“Shabu-shabu...” Rald mumbled, smiling lightly at Minhyuk’s words.

Shabu-shabu and sushi were surprisingly a good combination. The shabu-shabu’s dull and cloudy broth tended to become darker and richer in flavor as time went by. Back in the day, Minhyuk had always seen shabu-shabu being served in sushi buffet restaurants.

‘Eating sushi and shabu-shabu? Kgghk!’

Minhyuk did not say anything, but the excitement was clear on his face.

“There are enough ingredients. However, I don’t think that there will be enough S-grade ingredients. The ingredients for sushi are easy to get since we are near the Dragon King’s Sea, but the ingredients for shabu-shabu are mostly vegetables, so we will have a hard time getting S-grade ingredients for it.”

“That’s fine. Are you going to get the ingredients?”

“Of course.”

“Wow!” Minhyuk exclaimed in awe.

Rald grinned and thought, ‘Ah. He’s such a likable fellow.’

The more Rald interacted with Minhyuk, the more he felt willing to do anything for him. However, even though he was known as a Legendary Chef, Rald knew that there was nothing else that he could do for Minhyuk. All he could do was make delicious food for him. Even after Rald told Minhyuk that they would not be able to get S-grade ingredients and they only had sub-par ingredients in his kitchen for shabu-shabu, the young man in front of him was still very happy.

“This way.”

“Yes,” Minhyuk said as he followed him to the restaurant. Seeing the restaurant, Minhyuk could not help but tremble.

Gasp...!

Minhyuk gasped in surprise. After all, there was a restaurant located inside the Royal Palace! Minhyuk felt as if he came to Japan for a vacation the moment he entered the restaurant. The subdued, dark ambiance of the restaurant, as well as the chairs lined up by the bar counter, made him feel like he entered an authentic sushi restaurant.

“His Highness Varen, also likes to eat sushi. Please sit down and wait for a moment,” Rald said as he went out for a bit. When he came back, he was already holding an armful of ingredients.

“I also want to have a dining area at home with this kind of ambiance.”

Rald smiled at him as he began to prepare the ingredients for the shabu-shabu. However, at that moment…

“Please wait!”

“Eh?”

“Could you please excuse me for a bit?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll go out for a bit, then when I come in please say irasshaimase[1]! Please do it just like this.”

“Huh. Uhmm...? Wh…why?” Rald asked, a little perplexed at his weird request.

“I can eat more deliciously that way.”

In Rald’s eyes, Minhyuk was a kind-hearted person. So, he believed him. He said, “Is that so? It will be more delicious that way...?”

“Yes! Please do it like this! Please! Just once!”

“...”

Then, Minhyuk quickly rushed outside before coming back inside and saying, “Oh, so there was a sushi restaurant like this in here? Oh. What a nice atmosphere.”

“I, irasshaimase!”

Rald felt that Minhyuk looked like a good man, but was certainly strange. Minhyuk even spoke to him as if they had never seen each other before. Minhyuk said, “Hello Mister Owner!”

“Yes... hello...”

“This is my first time coming here. You have such a nice atmosphere going on in here.”

“Is…is that so? I paid great attention to the arrangement of the furniture here. Hahahahaha...!”

“I’ll take, uhm... your D-course. Oh. Do you also serve shabu-shabu here? I’ll have that one too, please!”

“Yes, I understand,” Rald said. He was already chopping the ingredients for the shabu-shabu when his head suddenly turned blank. He thought, ‘W…what did I just do...?’

Rald placed the chopped ingredients in front of Minhyuk. There were a variety of vegetables placed on the table like bean sprouts, cabbage leaves, chilis, button mushrooms, enoki mushrooms, and even oyster mushrooms. There were also fresh blue crabs, shrimps, and thinly sliced beef off to the side. Minhyuk quickly took out his portable stove and turned it on with a click. Then, he placed his shabu-shabu ‘pot’ on top of the open flame.

‘Oh, did he put the pot on the flame already? Is that the pot that Goddess Juis gave him?’ Rald thought as he prepared the sushi. He slightly tilted his head to look at the said ‘pot’, only to stop in his tracks.

“Hehe! I already boiled the broth earlier~”

The young man in front of him started to season the broth and prepare his shabu-shabu base with the water that he had boiled earlier in the ‘pot’ that he took out. 

Rald’s body trembled in fear when he saw such a scene. He said, “Th…that….. Don’t tell me... That isn’t Ballad's Cup, right?”

“Yeah, you’re right?”

Gasp! Rald gasped, his legs softening in an instant. He almost collapsed on the spot after hearing Minhyuk’s confirmation.

“The water in Ballad's Cup has strong and mysterious powers. So I’m going to make shabu-shabu with it. Kyaa!”

“You shouldn’t say ‘Kyaa!’ but ‘Ack!’!”

“Why?”

“B…Ballad's Cup is a god treasure that has been written in the legends. Such a sacred item...”

“Are we not allowed to boil broth in a sacred item? Please hear me out. Look at this water, doesn’t it look much better than normal water? I’m sure it tastes much better than normal water too.”

Rald nodded. It was true. The water in Ballad's Cup was definitely different compared to ordinary water.

“So I put vegetables here, boil it well, and make the broth. Then, I can dip the meat and cook in it. Right?”

“Kgghk! Delicio….. No, no! That’s not it!”

“I live to eat, so it’s alright if it’s delicious.”

Minhyuk nodded happily, satisfied with his perfect logic. Rald knew that he was definitely a good person, but he could see that Minhyuk was beyond strange. Now that he interacted more with Minhyuk, it seemed like the latter was downright crazy. Rald sighed in defeat, turning around to continue preparing the sushi.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk used his scissors to cut up the vegetables and make them smaller, before adding them to his shabu-shabu pot. His shabu-shabu was boiling well! He picked up his spoon and scooped up a spoonful of broth to taste.

“Hoo! Hoo!” 

After cooling it down for a little, Minhyuk slowly took a sip from the spoon.

“It needs to be boiled some more.”

Then, what was he supposed to do as he waited for the soup to cook? Simple. He picked up a piece of thinly sliced meat from the side and dipped it in the broth. The red meat of the beef was instantly cooked. He had already prepared the shabu-shabu sauces that included mustard, peanut and chili to the side. Minhyuk personally preferred to dip his shabu-shabu in the chili sauce, but he wanted to taste the flavor of the meat without any additional flavor first, so he directly placed the slice of meat in his mouth.

“Wow. It’s soft and it’s melting! It’s really melting in my mouth!”

“...”

Rald glanced at Minhyuk as he continued to make sushi. He saw Minhyuk picking up some vegetables–enoki mushrooms, bean sprouts and cabbage leaves–and placing them together with a piece of beef. Then, he clamped all of them together. The vegetables looked like they had absorbed enough broth since they looked plump and juicy.

‘Once you bite it in your mouth, I’m sure the broth will spread in your mouth.’

The chili sauce would also add flavor to those bland vegetables. Then, Minhyuk pulled the chili sauce near him, and dipped everything in his chopsticks in it before placing it in his mouth.

“Kyahaa! Yummy!”

“Keuha! Delicious...”

“...?”

“...”

Rald unknowingly exclaimed as if he had tasted the dish himself. He quickly turned around and prepared the sushi once more. He was so embarrassed that he pretended that nothing had happened earlier.

Then, Minhyuk asked him as he continued to eat his shabu-shabu, “Please be honest. You want to taste the shabu-shabu made in Ballad's Cup, right?”

Rald was caught in a dilemma. Did he want Minhyuk to give him a bite? Or did he want to take a sip of the soup? No, how could he even think of eating shabu-shabu made in Ballad’s Cup?! He was not that kind of person!

“Yes.”

“...You understand my feelings!”

“That… Well...”

“Yes. I’ll eat it well!”

“...”

Rald felt sad. He could at least pretend to eat it reluctantly if Minhyuk suggested it to him, but he could not just ask for it himself. He quietly completed the assorted sushi with eyes shining in tears. After finishing the assorted sushi, he placed it in front of Minhyuk.

“Wow. These colors! It looks so fresh!”

The sushi platter that Rald prepared looked incredibly fresh and plump. Some sushi would be so disappointing that they did not even have a 1:1 ratio of toppings to rice. However, Rald’s sushi looked like there were plenty of fish and seafood, and on top of that, it was at a perfect ratio with rice. There were ten pieces of sushi laid in front of him and they all looked appetizing and drool-worthy.

Minhyuk first picked up flatfish sushi. The white flesh of the flatfish sushi looked like a long fishtail that was spread on top of the rice. Even though the part that was used in the flatfish sushi was its fin, its texture would be extremely chewy and the taste was definitely fresh. Minhyuk placed some wasabi in his soy sauce, dipped the sushi in it, and placed it in his mouth. As soon as he chewed on the sushi, he could feel the stinging flavor of the wasabi spreading in his mouth, which was immediately followed by the light and chewy flavor of the flatfish, as well as the sweetness of the rice.

A smile quietly appeared on Minhyuk’s face. He said, “Wow. I have never had such delicious flatfish sushi in my life!”

Just as Minhyuk was admiring the taste of the sushi…

[You have eaten Flatfish Sushi made by the Legendary Chef.]

[You have gained 20 DEX.]

Minhyuk’s smile grew wider. 

‘Not only does It tastes good, it even boosts my skills!’

This time, Minhyuk picked the salmon sushi. Salmon had a soft, milky, and rich flavor that could only be tasted once it was chewed. The richness of the flavor of the fish could be a little greasy, but the stinging taste of the wasabi could easily clear it away. Once he placed the salmon sushi in his mouth, it was as if the salmon had melted with how soft and chewy it was!

[You have eaten Salmon Sushi made by the Legendary Chef.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

Next was tuna sushi. The meat of the tuna that was placed on top of the tuna sushi was its belly. The tuna belly was arguably the best part of the fish. In order to honor this sushi, Minhyuk placed a separate dollop of wasabi on top of the tuna sushi. Then, he dipped it in his wasabi sauce before placing it in his mouth.

“Kghhh~ My nose is tingling!”

The spicy flavor of the wasabi quickly climbed up to his nose. The tingling was so intense, and a tad painful that he had tears in his eyes, but the flavor and the aroma that followed was truly a pleasant combination in his mouth. This was the reason why some people would directly place wasabi in their sushi, they were captivated by this strange tingling in their noses.

[...made by the Legendary Chef.]

[You have gained 40 REP.]

Next was the egg sushi. Egg sushi was the simplest sushi. However, the taste and the texture of the egg would determine the ability of the sushi chef who made it. Once Minhyuk placed the egg sushi in his mouth, he could feel its soft and fluffy texture. The sweetness of the rice as well as the light flavor of the egg slowly spread in his mouth as he continued to chew. The taste was so scrumptious that could not stop smiling and grinning foolishly.

[...made by the Legendary Chef.]

[You have gained 30 Magical Defense.]

Then, he ate the eel sushi, sashimi sushi, and torch-grilled wagyu sushi, one after the other! Whenever he ate a piece of sushi, his EXP, REP and DEX increased. In total, Minhyuk gained four levels, 80 REP, 80 DEX and 100 Magical Defense. He also received an additional 80 in his physical attack.

All in all, he was satisfied with the delicious food that he ate. Just then, he found himself wondering…

‘Come to think of it, I don’t hear any notification about my DEX anymore?’

He had always heard a notification whenever his DEX increased by 100. However, his DEX was now at 1,401 and he did not even hear a notification for his 1,400 DEX.

‘Maybe I’ll get a notification once it reaches 1,500?’ Minhyuk thought, head tilting in wonder.

‘This idiot! What are you thinking about when there’s still food in front of you!’

Minhyuk’s mukbang was not yet over! And, Ballad's Cup’s power would only come into full view once he had finished eating his shabu-shabu.

‘I’ll add some rice noodles to my last bowl of shabu-shabu and make some rice porridge with the remaining broth!’ 

Minhyuk quickly placed some rice noodles in his pot of shabu-shabu.

***

Genie, Locke and Khan were currently speechless.

“Crazy... This is the level of the global players...?” 

“Wow. Isn’t this insane?” 

“How can we break this?” 

They were challenging the Time Attack Dungeon. However, they could only attack the dungeon a total of five times every day. What was worse was that the whole world was participating in this Time Attack Dungeon event! This was also the reason why all of the players were struggling to break the record for the time attack dungeon. Genie, Khan and Locke all thought that they would be in the top five this time, especially since they were still enjoying the buff that Locke received from the dish that Minhyuk had made for him. However…

[South Korea, Legend Team: 1 hr 19 mins 56 secs. Rank: 21st.]

“...”

There was nothing they could do anything about it. This was the proof that there were mountains beyond mountains, and players that were more powerful than them out there in the world. Genie’s eyes scanned the list. Her eyes locked on the team that was ranked first.

[America, Black Swan Team: 59 mins 38 secs. Rank: 1st.]

There was a twenty minutes gap between their clearance time. It was just twenty minutes, but it was such a huge gap, especially when it came to attacking the same dungeon repeatedly. It was like running a 100-meter race. The difference between a good and bad player was only around 3~4 seconds, but it was still a huge gap. Right now, there was a twenty minutes difference in their dungeon attack time. The second place took about an hour and seven minutes to clear the dungeon. Looking at it, the gap between them was still huge.

Khan opened his mouth as he looked at Genie’s frustrated expression. He said, “Genie, think about it. Wasn’t there a guild member named Julian in the Black Swan Guild? The one that was hailed as God Bavecka’s child?”

“...Ah!” Genie shouted in surprise.

Julian, God Bavecka’s child, was said to have a tremendous amount of holy power. Every time the holy power reached an increase of 100, there would always be a huge additional damage against the undead. In Julian’s case, his party members must have definitely bet everything on his holy powers. They probably even tried to find ways to maximize the use of holy power for this.

“I heard that God Bavecka’s Child, Julian, has 1,300 points in his holy power.”

Holy power reaching 1,300 points... This was a huge figure. Holy power, just like DEX, was a stat that could not be raised so easily. It also could not be raised with regular bonus points. However, there were things that one could do to raise their holy power, such as abstaining from cursing, eating meat, and even celibacy and other terrible things that really could not be done by a normal person. To think that Julian’s holy power was at 1,300? That was a terribly huge number.

“Shit. Do we also need to recruit someone with high holy powers?”

“No. No matter how high the holy power of that person is, it would be completely useless to compare with Julian. There’s only one thing that we could do now.”

“What is it?”

Locke and Khan turned to look at Genie at the same time. She said, “Khan and I should eat Minhyuk’s buffed dishes.”

“As expected... It’s the only thing that we could trust.”

If both of them could eat Minhyuk’s buffed dish, it would be possible for them to shorten their attack time significantly. It would not even be impossible for them to rise to the top 5.

‘However, this is just a temporary increase in strength...’ 

In other words, it was not their own power. Genie had finally realized how high the walls they needed to climb just to get on the same level as the rest of the world.

***

Minhyuk finally finished eating his shabu-shabu porridge. He simply added some rice and egg to the remaining shabu-shabu broth, before stirring it continuously and letting it boil. Once he finished eating the rest of his porridge, the notifications rang continuously in his ears.

[You have eaten Shabu-shabu made with the Water from Ballad’s Cup.]

[Food God’s Greatness.]

[You have ignored the medicine penalty. However, it still remains ineffective for other people.]

[A Medicine Cooking. You have obtained additional stats.]

[You have gained +400 Holy Power.]

[With Ballad’s Cup’s Blessings, your Holy Power Acquisition Rate will permanently double.]

1. いらっしゃいませ！, literally welcome to my store/shop. ☜