Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 723: The Sage’s Tower of Magic

“What’s the matter?” Park Minggyu approached Lee Minhwa with a strange look on his face and stared at her monitor. There, on the monitor, was a very familiar player.

“The Food God?”

“Yes.”

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Right now, the Food God is headed to the Sage’s Tower of Magic.”

“…What?” Team Leader Park’s face turned ugly.

There were numerous towers in the Athenae worldview. It could even be said that they were overflowing. There were even several of them that were of the same name in every empire or kingdom. Some of the empires had grown famous because of their own towers, such as the ‘Tower of Swordsmanship’ or the ‘Tower of Axemanship.’

The Sage’s Tower of Magic was different. It was an absolute existence that even the Great Luvien Empire did not dare to touch. It also did not belong to any kingdom or empire.

.

This tower, had once been on the verge of collapse after it seemed to have been abandoned, and then, it was rebuilt by a man named Andeiro, most renowned in Athenae as the strongest Great Mage. Since he possessed all of the knowledge in the world, the tower that he resided in was called the Sage’s Tower of Magic.

The question was why in the world would the Food God head to that place?

“Food God Allen’s friends are all slumbering in that tower, right…?”

That was right. The original owner of that abandoned tower was Allen, the previous Food God. In Minhyuk’s case, a class quest regarding this tower would only be triggered when he reaches Level 650.

There was also an explanation for why the expression on the two’s faces turned serious.

“The previous Food God was someone that had connections with more absolute existences than the current Player Minhyuk.”

Of course, they were already in their soul forms and they did not actually live in this place. However, their souls might be able to manifest in response to Food God Minhyuk’s will.

Park Minggyu shook his head not long after.

“Tower Master Andeiro will not allow Player Minhyuk, who has not reached Level 650 yet, to climb the tower. He is still unqualified to do so. After all, he would immediately trigger the tower’s trials the moment he entered. It is a fact that even the people of the Great Luvien Empire could not even break through one of the tower’s trials.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. But why is the Food God heading there?”

Lee Minhwa turned to look at her monitor once again as she explained the situation to Minggyu. After learning that this was for Brod, all Team Leader Park could do was rest his forehead in his palm.

Unfortunately, Supercomputer Athenae had determined that Brod would die within two weeks. Even the executives of Joy Co. Ltd. were of the same mind. It was nigh impossible for a man to live and survive in the Land of the Gods while facing the wrath of the gods.

But then, Lee Minhwa felt restless. ‘This feeling… I have felt this way so many times now.’

Indeed, Lee Minhwa felt something very similar whenever the Food God was trying to do something. The feeling that he would be able to overcome the situation that they deemed that he would not be able to break through.

“What if he successfully enters the tower?”

“…” Team Leader Park pondered for a long time. He looked at the monitor and said, “Then, we might be able to witness the rise of another sun in that world.”

***

The Sage’s Tower of Magic was surrounded by rough and difficult terrain. The only way to reach it was to pass through a very long canyon. The problem was it was almost impossible to do so.

‘The unchosen ones will not be able to pass through this canyon.’

From what Minhyuk had heard, Alex, the American mage, was one of the chosen ones. It was said that he was only presented with a very short and easy trial before entering the tower. This only happened because he was chosen.

‘Ali tried to force his way through but he eventually failed.’

Yes, that was right. Even Golden Mage Ali had failed to set foot in the Sage’s Tower of Magic because he was not recognized as one of the chosen ones.

At the entrance to the canyon, there was a sign with the symbol of a skull painted on it. These notifications would ring in the challengers’ ears the moment they looked at the sign:

[Andeiro’s Valley of Death.]

[Only the ‘Chosen Ones’ can enter through Andeiro’s Valley of Death.]

[Warning! If you ignore this sign, you will receive a penalty that is five times higher than normal upon your death.]

[You might receive Andeiro’s recognition in the middle of the trial. If you receive his recognition, you will be given one chance to go outside.]

[Warning!]

[It is recommended that you turn around and go back to where you came from.]

Andeiro was someone that knew everything, whether it was about ancient weapons, methods of combining and assembling weapons, and even the locations of cooking ingredients. Many people had tried to visit him here to consult him. However, all of them died, suffering a 5x penalty.

However, even after looking at the sign, Minhyuk still did not stop.

Thud, thud, thud—

‘I haven’t done anything for Brod yet.’

After looking back on everything, Minhyuk realized that he had only been on the receiving end of Brod’s kindness, even if he did not give anything in return. He also realized that he had never cooked anything for Brod alone.

Although Brod was much more reserved compared to the others, he had always stood by Minhyuk’s side. So, even if he was at risk of receiving a huge penalty, he still wanted to challenge this for him.

[You have entered Andeiro’s Valley of Death.]

[Upon death, you will receive a 5x penalty.]

[The only way to get past Andeiro’s Valley of Death is to kill all the monsters that will appear in around ten minutes.]

[Andeiro’s Valley of Death is gauging you.]

[A total of 15,000 monsters at Levels 400~570 will appear in the canyon.]

[If you can’t kill all of the monsters in fifteen minutes, the 15,000 monsters will appear again.]

[Challengers’ HP and MP will remain as they were even after the fifteen minutes is over.]

[If you hunt 30,000 monsters, you will be able to use Andeiro’s Magic Shop.]

Hunting monsters. Yes, that was the trial that one had to go through to get past the canyon. It would not matter if the challenger was weak or strong, it was set so the difficulty could adjust and suit the challenger.

The difficulty here was that another 15,000 monsters would be added if Minhyuk failed to kill all of the monsters within the fifteen minute mark.

‘On top of that, the challenger will not be able to recover their HP, MP and Stamina.’

In other words, the longer he took to finish the trial, the more disadvantageous it was for him.

“Kihyaaaaaaaaaack!”

“Keuhaaaaaaaaack!”

“Graaaaaaaaaaaa!”

“Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!”

15,000 monsters ranging from Level 470 to Level 500, the likes of which could only be seen in hunting grounds that high rankers frequented, appeared.

Minhyuk looked around and caught sight of a few named boss monsters amidst their ranks. It was important to remember that even if regular monsters and named monsters were at the same level, the difference between their powers was like between heaven and earth.

‘I want to know a method to help you, Brod.’

That was why Minhyuk had to meet with Andeiro, a knight that led an order under Brod’s command, no matter what.

Ellie’s Swordsmanship.

A bright red aura spread and covered Minhyuk’s body as he immediately jumped into the midst of the 15,000 monsters.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—

“Kihyaaaaaaaack!”

“Keuhaaaaaaaack!”

The word ‘Explosion’ was engraved on his sword. Explosion was one of the modes of Minhyuk’s skill where he could blast an entire ten meter radius if he successfully triggered the skill after directly hitting his opponent.

Slash, slash, slash, slash—

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—

Every time Minhyuk swung his sword, an explosion would engulf the monsters and blood beads would rise from their dead bodies.

Fortunately, Minhyuk had a variety of skills that could allow him to survive a long and drawn out battle. A prime example of that was the Slaughterer’s Absorption. With the Slaughterer’s Absorption in his arsenal, his HP would not be depleted so easily.

Fighting here in Andeiro’s Valley of Death had another advantage.

[You have gained 431,111 EXP.]

[You have gained 1,031,000 EXP.]

Hunting monsters in this canyon would allow him to increase his EXP. Hunting such a large number of monsters was a very rare opportunity for any player. They would be able to bomb their levels up if they used this opportunity well, on the assumption that they did not die. After all, a 5x penalty would be waiting for them if they died.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Minhyuk, who was only using his basic attacks and passive skills to deal with the monsters, soon heard a series of notifications in his ears.

[Fifteen minutes have passed.]

[All monsters will regenerate!]

[You have hunted 2,439 monsters.]

Minhyuk nodded when he heard the notifications.

‘The EXP I get is not that bad.’

Minhyuk’s goal right now was to reach Level 600 and he still needed another 24 more levels to reach that. However, it was quite hard to level up now. He was not even able to increase his level by one even after two weeks of grinding elsewhere.

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Minhyuk once again started attacking the monsters with just his basic attacks. Just like this, he continued farming even after forty minutes had passed by.

***

Andeiro was the master of the Sage’s Tower of Magic. He was also known as the strongest Great Mage in existence. Right now, Andeiro was watching Minhyuk fight the monsters through a crystal ball.

“A foolish king.” Andeiro, a sage that knew a lot and whose face had turned ugly, shook his head. “You must not help Brod.”

The fire on the candle that he created shook fiercely as if it was about to die out from the wind.

“…He will die soon,” Andeiro muttered. There was a clear bitterness to his words.

Minhyuk should not meet with him nor try to help Brod. Because Brod already knew that Minhyuk, who he was trying to protect with all his might, would be hurt by the truth or attempt to aid him.

“It’s impossible.”

Andeiro shook his head as he watched Minhyuk fight the monsters. He was not one of the Chosen Ones and none of those that he did not choose had ever crossed that canyon. Not even the Swords of the Gods or the soldiers of the Great Luvien Empire could pass through it. Besides, Food God Minhyuk was far too weak to meet with him right now.

An hour had passed since Andeiro started watching Minhyuk.

“…Why isn’t he using his powers?” Andeiro asked aloud.

Baaaaaaaaaang—

“…?!”

Andeiro’s eyes grew wide. He was sure that the man was only using his basic attacks.

‘Did he get stronger?!’

That was right. Minhyuk was growing stronger. After around twenty five minutes, Andeiro received another shock.

Baaaaaaaaaaaang—

‘He, he grew stronger again?!!!!!!!!’

Then, another thirty minutes passed.

‘Agaaaaaaaain?!!!!!’

Indeed. Minhyuk was growing stronger and stronger as time went by. It was something that was beyond Andeiro’s comprehension. The notification that rang ten minutes later almost caused him to question his rationality.

[The challenger hunted 4,578 monsters in fifteen minutes.]

“…?!”

At first, the man only hunted around 2,800 monsters. But in just three hours, that number skyrocketed.

“He was able to hunt 1,700 more in just that short amount of time?”

It was completely unbelievable. Usually, the number of monsters that the challenger could hunt would significantly decrease as time went by. This was because the monsters would continue to regenerate, while the challengers would have already used up all of their powers and get exhausted. In other words, they would have reached their bottom line. However, Minhyuk was able to kill 4,500 monsters without using any kind of power.

Two hours passed.

“…Why doesn’t he look tired?!”

And another two hours…

“Why isn’t he getting tired?!”

And another hour…

“Why?!!!!”

[The challenger has hunted a total of 30,000 monsters.]

[The challenger has bought the legendary-grade ingredient ‘Revia’s Pork’ from the Magic Shop.]

“…?”

Andeiro continued to watch Minhyuk. Just like that, another three hours passed by.

[The challenger…a total of 30,000 monsters.]

[The challenger has bought the legendary-grade ingredient ‘Katarina’s Sesame Leaf’ from the Magic Shop.]

Andeiro’s Magic Shop was filled with many rare and precious items. There were actually many legendary-grade items in there. However, people had always said that the rewards that they could get from there were quite stingy and not generous at all. Challengers that could kill a total of 30,000 monsters were usually among the top ten in the world. That was why they found the rewards to be lacking.

Just like that, two days had passed.

[…a total of 30,000 monsters.]

[…challenger… bought… ‘Corde’s Honey’…]

[…challenger… bought…‘Kevin’s Caviar’…]

[…challenger…bought… ‘Shining Wheat’…]

[…challenger…bought… ‘Flying Chicken’s Egg’…]

It had to be known that all of the items inside Andeiro’s Magic Shop were items that Andeiro had obtained through great hardships.

Flash—

Then, Minhyuk was enveloped in a bright light. In the NPCs’ perspective, that light was the ‘light of growth’. As for the players, it was a sign of leveling up. This was Minhyuk gaining a level.

[This~ is a jackpot! A jackpot!]

“…?”

At this moment, Andeiro realized that the trial of the Valley of Death was being used against him. That man was basically robbing him of plenty of the things that he had collected in his life!