Chapter 78

"T, the elixir...?"

"Hahaha..."

The both of them wore looks of dejection on their faces as they laughed dispiritedly.

The Empire's Elixir.

It's the Empress' reward that can only be given to one, and only one person alone!

But this was not how it was supposed to be originally received. The user should first receive the linked quest 'Empire's Elixir' and calmly go through a step-by-step process before finally receiving the reward. Furthermore, they were expecting the Empire's Elixir to be revealed at a much later time.

Receiving the Empire's Elixir meant that the Empress had acknowledged the user and would continue to treat them as if they were the closest of friends. In addition, the user that would receive this reward might be able to receive various quests that were related to the Eivelis Empire.

"This is how the best medicine in the country should be revealed."

Medicine.

This was an item that was created through the efforts of the operators and administrators. It was an extremely effective item that could be ingested by the users. Medicines could be in the form of a liquid like the Empire's Elixir. In addition, there were plenty of other medicines that could be found all throughout the game like the thousand-year-old ginseng, ten thousand-year-old knotweed, mandragora, and Ogre's energy herb. What was certain about this kind of item was the significant change that the user would undergo once it was ingested.

One of the reasons why medicine is considered to be much more valuable compared to other items was the fact that it could strengthen the stats of a character once it was ingested. It could also greatly increase the damage or the magical defense of the user. Unlike items that needed to be equipped for the increase in stats to take effect, ingesting a medicine is a long term solution to stats increase and strengthening.

And among all of those medicines, Empire's Elixir was considered to be the most special.

Team Leader Park suddenly said…

"He's going to drink the Empire's Elixir right away, right? He's not going to do something weird and crazy with it?"

The two of them stared intently on the screen with doubts flashing in their eyes.

[You can now receive Empire's Elixir.]

[You can now receive Empire-related quests from the quest guide located in the palace.]

[You have gained 10 reputation points.]

Ellie was smiling at him gently.

Empire's Elixir.

It was a special medicine that only the Empress could have and she wanted to give it to Minhyuk.

"I'll drink it well!"

Minhyuk received it readily. He did not know anything about the elixir but there was something that he was sure of…

'It can be eaten!'

Ellie smiled gently at him without knowing what was going through his mind.

"You need to become stronger so you can eat more delicious food."

"You're absolutely right."

She wanted to help this foreigner named Minhyuk in the future just like how he helped her.

Helped me? That's funny.

He just made her laugh, approached her with friendliness and got her surprised with how much effort he gives in every little thing. However, those simple acts were something that touched her deeply. And for Ellie who had no friends at all, he was like a safe haven. A person she could relax with and enjoy their company. He was the sole 'healing' for her, the Empress who was bound by the responsibilities and mission of protecting the people of her Empire.

"Go and check its information."

"Yes!"

Minhyuk hurriedly read the contents of the information about the item.

(Empire's Elixir)

Material Grade: Medicine

Special Abilities: +180 increase on the stat that you need once consumed.

Description: The best medicine that you could receive from Ellie, the Empress of the Eivelis Empire. The Empire's Elixir can increase the stat that a user needs by +180 once it is consumed, it's just some special water but it's much more delicious than any water.

Such an unusual item.

The Empire's Elixir could recognize and raise the stat that a user needs by +180.

'Medicine?'

Minhyuk tilted his head in thought. To be honest, this was the first time for him to encounter any information about medicine in the game.

At that moment, Ruth came in with the ingredients that he requested. When Minhyuk caught sight of the ingredients, a thought suddenly came through in his mind…

'Wait...! C, can I use the elixir to make the broth of the budaejjigae?'

After all, it said that it's much more delicious than water…

It was written clearly.

Much more delicious…

The description said that it was just some special water but it was much more delicious than any water.

It's water but it tastes better, right?!

Minhyuk was wondering if it was possible as he quickly took the glass of Empire's Elixir in his arms.

"Are you not going to drink it right away?"

"I'll drink it later when I get thirsty."

"I see. When will you depart?"

"I'm going to take a day off today and leave tomorrow."

"I see. Then I'll give you one room for today, hippo. And Minhyuk…"

Minhyuk stopped in his tracks when she grabbed his hands and stroked it gently.

'What's wrong with this noona?'

Minhyuk was both surprised and taken aback at her actions.

I have to go and eat budaejjigae!

What Ellie did next completely surprised Minhyuk. She slowly bowed down and gently laid a kiss on the back of his hand.

At that moment…

[Ellie's Kiss.]

[A mark of friendship has been engraved.]

[You can now ask for Ellie's help anywhere and anytime you need. Can only be used once.]

"Whenever you need my help, just rub this mark on the back of your hand and I'll come to your aid immediately."

The mark that was engraved on the back of his hand was the figure of a Phoenix.

After finishing this matter, Ellie quickly moved away to attend to her busy schedule while Minhyuk took the big box filled with ingredients.

Minhyuk happily sang lululala~ as he followed behind Ruth that was guiding him towards the room prepared for him.

Minhyuk looked at all the ingredients that he was preparing happily.

He quickly prepared the sliced spam and long ham, the dumplings filled with ground pork and the rich and savory cheese. He also prepared the soft and chewy rice cake and the flavorful ripe kimchi and pickled onions. He then made a simple spicy sauce by mixing the appropriate amount of gochujang and red pepper powder together.

After finishing his preparations, he placed all of his ingredients in a wide pot specially made for stew. He smiled happily as he filled the pot well. Then, he opened a disposable container pack that said 'Thick Beef Bone Soup'. If he made budaejjigae with thick beef bone soup as the stock the stew would have a much deeper and tastier flavor.

He poured the beef bone soup on a separate bowl.

Now for my most anticipated ingredient!

The Empire's Elixir that was much more delicious than any water!

He pulled the stopper off of the glass bottle.

Pop!

"Kyaa, what a good sound!"

Minhyuk smiled happily when he heard the lively sound. Then, he poured the MSG(?)-like Empire's Elixir over the beef bone soup and mixed it well. After he mixed his soup stock well, he added the sauce that he made earlier and poured it in the middle of the pot.

Finally, he turned the heat on and let the stew boil.

Once the soup started to boil, Minhyuk picked his spoon up as he took a sip of the soup.

"Hoo! Hoo!"

He blew on his spoon to cool down the soup a bit before taking a big sip out of the soup.

"As expected, it's still a bit plain."

Budaejjigae was a dish that tastes better and well-seasoned the longer you boiled it. It was usually a dish that was made better with the addition of ramyeon noodles. People usually added the noodles once the soup started to boil.

Minhyuk opened the ramen noodles and placed them in the pot. Then, he pressed the noodles with his ladle to soak it with the soup little by little. Once the noodles were cooked, he stirred it with his chopsticks. Once the stew was cooked, it was best to taste the ramyeon noodles first.

Steam rose as he lifted some ramyeon noodles out of the pot and placed it on a bowl. Then, he scooped out some of the red soup and ham and placed it together with his noodles.

Minhyuk clamped the noodles with his chopsticks, then…

"Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!"

Since the noodles were properly soaked and cooked in the budaejjigae soup, the noodles became soft and chewy. Eating the savory and chewy noodles made him feel good.

His second bite of the noodles were accompanied by kimchi and ham.

"Sluuuuuuuuuuurp!"

The combination of the springy ham and well-cooked kimchi and chewy noodles created a fantastic combination.

"Ah, it's perfect!"

After letting out such an exclamation, he lowered the heat as he scooped up some rice on his bowl. He took a big bite of the rice followed by a spoonful of soup together with some stretchy cheese. The savory flavor of the cheese and the spicy and ham-flavored soup made him smile as soon as he took a big bite.

"Kyaha!"

His attention was then directed towards the thick egg roll that he prepared earlier before he started making his budaejjigae. This egg roll was of course made from the eggs of the golden egg-laying chicken.

He picked a thick piece of the egg roll and dipped it in the catsup. Once the egg roll entered his mouth, he could taste the sweet and mild taste of the catsup along with the soft and light texture of the eggs.

"Excellent, it's really fantastic!"

That was how Minhyuk's mukbang continued.

Ellie looked extremely busy as she moved from one place to another.

"I'll meet with Marquis Bratine later to talk about the Northern Territories. Ruth, take good care of that boy Minhyuk on my behalf."

"I understand."

Not long after, Ellie moved towards the warp zone and disappeared leaving Ruth heaving a big sigh.

'I never thought that she would give him the Empire's Elixir...'

There was only one Empire's Elixir in the entirety of the Empire, however it was a proof in and of itself of the prosperity of the Eivelis Empire.

He did not expect Ellie to give it away to Minhyuk so readily that was why it kept on bothering Ruth. However, he still decided to accept her decision.

'Because it's what her Majesty decided to do.'

His steps moved him towards the room where Minhyuk was staying.

'Since he stayed in the training grounds for a week, he should definitely be sleeping, right? I should go in quietly just in case.'

He opened the door silently. And the moment he entered…

"...chew?"

His eyes widened in surprise. He was quite sure that he was sleeping but he saw him almost done eating budaejjigae and egg rolls.

Ruth's eyes widened further when he saw the empty bottle of the Empire's Elixir rolling next to the almost empty pot of budaejjigae.

"My goodness! Who would make budaejjigae using the Empire's Elixir?!"

The shock and surprise Ruth felt almost left him senseless.

No, how could there be such a crazy guy?!

"Ellie noona gave it to me so I can eat it anyway I want!"

"No, it just doesn't make any sense! Don't you know that you can't use medicine for cooking?!"

"...Is that so? No, why did you come inside without knocking, and you're even scolding me? I'm going to tell this to Ellie noona!"

Ruth's demeanor quickly changed when he heard Minhyuk's remarks.

"N, no. What I wanted to ask was… did you enjoy it? Hehe, w, was it delicious? A budaejjigae made from the Empire's Elixir."

"It's extremely delicious! Kghhk!"

'This budaejjigae crazy punk!'

However, Minhyuk looked at him curiously.

"Do you mind if I ask you about something?"

"What is it?"

Minhyuk furtively looked at his lower half.

"...Did it hurt a lot?"

"Cough!"

Ruth coughed loudly.

"The times have changed. They already use chemicals to numb the pain these days. No... Why am I even explaining this to you?"

Minhyuk stood up and approached him, his eyes were watery and filled with pity.

"...Was it difficult?"

His eyes and his voice…

Ruth was suddenly overcome with sadness. He bowed his head as if to hide his wet eyes.

He looks like he will wipe his tears away with his arms at any moment!

"Yes..."

Minhyuk patted him on the back as if he was telling him 'Cheer up!' in his own way. Then he whispered quietly.

"Were you standing or sitting down when it happened?"

"If they're in a good mood then you can sit down, and when they're in a bad mood then you remain standing up."

"I see."

The mystery(?) that was bothering him since earlier has been solved.