Leveling Up Through Eating

Chef Gadon was famous for his scathing and poisonous comments. After eating a tasteless dish in a cooking program, he had spoken these words to the chef who cooked the said dish.

–What is this in my mouth? Is this trash?

–This does not taste like pudding. This tastes like vomit.

–It must be tough to turn such good ingredients into something like this, huh? Moron.

Of course, Gadon also gave compliments. The fact that his videos of praising others were selected as his greatest video was a testament to how few his videos were.

‘There are rumors that the dishes made by the vassals of the Beyond the Heavens Empire are exceptional.’

Gadon found it hilarious. He had visited countless restaurants in Athenae, and most of them were famous and well-known on social networking sites and blogs. Most of them made their interiors pretty, but their dishes, which should be the restaurant's essence, were just alright or ordinary.

‘I’m not the only one who feels this way.’

Many people were disappointed after visiting these restaurants that were highly praised on the internet.

The issue was that their vassals were famous for being only strong. After all, Gadon was also an Athenae player; he was not that clueless about those things.

[Gadon hyung, this is the 897th territory you have visited?]

[Shh! How dare you call Gadon ‘hyung.’ You’re going to get in trouble. Lololol.]

[Aaaaack! Lmao. Sry, sry. Anyway, Sir Gadon. This is the 900th territory that you have visited, right?]

[Yep, yep. That’s right.]

[Wow. If that’s the case, Sir Gadon has not yet completed his quest, right? If things go on like this, he may be unable to finish it for the rest of his life.]

Gadon sighed as he scrolled through the chat window. It was true; he had received a quest a long time ago.

[Class Quest: The True Master’s Taste.]

Rank: Class

Requirement: Level 450

Rewards: Lone Chef’s Cookware Set.

Penalty for Failure: You can no longer proceed with the Lone Chef’s Quest.

Description: The True Master’s Taste can only be achieved if you taste the dishes of at least three masters.

What the hell were the standards for one to be considered a master? He had flown over Athenae and tasted most of the chefs’ dishes, but Gadon had not yet completed his quest.

The first restaurant that Gadon visited was Beanie and Luna’s BBQ Gui. Like what was posted on the internet, Elizabeth acted as the server. When he entered, Beanie, the boss, took off his chef’s hat and greeted him politely.

Gadon’s eyes darted around. He thought, ‘The most basic thing about cooking is cleanliness. He washed his hands, right before he came out, huh? His three fingers remind me of pig trotters.’

‘It will feel like eating shit if there’s hair in my food.’

He looked at Beanie.

‘Ah… He doesn’t have any hair on his body.’

The baby piggy passed the cleanliness test with flying marks.

Not long after, the dish was grilled. Gadon ate silently.

‘Since it was grilled instantly, the outside is crispy, and the inside is juicy.’

The juices locked inside the meat would spread in his mouth with every bite. However, there was a chance that it would be greasy.

Gadon ate only a third of the food. Then, he stood silently and paid for the bill.

[Wow. How many times has Gadon raised his fork this time?]

[OMG~ Beanie and Luna are good at cooking. It’s because they’re the Food God’s pets!]

The people were amazed. But for Gadon? It was just some delicious food. It was nothing impressive. When thinking about where he should go next, he saw a place called ‘Conir’s Ramyeon, Herakel’s Gimbap.’

Gadon looked at the restaurant in confusion. He thought, ‘They are selling nothing but instant ramyeon. So, why is the line so long?’

Was it because they were using a special recipe? The puzzled Gadon waited at least two hours before he could enter the restaurant. When he entered, he saw hundreds of chopped green onions flying in the air above him.

“One second.”

“...?”

“That’s the time it will take for me to cut all the green onions.”

The boy, who was not even using a sword, took the quick-draw position and swung his hands. At the same time, the already-chopped green onions entered the plastic jar right away.

[No. Lolololol. Wait. Lmao. Isn’t that the Heart Sword? Kekekeke.]

[Did he use the Heart Sword to chop green onions? Lolololol.]

[Woah, sht. That’s freaking awesome. Lmao.]

Conir was very famous for his Heart Sword. He gained popularity for being able to learn the Heart Sword that even the previous generation Sword Gods could not use.

Standing right next to him was Herakel, who was wearing a tiny apron over his bulging muscles and bodybuilder-like body. His muscles twitched and bulged even further as he finished rolling the gimbap and applied some sesame oil to it with a brush.

“One gimbap. One ramyeon.” Gadon ordered the combination that the Koreans loved the most.

“Here’s your extra bowl of rice.”

Gadon frowned when he heard someone serving another customer’s order. He thought, ‘Korean’s are truly unique.’

This was because the customer was slurping ramyeon, a food that was definitely rich in carbohydrates, and eating gimbap, another carbohydrate-rich food, as a side dish. But they were not yet finished. They even added rice, another source of carbohydrates, to the ramyeon soup and ate everything. This was a massive carb-filled meal.

‘Wait. Are they some kind of carbohydrate race or something?’

But the surprise has not yet ended for Gadon. He saw the customer order sikhye, a punch made of rice, as a dessert.

‘If you eat all that, you’re eating four dishes rich in carbohydrates in one meal, right?’

At this rate, couldn’t they be considered carb addicts? Not long after, Conir and Herakel’s ramyeon and gimbap were served. The dishes looked quite ordinary.

They had added some eggs to Korea's most favorite Sshin Ramyeon and chopped green onions as garnish. The tuna gimbap next to it was filled with tuna. The smell of the sesame oil brushed on the gimbap’s surface wafted over and stimulated his appetite. There was also a serving of kimchi, which looked very scrumptious.

Gadon looked around the restaurant. That was when he saw a list of where the ingredients came from.

[Local cabbage.]

[Local chili powder.]

[Conir’s local.]

[Herakel’s imported.]

“...?”

‘Wait.’

Was Conir’s ingredients local because he was from the Asgan Continent? Then, does that mean that Herakel’s ingredients were imported because he came from the Land of the Gods? The way they labeled their ingredients was very unusual.

Gadon, who turned his attention back to his meal, was disappointed.

‘I lined up so long just to eat something like this?’

The worst part? Ramyeon was an instant dish with hot water that could be done in just five minutes. Gadon was very reluctant. But despite the struggle, he still held the chopsticks, awkwardly picked up a bit of the ramyeon, and took a bite.

The moment the ramyeon entered his mouth, a taste slightly different from any other ramyeon he had tasted spread.

‘What’s this? Did they put some kind of sweetener in here?’

There was an unknown flavor that gently wrapped his mouth. Then, a notification rang in his ears.

[This is a ramyeon cooked by someone who has reached the realm of a god. This bowl of ramyeon will have a unique flavor.]

“...?!”

Gadon was very shocked. He had reached the realm of the gods with just this one dish? No, with just ramyeon?

‘This is the first time that I have encountered something like this in my life.’

He had seen many cases where a single bowl was a God-grade dish. However, this was the first time he had experienced a case where a ramyeon tasted different because the one who boiled it was someone who had reached the realm of the gods.

‘How did he do it?’ Gadon had no idea.

Then, an unknown spiciness appeared and drew him in.

“Sluuuuuuuuurp!”

He unknowingly ate a huge bite of the ramyeon’s chewy noodles, and almost lost his reputation as the Lone Chef with how he ate the dish before him.

Then, someone in the comments section piped in.

[Ah! Aaaaah! Gadon, please! Please eat it together with kimchi. It looks so good.]

‘Alright. If that’s what you want, then I’ll do it.’

Gadon grabbed a massive bite of the noodles and put it in his mouth with a piece of kimchi.

Crunch, crunch–

The cold and crunchy kimchi’s superb flavor left him feeling delighted. As he chewed the noodles and the kimchi, he caught sight of the egg in his bowl. He immediately grabbed a piece of the egg. The moment he took a bite, the soft and mild flavor of the egg spread gently in his mouth.

Of course, he did not forget the tuna gimbap right next to the bowl of ramyeon. He grabbed a piece and took a huge bite.

‘Wait. Why is this gimbap like this, too…?’

[This is a gimbap made by someone who has reached the realm of the legends. This gimbap will have a unique flavor.]

It was just like before. Although it was not as good as Conir, the tuna gimbap, which was made using the same ingredients as normal tuna gimbap, had a special flavor. This was because the one who made it had reached the realms of the legends.

As the taste of tuna and mayonnaise spread in Gadon’s mouth, he thought, ‘They did not spare anything. There are many ingredients, so there are a lot of tuna.’

Other restaurants often add a whole load of rice and a thin line of tuna inside, but this was different.

Gadon had finished his meal. In an instant, he ordered another ramyeon and gimbap. Just like before, he finished the meal quickly. He already felt full, regardless, he looked at the bowl devoid of noodles and the empty plate of gimbap in regret.

“Here’s your extra bowl of rice.”

‘Have I gone crazy? I might be crazy.’

Previously, he thought the Koreans were just crazy about carbs. Now, he understood why.

The best part was that the rice that was served was leftover. The moment he scooped a mouthful of rice in his mouth, he could not help but exclaim, “Oh…!”

When he added a piece of kimchi to the spoonful of rice and put it in his mouth, he felt like baby angels had appeared above him and blew their trumpets as they played a heavenly harmony in his ears.

His lips, which had grown swollen from the spicy meal, testified to his satisfaction.

[Oh shit. I want to eat some ramyeon.]

With just this one broadcast, Dongshim, the company that produced Sshin Ramyeon, soared in sales volume.

At this moment, the notifications that he had been waiting for finally rang in his ears.

[You have tasted and experienced the True Master’s Taste.]

[The ramyeon is made by a master who has cooked over tens of millions of bowls of ramyeon.]

“...?”

‘This is impossible.’

How could a person cook tens of millions of bowls of a single dish? And the more shocking part? It was just ramyeon.

Then, another series of notifications rang in his ears.

[You have tasted and experienced the True Master’s Taste.]

[The gimbap is made by a master, who has made gimbap over a million times.]

[You only need to experience the True Master’s Taste again.]

Only at this moment did Gadon realize something.

“Conir! Conir sold 1,000 bowls of ramyeon today! Hyung praised Conir!”

“Herakel sold a lot of gimbap too. Herakel’s rich!”

“We’re rich?”

“Woah!”

Perhaps it was because they were lacking. Or perhaps it was because they did not know how to do it, so they continued to cook and practice until they reached the level of a master in what they were doing.

Gadon usually attached black ribbons to restaurants that he found to serve satisfying and delicious dishes. This black ribbon was a token that showed that this restaurant was approved and recognized by him.

Once marked with this ribbon, the restaurant would become a global sensation where people would flock. The black ribbons were also called Restaurant Saving Ribbons. Why? They could gather a huge crowd. In reality, Gadon had only given his black ribbons to five restaurants.

Gadon finally stepped out of Conir and Herakel’s restaurant. Then, he placed a black ribbon in front of the restaurant. The moment he did that, the real-time search rankings changed.

After a while.

Conir, who saw the ribbon, said, “Conir! Who was it?! Who puts a ribbon in someone else’s restaurant?!”

With a grim look, Conir moved to throw away the ribbon. Then he realized that it looked nice, so he changed course and decided to pin it on his chest.

Anyway, it did not matter if the ribbon was removed. After all, the entire world already knew that this restaurant was a Black Ribbon Restaurant.

***

Gadon, who chose to visit a cafe for dessert, was rendered speechless by the taste of the coffee in his hands.

“...”

The taste of the cat coffee made tears stream down his face. It was out of this world.

Gadon looked at Ben, the Beyond the Heavens’ barista standing before him with a kind smile. As he stared at the old man, a shocking notification rang in his ears.

[The word ‘master’ is not enough to describe what kind of person he is.]

[The number of cups of coffee that he has made can no longer be counted.]

[No one in this world can make a better coffee than his cup.]

[You have completed the Class Quest: The True Master’s Taste.]

The notifications meant that the old man in front of Gadon had made and extracted more cups of coffee than the number of bowls of ramyeon that Conir had made.

The teary Gadon asked, “How could you make so many cups of coffee?”

Ben, who was pouring hot water over his coffee, chuckled and said, “I just want His Majesty to drink a better-tasting cup of coffee.”

“...”

This man in front of him had made thousands of cups of coffee in a single day just because he wanted his emperor to drink a more delicious cup of coffee than before. This fact made Gadon reflect on himself.

A thrill ran down his spine as the old man’s lofty ideals resonated with Gadon.

[The Class Quest: Your Goal has been created.]

At that time, Gadon felt emotional as he looked at the newly created class quest before him. He finished his coffee and stood up with a determined look. It seemed like he had already made up his mind.

Of course, he also attached a black ribbon in front of Ben’s Cat Poop Cafe.

***

Minhyuk had turned off his notification window for two days and had been busy writing his autobiography all day and night.

Then, a man suddenly barged into his office.

“I also want to open up a shop near their shops! Seeing them and eating their dishes has made me reflect on myself and think about what cooking truly is.”

“...?”

“I have a lot to learn from them and want to learn from them! Ah. Of course, I won’t study and learn from them for free.”

“...?”

“I’ll help you manage your shops and open franchises and chains! So, please accept my migration request!”

“Who…?”

The man wore a mask so Minhyuk could not see who he was.

“My name is Gadon. Ah. I have around thirty million ZTube subscribers.”

“Alright. You have my permission.”

[You have accepted Gadon’s request to migrate to the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]

Just like that, the Beyond the Heavens Empire absorbed his thirty million subscribers.