Leveling Up through Eating

PR: MattForgenti

75 Curse of Baldness

Minhyuk knew that most of the children, excluding Haze, were either orphaned or had some difficulties that made it hard for them to return so he decided to accept them all as part of his territory. He also handed all the money that he had earned during this quest to Corr.

“Give this money to Vice Lord Ben so that we can afford to house these children.” 

Asvon watched this scene with great interest.

‘This foreigner is taking care of the children first instead of his self-interest…… interesting.’ 

Among all of the foreigners, many of them were filled with greed. Considering that fact, he could see that Minhyuk was a decent person.

Minhyuk had already heard the story along the way to the Imperial Palace. 

“The curse on Emperor Asvon’s head is so powerful that his hair won’t grow despite me playing my Talmor Hymn.” 

My God!

All those who suffered from baldness grew their hair as soon as Corr played a song but Emperor Asvon’s head did not grow a single one at all. And the reason why he brought Emperor Asvon to Minhyuk was simple. It was because of Minhyuk’s Create a Recipe Skill! He thought that feeding him through Minhyuk’s skill would probably have some effect on his almost incurable baldness.

Then, Minhyuk used the Create a Recipe Skill on Emperor Asvon. 

[Creating a recipe that the other party desires.]

[You can now check the recipe for seaweed soup & braised tofu.]

[The amount of buff that can be used has been decreased due to creating a recipe.]

Seaweed that was used for making broth as well as beans used for making tofu were ingredients known for their effectiveness in preventing hair loss and baldness. When Minhyuk checked the recipe he could see that it was not as difficult as he thought it would be. It seemed like Emperor Asvon’s baldness could be cured even if he just made a rare-ranked dish. But……

“I’m very sorry, Your Majesty. But I think it would be difficult to treat Your Majesty’s incurable baldness.”

“Wh, what do you mean?”

Minhyuk spoke with a somber expression.

“My buffed dish is not infinite. Your Majesty, the Emperor, should know that there is such a thing called Buff Volume.”

“So you know. Depending on the amount of buff, chefs can make different dishes per day.”

“Th, then is there another way?”

Emperor Asvon looked at him hurriedly. He looked very urgent. Perhaps because this was the only way that his life could be liberated from the curse of baldness that had been handed down to him by his ancestors.

Then, Minhyuk spoke…..

“It’s not like there’s no method at all.”

“I don’t know what method it is, but whatever it is I will do everything I can just to make it possible.”

Then, Minhyuk began to explain it to him. He was explaining things very logically.

“The only way that I can exceed my current buff volume is to eat the local specialties. In addition, I have to go there personally so I could receive a temporary increase in the buff volume. But I only arrived in the Empire a few days ago so I’m not aware of them and I haven’t tasted them at all. So if I eat the Empire’s specialties, the effects will definitely be maximized. And it has to be the best of your specialties! It would also be good if it’s delicious. Uhm. What is the most famous food here in the Cordis Empire?”

That was right. Right now, Minhyuk was trying to cheat Emperor Asvon! However, instead of having a greasy look on his face, his face was radiating sincerity. And Emperor Asvon believed that someone like Minhyuk who willingly gave money for the children would not lie. But his belief was wrong. Minhyuk was a person who could lie to an Emperor just so he could eat. This was also some kind of skill of dealing with others that he had learned from his father

When someone needs something from you and you’re the only one that can do it, then raise the value of your service!

Not long after, Emperor Asvon answered Minhyuk’s question about their Empire’s specialty. 

“It’s buckwheat.” 

Minhyuk trembled. 

When it comes to buckwheat then it's makguksu, naengmomil, onmomil, memiljeongbyeon and a whole lot of buckwheat dishes!

‘Huhuhuhuhu!’ 

Minhyuk smiled deeply.

***

Poison Dragon Ambacca was waiting to be awakened from inside the egg. He was currently predicting the future that awaited him.

He had served as a factory for chimeras by greedy humans who had fed him with children. Although it wasn’t something that he wanted to do, he thought that the same would be true after he was hunted by his newly acquired owner. He thought that those greedy humans would once again use him as a tool to kill monsters or people. 

Dragons were more sentimental compared to other races so when Poison Dragon Ambacca thought of his bleak future, he couldn’t help but feel sad. He thought that every day would be more frustrating than the other especially since the Dragon Orb was taken away from him.

Then, at that moment……

Crack, crack, crack, crack―

It’s finally time for me to come out. Well, it doesn’t matter who my owner is. Anyway, they’ll still be the same human.

Was what Ambacca believed.

‘My brothers, I hope you meet people who truly care and love you.’ 

Unlike him, the rest of his siblings did not retain any of their previous memories so he cheered for them even though they were far away from each other.

Right now, he was recalling the days long gone when they used to fly over the fields together. The time when they still danced, laughed and cried together.

And finally……

Flash―

The egg shell that surrounded him was completely broken and a bright light welcomed Ambacca. His eyes blinked from the glare of the light as his tears of grief flowed down from his eyes. 

At that time, a man spoke above him.

“Child, why are you crying?” 

The voice that spoke to him was filled with everlasting warmth and friendliness.

Then, Poison Dragon Ambacca could finally see the man in front of him. The man was wearing all black, from his head down to his toe, including his armor. Even his mask was also black. 

Then, the man brushed and patted his head gently with his warm hands. 

“Don’t cry. I don’t want you to cry anymore.” 

Then, a sound rang loudly in Poison Dragon Ambacca’s head.

[You will now serve Black Dragon as your master for eternity according to the rules set by God Athenae.]

Dragons were born with the ability to read and feel other people’s feelings. And right now, what he was feeling was……

I’ll protect you.

I’ll take care of you.

I won’t let you become lonely.

The man looked at him with a soft smile. Then, he spoke to him solemnly.

“Let’s introduce you to your friends.” 

“Gruwooo?” 

Ambacca tilted his gigantic head when he heard the word friends. Then, at that moment……

Two dragons, both nesting on Black Dragon’s left and right arm, appeared in front of him.

“Kiyeeeeeee!” 

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!” 

Ambacca was shocked when he saw them appear. 

The first among the dragons was the Dragon of Extinction and Fire.

The second among them was the Dragon of Wisdom and Ice.

And right now, the two of them were in front of him.

The two of them came out of Black Dragon’s arms as they slowly approached Ambacca. They tapped his body with their snouts as they scented him before crying loudly.

“Hahahaha. Destiny and Britney must be very fond of you!” 

Poison Dragon Ambacca was extremely thrilled and excited. 

This is where I’m supposed to be. This is where I belong. And the master who can lead me is standing right in front of me.

Then, the notifications rang loudly in Black Dragon’s ears.

[You have become one with three dragons.]

[You have met the criteria for challenging the Royal Class.]

[You must meet the qualifications to transfer to the Royal Class: ‘Dragon Lord’.]

[The Transfer Quest: Find the remaining dragon, the Dragon of Destruction has been created.]

Ring!

[Transfer Quest: Find the remaining dragon, the Dragon of Destruction.]

Rank: Royal

Restrictions: Those who meet the criteria to challenge the Royal Class.

Rewards: Transfer to Dragon Lord class.

Penalty for Failure: You will not be able to transfer to the Dragon Lord class.

Description: You have received the chance to challenge the Royal Class. Get the last of the Four Legendary Dragons that exist in this world. You can hear the information about the final dragon from the ‘Dragon Knight Arcad’ in the Demon World.

Royal Class?

It was a strange term for Black Dragon. But he thought that he had heard something about it from the rumors circulating in the game. 

The higher the level of the users became, the more difficult and challenging the dungeons and quests would become. So in preparation for this, he had heard that there was a class that was prepared for high-leveled users that could give them some sort of privilege for this. 

Black Dragon looked at the detailed explanation of the class.

[Transferring to Royal Class means that you will transfer to a new job class but this is only possible if you have reached the highest level in your current job class. In general, the job classes in Athenae are divided into levels: Level 1 God Classes, Level 2 Legendary Classes, Level 3 Hidden Classes and Level 4 General Classes. However, Royal Classes can be anywhere in levels 1~3.]

“Ah……”

He could easily understand the gist of it. 

The Royal Class was a job class that one could transfer to if they had a Level 4 General Class. Perhaps this was a way for the users with general and ordinary classes to reach the extreme and exert a power that could rival that of those in the God Class. 

According to the explanation from above, Royal Classes could appear anywhere in levels 1~3. This meant that if you transferred to a Royal Class, you had a chance to be comparable to God Classes that were in Level 1. It was also possible for one to stay only in Level 3. Basically, they could go anywhere from hidden to God depending on the Royal Class that they would challenge.

At that moment, the notifications went off again.

[The Dragon Orb is evolving.]

[The Dragon Orb has evolved from Epic to Legendary.]

[The Dragon Orb is exerting a tremendous amount of power.]

[Britney will grow further.]

[Destiny will grow further.]

Scales suddenly began to cover Britney and Destiny’s bodies. Their figures looked the same with Iron Man when he changed into his suit in the movies. Then, the length of their bodies started to increase as the horns on their foreheads grew larger and harder. 

[Britney has evolved from Lv457 to Lv524.]

[Destiny has evolved from Lv415 to Lv542.]

[All of Britney’s skills have increased by +4.]

[All of Destiny’s skills have increased by +4.]

[An additional new skill has been added to Britney’s repertoire of skills. Please confirm.]

[An additional new skill has been added to Destiny’s repertoire of skills. Please confirm.]

[Destiny and Britney’s summoning time has increased by 1 hour.]

It was a huge change.

Poison Dragon Ambacca was already at Lv532. But compared to them, it seemed like Poison Dragon Ambacca was infinitely weaker than them despite having a body that had reached full growth from birth. In fact, it was quite surprising and astonishing to know that Britney and Destiny could still grow further. 

After watching the changes in his dragons, Black Dragon once again pondered on the contents of his quest.

‘It seems like I have to go to the Demon World to find the Dragon of Destruction……’

***

Minhyuk began to eat the specialties in each region of the Cordis Empire. After eating like tht for a few days, he stared at the last food that was placed in front of him. Although he had eaten a lot of local specialties so far, these final dishes were also the Empire’s representative.They were none other than naengmomil, makguksu and tonkatsu!

Minhyuk personally liked eating buckwheat noodles with tonkatsu. The naengmomil had a thin sheet of ice on top of it after being cooled before serving. There was also a dollop of wasabi placed on the bowl. He could add wasabi depending on the amount that he preferred. There were also some chopped and ground radish and chives placed together in the bowl.

The first thing that he did was to gently add some wasabi in the bowl of naengmomil before adding some radish and mixing them gently. Then, he scooped them all at once. 

‘Wow, it’s cold.’

The coldness of the dish immediately drew out a sigh of admiration in his mouth. Just like that, he picked up some noodles and slurped them in his mouth. The noodles in naengmomil were quite gritty and rough to the taste but this was the charm and beauty of this dish. Then, he immediately picked up a slice of tonkatsu, dipped it in sauce and placed it in his mouth. The crunchy texture of the tonkatsu and the sweet sauce that coated it created a pleasant harmony of flavors in his mouth. 

Then, he turned his attention to the makguksu. The red color that spread in the noodles as he mixed them together made his mouth water. He quickly picked up the entire bowl of makguksu. The buckwheat noodles, cabbages and cucumbers poured in his mouth. The magnificent flavor of the noodles and vegetables were further enriched with the addition of the seaweed powder that was sprinkled on top of the dish.

After happily eating all of the dishes that he could eat, Minhyuk finally began cooking for Emperor Asvon.

“We have finished the preparations for quite some time.” 

Minhyuk had a serious look on his face! Seeing his expression, the expression on Emperor Asvon’s face also turned grim as he slowly took off the wig that adorned his head.

When Minhyuk saw his head, he unwittingly asked him.

“Is that Hi-Mo……?”

“Hi-Mo? What’s that……?” 

“No, nothing.” 

He asked the question because he was reminded of a middle-aged ahjussi sweeping his hair with his hands and saying ‘This wig is Hi-Mo!’. 

When he looked at Emperor Asvon’s head, he could see a glint from the barren top of his head. It looked like the sun was about to rise with how brightly his head was shining. 

Then, Minhyuk said……

“The power of the curse is trying to hit me with that glare! Hooo!” 

He breathed heavily.

In fact, Emperor Asvon really did not know how other’s hair grew so he could only believe in Minhyuk’s words.

“I, Is the curse really that strong that it can cover my entire head?” 

“The baldness demon is hovering on top of your head, Your Majesty.” 

“……!” 

“It’s staring at me! Talmor!” 

“Yes, my Lord.” 

Corr and Minhyuk were working together as pseudo-swindlers! 

“Drive him out immediately. I will quickly prepare a dish that can work against his curse!” 

“Yes!” 

Then, Corr began to play his recorder. 

Ppippippippippippi~ 

Corr also made sure to shout loud enough that the veins around his neck popped out.

“Grow up!!! Hair!!! Grow up!!! Hair!!!” 

And Emperor Asvon was looking at them and following along with reverence in his gaze. 

If someone else saw this scene, they would definitely find it funny. Emperor Asvon, with his shining bald head and ever so serious expression was sitting in the middle of the two.

Then, Corr spoke……

“Your Majesty!” 

“Speak.” 

“Your Majesty, you also have to shout with me.” 

“Co, cough. Is that so?” 

That weird spell? But what’s the point of feeling this momentary shame if I can treat my curse?

“G…… r…… ow…… up…… hai…… r……” 

“Louder!!” 

“Grow…… up…. Hair! Hair!!!” 

“Loudeeeeeeer!!!” 

“Grow up!!! Hair!!!” 

Ppippippippippippi~ 

“Uwooooooo! Grow up haiiiiiiiir!!!” 

In the end, Emperor Asvon got absorbed into the rhythm as he shouted loudly with his hands high up in the sky.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk continued to act as he sweated cold bullets. Then, his eyes met with Emperor Asvon.

At that moment……

“Urgh!!”

Minhyuk suddenly covered his mouth, turned around and ran far away as he vomited out a mouthful of blood. Emperor Asvon looked at him in horror.

“Wh, what happened to you?” 

“The curse is too strong….. Ugh!” 

Emperor Asvon was caught in shock when he saw Minhyuk coughing up a mouthful of blood. But Minhyuk spoke to him.

“But….. I can do it…… So that…… so that….. Your Majesty’s…… Your Majesty’s hair can grow…… even if I die…… I’ll do it!!! Ugh!” 

Then, Minhyuk vomited another mouthful of blood. 

In fact, he just purposely bit on his cheeks hard. Hard enough to draw blood. But Emperor Asvon was appalled when he saw him vomiting out mouthful after mouthful of blood.

‘Y, you can fail.’ 

He was a loyal and good man who willingly allowed himself to vomit blood just for his sake. And he could feel his sincerity since he was not a person under his Empire. 

And at that moment, the notifications rang in Minhyuk’s head.

[Asvon’s favorability has increased.]

[Asvon’s favorability has increased.]

[Asvon’s……omitted.]

[You have received Emperor Asvon’s trust.]

[You have successfully raised Emperor Asvon’s favorability to the highest level.]

[The quest rewards have gotten better.]

The quest was named ‘Emperor Asvon’s Curse’ and the rewards had as much as 100 platinum. However, he just heard additional notifications related to the quest.

[If you successfully clear the quest: Emperor Asvon’s Curse, you will be given 500 platinum and a chance to choose three artifacts from the Emperor’s Treasure Room.]

[You have gained the Title: The One Who Exploited Even the Emperor.]

Minhyuk grinned widely.

***

Food Discussion Corner

[막국수] Makguksu – Buckwheat noodles, buckwheat noodle dish that’s served in chilled spicy broth.

[냉모밀] Naengmomil – I’m guessing this is the same with naengmyeon, so a cold buckwheat noodle dish.

[온모밀] Onmomil – According to the recipe I have seen, this is also a noodle dish with cold broth, but I think they use whole buckwheat for the noodles. I’m assuming that the other noodles had other flour added to them.

[메밀전병] Memiljeonbyeong  spicy kimchi buckwheat pancake. 

Notes:

[Four Legendary Dragons, Britney and Destiny] – I had used SHE for Britney and Destiny… because… you know… I thought that it was appropriate for their names. Now, I know that you can freely name your child that name regardless of their gender, I just thought it was appropriate to use she. In any case, Ambacca refers to them as brothers but I will push through with she until I get an exact description and Britney and Destiny refer to themselves as he.

[Hi-Mo] – a brand that creates wigs. They specialize in using real and natural hair and have been around since 1987. It’s a Korean brand and I think they have expanded worldwide now.