The Dragon King’s eyes widened in surprise. He thought, ‘Th…that hilt is definitely...’

The item that would come out of the ancient treasure chest was randomized. However, with just one glance, the Dragon King could already tell what item it was. If his memory served him right, then the hilt of the item that he had seen was something that belonged to the Ancient Water Dragon.

The Dragon Palace considered the Ancient Water Dragon as Sea God Roves’ agent. To put it simply, it was similar to the Phoenix which was revered highly by the Eivelis Empire. In addition, the most outstanding out of all the Ancient Water Dragons was Barraca. The Dragon King keenly felt the power of Barraca from the hilt of the sword. He asked, “Have you checked it?”

“Not yet.”

The Dragon King waved his hand, urging Minhyuk to check the item’s information.

(Ancient Water Dragon Barraca’s Greatsword)

Rank: Legendary

Restrictions: Minhyuk’s Attributed Artifact

Durability: ∞ / ∞

Attack: 732

Special Abilities:

•STR and AGI +10%.

•Passive Skill: Greatsword Advanced Mastery Level +5

•There is a 15% chance of triggering the abnormal state: 'Difficulty in Breathing' with each successful attack.

•Attack Failure Rate is reduced by 50%

•Skill: Artifact Subspace

Description: This is a greatsword made out of the bones of the Ancient Water Dragon Barraca and God’s mineral, Adamantium. It is also called the Supreme Sword in the world of Gods.

‘...T, the attack power is a bit ridiculous. Right?’

Minhyuk was not usually surprised by anything that was not delicious, but this item had definitely given him a shock with its attack of 732. It was even higher compared to Rumad’s Demonic Sword. Furthermore, it had a special ability that could increase the Greatsword Advance Mastery by five levels. Minhyuk reached his hand out and grabbed the sword with all his might.

[Greatsword Advanced Mastery Level 5 has been applied.]

[The giant greatsword will feel lighter than a normal sword in your hands.]

[Your attack power has increased by 12%.]

Advanced Mastery was a passive skill that was difficult to increase. For average players, sticking to one weapon from Level 1 to Level 400 would only give them a Level 3 - 6 in mastery. The only way to increase the mastery of the weapon was to use it continuously. However, Minhyuk’s advanced mastery had increased to Level 5 in just an instant.

He lifted the sword and tried to swing it.

Vwooooooong!

‘It’s light...!’

It was surprisingly light in Minhyuk’s hands. In fact, it felt even lighter compared to Ellie’s Sword. If he used this sword and successfully landed an attack, he would also have a 15% chance of inflicting a debuff on his enemies, which would make it hard for them to breathe. 

Minhyuk felt that the sword was extremely useful simply because of the debuff. It would be advantageous for him in a fight if his opponent were to suddenly experience difficulty in breathing. It would be like running a hundred meters with one’s nose pinched and mouth sealed tight. Although the probability was a little low, just a few seconds of being under this debuff would be enough to break anyone’s concentration. 

Finally, there was the Artifact Subspace. This meant that Minhyuk could place his greatsword in this subspace and just summon it whenever he needed it.

Minhyuk gently pulled out Ellie’s Sword. He thought, ‘Instructor Valen, please don’t feel upset.’ 

The Sword of Rebellion was the sword that he received from Valen in the Scarecrow Training Grounds. He had promised to use it well, so he prayed that Valen would not feel sad that he would not be using it in the future. Minhyuk unequipped Ellie’s Kitchen Knife from the Sword of Rebellion.

Shwaaaak!

The Sword of Rebellion and Ellie’s Kitchen Knife separated in an instant. Then, Minhyuk brought Ellie’s Kitchen Knife to Barraca’s Sword.

[Would you like to equip Ellie’s Kitchen Knife?]

“Yes.”

Ellie’s Kitchen Knife completely covered Barraca’s Greatsword as it started the combination process. Not long after, the image of a Phoenix was imprinted on the previously blank and rugged Greatsword.

“Amazing.”

The Dragon King looked at the scene in front of him with great interest. This was the first time that he had seen something like that.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk gingerly held the Sword of Rebellion. He carefully placed it inside his inventory.

‘I’ll keep this with me.’

Minhyuk decided to keep the Sword of Rebellion inside his inventory. He would not sell it. After all, it was a companion that had accompanied him up until this point. After Minhyuk finished dealing with his new weapon, he quickly moved on to the main topic. He said, “Snow crabs, I want to eat snow cra... No, you said that I would be able to get snow crabs as a reward!”

“...Hmm?” The Dragon King hummed. He could not help but frown when he heard Minhyuk’s words. It was as if he could not understand what he meant.

‘I have snow crabs.’

However, the snow crabs were sealed with magic. They would only be unsealed and meant to be gifted to the man hailed as the Food God once he returned.

“The rewards said that the Dragon King would definitely give me snow crabs. Dragon King!” Minhyuk said, smiling brightly as he demanded his rightful reward once again.

Taken aback, the Dragon King asked Minhyuk, just to be sure. He said, “Boy, your class...” 

“It’s Food God.”

“...!”

“...!”

“...!”

Jevis, Kiari and the Dragon King’s eyes all widened in shock. It was the legendary hero that saved the Dragon Palace in the past!

‘So, his descendant has come here.’

Perhaps this was what they called fate. After a long time, the new Food God had saved the place that the previous Food God had once saved. It seemed like it was truly fate.

The Dragon King nodded as he waved his hand in the air. Once his hands stopped moving, the space was slowly torn asunder, as two firm and fat snow crabs appeared in the air.

[You have acquired Dragon King’s Snow Crab (2).]

“I handpicked two of the best snow crabs out of millions so it is only natural that they taste more delicious compared to the others. Unfortunately, you will not be able to get any special abilities from them.”

“Yep! Thank you very much!” Minhyuk said. His mouth kept on twitching with how happy he was.  Then, Minhyuk asked, “Ah. By any chance, do you know where the Kong Qing Elixir is?”

When the Dragon King heard his words, he could not help but laugh out loud. He said, “Boy. Why don’t you ask me to root out my Dragon Palace and give it to you?”

Of course, the Dragon King was only joking around. Minhyuk, on the other hand...

‘Huh? Where did I hear that before?’

For some reason, Minhyuk remembered Instructor Valen. He assumed that he was probably flirting with Instructor Roina right now.

***

Kiari guided Minhyuk to where the Kong Qing Elixir was located. It was located near the Dragon Palace. All they needed to do was to pass through a narrow passageway and they would arrive at where it was. 

Minhyuk saw a mysterious black liquid dripping slowly, gathering in a small puddle in the middle of the dark cave. He could clearly see the bubbling in the puddle. It seemed like it was truly carbonated.

‘D…don’t tell me...!’

Minhyuk quickly approached the puddle as he pulled out a ladle and poured the Kong Qing Elixir into some glass cups.

‘...C…cold!’

Minhyuk’s hands felt numb from the coldness. The cup felt as cold as a drink that was just taken out of the freezer. Then, Minhyuk took a swig from the cup.

Glug, glug, glug!

‘...T…this taste!’

Minhyuk only knew that the Kong Qing Elixir was like a carbonated drink, but he did not have any prior knowledge of its taste. After drinking it, he knew that it was cola.

“Kyaha! As expected, cola is definitely coca!”

Minhyuk drank the cola quickly as he filled his glass cups with Kong Qing Elixir. The cola was so cold that his throat burned and stung, but he still continued to drink it. After all, it was very refreshing. Then, he heard the notifications.

[You drank the Kong Qing Elixir.]

[You have acquired 25 STR and 30 AGI.]

Kong Qing Elixir was also considered a medicine, so he was able to get some special points from drinking it. Minhyuk took one final glass and drank it happily.

Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp━

Once again, he could not help but squeal at the refreshing taste of the cola.

Just then, Kiari said, “Thanks.”

“Hmm?” Minhyuk hummed and looked at her after drinking his fill, only to see her bowing. One of her ears was folded while her tail was wriggling in embarrassment.

In fact, Kiari had only always focused her attention on learning how to defend the castle and how to attack with her swordsmanship. This was why she was quite unaware of this creature that everyone calls a man. However, even if he was human, she still could not help but feel a huge attraction towards him. To put it simply, Kiari had a crush on Minhyuk.

“Our Dragon Palace will never forget you.”

“...Right,” Minhyuk said with a nod.

“Where will you be going now?”

“The Imperial Palace of Eivelis Empire.”

Ellie had given Minhyuk a bunch of return scrolls to the Imperial Palace of Eivelis Empire so he could easily come back to that place wherever he was. Kiari nodded.

Minhyuk was supposed to give Boroto the Kong Qing Elixir that he collected so he wanted to hurry over. A flash of light covered both Minhyuk and Ben as they disappeared in front of Kiari. Kiari continued to stare at the spot where he disappeared.

According to the circumstances, all of them could tell that the young man was the same person who ate Jevis’ Rabbit’s Liver. However, Jevis just nodded and said, ‘God’s treasure had finally found its true owner, right?’

She also heard the Dragon King say, ‘It seems like the new legend of the continent had stopped by our palace.’

Kiari smiled slightly as she recalled their words.

***

Minhyuk was able to meet with Ellie as soon as he arrived in the Eivelis Empire. He was set to return to Valkyrie Kingdom after he finished cooking for Ellie. He was so busy that he had been jumping from one place to another.

“You’re back.”

“I’m back, Noona!” Minhyuk said, looking at Ellie’s rosy complexion.

However, Minhyuk did not waste any time. He started to fillet the flatfish and rockfish for sashimi, before plating them on top of a white plate. At one point in time, the sashimi on the white plate became a familiar figure to Ellie. It was the Phoenix. Minhyuk had placed the sashimi on the plate in the form of a Phoenix. Of course, he did not forget to leave some ingredients for the spicy fish stew.

“Let me set it up,” Minhyuk said as he swiftly placed the lettuce and the perilla leaves on the table. He also did not forget to lay down the chili paste with soy sauce, chili paste with vinegar, wasabi sauce, rice, garlic and octopus.

“Well then. Shall we eat?”

“Can I eat with you?”

“Of course,” Ellie said with a nod. The food that Minhyuk made was quite a lot so it was no problem sharing the food with each other.

Minhyuk lifted three large pieces of sashimi on his own plate.

“Hiyaa!”

The slices all look plump and fresh and transparent. It looked so delicious that no one could resist taking a bite out of it. And as expected, Ellie also went for the sashimi first. She picked a slice and placed it in her mouth.

Chew, chew, chew, chew━

Ellie could feel the chewiness of the sashimi in every bite that she took. The more she chewed on it, the more she could taste the savory and plain flavor of the fish. This time, she clamped three pieces and dipped them in chili paste vinegar all at once. The sweet and sour flavor of the sauce met with the bland flavor of the sashimi, blending to create a delicious harmony of flavors. Then, Ellie dipped it in the wasabi sauce. The flavor of the wasabi and soy sauce seemed to add a deeper flavor to the sashimi, which made it all the more delicious.

“Let’s see.”

Minhyuk picked up some perilla leaves, before firmly placing a piece of sashimi on top of it, together with some spicy dipping sauce and garlic. He also did not forget to add some spicy peppers in his wrap. After wrapping them in the leaves, he placed the wrap in his mouth directly.

“Heuhahaha, sashimi is so delicious!”

Minhyuk’s mouth curled into a smile. The fragrant scent of the perilla leaves together with the delicious flavor of the garlic, pepper, spicy dipping sauce and sashimi had combined and was slowly spreading in his mouth. His mouth turned numb from the spiciness, but it was still arguably very delicious!

Then, Minhyuk picked up some octopus that he had placed on the table as a service. He quickly placed the squirming octopus sashimi in his mouth. He could feel it move and wriggle every time he chewed and by the time that he swallowed it down his throat, he could feel that it had all gone soft and chewy. 

The two of them happily ate sashimi together.

“Phew...” Ellie breathed out, closing her eyes to savor the flavor of the dish that she ate. It was so delicious that a smile adorned her lips. The taste of the food made her recall the memories of the past. She felt like she was transported back to that time, when she was that young girl, going out to fish with her father.

When she opened her eyes again...

“Oh?”

…Minhyuk was already peeling open a bag of ramyeon noodles over the pot of boiling spicy fish stew.

“Ramyeon is always good, right?” 

“Of couuuurse~” 

Minhyuk grinned as he added the noodles to the pot. He also did not forget to add his hand-pulled dough into the pot. The spicy fish stew boiled loudly as the ingredients began to cook in it. Ellie took her spoon, intending to have a taste of the soup.

“Not yet. It still needs to boil more.” 

“Yes!” 

The spicy fish stew would taste better the longer it boiled. The starch from the noodles, as well as the hand-pulled dough, would also make the soup thicker and tastier. However, the noodles were just added, so it still needed to boil more.

Then, Ellie took another sip before nodding and saying, “It’s done.” 

“Oh.” 

Ellie was the first one to scoop out some noodles into her bowl. Then, Minhyuk scooped out a huge amount of noodles before ladling some hot soup. Minhyuk’s bowl was overflowing with water parsley, crown daisy, noodles and flatfish. He quickly blew on his noodles before slurping them up.

“Oho. Ramyeon noodles are the way, the truth and the life.”

Then, he took a sip of the spicy soup. There were no words, instead, only a sound of admiration could be heard from his mouth. The soup tasted perfect! If Minhyuk let it boil just a little more, it would taste too salty. Therefore, he swiftly turned off the stove, before continuing to slurp his noodles as he picked the flesh of the fish away from its bones.

When eating spicy soup, rice could not be left out, so he filled up the amount that was lacking in the bowl. Ellie had already finished two bowls of rice when Minhyuk glanced at her. She was in a good mood and was smiling so brightly that Minhyuk could not bring himself to remind her of her promise.

Once she finished eating, Minhyuk finally heard the notification for his quest completion.

[You have completed the Linked Quest: Make Rockfish Sashimi for Ellie.]

[You will now be able to master Ellie’s Swordsmanship.]

[You will now be able to get ancient cooking ingredients.]

Then, Ruth, who had been standing nearby, swiftly handed a skill book over to Minhyuk, along with a small box.

Minhyuk realized something as he was trying to open the locked box and check the ingredients inside. He thought, ‘I don’t have a key?’ 

“I know what you’re thinking. I’ll look at your swordsmanship first. Only then, will you be able to eat something delicious,” Ellie said, smirking slyly at Minhyuk as she let the key dangle and jingle from her hands. Ellie had now become proficient in taming Minhyuk.

Minhyuk pouted as he reached out for the skill book. In fact, Minhyuk’s skills had already evolved and leveled up thanks to King Varen. However, at present, there was an opportunity for his skills to evolve once again. This time, it was different. Ellie would not personally teach him, only allowing him to learn through a skill book.

Minhyuk checked the skill book before acquiring the skills. He sighed in relief after he checked the skill book.

‘There are no requirements.’ 

Minhyuk was not able to learn skills through skill books due to the class requirement. However, this skill happened to ignore requirements, much like the ‘Intangible Sword’ skill.

“Acquire.”

Following his words, the skill book floated in the air and flashed with a deep red light. The red light was sucked into Minhyuk’s body as a strong wind blew around him.

Shwaaaaa━

[A chapter of Ellie’s Swordsmanship has been added.]

[You have learned the Blooming Sword]

[Swords will indiscriminately rise from the ground within an eight meter radius from your position. These swords will attack your enemies and cause explosions with additional 70% damage.]

[You have learned the Splitting Sword.]

[A powerful red sword with an additional 110% attack power will soar and fly towards your enemy.]