Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 242: Prince Argon and the Royal Shop

“N…no!!”

“Don’t increase your contributions any further!!”

The Story Creation Team once again came to the office of the Special Players Management Team, only to tear their hair off of their heads.

“This bad punk!”

“Why do you call him a bad punk when he’s so good at playing the game?” Team Leader Park asked them bluntly.

Truth be told, their reactions were natural. Ever since Minhyuk ate up all the ‘rice cakes’ from the Demon Verus event, their team had been struggling to build an update towards a new direction. They only barely managed to sort things out, but if things went on like this, they would be in huge trouble.

Having more points meant that the player would have more supplies available to them. To be honest, just getting the Elven Shop Rank A would give them a huge benefit. However, it was quite hard to rack up the points that would allow the player to go up to Rank A.

For them to be able to do so, the proper means was for the player to use their individual war points to purchase the upgrade, which would require hundreds of thousands of points. Usually, if a player exceeded 100,000 points, they would be able to purchase an epic item at the Elven Shop. This meant that in order to upgrade the shop, one would have to give up purchasing other items. However, it was not as easy as it sounds. Other than for those that were not greedy for strength nor power, or for those that would think about the guild and push everybody to go towards a good direction, most players would be unwillingly give up good items.

This was the reason why they believed that players who could promote the shop to Rank A would only appear towards the end of the war episode. However, right now, Minhyuk’s contribution points were already inching closer to the Rank A upgrade.

Furthermore, there was a bigger problem.

“What will happen if the Elven Heart falls into the hands of that player?”

His high contribution points were a problem, but so was the Elven Heart.

In the past, the Ancient Elf, Lumias, was anxious about a war breaking out among their tribes. The elves were a race that hated fighting. However, just because they did not like fighting did not mean that they would just let their tribes be devoured by the war. So, each of the three Elven Chiefs gathered their enormous and outstanding strength to create a powerful weapon that they could use in war, which was none other than the ‘Elven Heart’.

The Elven Heart could only be used if they were in the land of the elves, be it a village, a town, or a big city. It could be used anywhere as long as it was in their lands.

“…What’s worse is that Player Minhyuk has the antarinium ore. It’s really a problem.”

The antarinium ore had not yet revealed its full strength.

Not long after, Team Leader Park spoke in a lackluster voice, “Player Minhyuk has seen that there was a red skull mark in the Immortals’ Land area. The information about that area was already confirmed by another player. Player Minhyuk should be able to safely use his troops, and not need to go to that dangerous area, since he is not aware of the rewards at all. We can be rest assured about that fact.”

“I guess so. We might not be able to do anything else about his high contribution points, but I guess I’m still glad about that.”

***

Minhyuk’s work routine in the Immortals’ Land Zone 1 were as follows:

First, he would use his ‘Create a Recipe’ skill for the 100 Iron Blood and Reapers soldiers who came under his command. Well, to be exact, for the additional 100 soldiers of the Rice Supplement company. He fed them consistently during the three meals each day and helped them boost their powers.

He went on to do more.

“Sharpen blade!!”

[You have perfectly sharpened the longsword’s blade.]

[The artifact’s durability has greatly increased.]

[The attack power has increased.]

“Polish armor!”

[You have perfectly polished the plate armor.]

[The artifact’s durability has greatly increased.]

[The defensive power has increased.]

The weapons and armors of all 150 men under him had increased dramatically! It was not just one or two, but 150 people that had a tremendous boost to their strength.

What followed next was them sweeping the entire Zone 1 of the Immortals’ Land with ease. Since his knights moved so well on their own, Minhyuk did not even need to move around with his sword. All he did was to command them and shoot his bow from the rear.

[Caron has leveled up.]

[You have gained 1 CHA.]

[Ravis has leveled up.]

[You have gained 1 CHA.]

The notifications did not stop there.

[You have broken through Area A-60 of the Immortals’ Land.]

[You have gained 10,000 Contribution Points.]

[You have broken through Area A-63 of the Immortals’ Land.]

[You have gained 10,000 Contribution Points.]

[You have broken through Area K-81 of the Immortals’ Land.]

[You have broken through six areas in three hours.]

[Commander Player Minhyuk and his troops are running wild and breaking through areas with sheer force.]

[You have proven yourself to be an outstanding commander.]

[You have gained an additional 100 points to your CHA.]

Minhyuk checked his CHA. It seemed like it had already exceeded 200 points. This was only possible thanks to his good commanding ability that allowed him to level up his troops with minimal damage.

They continued to move like that until they reached Zone 2 of the Immortals’ Land.

[You have reached Immortals’ Land Zone 2.]

[You have gained 50 REP.]

[You have gained 50,000 Contribution Points.]

Once they pass through Zone 2, they could meet Prince Argon. Hence, Minhyuk began to forge forward with his troops.

“Attack!”

The monsters had become more powerful, but Minhyuk’s troops, which had all become stronger than him, could not be pushed back at all. At one point, the notifications began to ring.

[The God of War, Eclei, has given up on the Gods’ Bet.]

[You have acquired the Food God’s Bizzare Spicy Rice Cake Set.]

[You have acquired the final reward, the Food God’s Kitchen Knife.]

‘Huh? Give up?’?

Minhyuk had no choice but to tilt his head in confusion.

‘Eclei gave up on the Gods’ Bet?’

He did not know the exact reason, but perhaps it was because he had already lost all of his troops, so it was possible he did not feel that the bet was worth his time anymore.

When Minhyuk tried to check the final reward, the Food God’s Kitchen Knife, another set of notifications went off.

[You have acquired the world’s first Demigod artifact, the Food God’s Kitchen Knife.]

[Your name has entered the Hall of Kings.]

***

Eclei immediately ran towards Zone 2 all by himself.

One might wonder how he got there all by himself and without any troops. As it turned out, Eclei had troops, but he just did not use them earlier.

[You have summoned the battlefield’s descendants.]

A troop that consisted of thirty stone-like soldiers appeared.

He was saving it for later because of the cooldown. Just like what Bach had told him before, Eclei ran with his troops towards the tomb of the Fallen Spirit King. As soon as he arrived there, he fought against the Fallen Spirit King. The Fallen Spirit King, Ifrit, fell due to the persistent attacks of demonic energy on his body.

Crackle!

Ifrit’s crackling fire spear flew towards him while Eclei’s sword moved.

[War God’s Blessings.]

[The sword of the mighty God of War will penetrate the enemy.]

Flaaaash—

A powerful flash erupted from Eclei’s sword and clashed against the burning fire spear.

‘As expected, this guy is not easy to deal with.’

This area was marked with a red skull on the map because it was very dangerous. It represented a risk where players would become demonic humans. However, in a way, it could also become a great merit.

Eclei would be the first player to become a demonic human. Of course, there would be a fierce battle against other players in the future, but there would also be countless quests and rewards that he could gain by becoming a demonic human.

Anyway, Eclei was not a part of any guild and was only an individual! Becoming a demonic human would make him into a more powerful player.

[The God of War’s War Horse.]

Neigh!

A black horse suddenly appeared near Eclei while he was fighting a fierce battle. Eclei climbed up the horse as he began to move forward and push back the fallen Ifrit. Eventually, he was able to successfully hunt Ifrit.

[You have attacked the Tomb of the Fallen Spirit King.]

[The enormous Demonic Energy that encroached and devoured upon the Fallen Spirit King has started encroaching upon your body.]

[You can’t reject Demonic Energy.]

[You have become a demonic human.]

[You have acquired 300 REP.]

[In the event of your death, your level will drop by 20.]

[In the event of your death, your artifact drop rate will increase dramatically.]

[The strength of the Fallen’s Fire encroaches upon your body.]

[You have acquired 500 Demonic Energy stats.]

[All of your stats have increased by 20%.]

[We are announcing the birth of the first Demonic Human Player in the entire Korean Server.]

[The first person to hunt the Demonic Human will be rewarded with 400,000 contribution points and the Elven Heart.]

Crackle!

A burning black flame penetrated through Eclei’s body as it slowly dyed his body black.

At the same time, the country began to buzz in excitement.

[Guys! Amazing! The first demonic human appears from among our country men!!!]

[Wow. Demonic Humans are a new race, right?]

[That’s right. But what’s surprising is the fact that transforming into a new race is a completely different concept from changing classes. Once you change into a new race, your class will also be strengthened.]

[Wow. So jealous. Does that mean that if I become a demonic human, I can get more artifacts and rewards from the demons and the demon world?]

[Of course. Wow. Really jealous…!]

Fifteen minutes later, the people on the official website, as well as the community sites, were already rife with discussions about the demonic human.

[Then, if you become a demonic human, you’ll be able to gain demonic monsters and a territory? Amazing…]

[And it was said that being a demonic human means that you will get stronger too. Unless the person is not high-leveled, then it will be impossible to challenge him. He’s almost like a very powerful being.]

That was the time when another message hit the entire country.

[The Fire Demonic Human has been killed.]

[Rewards will now be given to the player that successfully hunted the Fire Demonic Human.]

[…?]

[…?]

[…?]

[…?]

Every single game site and comment section were plastered with question marks for a brief moment. Then, the comments started to flood again.

[What kind of punk dies as soon as he becomes a demonic human?]

[Who’s the demonic human?! Come out!]

[I feel sorry for the demonic human… He died as soon as he changed races? Hahahahahaha. I feel really sorry for you. Hahahaha.]

[Wooow! Mom, Dad, look I’m a demonic human! I’m really strong! Bring it on! Then poof! Then uwaaa! You did it like that, right?! Hehehehe. Pathetic! Hahahaha!]

One article could be seen at the top of the real-time search keywords list: ‘Sympathy for the Demonic Human.’?The piece described their pity and sympathy for the demonic human.

***

Fifteen minutes ago.

Eclei recalled what Bach had told him before. According to Bach, the enemy was weak and filled with holes. Of course, his enemy got 150 knights to accompany him, but Eclei had 200 corrupted spirits to match against them. He had also become 20% stronger than before.

Eclei was filled with confidence at the thought of crushing the annoying bastard who became so happy after winning against Bach by such a narrow margin.

Not long after, Eclei could see him and his men advancing towards Zone 2.

‘As expected, he still pulls his bow from the rear.’?

Eclei clicked his tongue before issuing an order. His troop, consisting of 200 corrupted spirits at Level 450 and attacks that could deal tremendous damage, rushed forward. At that exact same moment, a knight, who was cleaning up the mobs in the front, had his chest pierced through with a trident by a Fallen Fire Warrior.

Crackle!

“Urgh!!”

“…?”

“Keuhahahahaha!?You bastards! You should have obeyed us!!!”

The knight that was pierced through his chest collapsed. The spirits then launched a fierce attack and the knights collapsed one by one.

Step, step—

Eclei slowly walked. At the same time, Minhyuk tilted his head in wonder before asking, “Who…?”

“…It…It’s Eclei!”

***

Minhyuk asked the question, even though he knew that Eclei already found his existence to be very annoying. At the same time, it seemed like those two-legged spirits were much stronger than he thought.

Then, Eclei said, “…It’s Eclei!”

“Oh my, my! I know that you’re already ugly, but this is a new level, so much so that I did not recognize you!” Minhyuk bared his teeth and laughed loudly.

While trying to agitate Eclei, Minhyuk knew that he needed to minimize the damage on his troops so he decided to make an inevitable choice. The Iron Blood and Reapers might feel a little tearful, but they have already become his loyal subordinates, so he believed that it would be fine.

Minhyuk first used Saint’s Protection, causing a bright light to burst out and covered his body. Along with the light, all of his stats and attack power increased by 30% of his holy power.

Turn, turn, turn—

Then, he quickly took out his millstone and turned it.

“This f*cking bastard! Have you gone crazy before your death…”

At that moment…

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Hundreds of lightning bolts rained down on Eclei and his 200 corrupted spirits.

“Keuaaaack!”

Eclei was shocked. In an instant, he had received enormous damage, and about 10% of the spirits under him had died.

“Huh? It’s not over yet?”

The soldiers from the Iron Blood and the Reapers company stood behind Minhyuk and watched the scene with open mouths.

“Blooming Sword.”

As soon as Minhyuk stabbed his sword to the ground…

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab—

…hundreds of sword blades popped out of the ground as they stabbed the spirits.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Then, a round of explosions devoured and engulfed Minhyuk’s enemies.

“Keuaaaack!”

[Your HP has dropped below 80%.]

[Your HP has dropped below 60%.]

However, Eclei still remained standing, so Minhyuk decided to use his new skill. It was a skill that he had received after he received the Food God’s Kitchen Knife and ate the Food God’s Bizzare Spicy Rice Cake Set.

There was a special skill attached to the Food God’s Kitchen Knife…

(Rain of Kitchen Knives)

Artifact Skill

Level: None

Mana Required: 3,000

Penalty: None

Cooldown: 480 hours

Effects: Hundreds of strong and powerful kitchen knives with an additional 200% damage will fall down from the sky and crush your enemies.

“Rain of Kitchen Knives.”

Minhyuk threw the Food God’s Kitchen Knife high up in the sky. When it reached a high altitude, a powerful light burst out of its body.

Flash—

Eclei could not help but look up at the sky.

Stab!

Then, a kitchen knife dropped from the sky and extinguished a spirit that was standing beside him. He could see hundreds of knives with glinting blades floating up in the air.

“Yo…you bastard! You’ve been hiding your strength from us…!”

Before he could finish his words, the kitchen knives began to rain down.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab, stab!

The hundreds of kitchen knives that fell from the air killed Minhyuk’s enemies instantly.

“Urk!”

Eclei saw his HP drop by 30% when a kitchen knife pierced his body.

‘I…impossible…!’?

Eclei finally realized that Minhyuk was definitely a ranker. However, what he could not understand was this damn damage! It did not even cross his mind that him being a demonic human was the cause of this all. It was because he transferred and changed into this race that brought about his downfall, since his demonic side was more susceptible to holy damage.

Then, the notifications rang.

[All of your troops have been wiped out.]

[Your HP has dropped below 10%.]

That was when Eclei remembered that the rewards would go to the person or being that killed him.

What he was going through could be explained simply. It could be compared to cooking and eating. Eclei worked hard to cook before scooping up the food with his spoon and bringing it to Minhyuk’s mouth while saying ‘Hurry up, have a bite!’. It was a perfect analogy for Eclei\'s situation.

“Shit, you f*cker!!”

That was when the final kitchen knife fell down and stabbed Eclei on his head.

Stab!

Then, a black screen encroached upon his vision.

Fwiiiiish!

Eclei could not help but stagger and fell to the ground when his capsule opened. He stared into space with a blank, dazed look for quite a long time.

Initially, he was quite pleased by the fact that he became the first demonic human player. However, his happiness was stripped off within just fifteen minutes of receiving it. What was worse was the fact that he dropped his most cherished artifact that would not be available until the end of the Demon World Invasion Episode.

Plop, plop, plop—

Droplets of hot and burning tears fell down from his eyes as he stared blankly into space and cried, “Sob! F*cker…”

Later, Eclei would be selected by the players as the third-most pitiful player in Athenae.