Gourmet Gaming

Chapter 152: Grilled Clam

Minhyuk was startled when Beanie suddenly popped out of the summoning room by itself. With the little guy’s appearance, a string of notifications rang in his head.

[Beanie has been summoned.]

[Pet Summoning Buff. Your attack will temporarily increase by 13% and your defense will temporarily increase by 8%.]

[Pet Artifact Buff. Your STR will temporarily increase by 4% and your defense will temporarily increase by 10%.]

Minhyuk received buffs as Beanie’s owner! Beanie's defense was almost 4,000. Considering that the Armor of Immortality had a defensive power of 1,100, Beanie’s defense was on a whole other level in comparison.

Then, several spheres made of the condensed black light flew straight at Minhyuk.

[Flipping Blade]

[AGI doubles and Slashing Force increases by 1.3x for 30 seconds.]

A faint, yet unmistakable, black glow covered Beanie’s body and followed its every movement like scattered smoke.

Bang!

Beanie used his spatula to block a black sphere flying towards them.

Bang, bang, bang!

Beanie’s speed increased until its movements could not be tracked by the naked eye as he continued to block the spheres of light that flew at Minhyuk. However, Beanie was not omnipotent, there were still quite a few spheres that went past his defenses.

Baaaaang!

A black sphere grazed past Beanie and slammed into Minhyuk.

“Urk!” Minhyuk groaned loudly from the powerful force that exploded in him. However, Minhyuk could see that Beanie was trying its best to block the hits, knowing that they would deal a critical blow on Minhyuk if they landed on him. Beanie’s body was slowly covered in wounds as it blocked the spheres. However, it still floated in the air with a majestic air as it glared at the Clam Golem.

“Oiiiink...!”

“G, grrr...!”

Minhyuk looked at them strangely. He thought,?‘What’s this?’

Beanie had a high defense. In a way, his defense was high enough to even exceed that of the Clam Golem in front of them. That was the reason why they could endure the Clam Golem’s attacks. However, it seemed like the Clam Golem was slowing down.

‘Is it afraid? Of Beanie...?’

That was preposterous! However, it seemed like the Clam Golem had quickly gotten over whatever it was afraid of, as it dashed forward to attack again.

“Oink!” Beanie cried loudly as he gestured to Minhyuk. Minhyuk understood what he meant immediately. Beanie would stop the Clam Golem’s attacks, so Minhyuk had to attack!

Swoooooosh!

Beanie flew straight at the golem.

“Keuaaaaaack!” The Clam Golem shrieked loudly as it aimed its punch towards Minhyuk.

Bang!

However, Beanie quickly intercepted the attack with its small body. The attack was powerful but Beanie still held on. Taking advantage of the gap in the Clam Golem’s attacks, Minhyuk quickly narrowed the distance with Step as he launched his attack.

‘Sword of Fury’s cooldown is coming to an end soon...!’

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Baaaaaang!

“Oink!” Beanie cried as it got pushed back. It looked tired, and the Clam Golem was not faring any better. The Clam Golem was even breathing heavily now. Minhyuk quickly narrowed the distance and attacked relentlessly.

Slash!

[Intangible Sword.]

[Your sword strike has ignored all of the enemy’s defenses.]

[You have dealt a fatal blow.]

Puhaaaaa!

Then, one of the Clam Golem’s arms was cut off.

“Keuaaaaack!”

The angry monster swung its fist against them indiscriminately.

Bang, bang, bang, bang!

Beanie groaned loudly as it blocked the strikes of the Clam Golem, “Oiiiink━”

[Beanie’s HP has gone below 20%.]

Fortunately, pets could still be summoned after a cooldown of 24 hours, even if they died.

Baaaang!

Beanie was suddenly hit by a powerful blow. It could not stop the blow completely and was sent rolling on the floor.

Roll, roll, roll━

“Oiiiiink...!” Beanie cried loudly as it struggled to stand up, to no avail. The Clam Golem immediately approached Beanie and kicked it.

“Oiiiink...!”

Beanie flew backwards as its small body got embedded in the wall. At that moment, there was a faint glow that was emitting from the ground where the Clam Golem was standing.

[Paralyze.]

[The enemy’s body will be paralyzed for two seconds.]

The special effect that was attached to Hepas’ Silver Pot had been triggered. Paralyze. It was a skill that could completely paralyze the body of the opponent for two seconds. Minhyuk took advantage of this opportunity and tried to resolve the crisis that they were in. He quickly used Step to get close to the Clam Golem…

[Sword of Fury.]

…gathering power into the tip of his sword once again, he stabbed into one of its vital points. Then…

Crumble!

[Intangible Sword.]

[Your sword strike has ignored all of the enemy’s defenses.]

…the sword went straight through its chest.

“Gruoooo?!” The bastard screeched.

Minhyuk smiled lightly and said, “Grilled clams, let’s go...!”

Baaaaaaaaang!

The powerful force that was condensed by Sword of Fury exploded in the Clam Golem’s chest.

“Keuaaaaaack!” The Clam Golem roared as it stumbled back, the shells on its gaping chest moving slowly.

‘D…don’t tell me it’s regenerating?!’

If the Clam Golem had regeneration, then it was a fight that Minhyuk could never win. It was a relief when he saw that it was not the case. However, its body suddenly started to swell.

‘Is this what its body originally looked like...?’

Minhyuk could see that this enormous body looked exactly like what Ben had described to him earlier. Not long after, the bastard’s mouth opened widely, making both Minhyuk and Beanie tremble in nervousness. Then, at that moment…

“Kueeeeeeeeeeck!”

…fish, trash and all sorts of things suddenly started pouring out of its mouth in droves.

“Eeeeck!” Minhyuk shouted as he quickly jumped up and held on to one of the stalactites on the cave’s ceiling. Things constantly poured out of the Clam Golem’s mouth. Strangely enough, the?trash?that they were talking about was valuable artifacts.

‘Did it also eat artifacts?’

Anyway, Minhyuk was told that?it could?eat anything and everything under the sea so he thought that it might be possible. After vomiting everything out of its stomach, the Clam Golem finally collapsed.

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[You have leveled up.]

[...leveled up.]

The notification sounds of leveling up constantly rang in Minhyuk’s head. He had leveled up 23 times in a row! From what was said before, Minhyuk had double the EXP Acquisition Rate and Item Drop Rate during the Clam Golem hunt. Was it perhaps it was because he entered the cave? No. It was likely because the Clam Golem was in an angry state, which would give twice the amount of the rewards compared to the original Clam Golem. Minhyuk quickly jumped down and used his Ingredients Acquisition skill to acquire his prized shellfish and clams.

[You have acquired an Abalone.]

[You have acquired a Scallops.]

[You have acquired a Mussel.]

[You have acquired a Manila Clam.]

[You have acquired a Clam.]

[... a Pen Shell.]

“Kyaaa!” Minhyuk shrieked in joy and satisfaction as he looked at all the shellfish that he had collected from the Clam Golem.

[You have acquired 35,523,151 gold.]

[You have acquired Roves’ Ring.]

[You have acquired the Clam Golem’s Hard Shell.]

[...acquired Varda’s Sword.]

[...acquired Chemil’s Armor.]

[...acquired Shark’s Blade.]

Among the things that Minhyuk had acquired, only one thing made him stop…

‘Th…that is…?’

Oysters were delicious whether you eat them raw, in a pancake, or with kimchi! It was an oyster! Of course, Minhyuk was still able to acquire oysters from the Clam Golem. However, compared to the others, there was one in front of him that looked unusual. Oysters usually had rough, rugged shells and a dull color. However, this oyster was completely white in color. He quickly bent down to pick it up.

[You have acquired a Purification Oyster.]

Minhyuk did not hesitate to check the information of the oyster in his hands.

(Purification Oyster)

Material Grade: Medicine

Special Effects:

?Holy Power+100

?Magical Defense+100

Description: The predator that was living in this cave had held on to this Purification Oyster for quite a long time. The Purification Oyster had grown slowly for decades under the care and nourishment of the Clam Golem’s power. The taste is naturally superb!

“Kyaa!” Minhyuk squealed at this unexpected luck. This was the only Purification Oyster in the world!

‘How should I eat this guy? Should I make some oyster pancakes with it? Or should I make soup with it? Oyster rice soup? Or maybe, oyster in kimchi? It will definitely be delicious in everything!’

However, he only had one! After some thought, he decided that it would be delicious if he ate it raw, with some garlic, spicy peppers, and chili paste vinegar. Minhyuk quickly placed the oyster in his frying pan. Raw oysters were more delicious if they were cooled and almost frozen.

[The Frying Pan has recognized the ingredients.]

[The First Tier Ice is recommended.]

[Would you like to use it?]

The frying pan could determine the most appropriate temperature for the dish. The oyster that was placed in it was still closed. Then...

Crack, crack, crack━

…frost started to form and cover the surface of the frying pan. After achieving the most suitable temperature, the frost immediately withdrew and disappeared. Minhyuk quickly pried open the mouth of the shell to see the white flesh of the oyster.

“Wow...”

Gulp━

Minhyuk’s saliva dripped down from his wide open mouth. Then…

“Oink!”

…Beanie cried as it held its stomach sullenly, looking at Minhyuk pitifully. Beanie had truly worked hard today.

‘He might be my emergency food, but I have to admit, he was cool and awesome today...!’

So, Minhyuk pulled out an oyster that he had received from the Clam Golem and pried it open for Beanie.

“Oink!”

Beanie gulped in anticipation as it looked at Minhyuk preparing the food for it. Minhyuk then placed some garlic, and peppers on top of the oysters. However, it seemed like Beanie had a firm grasp on what it wanted, gesturing for Minhyuk to add the wasabi with soy sauce, instead of the chili paste vinegar. Beanie nodded fiercely when Minhyuk pulled out the soy sauce and wasabi. After preparing everything, Minhyuk brought the oyster to his mouth. As soon as the white flesh entered his mouth…

“Wow...”

He could smell the faint smell of the sea. It was truly amazing. Minhyuk looked down at the shell on his hand and said, “It does not taste fishy at all...!”

There was no fishiness at all. Once he chewed it, he could taste the flavors of the oyster, garlic, chili paste vinegar and peppers, combining to produce the magnificent harmony of seafood flavor that he had longed for.

Even Beanie’s body trembled as it also closed its eyes to savor the delicious flavor.

“Oiiiiiiink...!”

[Beanie is happy.]

Minhyuk shuddered in happiness as a set of notifications rang in his head.

[You have eaten the Purification Oyster with Garlic, Spicy Peppers and Chili Paste Vinegar.]

[Food God's Greatness.]

[You have ignored the medicine penalty. However, it still remains ineffective for other people.]

[A Medicine Dish. You have obtained additional stats.]

[+111 on Holy Power and +108 on Magical Defense.]

[You will inflict an additional 5% damage towards undead monsters.]

Minhyuk’s holy power had now reached an astounding 600 points. Combined with the effect of Pandora’s Helmet, he would be able to exert double the amount. However, Minhyuk felt that it was just a nuisance to him. All he could think of at that moment was that it was a pity that he could only eat one Purification Oyster.

‘I’m going to make oyster pancake later~’

Fortunately, he still had plenty of oysters, even if they might not be as delicious as the Purification Oyster. Minhyuk tried to look for a place to eat grilled clams, only to realize that the cave was much wider than he initially thought. He went further inside until he heard the sound of waves crashing.

Shwaaaaa!

Minhyuk slowly walked forward. His eyes widened at the sight. He said, “Wow. There’s a sea inside another sea...”

There was literally a sea in front of him. However, even though the cave was placed under the sea, there was no water inside at all. Once he had walked and climbed further inside, he saw the waves of another sea below him crashing by the shore. It was both a mysterious and amazing sight to behold.

‘What if I eat grilled clams while watching these waves?’

“Kgghk!?Beans, let’s hurry...!” Minhyuk said as he turned to look at Beanie and urged it to move. However, when he turned, he could not help but be surprised.

“Huh?”

Beanie quickly rushed up to the sea in front of them. Minhyuk could see some land below.

“Huh...?”

Minhyuk quickly hurried after Beanie.

“Beans?”

Beanie was sniffing on the ground as it moved at a high speed.

‘What’s this? Huh, don’t tell me...?! Doesn’t Beanie have that incredible ability where he can immediately find amazing medicine?’

Not long after, Beanie stopped to look at a very small gap.

“Oink!”

Minhyuk hurriedly approached it. Once he arrived in front of the small gap that Beanie was looking at, he could see something inside. At first glance, the item was quite small in size. Also, it looked like a well-cooked liver that one could normally find in?soondae. He reached out and took it with his hands. Then, a series of notifications rang in his head.

[Rabbit’s Liver.]

[Its hidden and unique abilities have been sealed.]

[Please use Ingredient Appraisal to check the sealed abilities.]

1. Soondae is a type of blood sausage in Korean cuisine. It is a popular street food generally made by steaming cow or pig's intestines stuffed with various ingredients.