Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 485: The King’s Building

PD Harui, with all of his programs receiving high ratings, was one of the producers that soared high in Japan. He was also someone that had clear boundaries and distinction between his private and public matters. But now…

‘We’re here to cover the story and shoot their progress. So, why the hell…!’

Reporter Yuka immediately approached PD Haruo and said, “PD, why did you suddenly decide to grab a pickaxe?”

When Haruo turned to look at her, Yuka was very shocked to see the crazed look in his eyes. He looked just like those zombies craving for blood in the movies. Then, he said, “Yu, Yuka… You come here, quick! Grab a pickaxe too!”

“What?! Why should I also grab a pickaxe…?”

“If you’re not joining us then don’t interrupt what we’re doing! Go away!” PD Haruo shouted as he pushed Yuka away. Even her other colleagues were showing similar reactions.

Seeing this, Yuka pulled out her personal camera and moved to start filming while thinking, ‘Since we already got the permission to film, let’s do this. I won’t lose my professionalism.’

She might be a reporter, but she could also film. As she continued to film, she was met with another shocking sight.

‘Huh? Now that I’m looking closely, aren’t all of the people working here in a similar state?’

Yuka felt like both the players and NPCs were going crazy. All of them were getting tainted with madness! Yuka continued to walk around until she found Kentaro’s Seven Admirals.

Kentaro’s Seven Admirals were Japan’s top rankers that had been with Kentaro for the longest time. If Kentaro was number one, then they were ranked third, fifth, sixth, eight and the likes. They were known for their strict, cold, and ill-tempered personalities.

Of course, just like Yuka expected, these people were working unwillingly. Yuka sneaked forward to get a scoop of their story.

Japan’s ‘Iron Tanker Kaisei’. He was Japan’s number one tanker and was famous for enduring the attacks and damage dealt by thousands of monsters. He said, “This is really ridiculous. Isn’t Kentaro a bit too much?”

“That’s right. I also think that it’s a bit too much.”

And the one that answered Kaisei was…

‘Isn’t that Saint’s Wing Louvin?’

Saint’s Wing Louvin was Loyna’s devout follower and a priestess that has received her grace. She was someone with outstanding power and firmly sat at the top rank in the priest’s rankings.

“Why is he making us do hard labor when we already don’t have enough time to level up?”

“The worst part is the rewards. It’s just food. Why do I have to do something ridiculous just for that?”

“Calm down. Take into consideration the server consolidation in the future. It’s good for us to build ties with the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom,” Messenger of Death Taichi said calmly.

“Of course, that’s a good thing. But what if? Just, what if Beyond the Heavens Kingdom turns their back on us once the servers are consolidated?”

“Do we have a guarantee that he will fulfill what he said?”

“Twenty thousand of our guild members participated in this because Guild Leader Kentaro said, ‘If you go there, you will definitely get something special when you come back.’. But is there anything more special than artifacts and EXP to players like us?”

“Right, right. Kentaro is truly mistaken this time.”

Their words made it hard for Taichi to defend Kentaro. In the end, he could not say anything against them. The only reason why they could not protest loudly was because Kentaro was working so passionately.

‘Just like what PD Haruo said, there are many players that are against this.’

The sun slowly set in the horizon. Meanwhile, the Seven Admirals began to talk again.

“It seems like I have met the requirements to eat one dish.”

“Those that tasted the dish are suddenly working harder but what’s the point of that? It’s just food.”

“I can’t understand it either. I only eat meal tablets.”

Meal tablets were a kind of medicine. This tablet contained a combination of nutrients and proteins beneficial for the body. Just one tablet and one would feel full for the day. Plenty of rankers use this tablet so as not to waste any time eating. Also, even though twelve hours had passed since they started working, the Seven Admirals had only met the requirements to eat one dish, the first dish.

“Let’s just try this one dish then.”

They all moved to where Minhyuk was. Minhyuk was busy delivering food here and there. Iron Tanker Kaisei received a soybean paste stew set meal, Saint’s Wing Louvin received a kimchi stew set meal, while another one of them received the bulgogi set meal.

“The dishes that I’ve tried in Korea are the worst out of all the dishes that I have ever tasted.”

“Yeah. It was incredibly expensive too.”

“It was also too salty.”

“It was alright. But it’s something that I would not want to eat again.”

These were their thoughts and assessments regarding Korean food. Meanwhile, Saint’s Wing Louvin looked at her kimchi stew set meal. The side dishes included in the meals Minhyuk prepared were spinach and bean sprouts, spicy stir-fried fish cake and two fresh out-of-the-pan fried eggs. In reality, Louvin was a picky eater. She was someone that was very choosy in the food that she ate. That was why every once in a while she would consider changing her diet and using meal tablets instead of having regular meals. That very same woman was now stirring the kimchi stew in her bowl.

‘It looks very salty to me though?’

Louvin scooped a mouthful of the soup, blew on it gently, before taking a sip.

‘Huh?’

Louvin was very shocked at the sudden burst of flavor that danced in her mouth. Although it was just a sip, she could tell that the soup was very refreshing, even though it was hot. On top of that, the spiciness that lingered in her mouth made her crave for something. After a few moments of pondering, Louvin realized that what she was craving for was none other than rice. So, she hurriedly scooped up a mouthful of rice and placed it in her mouth.

‘The rice is well-cooked…’

Louvin could tell that the rice was cooked in perfect proportions. It was very well done! Then, at that moment, Minhyuk approached and said, “You should try putting some meat and kimchi on top of the white rice.”

“Ah. Thank you,” Louvin answered as she followed Minhyuk’s suggestion. She scooped a spoonful of the steaming white rice before placing a piece of kimchi and a perfectly cooked meat with a 5:5 ratio of lean meat and fat on top of it.

The moment she placed it in her mouth…

Hallelujah~ Hallelujah~ Hallelujah, Hallelujah~ Minhyuk-llujaaaaaaaah~?

“…!”

Her hand, which was holding the spoon, trembled. The taste of the kimchi and its soup spread in her mouth gently and smoothly. The 5:5 perfect ratio meat was also easy to chew, like some tender beef that melted in her mouth.

And the steaming mouthful of white rice? It was the icing on the cake!

“De, delicious…!”

Louvin finally realized what ‘flavor’ was. She, an extremely picky eater, finally learnt what a ‘true delicious meal’ was,after her twenty nine years of existence!

“You should also try the fried egg and the rice,” Minhyuk suggested, like a kind Korean Restaurant boss to his customers. Following his suggestion, Louvin hurriedly added a piece of the fried egg on her rice.

‘It looks really pretty.’

The glossy yolk looked a bit runny, but it was still cooked very well.

“Poke the yolk with your chopsticks.”

The golden yolk flowed gently down the rice the moment Louvin’s chopsticks touched the egg.

“Scoop a mouthful of the white, the yolk, and the rice.”

Louvin immediately followed Minhyuk’s instructions. She pressed the middle of the egg and scooped the whites, the yolk, and the rice altogether. Then, she placed it in her mouth.

“Crazy… This is crazy delicious…!” She covered her mouth as she exclaimed in admiration. Even her eyes looked shiny and wet with tears. But that was only for a moment, she did not have much time for sentimentality as she hurriedly moved her hands to scoop another mouthful of the kimchi stew!

“Can I have another bowl of rice?”

“This… I can’t give you anything else aside from your quest rewards. It will be unfair for others.”

“Ah… just one… please…!”

Saint’s Wing Louvin, the woman famous for being the most picky and choosy individual in Japan, was now begging for a bowl of rice.

“Then, I’ll give it to you for 10,000 gold. Ah, this is only because it’s you, Louvin.”

“O, okay!”

Minhyuk was someone that would never incur a loss! He even sold his rice at a price that was ten times more expensive than usual! On top of that, as if he did her a favor, Louvin would feel closer and more grateful to Minhyuk.

With the additional bowl of rice, Louvin quickly finished every last drop of soup in the earthen pot. The meal was so satisfying that she could not help but sigh in awe. As she wiped her mouth with a tissue, a quest window immediately popped up in front of her.

[Linked Quest: Korean Dishes Will Come Out While Making a Building?!!!: Second Part has been created.]

The contents of the quest were the same as before. The only thing that changed was the rewards list. This time their choices were: ‘Bulgogi, Spicy Stir-fried Pork and Spicy Braised Chicken’.

‘I, I want to eat them…!’

Saint’s Wing Louvin, the pickiest and choosiest woman in Japan, grabbed her pickaxe and…

“Uwooooooooooh!”

…rushed out. Yuka looked at her disappearing figure. She had already seen the other Admirals rushing out long before Louvin did. All of them looked frantic as they worked harder than everybody else.

Claaaaang—

“I will eat!”

Claaaaaaaaaaang—

“Spicy Braised Chicken!!!” Saint’s Wing Louvin shouted with firm determination.

‘How, how can this be… she just ate one meal…’

At this point, Yuka realized that PD Haruo and the rest of her colleagues were working hard because they were entranced by the food. Then, at that moment…

“Oh my~ Aren’t you one of the employees of the broadcasting station?” Minhyuk asked as he approached her with a soft smile on his face. Then, he handed Yuka a cold glass of watermelon juice before continuing his words, “You’re not supposed to get this if you’re not working but since you’re a broadcasting station employee, I’ll give you this. In return, please make a good broadcast of our situation here.”

And Yuka…

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp—

…gulped everything in one go.

“…!”

Suddenly, she grabbed her camera in one hand, while grabbing a pickaxe with another, before rushing out and screaming, “Uwoooooooh! I will get another of that watermelon juiiiiiiiiiiiiice!”

All of the people that participated in the building quest were slowly being ‘Minhyukified’.

***

It was two in the morning. However, the construction site where the King’s Building would be built was still as lively as ever.

“Sleep?! What do you mean by sleep?! Is that even a problem?! Especially when I’m about to be able to eat Minhyuk’s food again?!”

“Because I have to go to work?! I can get by with just an hour of sleep!!!”

“Uwoooooooooh!!!”

None of the players logged out for the night. It was because they had the crazy idea that they would be able to eat Minhyuk’s dishes once or twice more if they worked at night! They were trying to rationalize their actions by telling themselves that they would just be tired in the morning.

“Let’s work hard a bit more! Just a bit more and we’ll be able to drink that glass of watermelon juice again!”

“Let’s gooooooo!!!”

Minhyuk scuttled in between them and cheered them up. Those that heard his encouragement squeezed their strength and worked even harder. And that was not all…

“Oh no. Old man~ why aren’t you sleeping?”

“Hoho. Boy, I haven’t eaten anything that’s more delicious than your cooking in my entire life.”

“Is that so? Then, please hang in there a bit more. I’ll make you a very delicious drink and treat you to a meal.”

“Thanks, thank you!!!”

…even the elderly were participating in the work that they were doing at dawn. It had been almost twenty hours since they started the construction! The Five Stars all looked at the scene in shock.

‘How can a simple dish…’

‘There’s still many people at this time?’

‘But their faces… they don’t look tired at all.’

‘From what it looks like, his dishes also carry an amazing power that helps them gain more strength.’

‘Amazing.’

The Five Stars were the best Named NPCs in Japan. But even for them, Minhyuk’s dishes still looked extremely excellent. However…

‘We’re still short on people.’

‘Even if more than 20,000 people worked 24 hours a day, we still won’t be able to finish everything on time.’

Just when this thought flashed in their heads, bad news came crashing down. Literally crashing down.

Rumbleeeeeee—

It was still obviously dawn but the world suddenly turned bright all of a sudden. Then, this bright light suddenly converged and enveloped the site where they were building the king’s building.

[The Absolute Gods are watching you and the Five Stars.]

[They are extremely furious.]

Rumbleeeee—

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

Was this what they meant when they said a bolt out of the blue? Just like that, lightning began to strike down from the once clear skies above. There was even a huge thunderstorm that brewed and crushed the pile of stones that the workers struggled to collect and build. Minhyuk, the Five Stars and all of the workers hurriedly tried to dodge the lightning bolts that were already reaching the thousands.

‘The Absolute Gods are angry? Why?’

Then, as if answering the question, the notifications popped up.

[The Absolute Gods are furious that a building honoring a human will be grander than their temples.]

[The Absolute Gods are giving you a warning right now.]

[You will suffer from a terrible disaster if you continue to construct the building.]

Minhyuk’s face turned ugly after hearing the notifications. The notifications also rang for the other players and NPCs. Minhyuk quickly tried to ponder about the matters at hand.

‘We have to stop because the gods are angry? A disaster will befall upon us if we continue?’

It was completely ridiculous. Also, there was a ‘part’ that he was suspicious about.

“What, what do we do?”

“Minhyuk, what should we do?”

The Five Stars were all confused. Kentaro and the 20,000 players also rushed to him to see his decision. Minhyuk looked up at the skies. And beyond everyone’s expectations, he said, “Hey! Gods! Stop the bullshit. Do I really have to listen to your nonsense?”

“…?!”

“…?!”

“…?!”

“…?!”

Everyone was horrified to hear his words. But then, the notifications rang again.

[One of the Absolute Gods looks at you blankly.]

[One of the Absolute Gods is confused.]

[One of the Absolute Gods has taken a fancy to you.]

[One of the Absolute Gods has become extremely furious.]

[One of the Absolute Gods looks at you with shining eyes as if they found something interesting.]