Chapter 1178

Chapter 1178

The being sealed inside the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone had protected the Gaia Continent for a long time.

The guardian deities created the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone to protect the humans of the Gaia Continent. They put the guardian deity ruling over lightning inside it before they were completely sealed. When those wicked bastards learned of this, they

immediately injected their power inside the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone and made it so the power slumbering inside the stone would go rampant once anyone tried to activate its power.

When King Anton held the stone in his hands, the guardian deity sealed within thought that everything would finally end once they tried to borrow his power. But it would take more than just being skilled to receive the recognition and calm the raging power of the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone. Even Anton, the most outstanding chef of the Gaia Continent, could only receive a simple recognition from the stone.

But there was an even bigger problem than that. Even if someone could receive the stone’s recognition and acknowledgment,

they

sought to exploit a human’s greed and made it so that the stone would continue to go berserk.

Before the cooking stone’s power could become out of control, a warm hand reached it. The soul trapped inside, facing despair, almost shed tears when that hand touched him. The level of cooking

he

had achieved was something the soul could not dare evaluate.

He

was someone who worked harder than anybody else.

He

was more skilled than anybody else.

He

made dishes that were far more delicious than any other dish that anybody else had made.

He loved food more than anybody else, and his love for cooking was unrivaled.

And that was the reason why the soul inside the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone felt even sadder. Why? Because he was sure that such a person would eventually fall for the temptation and succumb to his greed.

***

Minhyuk, who was left flustered by the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone’s sudden release of berserk power, a notification rang in his ears.

[

Sudden Quest

: Pacify the Berserk Cooking Stone.]

The reward for the quest was a relatively high increase in Exploration Rate. Based on the notifications he heard, only those who had received the recognition of the berserk stone could appease it.

The voice of the guardian deity rang in Minhyuk’s ears as he moved to approach the stone.

[I’m sorry... everyone...]

[I can’t protect you... I’m sorry...]

[I wanted to protect you, but I am weak and lacking.]

The voice sounded like it was crying. Through this voice, Minhyuk learned how much the guardian deity loved and cared for the humans of the continent.

He could feel how much the guardian deity was blaming himself for not being able to protect them. Not only that, he could also feel how hard the guardian deity was working, even using all of his strength and power just to stop the berserk power from going out of the stone.

Surprisingly, Anton, the Light Dragon Order Commander, Balvark, and Andrej did not hear the notification they expected when Minhyuk touched the stone. Meanwhile, another notification rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[Those who tarnished the stone want to seduce and tempt you.]

Minhyuk frowned. Tempting and seducing him? Then, another notification window appeared in front of him.

[Those who tarnished the stone promise to reward you handsomely if you give the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone up and turn your back on it.]

Ring!

[You can change your class to the God Class: Gaia Continent’s God of Cooking.]

[If you choose to become Gaia Continent’s God of Cooking, your cooking skills will increase by 2 levels.]

[The Gaia Continent’s God of Cooking can receive 20 Gaia’s God-grade ingredients and 40 Gaia’s Legendary-grade ingredients from the citizens of the Gaia Continent.]

[If you choose to change your class, you will be the first player to become a God of the Gaia Continent.]

[Your Exploration Rate will increase to 100%.]

Minhyuk was surprised.

If the level of all of his cooking skills increased by two, then the stagnant skills of the Food God would become even better. If Minhyuk used the Food God’s skills as a springboard, he might grow stronger easily.

And considering the new skills that he could obtain if he became the Gaia Continent’s God of Cooking, this reward could be very huge. Perhaps he would become 1.3x better and stronger than all the players.

[Gaia Continent’s ??? say you should not hold back your greed.]

[Gaia Continent’s ??? say that you should not reject your desires and just let them flow naturally.]

[Gaia Continent’s ??? are saying that you will be the only god who will bridge the existing continents and the new continent together.]

[Gaia Continent’s ??? are saying they will also bestow upon you the entire Gorodis Kingdom.]

[Gaia Continent’s ??? are all saying the same thing.]

[Do not hold back your greed!]

[They look at you with smiles on their faces.]

They all smiled at Minhyuk. In the end, Minhyuk was just a foreigner. He was not directly related to this place, so it was only natural for a foreigner like Minhyuk to accept what they had presented.

But shockingly enough, Minhyuk went beyond their expectations and chose the opposite.

[He stands firm and does not shake an inch, even in the face of such great temptations!]

[Gaia Continent’s ??? looks at you in confusion. They cannot understand your choice.]

Minhyuk reached out and gently stroked the stone. Then, he said,

‘You want me to let thousands of chefs die for my sake?’

Most people would have folded and complied with their demands when presented with temptations. Anyway, Athenae was just a game to them. To those people, it wouldn’t matter whether hundreds or thousands of people died for them. Wasn’t it good as long as they came out on top?

But Minhyuk had a bottom line.

‘If the only choice is to do that to become the Gaia Continent’s God of Cooking, then it’s better for me not to become a god of this continent.’

‘Also, I don’t think you guys are good people.’

This was what Minhyuk had confirmed at this moment. He ignored the noises that

they

were making.

[Gaia Continent’s ??? say that you will regret this choice.]

‘No. I will never regret the choice that I have made. Never.’

Minhyuk’s touch turned a bit softer as he caressed the stone.

[The power of those who dared to inject dirty power to stain the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone could not show its presence before him!]

Minhyuk could no longer hear their voices. He continued to stroke the stone carrying the unidentified guardian deity, who did his best to protect the humans even though he was sealed.

‘Don’t blame yourself. You did your best. Thanks to you, I was able to save everyone here.’

The Ten Thousand Lightning did not fall right away because the sealed guardian deity was desperately trying to block it inside the stone.

“Thank you for holding on.”

The Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone, which was now free from the berserk and rampant energy, resonated wildly. It was as if it was greeting Minhyuk with a wide, bright smile. And Minhyuk? He smiled gently at the stone.

[You have completed the

Sudden Quest

: Pacify the Berserk Cooking Stone.]

[The Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone informs you of the location of Gaia Continent’s Ten Treasured Ingredients...]

[The rewards have been adjusted.]

[You have protected the Gorodis Kingdom from those who tarnished the cooking stone.]

[You have protected the sealed guardian deity on the verge of destruction.]

[You have obtained the four ingredients needed in the Guardian Deity’s Dish recipe.]

Ring!

[

Linked Quest

: Cooking the Guardian Deity’s Dish.]

Rank

: SSS

Requirements

: The one who received the recognition of the Guardian Deity’s Cooking Stone.

Rewards

: You can acquire one of the powers of the Guardian Deity of Lightning. Your Exploration Rate will increase by a significant amount.

Penalty for Failure

: The destruction of the Gorodis Kingdom.

Description

: In the Gaia Continent, ‘they’ have taken advantage of the fact that the Gorodis Kingdom has lost the Guardian Deity’s Dish and used it as an excuse to declare that they would destroy the kingdom if they could not produce a dish that was similar or better in quality and power to the lost dish. Cook this dish with the chefs and prevent the destruction of the Gorodis Kingdom.

Right then and there, Minhyuk judged that it was necessary for him to know what was needed and how good the Guardian Deity’s Dish was. Anton handed over the recipe to Minhyuk. The Guardian Deity’s dish was

Samseon Jjamppong

[1]

(

Samseon Jjampong

)

Grade

: Gaia’s God

Requirements

: Only one person can view the dish's effects.

Shelf Life

: 7 days

Special Effects

:

•All of your stats will increase by 71%.

•All of your skill levels will increase by +4.

•Your physical and magical defensive power will increase by 35%.

•Upon consumption, a permanent power will awaken.

•???

•???

•???

Description

: This is a bowl of dish prepared by the Guardian Deity to protect the people of this land.

The first part of the recipe introduced the dish's effects. The next part detailed the steps needed to make the

samseon jjampong

, similar to the recipe for ordinary

samseon jjampong.

‘Of course, making this dish will be challenging, especially with the four ingredients I have acquired.’

On top of that, the grade, which was listed as Gaia’s God, was quite unusual.

‘At this rate, the effects are almost on par with the effects of an Absolute God-grade dish.’

Just one look at the increase in stats, skill level, and attack power and Minhyuk could determine that it was almost equivalent to an Absolute God-grade dish. However, it clearly stated that its grade was

Gaia’s God

. In other words, it was nothing more than a dish at the ordinary god-grade level.

‘It seems like the level and standards of the Gaia Continent are higher than ours?’

Minhyuk also realized that there would be dishes with a higher grade than Gaia’s God-grade dishes, which thrilled him beyond imagination.

‘Even if the dishes had the same grading system as ours, their effects are much better.’

In Gaia, Minhyuk could make dishes with more power, which made the cooking process more difficult.

At that moment, Minhyuk thought,

‘This... will not be easy. No. Maybe it’s even impossible.’

The number of times Minhyuk had made an Absolute God-grade dish could be counted on one hand. He was recently able to make one, or rather, the grade of his dish had just increased by one with the help of the archangels.

‘If that’s the case, then it’s better to...’

He thought that it was much better to stop the enemies with force. But then, he realized something.

[Your Exploration Rate is only at 25%.]

[If you bring harm to any of the people related to Gaia Continent’s ???, you will be expelled from Gaia Continent right away.]

In the end, he was still just the sole survivor of the Exploration Team. He could not attack them carelessly. Then, at that moment...

[Gaia Continent’s ??? are furious.]

[They cannot tolerate the Gorodis Kingdom, a kingdom that dared to associate themselves with outsiders from other continents.]

[The 100,000-strong Slaughter Squad will advance toward the Gorodis Kingdom to destroy the kingdom.]

[Slaughter Squad Commander Averra is leading the army.]

[Please complete the Guardian Deity’s Dish in 24 hours.]

[In 12 hours, the Slaughter Squad’s troops will attack the Gorodis Kingdom.]

The entire situation took a turn for the worse.

“Light Dragon Order Commander! Gather all the troops and prepare for the battle against the Slaughter Squad!”

“Yes, sir!”

“Chefs! Come with me. We will start cooking the Guardian Deity’s Dish!”

Minhyuk made eye contact with the Light Dragon Order Commander, who had turned around and rushed out. As he watched his back, he thought,

‘The only restriction placed upon me is that I could never physically harm those associated with the ??? of the Gaia Continent, no?’

But, there were several ways that Minhyuk could help them.

***

President Kang Taehoon and Team Leader Park Minggyu looked at each other. Then, they both groaned at the same time.

President Kang Taehoon pressed down on his already aching temple. Then, with exhaustion evident in his voice, he said, “The Gaia Continent was completed and applied in the game a long time ago, right? Was it completed around three years ago?”

“That’s right.”

“We did not intervene at all.”

Just like usual, they did not change anything in Athenae recklessly. And because of that...

“Originally, the Gorodis Kingdom was set to be destroyed.”

Their expected scenario was the exploration team’s exploration rate to stop at 25% with the destruction of the Gorodis Kingdom. With just this exploration rate, it would leave the players with nowhere else to go.

Because of that, they could only open up and pioneer more places on the map of the Gaia Continent through hunting grounds and dungeons. The plan was to increase the Gaia Continent’s exploration rate by clearing hunting grounds and dungeons. But...

“We didn’t know that this would happen three years ago.”

“Yeah. That’s absolutely right.”

“Originally, the Gorodis Kingdom’s Light Dragon Order and its troops should have been easily swept away by the Slaughter Squad.”

“Yes.”

“Because the members of the Exploration Team cannot attack and bring harm to those associated with Gaia Continent’s ???, we were confident that there would be no change in the scenario.”

“Indeed. That should have been the case...”

BUT!

“We did not know this three years ago...”

President Kang Taehoon barked out a laugh. That was just how absurd the scenario in front of them was.

“Of all people, the only surviving member of the Exploration Team is the

‘Food God’

and the

‘Battle God.’

Haha.”

Why did President Kang Taehoon emphasize those words? Well, the reason was simple.

Team Leader Park Minggyu chuckled bitterly. “That’s right. Of all people, the only surviving member of the Exploration Team is the only one capable of using the greatest and strongest large-scale buff.”

“...”

“...”

Kang Taehoon and Team Leader Park’s eyes reddened.

With just one look, President Kang Taehoon seemed to say,

‘I haven’t been home in three days,’

And Team Leader Park? He looked at him and replied with his eyes,

‘This is my tenth day, though?’

Team Leader Park’s expression crumpled, tears welling up in his eyes when he saw the pity in President Kang’s face.

1. spicy seafood noodles made with three fresh and precious ingredients representing the land, the sky, and the sea. In the old days, it was made with pine mushrooms, sea cucumber, and pheasant, but many versions exist. ☜