Gourmet Gaming
Chapter 1346

Chapter 1346

Chapter 1346

‘You’re not coming?’

‘Why aren’t you coming with us?’

‘You’re not doing it even though we’re all doing it?’

Goddess of War Athena was so drained and exhausted. The elite troops of the Beyond the Heavens Empire always looked at her with gazes that basically demanded that she join them in their training. However, just like any other soldier getting used to the commander’s training, Athena slowly got used to the intensity of the training.

‘How did I get used to it...?’

Yes. Athena gradually got used to training with the soldiers. And as she trained with them, she realized something new.

‘This isn’t bad either.’

During the training, Athena found herself unknowingly enjoying the company. They would cheer each other up, say things about moving forward, or warn each other not to fall because of some muddy water up front. They would even chat with each other during their five-minute breaks.

It was a completely different experience from when she was just standing on a platform and giving out orders. In this way, she understood the soldiers’ grievances and even tore down the wall between them, which brought them closer together. At one point, she thought that these people had become precious to her, too.

[Looking at your Growth Rate, can you bring them over with the Goddess of War’s Charm? Hmm?]

Just then, Zeus’ voice echoed in her ears.

[If you can’t bring them over, then...]

Zeus’ tone was filled with maliciousness and laughter as he continued to speak.

[It’s better to kill them.]

[Of course, you don’t have to have their blood on your hands.]

[You see, Minhyuk went to the Land of the Titans, one of the three prohibited zones in the Gaia Continent. There must be places like that in the West, too. Go and take them there under the pretext of training. You don’t even need to use the henchmen we hid among them. Just sit on the sidelines and let nature take its course.]

Athena’s heart felt heavy. She could only fulfill the orders of the almighty Zeus and bring them to one of the three prohibited zones in the Western Continents. Unfortunately, Spear God Ben, Sword God Conir, and the other vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire could not join them because they had other things penciled in on their schedules.

Athena was aware that the elite troops of the Beyond the Heavens Empire would die if they entered this place. Then, she caught sight of Park looking at her with a gaze that obviously asked, ‘Aren’t you going?’ The soldiers were also looking at her with smiles on their faces. Their gazes screamed, ‘You’re not coming?’ Someone coughed lightly as if to say, ‘Why aren’t you doing it when we’re doing it?!’

“Let’s go in together.”

‘Ah. This doesn’t mean that I have gone against Lord Zeus’ will. I’m just training with them in this place.’

The moment Athena joined them, something had shifted. The outcome was no longer their absolute deaths but their sure survival. At the same time, she also made a vow.

[The Goddess of War stands at the forefront.]

Most of Athena’s powers were focused on training the soldiers or giving buffs. The soldiers, who had been given the world’s most significant AOE buffs, seemed to have been given wings.

Everything was just like when she first came here. Athena trained alongside the soldiers. As for the henchmen? The soldiers could easily kill them after receiving the buff she gave them.

When they left the area, there were no recorded casualties. Athena stepped out and felt the gentle breeze caress her skin. Meanwhile, the soldiers cheered loudly at their victory.

Park said, “With this, the final training is over. Thank you for your hard work.”

The entire army looked at Athena with eyes filled with affection. Park looked conflicted. He knew that if they pleased, they could follow the commander to another continent. But Park knew what the outcome would be. The only reason he was conflicted was that he knew that she would feel hurt by their answer.

“I’m sor—”

Athena shook her head, stopping him from finishing his words.

“I don’t feel sad or lonely at all.”

She would not have chosen to leave this empire if she were in their position. Knowing their answer, Athena left and parted ways with them. And while she was on her way back...

“Eh? Did I become stronger...?”

She had been training alongside the soldiers and was not keen on her progress. At this moment, she realized that she had grown much stronger than when she first came here. Although it sounded ridiculous, it was the truth.

Athena unknowingly looked back at the Beyond the Heavens Empire. She recalled the difficult moments that she experienced in the empire, as well as the times that she laughed and cried with the soldiers. She stood there, unable to take another step forward. After a few moments, she finally decided and hurriedly met with Zeus.

For Zeus, Athena was a child whom he cherished dearly. She was the apple of his eye. That was why he was thrilled to see her come, especially when he was fuming at Ares and the situation he created.

[Oh. You’re here. Right. The Beyond the Heavens Empire has been in the dungeon...]

“Father. I’m going to run away from home.”

‘So suddenly? No. Why do you look so proud to say you’re running away from home?’

[Wh-what are you talking about? Athena. This is not how you usually are.]

Athena was literally the epitome of a good daughter. She was like a model student who always did her best in her tasks and never made Zeus feel bad.

“I’ve heard about what happened with Ares.”

Of course, Athena had her ears in Olympus.

“Was it wrong for him to defend his army?”

[That’s not the problem here. He specifically went against my will...]

However, Athena no longer spared Zeus the time or attention. She immediately turned away to leave.

Athena had never rebelled against Zeus in all her life. But today was different. She would act like a rebellious and willful teenager. She puffed up her cheeks and made herself look vicious and wicked.

“Father. You’re an idiot. Ptew!”

She did it. She had become vicious! No one in the world was more vicious than her! Athena smiled widely in pride.

[Athena!]

Her father’s voice echoed behind her. Alas, Athena was no longer there. She was already running with her wildly thumping heart, laughter spilling out of her mouth as she headed to where she wanted to go.

***

Ares had turned over the rights of all of the drops from the Twisted Titan God’s hunt to Minhyuk.

[You have hunted the Twisted Titan God.]

[You have gained 1,541,413,013 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

Minhyuk gained much less EXP than he had expected.

‘Ares’s contribution is substantial. The army’s contribution is also significant.’

[You have gained 146,413 platinum.]

[You have acquired the Titan God’s Essence.]

[You have acquired the ore: Agaranium.]

[...acquired the ore: Agarath.]

[...fragment of the Shattered Armor.]

[You have acquired the Titan God’s Sword Fragment.]

[You have acquired the Titan God’s Pork Ribs.]

[You have acquired the Olympus’ Creation Scroll.]

The only ones that stood out among the miscellaneous dropped items were the Titan God’s Pork Ribs and the Olympus’ Creation Scroll. When Minhyuk checked the Olympus’ Creation Scroll, he could not help but be surprised.

‘It’s a Pillar-level creation scroll?!’

The name was different, but the effects were on the same level. Perhaps it was only natural. After all, the gods of Olympus should be similar to the Pillars of the Western Continents. According to the scroll's description, Minhyuk could get skills, ingredients, materials, or any other Olympus-grade items through it.

[You have achieved a 100% Growth Rate.]

Minhyuk was stunned by the additional notification that rang in his ears. He had never expected to achieve a 100% growth rate.

‘Why did the growth rate shoot up so suddenly? Ah!’

Minhyuk realized the reason: the soldiers’ levels had increased by at least six to ten levels.

‘It’s the reward for their contribution in the Twisted Titan God’s hunt!’

The reward for their contribution seemed to increase their level significantly. Because the increase in level fell into the category of growth, it also increased the growth rate.

[You have won the bet with Zeus.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You now have one chance to use Zeus’ Treasure House.]

Of course, it was not just Zeus’ Treasure House that was available to him. Ares also handed over authority to Minhyuk to use his treasure house before entering the prison. Although the authority was only temporary, he was asked to use the treasure house to provide weapons and armor for the soldiers.

Minhyuk led the soldiers out of the Land of the Titans. Then, he turned around and said, “Wait for me here. I’ll come back soon.”

[You have moved to Ares’ Treasure House.]

There were exactly 50,000 spears, swords, bows, and blunt weapons in Ares’ Treasure House. From what it looked like, Ares had made all these to give to his soldiers. And it was all prepared before he was imprisoned.

‘It seems like he has developed an affection for them, huh?’

With these artifacts, the military force of Ares’ Elite Troops, or to be precise, Minhyuk’s newly recruited army, would increase significantly.

After taking the artifacts, Minhyuk warped to Zeus’ Treasure House.

***

“That’s petty.”

Team Leader Park smiled bitterly when he heard Lee Minhwa’s words. Indeed. It somehow felt a bit petty.

The one-time chance to use the treasure house was a ploy to stop Minhyuk from taking away something precious. The opportunity only allowed Minhyuk to remove one item from Zeus’ Treasure House. Of course, Zeus was prohibited from taking any precious items inside before Minhyuk entered. But he could change its appearance or hide them inside something else.

And that was what Zeus was doing now. That was why the two felt he was so petty and small-minded.

“In a way, we can say that he’s quite smart?”

Most NPCs would hide their most valuable treasures in the most trivial and insignificant dishes. This was because they knew that 99.99% of the people would choose the things that looked the best around them instead of those insignificant dishes. Unfortunately, Minhyuk was the 0.01%. He chose the dish every single time.

Zeus knew Minhyuk’s nature well. Zeus had heard stories from the Western Continents about how Minhyuk was suffering from eating addiction. So, he made use of this fact well. He placed the most outstanding and mouth-watering ingredients near the door, and unlike the other NPCs, he did not hide anything explicitly.

“It’s always dark under the lamp.”

The two looked at the hundreds of sheets of parchment glowing brightly alongside the most outstanding parchment in Zeus’s Treasure House.

“What do you think is the best for him among these items?”

“What do you think is the best for him among these items?”

Lee Minhwa answered without hesitation, “With Minhyuk’s current situation, the best item for him is the parchment, right?”

“Bingo. Are the parchments you’re thinking of the same ones that I’m thinking of?”

“Yes. I believe Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments are the best and most appropriate items for his current situation.”

A look of interest and excitement flashed on Team Leader Park’s face as he listened to Lee Minhwa.

“The parchments that Hermes made could allow him to get the help of the gods of Olympus, including Hermes himself. And because they were obliged to give help, they had to listen to the request as much as possible. Team Leader, what do you think about it?

“I agree with you.”

Team Leader Park thought the same thing. Although Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments could not be considered the best among the items in Zeus’ Treasure House, they were the most appropriate for Minhyuk’s current situation. It was what he needed.

“Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments are amazing because there’s no time limit.”

Usually, a parchment or a scroll’s effects’ duration would end within twelve hours upon being torn apart. Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments were different. Even if they had already received help from Zeus right after tearing the parchment, they could get help from another god after a while.

Both Lee Minhwa and Team Leader Park Minggyu believed this was the most suitable item for Minhyuk because...

“Perhaps these parchments would be the item they needed to surpass the Greatest Weapons.”

Yes. There was a chance that the help that Minhyuk could get from these parchments would help them surpass the Greatest Weapons. However, the two felt extremely bitter because they could already tell what would happen soon.

[Player Minhyuk has entered Zeus’ Treasure House.]

A few moments later, Minhyuk appeared. He entered not long after Zeus disappeared from his treasure house. And just like they expected...

[Kghhk. As expected of Zeus’ Treasure House! It’s filled with a lot of amazing things!]

So far, Minhyuk has always chosen cooking ingredients or dishes. Of course, the best ingredient inside this treasure house was at the Pillar-grade level, so it wouldn’t be too bad if he chose an ingredient. It was just that his choice would not be the best and most suited for his needs.

Just like Zeus expected, Minhyuk drooled at the ingredients surrounding him. After checking their information, his drool started dripping on the floor.

[Wow... Kronos’ Hanwoo Set? Doesn’t it look delicious?]

[Kghhk. Dionysius Pork Jowl seems incredible too.]

[What’s this? Oh! The Chicken Raised by Hera?]

The drool kept on dripping down Minhyuk’s chin. He could not help but laugh after checking all of the ingredients.

[As expected, Hanwoo is still the best! Alright. How about we check the other items?]

Then, he began to check the various items, ores, and artifacts inside the treasure house. Unlike before, he looked very uninterested. Of course, he also checked the parchments.

[Well, this one’s good too.]

Just like that, Minhyuk checked everything with an indifferent and unenthusiastic look.

Team Leader Park and Lee Minhwa had been watching Minhyuk since he started this game. They knew full well how this young man’s choices were affected not by his thoughts but by his illness, and that was what made them feel bitter.

After checking everything, Minhyuk looked at the Hanwoo set with a bright smile.

[If I have to choose, then...]

Minhyuk reached out without any hesitation.

[Player Minhyuk has chosen to take Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments from Zeus’ Treasure House.]

“Right. It would be the Hanwoo... Huh?”

“Hmm?”

A flash of confusion appeared on the two people’s faces. Then, a scream rang through the monitor.

[U-uwaaaaaaaaah! What the hell?! Why did I choose Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments?! Wait, wait! Let’s backtrack! Let’s do it again! Zeus! You definitely brainwashed me!]

Lee Minhwa and Team Leader Park froze in their seats. The two looked at each other before turning to look back at the monitor again.

The screaming Minhyuk suddenly sighed and put Hermes’ Eleven Divine Parchments in his inventory.

[I chose it because it’s the best choice.]

The better choice.

The best choice.

The right choice.

Minhyuk had always ignored those choices.

“Ah...”

Did he know? Of course not. Regardless, a woman had watched him for a few years, who had grown alongside him from a new employee to a deputy team leader. And at this moment, this woman’s eyes were shining with tears.

They both knew the truth, even if they did not say it.

“Team... Team Leader... P... Player Minhyuk, he...”

Team Leader Park Minggyu was said to be cold-blooded. He only thought of the game and not of the individual players playing it. He knew that Minhyuk’s best choice would be their worst choice.

When he looked back at Lee Minhwa, he did not say much. He just said, “Ah...”

“Yes?”

Team Leader Park, visibly shaking, clenched his fists as tears flowed down his cheeks.

This cold-blooded person had never cheered someone on in his life. However, he knew how this young man had lived. He had seen the path that he had taken firsthand. And because of that, he had forgotten his duty for a moment.

“Amazing! You did it! Kang Minhyuk! You did it! You won!”

They knew the truth.

“WAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

Lee Minhwa and Team Leader Park Minggyu jumped up from their seats and excitedly hugged each other.

And the truth that they knew? It was the fact that Minhyuk was finally reaching the end of his long journey against eating addiction.