Two attacking skills had been added to Ellie’s Swordsmanship. Blooming Sword was a wide AOE skill, while Splitting Sword was an attack that could send out powerful sword lights.

‘There’s even a 110% additional attack power...’

Splitting Sword also allowed Minhyuk to stay put without needing to approach the enemy to launch the attack.

After Minhyuk finished learning and absorbing the skill, Ellie handed the key to him. Minhyuk excitedly opened the box. Once the box opened, a sour, yet mouth-watering, smell wafted out and stung the tip of his nose. The item placed inside was an old wooden kettle. As soon as Minhyuk grabbed the handle of the kettle...

[You have acquired Ancient Yoplait[1].]

[You can get 5 liters of Ancient Yoplait from the wooden kettle.]

Minhyuk’s eyes widened in surprise when he heard the notification. Yoplait was a fermented yogurt that smelled and tasted sour. One could make a variety of flavors with Yoplait just by adding different fruits like strawberries or pineapple. You could even add honey for a different flavor.

“In the past, there was an amazing master craftsman in the Eivelis Empire that made this amazing yogurt. The yogurt that he made was so delicious that the emperor of that time even declared his care for the craftsman. The craftsman gave his all and made his final and best yogurt for his descendants before dying. This yogurt would not go bad and stay delicious for quite a long time. In addition, even if this kettle looked and weighed like this, it could still hold a huge amount of yogurt inside.”

“Wow...” Minhyuk exclaimed in awe. The thought of the endless flavor that he could make with this ancient yogurt brought him satisfaction and happiness. He quickly pulled out a glass and poured some Yoplait in it. He could see the white Yoplait sloshing about in his glass. Its color was reminiscent of its maturity and taste. Then, he took a spoon and quickly took a bite of the yogurt.

‘Wow...’ 

The taste was surprisingly more sweet than sour, considering the fact that it was left to age for quite a long time already. However, to Minhyuk’s mild surprise, he did not hear any notifications after eating some of it. Minhyuk quickly checked the information of the ancient Yoplait. He saw that the yogurt did not have any special abilities attached to it. Regardless, even though it did not give him additional powers, Minhyuk was still satisfied with it because it was truly delicious.

“Are you going now?”

“Yes. I think I have to go to Valkyrie Kingdom now?”

“Alright,” Ellie said, nodding as she watched Minhyuk disappear in a flash of light.

***

Plenty of players had already arrived in the capital of Valkyrie Kingdom. There were players that managed to arrive successfully in the capital either because they were part of a subjugation force, or a mercenary group, or through quests. Some even tried to find other ways to enter Valkyrie Kingdom through the information that they had gathered from Athenae’s official website. Due to all of that, the streets of the capital of Valkyrie Kingdom were now completely crowded. Most of these players were quite intrigued and curious because the Kingdom Knights and soldiers were all moving around busily.

“Did you hear? Today is the day when Legend Guild will be awarded with a title and territory. I also heard that the knights and soldiers are all busy because they are preparing to welcome the Frying Pan Killer.”

“Gasp...?! They’re waiting to greet a player?”

“He’s not just a simple player. He’s the Frying Pan Killer, the hero of the Northern Continent, you know?”

“Amazing. Even the king is preparing to greet a foreigner.”

For many of the players, the Frying Pan Killer was already a celebrity. Meanwhile, the guild members of Legend Guild were all gathered in front of the castle. Among them, Genie, Khan and Locke were talking among themselves.

“...The old man that is good at making coffee will be our vassal?”

“Yeah...”

“Don’t you think we should persuade him a bit?”

“I…Is that so?”

Minhyuk was not answering his whispers again so they thought that he was probably eating something delicious again. They knew that Minhyuk often turned off his whispers whenever he was eating something, so it was easy to conclude what he was doing now that their whispers could not reach him.

“Anyway, Zank said that he would be coming to our temporary base after the peerage ceremony is over. I think we can try and convince him by then.”

Zank, one of the Thousand Heavenly Spear Masters, was the NPC that the guild had built a high favor with.

At that moment, the players suddenly went abuzz.

“K…King Varen is running?”

“Gasp?!”

The members of Legend Guild turned to look at the scene. They were quite shocked to see King Varen’s face suddenly glowing brightly. He looked like he was someone that had finally seen his long-lost first love. He even threw off his subordinates as he ran towards someone.

When they looked at the direction where he was headed, they saw a young man with a lid of strawberry Yoplait in his hand. After the man had licked everything on the lid, he suddenly took out a bucket of Yoplait, placed a dollop on it, before licking it again.

“As expected. Yoplait is much more delicious if you lick it from the lid.”

“...”

“...”

The players all around him were left speechless. Then, one of them said, “Wait, where is the Frying Pan Killer?”

“I know right? I think that guy is just a cosplay player.”

“That Yoplait really looks delicious though...”

The people looked around everywhere to try and find the whereabouts of the Frying Pan Killer. Then, they heard King Varen say, “Did you just arrive? Our Valkyrie Kingdom’s Hero!!!!”

Varen had recognized him in one glance. He knew that there was only one player who would eat Yoplait in that way! No matter how many cosplay players there were, no one would be able to copy Minhyuk and his strange mannerisms! Not long after, the Legend Guild members, the knights and the king entered the palace.

“...I can’t believe that the person licking yogurt on the Yoplait lid was actually the Frying Pan Killer.”

“At times like these, there’s this saying.” 

“What is it?” 

“Even the rich would lick Yoplait off of the lid.”

***

[You have been granted the title of a Viscount.]

[You are allowed to employ three vassals. You can find them through vassal quests or within the territory granted to you.]

[You have gained 300 REP.]

[You are the first player to be granted a peerage in the Northern Continent.]

[Your EXP Acquisition Rate and Item Drop Rate will double for 2 weeks.]

[The Valhalla Territory has been registered as Legend Guild’s base.]

[You can now collect taxes from Valhalla Territory.]

[Expanding the size of your territory will benefit Valhalla Territory and its citizens.]

Minhyuk continued to lick his yogurt off of the lid even after he had been granted the title and finished the ceremony. He was now walking with the members of Legend Guild. Then, he suddenly said, “I couldn’t get the ingredients for Genie and Khan. Sorry.”

Genie and Khan shook their heads when they heard his words.

“It’s fine~”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Minhyuk should only do it if you’re comfortable with it. If you want to eat delicious food, then do it. We’ll take care of the management of the land, so don’t worry about it.”

They always tried to accommodate Minhyuk to the best of their abilities. In fact, today was the last day of the Time Attack Dungeon. However, the Black Swan Guild was still firmly rooted in first place. No matter how much Genie, Khan and Locke tried, they still could not get past the one-hour threshold. The outcome might have been a bit different if they had eaten Minhyuk’s buffed dishes, but they decided to just ask him for a favor next time. Nevertheless, they had already tried two of their five attacks today, so they were already thinking of finishing the Time Attack Dungeon after they had settled the matters related to the vassals. They would quickly go back there and try to narrow the gap between the countries as much as they could.

Once they came out of the palace, an old man who was leisurely waiting outside approached them. He said, “Hoho. Is our Minhyuk still eating Yoplait?”

“Yep! Did you buy the thing that I asked you to buy with the money I gave you?”

“Of course! I wouldn’t come here if I didn’t buy it already.”

Ben had bought a book called ‘Barista Made Easy, For the Elderly’ upon Minhyuk’s orders. It seemed like Minhyuk had truly decided to turn Ben into his personal barista. The guild members who saw Grandpa Ben were all left in wonder.

“Genie-noona. Are you telling me that the old man over there will be the first vassal of our territory...?” Ace asked. This was the question that was floating on everyone’s head.

“Maybe it’s because Minhyuk still is not aware of these things. I’ll talk to him later.”

In fact, the reason why Genie wanted to persuade Minhyuk was not only for them but for Minhyuk too. The first vassal was truly too important for Minhyuk and his dreams of a Let’s Eat Life. If they recruited a strong and reliable vassal, then it would be a lot easier for him.

Meanwhile, Grandpa Ben…

“Oh my, you’re eating so well. Oh my, you really eat well! Hohoho!”

“...”

“...”

…was looking at Minhyuk like he was looking at his own grandson. He was overflowing with fatherly love that it looked like hearts would flow out from his eyes at any moment.

Ace looked at them intently and noticed the spear hanging on Grandpa Ben’s back. He said, “Maybe he’s a Spear Master too.”

“Maybe.”

Before they realized it, they had already arrived at the guild’s temporary base. As soon as they entered the base, Minhyuk said, “Grandpa Ben. Would you please make a cup of coffee for my guild members and show me your improved skill!”

“Then, I’ll show you! Hohoho!”

Ace’s eyes never left Grandpa Ben. He watched him carefully. Legend Guild had a total of 18 members. All of them sat around a table and talked happily. However, Grandpa Ben suddenly slammed down a huge thermos that was usually used in restaurants on top of the table before quickly pouring down boiling water inside. 

‘Are you going to give us instant coffee in a paper cup? But… I like iced choco more?’

The large thermos looked like it could accommodate at least 20 liters of water. However, something seemed wrong. He could see that Grandpa Ben was tearing all of the packets of instant coffee and pouring it in the water.

“C…Crow... Th…that grandpa... H…he’s weird.....!”

“Huh?”

Ace slapped Crow’s arms so he had no choice but to look at the Old Man.

“Ack...?!”

The guild members all turned speechless at the sight. They saw him add more than a hundred packets of instant coffee before stirring it with a ladle. Then, Grandpa Ben picked up a paper cup, poured some coffee in it, before handing it to Minhyuk.

Minhyuk looked impressed after taking a sip of the coffee. He said, “Wow. You’re really good at making coffee now!”

Khan mumbled to himself as he watched this weird scene, “Th…that old man... He’s completely Minhyuk-ified...”

“Huh. Yeah...”

‘My goodness! I can’t believe that he added hundreds of instant coffee in one thermos!’

“Can I please have a cup of coffee too...”

“Boy. Why don’t you take it yourself? Do you have no hands or feet? I can’t believe that you’re asking an old man like me to deliver it to you!”

Even though Grandpa Ben was completely Minhyuk-ified, he was still cold and strict towards other people. Then, he turned towards Minhyuk and said, “Do you want another cup?”

“I think I need about 50 more cups! Let’s do tea time during the mornings!”

“As expected.”

The guild members could only laugh helplessly as they watched the harmonious atmosphere between the two of them. While everyone was enjoying their cups of coffee, Genie had finally decided to bring up the matter about the vassals.

“Minhyuk, how did you get to know him?” 

“He was a fisherman at sea, and one way or another, it ended up with him saying that he had to stay with me forever.”

Gennie nodded when she heard his words. She thought, ‘Minhyuk always had a soft spot for the elderly, so he must have supported him in some request. But, he’s still just an NPC.’

Genie sighed as she looked at Locke and Khan and gestured outside with her chin. The three of them all walked outside to talk.

“Let’s just have that old man as our vassal.” 

“Is there really no other way?” Khan asked, smiling wryly. He could see that Minhyuk quite liked the old man’s coffee. It was a little unfortunate that an old man like him would become their first vassal, but it seemed like it was inevitable. Considering the fact that only Minhyuk could recruit the three vassals, he was a bit hesitant to fill one spot with an old man. However, they had no choice since Minhyuk looked like he had taken a liking to the old man, so he just had to fill the rest with strong men.

At that moment, one of the Thousand Heavenly Spear Masters, Zank, arrived. He asked, “Had the viscount arrived?” 

“Ah. Yes. He already arrived.” 

“Will the viscount really grant me the favor that I talked to you about before?” 

“I haven’t had the time to bring it up yet...” 

Right now, he would be recruited as the second vassal, but they had not had the time to talk to Minhyuk about him yet. However, if they sent Zank away, they would probably risk losing favorability with him.

Genie pondered for a bit and decided to let him greet Minhyuk. She said, “Yes. The viscount is inside. I think it’s better if you greet him first.” 

“I understand,” Zank answered with a nod as he walked inside. He was a man in his thirties and  was someone whose level was a bit higher than Genie’s. However, his back looked extremely wide and reliable in their eyes. However, just as they entered the base, Zank suddenly took a step back.

“Aaah...” 

Zank’s body trembled at the sight of Grandpa Ben handing a coffee to Minhyuk. Once he realized that he was not dreaming, he quickly took a few steps back and bowed at a 90 degree angle and said, “Zank of the Thousand Heavenly Spear Masters gives his greetings to the Legend of the Continent, Ghost Spear Ben!” 

“...?”

“...?”

“...?”

All the guild members looked at this scene in confusion.

Then, they heard Grandpa Ben say, “You’ve grown up a lot, Zank. I heard before that you’re now a part of the Thousand Heavenly Spear Masters. Is that the reason why your head is so high up the clouds now?”

His words made the eyes of all the guild members present widen in shock.

1. A brand of yogurt ☜