Gourmet Gaming

“Oiiiiink. Oink, oink. Oiiiiink!” What’s going on? Oink!

Beanie could not understand. The reason why this baby piggy the size of a fist was in distress, was due to the other party in front of him.

“Kihyeeeee?”

Luna’s eyes were big and round enough to cover almost half of her face. She, who was even larger than Beanie, looked at the baby piggy with her eyes wide open and filled with confusion.

“Kihyeeeee?”

Luna presses her paw on Beanie’s bulging belly, the smooth and tender belly going down along with her movements.

“Oiiiiink. Oink, oink!” That’s quite rude, oink!

“Kihyeeeee! Kihyeeeee!”

Beanie watched as Luna flew around happily. The thing that Beanie was concerned about was ‘Luna’s Growth’. It had been years since Luna came to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. However, Luna’s physical growth had reached a standstill. In fact, she still looked like a hatchling.

‘She also doesn’t seem to have become smarter. Oink!’

Beanie hummed as he looked at Luna with worry in his eyes.

‘This child is going to become the Dragon Lord, right?’

“Kihyeee…”

Then, Luna, who was flying happily around, suddenly fell down on the bed. It was as if she had lost the strength in her body.

“Oink. Oiiink. Oink, oink.”

Beanie immediately began to massage Luna’s body. She had told him before that her body had been feeling stiff recently. Suddenly, the door opened, and a man entered the room.

“Fufu. Is she suffering from growing pains? It seems like she’s taking on the pain of becoming a king, no?” The guy, Black Dragon, said as he gently rubbed Luna’s head.

“Oiiiink?” What do you mean? Oink?

Beanie had been searching for the reason behind Luna’s stagnant growth. The one that helped him was none other than Black Dragon.

“From what I read, there were a few Dragon Lord Candidates who suffered from growing pains while they were still baby dragons. And according to the text, only an adult dragon could relieve the growing pains of the baby dragon.”

“Oiiiiiiiink. Oink, oink.”

Beanie needed more information.

“However, if this growing pain does not stop then…”

Beanie immediately blocked Luna’s ears so she could not hear what Black Dragon was about to say.

“Kihyeeeeeee?”

“She wouldn’t die. She just would stop growing.”

“Oiiiiiiink…”

Beanie sighed with relief.

“However, from what I gathered, the growth of her Mana Heart will be affected if we don’t alleviate her growing pains as soon as possible. So, I think it’s better that we find a solution as fast as we can.”

A way for Luna to meet other dragons might not be as difficult as they thought. After all, Dragon Elder Belluc had a favorable impression of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. In addition, he had told Beanie, who was caring for Luna, to come and visit them at least once.

Beanie immediately rushed out to find someone to accompany them. However, the entire Beyond the Heavens Kingdom was very busy with the Rothschilde Kingdom, who appeared in their territory.

Haze and the executives were all in the middle of a meeting too. Brod led the knights on a three-day training camp, while Spear God Ben was busy training the soldiers that remained in the kingdom. Elpis was also busy trying to recruit players who would transition and change their race to the demon race.

“Oiiiiiiiiiink…!”

Beanie grumbled. If Beanie were to be honest, he had been quite upset with Minhyuk and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom lately.

‘Bastard Master does not even call for me, oink!’

Of course, Minhyuk always called for him whenever he was going to eat something. However, when it came to fighting or some other things, Minhyuk did not call for him. He just let him live however he wanted in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.

After all, Beanie was the one who confidently declared that he would take care of Luna. However, he still could not stop the feeling of disappointment that welled up in him. In fact, Beanie could faintly sense that he was now infinitely weaker compared to the other people who surrounded Minhyuk. Perhaps that was the reason for his unsettled heart.

‘If I can deal with Luna’s growing pains, then perhaps they would see me as someone great and imposing. Oink!’

Beanie thought that it was a good idea. So, he prepared to leave. The man who watched everything happen decided to go together with him.

“Fufufufu! I can’t believe that I will participate as a knight who will help the growth of the future king. The dragons in my right arm are already going berserk!”

“Oiiiiiiink! Oink, oink! Oiiiiiiiiiink. (Do you think there’s someone who can stop this Supreme Divine Beast? Don’t worry. Luna. I will definitely let you grow and become a great king. Oiiiiiiink!)”

Luna could only sigh when she saw Black Dragon and Beanie smile viciously like that.

“Kihyeeeee…”

Luna vowed that she would take good care of her uncles.

***

[The Rothschilde Kingdom requested to be under the rule of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom!]

The executives of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom were in awe. They did not know how Minhyuk was able to win Calauhel’s heart. However, there was one thing that they were certain of. By absorbing the Rothschilde Kingdom, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had grown one step closer to becoming an empire.

Then, suddenly, someone said, “Is Minhyuk stronger than Sword Emperor Ellie now?”

Sword Emperor Ellie was a special existence among the emperors. In her case, she abandoned the position of the Sword God’s Descendant to become an emperor. However, just because she did not become a Sword God did not mean that she was not strong. After all, not many people were strong enough to stand at the position of the Sword God.

No one could judge which was which. Some thought that Sword Emperor Ellie would be stronger, while others thought that Minhyuk would be stronger.

“Then, what about Nerva?”

According to Brod, Nerva had strength that was on par with, or perhaps even greater than, the power that he could wield. These words raised the question of whether they could compete and fight against the Luvien Empire once they became the Beyond the Heavens Empire.

That was when they suddenly realized something.

“I don’t know, though?”

“Who knows…”

“Then, are you saying that he’s going to lose against Nerva?”

Minhyuk carried plenty of variables that Nerva did not have in his arsenal. Also, Beyond the Heavens Kingdom becoming the Beyond the Heavens Empire was still a matter that would take years before it could come to fruition. If they looked at the rate at which they grew right now, it was quite hard to predict what would happen in the future.

Hence, the question remained.

“Then, is Minhyuk strong enough to overwhelm all of us?”

“…”

“…”

“…”

No one could easily answer the question. Everyone here were executives and powerhouses of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. Among them was an Absolute Demigod class, a descendant of the God of Magic, and the master of the kingdom of death. They also had Bread Shuttle Mei Wei, who once was the global number one ranker. Basically, each and every single one of them was strong enough to stand in the global top 100 players.

“Who knows? How about asking for a spar?” Emperor of the Swords Carr asked. His will burned bright.

Any player would wish to compete with the one standing at the top. That was especially the case for high rankers. Also, those in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom were all talents in their own fields and had come here through various methods and proposals. Basically, each and every single one of them came here because they liked Minhyuk and the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. Their belief and faith in him and his kingdom were admirable. Of course, it was also very important for them to know how strong Minhyuk was.

Besides, the executives were also growing stronger by the day. So, they wanted to test their powers. Each and every single one of the people, except for the NPCs, harbored the same idea. They wanted to compete with Minhyuk with their own power.

[Guild Master Minhyuk has logged in.]

Haze could only support her forehead when she saw the executives look at each other after hearing the notifications.

‘I already knew that this would happen someday but…’

The Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had become a gathering place for the world’s strongest. It was only natural that they were itching to fight against each other. Of course, they did not harbor any ill will. They just purely wanted to test the limits of their power.

“Hi, guys. Did I hear that correctly? Rothschilde Kingdom has come under our command?”

Minhyuk, who entered the conference room where the executives gathered immediately after he logged in, paused when he felt the strange atmosphere in the room.

“…What’s wrong with you?”

Minhyuk saw everyone’s eyes turn to look at him. Then, Carr stood up and stepped forward. He said, “Minhyuk, I have been curious since a long time ago. What would be the result if we fought?”

Ali also took a step forward. “Aren’t you curious too, Minhyuk? About how strong you have become?”

Even his girlfriend, who was also one of his rivals inside the game, Genie, smiled and said, “Darling~ We can definitely satisfy your curiosity.”

“N, no. I’m not really that curious…”

Minhyuk was a bit flustered. He also knew that this day would come. It was not necessarily considered bad behavior. In fact, various kingdoms would often hold competition among their guild members on a regular basis.

‘However, that’s a 1:1 fight. Why is it 1:10 when my turn comes…?’

Of course, they did not have any guarantee that they could win against Minhyuk in a 1:1 fight. However, Minhyuk did not agree so easily. He thought about a lot of things.

‘Will the desire to grow more after they fight me?’

Or…

‘…Will they suffer setbacks because they will feel frustrated?’

If he won, which side would they tip over? Also…

‘Can I really win against all of them?’

So far, all of the victories that Minhyuk had obtained had some sort of anomaly. There were times when he had eaten God-grade dishes and had received the help of NPCs. Of course, there were also times when he received the help of his powerful guild members. He could not guarantee that he would win against them without any doubt.

“We are very curious.” Asura Ascar stepped forward too.

Actually, everyone here thought that they could beat Minhyuk if they gave it their all. It was a possible scenario. After all, Minhyuk was not a Named Boss Monster. He was a player, and he had a limited amount of HP. Even his recovery rate was definitely not that great.

The players obviously had limits. They might be able to deal a huge amount of damage, but their recovery rate and defensive power were limited.

[Player Carr has applied for an official PVP.]

[You will not receive any penalty if you are forced to log out during an official PVP.]

[Player Ascar…official PVP.]

[Player Ali…official PVP.]

[Player Death…]

[Player Genie…]

The notifications for PVP applications rang constantly in Minhyuk’s ears.

“Minhyuk.” Carr pulled out his sword. “I know why you’re trying to avoid this, trying to avoid us. But do you think that you’re really doing it for us?”

“…”

Minhyuk turned silent. What if they were helpless and they lost to him? Would they be sad? Would they feel fear? Would they feel helpless? Would they run? However, he also found it to be quite funny.

[One of the Absolute Gods that has never been seen before, the God of Comrades, has appeared for the first time!]

[The God of Comrades has been watching you, the Beyond the Heavens King, and your comrades that trust and follow you.]

[The camaraderie and friendship between you and your friends and comrades are very special. Because of that, the God of Comrades thinks of the bond between you and your comrades as something more special.]

[The God of Comrades is giving you a piece of advice. It might be better for you to confront them than to avoid them.]

[The God of Comrades suggests a bet. Win the battle against your comrades.]

[God’s Bet: Win in a Battle Against Your Comrades.]

[If you accept, the God of Comrades will use his power to create a barrier that will completely prevent any aftermath brought about by your battle from affecting the outside.]

Minhyuk was actually still unsure. However, Carr’s words and the advice of the God of Comrades, who had been watching him for a long time, were quite similar. In the end, avoiding this PVP was not the answer.

“Agree to everything.”

[The PVP with Player Carr has started!]

[The PVP with Player Genie…]

[The PVP with Player Death…]

At the same time, a huge transparent barrier covered and cordoned the entire area where they were. As for the people and players not involved with the PVP, they were all pushed out of the barrier.

“I’m sorry, Minhyuk. But I have also grown tremendously.” Carr smirked.

God classes would always be able to gain a stronger power every time they increased their levels even for a bit. Carr was a genius, on top of being a high ranker, which allowed him to grow more every time he leveled up. His specialty was ‘Quick Draw’, which had grown a few steps further than before.

“God Slashing Quick Draw.”

The moment he triggered his skill, it devoured a 50-meter radius area. This skill was Carr’s one-shot-kill skill, a skill that could ignore 80% of his opponent’s defenses and deal 40% additional damage.

Shwaaaaaaaaaaaaaa—

The half moon created from his quick draw shot out and devoured the surrounding area. At that moment, everyone knew that they had to give it their all.

“Keuheheheheheehehek!”

“Kihehehehehehehek!”

“Kihihihihihihihik!”

With a wave of the staff in his hands, hundreds of undead fell down from the sky and followed Death’s command. A thick cloud of dust bloomed as the undead landed.

“Corpse Explosion.”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang—!

“Don’t go too far ahead. Get your blessings from me first.” Mei Wei said as she stretched her hand out to the sky as several swords appeared from the sky and stopped above the heads of all of the guild members inside the barrier.

[Valkyrie’s Sword]

[All of your attack power has increased by 20%.]

[Your skill cooldown time has dropped by 25%.]

[Your critical hit rate has increased by 40%.]

They moved immediately after that.

Golden Mage Ali had also grown. He had now grown closer to becoming the God of Magic. The same was true for his special skill, Diss, originally a skill that could only be summoned one after another. However, he recently learned a new magic. That magic was none other than ‘Replicate’.

Replicate was a magic that could replicate another skill a dozen or more times in exchange for consuming double the amount of mana for every casting.

“Diss.”

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—!

Golden spears that had been replicated several times shot toward Minhyuk through the thick cloud of dust.

“Blood Explosion.”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Non-stop explosions eventually reached their enemy. Blood Explosion was a brutal skill with 6,400% additional damage and could easily kill the opponent.

Everyone held their breath. Then, Golden Mage Ali used ‘Wind’ to clear the thick cloud of dust that surrounded them.

Minhyuk’s figure appeared in front of them. There was a faint silver barrier shining over his body. This was the seven-second barrier that could make him absolutely invisible against all attacks created by one of his skills, Absolute Defense.

“Is it already over?”

At the same time, the power of the ‘Sword of Absolute Death’ burst out of Minhyuk’s sword.