Leveling Up Through Eating

Chapter 656: The First Priest

Minhyuk, the first player to become a king and a God, heard the notification in his ears.

[Searching for your first temple, the temple that Athenae had bestowed upon you.]

After participating in the Banquet with the Gods and meeting with Athenae, Minhyuk immediately got transported somewhere in a flash of light. However, it was taking quite a long time for the warp to end. During the long wait, these notifications also rang in his ears:

[Your temple has been found!]

[Your first priest has appeared in your temple!]

[If you fail to win the heart of your first priest, you will have to find another priest!]

[A God is a great existence.]

[Please show God’s greatness and never let your majesty fall!]

[You can now check your temple!]

The Gods were divine existences, and none of them had ever made an appearance in front of their own believers, those who placed their trust and faith in them.

Minhyuk, who was curious about his temple, decided to check it first. He arrived at an unexpected scene: his supposed first priest was looking at Minhyuk’s statue with an angry glare, holding a hammer in hand. Furthermore, the priest kept on swearing as if he wanted to hit the statue with his hammer right away.

‘What the hell?! Are all priests as crazy as this?!’

However, even if he thought like that, Minhyuk still patiently listened to the man’s story. Minhyuk naturally understood why Priest Ambron was feeling that way. If he had been in the priest’s place, he would have also hated the Gods.

Many thoughts flashed in Minhyuk’s head at that realization, ‘Perhaps this is the difference between the NPC and the player.’

And as he watched the temple fall apart, another thought flashed in his head, ‘What rewards will I get if my temple falls apart?’

Yes, Minhyuk was not only feeling pity for Ambron. He also calculated the probability of things going in his favor. He knew how to embrace people and their differences, and was aware that a simple word could change one’s view of the world.

Because of that, Minhyuk ignored the notifications that suggested for him not to show up. He appeared in front of Ambron, hugging the man and protecting him from the collapsing ceiling.

‘Perhaps these words would completely change your life.’

Then, Minhyuk said the words that would never come out of the mouths of the other arrogant Gods.

“…I’m sorry.”

Priest Ambron’s eyes grew wide at Minhyuk’s words. Then, a teardrop fell down from his eye. Ambron slowly stood up, his steps taking him further away from Minhyuk as he shook his head firmly.

“H, how can a God… apologize to a human…”

Ambron knew that the Gods did not show themselves to their believers.

“I hope my words can be some source of comfort and solace for you.”

“…”

Minhyuk stood silently in front of Ambron as the priest continued to shed tears.

‘Perhaps this God…’

At that moment, Ambron entertained the thought that the God in front of him was different from the other Gods.

“…”

Only after Ambron’s tears stopped did he realize that God had hugged him earlier. In fact, it was the figure of God that had greeted him instead of the collapsing ceiling when he had opened his eyes earlier. For some reason, he thought that God’s figure was really cool and handsome.

“…”

Perhaps that was the reason why Ambron’s cheeks were flushed with a dark shade of red.

‘N, no. Why are your cheeks turning red…?!’ Minhyuk thought, unable to hide how flustered he was. Then, the notifications rang.

[The God that Likes to Cook is watching the scene with joy and delight.]

[The God that Likes to Cook is rooting for you!]

‘What, what are you rooting for?! No, what the hell are you thinking?!’

Arlene had to be rooting for Minhyuk and the priest’s future endeavors, that was what Minhyuk desperately wanted to believe.

Only after the situation had calmed down to some extent did Minhyuk have the time to look at the temple’s situation. Most of the temple had indeed collapsed.

Ambron was also very much aware of the temple’s situation. After all, he was the one who had grabbed a hammer and started demolishing the temple.

“…What are you going to do about my temple?”

“I’m sorry.”

The comfort and hugs would end at this point. Minhyuk was not the kind of person who would allow himself to suffer losses. Of course, the temple was already on the verge of a collapse, but even if that was the case, it was still his first temple.

Then, the notifications rang.

[You have changed First Priest Ambron’s fate!]

[However, the fate that ties Priest Ambron down is a very strong one!]

[You might be able to defy Priest’s Ambron’s fate if you gain his complete recognition!]

[Linked Quest: First Priest Ambron]

Rank: SS

Requirements: God

Rewards: Ambron’s Temple Management

Penalty for Failure: Ambron’s departure.

Description: First Priest Ambron is filled with hatred toward the Gods. His hatred for you has disappeared, but there’s a chance that he will go back to his original feelings toward you. Win Ambron’s heart and gain his loyalty.

Conditions for Clearing: Increase favor with Ambron.

[Ambron will temporarily act as your first priest.]

Minhyuk rubbed his chin in thought. It seemed like his choice to show recognition toward Priest Ambron and comfort him had been correct. Even though the temple had collapsed, from what it looked like, Ambron himself was a worthy reward. However, since Ambron had destroyed Minhyuk’s temple, he thought that it was only natural that he get some compensation from Ambron. The problem was whether Ambron could give him anything. For now, Minhyuk decided to check Ambron’s stats first.

(Ambron)

Rank: Supreme NPC

Type: First Priest

Level: 563

Attack: 1,005

Defense: 1,607

Holy Power: 5,443

Special Abilities:

?Passive Skill: The One that Serves God

?Passive Skill: The One that Detests God

?Passive Skill: Priest that Shares Faith

?Innate Pope’s Power

?Innate Death’s Priest’s Power

?Active Skill: Together with God

?Active Skill: Prayer for God

Potential: 132

Experience Value: 18% / 100%

Description: From now on, Ambron’s future and life would depend on whether he starts to believe in God once again or not.

“…?!”

Minhyuk was shocked to learn that the priest in front of him was not just any ordinary priest. Ambron’s passive skills and active skills were both amazing. However, the one that took the cake was the passive skill Priest that Shares Faith. It was a skill that could give Ambron the power to attract other priests that had either been abandoned by their Gods, hated their Gods, or had yet to find their Gods. For Minhyuk, who still did not have a single believer in his temple, this was a necessary and very welcome power.

Aside from that passive, there were two other surprising points in Ambron’s stats.

(Pope’s Power)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

?Born with the talents to become a pope, once he truly serves and puts his complete trust and faith in his God, he will become a pope that will shock the entire world.

?If he becomes a pope, his God will receive a 5% increase in all stats.

?If he becomes a pope, he will be able to naturally attract believers with his glib tongue.

Ambron was actually a natural born candidate to become a pope. His potential was limitless. However, there was a flip side.

(Death’s Priest)

Passive Skill

Level: None

Effects:

?If he refuses to serve a God, then he will become a figure that would become a Death’s Priest. Once he becomes a Death’s Priest, he would target and kill the other Gods’ priests and even go so far as killing Gods.

?If he becomes a Death’s Priest, all of his skillset and stats will change.

Minhyuk did not know what a Death’s Priest was, but he could tell just by the explanation alone that Ambron’s future as a Death’s Priest could be reversed if he performed well in this quest.

‘I admit that this God is different from the other Gods. However, that’s not enough reason for me to serve him. Besides, there’s a chance that he’s not worthy enough to have me.’

Ambron was already aware that he was a pope candidate. Ever since he was young, he knew that the holy power in his body was beyond anyone’s imagination. When the God of Mercy showed him an oracle, he realized that there were things that he could do that other ordinary priests could not.

There was practically no reason for Ambron to serve a God that was starting at the lowest point. Just when the thought flashed in his head, however, the God asked him, “Have you eaten yet?”

“…”

***

The members of the Story Team hurriedly rushed to the Special Players Management Team. This was because they heard that the fate of the Death’s Priest, a very special NPC, had been altered.

However, even after hearing the entire story, the Story Team’s Team Leader was confident that it was not the case at all.

“No matter what you think, the Food God will never win Ambron’s heart. The person that would become the Death’s Priest has to believe in the Food God to the point that he could be considered a fanatic. It’s nigh impossible to increase favor with him.”

He tried to deny it but Team Leader Park and Lee Minhwa just chuckled at him. Then, Park Minggyu said, “I can’t tell you that we’re going to be alright but…”

Team Leader Park looked at Minhyuk, who was cooking a meal. “Not only is the Food God good at cooking, he also knows what the other person wants. He knows how to use those things well.”

***

Priest Ambron had prayed incessantly to God since he was a child. Because of his beliefs, he imposed a ban on himself and refrained from eating meat, making sure to maintain a vegetarian diet.

And now, the great God in front of him had just asked him “Have you eaten yet?”

Hearing the question, Ambron unknowingly touched his stomach. He had eaten before coming here. However, his stomach had started to grumble because of his nervousness.

Minhyuk had a soft smile on his face. ‘I must win Ambron’s heart!’

He had already shown a better image as a God in front of Ambron. Now, all he had to do was increase his favor.

“May I ask why you’re asking me this?”

A God was asking if he was hungry. Ambron could not help but be skeptical.

“Because I’m going to cook you a meal.”

“…?!”

Minhyuk’s words came as a huge shock to Ambron. After all, he had never seen a precedent to something like this. A God that made something for his priest? There were no records of this in history.

‘So, he’s really different from the other Gods…’

Perhaps because he was a Continental God, but the God in front of him was completely different from the Gods that he knew of. On top of that, Ambron was also very curious about what kind of dishes the God that Likes to Eat could make.

So, Ambron said, “Just the fact that you’re willing to cook for me is already something that makes me deeply moved. However, I do not eat meat.”

“You don’t eat meat. Okay. How about vegetables that taste like meat? It’s alright, no?”

“Y-yes.”

Ambron had heard that the high ranking priests of the greatest religion, the Athenae Religion, would come across precious ingredients once in a while, and some of those tasted like meat.

As Minhyuk was close with everyone from the Athenae Religion, he was able to receive plenty of ingredients from them. An example was chicken grass. There were also beef apples that had the same texture and flavor as that of beef sirloin.

“You must be feeling tense, it’s better if I make you some porridge.”

Then, Minhyuk began to cook. The dish that he was making for Ambron was chicken porridge. He chopped the vegetables and boiled the ‘chicken’ to make the broth. Not long after, he added some glutinous rice, as well as various vegetables, to the broth before stirring them evenly.

Minhyuk cooked the porridge for a long time, his sweat dripping down his forehead as he watched the cauldron simmer. It was an unexpected scene, yet his figure looked cool.

Minhyuk was a God, and yet he was cooking for a mere human like Ambron, who was staring unknowingly at his figure. Ambron thought that Minhyuk was truly cool.

The finished porridge was placed in front of Ambron. There was also a plate of ‘kimchi’ placed right next to it. Ambron looked at God and tried to eat the dish in front of him while watching him.

The bowl of chicken porridge in front of him was filled with well-cooked and glistening rice that was in complete harmony with the various colors of the vegetables on top of it. He took a spoonful and blew lightly on it before placing the still-hot porridge in his mouth.

“Hooo~”

Ambron immediately breathed out to soothe the heat in his mouth. As he continued to chew, an amazing flavor spread in his mouth.

‘This, this is the taste of meat…?’

It tasted just like what he heard from the stories. The meaty soup tasted light and savory. Ambron kept eating the chicken porridge in front of him until he came across the chicken grass that was added in the porridge. Even though it was just a little piece, the chicken grass had a tender and soft texture in his mouth, one that Ambron had never felt from other vegetables before.

“…!”

As he swallowed the mouthful, Ambron’s eyes grew wide, and he hurriedly wolfed down the chicken porridge. This time, he tried a mouthful of chicken porridge with the crunchy kimchi that was served beside it. Once he placed it in his mouth, the cold kimchi mellowed down the heat of the chicken porridge. Its spicy and sour flavor also complemented the savory flavor of the chicken porridge.

‘Delicious. Truly delicious! Is this what meat tastes like?! Eureka!’

Ambron came to a realization as he scrambled to finish his bowl. After scraping the bowl clean, Ambron let out a satisfied breath as he patted his full stomach subconsciously. That was when he made eye contact with his new God, who was looking at him after finishing his own food.

God smiled at him and asked, “Was it good?”

“…”

That smile was truly too dazzling.

“It was delicious.”

Then, at that moment…

[Your favor with Ambron has increased!]

[Ambron has fallen for your bright smile!]

[Your favor with Ambron has increased!]

[Ambron has fallen for the dish that you cooked for your first priest!]

[Your favor with Ambron has increased!]

[You have completed the Quest: First Priest Ambron.]

[The Linked Quest: Priests that Follow You will be created.]

Ambron’s cheeks were dusted pink.

“…?”

Minhyuk could not understand his reaction.

‘Did he fall for me? He fell for me just after eating one dish?’

Ambron, whose cheeks were stained with a dark shade of red, stared at Minhyuk for a long time. Only when Minhyuk looked back at him did he turn his head to avoid his gaze shyly.

‘Why are you avoiding eye contact?!!’

Ambron tried to fan the flush on his cheeks away before asking, “All right. For the time being, I will live in your temple. Ah, by the way, have you decided on the name of your religion?”

Minhyuk broke into a smile at Ambron’s question. In fact, his ‘religion’ had existed for a long time already. Finally, the true birth of this great religion had come.

“Minhyuk Religion.”

“…?”

Priest Ambron could not help but doubt his hearing at the ridiculous name. However, Minhyuk said with fierce conviction, “The name of my religion is Minhyuk Religion!!!”

This was the true birth of the great religion known as Minhyuk Religion.

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