Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 815

Hell looked exactly how Minhyuk imagined it to be. The land was completely barren and there was a sticky, unpleasant humidity and a terrible stench that lingered at the tip of one’s nose.

Upon reaching Hell to meet the God of Death, Minhyuk realized he was facing one huge difficulty.

‘Where is the God of Death?’

Minhyuk did not know where the God of Death was. Left with no choice, he continued to walk around cluelessly.

[Ingredient Search is successful!]

[You will be guided to the Sin’s Radish!]

The Ingredient Search skill was amazing, automatically searching and finding special and rare ingredients within one kilometer radius of the user.

Growl—

The notification came at the perfect time, as Minhyuk had just started to become hungry. Since Hell was a barren and dry land, Minhyuk thought that maybe the ingredients in this place were quite special. When it came to radish, there was one dish that would always come to mind. It was none other than beef and radish soup.

There was once when he went home very, very hungry. He saw a pot in the kitchen. Inside, was the beef and radish soup that his mom had made. Whenever they did not have anything to eat at home, they would just cook some beef and radish soup, and eat it together with some rice and kimchi.

Gulp—

Just imagining the taste of the soup was enough to whet Minhyuk’s appetite. His stomach growling, Minhyuk stepped toward the place where the Sin’s Radish was.

***

[You have entered the Barren Land.]

[The Barren Land is known to be the driest, emptiest and most dangerous place in Hell.]

[You have gained 200 REP.]

[You have gained 10 CHA.]

Minhyuk, who had been walking along and following the guidance of the Ingredient Search skill, entered the place known as Barren Land. When he looked around, all he saw was a land that was more parched and arid than the rest of Hell.

However, the radish that he was seeking for was in this very place. When he saw the radish, Minhyuk felt that it was mystifying. The black aura that was emanating from the radish felt rather strange.

The Ingredient Search skill allowed Minhyuk to read through the information of the ingredients. Upon utilizing it, Minhyuk would be able to check the information of the ingredient that he was being guided to.

Of course, Minhyuk had already checked the Sin’s Radish’s information.

(Sin’s Radish)

Ingredient Grade: Medicine

Special Abilities:

•All stats will increase by 0.5%.

•Attack will increase by 3% when fighting against monsters from Hell.

•Additional 1% increase in all stats upon eating all of the Sin’s Ingredients.

Description: Sin’s Radish, together with the other Sin’s Ingredients, possess the power to prevent life in Hell. Only after you have dug up the Sin’s Radish will you be able to dig for the other Sin’s Ingredients. On top of that, it is very difficult to dig up the Sin’s Radish.

The 0.5% increase in all stats and the 3% increase in attack when facing monsters from Hell were incredible. On top of that, one would also be able to obtain an additional 1% increase in all stats once all the Sin’s Ingredients had been consumed. It was just like wearing a set artifact.

‘This is a one of a kind ingredient.’

Minhyuk smiled happily as he grabbed the Sin’s Radish and pulled it up to collect it.

[Sin’s Radish cannot be harvested normally.]

He had already expected this but he still tried it just in case. In the end, Minhyuk took out his hoe and began to carefully dig out the Sin’s Radish.

[Harvest Rate: 4%]

[Harvest Rate: 7%]

[Harvest Rate: 13%…]

Minhyuk was taken aback. He possessed a very high DEX stat after all, and it was because of that high DEX that he was able to always get the ‘best’ whenever he harvested any ingredient. However, the harvest rate of Sin’s Radish definitely was the worst he had come across so far.

‘It’s only at 20%?’

When his harvest rate reached 25%, a new set of notifications rang out.

[A light pressure has been applied to the Sin’s Radish.]

[The harvest rate of Sin’s Radish will be reset to 0%.]

“Oh my god…”

Minhyuk gave the Sin’s Radish an incredulous look. The light pressure was referring to the slight vibration that transferred to the body of the Sin’s Radish while he was digging around it, yet this minor disturbance had caused his efforts to go to waste. Just like that, the soil that he had dug and scooped up earlier disappeared and returned to the area where it was before.

Minhyuk gave it another try. This time, he tried to harvest the ingredient by digging around as carefully as possible. After he achieved a 60% harvest rate within twenty seconds, he was greeted with another notification.

[Twenty seconds have passed since you tried to harvest the Sin’s Radish.]

[Since you went beyond the specified time, the harvest rate of Sin’s Radish will be reset to 0%.]

“…Eh?”

Minhyuk could not help but feel frustrated. The harvesting of the Sin’s Radish was far too demanding. First, the harvest rate could only increase by pitiful amounts and the slightest touch to the body would instantly reset the harvest rate to 0%. Not only that, once twenty seconds had passed, the harvest rate would also be reset to 0%.

‘Can this even be harvested?’

Even for Minhyuk, who was a cut beyond the rest in terms of harvesting crops, was very flustered. The biggest problem was the small increase in the harvest rate. He was only able to reach 60% in twenty seconds.

‘A normal farmer would probably have a hard time achieving even a 10% harvest rate in the same amount of time.’

Even though there were quite a few setbacks, Minhyuk was not one to give up. He tried several more times and of course, suffered each and every single time.

“Hmm.”

Minhyuk rubbed his chin in thought. The 0.5% increase in all stats after consuming the Sin’s Radish made it an outstanding ingredient. He was sure that its flavor would also be amazing. In other words, Minhyuk had to get his hands on it.

Hence, he took out a bottle of potion made by Mandala. This potion was the Proficient One’s Elixir, an overpowered elixir that could double the DEX of the person who consumed it for around two minutes. Using this bottle of potion, which Minhyuk only had one bottle of, seemed appropriate for the occasion.

‘The Proficient One’s Elixir is precious too but the increase in all stats that the Sin’s Radish would give me has much greater allure than that.’

Anyway, once he consumed this potion, Minhyuk’s DEX would double for two minutes. He chugged the purple liquid in one go.

[You have consumed The Proficient One’s Elixir.]

[Your DEX will double for two minutes.]

There was no time to waste. Minhyuk immediately grabbed his hoe and dug the ground around the Sin’s Radish.

[You have dug the best part of the land using your hoe.]

[Your ability has surpassed even that of the God of Dexterity.]

[The hoe that you swing will help you in harvesting the ingredient. It will help you to avoid damage and dig accurately based on the requirements of the ingredient that you are harvesting.]

The most important thing when harvesting was not damaging the crop itself.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Minhyuk, accompanied by the sound of hoe hitting the ground, worked carefully but quickly around the Sin’s Radish.

[Your Harvest Rate has increased by 15%…]

[Your Harvest Rate has increased by 16%…]

[Your Harvest Rate has increased by 14%…]

His harvest rate rose at a rapid pace. However, just because the rate increased did not mean that everything would go without a hitch. After all, everyone could make a mistake. Minhyuk’s hoe landed at a wrong spot, the blade of his hoe almost hitting the Sin’s Radish.

[Your shockingly high DEX that surpassed even that of the God of Dexterity has made up for your mistake!]

Thuuuud—

Minhyuk’s hoe automatically swerved and avoided the Sin’s Radish, hitting the ground right next to it.

[You have successfully harvested the Sin’s Radish!]

[Wonderful job!]

“…?”

Minhyuk was dumbfounded when he saw the notifications that rang after he successfully harvested the Sin’s Radish. It was almost too cheery over such a simple matter. However, he realized after hearing the following notifications that it was not just about picking this one radish.

[The Sin’s Radish has been buried in the ground for who knows how long, sucking up all of the nutrients in Hell.]

[By harvesting Sin’s Radish, you are now eligible to harvest the other Sin’s Ingredients.]

After thinking about it carefully, Minhyuk realized that it was understandable. After all, it was truly too difficult to harvest even for someone like him, who had an extremely high level of DEX.

Swoosh—

The black aura that was seeping from the Sin’s Radish also disappeared after it had been pulled out. Minhyuk looked at the thick and solid Sin’s Radish that looked very good to eat.

“Kghhk…” He let out a small burst of admiration as he began to cook.

Minhyuk peeled the Sin’s Radish and chopped its white and fine bulb into bite-sized pieces before heating the pot. Once the pot was heated, he drizzled some sesame oil and added some beef for the soup.

Sizzleeeee—

Minhyuk immediately grabbed his chopsticks to stir the beef to stop it from sticking to the pot. It sizzled the moment it came into contact with the hot sesame oil. Then, he sprinkled some pepper before adding the Sin’s Radish and stir-frying everything together. After frying to a certain extent, he added water and let it boil. Beef and radish soup was tasty when cooked well. Minhyuk would, of course, do his best to cook it well.

After making the beef and radish soup, Minhyuk quickly finished setting up his table. He sprinkled some green onions on top of the well-boiled and steaming beef and radish soup and served some kimchi, seaweed and rice on the side.

The first thing that Minhyuk did was to scoop a huge spoonful of rice and place it in his mouth. The freshly cooked rice was still steaming and tasted sweet. Then, he immediately took a sip of the beef and radish soup.

“Kghhk…”

Minhyuk gave himself a pat on the back for seasoning that beef and radish soup very well. After that, he quickly scooped some rice together with some of the beef and radish soup and placed everything in his mouth. The combination of the sweet rice, the well-seasoned beef, and radish soup created a fantastic flavor that danced in his mouth.

He once again scooped another spoonful of the beef and radish soup and placed it in his mouth. The radish was boiled well, its soft texture easy to chew and quickly disappeared down Minhyuk’s mouth, which was immediately followed by the superb taste of the meat. Then, he ate another spoonful, this time with a bite of kimchi on the side.

“Kyaa!!!”

Minhyuk was impressed with the combination of flavors. Next, he scooped a spoonful of the soup but instead of kimchi, he added the salty and savory seaweed on top. When he put everything in his mouth, the savory flavor of the seaweed instantly melted with the beef and radish soup, creating a wonderful harmony of flavors.

Minhyuk smiled happily as he made sure that he did not leave a single drop left and completely emptied the pot. He leaned back in satisfaction after hearing the 0.5% increase in all of his stats and the 3% increase in attack when facing Hell’s monsters.

“Did, did you make beef and radish soup using the Sin’s Radish?”

At that moment, an unknown voice rang in his ears. When Minhyuk turned around, he saw a beautiful woman wearing a straw hat and holding a hoe in her hands.

[The First God of Farming Hella has appeared!]

[You have gained 500 REP.]

[You have gained 10 CHA.]

‘The First God of Farming?’

Minhyuk looked at the woman in doubt. Why was the first God of Farming in this place?

Hella’s body trembled. If one was in her shoes, they would probably also be giving a similar reaction. After all, she had been trying for thousands of years to dig up the Sin’s Radish. However, the man in front of her not only dug up the Sin’s Radish, but he even turned it into beef and radish soup.

“Hello!”

Hella felt her temples throb when the man greeted her brightly. She was choked up with anger for a moment. However, she could not just burst out and reprimand the man. In the end, the Sin’s Radish did not belong to anybody. In fact, if she took a step back and looked at it rationally, it was a good thing. The man had dug up the Sin’s Radish for her and made her life easier.

After greeting the first God of Farming politely, Minhyuk turned around to leave. He thought, ‘I’m full for now. I’ll go and meet with the Priest of Death first and solve my matters before harvesting the rest of the Sin’s Ingredients.’

His most pressing matter was lifting the seal of the Sword of Aeon.

However, Hella turned restless when she saw Minhyuk preparing to leave. It was natural.

‘He was able to harvest the Sin’s Radish, an ingredient that I couldn’t harvest for the longest time. Perhaps he might be able to harvest the other ingredients too?’

Hella hurriedly stopped Minhyuk, “W-wait…!”

“Yes?” Minhyuk stopped in his tracks and turned to look at her in doubt.

“Are you just going to go like that? Even though there are plenty of delicious Sin’s Ingredients left?”

“Ah.”

Minhyuk instantly understood the situation when he saw Hella’s expression. There was expectation! The look of someone that wanted something from him! He could not help but chuckle to himself when he saw that.

‘Huh? If I do this well, then…’

This woman was the first God of Farming after all, perhaps he would be able to reap a lot of benefits.

Hella smiled awkwardly. She did not need the Sin’s Ingredients. However, she wanted to get rid of them and allow the dry and barren Hell to soak up the rain and shower it with abundance. From what she could see, the young man in front of her seemed to be exactly what she needed to help with the process.

“Ah. I’m a bit busy, you see. I have to meet with the God of Death. Then, I have to go to the bathroom, and then sleep.”

Minhyuk had completely grasped what usually went through the heads of people that wanted something from others. There was a high chance that the first God of Farming had rare and good ingredients in her hands. So, he had to play his cards right.

Minhyuk then turned around as if he was not interested in what Hella had to say. Seeing him move away like that, Hella hurriedly shouted, “The-the God of Death? I know him well! I will introduce you to him!”

Minhyuk, who had taken a few steps, suddenly stopped in his tracks. Then, he grinned and asked, “What did you say you would do for me?”

“If you help me harvest the Sin’s Ingredients, I will introduce you to the God of Death and give you the excellent crops that I have harvested in my lifetime.”

Ring!

[Hidden Quest: Hella’s Request.]

Rank: SSS

Requirements: The One that Received Hella’s Request.

Rewards: Three God-grade Cooking Ingredients.

Penalty for Failure: Getting kicked out of hell.

Description: The First God of Farming Hella has a small wish. She hopes to harvest all of the Sin’s Ingredients buried deep in the Barren Land and let those living in Hell be able to feel full. You can obtain one God-grade ingredient for every Sin’s Ingredient you harvest if you choose to help her.

‘Did you just say three God-grade ingredients…?’

Minhyuk’s eyes narrowed to crescents. This was practically a pie from the sky.