Leveling Up through Eating

Evil God Obren had confronted Athenae, the Absolute Gods, and the entire Land of the Gods to protect his friend, Kronad. He was also someone who single-handedly slaughtered tens of millions of humans.

‘If you cry at night, Obren will come and take your heart.’

Just like one South Korean folktale that spoke about how a tiger would come and eat the children if they kept on crying at night[1], Obren’s story has been handed down from generation to generation.

It was rare for a story about a man to be passed on and still be alive even after thousands of years. Of course, these stories slowly disappeared because Obren had become the Guardian God of the current era.

For the people present here, it was different. Most of them had grown up listening to superstitious words of their elderly about their hearts being taken away by Obren if they cried at night.

So, when Minhyuk heard King of Destruction Rundalk’s words, he immediately called out to Obren, ‘Hey! Hey, Obren.’

[Why are you calling again?]

Unlike the other Absolute Gods, Obren was connected to Minhyuk. He could watch and monitor everything that was happening to Minhyuk.

‘When that guy checks me later, can you make a surprise appearance?’

‘Aaaaaah! Just once. Pleaseeeeee. Just this once~’

Obren talked big.

[Even if you bring in Aruvel’s new work in front of me, I will never do it!]

Nonetheless, when a foreign power tried to feel out Minhyuk and observe him, Tsun-bren descended immediately and asked who dared hurt his friend.

Wagner, who fell on his back after being questioned by Obren, immediately turned to look at King of Destruction Rundalk. All the members of the faction of King of Destruction Rundalk also turned to look at him.

At that moment, Rundalk thought, ‘These filthy bastards. You all lack a sense of loyalty!’

Of course, it was only done on his orders. But faced with Obren, the King of Destruction Rundalk became very flexible. The most important thing to him was to determine the authenticity of the matter.

[Guardian God Obren cannot stay in the Land of the Leaders long.]

[A forced reverse summon will be done soon.]

Minhyuk hurriedly made use of the opportunity presented to him. With the dignified and majestic voice of the emperor, he said, “Obren, didn’t this emperor tell you? I already know and understand your love and care. I know you want to protect this emperor, but appearing recklessly in this land will endanger you.”

Minhyuk sighed and shook his head.

“This emperor is fine. So, don’t worry. I understand your desire to protect me, even at the risk of your own life. This time, you’ve gone a bit overboard.”

‘This rascal…?’ Obren thought, his gaze filled with disgust as he looked at Minhyuk.

Then, he promptly disappeared after a forced reverse summon. He felt like he had heard the faint sound of ‘Woaaaaaah!’ before he completely disappeared from the scene.

Minhyuk, who was still in high spirits, looked at Rundalk and Wagner, who were gasping. Then he said, “If you accept my offer, then today…”

Minhyuk made eye contact with Rundalk.

“...you will be known as the people who helped create a Pillar.”

In response to Minhyuk’s strong momentum, Rundalk pondered for a moment. Then, he said, “I accept.”

***

Rundalk blinked. He just could not understand the man in front of him. He was sure that the man had summoned Obren here to prove the authenticity of the matter. However, Rundalk still could not understand quite a few things.

Even though Rundalk had seen it with his own eyes, he still could not bring himself to believe that the man in front of him had made Obren his subordinate at a time when he was not yet a candidate.

Alas, Rundalk could only accept his offer since a promise was a promise. Now, if the man could achieve three of the things they wanted, they would give him one of the abilities of his choice.

Of course, the first thing that the entire banquet hall had agreed upon was none other than a meal. Whether it was unfortunate or not, there were no chefs in this place. Because of that, many people held high expectations for the Pillar of the Gourmands. There was also the incident earlier. When the candidates lay prostrate on the ground, they smelled the fascinating and mouth-watering smell of the kimchi jjigae that Beradon and Rocado were eating by the sides.

Minhyuk made a massive pot of kimchi jjigae and began handing out a serving to the people present in the banquet hall. Once they tasted the dish, they could not help but feel amazed.

At that moment, Minhyuk brought out some alcohol and a pack filled with something unknown.

“Keuhaaa! Good alcohol! What’s that?”

“This is a popular drink on earth. It’s called Sea Honey Calamansi.”

“Sea Honey Calamansi?”

“What’s Sea Honey?”

He served alcohol mixed with the sweet and sour Sea Honey calamansi and the kimchi jjigae. After serving everyone a portion, the man chuckled and began eating alone.

This was why Rundalk could not help but blink at the man in confusion.

‘First, he went against everyone.

‘Second, he made everyone reflect on themselves.

‘Third, he embraced them all.

‘And now…’

The young man was mingling and hanging out with them.

“Kghhk! As expected, spicy jjigae tastes best when eaten outside!”

Anyone who saw Minhyuk would think that he was someone who was living here. This was because he perfectly blended in the surroundings as he sat before the boiling kimchi jjigae and the perfect egg roll.

Minhyuk tasted the still-hot kimchi jjigae. The soup's slightly spicy yet refreshing taste was truly a delight. Then, he scooped a huge mouthful of still-steaming white rice and put it in his mouth.

‘Yes! The more you chew, the sweeter the flavor will be.’

Then, Minhyuk scooped some well-ripened kimchi and meat with the perfect ratio of half meat and half fat.

‘The meat looks delicious.’

The most delicious meat to add to traditional kimchi jjigae was the one with the perfect ratio of half meat and half fat.

Minhyuk could not help but admire the fantastic combination of the flavor of the meat and the kimchi. After eating the kimchi jjigae like that, he turned his attention to the egg roll and put one in his mouth. The egg roll flavor immediately spread in his mouth the moment he took a huge bite.

He took a bite of rice before grabbing another piece of egg roll. But this time, he dipped it in some catsup. The sweet and savory taste of the catsup and the rich flavor of the egg brought a smile of delight to Minhyuk’s face.

‘What an unusual man,’ King of Destruction Rundalk thought.

At the same time, a notification rang in Rundalk’s ears.

[The one who made the offer has completed the first task.]

Everyone was satisfied, even Rundalk enjoyed the kimchi jjigae. So, it was no exaggeration to say that Minhyuk did a great job in this task.

While Rundalk looked at Minhyuk with a strange expression, Rocado and Beradon approached him with their flushed faces. The King of Destruction did not try to approach them or get close to the two old men. But it was different for them. The two sought to coexist peacefully with everyone, including Rundalk. Of course, that included Rundalk.

“You must be thinking that he’s unusual,” Beradon said.

Rocado, who also thought the same thing at first, said, “Even though he looks like that, he’s the first and only man who has won against me.”

“...!?” Rundalk jumped up from his seat when he heard Rocado’s words.

Of course, Minhyuk had only won once against Rocado after tens of thousands of challenges. But it was still a huge achievement.

Just like that, Beradon and Rocado told Rundalk stories about Minhyuk. Left in awe, Rundalk said, “You’re saying that a mere ordinary human had done the same thing repeatedly for ten days?”

But the following story shocked Rundalk even more. According to the two old men, there were a lot of talents around the man. Then, there was also this one thing.

“Isn’t the path that he had chosen too difficult?”

Indeed. Minhyuk's path was so difficult that no ordinary human could dare imagine taking it. That was why this ordinary man was quite unusual for choosing to take this path.

King of Destruction Rundalk glanced at Minhyuk, who was talking to the other candidates.

“Perhaps he can help you find what you want in that place. I heard that you have tried countless times yet all of them have failed.”

Rundalk looked at Minhyuk once again.

Beradon said, “I asked him once. Isn’t it difficult?”

Rundalk honestly believed that he would not be able to live the same life and make the same choices that the young man had made.

“I once told him… Shouldn’t you take it easy now? It’s too difficult that you want to die, so why not step back?” Beradon smiled faintly as he recalled his conversation with Minhyuk back then. “He said…”

Rundalk focused on Beradon’s words.

“Indeed, the path that I have taken is difficult. But looking back, it’s still more beautiful than any other road, no?”

“...”

His words sounded so cool and wonderful.

‘Wasn’t Obren the proof?’

At this moment, Rundalk realized why someone like Obren willingly became Minhyuk's subordinate, a mere candidate.

***

‘Hehe, so easy.’ and ‘So lucky~’ flowed from Minhyuk’s mouth.

The growth of the Ingredient Brimming with Potential was measured in proportion to the difficulty of the task provided to him. The fact that he needed to prove his qualifications and gain recognition three times with three different tasks was a testament to its difficulty. After all, the reward this time was him being allowed to choose one of their abilities.

The first task to prove his qualifications was achieved so easily with his cooking. It has to be known that the Pillar Candidates were quite picky eaters. He could only efficiently complete this task because he was none other than Minhyuk.

Then, the second task was issued. Minhyuk had to relieve them of their boredom. He also solved it by simply distributing Aruvel’s “Collection of Masterpieces,” which was stored in his inventory. As mentioned before, the Pillar Candidates were very hard to please. Aruvel’s masterpieces were so spectacular that he could easily entertain them all.

With two tasks completed so quickly, it was only natural for Minhyuk to keep saying that it was easy and that he was so lucky.

And finally, it was time for the last task. The approaching King of Destruction Rundalk personally issued the last task.

***

Unfortunately, Minhyuk did not know much about the King of Destruction Rundalk. It was only natural.

Although Rundalk was hailed as the King of Destruction in this land, he was called by a different name on Earth. ‘The Supreme.’ This was the name that Rundalk was given in the past. The Supreme was a name that did not lag behind Evil God Obren. To be exact, it was said that the Supreme could have been on par with Evil God Obren if he had become a Pillar.

There were two reasons why the Supreme did not become a Pillar.

The first reason was because the seats of the Eight Pillars were filled. However, Chaos had once tried to add another seat to accommodate Rundalk. As for the second reason, Rundalk, who got closer and closer to the Supreme, got drunk on his power and eventually touched something he should not touch. And because of that, he had lost the most precious thing to him in that place.

Rundalk had gone to that place to find the most precious thing to him, but he ended up dying. By a stroke of coincidence, he realized that the Land of Leaders was extremely close to that place.

Monsters and dungeons still existed in the Land of Leaders. Every single one of them was said to possess a level that went beyond imagination. And among them, that place was said to have the highest level. And what Rundalk wanted was to go to that place with Minhyuk. To enter that place, one has to achieve the Supreme first.

“Your final task is the ‘Supreme.’”

Rundalk was hailed as the Supreme because he had outstanding power and authority that allowed him to have 100% more power upon achieving the Supreme. He also possessed a shocking power that allowed him to ignore the Supreme upon achieving the Supreme twice with little time difference.

As mentioned before, one has to achieve the Supreme to enter that place. To be exact, achieving the Supreme would allow one to open the door to that place once.

“If you achieve the Supreme and return to this place, the task will be considered done. In addition…” Rundalk said, emphasizing the most crucial point. “The ingredient in your hand will reach its full growth.”

That was not the end.

“If you achieve the Supreme and come back here, there’s something that I wish you to do with me.”

“What kind of thing do you want to do with me, and what reward will I get for that?”

“On top of the set reward where you can obtain one of my abilities, I will give you another ability.”

Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide. Obtaining a single one of the King of Destruction’s abilities could already be considered to be an astronomical reward.

“Also, the ingredient in your hand will reach the Fantastic grade once you achieve a Supreme.”

Minhyuk had already predicted something like this. But then, Rundalk said, “The king who has stayed in the Land of the Leaders for the longest time possesses one authority.”

Rundalk chuckled, piquing Minhyuk’s interest.

“It’s an authority that allows me to raise the level of something brimming with potential, just like the one in your hand, to the next level.”

“...!”

This meant that the grade of the ingredient in Minhyuk’s hand would be higher than the Fantastic grade.

Meanwhile, a commotion broke out among the hundreds of candidates who heard Rundalk’s proposal.

“The task is a bit too ridiculous and impossible to achieve, right…?”

“It’s rare even for us, candidates, to achieve the Supreme, right?”

“It’s rare to achieve the Supreme, even among the Absolute Gods. Of course, one or two Pillars achieved the Supreme.”

Rundalk shrugged.

‘I have judged that he can help me in that place. However, only those who have achieved the Supreme can open the door to that place.’

That was why Minhyuk needed to achieve the Supreme. It did not matter what kind of Supreme it was as long as he achieved one. That was what was required.

At that moment, Minhyuk said, “Achieving the Supreme is no difficult task, no? I think the reward is a bit too low for the difficulty of this task.”

It certainly looked like that. Rundalk bowed and pondered for a moment. Then, he said, “I’ll give you ten million platinum too.”

“...!”

“Is that satisfactory?”

“Of course.”

King of Destruction Rundalk immediately sent the offer to Minhyuk.

Ring!

[When the opponent achieves a Supreme…]

“Ta-dah!”

[The opponent has already achieved a Supreme.]

“...?” Rundalk’s eyes grew wide from surprise and confusion when he heard the notification that rang along with Minhyuk’s ‘Ta-dah!’

Something even more shocking happened.

Ring!

[The opponent has already achieved a Supreme for a second time.]

“...?”

Minhyuk and Rundalk’s gazes met.

At this moment, Rundalk realized that Minhyuk tricked him. He thought the man was complaining about how he was supposed to achieve something Supreme and ended up giving up ten million platinum without hesitation.

“...”

“Isn’t it time for you to give me my rewards?”

This was some kind of daylight robbery.

Rundalk, the man hailed as the Supreme, unknowingly mumbled, “Oh my god…”

1. An excerpt from 곶감과 호랑이 (The Persimmon and the Tiger) ☜