Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1096

“My grilled pork!”

When Minhyuk finally regained consciousness, the first thing he was concerned about was his grilled pork. He was worried that he would be unable to eat any of it. This was because his memories from before he fainted were so blurry and fragmented that he wondered if it had merely been a dream.

‘I have to go and check it.’

If he looked into his inventory, he could determine whether it was a dream or a reality. At that moment, Minhyuk saw that the description part of the Pillar’s Assorted Pork Set’s detail window had already changed.

[You have successfully and excellently cooked the ingredient. You will be able to receive the complete set of special abilities once you cook and eat the assorted pork set without penalties.]

He also saw the Imperfect Work Gloves in his inventory. This meant that it was not a dream.

At that moment, Minhyuk recalled the voice that he heard before he lost consciousness.

–I will help you!

Verak hurriedly approached Minhyuk and said, “Your Majesty, you started to tremble suddenly. It was as if some mind magic was controlling you. Aemira helped out when we saw that you were about to faint.”

Minhyuk listened to the events that took place from the moment his consciousness began to fade.

“Aemira seemed to be struggling as she used her powers. She sighed in relief and finally collapsed after Your Majesty finished cooking.”

Minhyuk nodded slowly at Verak.

“I have already expressed my gratitude to her, so you don’t need to talk to her anymore, Your Majesty. The God of Death warned…?” Verak trailed off, confused.

Verak was still in the middle of expression his concern for Minhyuk when Minhyuk suddenly stood up and walked over to Aemira.

“Your Majesty! The God of Death—”

But Minhyuk ignored Verak again.

With a standard 90-degree bow, Minhyuk said to Aemira, “You have my utmost gratitude.”

Verak was quite surprised. Anyone could express their gratitude, but Minhyuk was an emperor—a father figure to tens of millions of people. Verak did not expect such a man to politely express his appreciation for a woman who was a prisoner.

Aemira’s gaze shifted all over the place. Perhaps it was because she was embarrassed by the courteous greeting.

Minhyuk was very curious about one thing. He asked, “Why did you help me?”

From what he had heard from Verak, Aemira had used so much power that she screamed in pain.

When Aemira spoke to Minhyuk earlier, he had politely yet curtly said he did not want her to talk to him. He had even ignored her, acting all sulky, and continued to do what he wanted to do. In a way, Minhyuk had treated her rudely.

This place was a reward he and Verak had found inside the Boundary Between Good and Evil, but its owner was Aemira.

‘I openly invaded her land and even made use of her auspicious site without even asking for her permission.’

Despite his audacity, Aemira had still helped him.

“Because it looked like you desperately wanted to achieve your goal. I only used a bit of my power to respond to your earnest and heartfelt feelings for your goal. You don’t have to be that grateful to me.”

“...” Minhyuk was speechless.

Aemira had known it would cause her pain, yet she still helped him just because of his desire to succeed. Minhyuk was convinced that this woman had been born with a beautiful and kind heart.

If it were anyone else, they would have answered, ‘I’ve helped you, so will you help me too?’

Yet, Aemira did not do that and even said that they should not be that grateful to her. How many people could lend a helping hand purely out of kindness?

Minhyuk was curious about one other thing, but he hesitated, unsure if he should ask.

When Aemira saw the hesitation in his eyes, she said, “Please speak freely.”

In the end, Minhyuk threw a fastball and asked, “Why are you trapped here?”

Even Verak, who had been staying in Hell for a long time, had not been able to find out why Aemira was trapped in this place.

A bitter look flashed on Aemira’s face as she replied, “I don’t have an answer to give you.”

“No answer? Is there a restriction placed upon you?”

“That’s not it. It’s just… there’s no answer I can give you.”

Minhyuk was left confused. What did she mean by that? Nevertheless, Minhyuk knew Aemira would feel bad if he continued asking questions.

So, he just said, “If there’s something I can help you with, please feel free to tell me. I will help you. Of course, as long as it’s within my capabilities.”

“...”

Lost in her thoughts, Aemira fell silent, trying to think of something that Minhyuk could help her with. However, she could only laugh awkwardly. It seemed like she couldn’t think of anything right now.

“I never expected anything in return… I’ll think hard about it! Honestly, I’m already thrilled to have you in this place!” Aemira exclaimed.

Minhyuk and Verak both tilted their heads puzzledly. What was Aemira happy about?

“It’s because I can have a conversation with you!”

“...”

“...”

The two men looked at her blankly. For a moment, they seemed to feel the pain that she was experiencing. Unbeknownst to Minhyuk, he was completely taken in by Aemira’s personality.

Aemira had been sentenced to life imprisonment in this small space of around 1.5 meters and had lived there for a very long time. Now, she was saying that she was just pleased that she could talk to others. Perhaps Aemira had helped Minhyuk with all her might because she had not met anyone for a very long time.

Minhyuk said, “Then, let me know once you have decided. I’ll stay here for today.”

“Alright!” Aemira answered, her face turning pensive.

Verak approached Minhyuk in worry. “Is this alright, Your Majesty?” “It’s fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Verak seemed to worry about the words of the God of Death.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk recalled the exact words and thought, ‘Why did he give me such a warning?’

The God of Death should have known that Minhyuk would not obey whatever commands he was given. So, even if the God of Death had warned Minhyuk, the God of Death should have known that Minhyuk would ignore his words. Minhyuk was a good person after all.

Aemira’s entire being was a question mark.

‘That’s not what’s important right now.’

Minhyuk left Aemira be for the time being. Right now, his priority was to check what he had obtained. He immediately scrolled through the notifications he had gotten while he was unconscious.

[You have completed the Pillar Quest: Successfully Create Something using a Pillar Ingredient or Pillar Artifact.]

[You have obtained the Imperfect Work Gloves.]

[Your DEX has increased by 5%.]

[You have gained 5,000 REP.]

[You have earned 100 cash.]

Minhyuk did not delay any further. He checked the information about the Imperfect Work Gloves.

(Imperfect Work Gloves)

Rocado’s Exclusive Artifact

Rank: Pillar

Requirements: The one who inherited Rocado’s power.

Durability: 50,000 / 50,000

Attack Power: 1,800

Special Abilities:

•All of your stats will increase by 1%.

•Your DEX will increase by 22%.

•You have a 20% chance of triggering DEX Critical.

•Active Skill: Pinnacle Dexterity

•Additional Equip is possible.

•Sealed

•Sealed

Description: These are the work gloves worn by Rocado in his prime. They are still in their perfect state because their seal has not yet been released.

“Are you saying that this is still imperfect…?”

Minhyuk was quite shocked. The biggest reason was the words “Additional Equip.” If the Additional Equip was possible, then it meant that he could wear another glove on top of the work gloves. In other words, he could enjoy the unique abilities of two artifacts when he wore this work glove.

When Minhyuk put the work gloves on, the gloves immediately got sucked onto his hands. He felt no difference when he repeatedly clenched and unclenched his fists. The gloves were so light it felt like he was wearing nothing. They did not show their form and did not even have any weight.

‘Wow…’

Did this mean he could enjoy the 22% increase in DEX and a 1% increase in all stats just like that? But that was not all. There were also the unfamiliar words “DEX Critical,” to which he had to check the detailed explanation.

[DEX Critical, just like Attack Critical, will only be triggered by chance. Upon triggering, the DEX will instantly double.]

‘Oh…?’

Minhyuk was in awe. This attached the concept of Attack Critical to DEX.

With these gloves equipped, Minhyuk could make things 1.3x better than usual. On top of that, it also had an attack power of 1,800, a level that could be said to be comparable to a God-rank sword. Then, there was also the cheat-like Pinnacle Dexterity skill.

(Pinnacle Dexterity)

Artifact Skill

Level: None

Mana Required: 5,000

Penalty: None.

Cooldown: 30 minutes.

Effects: Upon activation, the DEX stat will increase by 1.4x for two minutes.

Description: This is one of the skills that Rocado used in his prime.

“Wow…”

What would happen if Minhyuk activated this skill and the DEX Critical got triggered?

‘Maybe I’ll be able to make a legendary grade dish just by touching it with my hands…?’

The lowest grade of dishes Minhyuk could create, regardless of the method or the ingredients, was set at epic grade. This was thanks to the effects of the title The One Who Reached the Pinnacle. If the effects of this skill were added on top of that, then it would not be a pipe dream to create eight or ten legendary-grade dishes in one go.

[A different quest to find Rocado’s power will be triggered independently. It will start soon.]

If Rocado were here, then Minhyuk would willingly kowtow to the man.

‘I’m really very grateful to you.’

Among the men Minhyuk had met, he could be considered one of the greatest. Perhaps Minhyuk would be able to be like Rocado in his prime once he found everything that Rocado had left behind for him.

For now, he left that thought behind and focused on preparing the cauldron so he could eat.

“Why does samgyeopsal taste more delicious if you grill it in a cauldron?”

It was a question with no answer. The Pillar Assorted Pork Set was once again turned back into raw ingredients.

Minhyuk spread oil on the heated cauldron and began to put the samgyeopsal and moksal slices.

Sizzle!

Smoke bloomed from the heated cauldron as Minhyuk placed an uncut kimchi on the bottom where the oil flowed.

Sizzle!

Minhyuk was indeed a man who knew how to eat.

Once the meat was cooked perfectly, he grabbed his scissors and cut it into bite-sized pieces.

‘Kghhk! This thick and juicy meat is really delicious!’

It was pretty chewy and very juicy. As Minhyuk lifted a piece of perfectly grilled meat, he could see the boiling oil covering its surface.

Hoo– Hoo–

Minhyuk did not dip the meat in anything. He blew on it briefly before putting it in his mouth. The savory oil flowed and covered every inch of Minhyuk’s mouth with every chew of the samgyeopsal.

This time, he dipped a piece of meat in salt before taking a huge bite. Next, he dipped it in ssamjang. Then, he made a wrap by putting two pieces of samgyeopsal on top of a piece of lettuce; some garlic dipped in ssamjang, Cheongyang peppers, scallions, and many more before putting it in his mouth.

“Keuhaaaa!!!”

This taste… this flavor… they were indeed worthy of admiration!

After the samgyeopsal, Minhyuk turned his attention to the moksal, which had lower fat content and calorie count than samgyeopsal. Did that mean that it was dry and tasteless? Not at all. A perfectly cooked moksal would melt when one puts it in their mouth.

Minhyuk happily grilled the hangjeongsal while eating moksal dipped in salt.

He was someone who really knew how to eat, so he took out some bibimnaengmyeon. He separated the yolk and crushed it before mixing it with the bibimnaengmyeon’s sauce. Then, he added some of the well-grilled hangjeongsal on top before grabbing a huge mouthful of the noodles and putting it in his mouth.

The savory hangjeongsal and the sweet yet spicy bibimnaengmyeon combined to create a fantastic flavor that burst in his mouth.

After eating everything up, a series of notifications rang in his ears.

[You have eaten the Pillar’s Assorted Pork Set.]

[The dish is not undercooked, but it is also not remarkable. You will receive the ingredient’s usual effects.]

When Rocado cooked the Pillar Ingredient in the past, his dish had several special abilities added to it. This was proof of how well-cooked and special the dish that he’d made had been.

[All of your stats have increased by 2.1%.]

[Your DEX has increased by 7%.]

[Your STR has increased by 6%.]

[Your STM has increased by 5%.]

[Your Earth Attribute Resistance has increased by 19%.]

[When fighting against earth-attributed monsters, your attack and defensive power will increase by 8%.]

Nevertheless, a smile filled with satisfaction appeared on Minhyuk’s face.

‘This means that only the ingredient representing the air is the only thing left, right?’

There was a high chance that this ingredient was a fowl. Maybe it was a chicken or a duck? The thought of cooking and eating such an ingredient made his mouth water.

Righ then, Aemira called out to Minhyuk, “Uhm, excuse me.”

It seemed like she had finally decided on the request she would ask Minhyuk to fulfill.

‘Maybe she will ask me to make her something delicious?’

Minhyuk turned to look at her.

***

The aide, who had just confirmed something, hurriedly approached the God of Death.

He said, “What should we do, God of Death?”

“What’s the matter?” Louis asked calmly, his head bowed as he looked at the ground beneath him.

“This servant of yours has confirmed that the pass that you have given is not an ordinary pass.”

There were three types of passes in Hell, ranging from an ordinary pass, which identified the pass holder as a noble, to the highest level of pass, which showed that the pass holder was the friend of the God of Death.

Minhyuk had a very awkward relationship with the God of Death. Nevertheless, there was still a chance that the God of Death had bestowed Minhyuk with the highest level of pass because Minhyuk had helped him send his lover, Hella, safely into the River of Reincarnation.

The problem was there was a huge secret hidden in this pass.

“But when the person possessing this pass is attacked, you, the God of Death, can immediately descend and arrive where they are!”

The God of Death could only issue this kind of pass twice. Why? This was because this pass could sometimes ignore some of the rules set in this land and the land beyond this. So, the question was: why had he given such a valuable pass to that human emperor?

The aide ended his train of thought with a hypothesis. He asked, “Don’t tell me it’s because of that woman named Aemira?”

“...” The God of Death did not answer and only looked down at his aide. After a moment, he opened his mouth and said, “I am the lord who rules over Hell.”

That was right. The God of Death was a terrifying existence who governed over the dead. Did that mean that he could indiscriminately kill and slaughter someone? No, not at all. Did that mean that he could break the rules? No. He was just nothing but a monarch who ruled over Hell. In the end, he was still a god who had to maintain and follow the world's rules.

He continued, “I want to straighten out and correct Heaven’s rotten judgment.”

“Why?”

“Because I promised.”

Louis had promised Hella before she left that he would turn Hell into the fairest and most beautiful version of Hell. He promised to turn Hell into something others had failed to achieve.

“B-but…”

“Aren’t you aware of it too?” The God of Death’s cold gaze swept over his aide. “Aemira is innocent.”

***

“Uhm, excuse me.”

Minhyuk turned around and looked at Aemira. He would listen to and fulfill her request as much as possible, no matter what it was.

The girl hesitated, but in the end, she showed Minhyuk a wide and bright smile. There was a deep set of dimples on her cheeks as she said, “Can you please kill me?”

Just like that, she made a very shocking request.