Not long after that conversation, the Korean team installed five mysterious machines in the village. From what they said, the machines allowed people to play the game named Athenae.

‘This is the machine that could let you play Athenae. The game was released just a few days prior and was created by the company that supported us, you know. How about learning about the world through this game?’

Kaistra could tell that the people that helped them would leave their village soon.

‘We won’t be here forever, so if something happens to your village, send a whisper to the nickname Ilhwa with the codename 313513.’

Then they left. After that, Kaistra began playing the game, earning some profit in Athenae. The profit that he earned allowed everyone in their village to eat to their heart’s content.

‘If I go to the Northern Continent, then I can make more money,’ Kaistra thought. The Northern Continent was a land that was not yet explored and pioneered. This meant that an update would happen soon. Then, a light suddenly flashed as Penrus walked beside Kaistra.

“Grr!”

Penrus was a gray wolf and was one of the Five Incarnations, the Incarnation of Light. Penrus was born from the egg of a god class divine beast and had the god class, a class that could surpass monsters of the Legendary class.

After hunting dozens of Dullahans alone, Penrus rubbed his head comfortably on Kaistra. Then…

“Grrrrrrr!”

…Penrus looked over at one place and let out a wary growl. Penrus had a special ability that could detect strong monsters, including Legendary and Mythical monsters, except for those beings that were far above it.

Kaistra asked, “Penrus, what’s wrong?”

“Grrrrrrr!”

Kaistra’s expression stiffened when he saw how rigid Penrus had become.

“Is it another incarnation?” Kaistra asked again as he looked in the direction where Penrus was looking at.

***

“Brrrrrr, pwiiiii. Brrrrrr, pwiiiii.”

Minhyuk wanted to recall the summoning, but after looking at Beanie’s tiny nose twitching as it slept on his shoulders comfortably, he decided not to. Once the pet’s summoning was recalled, it would return to a summoning room.

Minhyuk was going to visit Boroto, the former Chef Tower’s tower master, again. Just like what he said, he went to Salov Land and found the hint about the God’s Dishes. He was even able to eat the first dish there. He was just taking his chances, wondering if Boroto could give him another food quest.

Knock, knock―

Minhyuk knocked on the door. Soon after, Boroto opened the door and said, “Oh, Food God. Were you able to eat the God’s Dish?”

Boroto was bowing respectfully when he opened the door. After raising his eyes, he saw the baby piggy lying comfortably on Minhyuk’s shoulders. He said, “So you got a pet? It looks just like you!”

Before Minhyuk met with Boroto, he took his helmet off. After all, it was just good manners and a sort of courtesy towards him. Faced with that sudden statement, Minhyuk stuttered as he asked, “Is…is that a compliment?”

“Of course. Hahaha!”

In the end, it meant that Minhyuk looked like a pig. However, Minhyuk did not voice his complaints since he wanted to get something from Boroto. He quickly asked, “Are there any things that you need my help with? The rewards should be something delicious, or some delicious ingredients. I hope something delicious comes out!”

“Hmm. There’s something. But… Let’s go inside for now,” Boroto said, leading Minhyuk inside. Once Minhyuk was seated, Boroto handed him a glass of drink and said, “I’ll give you a glass of drink, let’s drink and talk calmly.”

“Yes!”

Soon, Boroto came out again and brought out a glass. Instead of water, it was actually barley tea.

‘Hiyaaa… it’s barley tea!’

Minhyuk remembered drinking a lot of barley tea when he was young. Barley tea was just made with plain water, but it was a bit savory and he always drank it whenever he ate. Recently though, it was made with purified water and the taste was not the same.

Minhyuk gulped the glass down. It had a savory taste and there were no pieces that got caught in his throat. Without noticing it, he was able to finish one glass of barley tea in one shot.

“Please give me another cup.”

“I made a big mistake. How dare I offer just one cup of barley tea to the Food God?” Boroto said as he brought out a huge kettle and placed it in front of Minhyuk.

Minhyuk quickly drank one, two, three glasses all at once. Then, he said, “Kgggghk! When I was a kid, I used to pretend that it was beer since they almost looked the same.”

“Hoho. However, we don’t have enough ingredients to make them again.”

“Oh. Will I get something delicious in return if I do that?”

Boroto nodded his head. But then…

Knock, knock.

…Someone knocked on the door.

“Is someone inside?” The person from outside asked. The voice definitely sounded like a woman.

Minhyuk and Boroto both tilted their heads in unison. However, before Boroto could stand up and go to the door…

“P…please wait… Boroto!”

“Yes?” Boroto asked. He frowned when he saw how serious Minhyuk’s expression was. Then, as if thinking of something, he said, “D…don’t tell me... Why do I feel like my life is on the line? Could it be that the person outside is here to assassinate me?”

“No. It was because I smelt something delicious.”

“Hmm?” Boroto hummed and sighed in relief. Who would assassinate someone like him? He was just a former tower master from the Chef Tower, that was now living in a small humble house.

Then, Minhyuk stood up and said, “I’ll open it for you.”

“Alright,” Boroto agreed with his suggestion.

Then, Minhyuk walked forward and opened the door. When he opened the door, the woman let out a surprised gasp. Minhyuk tilted his head in confusion, he wondered why the woman was startled. Then, he gasped as well…

“Gasp...!”

The woman standing in front of the door, Genie, was extremely surprised.

***

‘I wonder how great that buffed dish is? Is it really greater than what the Twilight Chef can make?’ Genie thought after arriving at the Chef’s Village, Raven. She was almost at Boroto’s cabin with her delicious croquettes.

Genie used to be fat before, but thanks to her hard work and effort, she was able to slim down. The process was a bit bloody, but everything had been worth it. The only thing that Genie could do to maintain her figure was to eat a lot in Athenae. And she ate a lot in Athenae. After all, she was just your regular Korean woman, a woman that loved to eat. This was also the reason why she was called ‘Flower Piggy’ by her friends.

“Ah. Croquettes are really delicious!” Genie said, smiling in delight. She could feel the crispy and crunchy texture of the bread with every bite of the croquette. Even the flavors of the meat, onion and carrots inside the bread spread in her mouth, which was immediately followed by the spicy and rich flavor of the curry. Genie easily finished two croquettes and she hesitated to open her third one.

‘Hmm, hmm. It’s not polite to meet someone for the first time with food in my mouth,’ She thought with a nod.

In a blink of an eye, she was already standing in front of Boroto’s door. Genie promptly knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

“Is someone inside?” Genie asked, listening to the voices coming through the door.

“P…please wait… Boroto!”

“Yes?”

“D…don’t tell me... Why do I feel like my life is on the line? Could it be that the person outside is here to assassinate me?”

“No. It was because I smelt something delicious.”

Genie was taken aback when she heard their conversation.

‘.....Huh? What’s this? Ah, don’t tell me…..!’

Genie had heard about it before. There was a class that gave the player the ability to turn into a beast! Transformation! Perhaps that player could turn into a ‘wild dog’? In fact, she found it surprising that a player was with Boroto. She giggled as she thought, ‘Will they turn into a puppy? A poodle, maybe?’

As she continued to speculate about the identity and abilities of the player inside, their conversation inside continued.

“I’ll open it for you.”

“Alright.” 

That was when Genie found something strange. The owner of this cabin was the former tower master of the Chef Tower. However, he was talking respectfully towards a player. Then, the door opened. Genie could not help but freeze in surprise when she saw the person who opened the door.

‘Mi…Minhyuk!’

They were trying so hard to look for him, to think that he had appeared right in front of her! Genie could see that he had changed a lot since the last time they had met. He had grown a lot taller and his face had matured a lot. As she looked at him, her heart began to thump wildly as her stomach fluttered in nervousness.

Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff━

“Gasp…!” Minhyuk gasped, his eyes widening imperceptibly.

‘D…did he recognize me?’ Genie thought. If that was the case, then yes! He would definitely be surprised! Everyone told her that she had changed so much that they could not recognize her. However, Genie knew that Minhyuk was a delicate and meticulous man. He would definitely recognize her.

Then, he said, “Wow. Hey, aren’t you really beautiful?”

‘Eh?’

Genie was taken aback. She thought, ‘What’s happening?’

“Wow. I just ate something, but I couldn’t stop my drool from flowing when I smelled the scent of oil. I’ve never seen a beauty like you! Your figure is even voluptuous! You must have made a lot of men cry in reality. Haha! What you just ate earlier, judging from the smell and the crumbs left on your mouth, it must be croquette, right? Do you mind if I have a piece?”

‘...OMG?’

Genie finally realized that Minhyuk did not recognize her. He only wanted to eat the croquette that she just ate!

‘But, how did he know that I ate croquettes? Don’t tell me it was just because of the smell?’

Genie looked at Minhyuk in bewilderment. She thought, ‘I wonder what this punk’s story is?’

She was extremely curious, from what she heard from Rovan, Minhyuk ate quite a lot. However, that was not something unusual. He used to eat well when they were still in middle school. However, from what Rovan said, he was eating a lot more than what he used to eat.

‘That’s right. Minhyuk used to listen to me whenever I gave him food.’

Genie handed her remaining croquette to Minhyuk.

“Thank you! Thank you very much! You’ll be blessed and live a long life!” Minhyuk said, nodding his head like a chicken pecking on grains as he ate the croquette quickly.

“Boy, who was it?”

“Ah...!”

Genie woke up from her trance when she heard Boroto’s words. She was reminded of her current situation and what she needed to do in this place.

“Do you have any business here?”

“Yes. I came here because I heard you needed something.”

“Ho. Come inside,” Boroto said, willingly letting her enter his house.

“Hehe. Croquettes are delicious!” Minhyuk said as he happily licked his fingers after finishing the croquette. He sat down as he chuckled to himself while savoring the flavor that was lingering in his mouth. Genie sat beside him as Boroto gave her a glass of drink.

‘Eh… What's really wrong with you?’

She tilted her head as she looked at him while Minhyuk opened his mouth and asked her, “But Miss… your voice sounds like someone I know.”

“Is…is that so? What kind of person is she? If you listen to my voice, it’s quite pretty~ so I guess she has a nice personality, right?”

Minhyuk’s expression turned solemn when he heard her words. He said, “I don’t think so?”

Genie’s hand that was holding the glass suddenly tightened.

Crack━

It was the sound of glass cracking!

“Ho, hoho. Is, is that so?” Genie chuckled forcefully.

Minhyuk looked at her with a serious expression as he continued to talk, “She was my friend back in middle school. Whenever she came down, my classmates would shout and say ‘Here comes the wildboar!’. Yes, that’s what they said. I still remember it clearly. I took a bite out of her pikachu tonkatsu once, and she dragged me behind the washroom and beat me. I almost died that day. Sometimes, whenever I sleep on my bad side, I would dream of that horrendous scene. Phew. It was terrible.”

Minhyuk was drenched in cold sweat when he dreamt of that scene back then.

“...Sh…she wouldn’t beat you to death, right? It must have been a joke~ Hohoho. That lady must be such a beauty now since she was like that as a child. When I was young, I heard that ugly kids always become pretty when they grow up.”

Minhyuk thought about her words for a moment, but eventually shook his head and said, “Impossible.”

Crack!

The glass in Genie’s hand finally broke into pieces. If she hit him on the back of his head right now, she would be the same Genie who dragged him behind the toilet and almost beat him to death.

‘Phew. Patience, patience...’

She had to learn about his story!

“Ar…are you okay?”

“I’m fine~ Ho~ Ho~ Ho~”

“Anyway. Thank you. You’re my benefactor now, Miss!”

“Ho~ Ho~ Ho~ Then let me sla... Hoho!”

“Yes?”

“N, nothing~”

Genie managed to hold herself back.

Then, Boroto said, “Ah, when I think about it… the request that I am about to give the Food God is the same as the request that this woman came here for.”

‘Eh, Minhyuk will be taking the same quest as I do?’ Genie thought. As far as she knew, Minhyuk was stronger than what his level was. He was even able to defeat Rovan.

“Do you know about the Northern Continent?”

“The Northern Continent?”

Genie had a hunch. She thought, ‘It’s already quite rare for an NPC to give you a quest related to the Northern Continent...!’

Every single player was now eager to receive a quest about the Northern Continent. After all, these quests were almost on par with a hidden quest.

“I’ve been to the Northern Continent once in the past.”

“Really?” Genie asked in surprise.

‘He had been to the Northern Continent?’

“Yes. I went once when I was very young. Of course, I did not go deep inside. It was such a dangerous place after all.”

Most of the people that entered that place would die. Yet, this man was able to explore the place even for a bit. He was truly the former tower master of the Chef Tower.

“If you go to the place on the map that I will give you, you will be able to reach the Valkyrie Kingdom.”

“Ki…kingdom...?”

Genie was once again caught in surprise. A kingdom in the Northern Continent?! His words also meant another thing.

‘A kingdom meant that there will be new towns and villages. It means that there will be a lot of land that you can get.’ 

Of course, there was still a lot of land in Eivelis Empire, but most of them already had owners. The lands were either owned by nobles or great guilds. In fact, even the Legend Guild had land in the empire. However, the more territory and land they owned, the better. She listened more intently to what Boroto said.

‘He even said that he will give us a map...!’ 

Giving a map meant that Boroto was one of the few NPCs that could give them quests related to the Northern Continent! Once they reached the kingdom, there would be a lot more quests, more rewards and new hunting grounds! Genie listened intently until the very end.

“Go there and meet the legendary chef.” 

“...Legendary chef?”  Minhyuk asked as Boroto nodded in agreement.

“Yes. He’s a person who has reached the zenith of cooking! I was fortunate enough to taste his dish before.” 

Boroto recalled those days. He said, “When I tasted his food, I felt that my cooking was extremely shabby.”

Minhyuk was caught by surprise. Boroto was once the top chef in the prestigious Chef Tower after all! He was a chef with great skill, and to think such a character was still humbled in front of someone else!

“I also know that the legendary chef knows of a hint about the Kong Qing Elixir[1].”

“Kong Qing Elixir?”

“Yes. I heard that it’s an extremely precious liquid that comes from deep underground. They also said that this Kong Qing Elixir would give you a boost if you drink it. Rumor has it that it’s a very delicious liquid.”

Boroto looked like he could not wait to tell them what it was, and he continued, “Because it’s carbonated!”

1. Elixir made from the extract of a rare mineral ☜