Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 997

The goosebumps that rose on his back brought a shiver down Rocado’s spine.

The darkness that brought fear upon the man slowly cleared out, the repetitive actions that made it hard for his body to cope stopped, and even the hunger that chased after him disappeared.

Once the trial ended, the man hurriedly took a piece of bread out of his inventory and began to eat it.

–I can do it.

This was an opportunity for Rocado to discover what kind of person this man was. I can do it. These words were words that anyone could say. However, a person could easily change their words at any time, depending on the situation that they were in. Perhaps it was nothing but someone else’s arrogance or just someone’s false bravado. However, the man spoke those words with great determination and conviction.

–I can do it.

When he uttered those words, Rocado felt like the man was showing how he had overcome the hardships and trials presented to him. Although they were only four words, they clearly showed how the man lived his life.

‘I think I can understand to some extent why he was able to clear the second, third, and fourth trials.’

A bleak smile appeared on Rocado’s pale face. He believed entrusting Herakel to that man would be fine once he was laid to eternal rest. Rocado had been very anxious. He could not stomach leaving Herakel to someone he did not know. However, that was no longer the case right now.

Then, a bitter expression settled on Rocado’s face. ‘Please, that’s enough. Please stop now.’

There was one last trial left. The problem was that the final trial was the hardest and most difficult trial. It was so hard that even the system stated that one could choose not to take it as long as they achieved more than 50% in the first four trials.

Rocado believed that the man would never be able to clear the fifth trial. Why?

‘Because you will never be able to beat me.’

Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado’s clone would appear in that trial. Rocado’s clone was just like Rocado. No. He was like Rocado in his prime. Because of that, Rocado believed that the man would not be able to clear the final trial.

‘But if he can face another truth, things would be different.’

But that sounded almost impossible. So, Rocado just hoped that the man would give up and come to this place immediately.

The man finally made his choice.

[The challenger chose to continue. He will now challenge the Cave of Restriction’s final trial.]

“...”

Rocado looked at the crystal ball bitterly.

Even if the man reached 50% achievement, if he failed to clear the final trial, then he would die. If that happened, then the road to this place would disappear forever. Not only that, the dying Rocado would also die and disappear from the world.

Rocado only had about an hour left.

“Urk…!” He vomited another mouthful of blood. After pondering deeply, he said, “Herakel, even if he can’t come to this place, make sure to come and find him. Tell him what I told you before and ask him for a favor.”

Darkness slowly crept upon Rocado’s vision the moment he finished his words.

Thud–

Then, he fainted.

***

After clearing three trials, Minhyuk frantically ate bread to satisfy his hunger.

The first few days, he did not feel any hunger. However, as time passed, an extreme hunger began to engulf him. The feeling was quite similar to what he felt during the worst time of his eating addiction. Because of that, he focused more on the repetitive actions that he was doing and forced his body to the limit.

At that time, he pondered deeply about the words that he said.

–I can do it.

These words carried tremendous powers. They were the reason why he could endure and continue to stand. These words were the words that made him into what he was now.

Once he felt like his condition had stabilized to some extent, a series of notifications rang in his ears.

[You have completed the 1st~4th trials of the Cave of Restriction.]

[You have completed three Trials of Restriction with shocking results.]

[Your total achievement rating is 65%.]

[If you choose to leave the Cave of Restriction, you can ask Rocado to reinforce any of your artifacts once.]

[There is one last trial remaining.]

[You have reached more than 50% of the achievement inside the Cave of Restriction. You can now stop challenging the Trial of Restriction.]

[Warning. The final restriction is tough to overcome.]

[Warning. The final restriction is tough to overcome.]

Minhyuk had never experienced this before. The notification window was blinking non-stop, and had recommended that he stop the trial.

‘In the first place…’

The trials set in this place were impossible to clear. Even the first four trials were challenging. Even if an ordinary person could clear those trials, they would not be able to achieve more than 50% achievement.

‘That’s why I must challenge and see the last trial to the end.’

The fact that the notification suggested that he stopped the challenge and did not take on the last trial meant that it was not something anyone could clear. However, Minhyuk had already found something out.

‘Pillar Ingredients.’

He had already discovered that Pillar Ingredients existed in this world. He just could not give up when one of those ingredients was already within his reach, no?

“Proceed to the last trial.”

The notifications immediately rang.

[The final restriction has begun.]

[The final restriction is frustration.]

[You have to win against Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado.]

‘I have to go against Rocado and win?’ Minhyuk thought, an ominous feeling washing over him.

The problem was this ominous feeling soon became a reality.

[You will compete against Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado in a never-ending match.]

[In this competition against Rocado, you must create something non-stop.]

[You can choose whatever you want to produce.]

[The system observes you and your opponent. The system will temporarily increase your DEX and skills related to DEX and production.]

[You already possess a power beyond the level that the system can increase. You will not receive an increase in stats and skills.]

[It will be considered a victory if you can create the highest grade of whatever you want to produce and reach 70% of Rocado’s score within three days.]

[Everything that you produce will be given a score.]

[God-grade will receive 10 points. Legendary-grade will receive 7 points. Epic-grade will receive 5 points. Anything below these grades will not have any corresponding scores.]

[You will continue to compete against Rocado even if you lose.]

[It doesn’t matter how long the competition will take. In reality, only five minutes will pass.]

‘...Oh my f*cking god?’

Minhyuk’s jaw dropped when he saw that he had to compete and win against Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado. That man was the Father of Dexterity, you know? However, Minhyuk thought that he might still have a chance.

‘If it’s 70%, then…’

Minhyuk possessed the highest DEX among the current players and known NPCs in Athenae. But that was not all. His DEX had continued to increase with the dozens of dishes he made daily. Compared to the chances of Hyemin’sDaddy, a player with an extremely high DEX, creating a God-rank artifact, Minhyuk’s chances of making a God-grade dish were several times higher. This meant that Minhyuk had a high probability of making several high-grade dishes.

‘He might be one of the Eight Pillars, but…’

He thought that it was worth a try.

The walls of the cave that surrounded Minhyuk changed. Now, he was standing on a vast and never-ending meadow.

[You can create the ingredients and tools that you need just by imagining it. You can even make a kitchen or a smithy.]

As long as he could imagine it, it would appear and be created before him.

Finally, Minhyuk saw Rocado appear in front of him. The Rocado in front of Minhyuk differed from the Rocado that Herakel had described.

‘From what I heard, he looks like a middle-aged man, though?’

But the Rocado standing in front of him looked like a young man. And he was even looking at Minhyuk with an indifferent gaze.

“Hello?” Minhyuk said.

However, Rocado did not respond. Then, another series of notifications rang.

[The Rocado in front of you is a clone of the real Rocado.]

[Clone Rocado has Rocado’s power during his prime.]

Only then did Minhyuk realize that the Rocado before him was not the real Rocado.

‘I could make ten legendary-grade dishes in a row in the past.’

It happened quite a long time ago, but it was true that he made those dishes. He even won the bet against the God of Cooking back then. This time, he had a three-day deadline. But even if he failed, he could still continue making whatever he wanted to make repeatedly. Minhyuk believed that he would be able to replicate what he had achieved back then.

Then, the notification rang once again.

[The competition will now begin.]

Rocado, who instantly created a massive smithy in front of him, walked inside. Minhyuk looked at him as he imagined an optimized kitchen to help him make better dishes. The moment he thought of it, it appeared right before him.

‘With this, my chances have gone up.’

If one thought about it, this trial was a challenge of creating as many high-grade items as possible. And when it came to artifact production? It would take a lot of time. At least a lot more time than cooking. Because of that, Minhyuk thought that Clone Rocado’s choice was a mistake.

[The Jack-of-all-Trades’ Acceleration has been activated.]

“...?”

Minhyuk turned to look at Rocado in doubt. He had no choice but to correct his thoughts when he saw what was happening.

Fwiiiiish–

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Rocado was moving swiftly. One glance and Minhyuk could tell that he was moving at least ten times faster, just like how he moved when he used the skill The Famished One’s Cooking.

‘No. I can’t even see his movements?’

Minhyuk’s The Famished One’s Cooking was a skill that allowed him to move ten times faster. But Rocado’s Acceleration allowed him to move at least twenty times faster than usual.

Rocado only left his afterimage behind as the iron heated up and smoke rose from the smithy\'s chimney.

“I can’t lose either.”

Minhyuk immediately calmed himself down. He also sped up his pace by triggering The Famished One’s Cooking.

‘We should start on the right foot.’

Minhyuk was thinking of moving quickly and making a high-grade dish with spicy stir-fried pork. Of course, all of the ingredients he used were God-grade ingredients he imagined himself. But just when Minhyuk had started to stir-fry the meat with the seasonings on the heated pan…

[Rocado has completed a God-rank Sword.]

“...?” Minhyuk was left dumbfounded.

What kind of speed was that? Wasn’t that far too ridiculous? At most, only five minutes had passed since they started, right? But Rocado was able to make it. A bright light burst out from within the smithy as a sword covered in light floated to the sky.

Minhyuk gulped dryly. He was distracted from his cooking after seeing a scene he had never seen before.

This time, Rocado left the smithy and sat on the grass. A huge plaster appeared right before him, an item used for making a sculpture. Then, several mysterious hands appeared in the air. If one looked closely, one would determine that those hands belonged to Rocado. These hands, along with Rocado’s own hands, started carving.

Minhyuk had been too naive and careless. The Eight Pillars were the key figures of the world.

Take Obren, for example. He had slaughtered millions of people during his prime. If he had taken the wrong path and was left to become a villain, he might have just killed all of humanity.

Then, there was Helenia. She had slaughtered the transcendentals and posed a considerable threat to the Land of the Gods.

There was also Athenae. She was the god who ruled the world.

And there was Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado. Minhyuk had heard he was a human with a close relationship with Herakel.

Perhaps Minhyuk underestimated Rocado because he had never heard of his achievements. After all, there was no story about him or anything circulating.

A magnificent and outstanding statue was completed in less than fifty minutes.

[Rocado has completed a God-grade Sculpture.]

Minhyuk could only stare blankly at Rocado. Rocado did not choose to focus on one thing. He made it so he would create something from each production class profession one after another.

After he finished the sculpture, Rocado moved on to painting and cooking.

[Rocado has completed a legendary-grade Dish.]

This time, he moved on to jewelry making.

[Rocado has completed a God-rank Necklace.]

Minhyuk could only watch Rocado’s overwhelming display of power. Of course, he had also judged that watching Rocado work would benefit him and whatever he would produce.

Finally, Rocado’s pace slowed down. It seemed like the Jack-of-all-Trades’ Acceleration had finally ended. Even the multiple hands that surrounded him also disappeared. However, that did not remove the fact that Rocado was moving at a tremendous speed as he continued to make various things.

[Rocado has completed a legendary-rank Armor.]

[Rocado has completed a legendary-rank Sculpture.]

[Rocado has completed a legendary-rank Sailing Boat.]

[Rocado…]

[Rocado…]

Minhyuk felt his mouth grow dry as he listened to the notifications that constantly rang in his ears. He was so engrossed with the scene before him that he unknowingly let time pass by just like that.

Once three days had ended, Minhyuk was greeted with the countless items that Rocado had created. They were stacked behind him like a mountain.

[Rocado has created a total of 9 God-grade items.]

[Rocado has created a total of 51 legendary-grade items.]

[Rocado has created a total of 37 epic-grade items.]

[Rocado’s total score is 632.]

A sense of loss suddenly washed over Minhyuk. Then, the notifications rang once again.

[You are the only person who has watched one of the Eight Pillars, Rocado, work for three straight days.]

[In his prime, Rocado could make around 20 God-grade items in a single day.]

[Rocado is not only a human but also the living and breathing myth and the pillar that ruled and controlled dexterity.]

[You have gained a 1% increase in DEX as a reward.]

However, the notification did not bring Minhyuk joy. For the first time in his life, Minhyuk thought, ‘Can I really do this?’

At the same time.

Herakel was left restless as he gently placed Rocado, who had lost consciousness, on his bed. He was so helpless that he could only stomp his feet as he watched Minhyuk through the crystal ball.

“Have to do it. Have to save Rocado,” Herakel mumbled as he started to cry.

In Herakel’s eyes, no one in the world could beat Rocado when it came to things related to dexterity. That was why he cried despite saying that Minhyuk had to do it.

Then, Herakel remembered the conversation that he had with Rocado in the past.

–Rocado. Herakel knows no one can beat you in the world. Herakel is correct, right? But Herakel thinks the last trial is strange.

–That’s right, Herakel. No one in the world can beat me when it comes to things related to dexterity. That is why the name of the trial is “Frustration.”

–Strange! If you can’t do it, then why did Rocado make it? Herakel thinks it’s strange!

Back then, Rocado chuckled lightly at him.

–Actually, that trial has two restrictions. Even I can’t tell which of the two restrictions is the trial’s actual restriction. One of them is the Restriction of Frustration. You should know that, right?

–Herakel knows! Didn’t Rocado tell Herakel that just now?

Rocado smiled, pride evident on his face. Then, Herakel, whose curiosity had been piqued, asked.

–Herakel wants to know. What is the other one?

Herakel wanted to know the other restriction. The one that made Rocado say that he did not know which of the two was the actual restriction of the trial. Rocado chuckled as he raised one finger.

–It’s none other than the Restriction of Patience.