Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 1070

The air in Joy Co. Ltd.’s conference room was solemn and filled with tension.

Joy Co. Ltd. had expected a slim chance of victory for humanity. Even if they won, the company expected mankind to suffer substantial damage. However, humanity won, and the damage that they suffered was barely 20% of what they had initially calculated.

Regardless, the victory was welcome. After all, the damage to the NPCs was much lower than they expected. There was also the fact that the number of players did not decrease.

President Kang Taehoon declared, “We will discard all subsequent planned quests related to this matter, including the episode: ‘Surviving Through the Ruined Athenae.’”

Their months of hard work went down the drain in just an instant. Nevertheless, none of them felt any regret or disappointment. The only problem was that things were unpredictable for them now.

Department Head Kim Dae-Il asked, “Currently, the Story Team is reporting that the seats of the Eight Pillars are empty, right?”

“That’s right. Kronad has already been deprived of his qualifications. His name remains on the list of the Eight Pillars, but he is no longer a part of them,” Team Leader Park replied, a serious look on his face. “That’s not all. The same is true for Evil God Obren. He is no longer the Eight Pillars’ Evil God Obren. He is now an Absolute God, and the Guardian God of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”

Kang Taehoon groaned. “And Helenia’s seat has also become vacant...”

There were at least three empty seats among the Eight Pillars. Of course, it was more than enough for the remaining members of the Eight Pillars to remain as mythical beings. The problem was Helenia died. And even if Ali, who was due to succeed in her role as the Immortal Sorcerer, he could not become one of the Eight Pillars.

“Will it be a problem if the Eight Pillars’ seats cannot be filled right away?” Department Head Kim Dae-Il asked.

This was because he had been managing a completely different team from them. Recently, he was assigned to oversee and manage the branches from overseas.

President Kang Taehoon explained, “The Eight Pillars are the cornerstones of Athenae. We don’t know what anomalies would occur to maintain the balance.”

Since they did not know what kind of anomalies would occur inside the game, it was a problem.

“What if Player Minhyuk becomes the ‘Pillar of the Gourmands’ after he reaches Level 700?” Kim Dae-Il pressed on.

President Kang Taehoon shook his head in response to Kim Dae-Il. Indeed, there wouldn’t be many who would doubt Minhyuk becoming the Pillar of the Gourmands. However, even if he could become one, his current qualifications did not meet the requirements to become one of the Eight Pillars.

Kang Taehoon sighed, “It will take a very long time. And even if we waited, there’s no guarantee he will become a true Pillar of Gourmands.”

“Isn’t he almost at Level 700?” Kim Dae-Il was confused.

The significance of Level 700 was immense. Once a player had reached that level, they could gain more qualifications than at Level 600. But Athenae was a game that valued balance greatly. The wall one needed to climb before reaching Level 700 was very steep, much more than anyone expected.

“I didn’t mention it before because I did not think the executives needed to know. Do you know how much EXP one needs before jumping from Level 699 to Level 700?” Even President Kang Taehoon was shocked by how ridiculous it was.

He continued, “The amount of EXP needed is as much as the combined total needed to level up from Level 650 to Level 699.”

“...!”

“...!”

Everyone present was left in shock. The wall Minhyuk had to overcome was much higher than they had thought.

At this moment, Kim Dae-Il was convinced. He said, “Indeed. It will take a very long time for Player Minhyuk to take over and become one of the Pillars...”

Kang Taehoon nodded.

Then, the thing that they were concerned about had finally happened.

[The Pillar Evaluators have descended!]

President Kang Taehoon’s face was filled with shock.

The Pillar Evaluators were immortal existences in Athenae. Their primary task was appointing qualified Pillar Candidates to become Pillars. Did they appoint the good-natured and kind ones? Not at all. As long as someone passed their evaluation and had merits and qualifications worthy of the name “Pillar,” they would appoint them.

“It seems like they have judged that it is necessary to correct the balance too.”

Not long after, a shocking notification rang all over Athenae.

[Pope Kronad has been stripped of his qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

[Evil God Obren has been stripped of his qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

[The death of Immortal Sorceress Helenia has stripped her of her qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

Times were changing. With the advent of the new era, leaders were also bound to change.

“There must be a reason why they came out in the world and erased the names of those people from the Eight Pillars.”

It seemed like they wanted to find new people to lead and stand at the forefront of the new era.

The scene on the monitor in front of them changed. It now showed the figures of the five Pillar Evaluators, who were in the middle of a conversation.

[A foreigner is one of the Pillar Candidates.]

[We should take a look at him first.]

[What if we came to the conclusion that he does not have the qualifications?]

[Then we will strip him off of his qualifications.]

Foreigner. This word alone was enough for everyone to realize who the evaluators were talking about.

“They’re going to assess Minhyuk.”

They did not look busy and were even talking leisurely.

The situation has turned for the worse. These people were beyond the control of Joy Co. Ltd. That was not all. The power of every single one of them was beyond imagination. Some could see through one’s strength, some through one’s production abilities, and some through one’s essence. These evaluators judged the candidates on various things.

On top of all that, there was one other factor.

“The main point here is that... they will never view a foreigner favorably.”

Everyone in the room did not know what would happen once they reached the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

Knock, knock, knock–

At that moment, someone knocked lightly on the door.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

It was immediately followed by a series of urgent knocks, as if the person were in a hurry and could not bear to wait.

Realizing that someone had come to report something unusual, Kang Taehoon called, “Come in.”

Lee Minhwa entered the conference room, gasping, “I have something urgent to report.”

Kang Taehoon asked, “Report? What kind of report?”

Lee Minhwa hurriedly said, “The Transcendentals have escaped from the Fortress of Fantasy.”

“...!”

It seemed like another shocking and unpredictable event had been triggered by Helenia’s death.

The Transcendentals were Named NPCs with levels over Level 1,000. They had also formed a relationship with Minhyuk in the past. Minhyuk had served them a delicious meal. For eons, these prisoners had been trapped eating rotten centipedes and bugs inside the Fortress of Fantasy.

The Transcendentals had never ventured outside the Fortress of Fantasy because they wanted to avoid Helenia from detecting them. It was also a way for Joy Co. Ltd. to block them through the system.

A flash of disbelief appeared on Team Leader Park Minggyu’s face. “Don’t tell me where they’re headed now is...”

“Yes...? Ah, yes. What you’re thinking is right. They’re going to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.” Lee Minhwa responded.

“...”

President Kang Taehoon was rendered speechless by the unpredictability added to an already unpredictable situation.

Then, Team Leader Park asked, “President, at this point, should we worry about the Beyond the Heavens Empire or the evaluators?”

“Ha... Please worry about my blood pressure first.”

It seemed like Kang Taehoon was also in a very unpredictable situation.

***

[Pope Kronad has been stripped of his qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

[Evil God Obren has been stripped of his qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

[The death of Immortal Sorceress Helenia has stripped her of her qualifications as one of the Eight Pillars.]

Although Minhyuk was told to rest for a week, he could not sit still, and ended up accessing Athenae. The moment he logged in, these notifications rang in his ears, leaving him utterly shocked.

“Obren, what’s going on? Are you okay?”

Of course, the thing that worried Minhyuk the most was Obren.

Obren, who no longer had to go somewhere, soon replied.

[I’m fine. There’s nothing strange about it.]

“Phew. That’s a relief.”

His imagination ran wild for a moment, and he thought of many things.

Just then, Obren continued with a slightly worried tone in his voice.

[The fact that they suddenly stripped us of our qualifications... it seems like the Pillar Evaluators will descend to the world.]

“Pillar Evaluators?”

[That’s right.]

Obren explained to Minhyuk who the Pillar Evaluators were and what they did, especially their important role in observing the Pillar Candidates and Pillar Successors and choosing among them those who had the qualifications to become Pillars.

This caused Minhyuk to ask, “If there are evaluators, then does that mean that someone is leading these evaluators?”

[Indeed. I believe there is. However, no one has ever seen them before.]

“...?” Minhyuk looked genuinely puzzled.

‘The evaluators have a leader, but no one has ever seen them?’

[If there is one, then it should be Athenae. I’m not too sure myself. I can only confirm that the evaluators would gather the information together and give the leader the final report. My case is a bit special. I have never seen the evaluators, and I haven’t undergone any unusual or special process. When I opened my eyes, I was already a Pillar.]

‘When he opened his eyes, he became something he only heard about...?’

Still, it was understandable. Given how strong Obren was, he truly did not need any evaluation.

Then, another question popped into Minhyuk’s head.

“If I pass their evaluation, does that mean I will become one of the Eight Pillars?”

[No. That’s impossible. You haven’t crossed over the wall yet.]

“Ah, you’re too blunt.”

Even though Obren was not in front of him, Minhyuk could already imagine the man shrugging his shoulders. After confirming that Obren was fine, Minhyuk decided not to pay too much attention to the notifications.

“The wall you’re talking about should be referring to Level 700, no?”

[Yes. I believe that’s what you refer to it in your foreigner’s terms.]

Minhyuk was now at Level 697. Level 700 might look like it was just right around the corner, but it was still too far away.

‘The amount of EXP I need to go from Level 697 to Level 698 has more than tripled. This has been the case ever since I stepped in the 690s.’

At this point, Minhyuk did not know how much EXP he would need from Level 699 to Level 700. If Minhyuk knew it would be more than the EXP combined from Level 650 to Level 699, he might pass out.

Minhyuk, who was oblivious to the truth, recalled all of the things that he had obtained. Helenia and Barbarian had dropped many outstanding things. There were countless weapons and items that could help improve armor.

Since they were items and materials that dropped from one of the Eight Pillars and one of the Pillar Candidates, Hyemin’sDaddy had difficulty dealing with them.

At this moment, Minhyuk thought of Nekk. Nekk was the Transcendental who made Minhyuk’s Transcendental’s Armor Set.

‘He’s a blacksmith whose level is at least at Level 1,000.’

The thought of their existence alone was enough to leave anyone breathless. Minhyuk also recalled Bender, the strongest among the Transcendentals. Minhyuk wanted to compete with him at least once. Not only that, he also wanted to learn from him.

‘Come to think of it, Helenia has already died. I wonder what will happen to them next?’

According to them, one reason they could not leave the Fortress of Fantasy was Helenia.

‘They said that Helenia would notice and be able to track them immediately if they left that place.’

From what Minhyuk heard, there were still other reasons why they could not leave.

‘What was it again? They said they would lose their strength if they stayed outside for too long. It’s because they had been staying inside the Fortress of Fantasy for a long time, right?’

Minhyuk nodded at the memory.

‘I’ll have to go and visit them soon.’

Just when the thought flashed, Brod knocked briefly and entered the office.

“Your Majesty, some suspicious people are asking to see you. I brought them in.”

“Suspicious people?” Minhyuk asked in doubt.

The fact that Brod described them as suspicious meant they were dangerous.

“How suspicious?” Minhyuk asked.

Brod replied, “They stood before the bungeo-ppang stall and sniffed the air around. They left the stall owner feeling distressed and overwhelmed.”

“...?”

What kind of nonsense was that?

Confused, Minhyuk quipped, “I don’t have any children, though?”

“...”

These suspicious people were doing precisely what Minhyuk would do. However, anyone could buy and eat the bread, so it was really strange to see them just standing in front of the stall and sniffing the aroma of the bread like that.

When Minhyuk saw the faces of the people who entered his office, his face could not help but brighten. He greeted them happily. “Nekk! Bender! How are you, guys?”

Speak of the devil, and he doth appear.

Nevertheless, Minhyuk was delighted to see the Transcendentals appear in his empire.

“Why were you standing before the bungeo-ppang stall like that?”

“We don’t have any money...”

“This is the first time in a long time that we have entered an empire, and the smell was just so captivating.”

The Transcendentals had spent thousands of years inside the Fortress of Fantasy. Of course, they did not have money. Even so, they would never try to harm humans for their benefit. After all, this was a part of their rules.

However, these were the same people forced to eat only rotten centipedes and bugs inside the Fortress of Fantasy. They willingly helped Conir increase his level by 100 after eating the ramyeon the boy made for them. They had also felt delighted after tasting Minhyuk’s dishes. So, it was understandable to see them stand in front of the bungeo-ppang stall and smell the aroma of the cooking bungeo-ppangs.

“The reason why we came here is because we want to thank you.”

“Yes. Thank you for killing Helenia.”

The Transcendentals bowed slightly.

At this moment, Minhyuk felt he was about to burst from happiness. Despite being trapped inside the Fortress of Fantasy, these people could be considered the Strongest Across All Eras. No matter how strong Brod was, he could not beat Bender. That was how strong they were.

After talking with them, Minhyuk realized that the Transcendentals came here for two purposes. The first was to thank him.

And the second was obvious.

“You missed my dishes, huh?”

Although they pretended it was not the case, Nekk could not help but nod in agreement.

“A lot.”

Grinning, Minhyuk replied, “Of course, I have to cook for you.”

It was relatively easy for Minhyuk to cook for them. Besides, he wanted something from them too.

“Well, I don’t have any ulterior motives in cooking for the Transcendentals. But I want to at least fill in for my shortcomings. If possible, I would like Nekk to look at the materials I have obtained.”

Nekk immediately nodded, but the Transcendentals looked puzzled. It was as if they had found the exchange unfair.

“I also want to become stronger.”

Minhyuk had two goals. The first was to become a Pillar, and the second was to develop the Beyond the Heavens Empire to the point that they could easily devour the Luvien Empire. Of course, he wanted to grow stronger during the process.

The desire grew stronger after he recalled the words that he heard from them previously.

‘Bender has an exceptional ability.’

Bender, the strongest and most special being among the Transcendentals, was said to have the power to help others grow. One had to receive his recognition to receive his teachings and achieve growth. From what Minhyuk could tell, this power was quite similar to Beradon's.

Of course, the growth here was the EXP.

“I also want to have a spar with Bender,” Minhyuk stated.

Bender had a proud look on his face as he stared at Minhyuk.

Bender was a powerhouse. Although he could not beat Helenia, who had her ores with her, he was still considered the strongest and the greatest of his own era. Then, there was also his level, which was completely visible to Minhyuk.

[Transcendental Bender. Level 1,093]

His level was indeed far beyond anyone’s imagination.

Then, Bender said, “Since you’re asking for a spar, does that mean you want to test your limits?”

Fully intending to show Minhyuk who the boss was, Bender pulled a pen from Minhyuk’s desk. With an arrogant smile still on his face, Bender said, “Every time you take this pen away from me, I will help you grow a bit. You should know the special power that I have, no?”

“Of course.”

Bender grinned. A long time had passed since they last met. He was sure that Minhyuk had already become stronger. But he was still stronger than what Minhyuk expected. And he was proud of that strength.

“I can guarantee that you will never be able to take this pen away from me...”

[Overpower.]

“...?”

To his horror, Bender was left unable to move.

Just like that, Minhyuk returned the pen to Bender's hands at least four times per second, not forgetting to count each time in a clear voice.

“One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.”

Overpower’s duration was two seconds. This meant that Minhyuk was able to repeat the process eight times.

[You have acquired EXP through Bender’s Authority.]

[You have acquired EXP through Bender’s Authority.]

[...Bender’s Authority.]

Thump–

Roll, roll, roll–

Bender, who could move again, dropped the pen in shock.

“It’s done, right?”

“...”

Bender looked down at the pen. For some reason, he felt like he had been beaten.