Gourmet Gaming-Chapter 1270

Chapter 1270

Japanese Branch’s Manager Ito jumped up from his seat when he saw the notification flashing on the screen.

[‘Anonymous’ has reached the level of the pillar supporting the world through cooking.]

[He has made a Pillar Dish.]

Despite Team Leader Park’s presence in the conference room, Branch Manager Ito did not hesitate to utter rude remarks. He even said, “H-how can a mere Josenjing...! Korean Branch is obviously manipulating this, right?!”

“Branch Manager Ito...!”

“Shut up!”

The faces of the other branch managers present all turned stiff. At the same time, they wondered how Park Minggyu, a mere team leader, would react.

Team Leader Park Minggyu smiled as he retorted, “Unlike someone, I don’t hate or despise people from other countries for no reason.”

Branch Manager Ito scoffed, “That’s right. How dare a person from Korea, a place that was once Japan’s colony...”

“However, I despise and loathe those who cannot even recognize what’s in front of them just because they were once superior to others in the past. Branch Manager Ito...” Team Leader Park spoke scathing words with a gentle and polite tone. “You’re the one who attacked me first, so I believe it’s alright if I attack you too, no? I despise you. I also saw your post on Zwitter. According to your post, Dokdo belongs to you. Hmmm.”

“...”

“Even if you ask the other countries, you will only get one answer. Dokdo belongs to our country. None of the things that you have claimed as yours have ever been yours to begin with.”

“How dare a mere team leader...”

“Right now, I am not acting as a team leader. I am the representative appointed by President Kang Taehoon himself to attend this meeting. Furthermore...” A smile graced Team Leader Park’s face. “...it seems like the Battle of Myeongnyang led by Admiral Yi Sun-Shin in the past is being reenacted. The very same battle where our country only needed twelve ships to sweep away you arrogant Waenoms[1] and leave you with nothing but shame and disgrace.”

“Did you just say Waenoms?! How dare you call our proud Japanese people Waenoms—!”

“I only used it to refer to you because you called us Josenjings first. Am I not allowed to do so?”

“B-branch managers!!! Can’t you see how this smug bastard is acting?! How dare a mere team leader...” Ito shouted as he looked around. He tried to rope in the other branch managers and get their help, but everyone was looking at him in contempt.

Team Leader Park grinned. “Now, shut up and watch. Mr. Jjokbari.”[2]

***

More than half a day passed since the fierce battle had started. However, Commander Jeim remained concerned.

‘His Majesty’s dishes are truly outstanding.’

Although Jeim and the soldiers were set up in a way that made them Minhyuk’s temporary subordinates, these people recognized him as the king whom they had served from the very beginning.

After Minhyuk had handed over more than fifty God-grade dishes to Jeim and the knights, their strength immediately grew by leaps and bounds. They could fight toe-to-toe in this battle against the two million enemy troops because of these dishes.

‘So far, we have only lost sixty-three people.’

As for the enemies? They have killed only around eight hundred of them. According to their king’s orders, they had to defend and hold out for as long as possible. That was why they had only suffered minor damage even though they were fighting for a pretty long time now.

‘It’s already far too late...’

Jeim was fully aware that his king was competing against other people. He was also the only one out of the 50,000 troops under Minhyuk’s command who could check the scoreboard.

[1st Place: Pillar of Death Boleyn. 12,011,013 points.]

[8th Place: Pillar of Gourmands Minhyuk. -33,301 points.]

His king’s points were in the negatives.

‘From what I heard, those with negative scores will never be able to challenge and aim for the position of Pillar again.’

[The first Pillar Wars will end in thirty minutes.]

[All enemies will disappear once the Pillar War ends.]

The notification felt like adding salt to an injury.

Jeim, who had taken on the passive and defensive strategy to hold out for as long as they could, knew by how strong the gates were shaking and trembling that the walls were about to break. The fifty people, including him, desperately tried to resist after receiving the power of the God-grade dishes. Regardless, it was no easy task.

‘In the first place, they are far stronger than us.’

The worst part? There was more than twenty times the difference in the number of troops.

‘Gaining victory in such a situation is a bit...’

At that moment, thousands of pillars of light fell from the sky and lit up the entire world. The enemies and Minhyuk’s troops stared at the lights in amazement.

As the lights disappeared, a vast golden halo of light soared into the sky.

[Everyone’s Happiness.]

[The strengthened Everyone’s Happiness will give the same dish to 5,000 strong allies. The system will choose the talents.]

A dish enveloped in light appeared in front of the chosen 5,000 people. What greeted them when the light disappeared was an earthen pot filled with the still boiling galbitang.

Then, Minhyuk appeared atop the walls. He ordered, “Those who have eaten the God-grade dishes and those who weren’t chosen to eat the dishes, fight as much as you can and hold out in front of the gates for as long as you can!”

Unfortunately, Jeim had already eaten a dish. This excluded him from the list of the chosen strongmen.

“Can I check it first?” Jeim asked as he approached one of the knights nearby who had received the galbitang.

“Of course.”

Jeim’s eyes almost popped out when he checked the dish’s information.

“Y-Your Majesty...?”

***

(The One who Made a Pillar Dish)

Unique Title

Title Effects:

•All five of your basic stats will increase by 2%.

•The buff effects of all of the dishes that you make will increase by 5%.

•Your chances of getting a higher grade dish will increase by 10%.

•Passive Skill: Pillar Maker.

According to the description, the passive skill Pillar Maker will inspire awe and respect from all of the chefs in the world. His mere existence would also leave them feeling completely overwhelmed.

[You have strengthened Everyone’s Happiness by five levels.]

[The number of people to whom the effects of Everyone’s Happiness can be applied will increase. You can now share the effects of Everyone’s Happiness to 5,000.]

[As a penalty for feeding 5,000 people, the dish’s buff effects will decrease by 10%.]

‘I also am not included in the list of people who will receive the buff effects.’

However, that did not mean that Minhyuk could give up on the effects of Everyone’s Happiness. He needed a lot of soldiers to move quickly and defeat the enemies. Only by doing that would his score increase.

Of course, the fact that he could eat the dish remains unchanged. Minhyuk smiled as he looked at the boiling galbitang in the earthen pot. He also decided to eat the dish despite not being able to receive any effects.

The first thing that Minhyuk did was to take out the floating jujube. Then, he prepared some soy sauce and wasabi.

‘Kkakdugi and kimchi are necessary when eating galbitang,’ Minhyuk thought as he pulled out the two side dishes.

After that, he grabbed his spoon and sipped the soup.

‘Kghhk! That’s thick!’

Minhyuk admired the deep flavor of the soup. After taking a few sips of the soup, he lifted a piece of ribs covered with thick meat and looked quite firm.

‘The meat should fall off with one bite. This is usually when you eat galbitang in a good restaurant.’

Minhyuk ate the rib as it was first. The slightly salty flavor of the meat immediately greeted his mouth. The more he chewed the meat, the more the savory juices filled his mouth.

‘Let’s try it with the sauce I made this time.

Minhyuk pulled the meat off the rib and dipped it in soy sauce and wasabi sauce. The sauce had a slight sweetness and a unique spicy flavor that instantly washed away the greasiness of the meat.

He practically beamed as he ate all the ribs dipped in sauce except for one. What did he do with the remaining rib? He took its meat and put it in the soup. Then, he added some piping hot rice and mixed everything.

Minhyuk then grabbed his spoon and scooped a huge mouthful filled with glass noodles, meat, rice, and soup.

‘Galbitang with glass noodles is worthy of admiration.’

A cacophony of flavors burst when he put the spoon in his mouth. Of course, he did not forget to eat some kkakdugi to wash away the greasiness left behind by the soup.

Crunch, crunch–

The delightful sound of the crispy kimchi echoed in the surroundings. Minhyuk, who ate the galbitang with gusto, finally grabbed the earthen pot to drink the soup until the last drop. A happy smile flashed on his face as he finished his meal.

At the same time, he watched as a red haze, an effect brought about by the dish he made, covered the 5,000 people who ate the galbitang.

“Th-this is unbelievable...!”

“Crazy...!”

“Your Majesty, this is amazing! Amazing!”

These were the notifications that rang in the ears of the soldiers:

[You have eaten the Galbitang.]

[The dish is Pillar grade.]

[All of your stats will increase by 52%.]

[All of your attack and defensive power will increase by 44%.]

[All of your skill levels will increase by +1.]

[You can temporarily increase the level of a chosen skill by +2.]

[Your chances of dealing a fatal blow will increase by 40%.]

[Your basic attack damage will increase by 25%.]

[Your HP and MP will recover to 100%.]

[You have obtained the courage to never back down.]

Something very unbelievable happened.

The soldiers had been afraid because their enemies overwhelmed them with numbers and were stronger than them. Now? They were temporarily twice as strong as they were before.

Originally, the enemies were around 100 levels stronger than them. At this moment, they obtained power that made them gain at least a 200 level difference with their enemies. They were basically in a state similar to how a Level 600 player could easily wipe out 150 Level 400 players.

[The first Pillar Wars will end in twenty minutes.]

[Your current score is -33,103 points.]

The enemies pressed harder when they saw that the fortress’ gates were about to collapse. They wanted to sweep a mere 50,000 strong army in one go.

The situation was different now.

Commander Jeim watched Minhyuk in awe as he led the 5,000 soldiers, who were in the rear, forward. These 5,000 soldiers were the same who were bestowed with the power of a single dish.

As Minhyuk stood in front of the gates, he ordered the troops, who had been struggling to cope with the attacks of the enemies, back.

Thud–!

Thud, thud–!

Minhyuk stood in front of the gates, which were barely holding on with all of their wood chipped and ready to break apart at any given moment. Then, he said, “Men, we only have fifteen minutes left. Can you bring me to 1st place during this time?”

Minhyuk was the only one who did not have any allies. Because of that, he received the unique privilege that allowed him to obtain higher scores with the same number of enemies defeated. The best part? The score that will be taken away from him in the event of his soldier’s death would be much lower than the others. So, the more they killed, the higher Minhyuk’s score would become.

Everyone looked at Minhyuk in awe. There was not even a single trace of fear on their faces.

Crack–!

Finally, the gates collapsed. At that moment, Minhyuk said, “Men! Let’s get it!”

Arrows immediately pierced through the chests of the enemies leading the charge. The more shocking part? These arrows continued and pierced the hearts of the soldiers behind them too.

“Uwooooooooh!”

“Waaaaaaaaah!!!”

Loud cheers erupted among Minhyuk’s troops when they realized that they had killed several people with just a single arrow.

“Supreme Overlord’s Technique.”

Of course, Minhyuk, who had also grown stronger during this time, was not to be outdone.

[The first Pillar Wars will end in thirteen minutes.]

The enemy troops blocking the entrance to the fortress were swept away by Minhyuk and the 5,000 soldiers behind him. After trampling on them, the 5,000 troops continued to charge forward and wreak havoc.

[Your score has increased dramatically.]

[Your current score is 765,103 points.]

The soldiers, now in their strongest state, were like elephants fighting hyenas. They did not shake nor falter as an elephant, regardless of how much their enemies attacked and bit them. Just like that, the elephant-like soldiers killed 200,000 enemies.

Of course, each soldier and the knights had their skills. Their skills almost covered the sky as they shot and wiped out the enemies.

[Your score has increased...]

[Your current score is 1,513,013 points.]

[Your current score is 2,433,031 points.]

[You have made a shocking feat!]

[Not a single one of your soldiers has died during the process of killing 400,000 of your enemies.]

[You have obtained an additional 500,000 points.]

[You have received a special privilege. You can get a higher score compared to the other candidates.]

[You have shown your power as the Pillar of the Gourmands and bestowed them upon your soldiers. Thanks to that, your soldiers are performing amazingly.]

[The power you have shown as the Pillar of the Gourmands is worthy of recognition.]

[You have obtained an additional 1,000,000 points.]

[You have reached the top 5.]

Minhyuk did not lag. He stood in front of his soldiers and began to unleash his skills. Even someone like Minhyuk found it very hard to kill the soldiers who had reached and gone beyond the Level 700 threshold. But that was not the case for his troops. They had become much more powerful than usual, and seemed to possess power that had reached the realm of the gods.

[The first Pillar Wars will end in seven minutes.]

[Your current score is 7,603,000 points.]

[You have reached 2nd place in one go.]

[You have made a shocking feat! Only ten of your soldiers have died during the process of killing one million of your enemies.]

[You have obtained an additional 1,000,000 points.]

[1st Place Pillar of Death Boleyn’s current score is 15,810,000 points.]

Minhyuk had reason to believe that Boleyn had earned points by siphoning some of the points of the other candidates. However, they had already grown tired. When the second half of the first Pillar Wars started, the speed at which their scores increased had slowed significantly.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk was killing his enemies with renewed vigor. And the same was true for his soldiers.

“Men! Follow them!” Commander Jeim shouted as he led the rest of the troops.

They could pierce through the enemy lines, which had separated like Moses’ miracle after Minhyuk and the 5,000 soldiers passed them.

[The first Pillar Wars will end in one minute.]

The most uptodat𝓮 n𝒐vels are published on freёnovelkiss.com.

[Your current score is 10,543,013 points.]

Minhyuk’s expression grew ugly.

‘It’s just right around the corner.’

Nonetheless, he knew it would be challenging to turn the tables at the rate things were going.

[The first Pillar Wars... thirty seconds.]

[Your current score is 13,213,010 points.]

Minhyuk did not hold back and used all of his skills. The soldiers, who seemed to have realized something, also used their skills and gave it their all when attacking.

[The first Pillar Wars... ten seconds.]

[Your current score is 14,313,000...]

[1st Place Pillar of Death Boleyn’s current score is 16,013,233 points.]

It was a damnable situation. It seemed like Boleyn had expected this to happen and had already started to speed up at the last second.

[The first Pillar Wars... five seconds.]

[Your current score... 15,543,031...]

[1st Place Pillar of Death Boleyn’s current score is 16,203,501...]

[The first Pillar Wars will end in three seconds.]

At this moment, Minhyuk realized that he had failed.

[The first Pillar Wars will end in one second.]

He obviously gave it his best and even put on an outstanding performance. However, he knew it was impossible to overtake Boleyn, who had over a hundred thousand points advantage over him, with only one second left.

Then, the shocking notification rang.

[You have seen through the true essence of the Pillar Wars.]

[The Pillar of the Gourmands is related to cooking.]

[You have used your cooking and dishes to strengthen your soldiers who will fight for you in the Pillar Wars.]

[Your score will increase significantly.]

Ring!

[The first Pillar Wars have ended.]

[The Pillar Candidate with the highest score will now be displayed.]

Minhyuk held his breath in trepidation. The notification he had heard earlier told him that his score had increased significantly. Although a very welcome notification, it made it so he could not figure out how much his score had become.

A delighted smile appeared on Minhyuk’s face as the scoreboard appeared before him.

[1st Place: Pillar of Gourmands Minhyuk. 35,131,010 points.]

[2nd Place: Pillar of Death Boleyn. 16,868,941 points.]

[The first Pillar Wars have ended. You are the candidate closest to becoming a Pillar!]

1. From 왜(倭) (wae, “Japan”) +‎ 놈 (nom, “bastard”). ☜

2. [쪽바리 - an ethnic slur referring to Japanese people. Can also be pork trotters. It originally means cloven or split foot. This refers to the Japanese wearing geta, a traditional sandal that separated the big toe from the other. ☜