Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 472: Naval Warfare (Middle)

“Pour the water out!!!”

Sea’s Great Mage Tetsuya was someone that could express 1.7x the attack power of any water attributed magic in his arsenal. He immediately cast, “Aqua Storm! Aqua Storm! Aqua Storm! Aqua Storm!”

Rumble!

The spectacle before him made Tetsuya realize that he had to stop this man from reaching Lundnu, even if it cost him his life. The four sea storms that he had cast rushed towards the man. However, Tetsuya was not the only mage in the ship. There were also several high-tiered mages onboard their ship and they were all casting magic towards the man.

“Ice Arrow!”

“Wind Cutter!”

“Aqua Wall!”

Dozens of magic attacks flew towards the man that had jumped once again to the skies.

“Keuhahahaha!” Tetsuya, who believed the man was done for, laughed wildly despite his sinking ship. But then, the man took a book out of his inventory. The pages of the book began to turn rapidly the moment he took it out. And then…

Shwaaaaaaa—

[Cancel.]

[All skills and magic within a five meter radius from the skill user will be canceled and nullified.]

…Gorac’s Mixer and Bowl’s special skill had been triggered. Its usual ‘mixer and bowl’ appearance had changed and turned into a book, thanks to the Great Demon’s Mask effect. In just an instant, all of the magic that was rushing towards Minhyuk disappeared into thin air. After dealing with the magic, Minhyuk finally landed on top of Tetsuya’s slowly sinking ship. The word ‘Crazy’ engraved on the flat of the blade of Minhyuk’s sword stood out.

‘Crazy…?’

Tetsuya felt his breath stagnate from the pressure emitting from the sword.

“Stop hiiiiiiiim!”

All of the pirates onboard gathered in the middle of the sinking ship at Tetsuya’s orders. They, a group mostly consisting of Empire Knight-rank NPCs and players, ran towards Minhyuk. However, shockingly enough…

Slaaaaaaash—

…a simple graze of Minhyuk’s sword had torn apart one of the pirates’ bodies. The worst part?

[Armor Break has turned into a passive skill!]

Crack, crack, crack, crack—

Even that pirate’s armor, an armor that was made of tough and sturdy steel, was also easily torn apart. In the end, that pirate was forced to log out.

“This is… a nightmare…” Tetsuya mumbled, as he took an involuntary step back in fright. The pirate that was forced to log out just now their strongest close combat fighter. Tetsuya was sure that the HP meter of that pirate was full before he rushed forward, but just a simple graze was enough to kill him. Before he could fully dwell on this thought, Minhyuk had already rushed forward once again.

Minhyuk was like a ghost as he appeared and disappeared swiftly. This was his skill ‘Like the Wind’ under the Great Demon’s Mask’s effect. He darted in and out of the pirates\' gaps while swinging his sword at them.

Slash, slash, slash, slash, slash, slash—

Crack, crack, crack, crack, crack—

Tetsuya’s men kept on trying to counter the man’s attack but they failed time and again. The scene in front of him slowly chipped away at Tetsuya’s will to fight. For the longest time, Tetsuya had viewed ‘Lundnu’ as the only supreme being. For him, Lundnu was the sky, the sea, and the world itself.

However, as he looked at the man in front of him, he felt like his long standing belief was slowly being crushed and changed.

“Who are you?”

“…”

It was Tetsuya’s polite inquiry to someone strong. But Minhyuk did not answer him and only lowered his head to look at him. Then, Minhyuk approached the girl, Riley, and said, “You don’t have to be afraid anymore.”

Minhyuk picked Riley up before gently placing her on top of one of the dolphins’ heads. He also did not forget to pat the child’s head.

“Lord God! Thank you! Thank you for saving me! Thank you for bringing judgment to those fools!”

Throb—

Watching everything, there was one who felt his chest throb in pain as he looked at the child in front of Minhyuk. This was none other than Great Pirate Gorfido, who enjoyed a life of plundering, killing and taking away the freedom of little girls like this child in front of him. But…

‘Why?! Why are you making me regret everything this much?! Why?!’

Gorfido’s body trembled. The man in front of him lived a life that was completely different from him. Gorfido plundered, looted and killed. He enjoyed trampling over and standing above people as they regarded him with fear and terror. But the man in front of him stood above all using a completely different method.

‘Just like what he said. I really went down the wrong path during my life.’

At this moment, Great Pirate Gorfido was truly and completely enlightened. That was when Gorfido and Minhyuk heard a series of notifications.

[Great Pirate Gorfido is a vicious and heinous man that has killed millions with his own hands.]

[With the few words that you have said to him, Gorfido finally truly realizes the mistakes that he made.]

[Gorfido’s more enlightened than when he was cursed with Andrei’s existence.]

[You have received Gorfido’s favor.]

[You have received Gorfido’s favor.]

[You have received Gorfido’s favor.]

Even though he was listening to the notifications ringing in his ears, Minhyuk was still looking around and gauging the situation. Right now, there were more than a hundred ships rushing to surround Minhyuk. They all came here after hearing the commotion earlier. But then, a far more shocking set of notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.

[Pirate Gorfido has started to regard you as someone special.]

[Perhaps there will be a surprising event that will happen with Gorfido.]

And Minhyuk, who was watching the approaching ships, tilted his head in doubt. He thought, ‘But I only spoke a few words to him though?’ as he recalled the conversation that they had back in Turtle Boulder Island.

***

Turtle Boulder Island, an hour and a half ago.

After creating a new achievement, Minhyuk tried to set sail again. Suddenly, he stopped and grabbed his belly, “I need to go but I’m hungry... Hey! Skullhead!”

“…Cough. Bastard, calling me skullhead… What? Why are you calling for me?”

“Is there a way for me to catch local fish like, Emerald Flatfish, Ruby Rockfish, and Sapphire Salmon?”

Naturally, Minhyuk had already researched the ingredients that he could find in the seas of the Japanese Server before setting foot in the Ever Seas. The Ever Seas was home to epic-ranked monsters like the Ruby Rockfish and Sapphire Salmon.

‘And they taste leagues better than ordinary rockfish and salmon!’

Minhyuk’s eyes twinkled brightly, a look that was completely different from the usual stink eye that he gave to Gorfido, as he looked at him in anticipation. Gorfido nodded and said, “There’s a very easy way to do that.”

Gorfido approached the shore, closed his eyes and touched the water of the sea. Then…

Swoooooooooooooosh—

…suddenly, something from deep within the sea began to surface. Until…

Shwaaaaaaaaaa—

A glittering and brilliant blue Sapphire Salmon jumped out of the waters and fell down flapping in front of Gorfido.

Flap, flap, flap, flap—

“…?!”

Minhyuk looked on in shock and surprise. But it was not yet over. Dozens of Sapphire Salmon, Ruby Rockfish, and Emerald Flatfish sprang up and gathered in front of Gorfido.

“Woooooooooow!” Minhyuk cheered as he jumped up and down with a bright smile on his face. “Hiyaaaa~ look at this color! They look scrumptious!”

Even for the most extraordinary and excellent fishermen, some of the rarest species of fish like Ruby Rockfish and Emerald Flatfish, were very hard to catch. And Gorfido only had this ability because his existence was akin to a god to all of the creatures living under the sea. His existence was in fact, superior and mightier than Kraken King Sukhoe.

“Oh my, Sir Gorfido! I’m sorry for not recognizing your greatness. Thank you! Hehe!” Minhyuk said as he bowed politely to Gorfido.

“Ha! Now you know. Haha!” Gorfido laughed for only for a moment, before he caught himself in doubt, ‘Did I just feel delighted because he praised me?’

But the man in front of him was just a simple human being, right? For some reason, Gorfido felt a huge sense of shame. How could someone like him, someone that terrorized and brought fear to the seas, be happy just because someone praised him?

When he turned to Minhyuk…

“Hiyaaa. Don’t you all look plump and fresh? Huh? Gulp.”

…he saw him smiling brightly, like a child with a new toy. A face that was completely different from when they first met back when he cursed him and spat at him. The eyes that he used back then were so cold and eerie that Gorfido felt as if he was being stared at by a mad beast, like a fierce lion watching its prey. He also looked completely different when he brought in the captives, just like a swindler trying to scam people of their money. But now…

‘He looks like a kind and pure child.’

Gorfido believed that Minhyuk was a man of many faces. But for some reason, seeing Minhyuk happy like this also made Gorfido feel calm and relaxed.

‘He’s even happier than when he got the greatest sword in existence…’

Gorfido continued to stare at Minhyuk. He watched as Minhyuk smiled brightly at the dishes that he prepared in front of himself. These dishes were none other than ‘rockfish, flatfish and salmon’ sashimi. There were even tsukidashi[1] placed in a neat line in front of him!

“Hiyaaaaa~ You guys, you’re so fresh that I can still feel you wriggle in my mouth~” Minhyuk gulped as he stretched his hands forward to clamp a slice with his chopsticks. And the dish that he was aiming for was none other than fresh octopus sashimi, that was seasoned with sesame oil and sesame salt.

“How? I don’t think there’s any live octopus in these seas? I can’t even catch a live octopus anywhere in this area… ”

“Ah. It’s because I always carry some with me, you know?”

Gorfido looked at Minhyuk incredulously.

‘He carries some live octopus with him all the time?Is he like that? The One that’s always prepared…?’

The savory flavor of the sesame oil that coated the fresh and wriggling octopus spread in Minhyuk’s mouth the moment he placed it in his mouth. The longer the octopus stayed in his mouth, the more it revealed its charms. It was springy, lively and even had a hint of crunchiness in there. A smile automatically appeared on Minhyuk’s mouth.

Then, Minhyuk stretched his hands towards a bowl. He mixed a small amount of soy sauce and wasabi in this small bowl before clamping a piece of the flatfish sashimi. But before dipping it in the sauce, Minhyuk savored it by itself.

Chew, chew, chew—

The flatfish sashimi’s texture was very chewy. The more Minhyuk chewed, the sweeter the flavor of the fish in his mouth became. The smile on his face did not wane, instead, it became even brighter.

Then, he turned his attention to salmon. Compared to the flatfish, the salmon had a softer texture and a richer flavor. After tasting the pure salmon sashimi, he clamped another piece of flatfish before dipping it in the soy sauce and putting it in his mouth.

“Wow… It’s alive, the flavor of the sea is alive in my mouth!” Minhyuk shouted happily, like a child enjoying everything and anything within his reach. He even closed his eyes to savor and enjoy the dish!

Next, he placed some sliced raw onion and some radish sprouts on top of the salmon sashimi. Then, he dipped everything in some white sauce, before putting it in his mouth. The soft and crunchy texture and sweet aftertaste of the onions spread in his mouth.

This time, he picked up a piece of perilla leaf and spread it out. Then, he picked up a piece of flatfish sashimi and dipped it into a sauce made of ssamjang, minced garlic, and sesame oil, before placing it on top of the perilla leaf with some sliced garlic and peppers on top. The moment he placed it in his mouth, the fragrant scent of the perilla leaf on top of the perfect harmony of the garlic, pepper and flatfish spread and covered every part of his taste buds!

“Wahahaha!” Minhyuk laughed happily as he ate the sashimi. Minhyuk’s eyes were filled with anticipation, his smile growing wider at the sight of the fish stew that was already starting to boil.

‘What a strange man. Even if he does not have everything and even if everyone does not fear him, he’s still happier than anybody else. And with what? Just some measly, insignificant and trivial food?’

Gorfido had never experienced or felt something like this in his life. He only felt delight when he became the object of everyone’s fear. But this man in front of him was being loved and respected by the people around him.

“Why…? How come you look happier with just a trifling thing like food? Why are you happier than when you acquired the captives? Why are you happier than when you got the best sword? Why are you happier when you’re just eating…?!”

“…”

Minhyuk turned to look at Gorfido after hearing his words. The look in Minhyuk’s eyes were distinctly different from when he cursed him or when he was playing around and calling him ‘skullhead’. Both his eyes and smile were soft as he said, “Yes, those are definitely good things, big things. However, you don’t have to have everything to be happy.”

Then, Minhyuk looked at the sashimi spread in front of him as he continued to say, “The food in front of me right now is more precious to me than anything else in the world, this is my standard. So, tell me. Gorfido, what is your standard of happiness?”

“…”

Gorfido was left speechless after hearing Minhyuk’s question. What was his standard of happiness? Killing, plundering, looting and trampling on everyone. Those were his standards of happiness.

‘I see. The standards that I have set for myself were wrong…’

Seeing the speechless Gorfido, Minhyuk opened his mouth again, “Then, let me ask you a different question. What will be your ‘standard of happiness’ from now on?”

“…”

Gorfido felt his heart thump wildly. What would be his standards of happiness from this point on? Truth was, he still did not know. However, one thought flashed in his head, ‘Can I find it if I stay with you?’

Gorfido could already imagine it. He believed that he would be able to find a new standard of happiness as long as he stayed with this man.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk reached out for a ladle of the now boiling spicy fish stew as he reflected on what happened earlier. He thought, ‘Kgghk~ I think it would be awesome if Gorfido became a fisherman, right? Fisherman King Gorfido! Wow, that sounds great!’

Minhyuk basked in his revolutionary idea!

1. A first light dish, like an appetizer, served while your sashimi is being cut so you can have something to eat with your first drink. ☜