Chapter 27: Food God vs. Mukbang Emperor

"Me too!" Some of the female players shouted, quickly moving forward towards the handcart.

"Wow! It's delicious!"

"It's delicious…!"

However, despite the clamoring, the owner’s expression remained rigid, his brows furrowed.

'Two people had already eaten, but there’s only a 1% increase in my EXP… Sigh...'

The owner was dismayed. This was because the players that tried his food were not really hungry. In fact, they did not even feel that the food was delicious. The owner knew that they were only doing this just so they could catch Binz's attention.

'How much will it increase when Binz tries my food?'?The shopkeeper wondered.

"I'll try some now," Binz said while picking up a stick of fishcake and biting into it. He ate really well. The people around him looked at him in awe, mesmerized by how well he ate. Just then, they saw the owner's eyes widen in shock.

[You have leveled up.]

"Gasp…!"

"...What's wrong?"

"M…my level increased. It increased by one just now. When the others ate, my experience only rose by 1%... I have 66% in my experience bar but…"

"Eh?" Binz looked at the owner in confusion. He was shocked that the owner had leveled up already. Binz did feel that the fishcake was delicious, but he still wondered how the experience could have increased that fast.

'Wow… His experience increased a few dozen times higher compared to other players… So this guy is a naturally born mukbang BJ, huh?'?This was the thought that flashed in everyone’s minds.

"Wow…"

"Binz, it seems like you are really eating happily…"

"You're not just putting on an act, right?"

"Ah, no. I took a screenshot before Binz ate and another one when I leveled up. I'll post it on the player's bulletin board later."

"T…then it's real?"

"Did you really level up because he felt that your food was delicious?"

Binz smiled happily at the other player's surprised expression. In fact, the street food that the owner was selling was truly delicious. It could make anyone’s lips curl up in a smile. Just when he was about to eat another?fishcake, he saw a player making his way through the crowd. The player was wearing a white mask that covered the lower half of his face before standing next to Binz and saying, "Wow! Wow! It's rice cake, fritters, blood sausage set. Wow! Wow!"

"...?"

"W…what's wrong with that guy?"

"Shit, Binz was just about to eat, but now he has lost his flow…"

However, the player did not pay the crowd any heed. He just continued shouting happily as he turned towards the owner and said, "Uncle, do I pay after I eat the fishcake?"

The player stood around five centimeters higher than Binz, probably around 185 centimeters tall.

"Ah…" The owner said, looking at Binz in embarrassment.

The owner had prepared a lot of food today. One of the reasons was because he knew that Binz was going to eat in his shop. The other reason was because he wanted to prepare in advance for when the other players decided to buy from him later. However, even if he was prepared for the situation he was still doing the mukbang with Binz right now. But Binz just smiled and nodded. Why would he even want to stop a person who wanted to eat?

"Yes, you may pay later."

"Then, I'll eat first! Uncle, first, give me ten servings of rice cakes, ten servings of fritters and ten servings of blood sausage. Ah, right. Please add the guts and the liver too!"

"...?"

Binz turned to stare at the masked man after he heard him order quite a ridiculous amount. However, what Binz saw was a man trying hard to contain his joy at the food in front of him.

'That smile…'

It was a smile of genuine happiness.

***

"Ugh… So cold…"

Minhyuk felt that the wind was freezing cold. It had turned a lot colder compared to a few days before. After all, the weather in?Athenae?could change very quickly. However, there was nothing that he could do about it. Time flowed faster inside the game than in reality. When he logged in for the first time, it was still just the cool and refreshing autumn, but after a few days of playing, the season had already changed and became much colder.

Minhyuk was munching on a sweet red bean jelly while walking towards Isbin Village.

'There's only a few of this sweet red bean jelly that's left.'

This thought made Minhyuk feel sad, at the same time, it also made him hungrier. The cold made him feel hungry. At this time of the year, there was only one food that came to his mind. It was none other than street snacks.

'Heh… Just thinking about it…'

Gulp—

Just the thought of eating those delectable street food made Minhyuk swallow his saliva. That was when Minhyuk saw a huge crowd of people.

“What, what? Are they giving free delicious food over there?!” Minhyuk asked aloud. He only had food in his head. As he approached the crowd, he saw a familiar sign in the center.

'Happy Snacks.'

"...!"

The sign caused Minhyuk to tremble in excitement. In fact, he was so excited so hard that anyone could see him shaking. His expression of thrill was as though he had won the first prize in the lotto. However, he noticed something strange as he got closer. The crowd was a bit too much for free food. That was when Minhyuk saw the BJ named Binz. Of course, Minhyuk knew his face, but his interest in BJ Binz was solely on the food that he ate.

'Ah… I will definitely draw attention,'?Minhyuk thought. He did not like that idea very much. He hated being bothered. Minhyuk played games because he wanted to eat, not because he wanted to gain fame and attention.

That was when Minhyuk saw a shop selling masks, not far from the crowd. Sometimes, players loved to wear masks to add an air of mystery to themselves.

‘That’s right. If I wear a mask, then…’

Minhyuk was certain that he would gain a lot of attention if he walked out of the crowd and stood next to Binz. But, if he wore a mask, he would be able to avoid a lot of trouble. So, he hurriedly bought a mask. The mask was quite cheap, selling for just 20,000 gold. Then, after wearing the mask, he pushed through the crowd and stood next to Binz.

The harmony of the colors of the food in front of him was very good! The well-cooked rice cakes and fishcakes were swimming in the bright red sauce. There were even a few white well-boiled eggs peeking through the broth. However, it was not just that.

There were shining, golden fried snacks sitting on one side: fried seaweed roll, deep-fried veggies, fried sweet potatoes, tempura, fried squid. The sumptuous spread brought a smile to Minhyuk’s face. But was that really all? Of course not! There was also the chewy and bouncy blood sausage on the steamer, along with the other parts like ears, livers and a lot more. The food seemed like they were shouting at him in welcome, to hurry and eat them.

Minhyuk shouted in excitement, "Wow! Wow! It's rice cake, fritters, blood sausage set. Wow! Wow!"

"...?"

"W…what's wrong with that guy?"

"Shit, Binz was going to eat, but because of that man, he lost his jive…"

However, Minhyuk did not hear them at all. His eyes were fixated on the steaming seaweed soup, as well as the beautifully cut fishcake swimming inside of it.

"Uncle, do I pay after I eat the fishcake?"

"Ah, aaah…" The owner opened his mouth in hesitation. Minhyuk looked at the owner in confusion after hearing his hesitation. Then, the owner smiled awkwardly before saying, "Yes, you may pay later."

"Then, I'll eat first! Uncle, first, give me ten servings of rice cakes, ten servings of fritters and ten servings of blood sausage. Ah, right. Please add the guts and the liver too!"

"..."

"???"

"Do you want me to wrap it for takeaway?"

"No. I'm going to eat them here!"

The food might still be delicious if he wrapped it and took it away, but Minhyuk found it more pleasing to eat street food in front of the food stall where he bought them. Then, the owner began to prepare his order.

"Ah, who's that person?!"

"Hey, hey. His proportions are amazing, right…?"

"Ah… What proportions… Huh? Look at that jawline…"

"T…that person… I'm going to get my hands on that 'super handsome' man."

The crowd was buzzing with excitement as they talked about Minhyuk, but he completely ignored them. He was rubbing his hands in anticipation wondering what to eat first.

[Please select the main ingredients for this meal.]

'Of course it's fishcake!'

[Fishcake has been selected as the main ingredient.]

Minhyuk truly believed that the best delicacy in a snack bar was fishcake. There was only one reason for it, and that was,?'Because you don't have to wait for it!'

He quickly grabbed a paper cup before scooping plenty of fish cake soup inside. The warmth of the fishcake soup gently passed through the paper cup and thawed the coldness in his frozen hands.

"Hoo, hoo," Minhyuk blew gently on the fishcake soup inside his paper cup, before carefully taking a sip of the soup.

"Ah… it’s so great to be alive," Minhyuk said, feeling the warmth spread throughout his chilled body. Then, he grabbed a fishcake, dipped it in the soy sauce bowl, and chomped down on it.

Chew, chew—

"De, delicious…!" Minhyuk exclaimed softly, smiling happily. Then, he ate one, then two, then three… in a flash, he had wolfed down ten fishcakes.

"..."

"..."

"Wow..."

All of a sudden, the owner shouted in surprise, "...My, my level increased by four!"

"...!"

"...!"

"Gasp?!"

The crowd was astonished. However, Minhyuk did not hear them at all. The owner quickly laid down the full, heavy plates in front of Minhyuk. Looking at his haste, it was as though the owner was worried that he would be the one skewered with the stick in Minhyuk’s hands if he did not place the plates as quickly as he could. That was because Minhyuk was emitting a cold and intense look as he glared at his empty plate.

Minhyuk looked at the bright, glistening red rice cakes, before grabbing a toothpick and stabbed a piece to taste. The sweet and spicy flavor that spread in his mouth made him shiver in delight as he said, "Oh! This is?sooo?delicious!"

Then, Minhyuk turned to try the fritters and in a single bite, he consumed a fried seaweed roll.

Crunch, crunch!

The harmonious combination of glass noodles, seaweed, and vegetables burst out in Minhyuk’s mouth the moment he bit on the crispy fried seaweed roll. Then, Minhyuk grabbed another fried seaweed roll. This time, he dipped it in the rice cakes’ sauce before taking a bite. The spicy flavor of the sauce paired with the crispy texture of the fried seaweed roll was impressive.

The fried sweet potatoes were a perfect combination with rice cakes, while the fried squid and tempura were perfect with fish cake soup. This was one of the truths of life.

Then, Minhyuk turned his attention to the chewy blood sausage. Grabbing a piece of the blood sausage, he dipped it in salt and ate it in one bite. Then, he grabbed another piece, dipped it in rice cake sauce and ate it in one bite. Lastly, he grabbed another piece, dipped it in fish cake soup and ate it again in one bite. The exquisite combination of flavors exploded in his mouth. The sizzling pork liver paired with the rice cake sauce was simply divine.

"Holy…"

"My goodness… this guy’s crazy."

"It…it looks delicious…"

The crowd was murmuring in surprise, but Minhyuk’s attention remained undivided.

"M…my level has increased by fifteen!" The owner shouted loudly, although his voice was soon drowned out amidst the rising commotion from all around.

At that moment, Minhyuk was splitting a boiled egg on top of the rice cakes. He used a spoon to crush the egg white, before mixing it with the yolk and the rice cakes sauce.

"Uncle! I'd like to have another 10 more servings of rice cake, fritters and?blood?sausage set!"

"...Wow, crazy!"

"My god… I just realized that I’m watching that player instead of Binz…"

"I…Is he for real...?"

***

Binz was about to bring a rice cake into his mouth earlier, and unknowingly stopped at the sight of an unknown player wearing a white mask eating happily beside him. The player even ordered another ten servings of each of the food in front of them.

Then, Binz heard the owner say, "Gasp! My level has increased by twenty!"

Binz could see that the owner was no longer paying any attention to him.

'This person's EXP will only increase if someone enjoyed his food… but from what I heard, it will only increase if the reaction was genuine.'

That was when Binz realized that the player standing next to him was eating with even more gusto compared to him.

'H…he really looks happy…'

At some point in his career, the food that Binz used to enjoy had become tiresome work under the glaring expectations of his viewers. Of course, he was still very happy that he could eat as much as he wanted to. However, before he realized it, the feeling was slowly starting to fade away.

And now, Binz could see that the person standing next to him was truly smiling genuinely.

Growl…!

‘For some strange reason, my appetite is growing the more I watch him. Why?!’

This was a completely absurd notion. He was Binz, the crown prince of the mukbang world! Strangely enough, the longer he watched the man beside him eat, the more he felt like gobbling up the food in front of him.