Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 454: Verus vs. Let’s Eat Sect

Twenty minutes ago.

Hell on earth literally unfolded in front of them. Some of the retreating troops fell down bleeding from all of their orifices, while some disappeared without a trace from the AOE attack that Great Demon Verus’ sent out.

“Grandpa Ben!”

“We’ll protect you!!!” Marquis Brad shouted, as he and the spearmen unit that he led jumped in front of Ben to defend against the power that stretched out from Great Demon Verus’ sword. Some of the spearmen that jumped forward turned to gray and disappeared in a flash.

“Morons! Fools! Did I ask you to save me?! Why did you throw yourselves in front of me?! How can you do something so reckless!!!” Ben, who always nagged at them and made them bury their heads in the ground, screamed at them in despair.

“Conir… Conir’s having a hard time… Conir feels like he’s going to die…” Conir, who was usually sturdy and active, lost the shine in his eyes as he hung on his sword helplessly.

“Genie, are you alright?!”

“I’m, I’m fine! Urk!”

Each and everyone of them fought desperately to protect Valhalla.

Meanwhile, above the walls of Valhalla Fortress, Minhyuk had started cooking to protect and save them.

‘You can’t die on me, Elpis,’?Minhyuk thought, immense gratitude gushing from deep within his heart when he heard Elpis utter his name when he swore in the ‘Book of Permanence’. Elpis believed in him and chose him, so Minhyuk had to answer that trust.

Just like that, he started to cook. He chopped up the chicken and placed them inside the pot of boiling water to remove the impurities. Then, he cut the potatoes beautifully, making sure to slice them in bite-sized pieces. After removing the scum from the pot, Minhyuk added the potatoes and around eight spoonfuls of red pepper powder. He preferred using red pepper powder and oligosaccharide, instead of red pepper paste, when making braised chicken. If he cooked it like this, the flavor that usually would get boring as time went by, would have that spicy and sweet aftertaste.

After letting it boil for quite some time, Minhyuk pulled the lid off the pot. As the steam cleared up, the brilliant and gleaming red color of the spicy braised chicken greeted him. Then, he adjusted the heat from high to low as he thought, ‘Elpis, I still want to cook more dishes for you.’

The number of cuisines that Elpis had tasted could be counted in one hand. That was why Minhyuk wanted to cook a lot of tasty dishes for him.

Baaaaaaaaaaaang—

A loud bang, the sound of Elpis slamming on the ground, rang loudly.

“Elpis!!!” Brod’s furious scream as he rushed forward to help Elpis rang in Minhyuk’s ears. However, Minhyuk’s concentration did not break. He needed to make the tastiest and most extraordinary dish right now. And the dish that he was making was entirely dependent on the intensity of the flames’ heat and how many more seconds it needed to boil. Minhyuk focused and worked hard to make the most amazing braised spicy chicken. And finally…

[You have completed a Braised Spicy Chicken.]

[Your dish is the only dish with the buff effect.]

[The Create a Recipe Skill Effect can only be tasted by the same person once per month.]

[Trance. It’s a dish that has your ‘heart to protect’ and ‘concentration’ poured into it.]

[Due to the effects of Trance, the buff effect has become better.]

[Legendary Grade.]

[You have gained 30 DEX.]

[You have gained 200 REP.]

[You have gained 5,000 AP.]

…he completed the dish. Minhyuk smiled in relief. He now had two dishes ready, the Bizarre Rice Cake Set and the Braised Spicy Chicken. He had to choose only one among these two dishes to be his main dish. And the dish that he chose was the Braised Spicy Chicken.

Steam rose from the hot white rice placed in front of him. The potato, which was gleaming red from the sauce, made him gulp unknowingly. The first thing that Minhyuk picked was the chicken leg.

“Wow…”

The steaming chicken leg covered with the bright red sauce made his mouth water. The heat of the chicken leg passed through his fingers that were holding the piece.

“Hot, hot,” Minhyuk mumbled as he hurriedly took a bite of the chicken leg. The soft and juicy chicken leg entered his mouth, as the sweet and spicy sauce wrapped around his taste buds. The chicken leg was like the Braised Spicy Chicken’s grand finale! A happy smile curled at the corners of his mouth. Then, he chomped on a spoonful of white rice.

‘The sauce turned out really good.’

It was important to braise and boil the chicken perfectly in the Braised Spicy Chicken, but it was also important to make the sauce perfectly balanced.

This time, he poured the red sauce on top of his rice, before mixing it with his spoon. Then, he scooped a spoonful and placed it in his mouth. The thick sauce, together with the white, steaming rice, created a rich and fantastic harmony inside his mouth. Minhyuk then placed a piece of potato on top of his rice before pouring more sauce on top of it and mashing it together with the rice. Then, he scooped a spoonful of the rice, potato, and sauce, and added a piece of meat, before placing it in his mouth.

Chew, chew, chew—

An intense, enjoyable flavor spread in his mouth. This time, he scooped another spoonful of the rice, potato, sauce, and meat before adding his secret weapon, the seasoned and crispy seaweed, and placed the combination in his mouth.

“Wow~ As expected! The combination of sweet and salty is really the best~!”

The crispy seasoned seaweed, together with the spicy and sweet braised spicy chicken, created another burst of flavor in his mouth. Then, Minhyuk picked a piece of chicken wing and devoured the meat, leaving only the bones when he pulled it out of his mouth. After finishing his braised spicy chicken, Minhyuk stood up and looked at Verus in the sky and Elpis on the ground having a staring showdown.

***

Fall—

The bloodied and bruised Genie collapsed on her knees. Her whip’s durability had already been spent and was already on the verge of breaking. All she could do was look around helplessly while blood dripped down from her head. The demons were extremely strong. Even with Minhyuk’s buffed dishes, it was still hard for them to fight against them.

“Aceeeeee!!!”

At that moment, Ace, who was struggling against Zagan’s slaves, was forced to log out after receiving a hit from Forcas’ scythe. Then, Great Demon Verus leapt into the skies and shot out a gigantic flame towards the ground. Elpis, with a sudden increase in power, jumped towards that tremendous force.

When they collided…

Booooooooooom—

…a powerful shockwave that felt like it was going to devour everything, spread out. It was so powerful that it seemed like it could even shake the skies. Then, at that moment…

Shwaaaaaaaaa—

Genie felt her body move as if it was being sucked somewhere. The place where they were gathered was where Golden Mage Ali was. He squeezed the last of his powers to gather the NPCs and the members of Let’s Eat Sect together with his ‘Compress’ magic and…

“Barrier.”

…casted a golden barrier to protect the more than fifty people that he had gathered together.

“Keheuuuuk…”

“Aaaaargh…”

Elf King Gorn was left unconscious, while the Dragon King was sitting with a broken leg. Both of Khan’s fists were in a bad shape from fighting against the demons, and even Black Dragon’s armor was broken in several places.

“Elpis…”

Everyone wondered what happened to Elpis under the thick cover of dust that surrounded them. This was because he was the one that had to survive the most among them. Just then, Demon Zagan approached the golden barrier that protected them.

[Is this the humans’ barrier?]

Zagan laughed loudly as Forcas and Flauros appeared next to him.

Baaaaaaaaang—

Forcas swung his scythe but the golden barrier remained firm.

[From what I heard, barriers like this restrict any and all kinds of attacks. It boasts absolute defense.]

Zagan grinned, his interest reaching its peak. Then, a bottle of potion filled with milky-white liquid appeared in his hands.

[But… is it really absolute?]

Sizzle—

The golden barrier began to melt the moment Zagan poured the milky-white liquid over it.

“That’s, that’s impossible…!” Ali shouted in shock and disbelief. Just how powerful were the demons?!

A small hole formed on the barrier which gradually grew in size. All of them turned to look at the hole in the barrier. What would happen if that hole grew large enough for them to pass by? The demons would most likely bombard them with their AOE attack skills.

If that happened, then everyone would be wiped out. The members of Let’s Eat Sect were alright with dying. However, what they could not accept was the death of Ben, Aruvel, Conir, and Corr. After all, they only had one life, and one life alone.

Sizzle—

The small hole started to grow bigger and bigger.

[Keufufufufufufufu.]

[Keuhahahahahahahaha!]

Their eerie laughter resonated loudly in the surrounding area. In the end, Forcas’ hand was able to reach inside the barrier. Ali could not make a decision. Should he terminate the barrier or should he let it stay as it was?

But no matter what decision he made, the result would still be the same. They would still die. Then, mass teleporting them? From what it looked like, he did not have the time to cast the spell. Besides, his MP had already tanked out a long time ago.

“Damn! Goddamnit!”

“No! These f*ckers!”

“Kyaaaaaaack!”

The light in Genie’s eyes lost their luster as screams rang rampant around her.

‘Minhyuk…’

All she could do was earnestly and desperately call for the name of one person in her heart. Then, at that moment…

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

A crack rang loudly from behind the demons as a mysterious die that sprinkled a golden light appeared from within the gaps of the dust.

Roll, roll, roll, roll—

After rolling several times, bright markings pierced through the thick cloud of dust as the numbers rose higher and higher.

“A six…?” Genie murmured to herself.

The person that threw the die was none other than Minhyuk. And the ability that he was using was the God of Cooking’s Secret.

[Overlapping Delight.]

[You can now receive the effects of two dishes.]

[The duration of the buff effect will depend on the number that the die will cast.]

Minhyuk smiled brightly when he saw the markings on the die rise until it reached six.

[The die has been cast! You have rolled a six!]

[The Overlapping Delight’s buff effect will last for seven minutes!]

[You have rolled a six, your EXP Acquisition Rate will double for seven minutes!]

[You have received the effects of the Legendary Grade Bizarre Rice Cake Set and the Legendary Grade Braised Spicy Chicken.]

[Your STR and AGI has increased by 51%!]

[Your sword’s basic attack has increased by 500%!]

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship’s skill level has increased by +4!]

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship’s MP consumption and Cooldown has decreased by 70%!]

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship’s Attack Power has increased by 60%!]

[You can ignore the Sword of Absolute Death’s cooldown and use it three times in a row!]

[All of your HP and MP has been restored!]

[You have received the effects!]

[With your artifact, stats, and buff effects, you have become a player that has the power that could cut down even the Gods.]

[You have received Title: The One that could Cut Down the Gods.]

Minhyuk’s hair and eyes turned silver, which brought him a different charm and beauty than usual. His looks—wide eyes, sharp jawline, nose like that of a foreigner’s—exuded brilliance and elegance.

At that moment, the black demonic energy that swirled out of Forcas’ hands moved as if it was trying to make a riot inside the barrier.

“Minhyuuuuuuuuuk!” Genie cried loudly when she saw him. Then…

“Sword of Tempest.”

Sword of Tempest was a skill that could release hundreds of blades in the surroundings. But with the +4 level increase in Ellie’s Swordsmanship, the skill had changed.

[Sword of Tempest.]

[Thousands of blades with 800% additional damage flies at the speed of light and attacks your enemies.]

[While Sword of Tempest is in duration, your movement speed will increase by 300%.]

A blade suddenly pierced through Forcas, who had reached inside the barrier.

Stab—

[Keuaaaaaaaaaaaack?!]

Forcas’ HP was reduced by more than 5% in an instant. Minhyuk’s basic attack power had increased by 500%, and there was even an additional 800% damage added on top of it. This was the first damage that Demon Forcas has received.

The next thing he knew, 999 blades shot forward, stabbing through Forcas’ back.

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh—

“Keooooook…!”

Forcas could not even let out a single scream. His head fell down as one of the hundreds of blades slashed his neck. A demon’s regenerative abilities were almost infinite. And the only way to ignore their regenerative abilities was to inflict a huge damage to their HP in one go. Forcas’ body, which fell to the ground, turned into black demonic energy and scattered in the air.

[You have successfully sealed Demon Forcas.]

[You have acquired Forcas’ Treasure ‘Demon Forcas’ Scythe’.]

[You have gained 1,862 Platinum.]

[You have acquired a fragment of the Demon’s Sacred Relic.]

[You have gained 1,200,000,000 EXP.]

[Due to Overlapping Delight’s special effect, the EXP that you have gained has doubled.]

[You have gained 1,200,000,000 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

“Mi, Minhyuk?!”

“Son… N, no. My Lord?!!”

[Wh, what?!]

The people in the barrier were all shocked after seeing Minhyuk seal the demon named Forcas in one go. And they were not the only ones that were shocked. Even Zagan and Flauros were shocked.

[How, how did this happen…?!]

‘How could a human seal a demon in one go?!’

They did not have any time to turn around and escape to prepare. Hundreds of blades flew and pierced through Zagan’s body.

Fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh, fwoosh—

Zagan’s body fell down to the ground, turned into black demonic energy, and scattered in the air.

[You have successfully sealed Demon Zagan.]

[You have acquired Zagan’s Treasure ‘Alchemy…omitted.]

Minhyuk immediately appeared in front of Flauros, who called for his black hawk.

[Scattering Sword.]

Minhyuk’s Scattering Sword usually multiplied his basic damage by x8, but now it could multiply it by as high as x17. His sword slammed straight down Flauros’ head.

Baaaaaaaaaaaang—

Starting with Flauros’ head, a powerful force exploded inside him. That was not the end, the explosion even affected the ground below him and crushed it to dust.

[You have successfully sealed Demon Flauros.]

[You have acquired Flauros’ Treasure ‘Black Hawk’…omitted.]

But the notifications did not end there. After Minhyuk sealed the three demons at once, a shocking set of notifications rang for him.

[You have sealed three demons in a row!]

[It’s a very amazing feat! Even the Gods are impressed!]

[The Absolute Gods are watching over you.]

[You are the first one to receive the attention of a lot of Absolute Gods.]

[The fact that you have gained the attention of the Absolute Gods is very unusual.]

[The Absolute Gods will give you a reward if you successfully seal Great Demon Verus.]

They were very unexpected and shocking notifications.