Chapter 1281

Chapter 1281

“

Kyorchon Chicken

is the best! Yummy!”

“...”

The shock that Philip felt was beyond words. He thought,

‘My god. Someone really became a Pillar because he ate the best and the most in the world. Unbelievable.’

The Pillars were the leading figures in their field and supported the world. As much as Philip did not want to accept Minhyuk’s case, he had no choice but to accept it.

𝐟𝕣𝗲𝕖𝕨𝗲𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝗲𝚕.𝗰𝚘𝐦

‘There’s no one in the world who eats the best and the most in the world aside from that man.’

While the situation was absurd, he had to admit that the description was genuinely fitting for that man.

As mentioned before, Philip was a genius. He closed his eyes and began to ponder the description, ‘The one who eats the best and the most in the world.’ After some time, he began to create the foundation of the skill that would represent such a man.

‘The one who eats the most. The one who eats the best. And the one who looks for the most special dishes.’

The skill was being created.

‘Just because he eats doesn’t mean that the skill that represents him has to be related to eating something. He, who has eaten dozens of things, forgets his fear, dread, desire, danger, and the will to achieve something. How?’

Forgetting something during the act of eating was just like...

‘Digesting something.’

Yes. He would digest everything. At that moment, the skill name was decided. Digest.

Philip imagined Minhyuk sitting alone and digesting dozens of things. In that scene, he could see the air vibrate around the man’s head.

If the skill called Digest was created, then this was what it would look like once it was triggered:

[Digest.]

[Whenever fear, dread, desire, the will to achieve something, fear of death, the will never to back down, and a dozen other things reach their peak...]

[You will digest all of them.]

[Digestion in process. You have digested 10% of everything.]

[Your DEX has become 33% better. The probability of not being able to get higher-grade dishes has disappeared.]

[Digestion in process. You have digested 15% of everything.]

[Your DEX has become 41% better. Your fear of death has disappeared.]

[...30%...]

[...57%...]

[Digestion process completed. You have digested 100% of everything.]

[Your DEX has increased by a total of 319%.]

[You have digested anything and everything that has blocked your path. Nothing can stop you anymore.]

[Your chances of obtaining a higher-grade dish have increased by 174%.]

Philip rubbed his chin in thought after the scene that he imagined ended. If he handed the skill Digest to anyone right now, they might just faint from excitement. For a chef, DEX was a stat that was as important as attack power. The fact that their attack power had increased by more than 300% instantly proved how shocking this force was.

However, Philp felt like he still needed to adjust the skill.

‘For others, the skill can be created through imagination.’

But the man before him was different. There was just too little information about Minhyuk for him to give this power that was made from the foundation of eating well. Although Philip had confirmed that the skill would be Digest, he believed adjusting and supplementing it further was necessary. Also...

‘I have a favor to ask.’

There was one thing that Philip was very curious about. What was it? Well, he was very curious about the taste of that

Kyorchon Chicken

. Like the description Athenae gave him, the man truly ate the most and the best in the world. He had this strange power that could make anyone watching him feel the pangs of hunger.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk turned to Rocado after finishing his meal. Then, he asked, “What must I do to get my own Eight Pillar Disaster?”

When a Pillar related to dexterity was born, they would have to find Rocado. Rocado would then guide them to the path that would bring them to their own Pillar Disaster.

Since Philip knew that the man would come to find him, he left the body of the Pillar Candidate and went back to his world.

***

‘That’s quite unexpected.’

Minhyuk expected that he would receive a quest that required him to beat Rocado to receive his own Eight Pillar Disaster. But the reality was different. Rocado simply opened a portal that would lead him to where The Creator was. And that was where he would get his own Disaster.

A flash of confusion appeared on Minhyuk’s face when he stepped through the portal.

‘Hmm?’

This was because he was greeted by the sight of a desolate fortress that looked like it had been ravaged by war. Walking through the fortress, he met a very jolly and bubbly man.

No notification rang when the man appeared. Perhaps it was because Minhyuk entered Philip’s world, and that was why there was no such notification.

“To be honest, I have already seen you before,” Philip said, explaining the whole story to him.

Minhyuk immediately understood the situation. At the same time, he thought,

‘Athenae... You have to be more flexible in these kinds of things...’

Wasn’t she being too honest?

“I was stunned, you know? After all, you became a Pillar just because you ate well.”

Minhyuk’s brows twitched. Why? It was because Philip's tone showed a hint of ridicule when he said those words. Of course, Athenae’s description was understandable.

Minhyuk asked, “Are you making fun of me?”

“...”

Philip was not one of those arrogant people with a holier-than-thou attitude. He instantly understood that he had made a mistake.

“It’s true. When I first heard about you, I wondered if you could truly stand shoulder to shoulder with the other Pillars. But that doesn’t give me the right to mock or ignore you. For that, I apologize. Please check this first.”

Philip opened the Digest’s skill window.

‘This is crazy...!’

Minhyuk thought in shock.

If this skill was triggered while he was cooking, he might be able to easily create dishes that went beyond his limits. That was just how overpowered the skill Digest was.

Then, Philip said, “I don’t know you and what you have been through. But I also shouldn’t know you that way.”

“...?”

His words were quite confusing for Minhyuk.

“It’s a regulation and a restriction. I don't know the exact information about the new Pillar. I can only know and understand you through indirect methods. Even if you tell me that you are this kind of person, I will never be able to hear your words. And I try to read your lips, then your lips will be sealed.” Philip paused. He took a breath and said, “Now, let’s get back to the main point.”

Philip looked at Minhyuk seriously. Then, he asked, “What can you say after looking at it? Do you think it suits you?”

It was only natural for Philip to be unaware of Minhyuk’s strength, power, and authority. But there was one thing that all of the Pillars had in common.

‘Not a single one of them ever had a dual class.’

That was why Philip believed his “eating” was only related to cooking. But if he asked for Minhyuk’s honest review, then...

“Is this your best?”

To be honest, he found it a bit weak. Helenia’s Spark of White Flames could instantly burn hundreds of millions of people. Obren’s Descent of the Evil God could force someone to death through fear debuff that was instantly applied the moment they saw him. When compared to the two, the skill that Minhyuk was presented with was lacking.

Yes, the skill was outstanding in its way. That was something that he did not deny. But Minhyuk needed a skill representing him as a whole, and not just one aspect of being the Pillar of the Gourmands.

Minhyuk thought about something. Then, he asked, “Is it because I’m a foreigner?”

Philip could not help but admire the man’s outstanding insight. That was the truth. Of course, it was only one among the variety of reasons. The Eight Pillar Disasters were created purely because of Philip’s abilities. It meant that he was the one who decided how outstanding or how powerful the ability was.

“Power is earned by those who have the qualifications.”

Philip was not supercilious. However, he could only make skills based on the information he was given and how accurately he grasped the other person’s characteristics and nature.

The skill he presented to Minhyuk was enough for someone good at eating. That was why Minhyuk did not get overly excited about it. He even stated what he wanted the skill Digest to be.

“I want a Disaster that allows me to trigger Digest alone, as well as an AOE version.”

In Philip’s view, it was too much for Minhyuk to ask. He said, “You can only have one of the two. You’re a foreigner. The restriction upon you will suppress you and not allow you to have both.”

Minhyuk caught the underlying meaning in his words. “The restrictions will suppress me and not allow me to have both. Regardless, I believe you, Philip, can ignore some of these restrictions, no?”

Philip was the creator of the Eight Pillar Disasters. He definitely had the power to do that.

“Why should I do that for you?”

Indeed. There was no need for Philip to do that for Minhyuk. There was one thing that Philip was sure of. He said, “The Digest that you will be able to use is an outstanding skill created with the information I have been given about you.”

Philip’s abilities could be said to be extremely outstanding. After all, he created such an amazing power with such minimal information. The fact that he could make such a skill despite several restrictions, especially because Minhyuk was a foreigner, was already impressive enough.

Philip lamented, “I’m sorry. You’ll just have to accept this.”

Minhyuk grinned. “There’s a reason why you called me here. And I’m pretty sure it’s because you don’t want me to accept this power merely.”

Philip chuckled silently. He thought,

‘Is he different from the others?’

There was also one thing that he found strange.

‘Why does he need an AOE Digest?’

Usually, one would only want such a power if he had a lot of subordinates.

Minhyuk grasped the underlying meaning in Philip’s words and asked, “How many people have come here?”

“Exactly three people.”

Minhyuk perked his ears up.

“Obren. Helenia... and you.”

The two came here in entirely different circumstances from Minhyuk. Philip called for the two people before him because he could not gauge their power. He could not decide how powerful the Disaster he should make for them should be.

In Minhyuk’s case, it was different.

‘I don’t know if he deserves to be a Pillar.’

The situation on Athenae’s side was very urgent. Philip understood why they hurriedly wanted to choose a new Pillar. This was also the reason why he still held doubts about Minhyuk’s appointment.

“What do I have to do?”

“You only need to use all of your power. When I say all of your power, I mean

all

of them. This includes your power and the power of your vassals. You have to show me all of them.”

“The power of my vassals?”

“I’m talking about the power that your vassals created. Or you can also borrow the powers that your vassals can use. There have been cases where a Pillar did not ascend to their position with their power alone. This is so I can check everything. Still, I’ll be honest with you, neither Helenia nor Obren had borrowed the power of any vassal.”

The two did not borrow any power. One was that they did not have any vassals. The second was... they did not have any need to borrow any power, even if they had one.

“I made the mistake of looking down on you; I admit that. Regardless, I don’t know the extent of your skills. That’s why I want you to take this test.”

At that moment, a series of notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[Philip’s Test will now begin.]

[Make Philip release a groan. A restriction will be ignored with every groan that escapes Philip’s mouth. The more restrictions ignored, the better the Pillar Disaster will become.]

[If you can make him groan three times, he will ignore as many restrictions as he can.]

“Then, let’s start right away.”

Minhyuk disappeared with a flash of light. He appeared far from Philip, who remained standing in the desolate fortress.

[The Disaster Test has begun!]

[You can borrow any of the power of your vassals once.]

[A word of caution. Philip is the creator of the Eight Pillar Disasters. If a power is weak and trivial, it might disappear before reaching him.]

[Five hundred million Pillar Soldiers have appeared.]

“...?!”

[One hundred million Pillar Evil Dragons fill the sky.]

“...?!”

[The average level of the Pillar Soldiers is at Level 900.]

“...?!”

Philip, with a sword in his hand, looked down at Minhyuk from the walls of the fortress and said, “It took Obren seven minutes before he landed an attack on me. Helenia took around nine minutes. They’re amazing, no?”

The thought of the two still left Philip in awe. They only took less than ten minutes to reach him through the hundreds of millions of enemies.

“Of course, you should know it too. Successfully landing an attack on me in seven minutes and nine minutes is amazing. But that’s because they’re powerhouses that even I have acknowledged. Even though you take longer, I hope you won’t despair. It’s not because you’re lacking; they’re just too strong.”

Philip watched as the tens of thousands of evil dragons swooped down and released their Breath upon him. He watched as the blazing flames devoured Minhyuk.

Bang–!

The flames hid Minhyuk’s figure.

“He did not avoid the attack...? What? Is he bluffing me?”

He never expected that he would not avoid the attack. Philip watched Minhyuk’s silhouette swaying with the flames. And even though he was far away, Philip heard Minhyuk’s voice clearly.

At the same time, the silhouette slowly knelt and reached out for the sword sheathed in the scabbard hanging on his waist. It was the sign of a skill being triggered.

Philip chuckled, “You should already know this. Even if you activate your skill, it might not necessarily reach me. Even ordinary gods’ attacks cannot reach me. Hmmm. As for the gods who have overcome a few of their limits... well, I don’t know yet.”

Minhyuk, who was still engulfed by the flames, laughed. Then, he said, “So, with every groan I get from you, the Disaster I will get should improve?”

Philip nodded.

“If that’s the case, then I’ll land an attack on you in five seconds.”

“???” Philip looked at Minhyuk’s silhouette in confusion. Pride and arrogance were monsters that ate away at one’s being.

Ting–!

The cry of a sword resonated in the fortress.

“No. I already told you. Even a god’s attack...”

“Heart Sword. Final Chapter.”

“...has never reached...”

“Ten Thousand Li Sword.”

“...me!”

Swoosh!

One groan would make the skill that he was set to receive better. It was a vow made between them.

“UGH!!!”

At that moment, a scream rang loudly in the fortress.