Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 340: The Ruler of the Forest

“That, that smile…!” Team Leader Park shouted as a chill ran down his spine.

However, Team Leader Lee Suk-hoon just smirked. He said, “What? You think Player Minhyuk’s seduction through food will work every time? Arakhan is a legendary figure. Besides, a sword is a knight’s lifeline! Arakhan will be different from the rest.”

Lee Suk-hoon was brimming with confidence. Team Leader Park nodded in response. Just like what Lee Suk-hoon said, Arakhan was the Legendary Sword. Aside from that, he was the first Tower Master of the Knight Tower, right? It would not make sense if he lent his sword to Player Minhyuk.

Then, Team Leader Park recalled something before saying, “From what I recall, this trial has five stages. If the challenger receives an impossible score, a hidden system will be triggered, is that correct?”

“That’s right. However, we only see it as something impossible. To be honest, Player Minhyuk’s stats are a reflection of his body’s condition. From what I saw, his stats are not that of an ordinary person, but that of a national athlete. Even if that was the case, it would still be hard for him, as an ordinary person, to hunt monsters.”

“Hmm…”

That was a fact. The third trial was comparable to an ordinary person hunting monsters. Unfortunately, the monsters were extraordinarily strong.

“Then, what will happen if an additional system is triggered?”

“The monsters that will appear will become more powerful and the rewards will be more amazing.”

Team Leader Park nodded after hearing that answer. It was a hidden system that did not differ much from other systems. After all, it was a privilege for the players that had reached the realms of the impossible.

‘Right, it’s just like what Team Leader Lee Suk-hoon had said…’

No matter how much Player Minhyuk tried to fool and cajole Arakhan, would someone like him really fall for something like that?

“I see, so we can rest assured.”

Flinch!

Lee Minhwa’s eyes widened as she turned to look at Team Leader Park after hearing his words.

‘The…the taboo words…!’ Lee Minhwa thought, feeling very, very worried.

***

The young man who introduced himself as Minhyuk, looked at Arakhan with tears in his eyes!

“It really pains me!!! How can you not have eaten any meals for hundreds of years?! Sob, sob, sob!”

“Is…is that so?” Arakhan said, feeling that it was truly the case after hearing Minhyuk’s words. After all, he had waited here for hundreds of years to help guide Conir’s descendants.

Then, Minhyuk held Arakhan’s hands and said, “I’ll treat you to a very delicious meal.”

“N…no. Before that, the trial…”

“Shhh,” Minhyuk shushed, placing his index finger on Arakhan’s mouth. Then, he continued to say, “I know everything. Just tell me what you want to eat. Don’t worry, I’m a chef that cooks delicious food! Besides, I’m so happy that I met with Mister Arakhan, that I want to do my best to cook a dish for you!”

Arakhan was completely moved by his words. He thought, ‘He’s very considerate. And he even wants to do his best for me?’

[You have received Arakhan’s favor.]

The notification rang in Minhyuk’s head. It was to be expected. After all, even his face was showing the deepest and most sincere expression.

All of this was in Minhyuk’s plans. Besides, the thought of receiving ingredients for every monster that he hunted was enough for him to show sincerity in his words and actions. These words truly came from the depths of his heart! As long as Arakhan ate his food, he would definitely be entranced and enchanted!

Then, Arakhan said, “Toast. I want to eat toast. With strawberry juice.”

“I see.”

Minhyuk nodded. This was something that he already knew since he had used his ‘Create a Recipe’ skill earlier. The toast that Arakhan wanted was even the ‘Crunchy Ham and Vegetable Special Toast’ that was commonly seen in the market. The biggest takeaway here was that it also happened to be Minhyuk’s favorite flavor.

So, Minhyuk quickly whipped his pan out and spread plenty of butter on it to grill the bread, the ham, and the well-beaten eggs. After grilling and frying everything, he took the bread and spread some jam on top of it. As Minhyuk applied the jam, he made sure to add some ‘Sea Honey’ in it.

‘Fufufu.’

Minhyuk chuckled ominously and quietly, as he finished the toast and moved on to make strawberry juice. Of course, Minhyuk replaced the sugar with the highly addictive Sea Honey.

After finishing everything, Minhyuk wrapped the toast with a wrapper and served it to Arakhan, together with the strawberry fruit juice. Then, the same toast and fruit juice appeared in front of Minhyuk through his ‘Joy of Eating Together’ skill.

‘Toast…’

The only reason why Arakhan wanted to eat toast was because his wife used to make it for him back when he was still alive. His wife was a very good cook and toast was something that she did the best.

The man named Minhyuk said that he was a good cook, but Arakhan believed that he would not be able to satisfy his palate. Still, it would be fine as long as he could savor that fantastic flavor once again.

Arakhan slowly took off half of the wrapper and took a bite of the toast. The moment he bit into it, he tasted the warm and soft bread, the sweet apple jam, the savory ham and cheese, as well as the soft eggs that worked in perfect harmony with the crunchy cabbages. The flavor was indescribably delicious!

For a moment, Arakhan did not know what to say. His mind went blank and turned weird as he said, “D…Darling!”

Screech!

Minhyuk, who was enjoying his toast, turned to look at Arakhan with trembling eyes. He said, “Your…your type…”

“N…no! Ahem, ahem.”

To be honest, the toast in Arakhan’s hands right now tasted much better than the toast that his wife made for him.

‘How can it taste like this…’

Arakhan was shocked as he reached out for the strawberry fruit juice.

Slurp—

Sweet and delectable strawberry fruit juice flowed into Arakhan’s mouth as he sucked on the straw. There were even strawberry bits that he could bite with every mouthful. Arakhan could not help but be amazed by the refreshing sweetness and coolness of the drink.

‘Wow…’

Arakhan visibly sped up as he continued ravaging his crunchy toast and sweet strawberry juice. He said, “This is the best toast that I have ever tasted. Thank you.”

“I did my best since Mister Arakhan told me that this is your first meal in hundreds of years.”

Then, the notifications rang for Minhyuk once again.

[You have received Arakhan’s favor.]

Minhyuk decided to ride the rhythm.

“That… by any chance…”

Minhyuk carefully chose his words and said, “Can I borrow your sword?”

“Hmm? Are you talking about my sword?” Arakhan asked as he looked down at his sword, the very same sword that had been with him for decades. The sword that saved him and countless other lives from his enemies. Then, Arakhan felt the flames of anger burn in him.

“Boy, I can see that you also use a sword. You should know how important a sword is to a knight. But you still asked me to lend you my sword? It seems like you don’t understand it well… I’m very disappointed in you.”

[Arakhan’s favor has decreased.]

This was when Minhyuk learned that the ‘sword’ was like a knight’s second life, their very own lifeline. He thought, ‘It’s harder than I thought. Then, let’s switch methods.’

The trial had no time limit after all.

‘It will take a little more time for the addicting effect of the honey to take effect.’

Then, Minhyuk said, “I’m so sorry. How dare I think of Mister Arakhan’s sword. I was just very curious about it. I will be careful next time.”

“Right. It’s good that you understand.”

Arakhan was quite upset, but thinking about the dish that Minhyuk made for him, he decided to compromise.

“I feel sorry that I made Mister Arakhan mad at me. I will go back to my world for a moment to look back and reflect on myself.”

“Hmm,” Arakhan hummed in agreement. He also knew about the existence of foreigners. He smiled after seeing Minhyuk disappear.

“Although he made a slip of the tongue, he’s still an innocent and kind young man. Aaah.”

That was what Arakhan thought. Then, an hour passed as he waited for Minhyuk’s return.

‘That toast really tasted delicious. Even the strawberry juice was delectable.’

Just the thought of those dishes made Arakhan’s mouth water. He recalled the taste of the warm and crunchy toast that he ate earlier. The flavor and harmony that was created from the blend of the sweet apple jam and the various ingredients in the toast was truly scrumptious! There was also that strawberry juice! It was enough to quench the thirst in his mouth after eating the toast with just a single sip.

Then, about two hours later…

‘Why do I feel like my body is losing strength? Even my sweat is cold?’

…something completely incomprehensible happened. Arakhan felt the strength leave his body. Even his mouth and right hand were both trembling and twitching. Arakhan quickly grabbed his right hand with his left hand.

‘Just a bite of that toast will make me feel better. I’m sure of it. No, not just one bite, just the smell…’

Half a day passed by in a blink.

‘T…toast… I want to eat toast…!’

Arakhan wanted to eat that toast again. However, Minhyuk still had not come back from his world. Arakhan thought that it would be better if he slept, so he went to sleep but…

“Chew, chew.”

…he dreamt that he was eating toast. However, a dog suddenly appeared in his dreams, took his toast and ran away.

“Give me back my toast, you bastard!!! Faramil’s Swordsmanship Chapter Three!!!”

Arakhan even used Faramil’s Swordsmanship to chase after an escaping dog in his dreams.

“Huff, huff, huff!” Arakhan breathed roughly as he woke up in a cold sweat from his scary nightmare.

‘He should be back now, right?’

But Minhyuk still did not come back.

‘C…come back quickly and make me some toast… please…!’

***

Since the first method did not work, Minhyuk could tell that the relationship between the sword and its owner was much more important than he initially thought. So, Minhyuk switched to Plan B.

Plan B was keeping Arakhan waiting for a long time after being fed his dish! In other words, Minhyuk would be using the carrot and stick method. Since Minhyuk had already given Arakhan a carrot, he was now working on giving him the stick.

After spending an entire day in reality, Minhyuk finally logged back inside the game. When he came back inside, he was met with a pale Arakhan. It seemed like Arakhan had been waiting for him.

“B…boy!”

“Oh my. I’ve been outside for too long, right?” Minhyuk asked naturally.

Arakhan was sweating and trembling as he said, “Ha, haha. It’s, it’s alright. M…more than that, can you make me that thing that you made me the last time?”

“That thing? What thing?”

“Y…you know… that, that warm and sweet thing…”

This was the usual withdrawal symptoms from food addiction after eating Minhyuk’s food! At first, one would sweat and tremble as the desire to eat more of his dishes surged up from within them. Once things progressed further, they would start to feel extreme hunger and desire to eat that dish again. And by the end…

“Pl…please cook me that dish one more time! I’m not saying that you should cook it for me for free, money is not a problem!”

“Sigh. I have enough money. Mister Arakhan, you don’t look that well. Please take some rest…”

“Boy, your cooking will make me feel better!!!”

“But… didn’t you refuse me when I asked you to lend me your sword?”

“…!”

Arakhan’s eyes widened. That really did happen.

“That… that… that… I’m sorry about that.”

“I cooked for you with all my heart but… sigh… I’m already hurt.”

Arakhan readily held his sword out to Minhyuk the moment he heard his words.

Then, Minhyuk said, “I already got hurt! Do you think I’ll feel better just because you are lending it to me now? Hmph.”

Arakhan became restless after hearing Minhyuk’s snort. So, Arakhan asked, “W…what do you want? I’ll do whatever you want!”

Minhyuk’s eyes were staring at one place. Arakhan had taken off his armor earlier and placed it there.

‘Fufufufu!’

Minhyuk’s smile was borderline sinister. Since Arakhan had rejected him before, it was only right that he get double the price when he cooked for him the next time, right? Minhyuk needed to overcome the trial to get his food, and this was truly a clever method. Then, the notifications rang…

[You can now borrow the Sun God’s Sword from Arakhan.]

[You can now borrow Phrakan’s Armor from Arakhan.]

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