Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 1050

Minhyuk recalled his conversation with Beradon when he failed to see the old man. The old man had told him that he often went to the peak of the highest hill and looked down at the world whenever his head was filled with countless thoughts.

Minhyuk followed this idea and went straight toward the peak of the highest hill. But when he reached the peak, the scene that greeted him made him fall on his knees.

“G... grandpa?”

Beradon's face had a faint smile. But his entire body was covered with injuries. The shocked Minhyuk finally began to realise the situation. He hurriedly crawled toward Beradon.

“Grandpa! Wake up, Grandpa! Who the hell did this to you, Grandpa?!” Minhyuk shouted as he shook Beradon to wake him up. But it was for naught. Beradon had already died. Minhyuk, who was still in disbelief, hugged the old man tightly.

They had only spent a very short time together. But despite the old man’s grumpy look, a warm smile would appear on his face now and then, and he told Minhyuk how much he loved and cared for him.

Before Minhyuk arrived here, he had heard some notifications. The notification told him that the old man was smiling at him. Tears started to stream down Minhyuk’s face as he continued to hug the old man’s body tightly.

Then, something shocking happened. The ground slowly absorbed Beradon’s body.

Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh–!

When Beradon’s body disappeared into the ground, hundreds of roots shot out and spread all over. A large and magnificent tree suddenly popped out of the ground. The tree's leaves looked fresh and green and were plenty enough to cast a cool shade beneath it. The birds flew up into the tree and began to chirp and sing.

Minhyuk’s expression was indescribable as he looked at the tree. Then, the notifications rang.

[You have seen the Master’s Tree.]

[You have gained 10 WIS.]

[The Master’s Tree will be your shade. When you are plagued with complicated thoughts and matters, it will help you clear your mind.]

Minhyuk shook his head. He did not want this tree.

Then, a bird landed on his shoulder. For a moment, he felt like Beradon was the one sitting on his shoulder.

Minhyuk clenched his fists tightly and pounded the ground as he shouted, “Who the hell did this to you?!!!”

At that moment, the voice of the most significant and holiest being rang in his ears.

[God of Origin Athenae looks at you with a bitter expression on her face and says...]

[Child.]

[This is his fate.]

The anger in Minhyuk’s heart rose even more when he heard the bullshit that Athenae spouted. But soon, Athenae revealed.

[He knew about his death long before it happened, so he did not want to accept any more disciples. He wanted to rest.]

The tears flowing down Minhyuk’s face stopped. Even though Beradon knew he was about to die, he still took him in as his disciple. Why?

[He looked up at the sky and said...]

[“It might just be a few short days.”]

[“But they are the most meaningful days that I have spent in this world.”]

A gut-wrenching pain gripped Minhyuk’s heart.

[The time he spent with you after your meeting was far more valuable to him than taking a rest.]

[The dish that you cooked for him was also the warmest.]

[Child.]

Tears started to drip down Minhyuk’s face as he turned to look at the Master’s Tree once again.

[He was delighted to meet you at the end of his life.]

When he heard Athenae’s words, Minhyuk recalled the last notification he had heard earlier.

[The system's creator smiles as he looks at you.]

At this moment, he realised that Beradon had looked at him with a happy smile before he finally laid to his eternal rest. Minhyuk silently shed tears, depression evident through his figure. After hours of crying, Minhyuk finally regained his cool.

‘Who in the world can make Grandpa suffer like this?’

That was when Minhyuk realised something. “Is it Helenia?”

Athenae did not answer Minhyuk’s question. But at that moment, the guild chat suddenly grew noisy.

[Guild Chat | Vice Guild Master Genie: There’s an emergency. The Luvien Empire has just announced that Helenia has disappeared from Beauden Fortress.]

When he heard those words, Minhyuk was convinced of his conjectures.

He clearly remembered how helpless he was when Helenia first appeared. Although he was able to seal her again back successfully then, he knew that luck played a huge part during that fight.

He had witnessed firsthand how helpless everyone in Athenae was as Helenia swept them away. But there was one thing that Helenia should know.

‘I am different from how I was back then.’

Minhyuk had become 20% stronger than he was just this month alone. He had also not yet eaten the Beef Galbi-jjim Across All Eras.

Thirty minutes later.

A pot of kimchi jjigae was boiling before the Master’s Tree. Minhyuk wanted to serve this dish along with the alcohol to his master.

“How does the jjigae taste?”

Beradon had always pretended he did not want to eat Minhyuk’s dish, but he would always eat it quickly.

‘You brat, you’re quite a good chef. Hoho.’

A faint smile appeared on Minhyuk’s face as he poured all the alcohol he brought on the ground beneath the Master’s Tree. Then, he kowtowed twice before going down the hill. As he went down, his expression grew increasingly ugly.

***

After finding a way to not lose in the war against humanity and killing her master, Beradon, Helenia walked and walked, only stopping in front of a skinny, gloomy old man. The old man was none other than the Lord of the Monsters, Barbarian.

“Hoho. What brings the greatest Immortal Sorceress to this hideous place?”

Barbarian, surrounded by countless monster corpses, was not only the father of all monsters but also someone who dabbled in creating new monsters.

“I came here because I believed someone here shares my thoughts.”

Helenia knew the story of Lord of the Monsters Barbarian.

Barbarian was once a candidate to become one of the Eight Pillars. However, he was stripped of his qualifications after his experiments were discovered. This was because he combined not only the monsters' bodies to create new monsters but would even use the bodies of several highly intelligent races.

Even though he was furious about being stripped of his qualifications as a candidate to become one of the Eight Pillars, Barbarian was not stupid enough to let his anger out and confront the other Eight Pillars and the gods.

He bid his time, hid from the eyes of the Eight Pillars and the gods, and quietly created new monsters from both monsters and other races for a very long time. Countless unheard-of Named Monsters stood behind Barbarian and released an overwhelming pressure to the surrounding area. They were the results of Barbarian’s hard work all these years.

But that was not all. As the Lord of the Monsters, he would fail in his name if he did not have a Monster Corps under his command, right? Of course, he has, and his troops were overwhelming.

“Hoho. Share the same thoughts? Then, what are your thoughts?” Barbarian asked, greed making his eyes turn green.

“I will kill all of humanity and eventually kill Athenae, too. Once I do that, I can let you and your monsters live in the land where humanity lived.”

Barbarian did not have any reason to refuse. He had been hiding for a very long time because he did not have the power to stand up and fight against Athenae alone. But if he was with Helenia, then the story would be different. Barbarian would never forget Athenae’s contempt as she stripped him of his qualifications to become a candidate.

“Hoho. Then, I have to gather my monsters.” Barbarian laughed, a strange glow appearing in his eyes as he breathed deeply and solemnly. “I will stand at the vanguard.”

***

[Immortal Sorceress Helenia has awakened.]

When they heard the world message, all the players were left in a daze. They clearly remembered how overwhelming Helenia was when she appeared just a year ago. But this time, there were not only scared players but also confident players.

[We’re completely different to how we were a year ago, right?]

[The level of players has grown by more than 30% compared to a year ago. Recently, over 200 people reached Level 650 after the triple EXP event. In addition, those who have achieved Level 650 this time have exceeded Minhyuk’s powers from a year ago.]

[I am Ramchai. I have achieved Level 650 and will definitely succeed in Helenia’s Raid.]

[I am Kirin. I have achieved Level 650, and I am sure that Helenia will no longer be an opponent for us.]

The players cheered at the appearance of the Level 650 players. But the notifications that rang not long after made them all grow silent.

[The Episode: Immortal Sorceress Helenia and Lord of the Monsters Barbarian’s Quest for Destruction has started.]

[You will receive great rewards for protecting the world from Immortal Sorceress Helenia and Lord of the Monsters Barbarian.]

And although it was very unusual, Joy Co. Ltd. posted an additional announcement regarding Barbarian.

[Lord of the Monsters?]

[Are you saying that countless monsters will appear with him?]

[Hey, Level 650 players! Are you sure that you will be able to hunt Helenia?]

The spirited high-rankers immediately turned mute. They had confirmed that the Lord of the Monsters had destructive power that could rival Helenia’s own.

Just like that, the entire world fell into terror and chaos. During that time, world-renowned ranker Alexander called for an emergency press conference.

***

Washington D.C., United States of America.

A crowd of reporters and journalists from all over the world flocked to attend the press conference.

Alexander had already realised it. He thought, ‘If we don’t stop Helenia and Barbarian, everything the players have built will disappear.’

Based on Alexander’s estimate, 70% of the human race would disappear if they failed to stop the two.

‘This is the limit for having freedom in virtual reality games.’

It was quite difficult for Joy Co. Ltd. to interfere in this matter. There might even be a chance that Joy Co. Ltd. did not expect Helenia to cooperate with Barbarian. But if they had controlled the NPCs, who think and move the same way as humans, then Athenae would not be what it is today.

And just like Alexander thought, such a setting would eventually face its limit. That was why he believed that the Athenae of today might experience a drastic fall after this.

When Alexander looked at the clamouring reporters, he saw around twenty Level 650 players and around fifteen God-class players in attendance. These thirty or so people had made a name for themselves and were treated as famous figures and celebrities in their own countries.

Alexander reached only one conclusion after considering everything: ‘We have to work together and try to move toward the same goal.’

The problem was that the world’s powerhouses were arrogant. Nevertheless, they all had to work together for this. Only if they do that would they be able to increase their chances of winning.

‘We will be nothing but a group of ragtags if we work separately.’

But it would be different if all of the powerhouses worked together.

‘We will be able to become a powerful army.’

Blinding camera lights flashed as Alexander stood on the podium.

Click, click, click–!

Alexander quickly relayed his thoughts on the current situation. The reporters were all left in a buzz after hearing his words. Then, one of the reporters wrote his article with this title.

[Alexander speaks of the fall of Athenae.]

Every one of them knew that there was a high chance that it could happen.

Of course, not only were the media and the press present, but countless prominent figures from Athenae were also present. And they all wanted to hear what Alexander had to say about the situation.

“If we don’t cooperate and join forces, we will lose. I believe it is time for all of us to fight together.”

The reporters agreed with Alexander.

Meanwhile, Team Leader Park Minggyu, also present during the press conference, thought, ‘Indeed. Alexander’s words are reasonable. If they join forces and fight, their chances of winning will increase. But...’

The arrogant players were much more stupid than they thought.

“If we fight together to hunt Helenia and Barbarian, all the attention will fall on you.”

“Alexander, your thoughts are visible to us.”

“Those who deal the greatest damage will obtain the greatest rewards. Aren’t you jealous of them too?”

They sharply pointed out these matters, and that was truly the case. Regardless of Alexander’s intentions, he would get the most attention and reward. This fact would remain the same.

“That’s not what I’m trying to say here. Our Athenae will...”

“So, you want us to suffer together, but the only one who will achieve the greatest wealth and honour is you?!”

“Do you think this is fair?!”

“We will fight Helenia on our own so that you can fight Helenia on your own too!”

“Besides, we belong to our empires and kingdoms! If we fight with you, what will you do about our penalties?!”

The press conference was thrown into chaos. Alexander’s expression grew ugly at the stupidity of the people before him. Their words made it hard for Alexander to suppress his anger.

A bitter expression flashed on Team Leader Park’s face. ‘This is the reality.’

Joy Co. Ltd. had concluded that the powerhouses would never cooperate, which, of course, would ruin their chances.

However, at that moment, a man stood amidst the crowd of players and walked toward the podium. Both the players and the journalist gave way for him, a show of his immense influence on the world.

Team Leader Park looked surprised. Yes, he knew that he was here. But he never expected that he, who hated coming forward like this, would stand up and head to the podium himself.

The cameras flashed nonstop. Not long after, Alexander saw Minhyuk standing right in front of him. Unlike his usual smiley self, Minhyuk had a serious expression on his face.

“Minhyuk.”

“We share the same thoughts, no?”

When Minhyuk stepped on the podium, Alexander knew they were on the same page. Alexander did not care who led the players. It did not matter if it was he or Minhyuk as long as they could protect Athenae. That was what mattered the most to him.

Despite that, he held the microphone away and stopped Minhyuk from speaking. He said, “What are you thinking? The people will accuse us of joining forces and monopolising everything just by standing here together. This will discourage them from gathering under us more.”

“There is a sure way to do that.”

“A sure way?” Alexander looked at Minhyuk in confusion.

Minhyuk carefully removed Alexander’s hand from the microphone and said, “Come to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

“As expected! The Beyond the Heavens Empire is going to monopolise everything!!!”

“Do you think we don’t know that Alexander and the Beyond the Heavens Empire will collude and take all the wealth and fame?!!!”

“This is a scoop! The article's title will be: ‘Greedy Minhyuk and Alexander: Taking Advantage of Helenia’s Hunt to Gain Money,’ am I right?”

Then, Minhyuk said, “One hundred billion won.”

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

“We will pay at most one hundred billion won.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

Alexander’s eyes grew wide. Even Team Leader Park was looking at Minhyuk in awe.

That was right. There was only one thing that could unite all of the people. And that was none other than “money.”