Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 1138

Chapter 1138

A world message rang all over Athenae.

[Player Minhyuk is the first to activate a Supreme Skill.]

World messages were initially set to announce an achievement anonymously. This world message was a bit different from ordinary world messages. It was because it announced the skill that would create something that would spread all over Athenae.

[Following the activation of the Ingredient Creator, the Food God’s Ingredients will be supplied worldwide.]

[You can only obtain Food God Ingredients from quests, boss mob hunts, and hunting grounds related to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

[All of the Food God’s Ingredients that you will obtain from this point on will be in a sealed state.]

[Only after the chosen First Acquirer has obtained the first Food God’s Ingredient will all other ingredients be released from its sealed state.]

Minhyuk smiled faintly at the notifications that rang in his ears. He could create a huge number of ingredients this one time because he demanded it as compensation from Joy Co. Ltd.

Among his rewards was having them help contact Bryan for him. If Bryan accepted the offer and agreed to become the First Acquirer, they would broadcast the process of the first acquisition on the official ZTube channel of Joy Co. Ltd. That was only if he accepted. If he refused, then Minhyuk would still have to find someone else.

At that moment, Minhyuk received a whisper.

[Park Minggyu: Bryan accepted.]

[Minhyuk: Then, will Bryan take on the quest today?]

[Park Minggyu: I believe so.]

After finishing their conversation, Minhyuk immediately logged out. Then, he swiftly entered the community site that had been gathering dust on his computer for a long time.

[Shit. Hahaha. Lol. I got a Food God’s Ingredient from a hunting ground belonging to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. It’s still in a sealed state; is it trash?]

[Yep, yep. It’s totally trash.]

[Sir, don’t joke around.]

[It’s not trash. You shouldn’t expect something special, though. Lmao. A player has created and spread ingredients all over the world. But! Do you think that it would be greater than ordinary ingredients?]

[Hmm. Just as expected, correct?]

[Yep, yep. You will incur a massive penalty if you use a creation skill. Even the effects will be lower than those of ordinary ingredients. If Minhyuk could create ingredients for himself, he would not need to go around and get ingredients. Aside from the fact that the ingredients might have lower effects than ordinary ingredients, I have nothing else to say.]

The internet was a very mysterious place. Many people could talk in this place without seeing each other in person. Of course, their assumptions were correct. However, they did not know that Minhyuk had set up a restriction so that he or the executives of the Beyond the Heavens Empire would not be able to abuse this power. Nevertheless, they believed that to be the case already.

[Shit. I got a Food God’s Ingredient. Is this a miscellaneous item? I don’t think I can even sell it in stores. Lololol.]

[Wow. I was looking forward to it because Minhyuk got the Supreme Skill. It turns out it’s just a useless skill.]

[What the hell? What merit will we get from those ingredients?]

[Guys, the information is still sealed. Aren’t you guys just guessing a bit too much? On the other hand, I’m here hoping that those ingredients will at least be 10% better than ordinary ingredients…]

Immediately, the experts from Korea came flocking while snorting at the comment.

[Strictly speaking, the ingredient becoming better than 10% is impossible.]

Minhyuk sighed the moment he saw that comment.

‘These people call themselves experts, yet they speak carelessly without even checking the authenticity of the matter or confirming the truth.’

He could fully understand why the people call them f*ckperts. And their argument went like this:

[We can get the ingredients from quests, hunting grounds, and fields related to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. But that’s the same method of obtaining ingredients from worldwide, no?]

[If the method for obtaining ingredients and the difficulty level are the same, why would that stop you from getting quests and hunting monsters in other empires?]

[For this reason alone, we, the experts, believe that the Food God’s Ingredients will at least have around 5% or more drop in effects.]

[As the other players have said, we believe this is true. After all, this is also to prevent the Food God from abusing the power.]

[And if it’s indeed 10% better than other ingredients, wouldn’t that make the Food God’s Ingredients very precious?]

[If all ingredients have the same worth and effort needed to obtain them, then it’s only natural that people flock to those considered much better and more precious. If not, why should we work harder to get something worse than ordinary?]

[This is the opinion of our Korean Athenae’s Experts Association.]

“Hmm…”

The Korean Athenae’s Experts Association was created to protect the rights and interests of experts. This was because they received too much criticism from other players.

It was pretty funny. They were slippery and cunning people who dared to talk shit about others without even finding out the truth. They based all of their words on lies. And if they got it right, they would say, ‘I called for it, didn’t I?!’ or if they got it wrong, they would try to avoid any repercussions by saying, ‘We sometimes make mistakes.’

Anyway, they’re the type of people who would comment regardless of the truth since the posts on the community sites were anonymous.

[Since the information about the Food God’s Ingredients has not yet been released, don’t you think you should refrain from making such harsh remarks? This is especially the case for the Korean Athenae’s Experts Association. I don’t think they should talk so carelessly like that.]

[Chubby Nation’s Chubby King, everything we say is based on facts.]

[Nothing has been revealed yet, so what facts are you discussing? You’re saying everything is based on facts, even though they’re all mere speculations. Don’t you even think about the damage that Minhyuk and the Beyond the Heavens Empire will suffer just because of your careless speculations?]

[We’re just speaking the truth here. What damage are you going on about? What? Does speaking the truth bring damage to others?]

Their shamelessness shot through the roof.

[We are the Korean Athenae’s Experts Association, and I am the president. Do you think we don’t check our facts?]

“...?”

It was ridiculous. After all, only Minhyuk, President Kang Taehoon, Team Leader Park Minggyu, and a few executives knew about it.

[Are you saying that you know Minhyuk?]

[As I mentioned, we are the Korean Athenae’s Experts Association. We have a very close relationship.]

“...?”

Minhyuk was utterly dumbfounded. He did not even have an ounce of friendship with this man.

[What if the results are entirely different from the speculations that you have made?]

[That’s impossible. If that happens, our Korean Athenae’s Experts Association will formally apologize.]

Minhyuk immediately took a screenshot. Then, he waited for the right time to teach them a lesson.

***

After accepting Minhyuk’s proposal, Bryan began a live broadcast on ZTube in accordance with Joy Co. Ltd.'s instructions.

Unlike other experts, Bryan was an honest man. He did not say empty words or show any thoughts or intent that he viewed Joy Co. Ltd. favorably.

“Right now, we have received information from Player Minhyuk about a quest where we can receive ingredients. Perhaps he wishes to advertise this fact through me.” With a wry smile on his face, Bryan continued. “However! Even though I can get the ingredient, I cannot use it. Since I was told about the contents of the quest, it’s only fair that I don’t take the ingredient and use it.”

Bryan had already said he would not and could not use the ingredient even if he obtained it. Of course, Joy Co. Ltd. wanted to express those words, too.

Regardless, he was one step ahead.

“I’m just someone who wants to let you, guys, know about the truth and show you what you’re curious about. I’m not some kind of businessman.”

Because of Bryan’s sincerity, many people cared about him and trusted him, a situation that was completely different from that of other experts.

And because he was broadcasting live with Joy Co. Ltd.’s official account, the views of his broadcast had already reached a sky-high level.

Bryan, along with some players he gathered, received the quest from the Beyond the Heavens Empire and made their way to the dungeon indicated in the quest content. Once they entered, their group immediately began to break up and clear the dungeon.

Bryan was surprisingly a fantastic high-level player. Not only did he study Athenae for five hours a day, but he also possessed outstanding skills. He and his colleagues happily made their way through the dungeon.

“The Food God’s Ingredients have come out, right?”

“Oh? It’s real. And as expected, it’s in a sealed state.”

Bryan obtained the ingredients and carried on his way. He said, “I have received the qualifications to become the First Acquirer. Nonetheless, I’m not checking the ingredients now because I think it will be more fun to get a better ingredient before checking it.”

Of course, questions had been pouring in through the comments.

“It seems like the other experts already have much to say about these ingredients. We have yet to check the Food God’s Ingredients. It’s still too early to say anything. That’s why I don’t understand why the other experts can already write several speculations.”

Bryan frowned.

“Of course, some of them sound reasonable. But making speculations is something that all of us can do.”

Then, another comment came up.

[Bryan-hyung. Why do the other experts say these ingredients will be worse than those of the same grade? If hyung tells us about this, then we will definitely believe it.]

“Alright, let me give you an example,” Bryan explained to his viewers while killing monsters and going deeper into the dungeons. “Say, I have eaten an ingredient that boosts my attack power. To kill the boss monster that I really, really want to kill, I need to attack ten times. But… Ah!”

As if he realized something, Bryan said, “I’m just a bit lacking. If I were only around 5%-10% stronger, then I would be able to kill that monster. Then, does that mean that I have to eat a higher grade of ingredient?”

The answer to that was no.

“Because the higher the ingredient grade, the more expensive it becomes. The difference between normal and God-grade ingredients is around ten thousand times. But… what if an ingredient with the same worth as the one I have eaten earlier is 10% better?”

Bryan smiled.

“If that’s the case, then I have to buy it. I have to do everything to get my hands on that ingredient. An ingredient that’s 10% better but only worth the same price as the other ingredients? Isn’t that too unrealistic? That’s why they say that it’s impossible. Besides, the more rankers there are, the more supplies they need.”

The people in the comments began to say, ‘Bryan Up!’ to show they truly understood his explanation.

“Rankers will try to clear their quests or hunts by eating legendary-grade or God-grade ingredients. Yet even after eating the best ingredients, they will still fall short and fail. If the effects of the ingredients go up by 10%, then that will help them overcome their limits and reach a higher level.”

At this moment, the viewers realized that 10% was much more than they had initially expected.

“That’s why the other experts have been denying this possibility. But as I mentioned, we haven’t confirmed anything, and it’s still too early to say things like that.”

Finally, Bryan and his party reached the boss room and began to fight a fierce battle against the gigantic bear monster inside.

Thud–!

After their fierce battle, the boss monster finally fell with a loud thud. The moment the monster fell, a series of notifications rang in Bryan’s ears.

[You have acquired the Food God’s Chicken.]

[The ingredient is sealed.]

[You are the First Acquirer.]

[Once you unseal this ingredient, all other Food God’s Ingredients distributed all over Athenae will be unsealed.]

Then, Bryan picked up where he left off and continued to speak.

“The fact that the Food God wanted to prove himself through me is a testament to his confidence. He’s an honest player.”

At that moment, another comment popped out.

[Bryan hyung. What will you do if the ingredient is 10% better than other ingredients of the same grade?]

“What will I do?” Bryan looked down at the chicken in his hands and smiled. “For the time being, I will go to the Beyond the Heavens Empire to try and find the Food God’s Ingredients.”

[Lololololol.]

[Bryan hyung is very realistic. Lmao.]

[Well, if the ingredients are 10% better, I can stockpile and use them for a long time. Hahahahaha.]

[If they’re 20% better, wouldn’t we run to the Beyond the Heavens Empire? If it’s beyond 20% better, then the whole world will probably go to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

Bryan chuckled.

Migrant quests were quests that only players who had moved to the Beyond the Heavens Empire could receive. That was why everyone said they would move to the Beyond the Heavens Empire if the ingredients were better than other ingredients of the same grade.

Not long after, Bryan took out another chicken.

“Since I already know what kind of ingredient we’ll get, Joy Co. Ltd. has provided me with a God-grade ingredient. The ingredient does not have any permanent effects. It’s only for buffs. We will use this in comparison to the Food God’s Ingredients. Of course, I will return this chicken once we finish the live broadcast.”

Bryan first looked at the information about the chicken provided by Joy Co. Ltd..

(Chicken Strolling the Heavens)

Ingredient Grade: God

Special Abilities:

•All of your stats will increase by 17%.

•Your EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by 20%.

•Your skill level will increase by +1.

•Your physical attack power and defensive power will increase by 10%.

After checking, Bryan said, “This is a very great ingredient. It not only increases your strength, but it also helps you grow. This ingredient can be considered to be among the best of the God-grade ingredients. Well then…”

Bryan stretched his hand toward the Food God’s Ingredient.

[You are the First Acquirer.]

[Do you wish to release the seal?]

Bryan immediately agreed and released the seal.

[Please check the information on the Food God’s Chicken.]

[The seal in the Food God’s Ingredients distributed worldwide will now be released.]

Bryan checked the information on the ingredients right away.

(Food God’s Ingredient)

Ingredient Grade: God

Special Abilities:

•All of your stats will increase by 27%.

•Your EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by 36%.

•All of your skill levels will increase by +1.

•All of your defensive power will increase by 14%.

Description: This is the ingredient made by the Food God, who wishes to become one of the Eight Pillars.

After checking the information, Bryan blinked blankly at the ingredient for a very long time. Then, as if he still could not believe it, he alternately checked the ordinary God-grade ingredient and the Food God’s Ingredient in his hands.

Not long after…

“RUN!!!”

Bryan and his colleagues started running. They could already tell that a huge influx of people would soon request to migrate to the Beyond the Heavens Empire, and the Empire might not be able to receive migrants for a long while!

[Bryan has requested to move to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

After pondering deeply, Bryan said, “Hurry up and come here! Otherwise, the ingredients might run out soon!”

The entire world was turned upside down.

***

People worldwide flocked to the Beyond the Heavens Empire, and this event turned the entire world upside down.

As a result, the Korean Athenae’s Experts Association, which posted its speculations and opinions the other day, received criticism and scathing remarks. Even after sending a formal apology, these articles were posted one after another.

[The Korean Athenae’s Experts Association president explains: My son has taken over my position while I was away.]

[According to reporters, the president’s son is only five years old this year.]

[Association President claims that his son has learned to use a computer very early.]

[Food God Minhyuk: I can hear bullshit from a mile away. Please receive my formal complaint.]