Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 267: Curse of Baldness

Minhyuk knew that most of the children, excluding Haze, were either orphaned or had some difficulties that made it hard for them to return. He decided to accept them all as part of his territory. He also handed all the money that he had earned during this quest to Corr and said, “Give this money to Deputy Lord Ben so that we can afford to house these children.”

Asvon watched this scene with great interest. He thought, ‘This foreigner is taking care of the children first instead of himself… interesting.’?

Many foreigners were filled with greed. With that in consideration, Asvon could see that Minhyuk was a fairly decent person.

Minhyuk had already heard the story along the way to the Imperial Palace.

“The curse on Emperor Asvon’s head is so powerful that his hair won’t grow, despite me playing my Talmor Hymn.”

‘My God!’

So far, all those that suffered from baldness grew their hair as soon as Corr played a song, but Emperor Asvon’s head did not grow a single strand of hair at all. The reason why Corr had brought Emperor Asvon to Minhyuk was simple—Minhyuk’s ‘Create a Recipe’ skill! He thought that feeding Asvon food that was created with Minhyuk’s skill would probably have some effect on his seemingly incurable baldness.

As such, Minhyuk used the Create a Recipe Skill on Emperor Asvon.

[Creating a recipe that the other party desires.]

[You can now check the recipe for seaweed soup & braised tofu.]

[The amount of buff that can be used has been decreased due to creating a recipe.]

Seaweed and beans that were used for making broth and tofu respectively, were ingredients known for their effectiveness in preventing hair loss and baldness. When Minhyuk checked the recipe he could see that it was not as difficult as he thought it would be. It seemed like Emperor Asvon’s baldness could be cured, even if he just made a rare-grade dish. Still…

“I’m very sorry, Your Majesty, but I think it would be difficult to treat Your Majesty’s incurable baldness.”

“Wh…what do you mean?”

Minhyuk said gravely, “My buffed dish is not infinite. Your Majesty, the Emperor, should know that there is such a thing called Buff Volume.”

“I’m aware. Chefs can create and cook different amounts of dishes per day, depending on their buff volume.”

“For me to cure Your Majesty’s baldness, I need a high amount of buff volume, something that I currently don’t have.”

“Th…then is there another way?” Emperor Asvon asked urgently. He looked very eager and desperate. After all, he did not know if there was another way for him to cure this disease. Perhaps this was the only way that Asvon could be liberated from the curse of baldness that haunted their family generation after generation.

Minhyuk replied, “It’s not like there’s no other way.”

“I don’t know what method it is, but whatever it is, I will do everything I can to make it possible.”

Then, Minhyuk began to explain very logically.

“The only way I can exceed my current buff volume is to eat the local specialties. In addition, I have to go there personally so I could receive a temporary increase in the buff volume. The thing is, I’ve only arrived in the empire a few days ago, so I’m not aware of them, and I haven’t tasted them at all. If I eat the empire’s specialties, I believe the effects will definitely be maximized. And it has to be the best of your specialties! It would also be good if it’s delicious. Uhm. What is the most famous food here in the Collodis Empire?”

Yes. Right now, Minhyuk was trying to pull a fast one over Emperor Asvon! However, instead of having a greasy look on his face, his face was radiating sincerity. Emperor Asvon believed that someone like Minhyuk, a person who willingly gave money for the children, would not lie. Alas, his belief was wrong. Minhyuk was someone who would lie to an emperor just so he could eat. He had also picked up the art of dealing with others from his father.

‘When someone needs something from you, and you’re the only one that can do it, then raise the value of your service!’

Not long after, Emperor Asvon answered Minhyuk’s question about their empire’s specialty.

“It’s buckwheat.”

Minhyuk trembled.

When it came to buckwheat, the common food associated was buckwheat noodles, cold buckwheat noodles soup, whole buckwheat noodles, spicy kimchi buckwheat pancakes, and a whole lot of others!

‘Fufufufufu!’

Minhyuk chuckled deeply.

***

Poison Dragon Ambacca was waiting to be awakened from inside the egg. He was currently predicting the future that awaited him.

He had served as a factory for chimeras by greedy humans who had fed him with children. Although it was not something that he wanted to do, he thought that there would be no difference after he was hunted by his newly acquired owner. He thought that those greedy humans would once again use him as a tool to kill monsters or people.

Dragons were more sentimental compared to other races, so when Poison Dragon Ambacca thought of his bleak future, he could not help but feel sad. On top of that, he thought that every day would be even more frustrating especially since the Dragon Orb was taken away from him.

Then, at that moment…

Crack, crack, crack, crack―

It’s finally time for me to come out. Well, it doesn’t matter who my owner is. Anyway, they’ll still be the same human.

This was what Ambacca believed.

‘My brothers, I hope you meet people that truly care and love you.’?

Unlike him, the rest of his siblings did not retain any of their previous memories, so he cheered for them even though they were far away from each other.

Right now, he was recalling the days long gone when they used to fly over the fields together. The time when they still danced, laughed and cried together.

And finally…

Flash―

…the egg shell that surrounded him was completely broken, and a bright light welcomed Ambacca. His eyes blinked from the glare of the light as his tears of grief flowed down from his eyes.

At that time, a man spoke above him and said, “Child, why are you crying?”

The voice that spoke to him was filled with everlasting warmth and friendliness. Poison Dragon Ambacca finally saw the man in front of him. The man was wearing all black, from his head down to his toe, including his armor. Even his mask was black.

The man brushed and patted Ambacca’s head gently with his warm hands.

“Don’t cry. I don’t want you to cry anymore.”

Then, a sound rang loudly in Poison Dragon Ambacca’s head.

[You will now serve Black Dragon as your master for eternity according to the rules set by God Athenae.]

Dragons were born with the ability to read and feel other people’s feelings. Right now, what he was feeling was…

I’ll protect you.

I’ll take care of you.

I won’t let you become lonely.

The man looked at Ambacca with a soft smile and said, “Let’s introduce you to your friends.”

“Gruwooo?”

Ambacca tilted his gigantic head when he heard the word friends. Then, at that moment, two dragons, nesting on Black Dragon’s left and right arms, appeared in front of him.

“Kiyeeeeeee!

“Kyaaaaaaaaa!”

Ambacca was shocked when he saw them appear.

The first among the dragons was the Dragon of Extinction and Fire. The second among them was the Dragon of Wisdom and Ice. Right now, the two of them were in front of him.

The two of them came out of Black Dragon’s arms as they slowly approached Ambacca. They tapped his body with their snouts, scenting him and crying happily.

“Hahahaha. Destiny and Britney must be very fond of you!”

Poison Dragon Ambacca was extremely thrilled and excited.

‘This is where I’m supposed to be. This is where I belong. And the master that can lead me is standing right in front of me.’

Then, the notifications rang loudly in Black Dragon’s ears.

[You have become one with three dragons.]

[You have met the criteria for challenging the Royal Class.]

[You must meet the qualifications to transfer to the Royal Class: ‘Dragon Monarch’.]

[The Transfer Quest: ‘Find the remaining dragon, the Dragon of Destruction’ has been created.]

Ring!

[Transfer Quest: Find the remaining dragon, the Dragon of Destruction.]

Rank: Royal

Requirements: Those who meet the criteria to challenge the Royal Class.

Rewards: Transfer to Dragon Monarch class.

Penalty for Failure: You will not be able to transfer to the Dragon Monarch class.

Description: You have received the chance to challenge the Royal Class. Get the last of the Four Legendary Dragons that exist in this world. You can hear the information about the final dragon from the ‘Dragon Knight Arcad’ in the Demon World.

‘Royal Class?’

It was a strange term for Black Dragon. However, he recalled that he might have heard something about it from the rumors circulating in the game.

The higher the level of the players, the more difficult and challenging the dungeons and quests would become. So in preparation for this, he had heard that there was a class prepared for high-leveled players that could give them some sort of privilege.

Black Dragon looked at the detailed explanation of the class.

[Transferring to Royal Class means you have a new class, but this is only possible if you have reached the highest level in your current class. In general, the classes in Athenae are divided into levels: Rank 1 God Classes, Rank 2 Legendary Classes, Rank 3 Hidden Classes and Rank 4 General Classes. However, Royal Classes can be anywhere between Rank 1~3.]

“Ah…”

Black Dragon easily understood the gist of it. The Royal Class was a class that one could transfer to if they had a Rank 4 General Class. Perhaps, this was a way for the players with general and ordinary classes to reach their peak and exert power that could rival those in the God Class.

According to the explanation, Royal Classes could be anywhere between Rank 1~3. This meant that if one transferred to a Royal Class, they had a chance to be comparable to God Classes that were in Rank 1. It was also possible for one to be in Rank 3. Basically, they could go anywhere from Hidden to God, depending on the Royal Class they would challenge.

At that moment, the notifications went off again.

[The Dragon Orb is evolving.]

[The Dragon Orb has evolved from Epic to Legendary.]

[The Dragon Orb is exerting a tremendous amount of power.]

[Britney will grow further.]

[Destiny will grow further.]

Scales suddenly began to cover Britney and Destiny’s bodies. Their transformations looked similar to Iron Man when he changed into his suit in the movies. Then, the length of their bodies started to increase as the horns on their foreheads grew larger and harder.

[Britney has evolved from Level 457 to Level 524.]

[Destiny has evolved from Level 415 to Level 542.]

[All of Britney’s skills have increased by +4.]

[All of Destiny’s skills have increased by +4.]

[An additional new skill has been added to Britney’s repertoire of skills. Please confirm.]

[An additional new skill has been added to Destiny’s repertoire of skills. Please confirm.]

[Destiny and Britney’s summoning time has increased by an hour.]

It was a huge change.

Poison Dragon Ambacca was already at Level 532. Compared to them, it seemed like Poison Dragon Ambacca was infinitely weaker than them, despite having a body that had reached full growth from birth. In fact, it was quite surprising and astonishing to know that Britney and Destiny could still grow further.

After watching the changes in his dragons, Black Dragon once again pondered on the contents of his quest.

‘It seems like I have to go to the Demon World to find the Dragon of Destruction…’

***

Minhyuk began to eat the specialties in each region of the Collodis Empire. After eating like that for a few days, he stared at the last food that was placed in front of him. Although he had eaten a lot of local specialties so far, these final dishes were also the empire’s representative dishes. They were none other than cold buckwheat noodle soup, buckwheat noodles, and tonkatsu!

Minhyuk personally liked eating buckwheat noodles with tonkatsu. The cold buckwheat noodle soup had a thin sheet of ice on top of it after being cooled, before serving. There was also a dollop of wasabi placed on the bowl. He could add wasabi depending on the amount that he preferred. There were also some chopped, ground radish and chives placed together in the bowl.

The first thing that Minhyuk did was to add some wasabi to the bowl of cold buckwheat noodles soup before adding some radish and mixing them gently. Then, he scooped them all at once.

‘Wow, it’s cold.’

The coldness of the dish immediately drew out a sigh of admiration in his mouth. Just like that, Minhyuk picked up some noodles and slurped them in his mouth. The noodles in cold buckwheat noodle soup were quite gritty and rough to the taste, but this was the charm and beauty of this dish. Then, he immediately picked up a slice of tonkatsu, dipped it in sauce and placed it in his mouth. The crunchy texture of the tonkatsu and the sweet sauce that coated it created a pleasant harmony of flavors in his mouth.

Then, Minhyuk turned his attention to the buckwheat noodles. The red color that spread in the noodles as he mixed them together made his mouth water. He quickly picked up the entire bowl, then poured the buckwheat noodles with cabbages and cucumber into his mouth. The magnificent flavor of the noodles and vegetables was further enriched with the addition of the seaweed powder that was sprinkled on top of the dish.

After happily eating all of the dishes, Minhyuk finally began cooking for Emperor Asvon.

“We have finished the long and tedious preparations.”

Minhyuk had a serious look on his face! Seeing his expression, the expression on Emperor Asvon’s face also turned grim as he slowly took off the wig that adorned his head.

When Minhyuk saw his head, he unwittingly asked, “Is that Hi-Moo…?”

“Hi-Moo? What’s that…?”

“No, nothing.”

Minhyuk asked the question because he was reminded of a middle-aged uncle sweeping his hair with his hands and saying ‘This wig is Hi-Moo!’.

When he looked at Emperor Asvon’s head, he could see a glint from the barren top of his head. It looked like the sun was about to rise with how brightly his head was shining.

Minhyuk spoke seriously, “The power of the curse is trying to hit me with that glare! Hooo!”

He breathed heavily. In fact, Emperor Asvon really did not know how others’ hair grew so he could only believe Minhyuk’s words.

“I…Is the curse really that strong that it can cover my entire head?”

“The baldness demon is hovering on top of your head, Your Majesty.”

“…!”

“It’s staring at me! Talmor!”

“Yes, my Lord.”

Corr and Minhyuk were working together as pseudo-swindlers!

“Drive him out immediately. I will quickly prepare a dish that can work against his curse!”

“Yes!”

Then, Corr began to play his recorder.

Ppippippippippippi~?

Corr also made sure to shout loud enough that the veins around his neck popped out.

“Grow!!! Hair!!! Grow!!! Hair!!!”

Emperor Asvon was looking at them with reverence in his gaze. If someone else were to see this scene, they would definitely find it funny. Emperor Asvon, with his shining bald head and ever so serious expression, was sitting in the middle of the two.

Then, Corr said, “Your Majesty!”

“Speak.”

“Your Majesty, you have to shout with me as well.”

“Co…cough. Is that so?”

‘That weird spell? But what’s the point of feeling this momentary shame if I can treat my curse?’

“G… r… ow… hai… r…”

“Louder!!”

“Grow… Hair! Hair!!!”

“Loudeeeeeeer!!!”

“Grow!!! Hair!!!”

Ppippippippippippi~?

“Uwooooooo!?Grow haiiiiiiiir!!!”

In the end, Emperor Asvon got absorbed into the rhythm as he shouted with his hands high up in the sky.

Meanwhile, Minhyuk continued to act as he sweated cold bullets. Then, his eyes met with Emperor Asvon. At that moment…

“Urgh!!”

…Minhyuk suddenly covered his mouth, turned around and ran far away as he vomited out a mouthful of blood. Emperor Asvon looked at him in horror.

“Wh…what happened to you?”

“The curse is too strong… Ugh!”

Emperor Asvon was shocked to see Minhyuk coughing up a mouthful of blood. Before the emperor could say anything else, Minhyuk quipped, “But… I can do it… So that… so that… Your Majesty’s… Your Majesty’s hair can grow… even if I die… I’ll do it!!! Ugh!”

Then, Minhyuk vomited another mouthful of blood. In fact, he just purposely bit on his cheeks hard enough to draw blood. However, Emperor Asvon was appalled when he saw Minhyuk vomiting out mouthful after mouthful of blood.

‘I…it’s ok if y…you fail.’?

In Emperor Asvon’s eyes, Minhyuk was a good and loyal man who willingly vomit blood just for his sake. He could feel Minhyuk’s sincerity since the latter was not even a person under his Empire.

At that moment, the notifications rang in Minhyuk’s head.

[You have received Asvon’s favor.]

[You have received Asvon’s favor.]

[Asvon’s…omitted.]

[You have received Emperor Asvon’s trust.]

[You have successfully raised Emperor Asvon’s favor to the highest level.]

[The quest rewards have gotten better.]

The quest was named ‘Emperor Asvon’s Curse,’ and the reward was as much as 100 platinum. However, he just heard additional notifications related to the quest.

[If you successfully clear the quest: Emperor Asvon’s Curse, you will be given 500 platinum and a chance to choose three artifacts from the Emperor’s Treasure Room.]

[You have gained the Title: The One Who Exploited Even the Emperor.]

Minhyuk grinned widely.

1. A parody of Hi-Mo, a brand that creates wigs. They specialize in using real and natural hair and have been around since 1987.