Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 870

[If there comes a day when the Spirit Realm falls into danger, the Spirit of Life will rally the entire Spirit Realm and lead the Great Spirits to save their land and resolve the crisis.]

Minhyuk was very shocked when he heard that. He had chosen the Spirit of Life because he thought the harmless and cute Spirit of Life would not harm the Beyond the Heavens Empire. However, it seemed like he now had something that he never even imagined obtaining in his hands.

[The Great Spirit of Fire requests that you take good care of the Spirit of Life!]

[The Great Spirit of Wind declares that she would not let you go if you ever harm the Spirit of Life!]

[The Great Spirit of Earth murmurs, ‘C- Cute...’]

[The Great Spirit of Lightning stares at the Spirit of Life.]

Minhyuk looked at the guy, who yawned as he rubbed himself on his chest before going back to sleep in his arms amidst the loud commotion around him.

[The Great Spirits promise to give you one of the Spirit’s Gifts they had offered earlier!]

It was a very unexpected yet welcome harvest. The Great Spirits knew the Spirit of Life’s choice was unusual. However, since the Spirit of Life would depend on Minhyuk in the future, they all decided to maintain a smooth and friendly relationship with the man before them.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk thought hard about what gift he would choose.

The Great Spirits of Fire and Lightning thought he would choose the gifts they had proposed earlier. The Great Spirit of Fire’s Fire Judge’s Armor had a high defense against fire-attributed attacks and tremendous defense. As for the Ring that Strikes Lightning was an artifact that could trigger an AOE attack skill and summon huge and thick bolts of lightning from time to time.

However, Minhyuk’s eyes were looking at the Pickaxe that Can Make Any Land Fertile held by the Great Spirit of Earth. Compared to the other items offered by the Great Spirits, the Pickaxe that Can Make Any Land Fertile was considered the most ordinary, perhaps even the item with the most negligible value. Just a mere pickaxe? However, the Great Spirits respected Minhyuk’s choice. After all, it might be a simple pickaxe, but it was still a God-rank artifact.

[You have obtained the Pickaxe that Can Make Any Land Fertile.]

When the situation finally calmed down to some extent, the kings and emperors ordered the gates to open, and they immediately ran out.

The kings and emperors originally had an awkward and hostile relationship with the Beyond the Heavens Empire. However, after this war, they already knew who would be able to protect their kingdoms and empires from Helenia. Besides, they were also very indebted to Minhyuk and his empire.

Emperor Elise said, “Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor, I would like to visit your Beyond the Heavens Empire and have a cup of tea with you. Would that be alright?”

It was a question asked on behalf of all of the kings and emperors present.

Of course, Minhyuk readily answered, “Of course.”

Once everything was sorted out, Minhyuk led the people of Beyond the Heavens Empire back home to their empire.

When he returned, he thought, ‘The Pickaxe that Can Make Any Land Fertile and the Spirit of Life is a good combination.’

At that moment, Minhyuk believed that the strongest and greatest Spirit Farmer in history would most likely be born in his empire. If the Great Spirits had been able to take a peek into Minhyuk’s thoughts before they disappeared, their expressions would have turned dark and ugly.

***

With a soft smile, Sword God Valen looked at Conir, who was cooking ramyeon.

He had been observing Conir for a very long time and had known that the boy was the one that created the Faramil Swordsmanship, the swordsmanship that had been passed down in the Knights’ Tower from one generation to another. Although Conir had returned to his youth and was suffering from an intellectual disability, Valen recognized and acknowledged the fact that he was an outstanding knight and warrior. Besides, Valen could see that Conir’s noble heart was more than enough for him to become the Sword God. Those were the reasons why Valen chose Conir.

Valen proposed to Conir.

–Won’t you follow me and leave this place for a bit?

Conir also knew about Sword God Valen. He knew he was Minhyuk’s first teacher and one of his hyung’s most precious and cherished people.

–I am Conir! If Conir follows you, will hyung like Conir more?

Sword God Valen did not wish to lie to this pure and innocent child.

–At first, he will probably feel panicked and flustered when you come to find him. However, if you come with me, you can protect him once you return to his side.

Conir looked at Valen with pure and innocent eyes and replied without hesitation.

–Then, Conir will follow you! But not now!

–Why?

–Conir has to cook delicious ramyeon for hyung before Conir leaves!

–I see.

This conversation between Sword God Valen and Conir happened around a month ago. For this past month, Valen silently watched Conir and waited for him so they could leave without any regrets. As he continued to watch, he could see Conir’s pure and unsolicited love for Minhyuk.

‘This past month, he went to many dangerous places by himself to collect ingredients.’

And they were just ingredients for ramyeon.

“I am Conir! My hyung loves ramyeon! Conir will give hyung the most delicious ramyeon in the world!”

Sometimes, he would roll down while hiking a mountain or slip while climbing a cliff. There were also times when he struggled to fight against the high-level monsters that he had encountered. However, there were also times when he would seek those monsters out and hunt them to obtain their ingredients.

‘This child will be able to protect you from the Eight Pillars.’

Valen could not recall how often the boy had boiled and thrown away the ramyeon he was cooking. However, Conir, with his noble and pure heart, continued to work hard for Minhyuk with only the thought, ‘I want it to be delicious.’ running through his head.

Valen watched Conir with a pleased smile on his face.

***

‘Minhyuk hyung does not bring Conir to the battlefield these days! Hyung doesn’t hunt monsters with Conir like he used to!’

Conir was very upset with Minhyuk. The two of them had always been together. They would often brave dangers and eat delicious dishes together afterward. Conir’s nose turned sour. He knew the reason why Minhyuk did not bring him along these days.

‘Conir! Conir knows... Conir knows that hyung does not bring Conir along because it’s perilous!’

Conir was fully aware that the opponents that Minhyuk faced and were about to encounter were getting stronger and stronger. He might be a strong Named NPC that reached Level 600, but in the end, he was still a young boy with intellectual disability. He could not judge the situation rationally and think more deeply, unlike Spear God Ben and Brod. Because of that, Minhyuk decided that it was dangerous for Conir.

Conir wiped away the tears that flowed down his cheeks. ‘That’s why Conir has to become stronger!’

Only by becoming stronger would he be able to keep himself safe. And if he could keep himself safe and away from danger, then he would be able to stay by Minhyuk’s side and fight on the battlefield happily with his hyung. That was why Conir decided to leave.

But before he left, he wanted to treat Minhyuk to the most delicious bowl of ramyeon he had made. Conir no longer knew how many bowls he had cooked and thrown away since he started this endeavor.

‘Conir would be happy if hyung likes this. Even if Conir can’t return, Conir hopes that hyung will not forget Conir!’

This was Conir’s wish. However, he still had another desire.

‘Conir thinks it would be good if hyung does not give up what he likes to do just for our sake.’

What was Minhyuk like when Conir first met him? Back then, Minhyuk looked for delicious food and ingredients every single day. However, he was now very different from how he was back then. Perhaps it was because he became the Beyond the Heavens’ Emperor and felt responsible for the safety and development of the empire. However, Conir hoped that Minhyuk would relinquish his worries and burden and live for his sake again. He hoped that Minhyuk would go out and find something delicious once again.

Once again, Conir gave out the bowl of ramyeon that he had just finished cooking to someone else. ‘Not enough! It’s not enough!’

Conir traveled far and wide to collect various rare ingredients. With those ingredients, he created more than a hundred new varieties of ramyeon. Of course, there were plenty of delicious ramyeon among them, but they were still not up to Conir’s standards.

Conir, who was deep in his thoughts, closed his eyes. ‘Refreshing, spicy, and hot ramyeon.’

That was what he wanted to cook. Conir continued to cook ramyeon for a few days, even forgoing his sleep. But when he decided the specifics of the ramyeon he tried to cook, he felt like his mind had cleared up. Although Conir did not learn the Trance Skill like Minhyuk, he had fallen into a trance-like state.

Conir chopped the green onions. Why add some green onions? They could add a refreshing aftertaste to the soup. After chopping the green onions thinly, he lit up the frying pan and began to stir-fry them. Then, he added some garlic and gochugaru to stir-fry the green onions. After that, he added a spoonful of doenjang and a dash of soy sauce.

Shwaaaaaaaaa–

A mouth-watering scent wafted out of the pot. After combining various ingredients, the soup base, which was very spicy at first glance, was finally completed. Once Conir added the water, it quickly became mouth-watering ramyeon soup.

Just when Conir was about to add the noodles to the soup, a sense of dizziness washed over him, and he stumbled on his feet. He had been cooking ramyeon for days without any sleep so that he could give Minhyuk the most delicious bowl of ramyeon he had ever cooked.

[One of the Absolute Gods, the God that Does Not Know How to Back Down, is cheering you on!]

[The God that Does Not Know How to Back Down is smiling faintly at you and your pure and innocent heart as you do your best for someone.]

The God of Will stared at Conir with a soft smile and cheered him on, but it was not just him.

[One of the Absolute Gods, the God that Loves to Cook, is cheering you on!]

[The God that Loves to Cook is smiling faintly at you, who is trying to create the most excellent dish through the most ordinary and simplest dish.]

His blurred vision slowly returned to its original state. Even his throbbing headache had disappeared.

‘I am Conir! The boy that cooks the most ordinary ramyeon!’

Conir did not want anything else. All he wanted was for his respected and dearly beloved hyung to be able to eat the most delicious ramyeon in the world.

Conir quickly added the noodles and continued to let the pot boil. The hot and spicy soup boiled up, and swallowed the noodles to the bottom like lava, devouring everything that touched it. Conir grabbed his tongs and gently loosened the noodles being boiled in the spicy soup.

Like that, the sweating Conir finally completed the ramyeon and turned off the gas stove.

[You have completed Level 9. A God-grade ramyeon has been born to the world.]

[You have learned the Passive Skill: The One that Cooks with a Strong Will.]

[The Level 10 Quest: Someone Enjoying and Eating Your God-grade Ramyeon has been created.]

Conir possessed a different passive skill compared to others.

(Tenacity)

Passive Skill

Rank: Legendary

Level: None

Mana Required: None

Cooldown: None

Effects:

•You will show tremendous concentration on one thing.

•You will try harder than anybody else to achieve the best result.

•To achieve the highest level of your abilities, skills and various quests will be created.

•There is a possibility of receiving and awakening a unique ability when you reach the highest level.

This skill would only be triggered whenever Conir was wholly dedicated to something. And, of course, the end of Tenacity was completing his Level 10 quest. Based on the explanation, Conir could obtain extraordinary power once he reached the highest level possible through this skill. In other words, Conir could get a new ability once Minhyuk ate his ramyeon happily.

However, Conir didn\'t care about that at all. He smiled brightly as he looked at the pillar of light that fell upon the bowl of ramyeon. Although shocking notifications kept ringing in his ears, they did not register in his head. All he was thinking about was Minhyuk and his expression as he enjoyed the food that he made.

After he completed the ramyeon, Conir left the bowl to Haze and finally went out. Valen, who watched everything, walked by his side and looked at the relaxed Conir.

However, Sword God Valen, who saw the man approaching them, felt his heart thump wildly. ‘N, no way...’

The man walking toward them was Minhyuk’s father, Black Dragon. Black Dragon quickly approached Conir and asked, “Conir, are you leaving?”

“I am Conir! Conir will leave! Conir will see you later!”

As for the reason why Valen’s heart was thumping wildly...

‘N, no. The boy that will succeed and inherit my place as the Sword God...’

Then, Black Dragon said, “I have a gift for you! I know that saying ‘I am Conir!’ is amazing and has a huge impact. But my dear Conir, you want to be cooler and have more impact, right? How about having a new slogan once you come back to us?”

“C-Conir. Conir would love to have a cooler slogan!” Conir’s eyes sparkled.

Meanwhile, Sword God Valen sported an ugly expression, his face turning pale from the sudden left hook that appeared. Conir listened intently to Black Dragon as they decided on his new and cooler slogan. Valen’s anxiety shot through the roof. Why? Because knowing Black Dragon, there was a chance he would make Conir say, ‘The Sword God in me is going berserk!’ or something along those lines. The thought of Conir, who came back after a long time, appearing as the next generation Sword God while shouting, ‘The Sword God in me is going berserk!’ was enough to give Sword God Valen goosebumps.

With his trembling voice, Valen asked, “W- what slogan did you decide on?”

After hearing his question, Conir stared at Valen for a long time. Then, in a very serious and majestic voice- completely different from his usual child-like voice- he said, “I am the Sword God.”