Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 595: Minhyuk’s Connections

Isbin Village was the very first village that the players who just started playing Athenae could visit, right after they finished their scarecrow training and basic hunting training. The village was literally filled with beginners. However, there was a ‘hidden master’ living in this village, under the guise of an ‘instructor’. A man, who was looking at his sleeping four year old daughter, smiled happily. This man was none other than ‘Valen’. Valen patted his daughter’s head and came out to the living room and saw Roina pouring warm tea in a cup.

‘What a happy life.’

For a large part of his life, Valen lived under the name of the Sword God. After that exhausting life, he came to settle down in Isbin Village and had led a lonely life since then. However, a child named Minhyuk appeared in front of him, visited his house, and even made delicious food for him. And that was not all. The child even connected him and Roina.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“I just… I just thought of Minhyuk. I haven’t seen him in quite a long time.”

A small smile also hung at the corner of Roina’s lips at the thought of the boy. But then, at that moment…

“Kihyeeeeeeeeee!”

A loud and mysterious cry suddenly rang from outside their house. The two immediately hurried out, only to see a restless and weeping bird.

“This bird…”

It was obvious that the bird in front of them was a mythical creature that only appeared in the myths. But, why was the bird here?

[Minhyuk is requesting your help.]

“…!”

“…!”

The couple looked at each other after hearing the same notifications. On top of that, the bird looked as if it would faint any moment after flying urgently for so long.

“Minhyuk must be in great danger.”

“We must prepare quickly,” Valen said as he turned around and prepared as quickly as he could.

Valen was once known as the Sword God. He came out wearing stylish full-plate armor and a sharp sword on his waist. As for Roina? She was a rare genius that fought on the battlefield alongside Sword God Valen. She came out wearing red leather armor and a weapon in her hand, all ready to leave. The couple mounted their horses together, then rode off as fast as they could.

***

Warrior’s Nation, Lumae Kingdom.

Back when Overlord Raldo was still under a deep sleep, Prince Votto raised a military force in Lumae Kingdom and fought a war against the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. The result? It was a complete and utter defeat for the Lumae Kingdom. Of course, that was because Overlord Raldo did not participate.

Now, Prince Votto was held captive in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom. However, the reality was different. It was just a disguise that Minhyuk devised to protect Prince Votto and promote a friendly relationship between the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom and Lumae Kingdom.

“One.”

“Haaaaa!”

“Two.”

“Yaaaaah!”

“Three.”

“Haaaaaaa!”

King Raldo was training the elite knights of Lumae Kingdom. King Raldo was able to realize a lot of things during the war back then. He wanted to create a stronger nation. That was why he was still training the soldiers and the knights, even though he was already well over fifty and was already ready to settle down. The result of that decision was very shocking. A huge number of Named NPC was thus born in their kingdom.

Lumae Kingdom was actually the smallest kingdom in the entire Asgan Continent. However, the number of Named NPC in their troops could rival that of the Eivelis Empire. On top of that, the soldiers that Raldo nurtured were true powerhouses. The forces of the other empires and kingdoms could not compare at all.

Also, Overlord Raldo was able to split the Overlord Technique with Minhyuk. This meant that he only had half of the skill. However, compared to when he had the complete Overlord Technique, Raldo was able to become an ‘Absolute Supreme NPC’ and was now standing shoulder to shoulder with Ellie.

After Raldo finished the military training, he headed straight to Votto’s room in Lumae Kingdom. Votto was obviously detained in Beyond the Heavens Kingdom as a prisoner of war. However, Minhyuk was considerate of their circumstances and decided to secretly send Votto home once or twice a month.

Raldo immediately hugged Votto when he saw him, “Son.”

“Father.”

Originally, the relationship between Raldo and Votto was very strained. Back then, Raldo was very obsessed with polishing himself and grinding his skills. On the other hand, Votto just wanted to win the admiration and respect of the kingdom. But after the war, and with Minhyuk’s help, the two were able to reflect on their relationship and become closer.

The two dined together, Votto’s eyes sparkling as he spoke excitedly, “Spear God Ben is incredibly strong. Even the coffee that he brews is superb. I really want to share a cup with my father sometime in the future.”

“Hahaha. You brat. Is the Beyond the Heavens’ King alright with you telling this father of yours the secret of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom?”

“It’s going to be fine. After all, father is father. Ah, they also have a cure for baldness over there…”

Raldo felt like he would not have any regrets even if he died now. He was now living a very happy life. All Raldo wanted was to continue living like this, completely abandoning his obsession on becoming strong and spending time with his son, while having fun and eating delicious food together.

‘Thank you.’

It was a silent thanksgiving to Minhyuk. Just then, at that moment, a bird engulfed with a bright light flew inside the room.

[Minhyuk is requesting your help.]

Raldo and Prince Votto looked at the bird. The bird was rolling on the ground while weeping bitterly. Seeing the bird act like that, Raldo realized that something strange had happened. The two stood up from their seats silently.

Raldo immediately grabbed the sword that he had used for decades and hung it on his waist. He also draped his black cloak bearing the pattern of a sword and a spear crossed together, a pattern that symbolized Lumae Kingdom, on his back.

An hour later, around fifty elite Lumae Kingdom knights wearing black armor and horned helmets appeared silently. All fifty of them were Named NPCs that had the power of the legends. The next moment, 50,000 of Lumae Kingdom’s troops appeared, with their breaths fanning hotly in front of their faces.

Raldo, with his golden full-plate armor and black cloak, stood beside his son, Votto. Then, a loud horn blared as he gave the order, “Depart.”

***

Saintess Loyna was someone that God of Origin Athenae had sent to the world. She was the most iconic figure in the entire Athenae worldview. Even her beauty was known to be comparable to that of the Goddess of Beauty, Ipelé.

This very same Loyna almost died at the hands of a demon worshipper, and the one that saved her was none other than ‘Minhyuk’. Back then, Loyna’s position was weak and had no power at all. Several popes from all over the world did not even recognize her existence.

But everything was different now. After going through that near-death experience, she had become stronger and more firm in her decision. She personally met with the popes from all over the world and won their hearts. Then, as a reward for her hard work, she obtained one of the ‘Saintess’’ authority, Paladin Sovereign.

What was the Paladin Sovereign? It was an authority that would give her the power to call for and command all of the paladins from all over the world.

Loyna, who was praying earnestly in front of Athenae’s statue, saw the urgency and distress of the weeping bird that flew in front of her. It seemed like Minhyuk was in very great danger right now. Loyna immediately prayed. But the prayer was not a regular prayer.

“God of Origin Athenae, your child that has inherited your power and her friend are in grave danger. I, Saintess Loyna, earnestly pray that all of the paladins that can fight gather for me and my dear friend.”

Loyna, wearing her white priestly robe, continued to pray for a very long time. After two hours, she walked out of the prayer room. When she placed both of her hands together, a bright light burst out. From within that bright light, a man walked out.

The man was known as the paladin that was always ready for battle, ‘Sword Saint Ruido’. He was the representative knight of all of the paladins and was known for having a power that was far higher than any of the Absolute NPCs.

At the same time, hundreds of thousands of lights appeared in front of Loyna, with paladins coming out of them to gather at her call. There were around 1,000 Named NPCs among the paladins present. The number was not that surprising; in the first place, one had to be stronger than a knight to become a ‘Paladin’. On top of that, they were required to have a mastery over holy power. Simply put, the qualifications to become a paladin were high.

And that was not all. There were also paladins that were already rushing straight towards their destination. Today, the power of Athenae Religion’s Saintess Loyna was going to make its debut in the world.

***

Beyond the Heavens Vice Guild Master Genie saw the message that Minhyuk wrote in the guild chat.

[Minhyuk: Right now, I’m going to fight against the child of God of Snakes Elizabeth, Marquess Leona. I asked the NPCs for help. For the members of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, make sure that only three come, the rest should continue their work.]

Along with that, a separate whisper arrived in Genie’s inbox.

[Minhyuk: Genie, I sent a bird to ask for the NPCs help, make sure to just pick three to send to the Stars’ Path. Too many people coming here would interfere with your work over there. Ah, they should be NPCs that have great favor towards me.]

Genie understood what Minhyuk meant. Each and every single individual in the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom had a job to do. They just could not afford to have them leave their posts arbitrarily. That was why Minhyuk ordered her to send only the minimum number of NPCs.

Genie hurriedly ran out to inform the NPCs about this. However…

Fwoooooooooooosh—

…someone suddenly shot by her. The man was carrying a single spear on his body and was running so fast that Genie could not follow him with her eyes.

“Your Majeeeeeeeeeeeeesty!!! This servant of yours will come and save you!!!”

“…”

Then, he disappeared.

‘Let’s, let’s have Grandpa Ben be the first person. I should quickly let the others know.’

But just when the thought passed through Genie’s head…

Fwoosh—

Fwooooosh—

Fwooooosh—

Someone passed by her once again. Leading them was…

“Daring to touch… His Majesty… Bastard… I won’t let you go…!”

…the one hailed as Lesser Demon Diablo before. He was currently serving as Beyond the Heavens Kingdom’s Shield. The usual innocent expression on Elpis’ face had disappeared and exchanged with a vicious and devilish expression. And right behind him…

“Some f*cking bastard dared to touch His Majesty…!”

…was the man hailed as the Great Pirate. Gorfido, the great fisherman, was hot behind Elpis. But was that all?

“Conir!!! Your Majesty!!! Save!!!”

Conir was also following right behind them.

“All of you, stop!!! This is an order!!!”

But Genie’s voice did not register in their ears.

“…”

However, something even more surprising happened next.

“How dare that bastard lay their hands on His Majesty?!”

“I won’t let you go…!”

“All of us are living a happy life because of His Majesty!!!”

“How dare that bastard!!!”

Even the citizens and the soldiers began to stir.

The Mythical Bird that Cries Sadly For You, flew and appealed to every single NPC that truly cared for Minhyuk. And Minhyuk’s citizens absolutely adored him, so this reaction was acceptable. Besides, Minhyuk would cook delicious food for his people every once in a while. He was also the one that allowed them to live a happy and carefree life.

“Uwaaaaaaaaaaaaah!”

“Let’s gooooooo!!!”

The citizens immediately armed themselves with their farming tools, while the soldiers began to strap their weapons. It was as if they were truly going to war.

“Stop!!! All of you are banned from going to war!!!”

A terrible headache washed over Genie’s head as she called for the kingdom’s citizens and told them the words that Minhyuk told her. But the citizens?

“That bird told us just now that His Majesty is in danger!!!”

“Why did the bird cry so sadly and bitterly if His Majesty is not in grave danger then?!!”

“Marquess Genie!!! Please allow us to go to war!!!”

“Don’t tell me…? Did His Majesty tell that to Marquess Genie because he’s afraid that we would be in danger?”

“Huhuhuhuhuhu!”

“…That’s, that’s not it at all!”

“Let’s go save his Majesty!!!”

“Uwaaaaaaaaah!”

“Prepare for waaaaaaaaar!!!”

“…”

Genie thought that Minhyuk was truly a good king. Despite knowing this fact, she heaved a great sigh of exasperation.

“You’re all driving me crazy…”