After a long wait, Bok-Gyeong finally received his fried chicken skewers, the embarrassment and disgust evident on his face, ‘I’m a master of Chinese cuisine… to think I waited in line to try and eat something like this…’
He held the fried chicken skewer that could easily be bought with 2,000 won in reality. He could feel the careful consideration of the ‘fried chicken seller’, from the tissue that wrapped the long stick of the fried chicken skewer and the thick coat of seasoning that covered the chicken.
‘I don’t think my appetite will grow after eating such trashy food.’
Bok-Gyeong trembled at the thought of eating the food in his hand. However, he had to eat it so that Beyond the Heavens would not be able to take away the great Louvert Guild’s master, Twilight Chef Black. Bok-Gyeong could only grit his teeth and take a little bite of the fried chicken skewers. The moment his teeth closed in on the meat…
Crunch—
A pleasant sound rang out. The more he chewed, the more he could taste the charms of the fried skewer.
‘Huh?’
Bok-Gyeong looked confused. There was not much he could tell after tasting something so small, so this time, he took a big bite of the red, glossy, fried chicken skewer.
Crunch—
Another pleasant crunch greeted Bok-Gyeong’s ears. The savory and rich flavor of the seasoned sauce, the juicy chicken, and the crunchy, perfectly fried batter spread out in his mouth, creating a perfect harmony.
‘Deli…cious…!’
It was different from the greasy flavor that Bok-Gyeong knew of and expected. That was when Bok-Gyeong saw the ‘fried chicken seller’ replace the oil inside the frying pot. He could not help but ask, “Why are you throwing away the oil?”
“The more you fry something in the same batch of oil, the more the flavor changes. Also, it’s not good for the body.”
It was at that moment that Bok-Gyeong realized that the fried chicken seller was in full attire.
‘What the…?’
The man was wearing a cooking cap and an apron, with gloves on his hands. The man was diligent with hygiene as well, and Bok-Gyeong could not differentiate him from the chef of a five star hotel. Not long after that, Bok-Gyeong ate up all of his fried chicken skewers in a hurry.
‘Oh my god! I have never tasted a fried chicken skewer quite like this!’
Bok-Gyeong was not only an Athenae chef ranker, but also a renowned chef in reality. Right now, he was filled with genuine admiration toward the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s Emperor Skewers. But that was not the end. Bok-Gyeong was given another shock after he finished everything up.
[You have eaten a dish made by the Chef of Delight and have fulfilled the conditions to change to the legendary class: Chinese Cuisine’s Legend.]
[You have become the Chinese Cuisine’s Legend.]
[You have gained 1000 DEX.]
[You have acquired The Pleasure of Chinese Cuisine.]
[Len is a chef that has gained various achievements after overcoming many harsh difficulties and trials. If you learn how to cook under Len’s tutelage, you will be able to increase your proficiency in Chinese Cuisine at a rapid pace.]
“…!”
Bok-Gyeong was shocked.
‘The old and shabby man in front is the Chef of Delight? The very same chef that shook the entire Asgan Continent?’
On top of that, the man’s job in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom was to sell ‘Emperor’s Skewers’. It was completely unbelievable. However, the taste of the man’s dish was proof enough. Bok-Gyeong was a chef that specialized in cooking Chinese dishes in reality so he could tell that the man was the real deal. As a chef, he had a lot of things that he was curious about so he asked, “Why, why did you choose Chinese cuisine?”
Bok-Gyeong wanted to know the reason why Asgan Continent’s legendary chef chose Chinese cuisine. After all, it was a subject that he was adept in.
“His Majesty cooked Chinese food for me once. It was so delicious that it made me want to specialize in Chinese cuisine.”
“…!”
Bok-Gyeong was astonished after hearing the man’s words.
‘Are you telling me that the Beyond the Heavens’ King’s cooking is at that level?!’
Anyone that heard that would wonder if it truly made sense. Just from tasting one dish, the Chef of Delight learned the pleasure and greatness of Chinese cuisine, and eventually reached a level where he became a legend in Chinese cuisine.
‘Beyond the Heavens’ King… The Food God…! He, he’s a very respectable person…! Also, wasn’t the Food God’s teacher the legend of Chinese cuisine?’
Actually, what Len told Bok-Gyeong was only half true. Len was born without a sense of taste. It was only after eating the sweet and sour pork, jjajang, and jjampong that Minhyuk prepared for him, that he started on the path of Chinese cuisine. He chose that purely because of his admiration toward the food.
Of course, Bok-Gyeong was unaware of the exact details of the events back then. His eyes sparkled brightly as he thought, ‘I will go to Beyond the Heavens too!’
Bok-Gyeong, who had gone to the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom to prevent Black from moving, made a shocking decision right there and then.
At the same time.
Bully, the chef second to Black in Louvert Guild and a master of Korean cuisine, was someone that had a rough childhood. He had become successful through hard work and diligence. Bully also had a brother with an intellectual disability, and could not help but cry after tasting the ramyeon at ‘Conir’s Ramyeon Shop’.
“I, I have never tasted ramyeon this delicious…!”
It was only ramyeon using ordinary and common ingredients, but it had the best flavor! Bully believed that this was something that he had to learn as a chef. It was also shocking to him to see that a boy with a condition similar to his younger brother, was able to cook such delicious ramyeon.
“Hey kid, why did you choose to cook ramyeon?”
“His Majesty told Conir that Conir would be the one in charge of ramyeon. Conir is glad that he cooked ramyeon!!!”
“Ah…!”
At that moment, Bully felt his heart throb, as if it was embraced by a warm breeze. He thought, ‘Even intellectually disabled young boys can easily cook ramyeon…!’
Bully wondered if it was because the Food God wanted to boost the child’s self-esteem and independence, and asked an intellectually disabled boy to perform an easy task.
‘That was it, right?!!’
Of course, the truth was that the Food God only needed someone in charge of making ramyeon for him. But Bully was unaware of that, his emotions already getting the better of him as tears began to well up in his eyes.
‘The Beyond the Heavens King is a great man! He is a kind man!!! Aaah! I can’t help but recall my past!!!’ Bully was moved and thrilled beyond words.
At another place.
Rouwad, the master of Japanese cuisine, was a man that suffered from baldness at a young age of thirty. The middle of his head was a vast and clear ‘land’, free of any ‘grass’.
“Everyone, you can grow yours too!!! Do you believe it?!!!”
“Uwaaaaaaaaaah!!! We believe it!!!”
“We believe!!!”
As Rouwad stood among the countless fanatics, he felt the center of his head heat up and ‘grass’ beginning to grow on his otherwise clear ‘land’.
‘T, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom is a very amazing place…!’
Rouwad was moved by the greatness of this place.
At another location.
One of the chefs sat beside Spear God Ben and drank a cup of coffee while thinking, ‘I have never tasted coffee better than this…’
The chef was in awe. But what made things better were the stories that Spear God Ben told as they drank their coffee.
“I lost my son and went to the Dragon King’s Sea to avenge him.”
The reason why Spear God Ben was telling this story was because he had learned a lot of things when it came to attracting people during his time serving Minhyuk. Through this, Spear God Ben was able to shake the hearts of the people and make them look favorably upon the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.
“I was able to see His Majesty again after fighting countless battles with Aerdes.”
“Aaaaaaaah! What a very touching story!” The chef exclaimed, tears trickling down his cheeks after listening to Ben. It was a beautiful story, a story that no one could listen to without shedding a few tears along the way!
Then, he asked, “Ah, I wonder what coffee bean you used in this coffee? It tastes quite sweet.”
“Ah. I added some honey.”
“I see.”
The honey that Ben used was ‘Sea Honey’, something that Minhyuk used before. The words ‘like king, like retainer’ were truly apt for the situation.
***
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Louvert Guild’s Master Black could not help his embarrassment. Just like what he told his eight executives, he wanted to go to Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, because he wanted to gain more insights into cooking, at that place where they could make dishes with amazing flavors by using ordinary ingredients. Black’s words and actions might have been shitty, but his desire to learn and to cook better was genuine.
‘Right, it’s better for me to tell them what’s really on my mind.’
Black thought that he should tell his executives the reason why he truly wanted to go to Beyond the Heavens. But when he met with them again…
“…”
…he was left unable to open his mouth. It was because the expressions on the faces of all eight of his executives were grim and solemn.
‘What in the world happened to them in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom?’
Black had no idea about the events that transpired when they went to visit Beyond the Heavens.
Then, their youngest, Bok-Gyeong, said, “GM… and seniors… I want to go and find the Food God right away.”
“Right!!!”
“Let’s go and find him right away!!!”
“Let’s go now!!!”
At that moment, Black realized that it was hard to bring up anything after seeing the sharp glint in their eyes. There was a high chance that these people would find trouble with the Food God, and discuss his qualifications, as well as talk about what true ‘cooking’ was. Black thought that it might be impossible for him to join the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom if they said those things and made things worse for him.
‘I’m done for.’
Black sighed lightly. Not long after, the top brass of the Louvert Guild was able to successfully hold a meeting with Food God Minhyuk.
Minhyuk could not hide the doubt on his face when he heard that Louvert Guild’s GM and executives came to find him. He thought, ‘Don’t tell me…?’
Minhyuk frowned. He was aware that many chefs were pointing their fingers at him and mocking his cooking, saying that it was nothing more than playing house. As for Minhyuk? He actually acknowledged some of their words. True, Minhyuk had never learned cooking professionally. But was that reason enough for them to discuss ‘qualifications’ with him? That was laughable. Minhyuk looked at the people with vigilance in his eyes. He was prepared to counter them strongly the moment they tried to discuss his qualifications in cooking.
At that moment, the youngest out of them, Bok-Gyeong, stepped forward grimly and… “Food God!!!” called out to him loudly. It was so loud and powerful that even Minhyuk was left flustered. Then…
“Your Majesty!!! Please accept me in Beyond the Heavens Kingdom!!!”
Thuuuud—
…he went down on both knees and begged Minhyuk earnestly.
“…???”
Minhyuk could not help but tilt his head in confusion. Then, another man ran toward a position that was far more forward than Bok-Gyeong’s position! The chef, whose head was originally empty of hair, knelt down and bowed his head that was now covered with luscious hair, and shouted, “Me too!!! Please accept me too!!!”
“…???”
One by one, the executives of Louvert Guild knelt down and asked Minhyuk to accept them.
“…???”
“…???”
“…???”
Question marks popped up in Minhyuk’s head at the sight in front of him. Meanwhile, Black had turned red after seeing all of his guild members kneel down and asked to join the Beyond the Heavens, leaving him behind.
In fact, Minhyuk could empathize with what was going through Black’s head.
‘What in the world happened to these people to make them do something like that?’
Louvert Guild was a chef’s guild that Black worked hard to raise and nurture. Minhyuk actually acknowledged Black’s pride as someone that built a guild aimed at becoming the best chef’s guild in the world. At that moment, Minhyuk wondered what Black would feel when he was about to lose all of his guild executives?
Black strode forward with a red face. Minhyuk, for a moment, thought, ‘Am I going to get slapped…?’
But then, Black exclaimed, “Food God! I hope you did not forget that I was the one that asked to join your Beyond the Heavens Kingdom first!!!”
“…?”
“Just take this opportunity to annex and take the Louvert Guild under the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom!!!”
“Oh. That’s a great idea. Take all of us under your wing!!!”
“Yes!!! Take Louvert!!!”
“Your Majesty, please accept us!!!”
“Then, Louvert Guild now belongs to Beyond the Heavens?”
“Ahem!”
“Good. Food God, please take Louvert Guild!!!”
Minhyuk watched as the members of Louvert Guild ‘played the drums and beat the janggu’[1]. They even changed their words from ‘please accept us’ to ‘take us’ as if it was only right for him to accept them. The situation was completely ridiculous but Minhyuk thought, ‘So lucky?’
Just like that, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom absorbed Louvert Guild into their ranks. They had now secured a firm and huge foothold that would allow their kingdom to become a true and complete cooking nation.
1. a saying about how they did everything themselves. ☜
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