Gourmet Gaming

‘Summon the army!’

They were also beings that could command an army of 200,000 with a single order.

To the ordinary players, kings were absolute beings. Even though there were emperors and empresses of empires that ranked higher than the kings, for most players, even the kings were in a position that was beyond their reach.

Right now, Minhyuk had spoken bluntly to such existences, saying, “You’re all m*therf*ckers.”

“Hahaha. this king is a m… huh?”

The first one to react was King Roath, who realized that something was wrong. Soon, the laughter from the other kings gradually died down, and their expressions turned ugly. Although they had changed their tune, their pride taking a huge blow, they were still kings. Yet here they were, openly ridiculed by another king.

“Aren’t your words too much?!” King Roath growled, the fawning look on his face gone.

These kings only had two options now. They had to choose the Luvien Empire or the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. In a situation like this, they thought that the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom would welcome them with open arms, since they were showing favor toward him and his kingdom.

‘It’s true that we made a fuss earlier, but can’t he understand the position that he’s in?’

The other kings acknowledged the fact that they had kicked up a fuss earlier. However, the establishment of their empire was not yet a done deal. There was only a possibility of this happening. Yet, Minhyuk was already acting arrogantly in such a manner toward them.

“Apologize. This king feels very uncomfortable,” Roath said, looking at the other kings with a grim look on his face. “We can start a war right away.”

King Roath expressed how angry he was through the open threat. The other kings nodded in agreement.

Minhyuk opened his mouth and retorted, “F*ck you. Just now, you were shouting that I can’t build an empire and clamoring for me to bow my head and apologize to the Luvien Empire. And then, what?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

“Weren’t these the words that came out of your mouths earlier, You can’t build an empire. Go and apologize to Nerva.”

The kings could not open their mouths. After all, this was the truth.

“However, after Elpis, who boosted my power, and the new migrants appeared and opened up the possibility of an empire being built, what did you f*ckers do?”

Their attitudes had made a complete 180.

-We believed in you!

-You can definitely build an empire! We will help you!

-So, don’t forget us later!

Minhyuk was fully aware of the situation. After calming down, he gave them a long look and said, “If you ran to the Luvien Empire and flattered Nerva, what do you think will happen?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

They continued to keep their mouths shut. Yes, if they had gone to the Luvien Empire, Nerva would never throw them away. However, the Asgan Continent, led by the Eivelis Empire, had clearly stopped the invasion of the Luvien Empire.

“Using various reasons, they would nibble your position bit by bit. In the end, they will make your heads roll and take away your vast lands.”

There was truth in Minhyuk’s words. In the first place, there would be no reason to harass Beyond the Heavens if the kings had already established friendly relations with the Luvien Empire. If they were truly friendly with the empire, they would have just bowed to Nerva and begged them to take them in.

However, this was the Asgan Continent, which was fully in the hands of the Eivelis and the Collodis Empires. In fact, these kings were only able to survive without being deprived of their territories because of the two Empires.

The main reason why they came here to appeal was so they could prolong the time before the Luvien Empire invaded these lands. However, they saw a possible lifeline in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom as well.

They thought that perhaps they could hide behind the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom in the future. On top of that, if Beyond the Heavens became an empire, they might be able to gain a lot of benefits.

‘It’s true that the only nation that can stop the Luvien Empire as of the moment is the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.’

The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom housed Brod, the Spear God, the God of Swords Luo, the God of Snakes Elizabeth, Great Demon Elpis and many more. One could not win a war just because they had an advantage in numbers.

“Weren’t you trying to lean and depend on me because you saw our potential?”

If Minhyuk and these kings had a fallout, then these kingdoms would probably have no other choice but to wring their hands and wait for their destruction. The kings’ dark faces turned beet red.

“What you want to do is to keep your pride and also to do as little help as possible but reap the most benefits.”

Those words made the kings unable to raise their heads.

“Then, later you will shout and declare, ‘I took the lead and helped in the foundation of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.’ Isn’t that the case?”

The kings remained mute. Then, King Baroque said, “You’re a crazy king. We will return!”

“I also can’t listen to the words of a mad king. Come, we shall return!”

Three kings left. From what it looked like, they were going to beg Ellie and try to grab onto her ankles. However, King Roath and King O’Lough remained standing in front of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. Those words were true. Regardless, these two kings knew that their survival needed to come first before anything else.

Then, Minhyuk, with his majestic and dignified voice, said, “I will become the Battle God.”

“…”

The power and the impact of those words were tremendous. Only after seeing this were the commentators able to grasp the situation.

[Amazing. It seems like Player Minhyuk does not want a relationship based on cooperation and alliance but one based on ‘subservience and obedience’.]

[My goodness. He has the charisma that can overwhelm those kings. I feel like he will truly become the Battle God.]

That was right. Minhyuk did not want an alliance. He wanted them to become vassals and for them to be obedient. That was why he went so hard on them like that.

“First.” Roath opened his mouth. “I apologize for the disrespectful behavior that I showed you earlier.”

Roath knew that he had acted in a way that could cause others to question his qualifications as a king. However, these actions were motivated by the safety of his people. He also knew that the kings who left this place would regret the choice that they had made. Because of their pride, it would be very hard for their people to set foot in the Eivelis Empire and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, let alone the Luvien Empire.

“What do you want?”

In fact, Minhyuk had already expected that King Roath and King O’Lough would remain.

“Give me Vladi Kingdom’s Avarrin Territory.”

“…!” Roath’s eyes grew wide.

As mentioned before, the Vladi Kingdom was the largest kingdom on the Asgan Continent. They also held the largest and widest territory. In fact, it was only just recently that they were able to transform the dried lands of the Avarrin Territory into a ‘fertile’ land. Roath had been trying to cultivate this land to make it into a new home for his people.

“Wh, what… that…”

“We need a place for our migrants and those who will come to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom in the future to call home.”

He might not have lifted the knife, but it was still no different from a robbery. But then, Minhyuk said, “We will let bygones be bygones. I will not forget the Vladi Kingdom after this.”

“…”

Minhyuk added, “What do you think will happen to those kingdoms that left this place?”

Minhyuk had the justification. The offending kings came here and raised their voices to go against the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. They would either have one of the two outcomes. They would either get devoured by Luvien or by Minhyuk. Among the two, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had a greater advantage when it came to absorbing them. After all, they all belong to the Asgan Continent.

King Roath hesitated. Avarrin Territory was a territory that bordered the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. In other words, it was very, very close to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. It would definitely be very helpful for the Vladi Kingdom to form a friendly relationship with the kingdom. The problem was that the Avarrin Territory was worth hundreds of thousands of platinum. It was a sum of money that no ordinary player could dream of touching.

After a brief moment of hesitation, King Roath said, “I will give the Avarrin Territory to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.”

[Vladi Kingdom’s King Roath has promised to hand over the ownership of the Avarrin Territory!]

[Avarrin Territory was originally a dry and barren land. However, King Roath, with the help of special farmers and builders, was able to transform it into a fertile land!]

[Avarrin Territory is a huge land that can accommodate 400,000 people!]

The corners of Minhyuk’s lips curled up into a smile.

Meanwhile, King O’Lough was very tense. His kingdom was an excellent ‘production fortress.’ They had countless blacksmiths, seamstresses and merchants. Even though the size of their kingdom was small, their financial power could rival that of the Vladi Kingdom.

“We need weapons and armor, as well as equipment that will help us provide both protection and home to my people.”

“…Giving you 100,000 platinum is sufficient, right?” King O’Lough made the first move.

However, Minhyuk did not answer and just gave him a smile. He just stared at King O’Lough with that soft and gentle smile for twenty straight seconds.

The viewers, who were watching, groaned in exasperation.

[Look at that smile. We can already tell what it means.]

[Who does he think he’s offering a mere 100,000 platinum to?]

“A… a hundred and fifty thousand…?”

Minhyuk just continued to look at him, the smile on his lips stretching even wider.

[Hey, hey. He might not lift the knife, but this is no different from robbery, no?]

[A hundred and fifty thousand platinum is a huge amount of money. In fact, taking out that amount of money is enough to shake a kingdom’s finances.]

“A hundred and seventy thousand…?”

“Let’s settle it at two hundred thousand.”

“…”

King O’Lough felt strange. ‘No. I’m the one that’s offering it to you, so why do I feel like I’m being ripped off?’

It was a very subtle yet strange feeling, especially since Minhyuk was obviously smiling.

“I, I understand.”

[Lake Kingdom’s King O’Lough promises to send you 200,000 platinum.]

Minhyuk looked at the two kings before speaking briefly and bluntly, “Thanks.”

“…”

“…”

The kings could not shake off the feeling that they had been ripped off. Then, Minhyuk approached them and personally handed each of them an unknown bottle.

“These are coffee beans that Spear God Ben grew himself. I’ll give you some to express my gratitude.”

“Th, thank you.”

“I’ll drink it well.”

The kings, who were holding a bottle of coffee beans made from cat poop, left in a daze. These beans were bought with a territory that was worth hundreds of thousands of platinum and 200,000 platinum of cold hard cash.

“…”

“…”

The two kings scrunched their noses as they continued on their way. At the same time, they could not help but be impressed.

‘He was able to overwhelm us with just a few words.’

‘He was able to get a huge territory and 200,000 platinum just like that.’

They were sure that he would go on to greater heights.

***

BJ Correspondent was a bigshot that ranked third in the global Ztube rankings. He had a lot of fans all over the globe, and his earnings could easily exceed a hundred million.

Right now, he was in Evelyn’s Gogi-guksu restaurant, temporarily created by King Minhyuk for the woman named Evelyn.

Minhyuk had personally sent an invitation to Correspondent.

[Please spread the news in your broadcast that we will only serve twenty people the EXP Acquisition Rate Booster Dish.]

People who wanted to advertise through high-ranking BJs were rare and far too few. However, as a BJ himself, BJ Correspondent knew that those ads were usually exaggerated. Even so, he was a professional, and was willing to tell people what they were most curious about in Athenae.

His viewers were constantly posting comments on his broadcast.

[Are we finally going to be able to see the dish of that woman named Evelyn that can permanently increase one’s EXP Acquisition Rate?]

[How many do you think they will be able to acquire?]

[0.9%?]

[I think it’s more like 0.4%?]

What the viewers were guessing was very reasonable. It would already be great if they could eat a dish and permanently increase their EXP Acquisition Rate, even if it was just by 1% at most.

‘Are they going to increase the number of their high rankers through this?’

Correspondent smiled bitterly. Of course, obtaining a permanent 1% increase in EXP Acquisition Rate was a sweet deal. However, for those who were still on the fence and were still mulling over whether they would go to the Luvien Empire or the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, a 1% increase was not enough to sway them to go to Beyond the Heavens.

‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me. I just came here to get an issue. If I can get a 2% increase, then it would already be amazing.’

The viewers were expecting at most 1%. but Correspondent thought that he would get 2%. A permanent increase would definitely help him level up and would have huge effects on him in the long run.

‘If they can increase it by 2% then it will be enough to make the heads of those high rankers turn and pay attention to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.’

Correspondent smiled when he saw the gogi-guksu served in front of him. Then, he asked Evelyn, “His Majesty Minhyuk said that you would only cook for twenty people. Is there a reason for that?”

“His Majesty let me taste a dish not too long ago. After eating that dish, I felt like I grew more energetic and that my power had increased a bit. Maybe it’s because of that?”

Correspondent was a quick-witted person.

“Everyone, I believe Minhyuk has fed Evelyn a buffed dish to increase the percent of the EXP Acquisition Rate that she could give. To everyone watching my broadcast, they will only serve twenty rankers. This is on a first-come, first-served basis. How about coming to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom quickly? Haha!” Correspondent said, a smile on his face.

Since there was a buff effect added, he could really expect a 2% increase now. Without waiting any further, he quickly started eating.

Correspondent tasted the soup of the gogi-guksu first.

“…”

He was surprised. The soup tasted a bit like the soup of Japanese ramen, but it was thicker. In fact, he felt like it was better than the gogi-guksu that he had tasted on Jeju Island. Then, he took a huge bite of the noodles as he continued to admire the flavor of the soup.

“Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!”

The noodles were very chewy. He could not stop his chopsticks from moving. Not long after, he grabbed the entire bowl and drank the soup.

“Wow. That’s really amazing.”

Correspondent was in awe and admiration. He had eaten in such a hurry that he almost forgot he was doing a broadcast. Before finishing the rest of the soup, he said, “I wonder how much my EXP Acquisition Rate will increase from the dish that Lady Evelyn, whom Minhyuk is very proud of?”

[Shit. Just finish eating quickly.]

[Hurry and eat!]

[Eat, so we can see the % increase.]

A BJ’s notification window could be shared with their viewers during their broadcast. However, as cheeky as he was, Correspondent turned off the sharing function. This was so he could build the tension.

‘Please! Just increase by 2%!!!’

Correspondent, who prayed desperately, was left speechless after seeing the notification that popped up in his notification window.

[Why? What % did you get?]

[Hey, let us look at it…?]

[I’m going crazy here!]

[Look at Correspondent’s expression. He’s obviously trying to keep us in suspense.]

Correspondent finally took a breath after staring blankly at his notification window in a daze, “Keheoook!”

He was so surprised that he almost fell from his chair. At this point, the viewers’ anticipation and expectations had reached an all-time high.

Meanwhile, BJ Correspondent was still sporting a look of disbelief on his face as he said, “To, to all of the rankers watching this broadcast, I would like to inform you… Please, please run to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom now. Now that I have eaten one bowl, there are only nineteen bowls left.”

[Run? What do you mean by run? That’s too much. Haha.]

[Correspondent, hurry and share the screen!]

[What the hell is the %?!]

Correspondent did not dally anymore. He clicked on the ‘Share with Your Viewers’ button and shared the notification window that popped up in front of him with his viewers.

[You have eaten the Gogi-guksu made by God’s Hand Evelyn.]

[Evelyn is a Special NPC that can make dishes that can permanently increase the EXP Acquisition Rate.]

[Your EXP Acquisition Rate has permanently increased by 8%.]

Silence. The chatting window in the broadcasting channel was completely silent.

[…]

[…]

[…]

[…]

Then, one of the viewers typed a message.

[I think the high rankers must be running like crazy now, right…?]