Gourmet Gaming
Chapter 1338

Chapter 1338

Chapter 1338

Minhyuk sent his newly acquired grandchildren away after he watched their so-called talent show. He was exhausted by their enthusiastic display. Just when he thought he could take a break, a notification rang in his ears.

Ring!

[The Continental Quest: Diplomat of the Western Continents has been created.]

[Continental Quest: Diplomat of the Western Continents.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: The representative of the Western Continents.

Rewards: Level Up +3

Penalty for Failure: Level Down -1

Description: Olympus’ god, Zeus, wishes to create a stronger army while accepting each other’s culture. So, he offers a suggestion to the representative of the Western Continents.

Zeus suggests that the Western Continents and the Gaia Continent send one representative each. The representatives will then train the troops of each continent and raise them to be stronger than they are now.

Whenever the continent’s representative helps the troops grow stronger, the troops’ growth rate will also increase. The representative who achieves the higher growth rate will be able to acquire the quest’s rewards.

Upon accepting the quest, the players who wish to see the growth and quest progress can watch.

“What’s this, huh?”

Olympus has suffered a lot at the hands of Minhyuk. Minhyuk even took the most important Olympus God’s Ingredients in the fields belonging to each god. Just recently, they were able to kill Kronos successfully.

Of course, they should have been very grateful for their successful hunt of Kronos. However, there was a high chance that this would have influenced the public’s opinion heavily toward Minhyuk.

‘What trick has this bastard got up his sleeves now?’

Minhyuk knew that he would never know unless he accepted it. There was also the chance that he was just being overly cautious over this matter.

He turned to Haze and explained about the quest that he had just received.

“He won’t be able to act rashly because Hephaestus has threatened them.”

Minhyuk had discovered that Hephaestus had turned the tables on the gods of the Gaia Continent and threatened them late. When he learned about it, the only emotion he felt was gratitude. He was very grateful that his dear friend stepped forward and made a move to protect him.

Most of the artifacts in the Gaia Continent were born from Hephaestus’ hands. Because of that, they would not be able to act recklessly against him. After all, Hephaestus could easily break the artifacts in the gods’ hands with just a thought.

“The reward is far too sweet.”

Minhyuk was currently at Level 777. At this point, he needed to focus on hunting and clearing quests for almost ten days before he could increase his level by one.

“I think you should accept the quest.”

This was the conclusion that Haze came up with after pondering the matter for a long time.

“Even if Zeus has a trick up his sleeve, he cannot act recklessly on it. As for the other side, there’s a high possibility they will send someone comparable to you, Your Majesty.”

Humans weren’t perfect. However, they could solve their problems the same way others could also solve their problems.

“We’ll have to recruit people from various empires to participate.”

This quest was not limited to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. As long as they were considered the most outstanding on the Western continents, they could belong to the troops to be trained.

“Most will choose not to apply and join us.”

It was a quest given to Minhyuk. In a way, it could be seen as a quest targeting him and the Beyond the Heavens Empire, which is why there was a chance that they would decline to join.

For now, Minhyuk chose to accept the quest.

***

[The military training agreed upon by the Gaia Continent and the Western Continents will begin shortly.]

[Those who wish to watch the training can watch the progress of both sides at any time.]

When the notification rang, Department Head Kim Daeil had just entered the Special Players Management Team.

An NPC using the system on their own and allowing the players to view the quest progress at any given time was something only an NPC at Zeus’ level could do.

“He’s asking them to train Ares’ troops in the Gaia Continent, right?”

Ares’ troops, especially the best of the best, had crossed the line between life and death countless times. They were the ones who had received training that was more intense than the training that assassins received since their childhood. They were also very loyal to Ares. If Ares died, then they would also die.

“Athena will train the Beyond the Heavens Empire troops with the training that Ares’ Elite Troops have received. Meanwhile, Ares’ Elite Troops will receive the training the Beyond the Heavens Empire has received.”

Department Head Kim Daeil sighed.

“It seems like the troops of the Beyond the Heavens Empire will not be able to avoid suffering and humiliation. How will they be able to overcome such high-intensity training? On the other hand, Ares’ troops will only feel like they’re troubled for a bit.”

“Troubled?” Team Leader Park asked in confusion.

“That’s right. A nice emperor like Minhyuk must have never trained his troops properly. There’s no way that his troops will be able to endure the brutal training intensity that Ares’ Elite Troops have received. Of course, they will be able to grow quickly in a short period of time.”

Department Head Kim Daeil’s assumption was reasonable. However, he was not part of the Special Players Management Team, so he did not know the exact situation. So, in the end, all of this was just his assumption.

“Department Head, do you know which nation has the highest growth rate in terms of military force in the Western Continent in the past decade in the game?”

“Uhm... the Luvien Empire?”

There were many outstanding talents in the Luvien Empire, so they were the first thought that came to Kim Daeil’s head. However, as someone who handled and managed customer-related matters, he did not know the exact situation.

“The Luvien Empire is only ranked second. The one that ranked first is the Beyond the Heavens Empire. And the gap between the first and the second place is staggering.”

“How come? Ah! Come to think of it, the Beyond the Heavens Empire is full of talented individuals, no? So, it was because of them!”

The Beyond the Heavens Empire has had the Fallen Wretched Emperor Brod in the past. They also had Sword God Conir, Spear God Ben, and many other talented individuals. Department Head Kim Daeil thought that they were the reason for the rapid growth of the empire’s military force.

Team Leader Park smiled wryly at him and said, “Minhyuk is not a nice emperor like you said. Well, he’s a good emperor, though.”

Being nice was different from being good.

Team Leader Park turned to the monitor and looked at Minhyuk as he emphasized, “Player Minhyuk is not a nice person when it comes to training the soldiers.”

***

Near a mountain, almost 50,000 troops wearing black horned helmets stood at attention and waited for Minhyuk. Minhyuk had come to the Gaia Continent; this time, he was going as the diplomat representing the Western Continents.

Meanwhile, the moment Minhyuk traveled to the Gaia Continent, the players were given the authority to watch the current situation in Athenae anytime they wanted. Of course, this was also being broadcast live on ZTube.

[Woah. Ares’ troops look hideous. Lololol.]

[Can you see their breaths? Woah, what the hell is that? Is that dried-up blood on their iron maces?]

[The average level of Ares’ troops is over Level 700. They can deal a huge blow to the Luvien Empire with that much military force.]

[Our dear Minhyuk looks a bit pitiful. Lolololol.]

[No. How can our bunny-like, nice guy Minhyuk be able to deal with them? Those guys will eat him up!]

[Tbh, he looks like a fragile and thin person stuck between robust gym rats.]

[I’m worried about how Minhyuk will train them. He looks like he will be too soft on them and unable to train them properly...]

[Frfr.]

At that moment, Minhyuk stood in front of Ares’ Elite Troops.

[The Diplomat’s Military Training has now begun.]

[The Diplomatic Official can punish anyone who goes against their orders during the military training.]

The man wearing the helmet with the largest horn among the troops wearing the black horned helmets stepped forward.

[Commander Rance. Level 897.]

Minhyuk stretched out his hand for a handshake toward this man, who had a much higher level than his own.

“You must be the commander leading the troops? Nice to meet you. Let’s get along well,” Minhyuk said, a soft smile on his face.

Rance glanced at his hand before turning back and saying, “I don’t think there’s a need for any formal greeting.”

“Pfft...”

“The commander has ripped the diplomacy right off the bat.”

“Look at him all embarrassed with his hands raised like that.”

Mocking laughter erupted among the 50,000 troops standing behind Commander Rance. The laughter grew louder when they saw Minhyuk awkwardly lower his raised hand.

“You look quite delicate.”

“You’re probably someone who only sits on your throne and signs the reports your commanders give. There’s nothing to be done if that’s the case.”

“Well, what do you know? You can’t be like Lord Ares. After all, how will you participate in the battlefield when all you do is eat?”

Minhyuk clearly saw the corners of Commander Rance’s lips curling up into a sneer.

***

Ares raised Rance and the rest of the troops since childhood. They were elite, personally nurtured by the God of War, and had crossed the line between life and death countless times.

Not too long ago, Ares, the person they devoted their entire life and loyalty to, had been punished by the gods of Olympus and sent to prison. And the one who made that happen was Minhyuk, standing before Rance.

At first, none of them understood why Olympus suggested conducting a diplomatic exchange and training between the continents. After all, they clearly knew how much they hated this man. If they could, they would put a sword through this man’s neck. Why? Because he dared to inflict an unhealable wound on Ares’ precious and sacred body.

Regardless, as time went by, they understood how amazing Zeus’ idea was. Through this exchange, they could return the ‘favour’ and trample on him completely. They could even show the world that they were not someone that the Western Continents could control. They would reveal this man’s incompetence to the world and undermine his status and prestige!

Yes, the troops finally understood what Zeus wanted to do. When they first saw Minhyuk, they thought he looked like a naive boy who did not know the world's ways.

‘This is why nobles are a pain in the ass.’

They had been slaughtering and eating animals out in the wild and fighting against monsters in minus eighteen-degree weather since they were five years old. But the nobles giving orders from the back under the covers of their blankets and the warmth of their fires? What did they know about the world? Yet this guy wanted to train them and help them grow? That was preposterous. This notion left Rance and the rest of the troops behind him in laughter.

Rance looked down at this dumb dweeb who could not say anything and could only awkwardly lower his raised hand. Unbeknownst to him, he had crossed a line. A line that a commander should have maintained.

The corners of Rance’s lips curled up into a sneer.

[Hyung. This bastard is smirking, right?]

[Wow... he’s obviously looking down on Minhyuk.]

[F*ck you. Just looking at them is making me feel frustrated.]

[Is Minhyuk scared? Lmao.]

Rance’s eyes met Minhyuk’s own.

‘This f*cking dweeb won’t be able to make eye contact with me properly. He will avoid my gaze soon. After all, I have killed thousands of people and crossed the line between life and death countless times. The look in my eyes is something that no ordinary human can...’

“...?”

Minhyuk’s gentle gaze had changed when he looked up from his hand. His gaze seemed to scream that he had crossed the line between life and death a hundred... no, a thousand times over. It was as sharp and as terrifying as the gaze of a tiger.

Minhyuk scoffed, the corners of his mouth curling up into a sneer as his sharp and murderous gaze passed by Rance and the troops behind him. The gaze felt very familiar to them.

‘Lord Ares...?’

No. It was a bit different from Ares.

“You f*cking bastards? Do you think someone is a pushover just because they are smiling nicely and are willing to talk to you? Do I look like I came here just to slap you lightly on the wrist and be done with it?”

The troops went silent when they felt this unfamiliar tension hanging in the air. However, Rance thought that it was just a bluff.

At that moment, Minhyuk changed into a comfortable outfit, leaving his armor inside his inventory. Then, he declared, “The training will start now.”

Minhyuk glared coldly at the troops.

“Can you see that mountain’s peak?”

The diplomatic official could choose where the gathering point was, and Minhyuk had deliberately chosen these troops to gather in front of this place.

Rance smirked. ‘The mountain’s peak? We’ve been climbing mountains with our bare hands since we were seven years old.’

Unfortunately for him, this mountain was quite small. They could easily climb up and descend this mountain in just forty minutes.

‘How many roundtrips do we have to do? No matter how many roundtrips he says...’

“Climb that mountain a hundred times.”

“...?!”

The eyes of every single person present almost bulged out of their heads.

“If I see a bastard walking leisurely, there will be two more laps.

“If I see a bastard try to rest, there will be two more laps.

“If someone falls and drops out, you will have another two laps.

“Do you understand?”

Rance immediately removed the backpack from his back and said, “I will not do it.”

“What?”

“Commander.”

Rance cackled at the absurd demand. “Do you think what you’re asking us is possible? If you think that’s possible, then you as the commander should...”

“Of course, I will also climb that mountain a hundred times.”

“What?” Rance uttered, unable to understand Minhyuk’s words.

‘What does he mean by that? He will also climb that mountain a hundred times with us?’

“You think that it’s impossible. But I know that it’s possible. If someone finishes later than me, they will have to do another ten laps,” Minhyuk said, promptly running toward the mountain.

Rance and the troops stared at his disappearing back in stunned silence.

“What the hell? That’s ridiculous...”

“How can we do a hundred roundtrips on that mountain?”

When they saw Minhyuk’s back grow smaller as he moved further away from them, they finally realized the severity of the situation.

“RUN!!!”

They began to run at full speed.

***

Before they knew it, many people had already gathered in the Special Players Management Team. This group included Department Head Kim Daeil, President Kang Taehoon, and the Story Team’s leader.

“Minhyuk is the one who has developed and nurtured his military forces the best in ten years of game time.”

Team Leader Park smiled wryly.

“You must be wondering why. The answer to that is simple. It’s because he has never treated his army nicely regarding training. Of course, I’m not denying the contributions of Brod, Conir, Spear God Ben, and the other talents of the empire. But did you know? The one who has given the final order regarding the army’s training has always been Player Minhyuk.

“And what’s even more surprising is that most of the soldiers under his command achieve the impossible.”

Everyone turned to look at Team Leader Park in confusion.

“We all know that insubordination always happens in armies. What’s the reason? It’s because the higher-ups always demand the impossible from the soldiers while they themselves do nothing.”

Because of this, the soldiers felt disillusioned and lost trust in the higher-ups. This often led to insubordination and mutiny.

“Minhyuk is different. He has always trained together with his men. Because their commander is training with them, none of the soldiers are dissatisfied with their training method. And because their commander himself is doing the impossible, they all think they should be able to do it themselves. That is Minhyuk’s way. And that’s the reason why he was able to grow his military force that fast.”

Everyone was in awe of Minhyuk’s training method, which left no one dissatisfied. Surprisingly enough, it was also a training method that everyone had to do. After all, since the one standing at the highest position was willing to do it, then the subordinates should also be able to do it, no? Strictly speaking, this should be impossible to implement. In the first place, the higher-ups would definitely think that there was no need for them to do something like that.

At that moment, Team Leader Park said, “Don’t you think he’s a truly awesome commander?”