Chapter 1174

Chapter 1174

After the lost Minhyuk had met with the God of the Directionally Challenged, who had come to Gaia Continent in search of him, the two wandered again for a few days.

The two ended up wandering all over the place for a few more days because the God of the Directionally Challenged kept on saying,

‘Ooh! I think we should go this way!’

and kept making trouble. Those words left the two going around in circles for several days.

After many twists and turns, Minhyuk was finally able to find the Gorodis Kingdom and was eventually treated to the most valuable food in the world. But then, the Gourmet bastard came in.

[Gourmet. Level 993.]

“...?”

Despite only being a Gourmet, the level of the bastard went beyond common sense. Minhyuk even felt as if he was being suffocated just by his presence alone.

‘I’m meeting Named NPCs right off the bat?’

Was the Gaia Continent truly at this level? But the answer to that question remained unanswered. Nevertheless, there was one thing that Minhyuk was sure of. The bastard named Gourmet was acting outrageously.

Food could bring the greatest happiness. However, that was on the premise that it was eaten in moderation. Of course, this formula only applied to ordinary people. This did not apply to Minhyuk. After all, he was suffering from eating addiction.

The problem was that this bastard called Gourmet, someone who should enjoy food and understand its flavors, was subjecting the people to food torture and enjoying their sufferings.

Minhyuk could not stand seeing Balvark’s stomach swelling absurdly. But the straw that broke the camel’s back was the Gourmet forcing food into Balvark’s mouth again.

[You are in the middle of exploration.]

[There are a lot of restrictions placed upon you.]

[According to the restrictions placed upon you, your authority to explore the Gaia Continent will be revoked if you cause any physical harm to any people from the continent.]

Just when Minhyuk, who wanted to fight to save Balvark, was left in a tizzy, a notification rang.

[

Sudden Quest

: Saving Balvark.]

Rank

: SSS

Requirements

: Someone who received his kindness.

Rewards

: A partial increase in the Exploration Rate.

Penalty for Failure

: None.

Description

: You are the only member of the Exploration Team. You, who have received countless restrictions, must save Balvark. Upon the successful rescue of Balvark, there will be an increase in the Exploration Rate, and some of your restrictions will also be lifted.

The quest was quite vague. However, it was not as if Minhyuk did not have a way.

Wearing a shabby shirt on his body, Minhyuk sat in front of the Gourmet and said, “For every ten bowls of food that I eat, you will eat one bowl yourself.”

The Gourmet frowned when he heard Minhyuk. What the hell was this? A shabby beggar appeared in front of him and made a bet with him.

“I’ll eat a hundred bowls of food myself.”

“Pfft. Bwahahahahahaha!” The Gourmet cackled.

A human being eating a hundred bowls of food? That was impossible. Of course, many people were equipped with special stomachs on the Gaia Continent.

As someone who delighted in tasting and cooking dishes, the Gourmet had met several such people. When eating, these people’s stomachs would grow several times larger than ordinary people’s stomachs. Nevertheless, they always stopped eating by the thirtieth bowl.

How did the Gourmet know about that fact? This was because he once caught someone like that and experimented on them for fun. He also found it very enjoyable to pour more food into their already large and bloated stomachs.

“Are you a foodie?”

“That’s right. I’m a foodie.”

The Gourmet rubbed his chin in thought. He had also faced a Legendary Foodie in the past. He was the only one who could eat fifty bowls of food in front of him. He even said the Gourmet’s food was delicious and happily ate it. The Gourmet was dismayed by the sight and immediately killed the Legendary Foodie by making his stomach burst.

But this guy was saying that he was also a foodie?

“Interesting. I have to eat a bowl of food for every ten you finish. Then, if you eat a hundred bowls, I have to eat ten bowls, right?”

It had never occurred to the Gourmet that this man, who had introduced himself as a foodie, would be able to finish a hundred bowls of dishes. He believed that the man would only be able to eat fifty dishes at most. That meant that he would have to eat five bowls. It did not matter; he could take that. After all, he was also someone who could eat at least twice as much as an ordinary person.

“If this is a bet, you have to put something out on the table too, right? If you can’t finish a hundred bowls, then...” The Gourmet rubbed his chin. “That beggar will have to eat a hundred bowls too.”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“...?”

The God of the Directionally Challenged met with a catastrophe even though he was sitting quietly by the side, about to say something completely tactless. But he immediately zipped his mouth when he saw Minhyuk turning to look at him with a sharp glare in his eyes.

“Ah. I’ll also subject everyone here to food torture until they die.”

First, Balvark did not know if Gourmet had no intention of killing others. Perhaps that was his sole reason for coming here.

Anyway, Minhyuk nodded in agreement. He said, “You have the ability that allows us to gain more strength the more we eat your food, no? I want you to double that. Also, if I win the bet, you can never touch me or anyone from this restaurant.”

“Alright.” The Gourmet smirked.

“What the hell...?”

“A hundred bowls?! Do you think those words even make sense?!”

The chefs shook. This was because their stomachs would be forced to burst open just because of the bet between these two people. Of course, they knew that the man did this to save them. But even so, wasn’t this just mere wishful thinking?

With a wave of the Gourmet’s hand, a hundred bowls of varying cuisines appeared floating above them.

“These are the dishes I tasted when I roamed the world. I have a power that allows me to copy them. Of course, the taste and quality are slightly lower than the original.”

Minhyuk was quite envious that the man named the Gourmet had such an ability.

Not long after, a bowl fell in front of Minhyuk.

[The Bet: Eating 100 Bowls of Food has started.]

[According to the bet, you must eat 100 bowls of dishes, while the Gourmet must eat ten bowls.]

The first dish that fell in front of Minhyuk was pumpkin soup.

“Ho.”

Minhyuk smiled. When the first spoonful entered his mouth, a sweetness began to spread. The sweetness was not cloying. It was just the right amount. He finished it in 20 seconds.

“Next.”

“...?”

The Gourmet was left confused, his eyes staring blankly at the food that disappeared in a blink.

Then, the next dish fell. It was none other than shrimp pilaf. A delighted smile appeared on Minhyuk’s face as he scooped mouthful after mouthful of the dish.

“Next.”

“...?”

‘What the hell? He ate two bowls in just 35 seconds?’

The Gourmet was both surprised and appreciative of how Minhyuk ate and finished his food.

‘Wait. How can he eat like that...? He’s eating quite well, no?’

It was pretty strange, too. Looking at the man in front of him made the Gourmet hungry.

In just an instant, Minhyuk finished ten bowls of food.

[You are being subjected to a food torture.]

[You have gained 3 STM.]

[If you fail to finish 100 bowls of food, all the stats you have gained will disappear. You will also lose your sense of taste.]

The notification was the most tragic notification that Minhyuk could hear in his life.

Even so, he continued to eat. This time, he finished the twentieth bowl.

[You have gained 3 STR.]

But in Minhyuk’s eyes, this was a very delightful situation.

‘Not only am I eating delicious food, I’m also gaining stats. Isn’t this lucky?’

[You have gained 3 AGI.]

The thirtieth bowl was finished.

‘So lucky!’

As for the Gourmet? He started to eat a bowl for every ten bowls that Minhyuk finished. But what was more shocking was that every time he finished a bowl, Minhyuk would finish ten.

Very quickly, Minhyuk finished his fortieth, then his fiftieth bowl.

[You have gained 3 INT.]

[You have gained 3 CHA.]

[You have gained 3 DEX.]

Minhyuk’s stats increased along with the notifications.

The Gourmet’s pupils shook when he saw Minhyuk finish his sixtieth bowl. He thought,

‘How? How can he eat more than the Legendary Foodie?’

For a moment, he wondered if the man before him was the god of the foodies.

Nevertheless, it wouldn’t make sense for an ordinary human being’s stomach to be able to hold 100 bowls of food, right? The weight of that much food alone would be around fifty kilograms. But Minhyuk did not stop eating. He had already eaten seventy bowls of food as of the moment. Because of that, the Gourmet was now forced to eat his seventh bowl.

The Gourmet’s expression had already grown ugly. His stomach already felt full, and it was already aching quite a bit. He knew he could no longer eat anything. Scooping another spoonful was enough to make him stop. This was because he felt like he was about to vomit. The problem was they were in the middle of a bet.

‘No one has ever been able to eat all of the designated number of dishes stated in the food torture.’

If, by any chance, someone was able to do that. Then, not only would that person be able to gain stats, but they would also obtain something special. So, the Gourmet could not lose. Even if it was painful, he had to open his mouth and eat another spoonful.

At the same time, Minhyuk had finished eating his eightieth bowl.

“Is he an elephant...?”

“No, at the rate that he’s going, he’s more like a triceratops, no...?”

Minhyuk continued to eat while listening to the conversation of the chefs behind him.

Even though Minhyuk loved to eat all kinds of delicious things, his stomach was not as big as the foodie BJs. So, was it because he was a player that was why he had this strange power? That was not it either. Players were subjected to a satiety system. Once this satiety system was filled, they would no longer be able to eat.

But Minhyuk was different. During his early days in the game, he constantly satisfied his satiety to a high degree, which enabled him to obtain a skill called Digestion.

At first, the skill Digestion could lower his satiety depending on the amount and duration of exercise that he did. But with his increase in level, the skill had also upgraded. After its upgrade, the skill Digestion always maintained Minhyuk’s satiety level at 70%.

At an infinite 70% satiety level, he would feel full but not that full. Regardless of whether he ate, this status quo would be maintained. In other words, it did not matter whether Minhyuk ate a hundred or even a thousand bowls of dishes. To him, the dishes that he ate were nothing but a number. He could eat as many or as little as he wanted.

Minhyuk had finished his ninetieth bowl. Meanwhile, even though he only had to eat a bowl for every ten bowls that Minhyuk ate, the Gourmet, who had slowed down significantly compared to before, could no longer keep up with his speed.

The Gourmet was left stunned as he watched Minhyuk finish his ninety-ninth bowl. He said, “You bastard, you’re not human, right...?”

“...?”

The words were strangely unpleasant to the ears. Nevertheless, Minhyuk’s victory was at hand. And the moment Minhyuk finished the one-hundredth bowl, the notifications rang.

[You have endured the food torture.]

[You are the only person to have endured the Gourmet’s food torture.]

[The Gourmet failed the food torture. He has been stripped of his ‘Food Torture’ skill.]

“...?”

Minhyuk quickly checked the Food Torture skill.

With this skill, the power of the Gourmet would increase slightly if someone failed to endure the food torture. Of course, the same was true for the ability. But the increase was just “slight.”

According to the skill, the higher the level and the quality of the chef that he ruined with food torture, the greater the power that the Gourmet gained. This was proof that the Gourmet was so hell-bent on using food torture on anyone and everyone.

The fact that he made people suffer so he could get a little stronger left Minhyuk boiling in rage. But now that he had lost the Food Torture skill to Minhyuk, he would no longer be able to do so.

‘I will only use this kind of skill once in my life.’

And that was today.

[You have activated the Gourmet’s Food Torture Skill.]

[If he fails to finish ten bowls of food, your power will increase slightly. He will also lose his sense of taste.]

The Gourmet, who was now on his eighth bowl, was about to vomit. However, he quickly raised his hand and covered his mouth.

“Umpph!”

The Gourmet has heard the notifications. If he failed to eat all ten bowls of dishes, he would be punished the same way he punished those people.

‘I, the Gourmet, will lose my sense of taste...?’

That was utterly ridiculous. If that happened,

they

would completely abandon him in the Gaia Continent.

After successfully stopping his urge to vomit, he raised his spoon tremblingly and tried to eat another bite of food. Finally, he was able to finish his eighth bowl of food. The problem was he felt as if his stomach was about to burst.

‘N-no...’

He had already reached his limits. No matter how much he begged or prayed, he could no longer take another spoonful of food.

Minhyuk sneered. “Shall I help you?”

He scooped up a spoonful of the dish in front of the Gourmet, who was now too full to move, and grabbed his chin. This was an act that Minhyuk himself detested. But this was what the Gourmet did to Balvark earlier.

“Food can bring you happiness if you enjoy it in moderation. You, the Gourmet, should know this better than anybody else. But you used the name ‘Gourmet’ and used the power of Food Torture to torment the people. You bastard. You don’t have the right to carry that name.”

“...!”

Ultimately, the Gourmet turned his head and rejected the spoonful of food about to enter his mouth. As for the urge to vomit that he had successfully endured earlier?

“

Uweeeeeeeeck!!!

”

Minhyuk looked coldly at the Gourmet, vomiting all the food he had eaten earlier.

[The food torture is a success.]

[The opponent has lost his sense of taste.]

[The Gourmet is someone who has eaten countless high-grade dishes.]

[All of your stats have increased by 0.8%.]

[Your DEX has increased by 1.6%.]

[You have taken the Gourmet’s sense of taste. Now, every time you eat, the food will taste better.]

The vomiting Gourmet suddenly laughed. “I don’t have the qualifications to be called the Gourmet?! Huh?! Ridiculous! You bastard, now that you have that power, you will also grow intoxicated by it! You will use it just as I used it!”

Yes, it might be the truth. Minhyuk was shocked to see that the increase in power that the Food Torture could give him was much higher than he expected. However, Gourmet and Minhyuk were different.

“I don’t need to keep such a trashy skill.”

[You have deleted the Food Torture skill.]

He did not even hesitate at all.