Gourmet Gaming

Under the guidance of Prince Votto, Minhyuk, together with Beyond the Heavens’ Kingdom’s executives and troops, would march towards Lumae Kingdom.

Before they did so, they decided to spend one day resting for maintenance and recuperation. After all, it would be extremely exhausting for all of Minhyuk’s executives and troops to go on such a march, right after an exhausting battle.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk entered the royal kitchen of the royal mansion prepared by King Lloyd for the Beyond the Heaven’s Kingdom.

“Hiyaa~ Rascal! Look at you, you’re moving energetically like that, huh? Keuhahahaha!”

Having obtained the snow crab as a reward for hunting Asura, Minhyuk laughed, impressed at how it was still very much alive and energetic. There was another aspect that was worth his admiration. The snow crab in front of him was not just some regular snow crab.

‘One of the Gods’ Five Delicacies…’

According to the description, the snow crab was definitely one of the Gods’ Five Delicacies. Just to be sure, Minhyuk clicked on the detailed description.

[Gods’ Five Delicacies. Refers to the selection of the best dishes chosen by several gourmand gods a long time ago. Currently, only five of these kinds of delicacies exist in the world. All of them are known to have special abilities.]

Basically, they were five delicacies that had been chosen by several gods. One of these delicacies was the Deep Sea Snow Crab in front of Minhyuk. Its effects were shocking. Even its size was more than that of a decent-sized snow crab.

“Hmmmm~” Minhyuk hummed as he brushed away the impurities and dirt from the snow crab. Then, he used a small knife to poke at its opening, before dipping it in water and pressing its belly to expel the black impurities within.

‘The most important thing to do before steaming snow crabs… trimming and cleaning the impurities!!!’

If the impurities were not removed from the crab, the fishy taste and scent would be too much for anyone. After finishing up the cleaning and trimming, Minhyuk placed the snow crab in the steamer with its belly up.

“Oh my, oh my. You’re so big that you can’t fit that well in the steamer, huh?”

Just a few hours ago, Minhyuk looked like a great and mighty king. But right now, in front of food, Minhyuk had turned into a child filled with excitement at the prospect of eating! One that truly loved food!

He put the cover on the steamer, set the heat to high, and left it like that for 25 minutes. As the puffs of white clouds gently escaped the seams of the steamer and rose to the skies, Minhyuk’s expectations rose too. After the 25 minutes was done, Minhyuk waited for another five minutes before finally lifting the lid.

Shwaaaaaaaa—

White steam escaped the steamer, revealing the glistening red snow crab hidden inside it! Just one look and Minhyuk’s mouth was already overflowing with drool. He hurriedly took out the snow crabs, two of them to be exact, and separated their claws from the bodies. Then, he prepared some side dishes to go with it.

Since snow crabs were quite expensive, restaurants that sold them would usually serve plenty of side dishes to go with them. Following that spirit, Minhyuk prepared some rockfish and flatfish sashimi, fried shrimp, corn cheese, and scallops with cheese, as he set the table.

“Kihyaaaaa~”

Eating after working hard was always a delight! Before he started, Minhyuk prepared some soy sauce and wasabi in a small bowl, mixed them gently and placed it on the table. Next, he grabbed his chopsticks and clamped some fresh, mouth-watering flatfish sashimi. He dipped it in the prepared sauce and placed it in his mouth.

Chew, chew—

The more Minhyuk chewed, the more he could taste the savoriness and sweetness of the fish. Even its chewy texture was superb, bringing a smile to his face. After gulping down the first piece and eating another, Minhyuk turned towards the scallops with cheese.

Streeeeeeeeeetch—

The cheese, covered with chojang[1], stretched as he brought the scallops to his mouth. The sourness of the vinegar and the rich, savory flavor of the cheese perfectly complemented each other, as they danced in Minhyuk’s mouth. Just like that, Minhyuk quickly ate a scoop of corn cheese, adding a bit of sweetness and crunch from the corn to the mix, causing the smile on his face to widen.

Finally, Minhyuk turned to the most-awaited snow crab. Minhyuk had used his scissors to cut and prep the snow crab legs in advance. The moment he put some pressure on the legs, they broke apart with a loud ‘crack—‘.

Then, Minhyuk gently pulled on one side.

Swoosh—

The crab meat was pulled out from the shell of the legs, without leaving anything behind.

“Haha! The snow crab’s meat to water ratio is at 100%! 100%!!!”

Most of the time, snow crabs had the worst meat to water ratio. Generally, snow crabs would only be able to retain around 30% of its weight once steaming was done. But the snow crab chosen by the gods as one of their preferred delicacies had a meat to water ratio of 100%.

In other words, no weight had been lost.

Minhyuk looked at the steaming and snow-white meat in admiration for a moment, before placing it in his mouth. The long strip of crab meat completely filled his mouth; the warm and soft texture and sweet flavor of the meat drawing out immense awe from him.

“Wow…”

Was there ever a time when he placed a piece of snow crab meat in his mouth and it filled his mouth? The answer was no. But this snow crab made it possible for Minhyuk to have that experience.

The most amazing part? There was no fishy taste at all!

Minhyuk, who picked the crab legs clean, turned his attention to the claws. Since he had already prepped the claws and legs earlier, just adding a slight bit of pressure was enough to pull out the meat, which even retained the shape of the claw.

The moment Minhyuk placed it in his mouth, a chewier texture, completely unlike the meat of ordinary crabs, greeted his taste buds. Although crab meat looked no different from each other, each part tasted different. After eating the legs and claws, Minhyuk made snow crab fried rice by mixing rice, sesame oil, seaweed powder, snow crab meat and snow crab guts. He even made some snow crab ramyeon to pair it with, placing a piece of kimchi on top of it.

“Kgghk~ It’s like the icing to cake!”

Sighs of contentment and admiration naturally flowed out of his mouth! Whenever Minhyuk felt his throat go dry, he would scoop a spoonful of the snow crab ramyeon soup and moisten his throat. It was the very same snow crab ramyeon with bean sprouts and Cheongyang chilis. Minhyuk scooped a spoonful of the soup.

“Kghhk!”

Refreshing. This word was enough to express what Minhyuk was feeling at the moment. Then, Minhyuk clamped and lifted some noodles along with some beansprouts, placing it in a smaller bowl. He gently blew on it before slurping a mouthful.

“Sluuuuuuuuuurp!”

The chewy noodles and crisp beansprouts resulted in a pleasant taste in Minhyuk’s mouth. With a delighted smile on his face, Minhyuk poured a ladle of soup in his bowl before tipping it into his mouth. The spiciness of the soup created a layer of sweat on his nose and a tingle in his throat. As he savored the flavor, he quickly devoured the snow crab fried rice.

Finally, he picked some fried shrimp, dipped it in soy sauce and placed it in his mouth.

Crunch, crunch, crunch—

The plump shrimp was a pleasure to the mouth. The light and savory flavor of the meat and the batter that coated it created a harmony that could bring a smile to anyone’s face. After eating all of the fried shrimp, Minhyuk poured the cold, icy cider into a glass.

Glug, glug, glug— 

“Kyaaaa!”

The notifications rang the moment Minhyuk let out a burst of exclamation.

[You have eaten the Deep Sea Snow Crab.]

[Your Physical Attack and Defense, as well as your Magical Attack and Defense will increase by 10% permanently.]

[With the Deep Sea Snow Crab’s buff effects, your Attack and Defense will increase by 10% for a week.]

[You can overlap this buff effect with other buffs.]

The Gods’ Delicacies could be described as such…

‘Food that is out of this world…’

Even the taste was superior to the Dragon King’s Snow Crab that he ate in the Dragon King’s Sea in the past. The fact that it could permanently increase his physical and magical attack and defenses by 10% was enough for this kind of delicacy to cost around tens of billions of cash.

Furthermore…

‘It seems like it’s hard to get. Am I the first to get something like this?’

…it was something that was gained only after hunting Demigod Asura. However, that was not the only reward that Minhyuk received from that hunt. He was able to gain another God-rank artifact in the form of the Slaughterer’s Armor.

(Slaughterer’s Armor)

Rank: God

Requirements: Level 500

Durability: 50,000 / 50,000

Defense: 2,397

Special Abilities:

•All stats will increase by +23%.

•Magical Defense will triple.

•Passive Skill: Slaughterer’s Absorption

•Passive Skill: Asura’s Shield

•Active Skill: Slaughterer’s Blessings

Description: There have been rumors that the armor that Demigod Asura has worn was obtained by threatening the God of Blacksmiths. The merits of this armor are definitely out of this world since it allowed Asura to dye the Asgan Continent with blood.

‘No matter how you look at it, that defense is ridiculous…’

The Monarch’s Armor, an Absolute Demigod artifact, had a defense of 1,789. But the Slaughterer’s Armor easily surpassed that by 600. That was not all; the amount of increase in all stats also surpassed it by nearly 7%. And yet, there were even more valuable aspects to the Slaughterer’s Armor.

(Slaughterer’s Absorption)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

•Upon successful attack, there is a 3% chance that you will be able to convert 50% of the damage that you have dealt to your opponents, into HP.

•Upon successful attack, there is a 0.7% chance of recovering a small amount of your stamina and mental power.

‘This is really out of this world…’

There were no other words that could explain this skill aside from that. Of course, this skill might not have any great effect on incredibly strong existences like Great Demon Verus and Asura. After all, they were strong enough to cut down Minhyuk’s HP in one go.

But in a war?

‘The effect would exceed anyone’s imagination.’

In a war, where Minhyuk had to deal with tens, hundreds, and even thousands of enemies, it was not strength that mattered the most, but stamina and mental power. If he could recover just a slight bit of that as he attacked his enemies, then he would be able to endure longer and fight more.

Then, there was also Asura’s Shield.

(Asura’s Shield)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

•When under siege, there’s a 7% chance of triggering a translucent red shield that will protect the area under attack. 

•The defense of the translucent shield will be twice as much as the defense of the armor equipped by the skill user.

It was also a very useful and efficient skill during battle.

‘With these out of this world effects, I can put away Monarch’s Armor for the time being.’

The Monarch’s Armor was an excellent item, but it was no match for the Slaughterer’s Armor.

‘I think I can swap them and use their effects efficiently, right?’

The merits of the Monarch’s Armor where it could recover Minhyuk’s HP and MP to 100% right away was something that was out of this world too. And finally…

(Slaughterer’s Blessing)

Active Skill

Level: None

Effects:

•Restores 40% of the HP of your allies.

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•You can sacrifice 40% of your allies physical and magical defense to increase 20% of their physical and magical attack.

‘As expected, it’s also a good skill.’

The Slaughterer’s Armor was truly worth its weight in gold. It definitely lived up to the expectations of the rewards of killing Demigod Asura.

On top of all that, Minhyuk also received three God’s SP, Asura’s Successor's Ring, Asura’s Bloody Buddhist Beads and Aeopus’ Stairs’ Parchment. God’s SP alone was an extraordinary reward, one that could even level up God-rank skills.

But Asura’s Successor’s Ring was more amazing than that.

‘It’s an item that can help someone change their class to Asura Class.’

Meanwhile, Asura’s Bloody Buddhist Beads were items with shocking buff effects, while Aeopus’ Stairs’ Parchment was just marked with ‘???’. As he looked through his rewards, Minhyuk decided to delay the use of the God’s SP that he gained.

As for Asura’s Successor’s Ring, Minhyuk knew a woman that fitted the item perfectly so he decided to give it to her.

After settling everything, Minhyuk stepped outside and prepared to depart for Lumae Kingdom.

***

Ares, the guildmaster of Ares Guild and one of the best fighter rankers in the country, stood among the rankers. He was someone that drew everyone’s attention a few days ago when he used his skill Dragon and Tiger together with Khan.

Right now, he was in the middle of a crossroads.

‘I’m also jealous of them.’

Ares had always been envious of the guild members affiliated with Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. He had always denied this fact but now he did not want to do so anymore. He had already come to terms with himself and had accepted it wholeheartedly. Also…

‘The guild members of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom are always given the chance to overcome their limits, climb to a higher level and become stronger. And they always live up to that opportunity.’

There was no denying the fact that Khan was now much stronger than Ares.

“I also want to be with them.”

Alas, he had the responsibility of taking care of his guild, together with the others that led the guild with him. So, with great caution, Ares tried to make a suggestion. He told them about going under the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. But his guild members naturally protested against his suggestion.

“Certainly not, Ares.”

“Come back to your senses. How can a tiger like you go under such a sly fox?!”

His guild members wanted to make Ares the best guild. But Ares already knew that becoming the best with just their power alone was nigh impossible. Ares was aware that they would only have a shot at becoming the best if they went under Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.

“Please get your head on straight! Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is just a small nation!”

His guild members shouted loudly until veins popped up in their necks. At that moment, Minhyuk, who was set to depart for Lumae Kingdom, finally went outside. Not long after, a shocking scene unfolded in front of their very eyes.

The dozens of polymorphed dragons that were waiting for Minhyuk, together with Dragon Elder Velach, all slowly bowed in front of him and said, “Foreigner King of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, fighting with you has allowed us to learn and realize a lot of things. We will now return to our lairs and prepare the compensation that we promised you.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

Ares and his guild members looked at the scene in shock. The dragons bowed in front of a player? Also…

“Also, we hope that you can keep on taking care of the dragon that will become our Lord.”

And along with that…

“Please heed our earnest request!”

“We beg you!”

“We hope to entrust our Lord to you!!!”

“We believe that our Lord will thread the right path if she stays with you!”

Thud—

The dragons immediately knelt down.

‘Is, is the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom really the answer?!’

‘Is what Sir Ares thinks really the right choice?!’

‘Even, even the dragons are kneeling in front of him!!!’

Then, the Ares Guild members immediately changed their tunes and said…

“That’s right! Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is still a small nation! Since it’s still a small nation, shouldn’t we work together with them and make it into a prosperous and strong kingdom!?”

“Ares, actually, we’re of the same mind. We've been thinking the same thing for a long time. Haha.”

“Hehe. Sir Ares, just like you thought, it seems like Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is the answer.”

“That’s right!!!”

“Let’s go! Beyond the Heavens Kingdom!!!”

The change in their attitude was so fast that it could beat the speed of LTE.

1. gochujang or red chili paste with vinegar ☜