The Divine Punisher and the Slaughter Squad’s Cavalry were advancing incredibly fast. Seeing this, Minhyuk and the Gorodis Kingdom’s royal army hurriedly returned to the area near the kingdom.
The royal army said that they would wait right in front of the place where the Slaughter Squad would appear. So, Minhyuk quickly ran toward the castle. As he ran, he saw the Gorodis’ royal army clash against the Divine Punisher and the Slaughter Squad.
He was rendered speechless. Despite having eaten his food, the army was still being quickly swept away by the enemies. Even so, he continued to run. He had to do what he needed to do.
[The story of the Gorodis’ Kingdom’s Destruction is about to begin.]
[The story of the Gorodis’ Kingdom’s Destruction will be written down in history as the story of the fools who dared to go against ‘them.’]
The running Minhyuk saw how the Gorodis’ royal army started to get pushed back and how the kneeling people stood up and grabbed their weapons to fight alongside them. He was pretty surprised to see them all look so ready to face death.
‘Will my people be able to do that? How can they have such courage and bravery?’
Minhyuk found the answers to his questions not long after.
“I will protect you. No matter what! Even if I die! Even if my entire body gets torn apart, I will protect you!” Anton shouted through his tears. Even through those tears, his firm will and determination were evident in his eyes.
It seemed like he was unaware, but he was already bleeding through his eyes, nose, ears, and even his mouth. Minhyuk saw his state and stopped in his tracks, staring blankly at him.
[You are witnessing the appearance of the Final Dish of the Strongest Chef.]
[He burned the last moments of his life and set everything ablaze so that he could go beyond his limits and reach new realms, even if it was just for this moment.]
[You realize something as you watch this chef cook.]
[You have gained 30 DEX.]
[You have gained 30 REP.]
[You have gained 100 CHA.]
[The first dish you will cook after witnessing the Strongest Chef cook will have a 50% chance of having a higher grade.]
At this moment, Minhyuk realized why the people of the Gorodis Kingdom seemed to have no fear in the world. This tiny kingdom, located on the borders of the Gaia Continent, had a king who wanted to protect his people and people who wanted to protect their lands.
Unfortunately, Anton, whose entire body already seemed to be in tatters, was knocked down by one of the lightning bolts that struck down from the sky. Even so, he still desperately crawled to turn off the blazing flames still burning under the pan—the same blazing flames that seemed to be boiling down too much of the samseon jjamppong.
[Kingdom Quest: Complete the Guardian Deity’s Dish.]
Requirements: The one who received Anton’s recognition.
Rewards: One of the Guardian Deity’s powers, 100% Exploration Rate.
Penalty for Failure: You will be exiled and banned from entering the Gaia Continent forever.
Description: Because it requires several of the Ten Treasured Ingredients, the Guardian Deity’s Dish can be cooked by several chefs. But if the attempt at cooking fails, the ingredients will all return to the state before they were cooked. If Anton’s attempt fails, then take over and follow his pride. Successfully finish cooking the dish.
In the end, Minhyuk saw Anton fail to turn off the flames, his body collapsing on the ground. He hurriedly moved when he saw the lightning flash in the dark sky and attempted to end the king’s life ultimately.
Minhyuk hugged Anton and placed him gently in a more comfortable position. Then, he looked at the man’s eyes, which were still filled with burning determination, and said, “The kingdom that you want to protect... I will protect it for you.”
[The dish will return to its previous state before it was cooked.]
[This is your final chance.]
[If you fail to cook the dish, the Gorodis Kingdom will go the path of destruction.]
At that moment, Minhyuk saw one of the soldiers pushing the wheelchair carrying Anton’s daughter, who had been watching everything from behind.
The soldier could not say anything. Perhaps Anton’s current appearance was something that his daughter should not see. But on the other hand, how could Aelona not watch her father give his all for the kingdom?
Aelona cried. It was painful to see her father do his best until the last moments of his life so that he could release the seal that had locked her up for a very long time and protect his people by completing this dish.
In just a blink, even the people who joined the battlefield later started to die. The smell of blood lingered underneath Minhyuk’s nose.
Minhyuk had learned a lot today. He realized that sometimes cooking could also protect the people. No. To be more exact, he discovered that anything and everything he possessed could also become a power that could help him protect others.
Everything around him started to disappear. Even the noise had become muffled and distant. He could see only the ingredients he would use for the samseon jjamppong. Every cell in his body began to burn and boil. He had fallen into a trance.
The ingredients were already prepared. All he had to do was cook and endure everything that came his way during the process. If his luck was good, he might be able to complete the Guardian Deity’s Dish.
‘This dish that has failed once...’
Everyone’s hopeful wishes, pride, and strength had all been poured into this single dish.
[The ingredients used for the Guardian Deity’s Dish struggle more fiercely after the cooking process has failed once.]
Minhyuk started when the notification rang.
He poured all the vegetables into the pan and began to stir-fry them. The tantalizing smell of onions, chopped green onions, and mushrooms wafted as the ingredients slowly cooked.
At the same time, sparks appeared from within the pan and began to wrap around Minhyuk’s entire body.
Despite the tingling pain that almost devoured his entire body, Minhyuk did not stop moving. It was as if he did not feel anything.
Once the vegetables had been stir-fried and cooked to some extent, he added some water.
The moment he poured the water, hundreds of electric eels suddenly jumped out and made the water splash all over the place. These electric eels then wrapped around Minhyuk’s entire body, including his arms, legs, neck, and wrists. Then, the electric eels squirmed and released overwhelming and numbing electric currents.
And that was not the end yet. The eels also forced Minhyuk into an illusion. They showed him an illusion of hundreds of eels entering his mouth and stomach. It even made him feel as if they were squirming and wriggling inside him.
[Your HP has fallen below 60%.]
[Your HP has fallen below 59%.]
The notifications continued to ring in his ears as the illusion wrapped around his entire being. But even with this horrifying illusion, Minhyuk continued to cook. The only thing he could see was the dish in front of him.
This dish contained the aspirations and yearnings of hundreds of thousands of people. Their desire to live and protect what was precious to them was contained in this one dish. Perhaps that is why Minhyuk could not feel much pain.
‘I’m... I’m not related to them at all, right?’
Yes, that might be the case. But the path and will they had shown Minhyuk moved him deeply. It even made his heart beat faster, and his hands, which were covered with his gloves, grew more powerful.
[You have fallen into an even deeper level of trance.]
[You have fallen into an even deeper...]
[You have fallen into an even deeper...]
Minhyuk fell deeper and deeper into a trance. The more immersed he was in his cooking, the better he moved.
[You have triggered DEX Critical.]
[You have triggered DEX Critical.]
[You have triggered DEX Critical.]
The DEX Critical, a power that the Imperfect Work Gloves possessed, also strengthened Minhyuk.
Before he knew it, all of the ingredients in the broth were already cooked. It was now coming to an end.
‘Silver Dragon Armor.’
Minhyuk, who finally realized that his HP had dropped sharply in his trance, quickly equipped the Silver Dragon Armor to protect himself from the constant bombardment of sparks and lightning.
The samseon jjamppong, which had streaks of chili oil, became redder as it boiled. Finally, Minhyuk added the noodles.
Minhyuk personally loved putting noodles in jjamppong and boiling it a little longer.
‘That way, the broth will soak the noodles more and taste even better.’
He wanted to make the most perfect dish until the very end.
[The Guardian Deity’s Dish is struggling against the one who wants to go beyond the basic dish.]
A massive lightning strike fell from the sky and stopped Minhyuk. It was far from over. Lightning constantly fell and made Minhyuk unable to move any further. Minhyuk was electrocuted to the point where he was awakened from the influence of the Extreme Trance.
Crackle, crackle, crackle–!
Minhyuk’s HP dropped rapidly. His pupils shook when he realized that his body was left in a stunned state.
[The flames are getting stronger.]
The flames had grown significantly, causing the samseon jjamppong’s soup to boil. Minhyuk could not afford to let that happen at all. If those flames were not extinguished, the soup would become thick, the vegetables would become soft, and the noodles would become saggy. In other words, the cooking process would fail.
Flustered, Minhyuk tried to look back. Only then did he understand the situation. The Slaughter Squad had already entered the kingdom and were already slaughtering people randomly. However, the people were trying to stop them from approaching the walls where Minhyuk was currently located.
At that moment, Minhyuk’s eyes were drawn to one man dragging Ancas by the hair.
[The Divine Punisher has appeared!]
[You have encountered one of the gods of the Gaia Continent for the first time!]
[The gods of the Gaia Continent are the gods of the great land of the gods, Olympus.]
Minhyuk looked at the man, whose identity was now revealed. The man wore pristine white clothes, which were common in the figures written in Greco-Roman mythology. He has long black hair and was looking up at Minhyuk with an expression filled with annoyance.
[Divine Punisher Andreas. Level 1,170.]
“...?” Minhyuk’s eyes grew wide from shock.
Of course, he did not know the level of the gods of the Gaia Continent. So, he was unsure if Divine Punisher Andreas was among the stronger ones.
‘Or maybe it’s just that the level and standards of this continent are much higher than ours?’
No, both reasons were highly likely. But there was one thing that Minhyuk was sure of: He could not do anything about Andreas, who was at Level 1,170. And that was still the case even if the restrictions about him not being able to bring physical harm to the citizens of Gaia Continent were not in place.
Andreas, who was still dragging Ancas by the hair, yawned. When he saw the people charging at him, he clicked his tongue in annoyance.
Crackle, crackle, crackle–!
Hundreds of lightning fell from the sky and forced the heads of the charging people to burst.
“Insignificant bugs.”
Andreas looked utterly annoyed. He looked at the people crying while charging at him as if they were pathetic.
At the same time, Minhyuk saw another scene. The soldier, who was pushing the princess’ wheelchair, had died at some point. It seemed like the soldier had been hit by one of the magical attacks while Minhyuk was still under the influence of the Extreme Trance.
Meanwhile, Aelona, who was also hit by the attack, was sent flying and was struggling to move her paralyzed body. She was struggling to get to her father, who was on the verge of turning into a cold corpse. She kept on crying as she tried to move toward her father. But when she made eye contact with Anton, the man smiled slightly.
‘It’s fine. I’m fine.’
Minhyuk’s mouth dropped open as he watched the two laugh and cry at each other. Finally, strength came back to his body. He immediately triggered a power that allowed him to protect his body from the constant bombardment of lightning and a skill that allowed him to dramatically increase his DEX briefly.
[Pinnacle Dexterity.]
Minhyuk stared fiercely at the dish that he was trying to complete. Then, it exploded.
Finally, amidst hundreds of falling lightning bolts, the dish was completed. Shockingly enough, the phenomenon that usually appeared when a God-grade dish appeared was utterly different from the phenomenon that Minhyuk had experienced.
Inexplicably powerful sparks appeared and covered the entire castle walls.
Minhyuk looked at the overwhelmingly huge sparks as he listened to the notifications that rang in his ears.
In fact, Minhyuk could not understand. What difference would making the Guardian Deity’s Dish bring? After all, the gods of the Gaia Continent had already decided to destroy the Gaia Kingdom. Even if they could protect it once, the gods would just continue to attack them repeatedly.
At that moment, Anton chuckled. “My daughter...”
Minhyuk looked around him through the sparks that almost filled the entire area. That was when he saw it. The Guardian Deity’s Dish floated above Aelona as she cried while staring at her father. It was as if the dish was welcoming its true master.
What was the reason why the gods forced Aelona into a deep slumber? Why did the gods remove the Guardian Deity’s Dish from the Gorodis Kingdom?
The sparks grew even fiercer as they spread all over the kingdom. They stopped all of the enemies and protected all of their allies. Even though Aelona did not eat the dish, something more surprising happened.
[The Guardian Deity’s Dish has finally met its true master.]
[The power hidden inside the dish responds to the Guardian Deity’s Envoy.]
[The Guardian Deity’s Envoy has awakened.]
[The Guardian Deity’s Envoy gains the power to condemn and punish the cowardly gods of Olympus.]
[When facing the gods of Olympus or anyone related to them, the Guardian Deity’s Envoy will become 150% stronger.]
Aelona, whose eyes were dyed with a golden light, stood up.
[The Guardian Deity’s Dish will not disappear.]
[The Guardian Deity’s Dish is nothing more than a stimulant. Its entire purpose is to awaken the Guardian Deity’s Envoy.]
[The Guardian Deity’s Dish will be preserved.]
Aelona approached her dying father and held his hands. Then, she softly and gently said, “Ten Thousand Lightning.”
[The Ten Thousand Lightning will eliminate any beings recognized as the kingdom’s enemies.]
[It will exert 150% stronger power upon those related to Olympus and its gods.]
Ten thousand bolts of lightning rained down upon the Slaughter Squad.