“T, the elixir...?” 

“Hahaha...”

Team Leader Park and Team Leader Lee both looked like they were in disbelief as they chuckled dispiritedly. The Empire’s Elixir was a reward that the empress could only give to one, and only one person alone! This was not how it was originally set to be acquired. The player should first receive the linked quest ‘Empire’s Elixir’ and calmly go through a step-by-step process before finally receiving the reward. Furthermore, they were expecting the Empire’s Elixir to be revealed at a much later time. Receiving the Empire’s Elixir meant that the empress had acknowledged the player, and would continue to treat them as if they were the closest of friends. In addition, the player who received this reward might be able to receive various quests in the future that were related to the Eivelis Empire.

“This is how the best medicine in the country should be revealed.”

Medicines were items that were created through the efforts of the operators. It was an extremely effective item that could be ingested by the players. Medicines could be in the form of a liquid like the Empire’s Elixir. In addition, there were plenty of other medicines that could be found  throughout the game like the thousand-year-old ginseng, ten thousand-year-old knotweed, mandragora, and ogre’s energy herb. What was certain about this kind of item was the significant change that the player would undergo once it was ingested. 

One of the reasons why medicine is considered to be much more valuable compared to other items was the fact that it could strengthen the stats of a character once it was ingested. It could also greatly increase the damage or the magical defense of the player. Unlike items that needed to be equipped for the increase in stats to take effect, ingesting a medicine had a long term effect on stats increase and strengthening. 

Among all of those medicines, the Empire’s Elixir was considered to be the most special.

Team Leader Park suddenly said, “He’s going to drink the Empire’s Elixir right away, right? He’s not going to do something weird and crazy with it?”

The two of them stared intently on the screen, desperately hoping for this outcome.

***

[You can now receive the Empire’s Elixir.]

[You can now take on Empire-related quests from the quest guide located in the palace.]

[You have gained 10 REP.]

Ellie was smiling at him gently. The Empire’s Elixir was a special medicine that only the empress possessed and she wanted to give it to Minhyuk.

“I’ll drink it well!” Minhyuk said, receiving it happily. He did not know anything about the elixir but there was something that he was sure of…

‘It can be eaten!’

Ellie smiled gently at him without knowing what was going through his mind. She said, “You need to become stronger so you can eat more delicious food.”

“You’re absolutely right.”

She wanted to help this foreigner named Minhyuk in the future just like how he helped her. Helped? To be honest, it was funny. He just made her laugh, approached her with friendliness, and made her surprised with how much effort he gave in every little task given to him. However, those simple acts were something that had touched her deeply. 

And for Ellie who had no friends at all, he was like a safe haven. A person she could relax with and enjoy their company. He was the sole ‘healing’ for her, the empress who was bound by the responsibilities and mission of protecting the people of her empire. She said, “Go and check its information.”

“Yes!” Minhyuk answered as he hurriedly read the contents of the information about the item.

(Empire’s Elixir)

Material Grade: Medicine

Special Abilities: +180 to the stats that you need

Description: The best medicine that you could receive from Ellie, the empress of the Eivelis Empire. Once consumed, the Empire’s Elixir can increase the stat that a player needs by +180. It’s just some special water but it’s much more delicious than any water.

It was a very unusual item. The Empire’s Elixir could recognize a stat that a player needed and increase it by +180.

‘Medicine?’ Minhyuk tilted his head in thought. To be honest, this was his first time encountering any information related to medicine in the game. At that moment, Ruth came in with the ingredients that he requested. When Minhyuk caught sight of the ingredients, an idea suddenly came through in his mind. He thought, ‘Wait...! C…can I use the elixir to make the broth of the army stew?’

He believed that it would taste more delicious. After all, it was obviously written that it was much more delicious than water. The description said that it was just some special water, but it was much more delicious than any water. It meant that it was water but it would taste better, right?! Minhyuk was wondering if it was possible as he quickly took the glass of Empire’s Elixir in his arms.

“Are you not going to drink it right away?”

“I’ll drink it later when I get thirsty.”

“I see. When will you depart?”

“I’m going to take a day off today and leave tomorrow.”

“I see. Then I’ll give you one room for today, hippo. And Minhyuk…”

Minhyuk stopped in his tracks when she grabbed his hands and stroked it gently. He thought, ‘What’s wrong with this noona?’

Minhyuk was both surprised and taken aback at her actions. Why did she stop him? He needed to go and eat his army stew! But what Ellie did next completely surprised Minhyuk. She slowly bowed down and gently laid a kiss on the back of his hand. At that moment…

[Ellie’s Kiss.]

[A mark of friendship has been engraved.]

[You can now ask for Ellie’s help any where and any time you need. Can only be used once.]

“Whenever you need my help, just rub this mark on the back of your hand and I’ll come to your aid immediately,” Ellie said. The mark engraved on the back of Minhyuk’s hand was in the figure of a phoenix. After finishing this matter, Ellie quickly moved away to attend to her busy schedule. On the other hand, Minhyuk took the big box filled with ingredients and happily skipped and hummed behind Ruth, who guided him to the room prepared for him.

***

Minhyuk looked at all the ingredients that he was preparing happily. He quickly prepared the sliced spam and long ham, the dumplings filled with ground pork, as well as the rich, savory cheese. He also prepared the soft and chewy rice cake and the flavorful, ripe kimchi and pickled onions. He then made a simple spicy sauce by mixing the appropriate amount of red chili paste and red pepper powder together. After finishing his preparations, he placed all of his ingredients in a wide pot specially made for stew. He smiled happily as he filled the pot well.

Then, he opened a disposable container pack that said ‘Thick Beef Bone Soup’. If he made army stew with thick beef bone soup as the stock, the stew would have a much deeper, tastier flavor. He poured the beef bone soup in a separate bowl. 

‘Now, the long awaited ingredient! The Empire’s Elixir that’s much more delicious than any water!’

Minhyuk pulled the stopper off of the glass bottle.

Pop!

“Kyaa, what a good sound!” Minhyuk said, smiling happily at the sound. Then, he poured the wonderful Empire’s Elixir over the beef bone soup and mixed it well. After he mixed his soup stock well, he added the sauce from earlier and poured it in the middle of the pot. Finally, he turned the heat on and let the stew boil. Once the soup started to boil, Minhyuk picked his spoon up to take a sip of the soup.

“Fwoo! Fwoo!” Minhyuk blew on his spoon to cool down the soup slightly, before taking a big sip out of the soup. Then, he said, “As expected, it still tastes a bit bland.”

Army stew was a dish that tasted better and well-seasoned the longer it was boiled. It was usually a dish that was made even better with the addition of ramyeon noodles. People usually added the noodles once the soup started to boil. So, Minhyuk opened the ramyeon noodles and placed them in the pot. Then, he pressed the noodles with his ladle to soak it in the soup, little by little.

Once the noodles were cooked, he stirred it with his chopsticks and picked up a mouthful. Ramyeon noodles were the best choice that should be eaten first the moment the stew was boiled. Steam rose as he lifted some ramyeon noodles out of the pot and placed it on a bowl. Then, he scooped out some of the red soup and ham, adding it together with his noodles. Minhyuk clamped the noodles with his chopsticks, then…

“Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!”

The noodles were soft and chewy, evidence of being cooked properly inside the army stew. The savory and chewy noodles tasted good. Then, Minhyuk took another bite of noodles, this time with kimchi and ham.

“Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!”

The combination of the springy ham, well-cooked kimchi, and chewy noodles created a fantastic combination. Minhyuk said, “Ah, it’s perfect!”

After letting out such an exclamation, he lowered the fire before scooping up some rice into his bowl. He took a big bite of the rice followed by a spoonful of soup together with some stretchy cheese. The savory flavor of the cheese and the spicy ham-flavored soup made him smile as soon as he took a big bite.

“Kyaha!”

Then, Minhyuk turned his attention towards the thick egg roll that he prepared earlier before he started making his army stew. This egg roll was of course made from the eggs of the Chicken that Lays Golden Egg. He picked a thick piece of the egg roll and dipped it in the ketchup. The sweet and mild flavor of the ketchup, along with the soft and light texture of the eggs, spread in Minhyuk’s mouth.

“Excellent, fantastic!”

That was how Minhyuk’s mukbang continued.

***

Ellie looked extremely busy as she moved from one place to another. She said, “I’ll meet with Marquis Bratine later to talk about the Northern Territories. Ruth, take good care of that boy Minhyuk on my behalf.”

“I understand,” Ruth said. Not long after, Ellie moved towards the warp zone and disappeared, leaving Ruth heaving a big sigh.

‘I never thought that she would give him the Empire’s Elixir...’ Ruth thought. There was only one Empire’s Elixir in the entirety of the empire, however it was a proof of the prosperity of the Eivelis Empire. Ruth was quite bothered by the fact that Ellie willingly gave it to Minhyuk. However, he still had to accept her decision.

‘Because it’s what Her Majesty decided to do.’

His steps brought him towards the room where Minhyuk was staying. He thought, ‘Since he stayed in the training grounds for a week, he should definitely be sleeping, right? I should go in quietly just in case.’

Ruth opened the door silently. And the moment he entered…

“...?”

Chew?— 

…his eyes widened in surprise. He was quite sure that Minhyuk would be sleeping, but he saw him almost done eating army stew and egg rolls. Ruth’s eyes widened further when he saw the empty bottle of the Empire’s Elixir rolling next to the almost empty pot of army stew. He shouted, “My goodness! Who would make army stew using the Empire’s Elixir?!” 

The shock and surprise Ruth felt almost left him senseless. 

‘How can there be such a crazy guy?!’

“Ellie-noona gave it to me so I can eat it anyway I want!” 

“No, it just doesn’t make any sense! Don’t you know that you can’t use medicine for cooking?!” 

“...Is that so? No, why did you come inside without knocking, and you’re even scolding me? I’m going to tell this to Ellie-noona!” 

Ruth’s demeanor quickly changed when he heard Minhyuk’s threat. He stammered nervously, “N…no. What I wanted to ask was… did you enjoy it? Hehe. W…was it delicious? A…army stew made from the Empire’s Elixir?”

“It’s extremely delicious! Kghhk!”

‘This army stew-crazy punk!’ Ruth thought.

However, Minhyuk looked at him curiously. He said, “Do you mind if I ask you about something?”

“What is it?”

Minhyuk furtively looked at his lower half and asked, “...Did it hurt a lot?”

“Ahem!” Ruth coughed loudly. Then he said, “The times have changed. They already use chemicals to numb the pain these days. No... Why am I even explaining this to you?”

Minhyuk stood up and approached him, his eyes watery and filled with pity. He said, “...Was it difficult?”

His expression and voice made Ruth suddenly feel sad. He bowed his head as if to hide his own eyes that were threatening to water. He even looked like he was about to wipe his tears away with his sleeves!

“Yes...”

Minhyuk patted him on the back as if he was telling him ‘Cheer up!’ in his own way. Then he whispered quietly, “Were you standing or sitting down when it happened?”

“If they’re in a good mood then you can sit down. When they’re in a bad mood, then you remain standing up.”

“I see,” Minhyuk said. The mystery that had been bothering Minhyuk since earlier was finally resolved.