Leveling Up through Eating

Chapter 1217

Of the eight million players who challenged the Pillar Ingredient and failed, a few came back and joined those who wanted to show respect for the sake of formality. After they watched Minhyuk eat, they gave their formal greetings and promptly left.

As for Minhyuk, he immediately returned to his office after the AI’s control on him was released.

[You can now check the notifications that were put on hold.]

The rewards that Minhyuk had received earlier were just for completing the dish. The real rewards were the rewards given after he had eaten the dish. All of these notifications had been put on hold when he accepted the AI’s control.

Now that the AI’s control on him was released and he was in the comfort of his office, he could check them individually. Before that, he had something else to check first. And that was none other than the work gloves. Minhyuk had to cook or eat all of the Pillar Ingredients to remove the seal on the work gloves. That was the condition given to him. He was finally able to do just that.

Minhyuk immediately checked the information on the work gloves.

(Perfect Work Gloves)

Rank: Pillar

Requirements: The one who inherited Rocado’s power.

Durability: 50,000 / 50,000

Attack Power: 2,400

Special Abilities:

•All of your stats will increase by 2%.

•Your DEX will increase by 29%.

•You have a 40% chance of triggering DEX Critical.

•Active Skill: Pinnacle Dexterity

•Additional Equip is possible.

•Passive Skill: Pillar’s Praise

•Passive Skill: Double Drop

Description: All of the seals placed upon the work gloves worn by Rocado in his prime have been released after you have cooked two Pillar Ingredients.

‘Oh…’

Most of the artifact’s abilities had been significantly increased. This could be seen in the attack power, which increased from 1,800 to 2,400.

‘With this, I will be able to kill a lot of Named Monsters with my bare fists alone.’

Perhaps that could genuinely happen. After all, the Sword of Aeon’s attack power was beyond 3,000. Since the work gloves would seep into the skin once worn, people would be mistaken and think that he killed his enemies with their bare hands. ȒаNОᛒЕṢ

‘The chances of the DEX Critical being triggered has increased by 20% while the increase in DEX also increased by 10%.’

The effects were much better than before. Regardless, the thing that he was most curious about was the two sealed skills. The two skills, the Pillar’s Praise and the Double Drop, were utterly unsealed.

(Pillar’s Praise)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

•Anything you make related to DEX, whether artifacts, dishes, sculptures, or paintings, will be 15% better than usual.

•Whenever you make anything related to DEX, whether it is artifacts, dishes, sculptures, or paintings, you will become as powerful as a master craftsman.

The skill, which could make anything that Minhyuk made become 15% better as long as it was related to DEX, was extremely cheat-like. This meant that if someone made a sword with an attack power of 100, Minhyuk could get a sword with an attack power of 115.

However, the effect of the skill where he could become as powerful as a master craftsman was disappointing.

‘With my DEX, I can make most things…’

Minhyuk already exerted power that was on par with, or perhaps even greater than, a master craftsman.

(Double Drop)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

•Whenever you make anything related to DEX, whether it is artifacts, dishes, sculptures, or paintings, you will have a 1% chance of obtaining two of the same thing.

•Whenever you make anything related to DEX, whether artifacts, dishes, sculptures, or paintings, you will have a 0.1% chance of obtaining three of the same thing.

•Whenever you make anything related to DEX… you will have a 0.01% chance of obtaining four of the same thing.

“Woah…”

The probability of the skill being triggered could be abysmal. But what if Minhyuk could successfully cook something close to the level of a Pillar Ingredient, and by some strange coincidence, he could pull through, and the 1% chance was triggered?

‘Then I will be able to get two Pillar-grade dishes?’

That was crazy. Of course, the chances of that happening were extremely low. After all, it was tough for something with such a low probability to take effect with an ingredient he could only obtain very rarely.

‘Since I have a lot of time to play Athenae, an effect like that would happen at least even once, right?’

If the effect with a 0.01% chance of being triggered came into play, then that would be the day that Minhyuk won the jackpot.

‘As expected of a relic left behind by Rocado,’ Minhyuk thought in awe.

Then, he began to read the notifications that had been put on hold for him.

[You have eaten all three of the Pillar Ingredients.]

[You have obtained the Title: Where’s Your Conscience…?]

[The Divine Bird has burned its most brilliant flame for you.]

[Some of the power of the Divine Bird has been added to the Braised Chicken.]

[You have eaten Braised Chicken.]

[Your DEX has increased by 32%, Will by 12%, and EXP Acquisition Rate by 15%.]

[Your attack and defensive power will increase by 11% when fighting against monsters related to the sky.]

[The power of the Divine Bird has been applied.]

[You have gained 5,000 DEX.]

[You have become closer to the Father of Dexterity, Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado.]

Minhyuk was able to win against Jack-of-all-Trades Rocado once. However, he could not deny that he had been crushed and trampled completely by the man before he could obtain that one win. Back then, Minhyuk felt like Rocado was like the sky, a being he could not and dared not reach.

‘It’s different now.’

Not only did his DEX increase by 32%, but he also gained an additional 5,000 DEX. And that was on top of obtaining a considerable amount of DEX from the challengers earlier.

Minhyuk had dreamt of making a God-grade dish just by touching the ingredients with his hands, like Rocado. Now that he had moved closer to Rocado, this dream was no longer a dream.

Then, Minhyuk remembered the Divine Bird. He murmured, “Thank you… Divine Bird.”

The Divine Bird, the being that ruled the primordial skies, was an existence that Minhyuk only knew about through the notifications. However, this being had given him the power that he used to burn himself earlier and helped him. On top of that, it allowed him to eat it through the delicious dish he had made.

‘I will never forget you.’

***

At the same time.

Someone who looked exactly like Minhyuk was sitting in front of a window. This was none other than the Clone Bird.

Yes, the Divine Bird was none other than the Clone Bird. Of course, that was his identity from the past. Perhaps it was because the ingredient appeared earlier that he could awaken and recall the memories of his past for a moment. He recalled his brilliant and colorful past, where he stood alongside Athenae and appointed all of the Absolute Gods. In his memories, he had already died. As his body burned, an egg appeared right next to it. The egg was none other than the egg that carried the Clone Bird of today.

[Fufu. Master bastard, you should be thankful to me. I will never let you forget what happened today and will use it to bother and annoy you forever.]

Unfortunately for the Clone Bird, he soon forgot his past and what happened earlier.

[Huh? What am I doing here? I’m hungry.]

Clone Bird Dodo, who looked exactly like Minhyuk, flew up like that.

***

Minhyuk turned his head when he felt a strange, stinging sensation coming from his side. The only thing he saw was the shaking branches of the tree. He tilted his head in doubt before checking the last of the notifications.

[You have completed the Class Quest: Proving Your Worth.]

[You are the first player who has reached your class's end and pinnacle.]

[The end of your path marks a new beginning.]

[The Class Change Quest: Another Emergency has been created.]

“...?” Minhyuk was puzzled. ‘A class change quest?’

Yes, it was a notification about a class change quest, which confused Minhyuk. He had already changed his class.

‘No way…’

Minhyuk knew what scenarios would unfold when this notification appeared. Of course, he did not know exactly what would happen once he reached the end of his class, but he usually knew what notifications like this meant.

‘A class evolution?’

The possibility of this happening was not zero. Minhyuk checked it right away.

[Class Change Quest: Another Emergency.]

Rank: Class

Requirements: The One who Reached the End of their Class.

Rewards: You can change your class to the Pillar Class: Great Food God.

Penalty for Failure: You can no longer transfer to the Great Food God class.

Description: The Food God is not a class that was expected nor scheduled to be a Pillar Class. However, any class would qualify to become a Pillar Class if it reached its end. Complete the conditions given, and you can climb up and become a Pillar Class player.

Minhyuk could not hide his surprise.

‘A Pillar Class?’

The first player to obtain a Pillar Class was Alexander. Alexander obtained boundless power when he changed his class to the Pillar Class. Although he was not yet on par with Minhyuk, he could unseal skills that were far better than those he had before and awaken to new powers.

Of course, nothing stipulated that Minhyuk could not do that either.

‘Just because one has the Pillar Class doesn’t mean one can become a Pillar.’

Nonetheless, the fact that the Pillar Class had the highest rank among the classes in Athenae remained the same.

At that moment, the first condition that Minhyuk had to achieve popped up.

[You are the first player who can choose the Food God’s Descendant.]

[You have to choose a successor in one year.]

[If you fail to choose a successor within that time frame, you will no longer be able to walk the path of the Great Food God.]

‘A successor?’

A thrill ran down Minhyuk’s spine.

Gods had successors. However, the God class that the players possessed was different. It was a special class that only a select few players could obtain. Their skills were far more excellent and stronger than those of other classes. Regardless, none of them were able to choose any successors. Why? Because they were not given this benefit. After all, they were nothing but mere players. How dare they think of doing something like that?

Minhyuk, who had reached his class's end and pinnacle, was given this right.

‘I can choose my successor.’

Choosing a successor was a move far more powerful than anyone could imagine. After all, whoever the descendant might be would most likely be on Minhyuk’s side. Not only would it mean that he would be able to obtain another ally, but he would also be able to grow one step further.

Then, another notification popped up.

[Not everyone can become the Food God’s Descendant.]

[They must fill their satiety to 100% for 100 times.]

[They have to achieve a 100% ‘Happiness Rating from Eating,’ which will be determined by the system.]

[There are conditions, which even you do not know of, that your successor must achieve.]

[There are processes your successor has to go through that you do not even know of.]

[...you…]

[...you…]

Of course, it was only natural that Minhyuk did not know many things.

‘If I know them, then I can mold the Food God whichever way I want.’

If that were possible, they wouldn’t have given a player this right in the first place. So, Minhyuk had to find out about it on his own. Of course, his successor should also find their path. It was ironic because it was related to Minhyuk’s class, yet he could not intervene much.

At this moment, he thought, ‘Is there anyone in this world who can achieve these conditions?’

The entire world’s population was at around eight billion now. However, not a single player had taken the path of the Food God, which Minhyuk had unknowingly taken because of his actions.

However, the figure of one person flashed in Minhyuk’s head. There was one other person other than him who could probably do it.

‘She’s living in my house right now.’

***

Two weeks ago, in a psychiatric hospital in China.

Two burly, tough male nurses were mixing the other patients’ leftover food in a huge basin.

“Should we broadcast that pig on ZTube?”

“Pig feed mukbang? We’ll probably rack up a lot of views.”

They opened an iron door and pushed a huge rubber basin filled with food waste inside a room completely devoid of sunshine. At that moment, a child born to Chinese and Greek parents walked out of bed. The child was around 130 centimeters tall and 125 kilograms in weight. She had an extremely fat body that made it very hard for her to move. Because of that, she had to crawl along the ground.

When the nurse saw this scene, he hit the basin with the spoon and shouted, “Piggy, it’s time to eat!”

The girl began to gobble the food.

Creaaak–!

Thud–!

The iron door slammed shut, leaving the room in darkness. Nevertheless, the girl continued to eat.

“Tsk, tsk. That Minhyuk bastard is rich, so he’s very fortunate. If he were as poor as Piggy, he’d probably be in a similar situation, right?”

“In the end, eating addiction is a mental illness. Hahaha.”

“Do you think that bastard will also act like Piggy if you lock him up with some food?”

The laughter of the two nurses drifted off as they walked away.

The child, who did not understand what they were talking about, was named Piggy. She was the second out of the two surviving patients of eating addiction.

The child had been living in Greece. One day, she was taken to China. It was said that she was taken there so that her disease could be studied. Alas, in the end, the country could not find a cure. So, they just locked her up in a psychiatric hospital in the countryside. Why? Because her illness was technically a mental illness.

Slurp, slurp–

Her clothes were already stained with the sauce and broth from the leftover food, but she still could not overcome the hunger gnawing at her no matter how much she ate.

The child continued to pour food into her mouth, hoping to satisfy her crazy hunger, even though the food tasted strange. She did not even leave a single drop of food.

After finishing her food, she hurriedly wiped the floor and picked up everything that had fallen. Because if she didn’t do that, she would get in trouble again. She sat back down with her eyes devoid of life. Life here was miserable, and it cost her her voice. Yes, she could no longer speak.

The young girl looked at the words that she had written. It was a name, a name that she had heard from the nurses’ story. Every time she heard it, she would write it down.

‘Min… hyuk…’

From what she heard, he was also a patient suffering from eating addiction. However, even this information did not give her any hopes or dreams.

The girl, who no longer held hope, slowly closed her eyes. This monstrous and overwhelming hunger would disappear only during her sleep.

Just then, a commotion was happening outside. The commotion drifted to her ears and disturbed her, who was about to sleep.

“You… Ack!”

“Keok!”

“Do you think you can get away from this…?! We’ll call the police… keuhaaack!”

The girl gradually opened her eyes. At the same time, the iron door that locked her up in this darkness slowly opened again.

‘Am I going to get in trouble again today?’

The child unknowingly pressed herself to the wall when she saw the doors open. It was a reflex. After all, they often scolded her for no reason at all.

However, what greeted the girl was an unknown, tall man. The man was surrounded and guarded by several men wearing suits. A siren rang loudly outside as the commotion continued.

The tall, young man asked, “What’s your name?”

The girl pointed to the other word she had written on the ground. Whatever was written there was her name. And this name was none other than ‘Piggy.’

“...”

The young man looked at her silently. There was sadness in his eyes, rivaling the sadness in the girl’s eyes. He also looked like he was blaming himself for something.

Then, the man saw another name written on the floor. He pointed at it and said, “I’m Minhyuk.”

The girl’s eyes grew wide. The man was a patient with the same disease as her, but he looked completely different.

“You see, I thought of a name for you.”

The man, Minhyuk, crouched down and slowly wrote down a name on the ground. Philos (φίλος). Minhyuk reached out to her.

The girl stretched her hand out but hesitated when she saw her hands covered with food. However, Minhyuk did not care. He held her hand gently and said, “Your name means beloved.”

Eating addiction. It was a rare disease, with only two surviving patients in the world. Anyone afflicted with this disease would not feel satisfied regardless of how much food they ate.

And today, the two patients suffering from this disease met for the first time.

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