Leveling Up through Eating

Translator: ChubbyCheeks

PR: MattForgenti

“You’re Poopy piggy!” 

“My name is not poopy piggy, it’s Minhyuk. Minhyuk oppa.” 

“Poopy!” 

“N,no. It’s Minhyuk, you know? Follow me. Min. Hyuk.”

“Mi……”

Minhyuk’s attention was zeroed in on Hyemin’s mouth.

I don’t know why this is happening but I’m quite nervous.

His mouth was already starting to dry up in anxiety as he continued to watch the movements of Hyemin’s mouth.

At that moment…

“Poopy!” 

“Keok?!”

Minhyuk shook his head in defeat. He thought that he could never win against a child. However, even after she won their argument over the name, Hyemin’s face suddenly crumpled again. It was as if she was going to cry at any moment. Minhyuk hurriedly placed her on his shoulders to keep her from crying.

“Kyahahaha. Poopy Piggy!”

“Oink, oink, oink? Oink!”

He did not feel bad with what he was doing since he really liked children ever since and he could also see that this child, Hyemin, was a player.

‘But where did her parents go? Did they just leave a young girl here?’

Even though it was a game, not many parents would let their young child play in here alone.

“Where are your parents?”

“My poopy daddy is always busy everyday, he also cries whenever he sees me. My poopy daddy is really pitiful. And my poopy mommy went to heaven!”

“Ah……”

Minhyuk shook his head. He dug his grave deeper and placed himself in a difficult situation.

There’s only one thing right now that I can do to make Hyemin feel excited and happy!

“Oink, oink, oink! Kuwiiiiiik!”

“Kyahahaha. You really sound like a piggy!”

While they played around, he could see a dashing and handsome man rushing towards the smithy. He looked like he was well over 180 in height and he even had a cool hairstyle on his head. Minhyuk finally realized that the dashing and handsome man was the blacksmith Ron.

He slowly let Hyemin down as he prepared to make an apology. He thought that he should at least apologize for using his furnace without asking for any permission.

“That… I’m… I apologize for one thing.” 

Just as he was about to bring up the cause for his apology……

[Ron’s favorability has increased.]

[Ron’s favorability has increased.]

[Ron’s favorability has increased.]

Unexpected notifications!

‘Huh?’

Minhyuk was confused.

‘I, is this a bug?’

He only tried to console Hyemin because he accidentally ate all of her chocolate.

So what does this notification mean?

He was taken out of his momentary stupor when he heard Ron speak.

“You’re sorry? More than that, who are you?”

Before Minhyuk came here, he had asked others what Ron was like and there was only one answer.

He’s the most skilled!

However, he was also well-known for his very bad temper. And that bad-tempered man was smiling softly at him right now. Minhyuk thought that it might be because his favorability increased due to the bug(?).

“I really wanted to eat samgyeopsal so I used your shovel and made samgyeopsal with your furnace. I’m sorry!”

Minhyuk bowed down in apology while Ron laughed at him.

‘He’s different……’

Normally, other people would have pretended that they did not use the furnace and just let it be, however he decided to come clean with it and he even apologized. At first, Ron was a bit doubtful since Hyemin, who never approached other people, approached him and was even able to smile and laugh comfortably with him. However, when he saw the young man, he could see why that was so.

‘They’re the same, he’s also like a little kid.’

He grinned at him.

“It’s fine. You can use it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah, it’s just a furnace. Besides, using it doesn’t mean that it will disappear.”

After clearing things up, Minhyuk explained why and how he came here including the things that the coachman Baran had told him.

“Oho. I see. That coachman Baran sent you here. That friend of mine is also strict and bad tempered.”

“But he was very kind to me?”

Minhyuk tilted his head in confusion. He couldn’t see Baran being ill tempered and strict since he always looked at him with a fatherly smile.

“Let’s head inside and talk.”

Ron led him inside and Hyemin naturally followed them in.

When the two of them sat down to talk, Hyemin acted cute just so she could sit on Minhyuk’s lap! Minhyuk had no choice but to place her on his lap. Hyemin hugged him tightly and fell asleep not long after. Ron smiled as he looked at the two of them.

“Right. That special ingredient. I have it.”

“Ooooooh. So that’s really the case. Can I know what kind of ingredient it is?”

Ron began to talk.

“However, cooking ingredients are materials that will disappear once you eat them so don’t be too expectant. The ingredients that I have is the ‘Jeon Dish Set’.”

“J, jeon dish set……?”

Minhyuk’s body started to tremble.

There were only two national holidays in a year, however his house never served any holiday food. The only reason was because his father and the others never thought of cooking for Minhyuk due to his condition. They also wanted to avoid triggering him with the savory smell of the food.

What kind of existence was jeon? Jeon was a dish that you could eat during the holidays. It was a dish that could instantly let you gain 3kg if you eat all of the dishes in the jeon dishes.

Either way, jeon was a dish that was extremely delicious!

And so far, no, Minhyuk has never even tried any jeon dish before. That was why the term ‘Jeon Dish’ had a bigger impact on him.

“Sanjeok, donggeurangttang, yukjeon, sesame leaf jeon and potato jeon. You mean the ingredients for all of this?!”

“Yeah, it’s such a trifling ingredient right……”

“No!”

Minhyuk shook his head hard.

“How can you say that it’s trifling when you have such a great thing in your hands. Those are really delicious ingredients!”

He couldn’t hide his excitement.

I want to eat it. Jeon dishes!

What if he tore the kimchi pancake and placed it in his mouth? The chewy pancake made with wheat flour and the sour and spicy kimchi would definitely spread in his mouth!

Then how about the yukjeon? If he dipped it in soys auce and savored it in his mouth as he chewed on it slowly, a smile would definitely bloom on his face.

And the reason why jeon was such a great dish was because it would still remain delicious even if it became cold. Eating it one by one as one slowly walked around in the cold was also a type of delicacy!

And the ingredients that he had was a jeon dish set!

“I think Ron-nim is an amazing person. I can’t believe that you have such a thing!”

“I, is that so? Is it really such a great thing?”

“Yes!”

Ron smiled at him.

What a young man! He surely loves to eat!

However there was no such thing as a free lunch in this world. That’s what Ron wanted to tell him.

“Then if you do me a favor I would give you the jeon dish set as a reward!”

“What favor?”

“I’ve been having some troubles with the places that I have a deal with, I need you to talk to them and try to help me get those contracts and deals back. Then, I will give you the ingredients for the jeon dish set, I will even teach you blacksmithing if you want!”

[You have completed the Linked Quest: Meet with the Blacksmith Ron.]

[You have acquired 5,000 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

[The Linked Quest has been changed to a Hidden Quest.]

[Hidden Quest: Solve Blacksmith Ron’s Worries.]

Rank: A

Restrictions: Favorability with Ron

Rewards: Jeon Dish Set, Beginner’s Blacksmith Skill, EXP

Penalty for Failure: Sharp decline in Ron’s favorability

Description: This quest can only be obtained when you have gained a high favorability with Ron. A ‘fame’ will be created for you. Your fame will increase as you help renew contracts or recruit new contractors. The rewards will also change depending on how high your fame is.

[Fame has been created.]

[Your rewards will vary depending on your fame.]

It was a hidden quest!

Minhyuk might not realize this, but it was extremely hard to get this quest. First, they have to build favorability with the coachman Baran. However, there weren’t any users who would just go just because he told them ‘You will get something to eat when you go and meet him!’ they wouldn’t go if they did not know that there was a good item to receive as a reward.

“I understand. I will help you renew your contracts.”

“Then, here’s the list.”

Ron handed over the list of the people who said that they would break their contract and would never initiate a deal with him again.

It was the same with what the quest has described.

“If you bring me additional contractors then I will give you better ingredients!”

“Yes, I understand!”

Minhyuk quickly stood up to leave but he paused when he remembered about Hyemin.

“Ah, wait. What is Hyemin’s father like?”

“He’s a blacksmith like me. I heard that he’s part of a guild…… what was it…… hmm……”

Ron tried hard to remember but he looked like he wouldn’t be able to remember it in a short amount of time.

“Well, I’ll see you soon.”

“I’m sure we will. Have a safe trip.”

Minhyuk quickly moved to fulfill the quest. However, remained sitting there with a frown on his face as he tried to remember.

“Ah, that’s right. It was Legend Guild.”

***

TTBC reporter, Go Eun-ah sighed wistfully.

“He’s a pro mukbanger but he is extremely mysterious. We couldn’t even find anything about him. Don’t tell me that this guy really does not care about being popular?”

Even though it was a tournament with users at around only Lv80 but User Minhyuk, who swept the competition, was extremely popular. Everyone was curious about who he was.

However, if he really wanted to be popular then he would definitely be the one to reach out and contact the reporters or the broadcasting stations first. But there was no such thing.

Other people might have been swept by the mood and would have believed that he was an ‘NPC’ but that was something impossible.

If she could just get some news about him then Go Eun-ah would definitely score a big scoop but his whereabouts remained to be unknown.

She accidentally saw the list of interesting people. She let out a ‘Hmm.’ as she clicked on one of the tables. There weren’t any pro mukbanger on the list but there was someone else.

‘God Class. Hepas’ Descendant.’

God Class.

The number of people in the country with such a class could be counted in one hand. And she heard that there were only fewer than 100 people who knew about this and they were even listed under ‘will this work or not’. 

Go Eun-ah worked very very hard just to get some information about this God class.

“He’s in the Kingdom of Barras right now. And he’s also a member of the Legend Guild.”

Legend Guild was a guild that was hidden under the veil. And almost all of their members were hidden rankers. However, she was sure of one thing. The power that this guild wields was enormous. 

And the man who was Hepas’ Descendant was nicknamed as Hyemin’sDad.

‘Hepas’ Descendant created the most powerful artifact ever made by a production class, the Dragon Sword.’

So far, no one was able to produce an even more outstanding artifact compared to the artifact that Hyemin’sDad has made. Recently, Card, the 2nd in the blacksmith rankings, has produced an epic artifact and has gained attention. However, compared to Hyemin’sDad he was just a newcomer.

The item that Hyemin’sDad made, the Dragon Sword, made history in the trading site. It was the only artifact to have been sold at the highest auction price. It was sold at an astounding price of ‘1.3 billion’. Hyemin’sDad wielded a very strong power. However, he hid everything about himself when he posted his item up for auction. 

Even his nickname was hidden. But Go Eun-ah knew the fact that he was Hyemin’sDad!

‘Why the hell is he in the Kingdom of Barras?’

The Kingdom of Barras was teeming with places where people could learn for their production classes and it was not a place for someone like Hyemin’sDad.

‘I should first go to the Kingdom of Barras.’

Maybe I can get an exclusive scoop from his daughter there.

***

Team Leader Park and Lee Minhwa were having a conversation.

“I think that it’s really because of his daughter?”

“I feel the same way.”

Hepas’ Descendant.

Hyemin’sDad.

He was also a person who was the center of interest among the administrators. Since they knew that he was the one who made the best artifact in the game, the administrators and operators were watching him and thinking about what his second artifact would be.

However, he suddenly shut down his access and was missing for the next 3 months. When he logged back in, he showed up with his daughter in tow.

While they continued to watch and monitor him, they were able to listen to his story when he talked with the blacksmith Ron. They unknowingly learnt of the reason why he appeared with his daughter in the game.

“I believe the 3 months that he was gone was during the surgical and therapeutic treatment. Right now, Hyemin’s still at the children’s hospital too.”

“……sigh. That’s just too sad.”

“Yeah. She couldn’t even eat because of the after effects of the leukemia treatment. They’re both having a hard time. But I’m glad that the child was completely cured.”

“That’s why he was grateful to User Minhyuk, right?”

Team Leader Park shook his head when he heard what Lee Minhwa said.

This was not because he was an operator, but because he was a person, an adult with responsibilities. For the first time, they have realized why Ron’s favorability with Minhyuk increased.

It was because Minhyuk played with the gloomy and depressed child.

The two of them smiled at the screen.

“Aside from that, you know about the material that Hyemin’sDad got, right?”

“Ah. You mean the Gryphon’s Spirit?”

The Gryphon’s Spirit. It was one of the important materials that blacksmiths use to make weapons and armors. It was an ancient material that was so valuable that it could not even be compared with the current price of the goods in the market right now.

And right now, it was in the hands of Hyemin’sDad.

“With that material, I’m sure that Hyemin’sDad will be able to make an artifact that is way better than the Dragon Sword. I’m curious about what he will make next. Of course it will not happen any time soon but I’m still curious.”

It wouldn’t happen for the time being because Hyemin’sDad was quite busy. It seemed like he was meeting with various doctors in real life to find a cure for Hyemin’s mental illness. And whenever he logged in the game, he was always busy taking care of Hyemin.

“Sigh. Let’s leave this talk behind. Right now, User Minhyuk has received that quest. How much fame do you think he will get?”

“I think he’ll be able to fill up 50%?”

“Right now, that’s what I can see but this user has so many variables…”

Team Leader Park just blurted it out unconsciously but Lee Minhwa agreed with him.

In fact, Ron’s contract renewal quest was something that was supposed to happen one day too. However, this was not the original scenario. The original was set-up when the traders had turned their backs on him. 

It was also a difficult task to increase his favorability with others and renew their contracts with Ron. He would be going all over the place for the smithy.

However, to complete the quest, it was necessary for him to renew at least one contract with someone who has lost their faith and trust in the smithy once.

“If he gets 80% then he will be able to receive the Special Jeon Dish Set……”

A Special Jeon Dish Set!

As a matter of fact, even if Minhyuk was only able to fill 30% of the fame he would still be able to receive a jeon dish set. But the Special Jeon Dish Set was filled with special ingredients and was much more delicious and excellent compared to the normal one.

“What about when he gets 100%……?”

“……He’ll be able to get a much bigger and much better reward.”

***

Food Discussion Corner!

Jeon (전) – A dish made by seasoning ingredients and coating it with flour and egg wash. It can be an appetizer, a banchan (반찬; a collective name for small side dishes served alongside rice) or anju (안주; dishes served with alcohol).

Sanjeok (산적) – A type of  jeok (적; skewered food) cuisine, made by placing seasoned beef and vegetables on a skewer then grilling it.

Donggeurangttaeng (동그랑땡) – Patty made with tofu, meat and vegetables. It’s coated with eggs and pan fried.

Yukjeon (육전) – a general term used for jeon made with meat.

Sesame Leaf Jeon (깻잎 전) – Seasoned perilla leaves coated with eggs and pan fried.

Pollock Jeon (명태전) – Pollock (a fish) seasoned and coated with eggs and pan fried

Potato Jeon (감자전) – Potato coated with eggs and pan fried.

TL’s corner!!!

So I’ll be adding this corner when there are a lot of dishes that need to be discussed. Instead of adding it in a footnote I will just make a Food Discussion Corner to describe and explain what food was mentioned in the chapter. This will only be made if the food described in the chapter is more than 3 or if I remember to make a Food Discussion corner. *sweats*

PR’s corner!

Yes! More food! Glorious food! 

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