Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 359: Two Food Gods

‘He’s the most picky among all of the gourmands. So, how come…’

The audience sitting in the stands were in a buzz.

“Did, did you see? He’s definitely smiling, but tears keep on dripping down his cheeks!”

“Maybe they’re tears of joy?”

“He ate something delicious, so it’s definitely tears of joy!”

The people in the audience began to wonder what the pizza tasted like. As if wondering the same thing, the other gourmands hurriedly took a slice of pizza and took a bite of it. The moment they took a bite…

Crunch—

…the crispy, crunchy texture of the pizza greeted their mouths. It was immediately followed by a chewy texture which became more evident the more they chewed the pizza in their mouths.

‘How? How did they do this?’

It was very difficult to both incorporate the crunchy and crispy texture in the first bite, and the chewy texture right after. In fact, the warm bread was both crispy and moist. All in all, the bread was amazing.

What about the toppings? Putting too much cheese on a pizza might make it feel too greasy in the mouth. To counter this, the tomato sauce should be added in perfect ratio with the cheese. This would complement the greasiness of the cheese. The tomato sauce’s slightly tangy flavor, with a hint of sweetness, should be able to catch the cheese’s greasiness and create a perfect harmony.

However, when compared to other pizzas, this pizza’s cheese was not too greasy, and even its tomato sauce was perfectly flavored. It was flawless. And then, there were the other toppings that they had sprinkled on top of the cheese and tomato sauce.

The pizza made by Minhyuk and Lucaro differed across the sections. There was a bulgogi portion, Hawaiian portion, cheese portion, pepperoni portion, and many more. Dozens of these portions gathered together and created one round and whole pizza for the Gourmet Dragon.

“Aaaah… How, how can someone achieve such harmony in just a slice of pizza?”

“D… delicious! It’s really delicious! This is the best!”

Rush, rush, rush—

The audience were once again agitated. The gourmands were all noble men. They were people that usually maintained their noble aura and dignity, having served as an empire or a kingdom’s representative under the title ‘Gourmand’. And these very people were now hastily grabbing the pizza with their own bare hands, not minding the fact that they forgot to maintain their prestige or image.

Gulp, gulp, gulp—

The gourmands even enjoyed a refreshing and cool cola with ice to go along with the pizza, which made them completely satisfied.

“I… I want to eat more…”

“Just, just one more slice and I won’t wish for more.”

The gourmands were filled with infinite longing. They felt that just having another slice would make them wish for nothing else anymore. But, as for the audience that watched them eat…

“We… we want to eat too…”

“It looks delicious…”

“I wonder how good that is?”

“Heuoooook!”

These were the voices of countless people in the audience. But Minhyuk and Lucaro, both sporting nice and bright smiles on their faces, continued to cook under their scrutiny. The Gourmet Dragon also turned his back completely from Anton, as he gazed at the two people that were still cooking.

Meanwhile, Anton trembled at the sight. He thought, ‘That’s just bread…!’

Anton firmly believed that pizza and foie gras were two fundamentally different dishes. His foie gras was a dish that was very difficult for ordinary people to come by. But, pizza was just an ordinary dish. It was a common dish that anyone could eat. Was such a trivial dish better than his foie gras?

Anton thought that everyone was crazy. However, there were things that he did not know. For one, whenever people had the thought of eating, the first thing that they would think of was usually ordinary and readily-accessible dishes. People that were experiencing hunger would rarely think of ‘foie gras’ or ‘caviar’

, luxurious dishes that they rarely came across.

Anton still did not show any signs of remorse as he went back to where his disciples were. Then, he ordered, “As soon as the competition ends, once that man and Lucaro comes out of the coliseum, kill them.”

“Huh? But… but…”

“Kill them. I don’t want to say it twice. Use any means necessary.”

It was not just their hands, Anton had ordered to take their lives away. He was showing the epitome of filth and ugliness.

***

Minhyuk and Lucaro were still cooking as the Gourmet Dragon, the gourmands, the other chefs, and the rest of the audience looked at their dishes. There was a huge fuss around them, but they looked like they could not hear them at all. The two of them could only see each other. With joyful smiles plastered on their faces, the two of them continued to knead, sprinkle the toppings, and bake their pizza.

Minhyuk was completely immersed in a state of happiness, one that was brought about by cooking! There was a time when he found pleasure and happiness only in eating, but after becoming the Food God, he also found such happiness in cooking. And for Minhyuk, cooking with Lucaro, someone that had been waiting for his existence for a long time, brought a great deal of happiness in him.

The two of them had been baking pizza for more than five hours already. But for some reason, the two looked like they were not tired at all. It was also because of their tireless actions, that a welcome notification rang for Minhyuk.

[The Skill: Will has been triggered.]

[All skills and abilities related to DEX will temporarily increase by 24%.]

Minhyuk had received the passive skill ‘Will’ during his early days of playing Athenae. It was a skill that could only be triggered, if someone continuously exerted their best effort and showed their greatest passion towards something. Whenever this skill got triggered, the fatigue weighing down on Minhyuk’s body would disappear in an instant. Even his head would become clear and his DEX would also temporarily increase. With the 24% increase in DEX, Minhyuk’s hand movements became even more skillful.

The Gourmet Dragon Banquet placed a huge importance on the taste and flavor of the dish. However, the ability to place ‘buffs’ and reaching a higher ‘grade’ were also important. This was because the Gourmet Dragon Banquet was also a competition to select the best chef of the territory. Naturally, the two of them would do their best.

Six hours had already passed by, but the two of them were still kneading, placing toppings, and baking pizza. An hour after that, the two finally baked their final pizza.

The largest pizza ever baked as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records had a diameter of 37.4 meters. Although it was far below that size, the pizza that Lucaro and Minhyuk made was still large, with its nine meter diameter. It was the size of five grown men lying together in a straight line.

The moment Minhyuk placed the last pizza at the end…

Shwaaaaaaaaaa—

…a huge pillar of flames burst out from the pizza. It was the final manifestation of the Legendary Sun’s Wheat’s power. The blazing flames soared high in the sky, before scattering and falling like drops of snowflakes in the ground.

“It’s… it’s beautiful…”

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

“My goodness! I never thought that I would be able to see such a scene in my life!”

The audience gasped and shouted in awe, which was followed by the loud gulp of the gourmands in front of the pizza. Even the chefs that participated in the competition could not help but look up in a daze.

The notification about the dish’s grade and the buffs rang loudly for Minhyuk and Lucaro. The two looked at each other and smiled happily. Then, the Gourmet Dragon took a huge step and landed in front of the finished pizza.

Thud—

Minhyuk and Lucaro moved quickly, pouring the contents of the two liter bottles of cola in a huge stainless steel cup. In fact, the cup was so huge that they needed to climb a ladder to pour the cola in it. After pouring at least 300 liters of cola in the cup, Minhyuk hurriedly took out his frying pan and cast ice magic. This was the refreshing cold cola with ice!

All that remained was for the Gourmet Dragon to have a bite of their food. The Gourmet Dragon looked alternately between Minhyuk and Lucaro. He thought, ‘I acknowledge your dignity, pride and bravery.’

The two of them had exhibited the greatest dignity and pride among all of the chefs present in this competition. The Gourmet Dragon could see their pure hearts. Just one glance and he could tell that the two of them wanted to become the best chefs, in order to cook delicious food for others. They were completely different from the other chefs that only participated in this competition for money, power and riches.

The Gourmet Dragon closed his eyes and slowly lowered his snout to taste the outermost section of the giant pizza. He savored the flavor before opening his eyes. He did not say anything. The audience, the chefs, and the gourmands all turned to look at the Gourmet Dragon with bated breaths. Then, the Gourmet Dragon took another bite of the pizza. No, the words ‘another bite’ were not enough to describe the actions that the Gourmet Dragon took next.

Chew, chew, chew, chew—

Crunch, crunch—

Chew, chew, chew, chew—

Crunch, crunch—

The Gourmet Dragon did not even pause in his tracks. He was like a dog that had been starved for a long time as he lowered his head and continued to devour the pizza. It seemed that he did not even bother maintaining his pride and noble aura.

Crunch—

The Gourmet Dragon kept on shoveling the pizza into his mouth.

Chew, chew, chew—

A satisfied smile bloomed on his face as he continued to chew on the pizza.

‘I think it’s a complete waste to swallow it down my throat and not chew it for a long time…’ The Gourmet Dragon thought, before burying his head into the cup filled with the refreshingly cold cola and gulping it down.

The brain-freezing cola perfectly complemented and washed away the greasiness of the pizza. Then, without wiping his mouth, the Gourmet Dragon buried his head into the pizza again. After eating the last piece of pizza…

“Buuuuuuuuuuuuurp—“

“Kyaaaaaaaak—“

“What a shocking burp…!”

“Huh? Why do I think that the burp smells good…?”

It was literally a dragon’s burp[1]. The Gourmet Dragon failed to withstand the effects of the cola’s carbonation and burped loudly, which effectively blew the hair and the clothes of the audience in the stands into a mess.

“Hoooo,” the Gourmet Dragon sighed in satisfaction as a smile lingered on his mouth. He looked like he was a starving person that had finally achieved satisfaction and comfort after eating a lot of delicious food in a hurry.

“Thank you, Lucaro. Thank you, stranger. No, it should be Food God.”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

“…!”

The Gourmet Dragon’s words had an explosive effect.

“Did… did he say Food God?!”

“Food God?!!!”

“That… that man is the Food God?!”

The Gourmet Dragon already knew this fact from the moment Minhyuk brought out the ‘Legendary Sun’s Wheat’. The previous Food God had told him that there was a chance that his successor would save Albero Territory if it fell completely into the abyss. Back then, the Gourmet Dragon thought that it would be Lucaro. Of course, it was a fact that Lucaro also saved Albero Territory.

However, it was also true that the current Food God came to save the territory too. The two Food Gods had stepped up and satisfied the Gourmet Dragon.

With the previous Food God gone from the territory, the Gourmet Dragon thought that it would be better if the territory stained with greed disappeared. This was something that he had decided on, since he was also a cold-blooded being. However, the Gourmet Dragon felt that he did not need to fulfill the previous Food God’s request anymore. The Albero Territory now had someone that could be hailed as their new Food God. He was sure that ‘Lucaro’ would be able to lead them onto the right path.

Then, the notifications rang for Minhyuk.

[You have brought satisfaction to the Gourmet Dragon.]

[You acquired 300,000,000 EXP.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[The Gourmet Dragon wishes to give you a special gift.]

[You have acquired the Gourmet Dragon’s Special Scale.]

[Your resistance to all attributes has increased by 40%.]

[You have won the Gourmet Dragon Banquet.]

[You have acquired the Five Legendary Ingredients Box.]

Minhyuk was very shocked by the 300,000,000 EXP that he gained through this trial. However, right at that moment…

“I don’t accept this!!!”

…a voice rang loudly from somewhere. They saw Anton striding along from the direction of the voice. Seeing this, Minhyuk stealthily sprinkled a few drops of a mysterious liquid in the remaining pizza slices.

“Can an ordinary pizza like that be even superior to foie gras?!!!”

“Lord Anton, are you trying to question my choice right now?” The Gourmet Dragon asked, murderous intent flaring out from his body. He was a dragon, on top of that, he was an existence known as the greatest and strongest among all the other dragons.

The words of the Gourmet Dragon brought unease and discomfort to Anton. There was a chance that the huge mouth in front of him would swallow him up.

“But, this is completely unbelievable! There’s a chance that the Gourmet Dragon favored them because the previous Food God asked him to do so, right?”

Anton’s words made the Gourmet Dragon’s brows furrow in annoyance, and his fierce and vicious intent increased ever so slightly. In a way, his words were true. He had been tasked by the previous Food God to do this. However, the current situation was very different from his task. After all, he thought he was tasked to bring ruin to the greedy and corrupted Albero Territory.

“If that’s the case, then this competition…!”

“Then, why don’t you try one?” Minhyuk interrupted.

Anton’s glare was fierce and stinging as he turned to look at Minhyuk. This was the shabby young beggar! Anton fiercely strode to where Minhyuk was as he thought, ‘Even if it’s delicious, it doesn’t matter. As long as I deny that fact, they would never know.’

He wanted to deny the fact and tell the people that everything had been scripted under the guidance of the Gourmet Dragon. So, Anton took a bite of the pizza. The moment he chewed on the pizza, the taste of the crispy and chewy bread, together with the warm cheese and toppings, burst out in his mouth. His frivolous and vicious thoughts changed right at that very moment.

‘I have to frown and spit the food out of my mouth!’

If he did that, he could then tell the people that everything was a scam. Alas, his mouth kept on moving despite himself. No, in fact, he was hurriedly shoveling the food in his mouth. And finally…

“Sob, sob, sob, sob!”

…he shed tears. He could feel the ‘God’ level in this pizza, a level that he could not reach. This level was completely unattainable to him, the Twilight Chef that posed as the fake ‘Food God’. This was the heavenly and divine flavor that he could not replicate, no matter how hard he tried!

However, that was not the end. Anton suddenly opened his mouth and said, “I… I was the one that ordered someone to destroy Lucaro’s hand!”

“…?!”

“…?!”

“…?!”

The audience were in an uproar at his sudden confession! Meanwhile, Anton was in disbelief and confusion. Why did he suddenly spit these words out? He hurriedly tried to shut his mouth, but he could not prevent the words that continued to spill out of his mouth.

“I instigated the gossipers to spread bad rumors about the previous Food God and bought the other chefs with money. Then, I pretended to be the real ‘Food God’,even though I’m originally the Twilight Chef. Hi…hiiiiiik!”

Anton’s face turned pale at his own words.

Seeing this, Lucaro turned to look at Minhyuk in contemplation. That was when he saw the small bottle in Minhyuk’s hands. The bottle contained the ‘Truth Droplets’, an item that Minhyuk obtained after harvesting all of the Legendary Sun’s Wheat.

Without missing a beat, Minhyuk approached Anton and said, “You’re not a Lord. You’re a XXX trash bastard, right?”

1. Dragon’s Burp (용트림) - a burp purposely made loud for appearances’ sake. Unstoppable, explosive ☜