Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 390: Dragon’s Lair

Team Leader Park Minggyu opened the door and left.

“Cough, cough, cough. Korea might not even win a gold medal after losing Black Mage Ali. He’s very arrogant.”

“He’s very absurd. How dare a team leader like him…”

Almost all of the people in the room began to speak ill of Park Minggyu to hide their shame the moment the man left. However, one person among them stared at the empty seat with a smile and said, “I have to admit it.”

“What?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Korea is also one of the favorites to win this competition. We’re all very bitter about it, but everyone knows that this is a fact.”

The branch managers were all left speechless. It was man’s nature to always try to deny and belittle anyone that was better. In fact, the branch managers were fully aware that it was them that had stepped out of line as well.

“The Food God. Once his participation is confirmed, he would prove to be the biggest variable in this competition. All of you should stop flattering me and start making preparations against South Korea…” Robert Duval said with a smile.

Robert Duval might just be the branch manager of the American branch, but he had more power than any of the people present here. To be honest, the discussions and words from the others were nothing more than flattery to curry favor with Duval. After all, America was one of the strongest candidates to win in the Athenae: World War. He had also tried to deny the fact that Korea could create a big splash in the World War because he was very much afraid about the steps that they planned and were going to take. On the other hand, he also could not wait for it.

‘Will Team Leader Park Minggyu’s words prove to be true?’

***

Minhyuk had once again turned Atlas into a City in the Skies and moved his territory from the Continent Cloud, now named Apocalypto, back to its original location somewhere near Eivelis Empire. For the first time in a long time, Minhyuk was preparing to cook for himself.

There was a pleasant smile on his face. The dish that Minhyuk was preparing to cook right now was none other than ‘Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken.’. He had cooked this dish for God Juis in the past. However, this ‘Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken’ was slightly special.

(Heaven’s Boneless Chicken)

Ingredient Grade: ???

Special Abilities:

• ???

• ???

• You might be able to receive a ‘hint’ about something once you eat it.

Description: This is the boneless chicken that Black Dragon Vormon enjoyed eating the most. It has a special power, but it is yet to be known.

Unlike other ingredients, there was nothing written in the ingredient description about what kind of ingredient it truly was. He would only know once he cooked it and tried it for himself. Minhyuk quickly brought out the grill pan that was usually seen in spicy stir-fried chicken restaurants and placed it in front of him.

“Oink!”

Beanie sat in front of him, like a customer waiting for his meal. Beanie, sans his golden armor and black kitchen knife, waited with the golden crown still on his head. After his ‘Predator’s Authority’ had temporarily reached MAX, the skill had returned to Level 1. Now, what Beanie needed to do was to follow the step-by-step process and grow up slowly.

Minhyuk poured the ingredients that he had prepared earlier onto the large grill. The ingredients were the boneless chicken, rice cakes, sliced sweet potatoes, chopped perilla leaves, and gochujang. There was also pre-boiled ‘udon’ placed on the table that could be added at any time.

Sizzle—

The ingredients started to cook on the well-heated grill. Beanie stretched his paws out with a solemn expression, wanting to try something. And with some flashy movements…

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak—

…he started cooking the spicy stir-fried chicken. His hand movements looked exactly like the seasoned hands of a spicy stir-fried chicken restaurant’s part-timer!

“Oooh…” Minhyuk exclaimed in amazement. Then, Beanie threw the udon noodles and mixed it in with the glossy and red spicy stir-fried chicken. The udon noodles were gradually colored red as it got mixed well with the stir fried chicken.

Shwaaaaaaa—

“Oooh…!”

Beanie’s hand movements became even more flamboyant and flashy, as he split the spicy stir-fried chicken in the middle, just like Moses’ miracle in the red sea. Then, Beanie sprinkled white cheese right in the empty space. And the cheese…

Tak, tak, tak, tak, tak, tak—

…had been struck swiftly as it melted on the grill. Minhyuk smiled happily as the cheese spread out nicely in the middle of the grill.

“Oiiiink!”

Beanie’s plump belly jiggled, as he shrugged to show off his confidence. Then, the skill ‘Joy of Eating Together’was triggered and the same spicy stir-fried chicken appeared in front of Beanie. Minhyuk smiled in satisfaction.

‘How long has it been since I last cooked for myself?’

Minhyuk was now in the territory lord’s office. He had not been eating as much as he used to since the Continent Cloud episode started. Would anyone believe that Minhyuk had eaten only 100 bowls per day instead of his usual 250 bowls?

“Hiyaa…”

Minhyuk looked at the spicy stir-fried chicken sizzling on the grill pan in front of him, as well as the table laid out next to it. There were sliced garlic, ssamjang, thinly sliced radish, corn cobs, refreshing bean sprout soup, as well as vegetables for wraps like lettuce and perilla leaves.

The first thing that Minhyuk tasted was a sip of bean sprout soup. The refreshing bean sprout soup tasted clean, fresh, and natural, since there were no other ingredients added. After whetting his appetite with the bean sprout soup, he skillfully clamped a piece of spicy stir-fried chicken, along with a piece of well-cooked cabbage leaf. Then, he placed everything in his mouth and ate it as it was.

Munch, munch, munch—

“Wow… it melts in the mouth. It melts!”

Minhyuk smiled happily as he placed a thin slice of round radish on his plate. Then, he placed a piece of spicy stir-fried chicken on top of it, before placing the combination in his mouth. The harmony of the sweet and sour thinly sliced radish with the spicy stir-fried chicken would not lose out to any icing on top of a cake.

He drank another spoonful of bean sprout soup, before taking a piece of perilla leaf and spreading it on his palm. Then, he added two pieces of spicy stir-fried chicken, half of the thinly sliced radish, and a garlic dipped in ssamjang on top of it. The first thing that greeted his senses when he ate the wrap was the scent of the perilla leaf.

It was a truly amazing scent. Of course, chewing the wrap was a delightful experience. The flavor of the perilla leaf blended perfectly with the other ingredients in his mouth. If his mouth was not full of the wrap, he would want to shout to the world that he had never tasted food like this in the world.

This time, he dipped a piece of spicy stir-fried chicken in the melted cheese in the middle before lifting it up.

The cheese stretched out as Minhyuk took the piece into his mouth.

“Kggghk.”

The savory and tasty flavor of the cheese met with the spicy flavor of the spicy stir-fried chicken inside his mouth. This time, he clamped some udon noodles. The udon noodles were completely covered by the red sauce of the spicy stir-fried chicken. He then placed the clamped noodles on his plate before slurping it up.

Chew, chew, chew—

“As expected, udon noodles are the perfect fit for spicy stir-fried chicken.”

When he looked at Beanie, he saw the latter slurping the udon noodles and staining his mouth with the red sauce.

“Oiiink!”

“Here. Beans, you can’t eat like that. Your mouth is all dirty.”

Minhyuk wiped off Beanie’s mouth with a wet wipe. Then, when he saw that there was only a bit of meat left in the grilling pan, Minhyuk took out the buckwheat noodles that he had prepared earlier. There was a thin layer of ice floating on top of the broth with sliced pears, cucumbers, a dollop of seasoning, soft boiled eggs, and thick slices of meat placed on top of the buckwheat noodles.

Minhyuk took his scissors and skillfully cut the noodles before separating them perfectly. Then, he seasoned the broth with a dash of vinegar and mustard.

Sluuuurp! The unique flavor of the buckwheat noodles captivated his taste buds.

Buckwheat noodles was a dish that was very similar to cold noodles. The only difference was the texture of the noodles itself. Minhyuk personally preferred buckwheat noodles. They were less tough and more chewy than cold noodles. As he ate the noodles, Minhyuk made a spicy stir-fried chicken wrap and ate them together.

“Woo, haha!” Minhyuk exclaimed, as he took a sip of the cold broth covered in a thin layer of ice from his bowl. After cleaning the bowl of buckwheat noodles up, Minhyuk took his spicy stir-fried chicken spatula and cut up the remaining spicy stir-fried chicken meat and vegetables. Then, finally, he added some rice and made fried rice. He spread the fried rice evenly, before sprinkling seaweed flakes on top of it. Once the bottom of the rice was burnt perfectly, Minhyuk scooped up a spoonful of the fried rice and placed it in his mouth. A little burnt fried rice was the perfect finale for spicy stir-fried chicken.

“Hooo. That was very satisfying,” Minhyuk patted his stomach happily, while Beanie leaned down until his back was completely glued to the ground, making his round and plump belly bulge like a mountain. But not long after…

“Oiink…”

…Beanie passed out! Only two seconds had gone by after he laid down and he had already passed out! He literally fell asleep like that.

“…”

Minhyuk was left speechless after seeing Beanie’s amazing and surprising talent! Then, the notifications rang one after the other.

[You have eaten Spicy Stir-fried Chicken made from Heaven’s Boneless Chicken.]

[You have acquired the key to the ‘Farmer’s Kingdom’, a place where you can acquire the Five Legendary Ingredients.]

[You can now check the path to Black Dragon Vormon’s Lair, as well as the path to the Ingredient Heaven.]

“…!”

Minhyuk was very surprised because ‘Ingredient Heaven’ was the place where one of the Five Legendary Ingredients could be obtained. When Minhyuk had won the Gourmet Dragon Banquet, he found a book titled ‘What are the Five Legendary Ingredients?’. Among its contents was the ‘Ingredient Heaven’. This was what was written in the book:

[In the Ingredient Heaven, you can continuously acquire ingredients like onion, green onions, chives, rice and other legendary crops and produce.]

[Those who have eaten the crops and produce from the Ingredient Heaven will become stronger and tougher. It was said that those who have eaten the ingredients from the Ingredient Heaven since ancient times have achieved ‘Immortality’.]

There was only one reason why Minhyuk’s attention was piqued: There was no limit to the amount of ingredients one could acquire in Ingredient Heaven, and those who entered could acquire plenty of materials. He was also aware that the Five Legendary Ingredients were all shrouded in a thin veil of mystery.

Minhyuk had already witnessed the power of these legendary ingredients, such as the Legendary Sun’s Wheat, as well as the Legendary Giant Cow’s Marrow Bone. The fact that Minhyuk could make a ‘God’s Dish’, a dish that has transcended the human realm, by using these ingredients made him realize how powerful they were.

There was also the fact that it was located in ‘Black Dragon Vormon’s Lair’. In fact, the Five Legendary Ingredients could be acquired after taking Black Dragon Vormon’s quest. However, hunting Vormon had created an anomaly which allowed him to proceed. It was actually just in time for the members of the Let’s Eat Sect Guild to gather together and raid Black Dragon Vormon’s lair. Then, Genie and Haze entered the office.

“Minhyuk. We’ve finished all of the preparations for the raid. Also, Ali has returned and it seems like he wants to talk to you about something.”

“Is that so? I understand. Ah, wait. I found something about the Ingredient Heaven.”

Minhyuk discussed and explained everything in a calm and orderly manner. Both Haze and Genie looked at Minhyuk in surprise, especially Haze. She looked like she had thought about something. She said, “Perhaps the crops and produce from the Ingredient Heaven don’t have a permanent effect.”

“Permanent effect?”

“Yes, that’s right. I believe there are two main reasons why it’s called Ingredient Heaven. First, you can get plenty of ingredients. Second, Ingredient Heaven probably referred to the land itself. If we can research and study the Ingredient Heaven, then we might be able to continue growing crops like theirs. It will definitely become a huge stepping stone for the Let’s Eat Sect.”

Minhyuk’s mouth broke into a smile when he heard these words. Then, Haze continued, “Ah, please don’t forget about building our kingdom and participating in diplomatic discussions.”

“Of course,” Minhyuk nodded in agreement. Diplomatic discussions between Cairon Continent and Asgan Continent were very important. It was especially so after the empire’s emperors said that they would elect foreigners to participate and engage in diplomatic discussions with them. Simply put, this was the perfect opportunity for the guilds to build relationships with the other continent’s empires. It was definitely nice to get acquainted with them.

“In that case, Genie, Sir Corr and Abel will go to Cairon Continent for the diplomatic discussions.”

Minhyuk nodded in agreement. Genie and Abel were very smart and quick-witted. They would definitely find a solution to any problem that would arise.

‘But, why Corr? What about him?’

“There must definitely be a lot of people suffering from hair loss in Cairon Continent. Fufufufu. We’re currently short on funds to build our kingdom by 2,000 platinum. We need to do business there too,” Haze chuckled.

“…Uhmm.”

Minhyuk had always been in awe of Haze’s merchant’s disposition. However, there was still another problem.

“We also have to step up in our efforts in building our kingdom. However, the numbers of our citizens are far too lacking. We should have at least 3,000 people and a larger territory.”

Minhyuk nodded again. However, they could not receive just anyone in the Let’s Eat Sect.

Not too long ago, he had received updates about Huang Xuan and the rest of the Chinese players. The Chinese players still had not collected the ingredients. However, even if they did collect the ingredients, the guild would not accept them wholeheartedly. The guild still had to let the Chinese players undergo meticulous and rigorous screening, and take into consideration if they would betray the guild or not.

“We’re also expecting to spend huge amounts of money for the development of Atlas and Valhalla territories.”

Simply put, it was also another funding problem. Of course, Minhyuk was the son of a chairman, but he did not want to borrow his father’s wealth and financial abilities to become king.

“So, how much do we need to develop and build our kingdom?”

“Around 1,000 platinum.”

“That’s quite a large sum.”

A thousand platinum was around 100 billion gold and it was truly quite a large sum.

“Do we have another way to secure our funds?”

Haze, Genie and Minhyuk racked their brains for a solution. And then…

Knock, knock—

A knock broke them out of their reverie. The door opened and in came Great Sage Aruvel, or to be exact Best-Selling Author Aruvel. After coming in, he suddenly placed several large bags in front of Minhyuk and said, “A writer should always be hungry.[1]”

He turned around after leaving this famous saying as a notification rang for Minhyuk.

[Aruvel has gifted you 612 platinum.]

“…?”

“…?”

“…?”

The three people were all shocked and speechless. Calculating it in ordinary gold and not platinum, Aruvel had left behind 61.2 billion gold. How the hell did he get so much money? There was only one conclusion that they could make…

“‘Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?’ was such a blockbuster…?”

“Keok!”

“OMG…?”

It was at this moment that they realized just how popular the Great Author Aruvel was.

1. Apparently, there was a saying that masterpieces would appear if the author is starving and has no money. ☜