Chapter 1322

Chapter 1322

Minhyuk stood there staring at the place where Bender disappeared from for a moment before checking the influence rankings.

[1st place: Athenae. 34.1%.]

[2nd place: Pillar of the Gourmands. 30.5%.]

[3rd place: Hephaestus. 20.5%.]

[4th place: Master of Life and Death. 15.4%.]

[5th place: Master of Weapons. 4.9%.]

He had failed to catch up with Athenae by a pretty short margin. It was truly a pity.

‘Just 4% more...’

The influence brought about by the most incredible dish, the

nakgopsae,

was much greater than Minhyuk had imagined. However, it was still not enough for him to get first place.

The first place in the influence rankings would obtain the Pillar Creation Authority. The Pillar Creation Authority could grant the Pillar the opportunity to create whatever they wanted to make as long as it was related to them. Whether it was an artifact, a dish, a scroll, a skill book, or anything else for that matter, they would be able to make it. The range of what they could create was so broad that it could be said to be a reward that went beyond anyone’s imagination.

Regardless, why was a reward so ridiculously created just like that? This was because Joy Co. Ltd. never expected anyone to obtain this in the first place. The reward was just put there to inspire and fuel the determination of the players who would become Pillars in the future. After all, the influence ranking was supposed to be nothing but a demonstration.

‘Considering the situation, it’s already good that I ranked second place.’

Minhyuk smiled bitterly.

‘Now that I think about it... I got a lot of money, but I ended up not getting the things that I wanted.’

The thing that Minhyuk was referring to was none other than the

nakgopsae

.

‘It was the greatest dish, too.’

As the owner of the greatest sword, Minhyuk knew the value and worth of an item with the name “greatest” attached to it more than anybody else. Perhaps that dish would be the best dish that Minhyuk could ever make in his life. Alas, he was unable to taste that dish.

The memory of the boiling

nakgopsae

flashed in Minhyuk’s head. He could already imagine himself stirring the thick soup and scooping a spoonful of cabbage, shrimp, offal, and octopus. Then, he would put a spoonful of ingredients covered in the dense, red sauce on top of the rice, before mixing everything and adding some seaweed flakes on top.

The thought of the dish alone was enough to fill him with delight. Unfortunately, he was unable to savor such a delicious dish. Then, suddenly...

“Huh?”

A way to eat this dish flashed in his head. And it was a method that was very,

very

close to him. And it was a straightforward method, too.

‘Can’t I just restore it with Kronos’ Clock...?’

That was right. Now that he thought of it, Kronos’ Clock was truly a cheat-like item, no? Filled with great expectations once again, Minhyuk activated the Kronos’ Clock.

[Kronos’ Clock has successfully reversed the target’s time.]

Minhyuk felt excited when he saw the

nakgopsae

appear in front of him again. He did not even have the time or the mind to care about the gazes of the other people present. Of course, the crowd of people was very understanding of Minhyuk. After all, they knew he had been working hard on cooking for a few days in a row and didn't even have time to take a proper sip of water.

[Even if Minhyuk’s not the one standing there, they will also react the same if they have the greatest dish in front of them.]

Minhyuk turned on the burner and started boiling the

nakgopsae

once again. The glistening glass noodles sitting on top of the pot were already making his mouth water.

‘Once those glass noodles absorb the sauce... they will become really, really delicious!’

As for the broth, the starch in the glass noodles would make it thicken quickly. He did not need to add anything at all. He just needed to prepare some fried eggs, sauce, hot rice, and some seaweed flakes in front of the boiling

nakgopsae.

He immediately turned the heat down once the

nakgopsae

’s broth had turned thicker. The glass noodles were already submerged in the broth and were already cooked very well. When he picked up his ladle and stirred the pot, he immediately saw the shrimp, the offal, and the octopus that were hiding in the broth.

The first thing Minhyuk did was to taste everything as it was. He grabbed a piece of octopus and put it in his mouth. The octopus was plump and chewy, having soaked up the flavor of the broth perfectly. Then, he tasted some of the chewy offal and the perfectly cooked shrimp.

After that, he grabbed the ladle once again and scooped up a lot of the soup. The glass noodles were trembling inside the broth. He gently poured all of the ingredients and the glass noodles into a small dish and slurped them up.

“

Sluuuuuuuurp!

”

The harmony of the flavors that danced in his mouth was fantastic. The glass noodles that had soaked up the broth had made the flavor even deeper and fuller.

Finally, it was time for Minhyuk to really get started. He scooped a ladleful of

nakgopsae

and poured it into a bowl filled with hot rice. Then, he sprinkled some seaweed flakes on top of it and mixed everything.

After mixing everything well, he scooped a huge spoonful and put it in his mouth.

“Kghhk! It’s a rice thief! A rice thief!!!”

The deep flavor of the dish left him scooping more rice into his mouth. When he started to feel the spiciness of the dish, he would eat a spoonful of the unmixed rice and a fried egg. The rich flavor of the fried egg would fill his mouth immediately.

Scratch, scratch!

Minhyuk, who had eaten five bowls of rice, scraped the bottom of the pot of the

nakgopsae

with his ladle. After confirming that he finished everything, a bright and happy smile appeared on his face.

‘It was truly delicious.’

It was truly worthy of the name, the “Greatest Dish”. A divine harmony rang in his ears with every flavorful bite. To him, it felt like dopamine was constantly being secreted in his brain.

If he had lost out on eating the greatest dish, there would have been a huge regret over this delightful taste, as well as losing out on its effects. After all, Overlapping Delight would turn the effects of the dishes into buffs. Buffs would disappear once the duration was up. In contrast, the greatest dish would give the one who consumed it a permanent increase in stats and powers.

[You have eaten Nakgopsae.]

[This dish is the Greatest Dish.]

[Your level has increased 13 times.]

[You have obtained 1,400 Special SP. They will be distributed fairly and efficiently.]

[All of your attack and defensive power will increase by 7%.]

[Your total HP and MP will increase by 15%.]

[The proficiency of all of the skills in your possession will increase by 30%.]

[Your critical damage will increase by 30%.]

[All of your skill cooldowns will decrease by 15%.]

It was just a single dish, but it had made Minhyuk 15% stronger than before. Then, at that moment...

[Eating the Greatest Dish has made your influence rating increase by a significant amount.]

Just in time, the influence rankings were refreshed and updated.

[Influence Rankings Final Update.]

[1st place: Pillar of the Gourmands. 34.7%.]

[2nd Place: Athenae. 33.9%.]

[3rd place: Hephaestus. 20.5%.]

[4th place: Master of Life and Death. 15.4%.]

[5th place: Master of Weapons. 4.9%.]

Ring!

[Congratulations.]

[You ranked 1st in the influence rankings.]

With a dramatic turn of events, the influence rankings were reversed.

‘Completing the greatest dish has raised my influence rating significantly. I just ate the greatest dish, and my influence rating jumped by such a huge amount?’

[You have acquired the Pillar Creation Authority.]

He could not even imagine what he would make with the Pillar Creation Authority. Nonetheless, before everything else, he had to log out first. So, amidst the gazes of the countless people gathered in the Beyond the Heavens Empire, he logged out to take a rest.

***

After waking up from his rest, Minhyuk immediately jumped up and ran to the living room where Doctor Jinhwan was sitting.

“Doc, when will the results come out?”

“They will be out this evening.”

Minhyuk always took medical examinations once every six months. Furthermore, once every year, he would take various tests and exams to determine whether his eating addiction had been cured or not.

The tests were made up of the countless tests presented by the American Academy of Medical Sciences and the American Rare Disease Research Institute. The tests checked a variety of things, including his EEG waves. The data gathered from these tests would be sent to the United States, and it would take them about a month to get the results.

They had been doing these tests for years. When his weight was at 170 kilograms and he was already one foot in the grave, these were the results that he received:

[Severe and dangerous conditions. Showing similar symptoms and signs to patients who had died of eating addiction.]

These were the results that he received one year after starting Athenae:

[Conditions have shown slight improvement. However, the Yo-yo effect still cannot be ruled out. Please remain vigilant and careful.]

Two years into the game:

[Conditions have shown tremendous improvements. The patient is still thirty times more obsessed with food compared to ordinary people.

Two years and six months into the game:

[Conditions have significantly improved. The patient can now control himself around food. However, if the patient stops playing Athenae, he’s more likely to relapse.]

Those were the results that he had received last year. Of course, Minhyuk had improved a lot. The fact that he had lost 100 kilograms of weight could already be said to be a miracle. Alas, both Lee Jinhwan and Minhyuk knew the truth.

‘Eating addiction is like a time bomb. Unless it gets cured, we won’t know when it will explode.’

‘We have to reach a complete cure. If we can’t, then we’ll end up relying on playing Athenae.’

Of course, Joy Co. Ltd. had declared that Athenae would be a game that would remain forever. Unfortunately, the reality was different. Although it seemed like it would run forever, it was still a game, and it was set to end one day. It was proven by the recent threatening situation with the Abyss’ Calamity. What would happen if Minhyuk could no longer play Athenae?

‘There’s no guarantee that something like that won’t happen again.’

The upcoming results sent by the American Academy of Medical Sciences would play a vital role in their plans. Of course, there was no guarantee that Minhyuk would be completely cured of eating addiction. There was even a chance that he would be constantly living in this state of anxiety.

“Minhyuk, are you going out today?”

“Yes.”

Jinhwan smiled bitterly. “If you eat with those arrogant young masters, you will not be able to taste your food.”

“I still have to go.”

Once every year, the children of the leaders of the large corporations in the country would meet. Just as the business tycoons gathered together to interact and share stories, their children would also gather and mingle.

Minhyuk felt very uncomfortable during these events. He felt as though he didn't fit in with these types of events at all. However, he was his father’s son, and he had to go. So, Minhyuk began to prepare.

***

There were always groups with members who had the wrong attitudes and weird personalities. In groups like this, when someone “normal” appeared, they would be driven to a corner and be hailed as the weirdo of the group. And for the children of the business tycoons, that existence was Minhyuk.

The Blue Group was ranked tenth among Korean companies. In other words, it was one of the biggest companies in the country. And Lee Hyuk-Tae, the heir of the Blue Group, was twenty-eight years old this year and was currently taking management classes in preparation to lead their company.

The dozens of children of the business tycoons had gathered around Lee Hyuk-Tae.

“That f*cking psycho will come today too, right?”

Lee Hyuk-Tae hated Minhyuk. Why? Because he had an inferiority complex. For starters, Lee Hyuk-Tae was not that smart, while Minhyuk was not only smart, but he was also good at sports.

Ten years ago, the people would enthusiastically greet Minhyuk at this meeting. After all, he was the bright genius who would lead Ilhwa Group. He was the son of the number one company in the country. Then, when he developed eating addiction and disappeared from everyone’s sight, he became the target of everyone’s ridicule. And now? That guy was now a worldwide star.

Not long after, Minhyuk entered the venue.

“You’re here?”

“Hello, hyung.”

As usual, Minhyuk was polite. However, this only made Lee Hyuk-Tae more annoyed at him.

“Your stories are widespread in the world. But.. are you an heir or are you just a game ranker?”

The entire world praised Minhyuk. However, the children of the business tycoons still wanted to deny Minhyuk’s brilliance. He was already the child of the chairman of the Ilhwa Group, and yet he was still loved by everyone? It got on their nerves.

“Well, I can be both,” Minhyuk answered, brushing it off lightly as always.

Lee Hyuk-Tae swirled his glass a few times as the word “both” rang in his head.

Around thirty minutes later.

The drunk Lee Hyuk-Tae slurred, “Minhyuk. You should know, right? You’re no longer Ilhwa Group’s successor.”

Minhyuk did not bother to give him an answer.

“Who would appoint someone mentally ill like you as the chairman? Why would Ilhwa Group screw themselves over for you? I heard that the Ilhwa Group’s vice chairman is already looking for a professional manager.”

Lee Hyuk-Tae took another swig of his drink.

“Kghhk! Hey, you punk! You should treat me well. If that game of yours gets doomed and your eating addiction comes back, then I’ll make a new game for you!”

“Hahahahahahaha! That’s right. Hyuk-Tae hyung! You can make a game!”

“Minhyuk. Did you know that the Blue Group is making a virtual reality game? If Athenae gets doomed, you can just go there.”

The mocking laughter of the children of the business tycoons rang. Minhyuk acted the same as always. He just ate and ignored the dogs barking around him. Then, at that moment, his phone pinged. Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide when he saw the text. However, he remained calm and continued to eat.

“Shit. Minhyuk, you’re quite pitiful, no? In the past, the world sang praises about you, saying that no one in the world is better than you as an heir. Now? The world only knows you as a ranker. You can’t be a successor anymore.”

Minhyuk would never be considered a successor unless he was cured of his eating addiction. The board members of the Ilhwa Group would unanimously vote against giving him the successor position. It was only natural. After all, they were only doing it for the company's good.

“Hahahahahaha. Ah. We feel a bit sorry for you, Minhyuk.”

“Hey, but Minhyuk’s working so hard, you know! You should just be a ranker forever!”

“Good job! Good job! It doesn’t matter if you can’t run your company! You’re running an empire in Athenae!”

Everyone clamored, trying their best to please Lee Hyuk-Tae. Why? Because building a friendship with him would be advantageous for them. They would be able to gain various contracts from him in the future.

The drunk Lee Hyuk-Tae said, “I feel sorry for your father, too. He had built Ilhwa Group from the ground up. But his f*cking son is born with a mental illness. How bitter and hard—”

Minhyuk’s fist had already made contact with his trap before he could even finish his words.

Bang!

“...?”

Lee Hyuk-Tae was stunned. Everyone was looking at Minhyuk as if he were crazy. Why? Because he dared to punch Hyuk-Tae in the face when he would not be able to have any influence in front of the business tycoons in the future.

“Don’t you dare cross that line,” Minhyuk growled.

Minhyuk looked around him. Some said that Athenae was a mere game, while others emphasized that he was just twenty-one years old. However, he had learned a lot in Athenae. On top of that, he was an emperor there—an emperor who carried the weight and the burden of his empire.

Minhyuk walked past the still-stunned Hyuk-Tae and sat in his seat again. He could see everyone’s face turning red as if a fight was about to break out at any given moment.

“Everyone in the world is saying

Minhyuk this, Minhyuk that

. Even so! You just...!”

“You crazy m*therf*cker...!”

“You bastard! If your eating addiction relapses...!”

At that moment, Minhyuk said, “I will be the one leading Ilhwa Group.”

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

Everyone looked at him incredulously.

‘What bullshit is he on about?’

He couldn't become the chairman just because he wanted to.

A slight redness appeared on Minhyuk’s eyes. However, he was able to remain calm and composed as he slid his phone onto the table. A text message was displayed on the phone, and it said...

[Results for Eating Addiction Test.]

[Patient improvement appears to be at 99%. He can now control himself in front of food. The patient’s level of craving for food is just a bit higher than that of conditioning athletes who require a massive intake of food.]

[A final test will be conducted in a few months to determine if the disease has been completely cured.]

“...”

“...”

Those who had read the text were all rendered speechless. The difference in Minhyuk’s influence in the world of business with and without his illness was like the difference between heaven and earth.

Lee Hyuk-Tae’s eyes grew wide. He knew that if his relationship with the next chairman of the Ilhwa Group were damaged at that moment, it would have a significant impact on the Blue Group. If his father heard about this, he would not be the chairman in the future. Perhaps he would even be kicked out right away. That was how overwhelming the influence and position of the number one company in Korea were.

Lee Hyuk-Tae, who has finally sobered up, looked up at Minhyuk and said, “Hey, Minhyuk. This hyung had said too much...”

“Hyung,” Minhyuk snapped coldly, as he turned to look at Lee Hyuk-Tae and said, “We should all live honorably.”