Leveling Up through Eating

Translators: ChubbyCheeks

Minhyuk tilted his head when he heard the announcement. So he checked the detailed information about the magi resistance thoroughly.

[Magi Resistance. Depending on the magi used, the damage from the physical and magical attacks will be reduced by 20%.]

‘It’s not that bad?’

The contents about the demon race were not yet released but based on what Gremory had said, he expected the information and content to be released slowly. So he believed that this would also be helpful to him.

The damage from the physical and magical attacks that used magi would be reduced to 20% but had a 100% physical defense that was dependent on his holy power when he fought against the demonic monster before, right?

But before he could ponder about these things deeply, the notifications began to ring again.

[Eccentric Chef.]

[You have made ganjjajang using Demon Gremory’s magi.]

[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 ranked ‘Eccentric Ganjjajang’ has been born.]

‘……It’s still at normal rank even though I used Demon Gremory’s magic?’

Minhyuk was quite confused. He thought about it over and over again.

‘Ah, perhaps……’ 

Eccentric Chef is 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 then he might increase the Eccentric Score.

Then, Minhyuk checked the information about the ‘Eccentric Ganjjajang’.

(Eccentric Ganjjajang)

Rank: Normal

Restrictions: Eccentric Gourmand

Storage Time: 12 days

Special Abilities: 

─ Gremory’s Blessings

─ +3 on all 5 basic stats

Description: This is an Eccentric Ganjjajang made by an eccentric. It’s a ganjjajang that tastes better than regular ganjjajangs. Once this was 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 his head.

Gremory’s blessings were added in the dish and Minhyuk could absorb the ability that was added on the dish. But what would happen if Gremory’s blessings had 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 ganjjajang. He also made sure to fry two eggs as toppings for the dish.

Strangely enough, why does it feel like I’m only having some fried eggs on top of a bowl of ganjjajang?

What was more, sometimes, if they did not place anything on top of the ganjjajang or if they only added a small quail egg on top of it then the person that would eat it would be disappointed. It seemed like having little to no toppings would make them disappointed.

After Minhyuk fried the eggs, he gently placed them on top of the Eccentric Ganjjajang. Then, he started mixing everything together. The stir-fried vegetables like onions that were added in the ganjjajang looked more appetizing than the regular ganjjajang. He could also see that the sauce was thicker and richer than the sauce used in jjajangmyeon. And after he mixed it thoroughly, he could see a faint sheen on the jjajangmyeon.

Minhyuk quickly clamped a huge mouthful with his chopsticks. Then, he slurped the noodles just like that. After filling his mouth with ganjjajang 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 ganjjajang, 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 ganjjajang and kimchi so he made sure to prepare them well.

“Sluuuuuuuurp!” 

Minhyuk began to inhale the noodles again. But 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 ganjjajang.

Minhyuk grinned as he finished eating all of the noodles. Then, he took out ‘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. And that was to mix it thoroughly with rice.

He swiftly dropped the instant rice in the ganjjajang and mixed it thoroughly. Then, he chomped on a spoonful of rice that was mixed with the ganjjajang sauce.

“Delicious……!” 

It wasn’t as good as the ganjjajangmyeon earlier but nevertheless, it was still delicious. After he finished eating everything up, the notifications went off.

[You have eaten the Eccentric Ganjjajang.]

[You have received Gremory’s Blessings.]

[You have gained +300 Magi.]

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

The magi that he had gained was literally a ‘stat’. To understand what it was, he clicked on the detailed explanation.

[In the case of the Magi 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 magi stat is high enough, you can exert a ‘pressure’ against your enemies.]

The explanation was simple so he thought that there still might have been some information that wasn’t released about magi.

As he was checking the information, Gremory approached him.

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

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

“When the time comes, the information will come out on its own.” 

“What?” 

“Gremory-nim is a demon though, so why do you want to help us?” 

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

But to be exact, she was also aiming for the ‘Demon God’ position. Gorac was a demon who had 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. But in a sense, Gremory did not have the forces to go against the Demon Verus. But if she used the ‘excuse’ of protecting the humans to fight against Demon Verus then she might have the chance. In other words, Gremory might be considered to be the most ‘intelligent’ demon among their race.

Meanwhile, Gremory hesitated before speaking.

“Say…”

“Yes.”

“I would also like to eat the ganjjajang that you ate just now but is that not possible?”

“……”

Minhyuk thought that if he did this well then he might significantly increase his favorability with Gremory. 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’.

***

[Gremory’s favorability has increased.]

[Gremory’s favorability has increased.]

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 and enticing. This was one of the reasons why Gremory loved the human world. After all, the human world had plenty of ‘delicious’ food.

But among those delicious foods, the ganjjajang that Minhyuk made was extremely special. Especially with the more than 2,000 points in DEX as well as the God’s Cooking skill, an extremely delicious food like the ganjjajang was made for her.

Minhyuk smiled happily when he saw the increase in Gremory’s favorability.

And Gremory……

‘I want to eat it again…..!’ 

When she saw Minhyuk stir-fry her magi into the ganjjajang sauce she thought that he was a ‘human that’s crazy for ganjjajang’. But when 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 learnt the art of making deals with his father.

“That… I’m a bit busy right now…” 

First, make them nervous!

And just like that, Gremory was left restless after tasting the delicious ganjjajang.

And then… what if they wanted more? Then, deflect and reject them once.

Didn’t Minhyuk decline her request once just now?

“Please.”

My goodness!

The demon Gremory was already on the verge of asking for Minhyuk’s favor. In other words, she was already getting symptoms of ‘withdrawal’ 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! And, 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 do 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 wickedly.

Valen, who was watching from the side, couldn’t help but gulp dryly when he saw his smile.

‘I’m the same too…… but I can’t believe that he got the demon Gremory twirled around the palm of his hand.’

As expected, Minhyuk is 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-nim first!”

“……N, no……”

But before she 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, Old Man Ben, who was sitting cross-legged on one side, tilted his cup as 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 ganjjajang.”

“Well. Of course, tangsuyuk is naturally a lot better than jjajangmyeon.”

“……!”

It was confirmed that Old Man Ben and Kaistra were Minhyuk’s staunch supporters. Meanwhile, Gremory was left imagining the dish. She couldn’t stop her saliva from flowing from her mouth.

‘I, it would be good if they came back quickly……!’

It was because she was left in great anticipation.

***

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

“You can keep up with just my power alone but I’m sure that you can do more if you add it to your existing power.”

“Then, I’ll choose to incorporate it. Instructor.”

Minhyuk did not want to throw away Ellie’s Swordsmanship Skills. Mainly because Ellie’s Swordsmanship skill was a powerful skill but it was also because it was a sign of the ‘friendship’ between Ellie and Minhyuk.

“Yeah. I understand.”

Flash!

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

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

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

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

So what will happen if the two got fused and incorporated together?

[The 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 was 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 2m radius, additional 60% attack power will be added to the strike.]

The Sword of Fury. This skill made use of stabs and lunges. If a critical strike was successful then aside from the increase in additional attack power, it would also create a strong wind that could tear apart the enemies with a 2m 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. The duration had greatly increased after all, these six seconds were more than enough time to deal with enemies.

[Chapter 3. Scattering Sword has now changed from having 8 consecutive strikes to having a single strike with a x8 increase in force per strike.]

Meanwhile, the Scattering Sword had now completely changed. The ability to attack the enemy with the same damage for eight strikes had now changed to having 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 11m from your position. It will also cause a penetrative explosion that will have an additional 100% damage.]

The radius of attack had increased by 2m 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 had been added to the Splitting Sword which originally only had a single sword.

[The 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. There will be a total of 110% damage per attack.]

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

Its new rank will be measured?

When Minhyuk saw the last notification, he couldn’t help but wonder about it. If it’s rank would be newly measured then 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 skillbook that’s above legendary rank though……?’ 

At that moment, the notifications went off.

[Ellie’s Swordsmanship’s rank has evolved from Legendary Rank to Half-God Rank.]

[You have created the world’s first Half-God skill.]

[Your name has climbed 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 have completed SSS-ranked quests in flying colors had risen and climbed on it. But now, he had received the notification about climbing the Hall of Kings after the ‘Half-God ranked’ skill was born.

‘What’s going on here?’ 

In less than a day, he became the first user to have his name climb the Hall of Kings twice in a row.

***

TL’s corner!

Uhm. Yeah. What’s happening?