Gourmet Gaming-Chapter 1268

Chapter 1268

Special Players Management Team Leader Park Minggyu represented the Korean Branch in a meeting in the American Branch’s conference room. He was alongside the heads of the branches from the countries leading Athenae.

The meeting finally ended after a heated discussion about the events and matters related to Athenae for the following year. Then, the heads of the branches’ interest had turned to the Pillar Wars, which were shown on the massive screen in front of them.

“Minhyuk not only lost Brod but he will also lose his qualifications as a Pillar Candidate.”

“Indeed. After all, he’s being isolated by the other Eight Pillars’ candidates.”

Team Leader Park found their reaction laughable, as he thought, ‘I wonder what their reaction would be like if the one standing there was a player from their own country. In the first place, this is the Pillar Wars. Did they think that it would be unfair?’

If it were a player from their country, they would likely jump to their feet and run around like crazy. Of course, it might look like it was unfair. Nonetheless, the essence of this war was different.

‘They’re in a situation where special privileges and preferential treatment will be given to the candidates in the minority.’

The Pillar Wars was held to determine who had all the qualifications to become a Pillar. It was not one to witness fun fights and brawls. Of course, this also meant that the one who received the most support out of all of the Pillar Candidates was Boleyn.

“What a pity. It seems like Player Minhyuk will not become a Pillar this year. Well, who would even trust you Koreans? You’re nothing but people who have been colonized by us, the Japanese.”

“Branch Manager Ito...!”

Japanese Branch’s Manager Ito openly mocked and laughed at Team Leader Park Minggyu. After all, he did not like Korea and the Koreans.

‘Their population is only half of ours. And they’re the ones who we have discarded after using them.’

Branch Manager Ito was competent, but he was someone who openly mocked and ignored Korea. Although his views were very controversial in Japan, he had his fair share of supporters who believed in the same views.

Team Leader Park just ignored Branch Manager Ito’s laughter and mockery. He believed that it was not something worth dealing with.

‘You f*cking impudent Josenjing...!’ [1]

Team Leader Park continued to ignore Ito while pondering deeply. He liked and respected Minhyuk, yes. Nonetheless, he also judged that it would be difficult for Minhyuk to rise to such a position. He was still not at a level where he could become a pillar that could support Athenae.

He was participating in the Pillar Wars because he was one of the Pillar Candidates when Chaos decided it was time for the Pillar Wars to start.

At the same time, the gears in Team Leader Park’s head were spinning wildly. He wondered, ‘Did Ellie choose to take Boleyn’s side because she wanted to save her empire?’

Minhyuk and Ellie’s relationship was too tight-knit and close for something like that to happen between them. This was something that the other candidates and members of the alliance should have known too. So, they were likely to watch her closely even if they did not stop her from joining them.

‘Or is she pretending to be their ally so that she could launch a surprise attack?’

That was impossible. If Ellie attempted a surprise attack, she would die within twenty minutes. After all, she would receive the full brunt of the attack of Boleyn and the rest of the candidates. There was also the fact that the gap between her and the rest of the Pillar Candidates was still far too massive. It was a reckless act with too little profit.

‘If not that then... why the hell...’

[The candidates will now be warped to the battlefield.]

The scene on the screen changed. The eight candidates appeared with 400,000 troops around them. And their enemies? It reached 16 million. The level of difficulty of the war was truly outrageous.

Team Leader Park looked at the screen intensely, his head tilting in thought.

‘Sixteen million enemy troops is enough to cover the entire battlefield... hmmm?’

Team Leader Park rested his hand gently on the table as his index finger tapped it rhythmically.

‘An enemy force large enough to cover and devour the entire battlefield and eight Pillar Candidates.’

On the other hand, Minhyuk’s battlefield was empty and spacious. It was only natural. After all, he was alone. Instead of facing sixteen million enemies, he was only set to fight against the two million enemy troops that had appeared on his side of the battlefield.

‘Wait.’

The battlefields’ sizes were the same. The only difference was that the other battlefield had eight people while the other only had one.

‘They can obtain items from boss monsters, monsters, and dungeons.’

“...!”

This meant that Minhyuk could devour all those resources alone while the others had to share it equally among eight people. And they also had Ellie on their side.

“...!”

A flash of surprise appeared on Team Leader Park’s face. He had judged that Minhyuk couldn't win this war until now. It seemed like there was a small glimmer of hope that could bring a slight possibility of victory.

The quiet Team Leader Park finally opened his mouth and said, “From what I have gathered, all of the branch managers present unilaterally believe that Player Minhyuk will only suffer from defeat.”

Japanese Branch’s Manager Ito replied sarcastically, “Can a Josenjing amount to anything, huh? Ah. I made a mistake. It’s because I remembered the term we used before for Koreans.”

Team Leader Park openly expressed his disgust toward Branch Manager Ito’s words this time. He retorted, “You’re not worth dealing with.”

At this moment, he was sure of something.

‘If things go as I expected then...’

Minhyuk would be able to show them a big hand. And once he did, he would be able to make Japanese Branch’s Manager Ito eat shit.

***

The Pillar Candidates not only had to deal with sixteen million enemy troops but also had to be wary of Ellie. All of them made eye contact. In that split second they had all agreed that Boleyn’s Instant Death would be triggered the moment she tried to do anything fishy.

Instant Death was a skill that could take off more than 50% of Boleyn’s opponent’s HP and put them into a ten-second stunned state. Its true terror laid in its 100% hit rate; and could never be evaded.

Of course, Ellie also knew she would not have any other way to respond to the Pillar Candidates’ attacks if she tried to launch a surprise attack on them.

‘What the hell is she thinking? Is it really for the sake of her empire?’

They all knew that Ellie was someone who valued her empire deeply. She had always wanted to protect it. If Boleyn indeed became a Pillar, then the future of the Eivelis Empire would be bleak if she did not choose to side with him.

‘Perhaps she finally came to her senses.’

Perhaps she was someone who could abandon her friends for the sake of her people.

At that moment, Ellie said, “I will leave my soldiers here. Feel free to command them.”

“And you?” Boleyn asked.

Ellie snorted before saying, “It’s quite hard for me to stay in this place filled with distrust. I’ll just go around and hunt the monsters and boss monsters and gather the items they will drop.”

There were eight candidates, 400,000 troops and 16 million enemies. It should have been possible to deal with the enemies, but the problem was that their level was around Level 700. Because of that, they all realized there was a need to gather items and help them in this battle.

‘It’s better for her to move alone than remain on edge here because we’re looking at her with distrust.’

Her judgment was reasonable enough.

“Alright, I understand. I will let you go out alone and gather those items, Ellie.”

With the other Pillar Candidates’ agreement, Ellie quickly ran, her red hair fluttering behind her. At the same time, the Pillar Candidates began to step forward one after another.

“Natural Disaster.”

Master of Nature Verodun immediately showed his strength and sent a huge catastrophe toward the incoming sixteen million enemy troops. Hundreds of lightning strikes fell upon the soldiers while a heavy storm blocked their path.

Master of Beasts Harvard also turned into a lion and ran toward the enemies. Meanwhile, Boleyn grabbed his dagger and used his skills. Paladins’ Pope Eris raised his Brilliant Sword and released a bright and blinding light.

Flash–!

Just like that, they clashed against the sixteen million enemy troops.

***

[You are the only candidate who did not form an alliance.]

[As a special privilege and benefit, the drop rate when hunting monsters and boss monsters will increase by 2.5x.]

[As a special privilege and benefit, the items you will obtain will be 1.5x more outstanding.]

[As a special privilege and benefit, the points you will obtain for every soldier killed will be doubled.]

[As a special privilege and benefit, the points you will lose with every death of your soldiers will be much less than the others.]

Minhyuk looked at the 50,000 troops standing before him as the two million enemy troops marched and roared from afar. From what Minhyuk had gathered, the Pillar Candidates were recognized as kings in this place.

[Commander Jeim. Level 813.]

“My King, please give us your orders,” Commander Jeim declared despite the cold sweat dripping down his forehead.

Even the soldiers standing behind him were also shaking and trembling.

‘This is a real war. The enemies are stronger than them and almost forty times larger than their own troops. It would be strange if they weren’t scared.’

It was a hopeless battle, one that would only lead to death. Regardless, even if the number of enemies were more than several tens of times their size, they could not back down.

“This is like the Battle of Myeongnyang.” Minhyuk chuckled bitterly.[2]

The Battle of Myeongnyang was where the Korean naval army won a great victory against the Japanese Naval Army even though they only had thirteen ships under their command. Back then, they could endure and stop the invasion of more than ten times the number of enemy ships with their outstanding and sturdy turtle ships.

“If that’s the case, then it seems like we have to make our turtle ship, yeah?”

Battle of Myeongnyang, turtle ships, were terms that Commander Jeim could not understand. Regardless, he spoke up and repeated, “Your Majesty, please give us your orders.”

Jeim looked like he had accepted his fate. He was determined to fight even if it meant that he would die.

They all heard the thunderous footsteps of the incoming two million enemy soldiers. At that moment, Minhyuk ordered, “Everyone, except for Jeim and 500 of our elite knights, run. Run as fast as you can.”

After finally receiving an order, Jeim shouted with great vigor. “From now on, run! Run as fast as... Eh?”

Confusion mired his face.

“What...?”

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“Don’t make me repeat myself. Run! Run away from the incoming two million enemy troops as fast as possible! Go! Don’t stop!”

“But Your Majesty, if we don’t fight then your score...”

The soldiers were also aware of the existence of the scores.

“Don’t worry about it, just run! And whatever you do, make sure you don’t die!”

After receiving Jeim’s orders, the soldiers had to follow. The 50,000 troops under Minhyuk’s command began to run away from the incoming enemies.

The only ones left in front of Minhyuk were Jeim and the 500 knights.

[Knight Strong. Level 753.]

Minhyuk looked at Jeim and the 500 knights and said, “From now on, we will kill all the monsters, Named Monsters and Boss Monsters in this place. We will also make sure to clear out all of the dungeons and fields. You have to kill every monster that you encounter.”

“Yes, sir!”

Although they could not understand, they still accepted Minhyuk’s orders.

“Our goal is to kill all the monsters and secure all the supplies we can get before the enemies catch up to our 50,000 troops.”

Minhyuk and the knights began to move quickly. Fortunately, the battlefield map indicated the dungeons and where the boss monsters, the Named Monsters, and monsters were.

[Pillar of Death Boleyn’s score has been updated! He gained 154,310 points!]

[Your score will be updated.]

[Your current score is zero points.]

[Your current ranking will be displayed.]

[9th Place: Pillar of Gourmands Minhyuk. 0 points.]

***

The fierce battle continued for half a day. Even if they were Pillar Candidates, it was still challenging for them to deal with sixteen million enemies with just 40,000 troops. Not to mention that their enemies were much stronger than their troops.

[Your score will be updated.]

[Your current score is 3,311,013 points.]

[Your current ranking will be displayed.]

[1st Place: Pillar of Death Boleyn. 3,311,013 points.]

[2nd Place: Master of Nature Verodun. 1,031,031 points.]

A deep smile hung on Boleyn’s face. This was because his score was far ahead of the second place, Master of Nature Verodun. And Minhyuk?

[9th Place: Pillar of Gourmands Minhyuk. 0 points.]

Boleyn cackled. They had currently hunted around seven million of the enemies’ troops. As for the damage that their troops obtained? It was around 20,000.

The only reason they weren’t overwhelmed by the number of troops during this half a day was that the Pillar Candidates had a lot of strength, abilities, and mana. It was indeed worthy of the name of the Pillar Candidates.

Alas, as the battle still dragged on, they started to grow tired. At this time, they were very desperate for Ellie’s return. Just as Ellie had promised, she had been collecting the items faithfully.

How did they know? It was because all of the dungeons and monsters that she had conquered were already marked with an X. And just now, all of the available dungeons and monsters had been marked with an X.

‘To kill all these monsters and clear all these dungeons in just half a day... She’s truly worthy of being the Hegemon King. She’s strong.’

Ellie’s cooperation was indeed a very welcome addition for Boleyn. And once they got the supplies she had gathered, they could increase the pace at which they slaughtered their enemies.

At that moment, Ellie returned.

“Oh, Hegemon King!”

“It’s Hegemon King Ellie!”

“You’re back!”

“Quick! Give us some potions!”

All of their faces grew bright with delight when they saw her return.

“I have already gathered all of the supplies.”

The Pillar Candidates already knew of this fact and wanted to welcome her with open arms.

“I forfeit.”

“...?!”

“...?!”

“...!!!”

[Hegemon King Ellie withdraws from the Pillar Wars.]

Just like that, Ellie disappeared with a flash of light. And what vanished along with her was the supplies that she had gathered.

Only at this moment did Boleyn understand the situation that they had to face.

“F*cking bastard!!!”

From then on, they would have to deal with the rest of the enemy troops without any items or potions.

***

At the same time.

[Once you open the item box, you will randomly be given items that are suitable for you or special items.]

Minhyuk received several item boxes from Jeim and the knights. Of course, Minhyuk opened them all at the same time.

[You have acquired 7 ingredients comparable to the Absolute God grade.]

[You have acquired 64 God grade ingredients.]

[You have acquired 7,131 bottles of STM Restoration Elixir.]

[..acquired 321 Attack Power Enhancer Scrolls.]

[..acquired 414 Defensive Power Enhancer Scrolls.]

[...acquired a Fortress Construction Scroll.]

[...acquired 11 Artifact Enhancer Scrolls.]

[You have acquired 17 Skill Enhancer Scrolls.]

[You have acquired a Skill Transformation Scroll.]

Minhyuk’s eyes widened when he saw the Skill Enhancer Scroll and the Skill Transformation Scroll.

He thought, ‘These are amazing!’

The Skill Enhancer Scroll could increase the chosen skill’s level by one. If the scroll were used five times, the chances of increasing the skill further would decrease.

As for the Skill Transformation Scroll, it could allow the scroll user to choose a skill and transform it in a way that it could produce their desired effects for a brief moment. For example, The Food God’s Cooking Skill could be transformed into a blacksmith’s skill for a short time.

Since the other Pillar Candidates had allied, Minhyuk was given the unique privilege of having a 2.5x higher drop rate and 1.5x better item effects.

There was this saying from Yi Sun-Shin that Minhyuk liked. It went like this, ‘God still has twelve ships.’

And just like the battle in the past...

“Shall we start making our turtle ship now?”

Minhyuk planned to create his own turtle ship-like soldiers. On top of that, he planned to apply the Skill Enhancer Scrolls to his Everyone’s Happiness and the Food God’s Cooking Skill.

1. used internally in South Korea by South Koreans as a reference to the Japanese slur for Koreans, Chōsenjin. ☜

2. 명량해전 - The Battle of Myeongnyang a naval warfare in the Myeongnyang Strait near Jindo Island. Joseon's Navy was headed by Admiral Yi Sun-Shin. It was a battle with an estimated 10:1 ratio of Japanese and Korean ships. However, it led to the disastrous defeat of the Japanese Naval Army. ☜