Even the Great Sage, Heaven’s Equal was unaware of what laid beyond the Papal Wall. However, there was one thing that Sun Wukong knew about it. It was that the Papal Wall was the tomb of Athenae Religion’s first Pope, Kronad.
According to Sun Wukong, Kronad’s Tomb was already there even before he came to this land. No one had ever gone beyond the towering Papal Wall. However, right at this very moment, Minhyuk had crossed the Papal Wall.
[You have crossed over the Papal Wall!]
[You are the first player to have ever crossed the Papal Wall!]
[Anyone that has crossed over the Papal Wall will not be able to leave this land unless they have received permission from this land’s owner.]
[However, you will be able to escape if you were forced to log out!]
[Whispers, guild chats, and any other form of communication have been restricted!]
[You have gained 500 REP.]
[You have gained +5 in all of your stats.]
The land that stretched out in front of Minhyuk was like a new world, one that was surrounded by the towering Papal Walls, and was completely different from Edea.
Minhyuk was only able to relax on Hanwoo’s back after he had crossed over the Papal Wall. The Papal Wall was so thick and sturdy that it did not budge even after he had struck his sword against it for several days.
Gulp—
Minhyuk gulped dryly, his stomach protesting from hunger. Actually, even though Hanwoo had given him a gift set, he could not bear to eat it.
‘I just can’t bring myself to eat the final parting gift that he had given me.’
But now, Hanwoo came back to him and would stay by his side forever.
Gulp—
Minhyuk gulped once again as he sent Hanwoo, who looked as exhausted as he was, to the summoning room. Then, he slowly untied the golden cloth that wrapped the gift set. Inside the box were various cuts of beef in bite-sized pieces gleaming brightly and appealing to him, prompting Minhyuk to quickly check the details of the gift set.
(A Beef Gift Set Given to the Benefactor of the Kingdom of Eden)
Ingredient Grade: Legendary
Special Abilities:
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•STR increases by +3%
•STM increases by +3%
•Basic Hit Attack Damage increases by 5%
•Increases favor and affinity with the Kingdom of Eden.
Description: This is a special beef gift set that has been handed down in the Kingdom of Eden for many generations. Only the benefactor acknowledged by the Bull Demon King will be able to receive this special gift set. The beef, cut from the highest grade beef in the Kingdom of Eden, will absolutely taste fresh and will melt in one’s mouth.
“…”
Minhyuk could not help but admire the gift set in front of him, not because of its special abilities, but because it was said to be the highest grade beef in the Kingdom of Eden.
The beautiful, gleaming beef looked alive, as if it would move with the slightest touch of one’s fingers.
Twitch—
However, the most surprising part was its freshness. Parts like the rump were still twitching and wriggling, as if the cow where it was taken from had just been slaughtered.
The first thing that Minhyuk did was to slice the thick rump into thin slices and spread it on a plate. The rump was the part of the cow that was mainly used for yukhoe or beef sashimi. Then, Minhyuk looked at the ribeye that seemed to be blossoming, and chuck flap tail, happily.
Minhyuk had been through a lot since he came to Edea. From meeting God of Money Henry, to cooking for Queen Ari, to jumping into the battlefield to save Hanwoo.
“You did a good job.”
A meal always tasted delicious especially after a tough and tedious job.
Tick, tick, tick, tick—
Minhyuk placed his grilling pan on top of his stove. Then, with his chopsticks, he grabbed two pieces of the beef sashimi that he laid out on the white plate like a blooming flower, dipped them into the sauce that he prepared, and placed everything in his mouth.
Munch—
The distinct savory flavor of the sesame oil spread all over his mouth, lingering and harmonizing with the freshness of the rump.
Minhyuk carefully placed a piece of the well-marbled chuck flap tail on top of the now red-hot grilling pan.
Sizzleeee—
The moment the meat made contact with the pan, a cheerful and loud sizzle echoed in the area. This was the explosive sound of beef that could make anyone clamor to eat just one piece. Exactly ten seconds later, Minhyuk flipped the beef. After another eight seconds, he scooped the piece of beef from the pan and placed it directly into his mouth.
The delicious juices of the meat exploded in Minhyuk’s mouth the moment he bit down on it. A happy smile bloomed on his face at the softness of the beef. This was the moment that he realized that the description ‘will melt in one’s mouth’ was truly appropriate. After having a taste, Minhyuk immediately placed four pieces of the chuck flap tail on the grill.
Sizzleeeee—
He watched the blooming smoke that floated from the grill for a moment before placing some victory onion on his plate. Then, he added the perfectly cooked beef with some wasabi on top, wrapped everything together and gobbled it up.
The combination of sweetness and savoriness of the victory onion, along with the nose-tickling spiciness of the wasabi instantly washed away the greasiness of the meat.
Next, he grabbed some green onion salad with the beef before placing everything in his mouth.
“Kgghhk!” Minhyuk shouted in admiration as he placed the ribeye, with its perfect red color and marbling, on the grill.
Minhyuk flipped the piece of meat back and forth to cook it well, cutting it into bite-sized pieces once it was cooked perfectly. Then, he grabbed a piece of the cut rib-eye, placed it on top of a lettuce leaf together with some garlic, green onion salad, and ssamjang. Minhyuk then wrapped everything before putting it in his mouth.
The very first thing that greeted his mouth was the fresh and crispy texture of the lettuce, which was immediately followed by the cacophony of flavors that the various ingredients contributed in the wrap.
With only a bit of the beef left, Minhyuk took out a bowl of cold noodle soup, a staple that he always had, from his food inventory. He stared at the refreshing and cool thin sheet of ice that floated on the soup before scooping the noodles up. Then, he added some vinegar and mustard in his bowl and mixed everything properly.
Next, he cut the noodles in his bowl both horizontally and vertically and shook it with his chopsticks to loosen it up. After doing all of that, he lifted the entire bowl and drank the cool and refreshing broth. One sip and his mouth was filled with the sour and refreshing broth of the soup.
“Ugh. Brain freeze.”
A sharp yet refreshing feeling shot up to Minhyuk’s head, as he scooped up a huge mouthful of noodles and ate it up.
“Sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!!!”
The cold, sour and refreshing taste of the cold noodle soup washed away the remaining greasiness in his mouth. Then, he added the remaining pieces of beef in his bowl and…
“Sluuuuuuuuuuuurp!!!”
The soft ribeye and the chewy noodles created a fantastic harmony inside his mouth. After emptying everything, the notifications rang in Minhyuk’s ears.
[You have eaten the A Beef Gift Set Given to the Benefactor of the Kingdom of Eden!]
[Your STR and STM has increased by 3%!]
[Your Basic Hit Attack Damage has increased by 5%!]
[Your favor and affinity with the people of the Kingdom of Eden has increased.]
Minhyuk patted his stomach, a satisfied smile plastered on his face.
‘Now that I’ve had a meal…’
It was now time for him to slowly explore the world surrounded by the Papal Wall. He began to move once again.
***
Special Players Management Team.
Team Leader Park Minggyu had left to attend a meeting while Employee Lee Minhwa was left to roll around in their department.
‘Meanwhile, he’s eating that truly delicious beef…’ Lee Minhwa thought, the longing to eat beef at the company dinner today evident on her face.
Just in time, Team Leader Park, who was held up by the meeting that took longer than expected, opened the door.
“Team, Team Leader! There’s trouble!”
“Trouble? What’s the trouble? More importantly, your saliva…” Park Minggyu looked at Lee Minhwa strangely when he saw the drool dripping down her chin.
“Sluuuuuurp!” Lee Minhwa hurriedly wiped the drool on her face and said, “That’s not the problem right now. Player Minhyuk has entered the Pope’s Tomb.”
“The Pope’s Tomb?” Minggyu repeated, his expression turning ugly.
The Pope’s Tomb was a place that was blocked by the Papal Wall. As for the Papal Wall, for the longest time, it was considered as an unknown land that no one had ever entered before. It was actually a place that housed priests and believers that continued to live immortal lives.
“Do you think Pope Kronad and Minhyuk will meet?”
There were things and existences that even they could not touch or approach in Athenae. The operators and management called them by the name ‘Athenae’s Eight Pillars’.
Who was the main representative of the Eight Pillars? It was none other than Athenae herself. The second would be Great Demon Verus, while the third was the Evil God, Obren. They were powerful beings that could rule the world with their power alone.
However, among them stood Pope Kronad. In a way, it could be said that Pope Kronad was merely a pope that served one religion, a being that was completely different from those mentioned above. So, why was Pope Kronad considered to be on par with those beings?
Lee Minhwa turned to look at Team Leader Park before asking solemnly, “For some reason, I really can’t understand it.”
At her question, Team Leader Park Minggyu tapped on the computer. The Special Players Management Team could search about a variety of things regarding the game on their computers. Team Leader Park clicked on the information regarding Athenae’s Main Story, an appendix that was attached to an old and ancient book that was discovered a long time ago.
[People used to believe that Pope Kronad was a pope that served and worshiped Athenae.]
[That was true. He was truly the pope of Athenae Religion.]
[However, the truth regarding his existence had been warped and distorted. Pope Kronad was…]
[…He was the pope of all religions.]
“…?!”
Lee Minhwa stared at the screen in shock and astonishment.
Even Athenae was a god that only ruled the Athenae Religion. But Kronad? It could be said that he was the king of all the popes.
“What in the world is this…” Lee Minhwa voiced her doubts. How could a single pope rule over all of the popes of all religions?
“I don’t know the exact details about that.”
Surprisingly enough, it was a ‘story’ that even Team Leader Park Minggyu could not access at the moment. All Lee Minhwa could do was release a shaky breath and calm herself down as she tried to recall the things that she knew about the world within the Papal Wall.
“Isn’t there a temple called Evangel that Pope Kronad was trying to build in that place?”
There were hundreds and thousands of temples and shrines scattered all over the world. Of course, the one with the most magnificent and breathtaking temples, as well as the one with the most number, was none other than Athenae Religion. However, Evangel was considered to be a cut above that. It was a temple that was only mentioned in myths and legends.
“If, by any chance, Player Minhyuk is given the opportunity to obtain Evangel, then…”
Team Leader Park fixed his glasses and answered, “The lowest-ranking god will become the master and owner of the greatest temple in existence.”
***
Minhyuk vigilantly and carefully explored the world inside the Papal Wall. Then, he caught sight of farmers tending to their field in the distance. Only after seeing that did Minhyuk realize that this world was a place where people lived too. In fact, there were also soldiers wearing shabby armor and carrying rusty spears passing by the farmers.
‘Is it a kingdom? Should I consider it as such?’
To be able to get information about this place, Minhyuk believed that he had to go and talk to the farmers. He planned to make delicious dishes with the crops that they grew, eat together, and increase their favor.
Thinking like that, Minhyuk approached them. The first person that he encountered was a lady that was harvesting cucumbers. However…
[You have met Bellman Religion’s Pope, Airen!]
[Pope Airen. Level 528.]
“…?”
When he looked at the men, who were wearing straw hats on their heads, that surrounded the lady…
[You have met Karr Religion’s First Pope, Kaenin!]
[Pope Kaenin. Level 513.]
[You have met Vendios Religion’s Pope, Anjaru…!]
[…Level 501.]
[…Cannath Religion’s Saintess…]
[…Level 531.]
“???”
Minhyuk could not help but be flustered by the sudden turn of events. To top it off, when he looked at the soldiers with their old and shabby spears that approached him, a stranger to these lands, he was greeted with even more surprises.
[You have met Favron Religion’s Strongest Paladin, Kerr…]
[…Level 589.]
[…Aekero Religion’s Strongest Paladin…]
[…Level 603.]
“???”
Then, at that moment, the hundreds of farmers that were busy tending to their field stopped in their work and turned to look at them.
[Those with high holy power have sensed the evil energy that is leaking from the Puzzling Seasoning Jar!!!]
[They will show hostility towards you!!!]
“…”
As he watched the hundreds of high ranking paladins, saints and popes approach him, Minhyuk thought, ‘I’m f*cked…’
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