Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1141

Gardin unknowingly made a sound because the kimchi pancake was flipped at the perfect time.

‘Just look at it!’

The surface of the flipped pancake was golden, indicating that it had been cooked very well. If he could tear a huge piece from it and put it in his mouth, he would feel the crispy ends and the delicious kimchi flavor.

“Ahem! What are you doing in front of someone else’s house?!”

When the young man heard Gardin’s words, he immediately apologized. “I’m sorry. I’ll just eat this and go somewhere else.”

Gardin was left flustered and embarrassed when the young man acted politely and bent his upper body at a 90-degree angle to bow at him.

In a blink, the young man has transferred the cooked kimchi pancakes to a plate. The tantalizing smell of the pancakes wafted over along with the steam coming off it, tickling Gardin’s nose.

The young man, who was about to eat, seemed to have recalled something. He said, “By any chance, do you know someone named Gardin?”

“I am that Gardin. Why are you looking for me?”

“Someone asked me to come and find Gardin. There’s something that I have to ask.”

“I am the Pandemonium’s Author. I am writing about Pandemonium. I have lived in Pandemonium for a very long time and know almost everything about it. That’s why people come and find me first. They often ask me about Pandemonium.”

“Oho.”

“Wait! I will not tell you anything about Pandemonium for free. You have to pay the price. If you want me to tell you, you have to complete many tasks for me.”

“I see,” the young man said. Then, he bowed his head again.

‘No. Why did you stop talking? Didn’t you say that you have something to ask me?’ Gardin thought as he looked at the young man.

The man paid him no heed. It was as if he no longer cared and had already put everything behind him.

Steam rose from the kimchi pancakes as the man used his chopsticks to tear them apart. The well-ripened kimchi and the bits of squid sticking out from the edges of the torn pancake made Gardin gulp dryly.

The young man grabbed the bigger piece after tearing the kimchi pancake in half.

‘That guy knows how to eat!’

Then, he put it in his mouth all at once.

“Ho~” The young man breathed roughly as he rolled the still hot, steaming kimchi pancake around his mouth.

‘The feeling of those crispy ends and the taste once you chew them all together…’

Crunch, crunch–

‘The taste of kimchi will definitely bring you to the peak of ecstasy.’

As the young man continued to eat, the rain finally fell from the overcast sky. The moment the raindrops fell, the man took out a parasol from his inventory and unfolded it on the spot.

“No, why is something like that coming out of there?”

Once again, the man took a bite out of his kimchi pancake, saying, “Do I have to do something for you before you tell me what I’m curious about?”

“That’s right.”

“So, why are you sitting in front of me?”

“Boy, you’ll be lonely if I don’t sit here.”

“But I don’t feel lonely at all?” The young man said as he tore another piece of kimchi pancake.

Gardin unknowingly opened his mouth at the sight.

“What kind of place is Pandemonium?”

“Oho. Didn’t I tell you? I will only tell you something you want to know every time you complete a task for me!” Gardin suddenly grew angry.

Then, the man said, “One bite for each question.”

“Do you think I’m that kind of person?!” Gardin shouted, his eyes turning sharp as he jumped up and down in anger. “I will never answer a question for a piece of kimchi pancake!”

The young man, Minhyuk, grinned.

“Do you know my nickname? It’s ‘Safety Lock’! It’s because I never, ever say anything before going on a mission!”

And ten seconds later…

Minhyuk, with a sneaky smile, watched as the enraptured Gardin smiled as he pushed the kimchi pancake into his mouth.

***

Minhyuk tore up the return scroll that the Battle God had given him. These notifications rang in his ears the moment he stepped foot in Pandemonium:

[You have entered the Pandemonium’s Country.]

[You are the first visitor.]

[Your EXP Acquisition Rate and Artifact Drop Rate will double.]

[As the first visitor, please meet Author Gardin and listen to him explain Pandemonium’s Country.]

[Gardin will give you a task. Every time you complete a task, he will answer one of your questions.]

Minhyuk could tell that Gardin was acting as a guide. After finding his house, Minhyuk deliberately made kimchi pancakes in front of it. That was right; everything he did was intentional.

And right now, Gardin took a bite of the kimchi pancake.

[You can ignore the task restriction and get one answer from Gardin.]

Minhyuk bought Gardin’s knowledge with a bite of the savory pancake.

“What kind of nation is the Pandemonium’s Country?”

“Pandemonium’s Country is a place where countless people live in Pandemonium. A variety of people live here: the dead, the living, someone from the legends, or even someone from the myths. Anyone who wants to come here.”

Minhyuk stretched his chopstick. Gardin opened his mouth with an “Aah~.”

“Is Pandemonium a good place to live in?”

“It’s not a good place to live in. The Pandemonium King, who leads this land, suppresses many things.”

When Minhyuk tried to offer Gardin another bite for another question, the man shook his head. Gardin said, “Oho. Don’t even think I’m a man with a light and easy mouth…”

Glug– glug–

Minhyuk grabbed a spoon and poured Gardin a bowl of makgeolli.

“On a rainy day like this, pancakes taste best with makgeolli.”

“Gulp, gulp. Kyaha!”

“What do you mean by suppressing?”

“Including food and water, everything else in this place is controlled. This place is like a prison. We don’t have any freedom.”

“Alright! Let’s have another bowl!”

“Kyaha! Delicious!”

“Pandemonium is also called the Supreme. I’ve been told that there are no limits here. But… What exactly is the limit?”

This was one of the most important questions. Minhyuk wanted to know the truth about the words that the Battle God’s Statue had told him before.

Gardin held up his pair of chopsticks.

“In this place, it’s what you commonly know as normal.” Gardin grinned. “To put it in the terms used in the outside world, the normal here is God-rank or sometimes higher than that. There are times when it’s much, much higher than that.”

“So, what you mean is…”

“There’s no restrictions on rankings and grades in this place.”

“...?!”

The words that Gardin said were pretty shocking.

“In the world that you live in, it’s tough to reach God-rank or any rank higher than that. And there are limits over those things, too. You will eventually stop once you reach the greatest and highest rank. But in Pandemonium…”

Minhyuk gulped dryly.

“...it’s infinite. There are no limits.”

It was genuinely shocking.

In other words, even after reaching the Supreme, the highest grade or rank in existence, they might be able to get a higher realm than that or perhaps go even higher and higher.

Meanwhile, Gardin started to feel a bit strange. He shouted, “Ah, so good! Let’s have another drink!”

When Minhyuk poured another bowl of makgeolli for him, Gardin gulped it down.

“Wahahaha! Why is this makgeolli so sweet? It’s really sweet!”

“It’s Sea Honey makgeolli. It’s very famous in the outside world.”

“Oh, okay? Alright! One more!”

Gardin did not stop asking for more. Despite having a dark red flush on his face, Gardin continued to drink makgeolli. And, of course, Minhyuk kept on asking him questions.

“Ah. So, you’re saying that to make it easier then…”

“If I go to Baidan Hills over there, then…”

“Right. There’s a very amazing blacksmith over there. They call him a Master Artisan.”

Minhyuk started to rake in as much information as he could. Of course, there were still things that Gardin could not say. And one of them was about the territory. Although Minhyuk tried to ask him what the Battle God’s Statue had told him, the notifications stopped him.

“One more drink!” Gardin, who was delighted, continued drinking makgeolli. Then, he said, “Now that I look at you closely, I really like you.”

[Gardin’s favor has increased.]

“...?”

“You’re really good-looking!”

[Gardin’s favor has increased.]

“If I had a daughter, I would have asked her to marry you!”

[Gardin’s favor has increased.]

Gardin’s favor increased by a lot. In the end, Gardin, who was already turning sloppy while drinking, passed out.

The next day, Gardin woke up with a throbbing headache. Then, he suddenly remembered the kimchi pancake and makgeolli he had eaten and drunk the previous day.

“Hyung-nim~”

The young man who he met yesterday suddenly started calling him hyung.

‘What kind of situation is this?’

“Boy! Why are you here?! Why are you calling me hyung-nim?!” Gardin’s pupils shook.

“You don’t remember? Hyung-nim, yesterday you said, ‘From now on, we are brothers!’ You even told me to speak casually to you.”

“...?”

“Ah, and you should remember, right? You said that you’ll let me know anything I’m curious about without paying the price.”

“What kind of ridiculous thing are you saying…”

At that moment, Minhyuk turned on the recorder, a player’s special privilege.

[Hohoho~ Awoo! From now on, I will tell you everything that you want to know.]

[Tasks? What kind of tasks?! There’s no need for that between us! Hohoho.]

‘Come to think of it…’

Although Gardin did not remember, he felt as if this young man in front of him was very familiar. And it was the familiarity between two people who had been together for a very long time. Gardin might not know, but this was all because of the favor that had shot up dramatically yesterday.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk had peacefully made a refreshing bowl of delicious dried pollack soup and placed it in front of Gardin.

The poor author Gardin had often starved. The sight of the bowl was enough to make his mouth water. Soon, he remembered something.

“Boy, you shouldn’t be here.”

“Yes?”

Gardin felt pathetic at his own slow-wittedness.

“Hurry up! Get out of here!”

Although Gardin was asking him to leave in a hurry, Minhyuk remained calm. He asked, “Hyung-nim, I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s eat this delicious dried pollack soup first…”

“This damn bastard!” Gardin screeched at Minhyuk.

He wanted to get him out of his house as soon as possible. One look at the still steaming dried pollack soup made Gardin remember some blurred fragments of his memories from yesterday. These blurred memories suggested that Minhyuk was a chef who loved food. He could feel his love for food in this steaming bowl of soup.

Even so, Gardin still tried his hardest to ignore the soup and the man. He even went so far as to throw an empty plate.

Clang–

“You bastard, when did I become your hyung?! Get out of my house! Now! How dare you do that to me when I’m drunk out of my mind?!”

Then, at that moment…

Thud–

The door slammed open as he finally entered. It was Ullagor, the commander of the Supreme Army’s 12th Knight Order.

Just like what Gardin had mentioned to Minhyuk yesterday, Pandemonium’s Country was a place where everything was being suppressed and controlled. That included food, entertainment, and even travel. And it was not just that. Everything was being exploited and taken away by the kingdom. To make it even worse, this was already a land with a high level of difficulty. It was a place that the land where the humans currently lived could never compare to in terms of harshness.

Thud, thud, thud–

Gardin’s breath was caught in his throat as the commander of the Supreme Army’s 12th Knight Order walked toward him.

“You’re the one who’s writing about the revolution, huh?”

“...”

Gardin trembled in fear.

That was right. Gardin’s novel, Pandemonium’s Country, was not yet completed. Why? Because he was hoping for a new spark to the revolution.

When the kingdom learned about Gardin building a house and living well out of their sight, they threatened to execute him right away if he did not come to their kingdom and apologize.

Even after receiving such threats, Gardin did not go. This was because he wanted to protect the pride of the revolution.

“Hurry up and get out of here, you f*cking bastard!” Gardin shouted at Minhyuk again. And at the same time…

Slash–!

“Did you just try to have a meal without any permission from us?”

Ullagor’s sword shattered the still-steaming bowl of dried pollack soup.

Minhyuk looked at the shattered bowl of dried pollack soup before looking at Gardin once again.

“Get out! Bastard!”

Minhyuk turned around and slowly walked toward the door. He sighed lightly as he grabbed the handle and went outside.

‘That’s a relief. Truly, a relief,’ Gardin thought.

After hearing the story about this highly evil and heinous Supreme Army, it seemed like Minhyuk had decided that this had nothing to do with him.

Unfortunately, that was wrong.

“Novelist Gardin. For the crimes that you have committed against the kingdom, I will bring judgment upon you.”

Shiiiiing–

The unmistakable sound of the sword rang loudly in the house. Gardin, who slumped on his seat, looked over the door.

‘Run. Run far away from here.’

Gardin did not remember what the two of them talked about exactly yesterday. Nevertheless, he felt that it was very fortunate that this innocent man would not be killed because of him.

Ullagor scoffed. “I’m sorry, but…”

“...?”

“The hundreds of soldiers waiting outside would have already ripped apart that guy who had just left.”

“...!”

“I have already given them my order, you know? I told them that anyone who comes out of this place must be killed in the worst possible way.”

Gardin’s face grew ugly. Ullagor smiled when he saw the look on his face. He said, “You know what kind of existence the Supreme Army’s soldiers are, right?”

These soldiers have endured countless amounts of excessive training. Especially those who carried the name “Supreme Army,” they were many times stronger than ordinary soldiers.

Ullagor raised his sword and pointed it at Gardin’s neck.

Creak–

Then, the door opened. Ullagor thought that one of the soldiers, who tore the man to death, came to report to him. Strangely, he could not feel the gazes of the hundreds of soldiers outside. He could only feel one stinging gaze from behind him.

Puzzled, Ullagor looked back.

“...!”

He could see the man, who had just left earlier, standing right behind him. The man, Minhyuk, had wiped out the hundreds of soldiers that he had brought with him in less than a minute.

The sight left even Gardin shocked. When he looked up at him, Minhyuk said, “Hyung-nim, I guess you don’t remember.”

Minhyuk shook off the blood from his sword as he looked at the shattered remnants of the bowl of dried pollack soup on the ground.

“Hyung-nim, in exchange for telling me about this place…” Minhyuk pointed his sword at Ullagor. “...I promised to protect you.”