Chapter 175: Disaster Artifact

Reality.

Kaistra was sitting next to Riche, a close brother of his in the village. The two of them were sitting atop a hill overlooking the wide thicket of trees. Kaistra gently covered Riche’s body with a blanket.

Riche had been following Kaistra since they were kids. They had been together almost every step of the way. Kaistra cared for and treated Riche as if he was his own brother. However, Riche was very sick right now. His body was extremely feverish to the point that he felt like he was boiling. Kaistra had hired doctors to come to this remote village in Africa, despite the steep price, but he still did not know how long it would take for them to get here. Kaistra bit his lips in worry and desperation.

‘No! Please don’t come…!’?Kaistra pleaded. He was desperately begging the dark clouds that had been gathering not too far away from them.

‘No, you can’t do this!’

If that happened, then it would be hard for a helicopter to fly and come to where they were. African children generally had a weaker immune system than normal children. In addition, their medical facilities still had to make contact with the outside world before they would be able to get any help. What was worse was that the illness that Riche had contracted was different from any other normal illness found in other countries. The symptoms that Riche currently had might possibly be only the cold or the flu. However, if that was not the case, young Riche’s life might be in danger.

“...Kaistra.”

“Huh?”

Kaistra turned to look at Riche with a gentle smile on his face. He had originally refused to come here with Riche. However, Riche had cried and begged for him to take him to the hill where they always went.

“Do you remember?”

“...”

Kaistra listened quietly to his words.

“Back then, when I was mostly only skin and bones, they came.”

Kaistra nodded in understanding. Back then, both Kaistra and Riche were all skin and bones, on the brink of death, but the Ilhwa Group miraculously arrived in their village together with some medical staff. They saved them from death. The person named Park Munsoo even gave them?Athenae?Access Capsules as a means to contact them and for them to experience a new world. Thanks to that, Kaistra became a ranker and gained unexpected profits that lifted their village’s situation from the negatives until it finally stabilized.

“The food I ate at that time… I still can’t forget it,” Riche said.

One of the people that Ilhwa Group had brought with them was a chef. For quite some time, the only thing that they had fed the children who were almost skin and bones, was a gruel of some sort.

“It was delicious. But, do you know what’s strange?”

There were only five capsules installed in their village. Each capsule was designed to be powered with solar-powered generators so they would remain operational regardless of the circumstances they had. With the help of these capsules, Riche was also able to try the taste of food from all over the world.

“No matter what I taste, I can’t seem to find the flavor of that time...”

The white and steaming chicken porridge that was made by boiling various ingredients was certainly delicious. However, what was strange was that he really could not find nor taste the flavor of the food back then.

A smile hung around Kaistra’s mouth. He said, “Me too.”

‘How can I ever forget? The taste, the texture and the feeling back then... I can never forget it for the rest of my life.’

The taste of that food was the signal for their salvation. Perhaps, they could not find the same taste because they did not feel the same way as back then.

“Kaistra. I have a favor to ask of you before I die.”

“...Riche, don’t say that!” Kaistra exclaimed at Riche, but he soon calmed down his anxious heart.

“That flavor... Please let me taste it again.”

“...”

Kaistra’s couldn’t mutter a word. He knew that the answer was in that capsule. Then, Kaistra’s eyes lit up.

‘Frying Pan Killer...’

Kaistra had heard rumors that his cooking skills were superior to that of Twilight Chef Black’s skills. Then, Kaistra firmly told Riche, “You won’t die, and I will also let you have a taste of that flavor again. Let’s go back now.”

“Yeah.”

Kaistra carried Riche on his back as the two of them slowly made their way back to the village before the dark clouds reached them.

***

“Hoo, ah,” Minhyuk spat out a trembling breath as he stared at the tofu feast in front of him. He excitedly opened the lid of the earthen pot that was cooking on the gas burner in front of him.

Shwaaaaaa━

The first thing he made after making tofu was soft tofu stew. The steam was consistently rising out of the pot. Just like that, he quickly cracked an egg from the golden chicken inside, the egg slowly fell inside the hot broth of the stew. Then, without wasting any moment, he quickly turned on the gas burner again, and waited for a while before turning it off again. The egg was quickly cooked while the soft tofu, clams, squid and pork quietly laid around it as they all floated in the red soup made from red chili paste.

Lying next to the stew was a well-sliced tofu that was still piping hot. The tofu was freshly made and still steaming. It was just like the tofu that was usually sold in the market. Placed next to it was the stir-fried kimchi that had a darker color than the regular kimchi. There were also plenty of various tofu dishes placed side by side on the table in front of him.

Minhyuk first stretched his spoon towards the soft tofu stew, which was slowly cooling down. After stirring the soup for quite a while, he scooped up a spoonful of the slightly hot soup.

“Hoo!?Hoo!”

After blowing on it slightly, he quickly brought it to his mouth and…

Slurp!

“Ha, hot!”

Minhyuk felt the unique texture of the soft tofu stew in his mouth despite the scalding heat.

“Let’s see.”

Then, he quickly scooped up some soft tofu. The soft tofu had already slightly taken in the redness as it absorbed the soup. It was jiggling on the spoon and looked quite chewy.

“Sluuuurp!”

As soon as Minhyuk placed it in his mouth, he could feel the softness of the tofu that was akin to steamed eggs. The spicy soup, together with the sweetness of the soft tofu, tasted wonderful in his mouth. Minhyuk quickly took another spoonful of soft tofu stew. This time, he scooped some of the pork, squid, clams and soft tofu and packed it on top of his bowl. Of course, he did not forget the soup. After packing it in his bowl, he did not forget to mix it thoroughly before taking another bite. The first thing that greeted him was the chewiness of the squid and the pork, as well as the savory and refreshing flavor of the clams. The soft tofu, rice as well as the slightly hot soup also danced happily in his mouth.

“Kgghk, I think this soft tofu stew will also taste good even if it's cold.”

Minhyuk nodded happily as he stretched his chopsticks to the steaming hot tofu beside it. He sliced the hot tofu in half and tried it without anything first. It was clearly just plain tofu with no seasonings, but it still tasted wonderful.

A pleased smile gently hung on Minhyuk’s lips as he picked up some tofu and stir-fried kimchi at the same time. Then, he placed them in his mouth. The soft, savory flavor of the tofu, as well as the spicy, crunchy flavor of the kimchi met together.

Crunch, crunch━

The stir-fried kimchi had added a dash of flavor to the otherwise bland taste of the tofu. He smiled widely as he picked up another tofu and placed it in his mouth.

Chew, chew.

The combination of the tofu and the kimchi that had been seasoned well had a slightly salty taste to it. This was also the reason why it was called a rice thief. It was not just ‘salty’, in fact, it was ‘pleasantly salty’. Minhyuk had no choice but to eat a spoonful of rice to balance the flavor, smiling in satisfaction.

“Tofu, why are you so healthy and delicious?”

The beans that were used to make the tofu sprouted from a field called?Sogogi. They were even beans that could work well and compliment any kind of stewed dishes, so it was guaranteed to be something delicious. After Minhyuk finished eating about 100 pieces of tofu, he heard notifications ringing in his ears.

[You have eaten the Soft Tofu made with the Millstone of Abundance.]

[You have acquired 400,000 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Minhyuk’s level increased by five in an instant. This five-level increase, together with all the level ups that he had experienced in this place, brought his level to Level 318. After eating all of the tofu in front of him, Minhyuk sat back down in front of the millstone. It had only been a day, so he began his beans grinding once again.

***

Minhyuk was spinning the millstone again today. Just a bit earlier, he had made some ox blood hangover soup from the ‘Blood Of A Noble Vampire’ that dropped from Vampire Loon. As usual, upon consumption, the notifications rang out.

[You have eaten the Ox Blood Hangover Soup made from the Blood of a Noble Vampire.]

[Food God’s Greatness.]

[You have ignored the medicine penalty. However, it still remains ineffective for other people.]

[A Medicine Cooking. You have obtained additional stats.]

[You have acquired the Passive Skill: Bleeding.]

The Blood of a Noble Vampire was an extremely amazing medicine. However, unlike other medicines that only increase the stats, this medicine gave a skill or increased an existing skill’s level. He had thought that he would not be able to learn, acquire or improve any skills since there were no skill books for the Food God, so it was a relief for him that he could learn skills this way.

𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Minhyuk quickly checked the skill, Strengthened Bleeding. Originally, it was just a 2% chance of triggering bleeding whenever there was a successful attack, but thanks to the Food God’s Greatness, it had increased to 3%. Once bleeding has been triggered, a 10% damage would continue to be inflicted on the opponent until they were able to stop the bleeding.

After Minhyuk checked his new skill, he sat in front of the millstone again. He said, “Well then, let’s spin it again!”

He started spinning the millstone with all his might. After around one or two hours of continuous spinning...

“Huh?”

…a black light suddenly burst out of the millstone. Along with the light, the aging jar suddenly popped out of Minhyuk’s inventory and floated in the air. The millstone that was glowing with a black light slowly floated in the air too. Minhyuk did not know why the two artifacts suddenly floated in the air before him, so he just watched and waited. Then, not long after, the black light was suddenly sucked into the aging jar.

Then, came the notifications.

[The Millstone of Abundance has now evolved and turned into ‘Gorac’s Lightning Millstone’.]

[Gorac’s Lightning Millstone and Gorac’s Aging Jar belong to an artifact set.]

[Depending on the properties and nature of the two items, the force and strength will be attached to one of the artifacts.]

[Gorac’s Lightning Millstone has evolved from a Unique Artifact to a Disaster Artifact.]

“Disaster...?” Minhyuk asked aloud, confused.

Disaster Artifact??He had never heard of it before so Minhyuk checked the item right away.

(Gorac’s Lightning Millstone)

Rank: Disaster

Requirements: Gorac’s Artifact

Set

Durability:?∞ / ∞

Special Abilities:

Basic stats will increase by 8% just by having the item in your possession.

?Passive Skill: Lightning

?Active Skill: Lightning Hell

Description: This is one of the artifacts of the set hidden by Gorac. Only when two of the artifacts in a set meet will they be able to show their true strength. If two of the best artifacts meet, then they will be able to create the strongest disaster.

(Lightning)

Artifact Skill

Level: None

Mana Required: None

Cooldown: None

Effects: With Gorac’s Lightning Millstone, you are given a 5% chance to trigger 2-4 lightning strikes with similar damage to your attack upon successful attack on your enemies.

(Lightning Hell)

Artifact Skill

Level: None

Mana Required: 2,000

Penalty: -1 to all 5 basic stats.

Cooldown: 480 hours

Effects: Powerful lightning strikes with an additional 120% attack damage will indiscriminately strike a radius of 20 meters for one minute. This will be triggered by holding on to the handle of the millstone and turning it.

Then, another set of notifications rang.

[Unsealing the artifact had allowed you to inadvertently complete the Seventh Trial.]

[You have completed the attack on Ructo’s Tomb.]

[You have acquired 500,000 EXP.]

[You have gained 300 REP.]

[You have acquired the Title: The Man who Reached the Goal.]

***

Brrrrrrrrrr!

The entrance to Ructo’s Tomb suddenly began to shake, prompting the lazy members of the Bachran Guild to jump up and move. They clearly saw the phrase in front of the tomb stating ‘The Seventh Trial has been completed.’?before the door completely disappeared in front of them. This meant that others could now enter and challenge the dungeon freely. In other words, the dungeon had been cleared. However, no one came out.

‘What the hell? D…don’t tell me...!’?Lark thought, eyes widening in surprise.

From what he knew, the person who had cleared the dungeon could go to another entrance upon the successful clearing. Even the members of the Bachran Guild seemed to think that way.

That was when Lark saw Kaistra accessing the game before summoning Penrus.

“Th…that’s Penrus, I have only heard of him...”

“Th…the Incarnation Of Light!”

Then, Kaistra climbed on Penrus.

‘What in the world is he doing?’

Kaistra heard Penrus howl in the summoning room the moment he logged back inside?Athenae. This meant that there was an incarnation nearby. For some reason, Kaistra believed that it was the Frying Pan Killer. He believed that the Frying Pan Killer had an incarnation with him as well.

Shwaaaaa!

“F…fast!”

“Gasp?!”

“...!”

Kaistra disappeared from the place where he was just now, leaving behind a ray of light.

Dash! Run!

Penrus continued to run while Kaistra thought,?‘What should I give him in return?’

Kaistra was going to ask the Frying Pan Killer to cook for Riche so he needed to give something in return. Maybe money? Artifacts? The Frying Pan Killer was a strong person… so Kaistra wondered what he would want in return.

Dash!

Penrus was already running as fast as he could, but when he arrived, he found the Frying Pan Killer ready to tear the return scroll. Kaistra shouted at him in a panic, “Th…there’s a hungry child!”

Kaistra’s head turned blank. He knew that he had to do something to somehow get a hold of him. Because of that, all of the things that he had thought of and prepared in his mind all went to trash as he spoke gibberish. He said, “The child is an African like me and he’s very hungry. The child said that he wanted to eat this particular food very much.”

At that moment, reason slowly came back to Kaistra as he gathered back his thoughts. Most of the players in?Athenae?had one thing in common. They usually wanted good artifacts and good rewards. However, he did not even say anything about it and just told him about his request. If anyone went to a village, one could easily see players begging.

‘What would be the difference between them and me?’

He had spoken a lot of gibberish before. As a result, Kaistra tried to remedy that by saying, “What do you want in exchange? If there’s anything that you want, I...”

“What do I want?” The young man smiled as he continued to say, “For the world to have no more hungry people.”

“...!”

Kaistra slowly lifted his head up. Only then was he able to see the man’s face. The man had a tall nose, big doe-like eyes, a sharp jawline and a tall stature. At that moment, Kaistra saw the image of someone else overlap with the young man’s figure. Even that thing that he said earlier was something that he had heard from Kang Minhoo, the chairman of Ilhwa Group. The man once said in an interview with a volunteer agency…

[Chairman Kang Minhoo, not only do you support Africa, but you also give support to the orphanages in our country and even give plenty of support and help to nursing homes. What is your reason for doing all of these?]

[Because I hope that there will be no more hungry people in the world.]

Kaistra’s lips quivered as he asked, “Can you please tell me who you are?