Chapter 141: Ballad’s Cup, Shabu-shabu
The most flustered were the people left in the dungeon of the Corrupted Goddess Juis. Especially Callian! He could not hide his shock and embarrassment when the Wrathful Spirit of Goddess Juis suddenly disappeared in a flash of light.
‘T…this...?’
Even Black was dumbfounded as he stood next to Callian. He stammered, “W…what?”
That was when a series of notifications rang in everyone’s ears.
[Goddess Juis’ anger has been appeased.]
[All of the catastrophes that Goddess Juis had doomed the continent with, have disappeared.]
[Goddess Juis has blessed the Northern Continent.]
[EXP Acquisition Rate and Item Drop Rate from monsters will increase by 25% for one month.]
“...!”
Callian and Black’s eyes met as they heard another set of notifications.
[The quest has failed.]
[The quest penalty will now be applied, you are banned from entering the Northern Continent.]
“...”
The two were once again left speechless. The quest failed? This meant that they were not able to kill the Wrathful Spirit of Goddess Juis. It just literally disappeared in front of them. Why? It was because the anger of Goddess Juis had already been appeased. When he heard the information that Bach had gotten from the priest, which he had summoned through the soul summoning, he knew that the dungeon would only be created when Goddess Juis was angered.
Callian and Black once again made eye contact. They could both see the dumbfoundedness in each other’s eyes. Then, a thought flashed through Callian’s head.?‘We?spent almost a week just preparing for this attack... We also need to pay the mercenaries that we hired in this attack, as well as the potions that they took, including the maintenance for their equipment.’
The cost was nearly 1,000 platinum. According to the previous calculation, their expenses were around 100 billion gold. If converted to cash? Billions of won. Callian suddenly burst out in tears, he could not help but weep at their impending doom. Right on time, one of his tactless guild members also added salt to the wound, without meaning to.
[Guild Chat | Revo: GM! The viewership rating is over 40% now! It’s totally awesome! Wow! So awesome!]
The ratings were over 40%... In other words, 40% of the people in the country were all tuned in to the joke that they had become. They could imagine them going?‘Hahahaha... They’re f*cked.’?and laughing at them in contempt.
[Guild Chat | Load: ...Revo. You’re not watching the live broadcast right? If you don’t want to get kicked out of the guild then you better shut up.]
[Guild Chat | Carmang:...]
[Guild Chat | Hippo:...]
[Guild Chat | Rook:...]
[Guild Chat | Revo: What, what’s wrong?]
The guild chat was filled with condolences and crying. The same scenario was also played in the Louvert Guild’s guild chat. What was even worse was that Black accepted an interview before about Legend Guild’s Chef trying to cook a dish to satisfy Goddess Juis. This was what he said…
[Black: His efforts are commendable. (smile)]
However, now, even without looking at the comments, he could already imagine the viewers’ comments.
[BlackRiceFlavor: Hehehehehehehehehehehe, look at Black’s expression hehe. It’s like he was saying ‘Where did it go?’. Now he looks like he has lost everything in the world.]
[fadd512: I just can’t help but feel angry... The mobs did not drop any gold or artifacts, what the hell is wrong with this dungeon? I heard before that the drops would appear after killing the Wrathful Spirit of Goddess Juis. What did they do all this time?]
[TeacherTongman: What did they do? Slashing in the air, most likely.]
[fad31: Let’s not roast them too much... They also tried to save us... I feel a bit sorry for them. Fi. Ght. Ing.]
“Ha, hahahahaha...!” Black suddenly laughed loudly.
When Callian saw him laughing, he also burst out in loud laughter, “Hahahahahahaha!”
The two men laughed crazily for a while. Ballad’s Cup, the acknowledgment of Black’s cooking, and even the possibility of recruiting senior rankers, these beautiful dreams had all disappeared.
Black snorted as he thought,?‘Goddess Juis gave her blessings to the Northern Continent...’
As a result, the EXP Acquisition Rate, as well as the Drop Rate, had both increased by 25%. This only meant one thing…
‘That chef bastard, who the hell is he?’
…Goddess Juis had been satisfied completely. They had somehow managed to provide her with a legendary dish, for her to bless the Northern Continent.
***
During the time Callian and his team entered the boss room…
Minhyuk was hurriedly moving towards the temple where Eidni was praying as hard as he could. They were quite fortunate that Goddess Juis responded to their calls quickly this time. Minhyuk entered the temple and presented the spicy stir-fried chicken in front of Goddess Juis. Once she laid eyes on her dish, her eyes grew the size of the saucers in shock.
‘H…how did he know?’ historical Goddess Juis was truly craving some spicy stir-fried chicken! It even had cheese in the middle that looked like Moses performing his miracle, with how it parted the red sauce! The chicken was still steaming when it arrived in front of her. She gently lifted a piece of chicken, dipped it in cheese and lifted it up. The cheese stretched long, making her lick her lips in anticipation.
‘I can only try and eat food once a year after all! What if it’s not delicious?’
Juis slowly moved away from the dish, it seemed like she was a little afraid to taste another failed dish. However, before she could even move away, she felt an unusual power from the dish.
‘D…don’t tell me… for real?’
Juis quickly checked the information of the dish. Her expression morphed into that of genuine surprise. She turned to look at the still-bowing Minhyuk in front of her and thought,?‘Truly impressive...’
The legendary dish that had only appeared in the past a few times! To be honest, Juis was already planning on releasing the catastrophe after a longer period of time. After all, she knew that it was entirely impossible for a legendary dish to appear and satisfy her. However, against all odds, a legendary dish was sitting in front of her. It was even the dish that she wanted to eat the most! Juis hurriedly sat down. Then…
“...?”
…Juis witnessed another amazing sight. A round pan filled with the same delicious food as hers magically appeared in front of Minhyuk.
“Goddess Juis!”
“Speak.”
“I have the ability to manifest the same dish that I have cooked for others. May I have the honor of eating with you?”
Juis thought, ‘Is?this his?innate ability as a god...?’
However, his skills were still truly impressive. In fact, Minhyuk had not slept for four straight days because he wanted to finish this quest. One could even see the traces of exhaustion on his face. However, he still wanted to taste the legendary spicy stir-fried chicken that he had created!
“I’m giving you permission.”
After Juis gave Minhyuk her permission, she quickly picked up her chopsticks while Minhyuk stood up. Juis did not pay him any attention. She gulped loudly as she stared at the food.
‘Well then, first...’
Juis finally stretched out her chopsticks, clamping down on the chicken that was fully coated and covered with the bright red sauce. She slowly placed it in her mouth, savoring its flavor and texture.
‘S, soft...!’
The meat seemed to have melted in her mouth. Then, the spicy flavor of the sauce slowly spread in her mouth. The flavor and texture of the dish were so divine that a small smile graced her lips. However, when it came to the soft and chewy steamed rice cakes, she could not help herself from exclaiming, “I never tasted anything like this before!”
“Hehehehe! It’s delicious if you eat it like this!” Minhyuk said as he picked a piece of chicken and dipped it in the cheese. Then, the cheese stretched out! Minhyuk quickly placed the chicken in his mouth and the stretched cheese was pulled out from the pan.
“I see, you know how to eat!”
“Madam Juis, the sweet potato is also delicious.”
“Chomp.?Of course. It does feel a little nice to eat with you, since you know how to eat well.”
Following Minhyuk’s lead, Juis picked out a piece of sweet potato. Chewing on the sweet potato that was also covered in the savory sauce, she could taste the spicy flavor of the sauce. However, the aftertaste… The aftertaste was beyond sweet. It was a truly exceptional taste.
In the middle of their eating, a notification rang in Minhyuk’s head.
[Beanie is requesting a summon.]
My goodness! It seemed like Beanie could smell the food and was now intensely requesting a summon! In fact, Beanie could still gain EXP even if it was in the summons room, as long as Minhyuk ate delicious food. In other words, Beanie could also eat deliciously inside. To think it was actively asking for a summon?
‘Perhaps it’s because it’s more delicious when you eat together.’
Minhyuk suddenly spoke, “Goddess Juis.”
“Yeah.”
“May I summon my pet?”
Juis suddenly paused her enjoyment. She thought,?‘Incarnation...’
However, based on her observations, it seemed like Minhyuk was not aware of his existence. Juis kept silent, only nodding in agreement.
Beanie appeared on Minhyuk’s shoulder, its tiny paws raised high. Then… it suddenly slapped Minhyuk’s cheek.
Slap!
“Ooiink!”
‘How can you eat such delicious food without me! Oink!’
Then, Beanie dropped itself down on the floor as the same dish appeared in front of him. Beanie ate like it wanted to hide the food from everybody else. It picked up the udon noodles first, then…
“Sluuuuurp!”
…Beanie almost sucked all of the noodles in one go! There were even traces of sauce left around the rim of its mouth.
“Oink!”
‘Kyaa! It’s the best! Oink!’
Juis grinned and said, “That’s an interesting pet.”
“Well, yes.”
“It looks just like you.” “...”
Minhyuk looked at Beanie, speechless. Beanie was literally a baby piggy and people were telling him that he looked just like Beanie… In other words? It meant that he looked like a pig, right?
.
Minhyuk quickly spoke up as if trying to defend himself, and said, “Ey, no way.”
“Oink?” Beanie oinked and looked at Minhyuk with a wide grin plastered on his face.
‘Don’t even try to deny it, Master. Oink!’
“...”
Minhyuk was left speechless once again. He quietly placed a piece of pickled radish on top of his chicken and placed it in his mouth.
“Keuhahahaha!”
Then, Minhyuk quickly picked up some chewy hand-pulled dough.
“I…I’m so happy...”
“I also feel happy. I can’t believe that I’m able to eat such delicious food after a year...”
Minhyuk was shocked at Juis’ words. He asked again to confirm, “A…after a year...?”
“I don’t eat any food usually. The exception is when they hold a ritual and ceremonial service for me.”
“...You truly deserve to be angry,” Minhyuk said, as both he and Juis nodded in sync.
For some reason, he felt sad for Juis. The people of Valkyrie Kingdom had always said that she loved to play tricks. They would even downplay the situation, brushing it off and saying that it was not that big of a deal and she was just making such a huge mess out of it. However, when he thought about it, it was a day that she had been looking forward to after an entire year of waiting and anticipation! And that day was ruined!
“I understand. I also would have been angry if I was in your position. I’ll definitely tell His Highness, Varen, to prepare harder from now on!” Minhyuk said. He understood her from the bottom of his heart.
“Hoho. Thank you,” Juis said, before stopping in her tracks, stunned. She could not believe herself! She unknowingly spoke familiarly with the human being in front of her. It felt like she had known him for quite a long time.
“Ah, Goddess Juis. I’ll prepare fried rice for your first meal in a year.”
“Ho. That’s good!” Juis answered, nodding happily.
Minhyuk quickly moved. With a flick of his wrists, he had already gathered the remaining sauce in Juis’ pan. Then, he added some leftover pieces of meat and white rice to it. Just like that, he added some prepared and chopped perilla leaves, lettuce and kimchi to the pan. He also did not forget to add a sprinkle of sesame oil and some red chili paste. Then… He started to stir-fry the delicious rice.
“Ooink!”
Beanie was also frying his own fried rice behind Minhyuk. What an extremely amazing piggy. ?Minhyuk’s stir-frying was quite a flamboyant and brilliant performance. After quickly stir-frying the ingredients together, he pressed the rice down on the pan before cranking the heat up to the highest temperature possible. This was so the rice would be toasted better.
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
It was the light and cheery sound of the bottom of the fried rice being cooked perfectly.
[This is the best time to turn off the heat.]
Minhyuk quickly turned off the fire and plated the dish. Then, he quickly made his own fried rice. He also did not forget to scratch the bottom of the pan with his spoon.
“He...”
The bottom was toasted to a perfect brown. When he saw it, he could not stop himself from scraping a spoonful, placing it in his mouth. He then exclaimed, “It’s really, really delicious!”
“Oiiink!”
“I like it too!”
A pleasant meal was shared between the three of them. After finishing their meals, Juis felt that her stomach was exceptionally full. However, she faintly realized that it was not the end yet. She saw Beanie gesturing at Minhyuk.
“Oink, oink, oink!”
Beanie acted out pouring something into a glass! Minhyuk quickly understood what it meant. He then quickly pulled some cider out of his inventory. The cider appeared in front of Beanie. Then, the cute piglet quickly picked up a spoon with its tiny hands and opened the bottle with a pop!
“Oh.”
Clap, clap!
Minhyuk clapped his hands in admiration. He was quite impressed with Beanie and its antics. Beanie smiled proudly as it poured the cider into three glasses.
“Gulp, gulp, gulp, gulp.”
Juis finally tasted a refreshing and clear cider! Her expression at this moment was screaming?‘Ah, I feel alive!’. Beanie gulped its cider with an ‘Oink!’ while Minhyuk gulped it down saying, “Kyaa!”
Juis was in awe. She nodded in happiness thinking,?‘I am really satisfied...’
Juis might have been disappointed with what happened at the ceremony, and with Rald’s dish, but the dish that the chef in front of her had given her was truly the best of the best. Once again, she nodded in happiness. Then, notifications rang in her head after she finished her meal.
[You ate a dish from a recipe specially made for you.]
[You won’t be able to eat another dish from a recipe specially made for you for a month.]
[You can’t receive any duplicate buffs during the duration of the buff retention period.]
[Spicy Stir-Fried Chicken.]
[Goddess Juis’ blessings would increase by +6 while her Holy Power would double for 60 days.]
Juis’ eyes widened in shock, ‘Isn’t this buff too amazing?’
Meanwhile, Minhyuk decided to check his satisfaction level. Juis was literally a god, so Varen, Crow and Locke were definitely incomparable to her. He wondered how much the satisfaction bar went up as he quickly clicked on it.