Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 328: Atlas, The Territory with the Strongest Defense

The members of Red Dragon Order and Rio the Ztuber all went silent for a moment. The only thing that was still bustling with activity was BJ Rio’s live chat.

[What the hell was that Lololol!]

[Are there no frightening bastards in Korea at all?]

[As expected of the game XXX country.]

[Of course you have to put the soup first when it comes to ramyeon.]

However, the members of the Red Dragon Order and Luca were not in the mood to play games at all. All of them had no intention of answering.

Although they did not intend to play around, they were aware that this mysterious, albeit intellectually handicapped, boy came from the Asgan Continent. That meant that there was only one course of action. Their verdict? Show no mercy. They had to kill him.

Shing!

Luca’s daggers appeared. Red Dragon Order’s Luca was fundamentally different from Ma Zheonu, despite them both being assassins. Looking closely, Luca could see that the boy had just finished cooking ramyeon.

‘One strike,’?Luca thought. This was his only act of mercy. A quick, painless death.

Luca’s arm moved as an image of his body appeared right behind the boy, despite his body still standing among his group. Then, he slit the boy’s throat. No. He tried to do so. He truly intended for his dagger to slit the boy’s throat, but his dagger was easily blocked by the boy’s wooden chopsticks.

“...!”

“...!”

All of the members of the Red Dragon Order were shocked. The skill that Luca used to attack the boy was ‘Illusion Attack’, an attack that created an image similar to his figure. Even if it was just an illusion, the attack power of the skill would still be as strong as his own attack. No, in fact, the illusion would even have a 200% increase in attack power. It was meant to be a skill that could kill his enemies quickly and easily. To their horror, that skill was blocked by a pair of wooden chopsticks.

“Hey? Do you put the noodles in ramyeon first? Or the soup?”

“...Die,” Luca said loudly as all thirty members of the Red Dragon Order moved to attack the boy. The image of the Red Dragon Order with their black mask and red armor attacking a single boy looked a bit overkill.

Flash!

The daggers of the members of the Red Dragon Order hiding behind a tree flew towards the boy.

Clang!

To their horror, the boy’s chopsticks were enough to stop each and every single one of their attacks. The boy did not even stop moving as he rushed towards them, shouting, “I’m Conir!!! Conir just asked a question but you attacked Conir!!! Bad!!!”

Five members of the Red Dragon Order flew straight towards the boy. Someone even sneakily threw a dagger towards the boy’s head.

Fwoosh!

The boy just tilted his head to avoid the sudden attack. Then, another dagger aimed for his shoulders. And just like before, the boy gently turned his body with a slight twist of his feet and easily evaded the attack. Then, another dagger went for the boy’s abdomen. However, the boy grabbed the assassin’s wrist and pulled his body down in a single move.

‘Ho, how can this be possible…’?Rio thought, astonished and appalled at the sight.

The Red Dragon Order was the best assassin guild in China. Once someone placed a name on their murder list, they would definitely finish the job in just three hours. But these assassins were actually being played around by a single little boy.

“Sh…shit…!” Luca cursed. Just then, the boy suddenly appeared in front of him.

“Death Dag…”

Luca tried to cast his skill, but the boy was faster. He raised his chopsticks high and stabbed Luca straight in the head.

Dong!

The sound of the wooden chopsticks hitting Luca on the head rang loudly in the clearing. The stab was so strong that Luca, the leader of the Red Dragon Order, staggered and swayed. What was worse was the fact that 15% of his HP had disappeared from that blow. But that was not the end of the boy’s attack. The boy’s wooden chopsticks went straight towards his neck, chest, and several other vital points.

Stab, stab, stab, stab, stab―

“Keuhaaaack!”

[Your HP has fallen below 70%.]

[You have received an attack to the neck.]

[Your breathing has been compromised.]

[You have received an attack to the chest.]

[Your body has been paralyzed from the pain in your chest.]

Luca was rendered helpless in an instant. He thought, ‘There, there’s someone like this in Korea…?’

It was clear that the boy in front of them was just an NPC. Regardless, he turned out to be a monstrous existence. The members of the Red Dragon Order rushed forward to save him.

“Captain!”

“Stop him!!!”

Unfortunately for them, the boy was quicker. He had already grabbed the dagger from Luca’s arms even before his guild members had arrived. And…

Stab!

…the boy stabbed Luca in the chest.

“Keuhaack!” Luca screamed in pain as he fell down. His guild members looked at him in agitation.

“You goddamn bastard!”

“How dare you lay your hands on Captain!”

“I will show you what hell is like!!!”

“Conir!! Conir is the greatest ramyeon businessman!!! Conir, bring it on!!!” Conir shouted loudly. However, even if the boy wanted to fight, the appearance of another man made him stop.

The man was quite handsome, with his dark skin and tall build. His right hand was holding a black spear, while his left hand was holding a book with the title ‘Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?’. The man said, “Conir, it’s time to go home. You can’t play anymore past this time. Coochie, coo~”

“Okay!”

‘A man from the demon race suddenly appeared? But, why does he sound like he’s a parent picking up his son, as though he had run around and played with his friends until late in the evening?’

Just then, the demon also did something strange. He said, “Listen, this is a very interesting scene. My body trembled in excitement as His Majesty’s hands slowly swept down my legs…”

“You want to hear more, right? You’re curious, right?” The man from the demon race asked, even though he was the only one who talked. He then continued to say, “Then, purchase the bestseller novel ‘Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?’ by the erotic novelist and unique?author Aruvel. Now, at a 5% discount from its original price of 10,000 gold. You can now buy it at a rare price of 10,500 gold.”

“Hiiiik!”

“This bastard…”

The Red Dragon Order lost their calm. This was clearly mockery. How could someone dare speak peacefully and calmly in front of their glaring killing intent?

These peaceful and calm words made the Red Dragon Order lose their sanity. They faltered and trembled until all reason left their minds, clouded by anger. All of this was what Aruvel intended to do. The moment all of them jumped towards him in anger, Aruvel raised his spear and swung it gently.

[Demonic Dragon’s Spear Arts Chapter 5.]

[Exploding Spear.]

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

A huge explosion rose from the direction that the spear swung in. Three of the members of the Red Dragon Order had been caught in the explosion, while the rest flew back from the impact.

Then, Aruvel and the young boy, Conir, took the opportunity to run. However, the man from the demon race did not forget to say, “If you buy it now, I will sell it to you at a 10% discount for 11,000 gold!!!”

How could the price get more expensive when the discount increased?!!! The Red Dragon Order completely lost their reason as they ran after them, disappearing behind the huge thicket.

Rio was speechless after being left alone. He might be a top ranker too, but he was no match against the Red Dragon Order, the man from the demon race, and the young boy when it came to speed. All he could do was look around his surroundings.

Caw―

Caw, caw, caw―

All he could hear were crows cawing in the distance.

[Look at Rio’s face…]

[Doesn’t he look like a lost child?]

[But where can we buy the ‘Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?’ that the man from the demon race mentioned earlier?]

[...]

[...]

[...]

[...]

Then, someone suddenly appeared from the bushes.

“Hiiiic!” Rio shouted in shock and fear. However, what came out was a very beautiful woman, a figure that could never be the cause of a terrified shriek. It was none other than Genie.

***

Ruth had worked as Ellie’s aide for a very long time. In fact, he had been supporting her and staying beside her ever since she was born. To him, Ellie was a wonderful person standing at the peak. Ruth had watched Ellie carry her sword since she was a child. She used that very same sword to correct and restore the nation’s power, that had weakened due to the Emperor’s disease. She was also a genius. Her talent for swordsmanship easily surpassed the previous Emperor, making her the Sword Emperor at the mere age of twenty.

This very same Ellie began to care for, and loved a foreigner named Minhyuk. In fact, her love for Minhyuk seemed to be more than anybody else at this point. When it happened, Ruth thought that Ellie was lonely. She had fought for her kingdom, against the world all by herself, but she still remained the same. She never shed tears nor showed frustration despite the hardships and sorrow that was thrown at her. Her image as the Empress was the very image that her citizens had of her. She was and would always be tough.

Interestingly, she would laugh and joke around whenever she was with Minhyuk. Ruth thought that was all. But at this moment, Ruth’s thoughts changed.

‘Perhaps Her Majesty, Ellie…’

He was not aware of it despite their closeness, but he realized that perhaps Ellie was tired. She might have wanted to lean on someone’s shoulder or listen to someone’s voice. He realized that Ellie did not cherish and love Minhyuk just because she was lonely. It seemed that she cherished and loved him because she saw the potential in Minhyuk. He had the potential to grow strong and share her burdens. Ruth’s heart burned and blazed at the sight in front of him. Ellie soaring in the sky and showing her powerful swordsmanship while Minhyuk tried to dig into her gaps while casting ‘Scattering Sword’. They were strong. He was strong.

When Ruth first saw Minhyuk, Minhyuk was chuckling happily at him after he cooked and ate a precious medicine. It almost drove him crazy. He had thought that Minhyuk was an idiot. However, his views and thoughts on Minhyuk had completely changed. Minhyuk had now become strong, strong enough to fight toe to toe against Ellie without being pushed back.

‘But…’?

He could not beat Her Majesty yet. However, Ruth could see that Minhyuk had the desire to win and triumph over Ellie. He would never shame that. He would even applaud him for maintaining that strong desire to surpass such a mountain.

Flash!

Minhyuk’s body moved smoothly and neatly. He also had huge talents for the sword. His movements were quick and fast, like a butterfly flying quickly with the wind.

[Three Consecutive Quick Assault]?

[Your attacks will have three consecutive strikes.]?

Although his power and skill was still low, he was someone who Ellie had recognized and taught her Swordsmanship to. However, there were two things that Minhyuk had an advantage over Ellie. And those were ‘artifacts’ and ‘skills’.

Clang! Clang, clang!

Ellie gently blocked Minhyuk’s sword that came thrice in a row, before stabbing Minhyuk at his sides.

[You have successfully evaded the attack.]

The effect of Minhyuk’s newly acquired ‘Monarch’s Armor’ was fully displayed here, allowing him to evade the attack. Thankfully, evading attacks would leave a gap in the opponents' movements. This was an advantage of evading over nullifying.

“Sword of Fury.”

Minhyuk did not miss the opportunity and quickly used Sword of Fury. Wind blew strongly in the area as a powerful force appeared in his sword.

Shwaaaaaa!

Minhyuk immediately stabbed his sword forward. However, Ellie was already behind him.

Claaaang!

She used the same powerful force to send Minhyuk flying away.

“Cough!” Minhyuk coughed after rolling around from the force.

“So, you’re really weak,” Ellie taunted. However, she was very surprised deep inside.

‘One level.’?

Minhyuk had only gone up by that much, but his strength was already comparable to Ellie’s own power. She wondered since when the kid that loved to eat food grew to be this strong.

‘I have already confirmed it.’?

She had confirmed that Minhyuk had the body and the talent to learn the Pinnacle Skill. However, she wanted to see more of Minhyuk’s strength, so Ellie did not stop the fight. Meanwhile, Minhyuk stood up and pondered about something.

Then, Minhyuk raised his hand and asked, “Noona, can I eat?”

It was none other than the skill ‘Let’s Have a Meal’. His idea was to use the skill and his Absorption Conversion at the same time. Ellie nodded and said, “You can use any means necessary.”

***

Rio was shocked by the sudden appearance of a woman. He thought, ‘A Korean ranker?’. He was working as a BJ, so he knew the faces of the rankers from other countries.

Seeing him Genie asked, “You’re doing a live, right?”

“Ah… Oh… Uhm… Yes…”

If Rio got logged out at this point in time, he would not be able to broadcast any content inside the Continent Cloud. That was why he was behaving like an obedient puppy in front of Genie.

“Hello. I’m Genie from the Korean Server,” Genie said, starting with a small greeting. Then, she continued to say, “These days, the confrontation between Korea and China is very hot on the internet. And I have seen a lot of bad comments about our country.”

She chuckled lightly and started to talk about some examples. Genie said, “Korea’s a game XXX country. Korea will definitely lose to China even if we only use 20% of our power. In fact, it was only just yesterday that the Chinese Ranker Chaos said that this is not a continental war against South Korea. What was it that he said? It was a slaughter?”

That was right. Even Chinese rankers, who had to be careful with their words and actions, were openly mocking Korea. Then, a cold smile settled on Genie’s lips. Their words and actions were a slap across the face of Korea. So Genie smiled and said, “Well then, let me give you my answer.”

Her smiling expression immediately turned cold and frosty. Korean rankers were also proud and strong. She thought that no matter what country it was, anyone that mocked them had to be crushed to death. They could not lose their confidence and pride.

Genie’s voice was cold as she said, “Stop wagging your tongues and come if you can. You XXX bastards.”

“...!”

Rio looked at Genie in shock when he heard her words. This was a total declaration of war against all of the Chinese players in Continent Cloud. And…

‘So, so cool!’

Rio shuddered in excitement. The rankers of the country that his people had mocked, believing that they would lose, did not shake nor waver. They even declared a war against them. Rather than being angry, Rio thought that she looked cool. He looked at her and thought, ‘Perhaps…’.

Perhaps they were far stronger than what they had thought. And at that moment, the real-time search results on Chinese Portal Sites completely changed.

[1.?Why Did the Prince Go Out Tonight?]

[2.?South Korean Ranker Genie’s declaration of war.]