Chapter 1378

Chapter 1378

[You have used the Abyss’ Bonus Hunting Grounds’ Pass.]

When Minhyuk opened his eyes to the darkness of the never-ending Abyss, he was met with a translucent wall. He raised his hand and poked at the wall with his index finger. However, the wall stopped him from moving any further.

[You have to obtain the consent and the permission of the Master of the Abyss to enter the Abyss’ Bonus Hunting Grounds.]

“OMG...” Minhyuk mumbled, unable to hide his embarrassment.

‘Even so, there’s still a chance that I will be able to get ingredients like the Abyss’ Samgyeopsal.’

Minhyuk’s vision slowly got used to the darkness of the Abyss. As his eyes adjusted, he gradually saw a vast field with no end in sight.

‘Oh?’

There were so many things growing in the vast and endless field in front of him. There were not only fruits and vegetables but also pork, chicken, beef, and mutton growing around in trees.

‘If all of these ingredients have the same effect as the Abyss’ Samgyeopsal, then...’

The increase in his stats would be unimaginable! Delighted, Minhyuk moved toward the field. He checked the shine muscat right in front of him.

(

Shine Muscat

)

Ingredient Grade

: Abyss’ B-grade

Special Abilities

: It has been sealed by the power of the Master of the Abyss.

Description

: Even if it’s eaten, you will not be able to receive its effects because the Master of the Abyss has sealed it.

Minhyuk’s face grew distorted. Of course, it was not as if Minhyuk had spent a lot of time since he came here.

‘As expected, it’s not easy to get these ingredients.’

Nevertheless, he could not help but feel that it was a pity. After all, he had come to a new place for no reason. Minhyuk looked back at the gloomy and desolate Abyss.

‘I have already come all this way in the Abyss, I can’t go back just like that.’

Minhyuk quickly made some

jjajangmyeon

and

tangsuyuk

on the side and ate. As if to vent his frustrations, he took a massive bite of the

jjajangmyeon.

“

Sluuuuuuuuurp!

”

Just when he was about to eat the golden, crispy

tangsuyuk

...

Bang!

“...?”

An explosion suddenly erupted, engulfing him. The bowls of

jjajangmyeon

and

tangsuyuk

in his hands were sent blasting away, their contents scattering on the ground.

The expression on the face of Minhyuk, who was just stretching his chopsticks toward the

tangsuyuk,

grew incredibly distorted as the explosion swept around him.

‘My chapssal tangsuyuk...’

Chapssal tangsuyuk

was crispy on the outside but juicy and moist on the inside. This fried meat boasted a fantastic taste when dipped in sauce.

“They said that you shouldn’t touch a dog while it’s eating. But you’re a human bastard, right? Huh?! Hahahahahaha! What can you do?! I’m very good at PK. Oh? Wait... why is that cape so familiar?”

The mocking words and the jarring laughter of the person who attacked Minhyuk rang in the darkness.

“You’re good at PK?”

“N... No... Uhm. Lo- Lord Supreme... Minhyuk? Why is the Supreme here...”

“Well, I’m good at something, too. I’m good at killing.”

“...?”

Parson was flustered. He had already finished 1,999 PKs. He only needed this one final kill to transfer to the Abyss’ Commander class. Of course, that was on the condition that he would not suffer a single death during the process. If he died, a penalty would be applied, and his level would drop back to the level that he had when he first entered the Abyss.

When Parson first entered the Abyss, he was still at Level 93. Yes, he had been doing PK ever since he was a novice player.

“Lo-Lord Minhyuk! Forgi...!”

Parson knew that he could never beat Minhyuk. Alas, before he could even beg, Minhyuk had already made his move. Minhyuk grabbed his hand and broke his wrist.

Crack!

“Kghhk!”

Parson was shocked. The man in front of him just grabbed his arm and bent it, and his wrists snapped like a dried-up branch.

‘I’m also an unofficial ranker but...’

Minhyuk, who was still holding onto his broken wrist, kicked him on the shin. Parson’s knees buckled, and he was forced to kneel.

“If you answer well, I will spare you.”

“Really?” Parson asked, a ray of hope falling upon him.

“What is the Master of the Abyss?”

“The Master of the Abyss is literally the ruler of this place called the Abyss. I’ve been here for over 500 days and I have yet to see his shadow.”

“Not even once?”

“Yes, that’s right. What I’m going to tell you are things that I have only heard myself. According to the stories that I have heard, the being who carries the name of the Master of the Abyss can command many of the beings of the Abyss and can even create or control things in this place. Perhaps he is the being closest to god in this place called the Abyss.”

“Is he strong?”

“Yes. He’s strong. He’s known to be a powerful being in this deep and desolate Abyss. Maybe the power that he possesses is comparable to the power of a Pillar.”

“How can I meet him?”

“I don’t know.”

Minhyuk’s gaze landed on the young devil named Den standing right next to Parson. Den, whose neck was tied with a chain, flinched and cowered when he saw Minhyuk.

“What’s the matter with this guy?”

Parson immediately told everything he knew about Den. Minhyuk nodded after listening to the story. Then, he let go of his hold on Parson’s wrists.

Parson had heard countless stories about Minhyuk. He knew his character well. At this moment, tears dripped down his cheeks as he said, “I have heard a lot of stories about the Supreme. They said that your kindness and generosity are as vast as the sea. To be honest, if I die here, I will not be able to transfer to a new class, and my level will drop because of a penalty. But you’re the Supreme. You will keep your word, right?”

Parson smiled broadly. He felt relieved. After all, this was the kind of person the Supreme leading Athenae was...

“That’s bullshit?”

Minhyuk cut his head off without any hesitation.

“Anyway, thanks for the information.”

Parson was forced to log out with just one strike. Just like that, he turned into ashes that scattered into nothingness.

[You have been forced to log out.]

[Your level has dropped to Level 93.]

[You have failed to transfer to the Abyss’ Commander class.]

[Your class: Abyss’ Exterminator has been removed.]

“N-noooo!!!” Parson’s screams echoed as he completely disappeared from the Abyss.

Minhyuk watched him disappear. Then, he turned to look at Den, who was staring at him in fear.

***

“If he does well here, then Player Minhyuk will be able to play a more active role in the Pillar Great War, no?” Lee Minhwa asked as she continued to look at the monitor.

Team Leader Park agreed with her. “Unfortunately for Parson, he failed to awaken the Master of the Abyss, Den, even though he had always been close to him.”

Parson had entertained the thought of Den being the Master of the Abyss, but quickly denied this. Unfortunately for him, the idea that he denied was the truth. Den was truly the Master of the Abyss. However, there was a reason why he could not awaken Den.

“The Master of the Abyss is the Devil of Gluttony. We can say that he shares many similarities with Minhyuk, particularly in his craving for delicious food. If someone continuously and regularly feeds him delicious food, then he would be able to regain his strength and power.”

“As expected, you’re well aware of it. So, when you said that Minhyuk will play an active role if he does well here, we’re probably thinking of the same thing, right?”

“Yes. I believe so. The higher the favor and the stronger the relationship that he can build with the Devil of Gluttony, the more EXP he will get from the Abyss’ Bonus Hunting Grounds. If he does it well, then the EXP that he will get there will be beyond imagination. After all, the Devil of Gluttony is the one who decides how much EXP one can obtain inside the hunting grounds.”

Team Leader Park nodded in agreement.

“It’s not just that. He can also turn the Abyss’ B-grade ingredients into S-grade ingredients. That’s the kind of existence Den is in the Abyss.” Team Leader Park rubbed his chin in thought. “If it’s the Player Minhyuk that we know, then he will not leave Den, who resembles him the most, alone and ignore him.”

***

Den has been subject to Parsons’ abuse for hundreds of days. That was why he felt afraid of Minhyuk, who could easily kill his abuser with a single strike of his sword. Just one look from the man was enough to make him flinch and cower.

Rumble!

“Hungry...”

Unfortunately, he could not stop his stomach and his mouth from reacting.

“Are you hungry?”

Den nodded at the sweet and gentle voice that rang in his ears. Then, he said, “I always want to eat something.”

“Hmm?”

“Even if I keep on eating, I’m still hungry...”

“...”

The man went silent for a long time after hearing Den’s words.

“Do you still eat even after your stomach is full?”

Den nodded slowly. Minhyuk stared at the young devil for a very long time.

Minhyuk rubbed Den’s head gently and said, “Then I’ll cook something for you.”

Den had never seen anyone cook in this place before. Of course, it was only natural. There was no chef stupid enough to venture into this place called the Abyss.

Not long after, a plate of

kimchi

fried rice was placed in front of Den. This was Den’s first time eating

kimchi

fried rice in his entire life.

“Yummy...”

The combination of the spicy kimchi and the warm rice tasted fantastic. Den gobbled everything up in an instant. By then, Minhyuk had already prepared another dish for him.

“This dish is called dumpling soup.”

Just as Minhyuk expected, Den gobbled everything up. Minhyuk smiled softly at Den, who was eating everything in an instant, even though the serving was huge.

[Den’s favor has increased.]

It was only natural. After all, he had treated the young devil kindly.

Minhyuk looked at Den just like that and said, “Do you want to go with this uncle?”

Minhyuk did not feel any need to stay in this place. No matter what he did, the Abyss’ Bonus Hunting Grounds and the Abyss’ ingredients were useless to him.

“I can’t get out of here... I have to live here for the rest of my life...”

A bitter taste lingered in Minhyuk’s mouth when he saw the sadness on the face of the cute little devil named Den.

‘He’s just like me, always hungry.’

There were no quest windows or any special events. It did not even occur to Minhyuk to question why such a young boy was staying in this place. This was because this was the Abyss. It was an unknown world that they did not fully understand.

“Then, I will make you a dish that will leave you full for a few weeks.”

Minhyuk felt a sense of camaraderie and affection for the little devil Den. Because of that, he decided to make the best dish for Den before he left.

Minhyuk started cooking in earnest. Now that he had become the Pillar of the Gourmands, it was no longer difficult for him to create a dish that would not only stave off hunger for a very long time but would also make them feel full and sated.

Den enjoyed Minhyuk’s dish once again. When he finished eating the dish, he realized that he did not feel hungry at all.

“Next time I visit the Abyss, I will make you a dish that will not make you feel hungry at all.”

Den suddenly looked up at Minhyuk and asked, “Why are you doing this?”

Parson had abused him, who was in the form of a devil, and had plans of eventually selling himself.

“Because, regardless of your race, children are not at fault. It’s not your fault that you always feel hungry.”

This terrifying hunger was not anyone’s fault. The children in poor countries like Africa suffer from hunger because of the mistakes of the adults around them and the harshness of nature. At the end of it all, it was not the children’s fault.

“You have no reason to feel hungry.”

As Minhyuk’s sweet and gentle words echoed...

[Den’s favor has reached MAX.]

Minhyuk smiled. The truth was, he did not want to leave Den behind. However, under the circumstances, it was already a relief that the young boy would not feel hungry in the next three weeks or so.

With this done, Minhyuk turned around. There was no need for him to stay any longer in this place.

“I’ll see you later...”

[You have achieved the

Easter Egg

: A Warm Meal for the Devil.]

[You have gifted Master of the Abyss Den a warm meal.]

“...?”

Minhyuk was shocked by the sudden notifications. He hurriedly turned to look at the place where Den was. However, Den had turned into streams of black energy and had already disappeared.

“I don’t want to show you my true self.”

[The warm meal that you have given has freed Den, the Devil of Gluttony, from the curse placed upon him as the Master of the Abyss.]

[He has awakened and learned about who he truly is.]

“I’ll see you next time,” Den’s voice echoed, his tone becoming lower than before. As his words faded, Den also disappeared completely.

[The Master of the Abyss has permitted you to use the Abyss’s Bonus Hunting Grounds.]

[The EXP that you can obtain from the monsters of the Abyss’s Bonus Hunting Grounds is equivalent to the EXP that you can get from monsters at Level 800.]

[The Master of the Abyss can determine the amount of EXP that you can obtain during your stay in the Abyss’s Bonus Hunting Grounds.]

[Once you reach the fifth level, your EXP Acquisition Rate will double, and you will be able to stay in the hunting grounds for six hours.]

[Once you reach the fourth level, your EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by four times, and you will be able to stay in the hunting grounds for six hours.]

[Once you reach the third level...]

[Once you reach the second level...]

[Once you reach the first level...your EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by thirty-six times...]

[The Master of the Abyss ignores all of the levels.]

[The Master of the Abyss has set it so that your EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by fifty times inside the Abyss’s Bonus Hunting Grounds.]

[You can stay in the Abyss’s Bonus Hunting Grounds for three days.]

[The grade of Abyss’s Ingredients will increase by one level.]