Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 300: Siblings Selling Ramyeon

Translator: ChubbyCheeks

PR: MattForgenti

A man wearing a black robe was walking towards the end of the dark cave. 

‘I didn’t know this opportunity would come to me…!’

His face was filled with delight.

The man walking towards the end of the dark cave was named Jiang Chen. He was Athenae’s Chinese server’s Death Tamer Jiang Chen. He was one of the most brilliant rankers, ranking 2nd, in China and was well known for mainly taming and handling the undead. However, he was still only 2nd in the tamer rankings.

Whether one was in the top 30 in the job rankings or in the top 30 of the overall rankings, as long as there was someone else standing in number 1, one would always lag behind.

And an opportunity came to him after a series of notifications. 

[You have met the conditions to challenge the Royal Class.]

[You have met the conditions to become the Royal Class: Black Dragon Tamer.]

[ Job Change Quest: Collect the artifacts of the Black Dragon, Vormon.]

Not too long ago, the very first Royal Class, the Dragon Monarch, was born and the world was abuzz. Even the second Royal Class, the Descendant of the Great Mage Moldoron, was also born. The Descendant of the Great Mage Moldoron, Black Mage Ali, posted a video showing off his significantly stronger power and posted it on the internet. The effects and aftermath were beyond imagination. He had proved that he and Alex, the current number 1 in the mage rankings, had a big gap and he was the best mage in name and in reality.

And Jiang Chen also believed that he would be able to defeat those world rankers right now. 

Black Dragon Vormon!

Information about the black dragon was not difficult to gather since Jiang Chen was going to change into a Royal Class. 

Black Dragon Vormon was a dragon that showed enormous strength during the continental war and had a tremendous influence on the entire continent. Black Dragon Vormon was also known for being far stronger than any other dragon to ever exist. 

And for him to rule and tame such a black dragon… it was something that made him shiver with thrill. 

Finally, Jiang Chen was able to reach the end of the cave. And there…

‘The Wand of Destruction made from Black Dragon Vormon’s teeth!’ 

The Wand of Destruction was floating on top of an altar. Jiang Chen slowly approached and reached his hands out to it. 

Shwaaaaaaa―

A black vortex suddenly appeared in front of it as the soul of some being appeared. 

“Finally… Arrived…” 

The voice sounded as if it was delighted at Jiang Chen’s arrival.

Vormon was only in the shape of a dragon’s head when he appeared in front of Jiang Chen. So, Jiang Chen spoke to him arrogantly.

“From now on, I am your master. Vormon. You have to give your life to me.”

Jiang Chen was speaking cringy lines but the thought that reaching the number 1 rank in the world rankings would not be impossible with Black Dragon Vormon under him had him forget about the cheesiness of his words. Besides, the name of the Royal Class that he would transfer to was ‘Black Dragon Tamer’. Then… 

“My… Owner… you… say…”

Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Blood spurted out of Jiang Chen’s body as small explosions broke deep inside him. Jiang Chen was forced to kneel from the sudden blow. He looked at Vormon incredulously. 

‘Wh, what…?!’

Is there a monster that attacks its owner?

“You bastard. You should only do what I tell you to do.”

At that moment, Jiang Chen realized that his Royal Class name was not ‘Black Dragon Tamer’ but ‘Black Dragon Pawn’. It was definitely something that one should be furious about. But soon, Black Dragon Vormon said…

“If you follow me, you will be able to gain many things. I’ll have to go to my hidden lair too.”

I’ll be able to gain many things. Well, Black Dragon Vormon’s task was to dye the entire continent with chaos. It wouldn’t be impossible for him to grant his pawn at least a kingdom or an empire in the process, right?

“I understand!!! Fine!!! I’ll give you my life!!!”

Jiang Chen’s arrogant and cocky expression when he asked him to give him his life earlier was nowhere to be seen. Vormon gritted his teeth as he spoke. 

“Where… is he…”

Jiang Chen was quite curious. Who was the ‘he’ that he was referring to? 

“The absolute divine beast. It’s a baby pig.”

‘Absolute divine beast? A baby pig?’

Jiang Chen had obtained a lot of information about the continental war and he had also heard a lot about the absolute divine beast. However, the word baby pig was quite new to him. However, he recalled Kongie, the pet of User Minhyuk, the Food God in a small country called Korea. 

“He’s in the Asgan Continent.” 

“As expected, he has awakened too.” 

Vormon’s eyes turned chilly. Then, a black jewel popped out of his spirit.

Notifications rang in Jiang Chen’s ears after he had politely received it with both of his hands. 

[You have acquired a Warp Gate Gem.]

[Vormon is not strong enough. You can only use it three times.]

“Once you go to my lair, you will be able to awaken most of my powers. But first, go to Asgan Continent through this gem and understand the power and status of the absolute divine beast.” 

“……!” 

Jiang Chen was shocked.

‘Am, amazing…!’ 

From all the information that he had gathered there was no item or path that could allow him to traverse continents. But at that moment, the power to move to other continents emerged. Of course, it was only limited to Chinese users. 

Jiang Chen’s brain immediately rolled around. 

‘I should post it on the black market.’ 

After listening to Vormon, it seemed like he would be able to move a lot of users once his power had awakened. No, perhaps there would be a path created to connect one continent after the other. But before that happened, this limited warp gem could have an astronomical value if presented to the users who did not know of this fact. 

What Vormon wanted from this gem was information about the baby pig. So, it was enough if there were more than one or two people going together with him. And if he sold these in the black market, people would definitely seek them for their own gain. 

‘I need to ask about 3 billion in cash.’ 

The rich are spread far and wide in China. After all, it was a country that had the extremes when it came to rich and poor people. Three billion for a continental warp was a just price especially for the top rankers. 

Jiang Chen logged out of the game and posted it quickly on the black market. The users that joined the market consisted of informal rankers, top rankers or rich players and had undergone strict screening before they could join in. 

Not long after he posted,  a user had sent him a note.

[I’ll trade it for 4 billion.]

“…..!” 

Jiang Chen was shocked. 

You want to trade for 4 billion?

This meant that they wanted to block other competitions. Jiang Chen found it unusual but…

[I understand. Instead, I would like to see something that can prove your identity. May I ask for your in-game name?]

A user who can pay 4 billion won. I wonder who it is?

Not long after, he received a reply.

[Mei Wei]

“…..!” 

***

Valkyrie. This was what the maidens of war were called in Nordic mythology. And Mei Wei’s class was exactly this, Valkyrie. 

She had finally logged in to Athenae after a week. Although she had bought the warp gem from the black market for 4 billion and had gone to Asgan Continent, she was only able to log in now since she fainted for a whole week. 

Surprisingly enough, despite not being able to log in for that long period of time, Mei Wei’s ranking remained unchanged. The top rankers’ rankings change a lot in just a single day. So her ranking remaining unchanged meant that she was overwhelmingly strong.

‘I have to hurry up and find him…’ 

She must go and see Food God Minhyuk. 

So far, Mei Wei was only able to contact the user named Jiang Chen. 

“I’m a bit worried since your whisper is off and your note box is closed.” 

Jiang Chen had continued to send whispers to Mei Wei but she could not be reached since she usually refused to receive whispers from Athenae. However, Jiang Chen was urgently asking her to deposit the 4 billion in his bank. 

Jiang Chen held a black jewel in his hand as he began to mutter something. Then, the space was torn as a warp gate was created. When they were about to enter the warp gate. 

“Be careful.” 

“……?”

Mei Wei tilted her head just as she was about to take a step. 

“Actually, I’m your fan.” 

Jiang Chen had a gloomy appearance. Even though he was inside the game, his face still remained thin and his eyes protruding. Even his hair was unkempt and messy. But despite looking like that, he was also one of the leading users in China. However, he was Mei Wei’s fan. This just showed that her power in Athenae was extremely overwhelming. 

“What do you mean about that?” 

Her cold voice was enchanting. 

Then, Jiang Chen spoke. 

“I actually told you to be careful but I don’t know what you should be careful about.” 

“…Yes?” 

“To be honest, I signed a contract with a ranker recently and sent him to Asgan Continent yesterday. However, I can’t get in touch with him. I think he’s in a whisper-restricted area. But thankfully I was able to get in touch with him by accident. And he only said two words.” 

“Two words?” 

“Yes.” 

Jiang Chen spoke with his head down. 

“Demon.” 

And.

“Boy.”

Mei Wei’s brows furrowed. She couldn’t understand what he was saying.Then, Jiang Chen continued to speak.

“But you’re Valkyrie Mei Wei so you probably have nothing to worry about.” 

Mei Wei shook her head. They seemed to be in danger as if they were being targeted. But that did not mean that she should delay. 

‘I don’t have much time left.’ 

The doctor had told her that her physical condition would start to deteriorate in a few months to the point that she wouldn’t be able to play games. No, in fact, her physical condition was so bad that it would not be strange if she died silently right now. Even her Athenae capsule would always flash a ‘Warning!!! You can’t access the game.’ and recommend her to log out and take a break before logging in again. However, Mei Wei deliberately tinkered with her capsule with the help of competent mechanical experts and hackers just so she could continue playing Athenae.

And beyond that portal existed…

‘A dish that might be able to cure my sickness.’ 

A bright light engulfed her as she walked towards the portal. Then, the notifications rang in her ears. 

[You are a user from Cairon Continent.]

[You are warping to Asgan Continent.]

[You have entered the entrance passage.]

[If you fail to pass through the entrance passage, you will not be able to go to the Asgan Continent.]

[The use of return and teleport scrolls are restricted in the entrance passage.]

[You can’t send a whisper in the entrance passage.]

[Please note that if you are forced to log out, you will be connected at Cairon Continent again.]

‘So, there’s a system like this.’ 

Jiang Chen did not tell her but of course it was because he did not know about it either. 

‘Is that why he said something about a demon?’ 

Perhaps the boss monster at the end of this passageway was a demon. 

Then, she began to walk. She encountered monsters above Lv540. The monsters that came out included but were not limited to basilisk, snakes that turned a person into stone, giant soldier ants and many more high-leveled monsters. But Valkyrie Mei Wei just hunted them and moved forward. 

After a long walk, it seemed like she had finally reached her destination. There, she saw a small cave. No… perhaps… it was an entrance to a ‘Mine?’. Just when Mei Wei was about to step forward. An unidentified voice suddenly rang. 

“S, stop…! Please. It’s my fault!!! So, stop now! Please send me back!!!” 

‘This voice?’ 

It was a voice that she had heard at least once before. She quickly concealed her presence.

[Goddess’ Secret.]

[The Goddess of Secrets is helping you.]

It was an amazing skill that could conceal any sound or even the mana flowing in one’s body. She slowly moved. And there, she saw…

[Conir’s Namyeon To-Go.]

‘……?’ 

It was a small handcart with a clumsy name. It seemed like the spelling was also wrong. And the man sitting in front of the handcart was Ma Zheonu, the number 1 in China’s assassin rankings and number 3 in China’s overall rankings. He was sitting in front of a ramyeon shop and screaming. 

“S, Stop…! Let me go back! Kill me!” 

Then…

Dash―

Someone appeared in front of her.

‘He, he saw through the Goddess’ Secret Skill…?!’ 

The Goddess’ Secret Skill had only been seen through once.

A boy appeared in front of her after he had seen through her skills. Then, the boy bowed.

“A second customer! Welcome! I’m Conir!!!” 

Then, he asked her with a big smile on his face. 

“Which do you put first in a ramyeon, the noodles or the soup?” 

***