[The Sacred Being reveals the hidden power of Briah’s River for you.]

[The River of Life finally regains its true and complete form.]

[The River of Life can bestow greater power to the Ingredient Creator Skill.]

[All ingredients made using the water from the River of Life will be 8% better than other ingredients of the same grade!]

“...?!”

Two fish swam up and broke out of the surface of the river water. They stuck to each other and stared at Minhyuk. These two fish, which had appeared earlier, were what the sacred being used to say that he and Minhyuk were friends. And through these two fishes, he once again stressed this fact.

Minhyuk could not believe it.

‘Are you saying the ingredients I will create will be 8% better than other ingredients of the same grade?’

This exceeded the 25% increase when he fulfilled the conditions and completed the quest earlier. This was truly a huge surprise. Although the ingredients were not yet created, if he used the water from the Briah’s River or the River of Life, the ingredients would be 33% better than other ingredients of the same grade.

‘To be honest, it will be very difficult for me to fulfill all the conditions and offerings every time even though I must constantly create ingredients.’

Minhyuk was a very busy individual. The Ingredient Creator skill could also create ordinary cooking ingredients, so there was no need for him to send offerings every time. Regardless, as he mentioned before, there was no merit in creating ingredients if they were just on par with ordinary ingredients.

‘Now, the ingredients I will create will be 8% better even if I don’t offer any sacrifice or fulfill any conditions.’

Of course, ingredients that were 8% better than other ingredients of the same grade were not enough to make people go crazy over them. This fact alone was enough to establish a difference between these ingredients and ordinary ingredients.

“I’ll come visit you often. Let’s eat ramyeon together by then, okay?”

Shwaaaaaaa–

The sacred being sent a cool breeze toward Minhyuk. Minhyuk instantly understood that he was saying, ‘I really like that!’ to him.

Just as Minhyuk was about to go back...

[Kang Taehoon: Can we talk to you for a moment?]

Minhyuk looked at the message in confusion. Shortly after he gave his agreement, President Kang Taehoon and Team Leader Park Minggyu appeared. The two told him why they came to find him.

“I see, so that’s why I thought it seemed doable despite the ridiculous level of difficulty...”

“...”

“...”

Even though the difficulty level was lowered, it was still challenging to complete. The difficulty level they set was always proportional to the rewards they would be given.

Although the difficulty level set this time was a bit low compared to the rewards given, the general population would probably deem this difficulty level as Extreme Hell. And the more shocking part? Minhyuk had increased the level of difficulty, a level that could already be considered to be Extreme Hell, several times.

“So, what happened to that guy named Chen Shihao?”

“According to the results of the audit we conducted, we found out that the Chinese players have been receiving unsanctioned support. We immediately imposed disciplinary actions, and Joy Co. Ltd. intends to file a complaint against them.”

This meant that all of the incidents related to him had already been dealt with and had ended.

“First of all, I would like to apologize on behalf of Joy Co. Ltd.”

Minhyuk knew why Kang Taehoon was apologizing to him. This meant that the level of difficulty had to be adjusted regardless.

‘If that’s the case, then...’

Of course, Minhyuk had difficulty completing the conditions because he raised the difficulty level by several levels. Even if the difficulty level was adjusted, he believed that he could still do it unless he chose to increase it several times again.

‘Still, I will no longer be able to create ingredients that are 33% better than other ingredients of the same grade.’

“All branches have agreed to compensate you regarding this matter.”

The gears in Minhyuk’s head were spinning quickly. After thinking about the current situation, he said, “Please lower the difficulty level. Of course, you should also adjust the amount of increase in the quality of the ingredient by grade depending on the difficulty level.”

President Kang Taehoon and Team Leader Park Minggyu understood why he said those words.

‘He already has a guaranteed permanent 8% increase in the quality of his ingredients.’

‘Since he’s busy, he couldn’t create ingredients here every time. If the conditions are less stringent, then it will be easier for him to create a supply of ingredients.’

Minhyuk was very efficient.

Of course, Minhyuk never thought that the ingredients he could create would be 33% better than other ingredients of the same grade from the beginning. He only expected it to be around 15% better. But now? Even if the level of difficulty was lowered and the increase in the quality of the ingredients was lowered, the ingredients that he would create would at least be 16% better.

“Of course, I’m sure that it will be a burden for you. But...”

In the first place, Minhyuk did not do anything, yet they were going to adjust the level of difficulty just like that. Since that was the case, he should have taken the reins and led the situation to his advantage.

“What will happen if I offer sacrifices here and bow for an entire month?”

Then, there would be a continuous supply of ingredients around 30% better than other ingredients of the same grade.

“It will be fine at first.”

Indeed. Everything would be fine at first. Unfortunately, if he stubbornly stayed in this place and did what he said, a huge wave would affect the entire world of Athenae. If they lowered the level of difficulty, then the increase in quality of the ingredient would reduce accordingly.

“Alright, let’s do it as you say.” President Kang Taehoon agreed.

He also knew that this was the best result. After all, it was much better to have only around 10% better ingredients than 30% better. And just like Minhyuk had said, since the difficulty level had decreased significantly, he would no longer have any reason to risk it all and overdo things.

Nonetheless, the negotiations for Minhyuk’s compensation were not yet over.

“Please help me find one NPC.”

“An NPC?”

The two looked at Minhyuk in confusion. Usually, people would ask them about artifacts, skills, or, in his case, food.

“Which NPC are you talking about?”

“The Storyteller.”

“...!”

“...!”

Both Kang Taehoon and Park Minggyu were shocked by his words. How did Minhyuk know about the existence of the Storyteller?

“By any chance, did you learn about him from the Supreme?”

Minhyuk nodded.

Whenever Supreme Rundalk did something special or made an appearance, his story would be told. This was a power that was given to him by the Storyteller. The power that the Storyteller possessed was endless. They believed that the Storyteller's power would be the most helpful to Minhyuk in his path to becoming a Pillar.

President Kang and Team Leader Park hurriedly discussed this matter. After all, it was a very serious matter. Regardless, Minhyuk's terms were not worse than they had expected.

“If Player Minhyuk decides, he will probably find it within half a year.”

“Anyway, there’s no guarantee that he will be able to get something from the Storyteller even if he met him.”

“Isn’t the compensation too small?”

‘No. It’s not small. Stop.’

Minhyuk was not the person who would be on the losing end of the stick.

“Also, give me a hint that will put me at an advantage once I meet him.”

“A hint...”

Of course, that hint would be a critical point. Nevertheless, the world would not work in one’s favor just because they had received a hint.

President Kang Taehoon agreed. However...

“Then, you’ll have to locate him within two months.”

They could not just simply hand over information about the Storyteller just like that.

“Ah, then...”

‘Enough!’ The expression on President Kang and Team Leader Park seemed to scream that word.

“Please do this one last thing for me.”

Then, Minhyuk proceeded to tell them about his final condition.

***

The experts of Athenae have always received criticism. This was because most of the predictions these self-proclaimed “experts” made had been wrong. Of course, some experts worldwide still received the respect and admiration of the masses. One of these experts was named Bryan.

Bryan, a man in his mid-forties, was considered the most respected Athenae expert in the world. People called him by many names, such as The One who Sees the Future, The Bullseye Man, The True Expert, and many more.

They respected him mainly because Bryan was not the type who would simply criticize others, predict things, and deny everything once proven wrong. He would provide the players with the information he had gathered and write his thoughts realistically and objectively rather than resorting to undermining others. Also, 95% of his realistic and objective thoughts were accurate. Most of his opinions and views about Athenae’s future were also correct.

Bryan recently posted an article titled ‘Can the Food God be a Pillar?’ The article immediately garnered more than 400 million views, proof of Bryan's global and influential status.

Surprisingly enough, despite the many views, the article did not cause any controversies. This was because Bryan had only written down the key points. Of course, Bryan also praised the Food God.

–Finding a player like the Food God in Athenae will be difficult.

–We must never forget the hard work and efforts that he had made to achieve what he has today.

–He has my respect. And I would never deny that he has done a great job and contributed significantly to the Athenae we experience today.

Bryan’s article differed from the other experts who only knew how to criticize others. He remained firm with his ideals and only wanted to deliver accurate information.

–However...

But he never forgot to detail his opinions and interpretations as a true expert.

–In the end, he is a player. Just like us, he came to Athenae to enjoy the game.

–Athenae is practically a place where the NPCs live and breathe. We are mere foreigners in their world.

–It seems like it will be challenging for someone who came here to enjoy the game to become a Pillar who would lead this place. Of course, there are various reasons for it.

When posting an article, there were buttons for “likes” and “dislikes.” The button for " likes” has been clicked at an overwhelmingly high rate. In particular, this was the part of Bryan’s article that resonated deeply with people and made them click the button for “likes.”

–The gods are omnipotent beings. The reason why they are considered omnipotent is because they have the power to create. Of course, I believe that Player Minhyuk might also be able to obtain a skill that will allow him to create something someday.

–But if what he creates is no different from what we have now, then I can’t say it’s anything special, right?

Comments were constantly posted under the article, and it was spread worldwide.

And Bryan? He looked exhausted as he tapped away on his laptop and responded to some comments.

[I did not post this article to criticize Player Minhyuk. I completely recognize the fact that he is capable and strong. And just because he can’t become a Pillar does not mean he is not the Supreme.]

[So, I hope that all of you will be careful when talking and criticizing Player Minhyuk.]

People from all over the world loved to hit others when they were already down. This was the case even though Bryan did not have any intention of putting hate on Minhyuk. In fact, all he wanted to do was illuminate what they were curious about and answer their doubts.

“He’s a truly amazing player.”

Bryan admired and respected Minhyuk. In his article, he told the truth and nothing but the truth. Just then, at that moment, he received a call from an unknown number.

“Hello. Yes, this is Bryan speaking.”

[Hello. I am Team Leader Park Minggyu of the Special Players Management Team from Joy Co. Ltd.’s Korean Headquarters.]

“Did you just say headquarters?” Bryan asked, confusion evident on his face.

Team Leader Park did not dally and told him why he had contacted him. The content of their phone call was exciting.

‘Are you saying that he already has the power to create something? What an amazing person.’

As if to prove the truth, the real-time search terms flashing on his laptop changed.

[1st Place: Supreme’s Power.]

[2nd Place: Minhyuk.]

[3rd Place: Food God’s Ingredients.]

[4th Place: The First Acquirer.]

Perhaps the world message had resounded at this time. Still, he was curious about one entry in the real-time search terms.

“What’s the First Acquirer?”

Team Leader Park immediately responded.

[You must have already guessed that the world message has rung, right?]

[But the Food God’s Ingredients have not yet been released to the world.]

‘Not yet released? Then, why did the world message ring? What does the First Acquirer mean?’

[The First Acquirer. Well, to put it simply, the Food God’s Ingredient will be released to the world once the first ingredient has been acquired.]

Bryan nodded. Then, he asked, “May I ask the reason why you contacted me?”

Of course, Bryan would check the ingredient and post an article about it again later.

‘Wait. Don’t tell me Player Minhyuk asked Joy Co. Ltd. to contact me and be careful about writing dirty and shameful articles?’

[Player Minhyuk had explicitly requested us to relay this message to you, sir.]

‘The Supreme wants to relay a message to me?’ Bryan perked his ears up and listened intently.

[Would you like to be the First Acquirer?]

“...?!”

Bryan’s eyes grew wide.