Chapter 199: Eccentric Gourmand

Minhyuk was taken aback by the sudden notification about the Demonic Energy Resistance. So, he checked the detailed description of the skill.

[Demonic Energy Resistance. Reduces the physical and magical attack damage caused by demonic energy by 20%.]

‘It’s not that bad?’

The contents about the demon race were not yet released, but based on what Gremory had said, Minhyuk could tell that they would be released slowly. He believed that this would also be helpful to him. The damage from the physical and magical attacks caused by demonic energy would be reduced by 20%. In addition, Minhyuk had the 100% physical defense against demonic monsters with his holy power before too. Just then, the notifications began to ring again.

[Eccentric Chef.]

[You have made Dry Black Bean Noodles using Demon Gremory’s Demonic Energy.]

[Calculating the Eccentric Score.]

[You have gained a total of 39 points for your Eccentric Score.]

[You have acquired bonus stats based on your Eccentric Score.]

[You have acquired +1 on all five of your basic stats.]

[The Normal Grade ‘Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles’ has been born.]

‘...It’s still graded normal even though I used Demoness Gremory’s demonic energy?’?Minhyuk thought in confusion.

That was when he realized…

‘Ah, perhaps...’

…Eccentric Chef was not only influenced by the ingredients, but also by a variety of things. First he would try to make the Eccentric Chef’s tools and seasonings. If he used them together, he might be able to increase the Eccentric Score.

Then, Minhyuk checked the information about the ‘Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles’.

(Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles)

Grade: Normal

Requirements: Eccentric Gourmand

Shelf Life: 12 days

Special Abilities:

Gremory’s Blessings

?+3 on all five basic stats

Description: This is an Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles made by an eccentric. It’s a dry black bean noodle that tastes better than regular dry black bean noodles. Once this is consumed, the effects of Gremory’s Blessings will be triggered, and even if you ‘saved’ another dish, the effects of Gremory’s Blessings will not disappear and will be permanently applied.

‘Ah... Yeah! That’s right!’

Minhyuk nodded. Gremory’s blessings were added in the dish and Minhyuk could absorb the ability that was added on the dish. However, what would happen if Gremory’s blessings disappeared when he ate another dish? It would obviously be a loss for Minhyuk. However, just like what was described, Gremory’s blessings would not disappear.

After he had finished checking everything, Minhyuk started to prepare to eat the dry black bean noodles. He also made sure to fry two eggs as toppings for the dish. Strangely enough, he felt like one fried egg was not enough for a bowl of dry black bean noodles. There were times when it was completely disappointing to see nothing on top of the dry black bean noodles. It also felt disappointing if there was only a small quail egg on top of it. From the looks of it, dry black bean noodles without any topping seemed oddly disappointing, right?

After Minhyuk fried the eggs, he gently placed them on top of the Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles. Then, he started mixing everything together. The stir-fried vegetables that were added to the dry black bean noodles looked more appetizing than the regular dry black bean noodles. He could also see that the sauce was thicker and richer than the sauce used in common black bean noodles. After he mixed it thoroughly, he could see a faint sheen on the black bean noodles.

Minhyuk quickly clamped a huge mouthful with his chopsticks. Then, he slurped the noodles just like that. After filling his mouth with dry black bean noodles to the point that it was almost full, he still grabbed some pickled radish and chewed it carefully. His cheeks looked like they were about to burst with how full his mouth was.

Crunch, crunch─

When eating dry black bean noodles, pickled radish must never be left out. There was even a plate filled with well-ripened kimchi in front of him. Minhyuk personally liked the combination of dry black bean noodles and kimchi, so he made sure to prepare them well.

“Sluuuuuuuurp!”

Minhyuk began to inhale the noodles again. This time, he popped some kimchi inside his mouth.

Crunch, crunch─

The sweet and sour flavor of the kimchi easily captured and balanced out the slightly greasy flavor of the dry black bean noodles. Minhyuk grinned as he finished eating all of the noodles. Then, he took out some ‘instant rice’ from his food storage inventory. Once he had finished all of the noodles, he stir-fried the remaining sauce with meat and onions. He believed that there was only one way to eat such a meal without leaving any regrets, which was to mix it thoroughly with rice.

He swiftly dropped the instant rice into the dry black bean noodles and mixed it thoroughly. Then, he chomped on a spoonful of rice that was mixed with the dry black bean noodles sauce.

“Delicious...!”

It was not as good as the dry black bean noodles earlier, but nevertheless, it was still delicious. After he finished eating everything up, the notifications went off.

[You have eaten the Eccentric Dry Black Bean Noodles.]

[You have received Gremory’s Blessings.]

[You have gained +300 Demonic Energy.]

[You have acquired +3 on all five basic stats.]

Demonic Energy was literally a ‘stat’. To understand what it was, he clicked on the detailed explanation.

[In the case of the Demonic Energy stat, every 100 points accumulated in the stat will give you a 0.3% increase in resistance to the beings from the Demon World. In addition, if your Demonic Energy stat is high enough, you can exert ‘pressure’ against your enemies.]

The explanation was simple so he thought that there still might have been some information that was not yet released about demonic energy.

While he was checking the information, Gremory approached him.

[The Episode Quest: Hero’s Will has been created.]

Minhyuk quickly looked at the quest information. However, all of the information was still ‘sealed’.

“When the time comes, the information will be revealed on its own.”

“Alright. I do have a question though.”

“What?”

“You are a demoness, so why do you want to help us?”

“It’s just that… I don’t like fighting.”

To be exact, she was aiming for the ‘Demon God’ position. Demon Gorac died long ago and even though his powers still lingered all over the world, he was no threat to Gremory and her aspirations.

But unlike him, Demon Verus was still as strong as Gremory. Gremory knew that she did not have enough power to go against Demon Verus. However, if she used the ‘excuse’ of protecting humans, then she could go against Demon Verus. In a way, Gremory could be considered the ‘shrewdest’ demon among their race.

Gremory hesitated for a moment, but she still opened her mouth. She said, “Say…”

“Yes?”

“I would also like to eat the dry black bean noodles that you ate just now. Is that possible?”

“...”

Minhyuk thought that if he did this well, he might significantly increase Gremory’s favor. He was not aware but he was already building a friendship with Gremory, the demon that had the highest chance to be the ‘Next Demon God’.

***

[You have received Gremory’s favor.]

[You have received Gremory’s favor.]

It was extremely hard to find delicious food in the Demon World. Usually, the demon race would hunt the lowest-ranked demonic monster to solve their meals, so it was not that palatable nor enticing. This was one of the reasons why Gremory loved the human world. After all, the human world had plenty of ‘delicious’ food.

Even among those delicious foods, the dry black bean noodles that Minhyuk made was extremely special. Especially with more than 2,000 points in DEX, as well as the Food God’s Cooking Skill, an extremely delicious dish like the dry black bean noodles was made for her. Minhyuk smiled happily when he saw the increase in Gremory’s favor.

Meanwhile, Gremory thought,?‘I want to eat it again…!’

When she saw Minhyuk stir-fry her demonic energy into the dry black bean noodles, she thought that he was a ‘human who’s crazy for dry black bean noodles’. However, the moment she tried the dish, she understood why he ate it like that.

“Can’t you cook for me again?”

Minhyuk stopped copying the movements that Valen was teaching him as he turned to look at her. Being the son of the one and only Chairman Kang Minhoo, he personally learned the art of making deals from his father.

“That… I’m a bit busy right now…”

𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

‘First, make them nervous!’

Just like that, Gremory was left restless after tasting the delicious dry black bean noodles.

‘But… what if they wanted more? Then, deflect and reject them once.’

Hence, Minhyuk declined her request once.

“Please.”

‘My goodness!’

Demoness Gremory was already on the verge of asking for Minhyuk’s favor. In other words, she was already getting withdrawal symptoms from Minhyuk’s cooking. This was the first time that Gremory had felt a strong sense of craving for something. She turned to look at Minhyuk with sparkling eyes.

“Then... No. I don’t think that’s right.”

“What is?!”

“How about I exchange a dish for important information about the Demon World?”

Important information about the yet to be revealed Demon World! It was like first-class confidential information! In addition to important information, Minhyuk wanted to get information about how to get ‘delicious ingredients’ from there.

“If you don’t want to, then it’s fine not to eat it. Right?”

Just when Minhyuk was about to turn around, Gremory said, “Y…yeah! Let’s do that!”

Then, Minhyuk turned back to her. The end of his lips curled up ever so slightly. Valen, who was watching from the sidelines, could not help but gulp dryly when he saw that smile.

‘I’m the same too... but I can’t believe that he got Demoness Gremory wrapped around his fingers.’

Just as he expected, Minhyuk was an amazing foreigner.

“It’s fine for now. And… the next dish will be?tangsuyuk. Ah, before that, I have to learn swordsmanship from Valen first!”

“...N...no...”

Before Gremory could even say another word, Minhyuk and Valen had disappeared in a flash of light. The two of them had already gone to the land where Gremory’s trial was set. He went ahead to learn or incorporate the swordsmanship skill from Valen. This was all under Minhyuk’s thorough and careful considerations. After all, a person would feel more grateful if their heart ached and longed for something for a period of time.

“Tan…tangsuyuk. What in the world is that dish?!”

Meanwhile, Grandpa Ben tilted his cup of tea while sitting cross-legged on one side. He said, “You pour the sweet and sour sauce on top of the crispy fried pork and eat it.”

Then, Kaistra quipped, “Tangsuyuk tastes more delicious than dry black bean noodles.”

“Well. Of course, tangsuyuk is naturally a lot better than black bean noodles.”

“...!”

It went without saying that Grandpa Ben and Kaistra were Minhyuk’s staunch supporters. Meanwhile, Gremory was left imagining the dish. She could hardly stop her saliva from flowing from her mouth.

‘I…I hope they come back soon...!’

She had high expectations of the dish that she would be eating.

***

Valen and Minhyuk appeared together in a vast, wide area of land.

“You can choose to inherit my power, or you can choose to add it to your existing power.”

“Then, I’ll choose to incorporate it. Instructor,” Minhyuk said. He did not want to give up Ellie’s Swordsmanship, mainly because it was a powerful skill, but also because it was a sign of ‘friendship’ between him and Ellie.

“Yeah. I understand.”

Flash!

A skill book appeared in front of Minhyuk. The skill book contained most of Valen’s powers. Originally, Valen’s power that would be given to the player was dependent on how much they had accomplished in Gremory’s trial so Minhyuk, the person that achieved the best performance, was given most of Valen’s powers.

[You have acquired the Skill Book: Sword God’s Swordsmanship.]

Minhyuk quickly looked at the information in the skill book. It was a legendary ranked skill book. However, even if it was ranked as legendary, he could clearly tell that the power that it possessed was far greater than any other skill in the legendary rank.

On top of that, he also had another formidable skill in the form of Ellie’s Swordsmanship. After all, Ellie’s Swordsmanship had evolved and become complete after he had fed her the flatfish and rockfish sashimi. It now had ridiculously overwhelming power.

‘What will happen if the two get fused and incorporated together?’

[Sword God’s Swordsmanship is added to Ellie’s Swordsmanship.]

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship has become even more powerful.]

[Chapter 1. Sword of Fury has changed.]

[There will be an additional 100% attack power to strong lunges and stabs and if the successful stab is a critical strike, the additional attack power will increase to 140%. A force will also explode and tear apart the enemies with a strong wind within a two-meter radius, causing additional 60% attack power to be added to the strike.]

The Sword of Fury. This skill made use of stabs and lunges. If a critical strike was successful, aside from the increase in additional attack power, it would create a strong wind that could tear apart the enemies within a two-meter radius. In other words, if Minhyuk used this to attack his target, then the risk of being sneakily attacked from the sides and from behind would be significantly reduced.

[Chapter 2. Rampant Sword’s duration has increased from 8 seconds to 14 seconds.]

For Rampant Sword, there was an additional 6 seconds to the duration of the skill.

[Chapter 3. Scattering Sword has now changed from having eight consecutive strikes to having a single strike with 8x damage.]

On the other hand, the Scattering Sword had completely changed. The ability to attack the enemy with the same damage for eight strikes had now changed to the ability to strike a single blow, with eight times the damage and force.

[Chapter 4. Ellie’s Swordsmanship duration has increased to 15 minutes and all stats will be increased by 25%.]

It had a 3% increase in all stats.

[Chapter 5. Blooming Sword will indiscriminately rise from the ground and attack your enemies within an 11-meter radius from your position. It will also cause a penetrative explosion that will have an additional 100% damage.]

The radius of attack had increased by two meters and an additional 30% damage was added to the skill.

[Chapter 6. Splitting Sword will have two powerful red swords fly at an enemy. The swords will have an additional 110% attack power.]

Another sword energy had been added to the Splitting Sword, which originally only had a single one.

[Blooming Sword and Splitting Sword have fused together to create a new skill.]

[Chapter 7. Fluttering Sword has been created.]

[Hundreds of fluttering leaves with an additional 110% attack power will be formed around the user’s body. The leaves can move depending on the user’s will to attack the enemies. Each leaf has a power that is equivalent to the power of the Splitting Sword. Each attack deals 110% damage.]

[The fusion of Ellie’s Swordsmanship has been completed. It will now be given a new rank.]

‘The skill’s rank will be measured again?’

When Minhyuk saw the last notification, he could not help but wonder what it meant. If it were to be given a new rank, it meant that it would be ranked either as a legendary rank or something higher.

‘But I don’t think I have ever seen a skill book that’s above legendary rank though...?’

At that moment, the notifications went off.

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship’s rank has evolved from Legendary to Demigod.]

[You have created the world’s first Demigod skill.]

[Your name has entered the Hall of Kings.]

“...Huh?”

Minhyuk was left in confusion when he heard the notifications. He already knew about the Hall of Kings. From what he knew, those who had completed SSS-ranked quests with flying colors would rise and enter the Hall of Kings. Yet now, he had received a notification about entering the Hall of Kings again after a ‘Demigod’ skill was created.

‘What’s going on here?’

He became the first player to have his name enter the Hall of Kings twice in a row, and in less than a day too.