One man turned the entire world upside down. In fact, his name was plastered on every portal site in existence.
[Food God Minhyuk has donated a huge sum of 100 billion for those that were affected by Gaerna.]
[According to reports, the Beyond the Heavens Kingdomâs finances are not doing well.]
[The people of Korea: Heâs working hard to campaign so that the people will buy from Ilhwa Group.]
[Ilhwa Groupâs stock prices have seen a dramatic increase.]
[Food God Minhyuk: Chosen as one of the 100 most influential people in the world.]
[The hundred billion won distributed to the various kingdoms and empires that fell victim to Gaerna. The kingdoms and empires are now showing a favorable impression toward Beyond the Heavens Kingdom.]
[Where was the Luvien Empire during Gaernaâs hunt? The kingdoms and empires in the world of Athenae might be showing favor to Beyond the Heavens Kingdom but they are acting coldly toward the Luvien Empire.]
[Experts: We can assume that Food God Minhyuk has received quite a lot of rewards to willingly offer 100 billion to help the victims of Gaerna.]
[Experts: The value of the Food Godâs 100 billion won is not something that can be bought so easily.]
[Minhyuk ranked first in âWho do Teens Want to be Like the Most?â]
[Expert Im Tae-Ho says that the Food Godâs worth is 100 billion won.]
[What is the âworthâ that the expert is talking about?]
[Many kingdoms and empires have received damage from Gaernaâs hunt. There are even small nations that received so much damage that it will be very hard for them to recover. The place where Gaerna appeared was in the vicinity where three small nations were gathered. They sent their soldiers out the moment they saw Gaerna advance and were promptly wiped out. Something like this could be considered as an irredeemable crisis for small kingdoms and nations like them. However, the king of the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom has lent them a helping hand during their time of great crisis.]
[Then, that means that Food God Minhyuk bought the hearts of those kingdoms and empires with just 100 billion won?]
[Thatâs right. Minhyuk is obviously a very clever person. Bear in mind, there were only about 600 survivors. These are talented people that have received the support from their respective kingdoms and empires. They will obviously run to their kings and emperors and say, âYou have to forge a close relationship with the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, Your Majesty!â]
[Listening to it, I can say that itâs highly likely to happen.]
[We donât know if this is what Food God Minhyuk intended to do but his actions have ensured that he has taken a step closer to establishing his own empire.]
As various articles and stories poured out about the Food God, Minhyukâs value continued to rise. Even famous celebrities and third-generation chaebol ladies were explicitly stating their favor toward Minhyuk on SNS.
[Did you see what Choego Groupâs Kim Hae-Ri has posted on SNS?]
[That guy whoâs very hot these days? I want to meet him. Thatâs what she said, right? Iâm pretty sure sheâs saying this so she can meet Minhyuk.]
[Kim Hae-Ri is that person that we call Momâs Favorite, right? She is famous for her good personality, her celebrity-like looks, and sheâs even the daughter of the Choego Groupâs chairmanâ¦]
[Ever since Kim Hae-Ri revealed her feelings on SNS, celebrities and popular figures have stopped posting on SNS.]
[Is it because they canât compete with her?]
[Whatâs more, the Ilhwa Group and the Choego Group are on fairly good terms.]
[Wow. Iâm so jealous of Minhyuk. Kim Hae-Riâ¦]
The Choego Group was not as big as the Ilhwa Group or the Daehan Group, but it was still one of the top ten of Koreaâs conglomerates.
Although Kim Hae-Ri was a third generation chaebol, she graduated from Harvard University in America and was renowned for her good deeds. She also received the love of many for her outstanding beauty. Considering that these things were quite unusual for someone that was just a third generation chaebol, it might be an indication of how much Kim Hae-Ri was considered as the best woman of her era.
While so many people were paying attention to him, Minnyuk was busy checking the rewards that he received alone in his office.
[You have killed Gaerna.]
[You were the Allianceâs King during Gaernaâs Hunt.]
[The rewards that you will receive will be better than others.]
[You have made surprisingly great contributions in Gaernaâs hunt. The rewards that you will receive will be better.]
[You have gained 32,513 platinum.]
[You have gained 11,313,111,000 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[â¦leveled up.]
[â¦leveled up.]
[â¦leveled up.]
[You have acquired Gaernaâs Life Elixir (2).]
[You have acquired Gaernaâs Map to Overcome Oneâs Limitations.]
[You have acquired Gaernaâs Parasitic Ring.]
[You have acquired The Master of Aeropiaâs Necklace.]
[You have acquired the Six Monster Godsâ Skill Creation Book.]
[You have gained 3 Godâs SP.]
[You will receive rewards based on your contribution.]
[You have gained 30,000,000,000 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have gained 52,311 platinum.]
[You have acquired 5 Mandalaâs Elixir.]
[You have acquired 1 Mandalaâs Growth Potion.]
[You have acquired Mandalaâs Treasure Chest.]
[You have acquired Mandalaâs Treasure Hunting Map.]
[You have gained 200 special Stat Points (STP).]
He had gained more than 50,000 platinum. Just this alone proved that the rewards this time were far more unconventional and grander than he had imagined. Of course, in Minhyukâs case, this might be because he was appointed as the Allianceâs King and had made great contributions.
Minhyuk then left that behind and looked at the list of his rewards. First was the Mandalaâs Growth Potion. Once the potion was consumed, the userâs EXP Acquisition Rate will increase by 30x for an entire hour.
âWhat? Isnât this too much of a cheat?â
Of course, the growth potion was like a double-edged sword. In fact, if he took everything in consideration, consuming an EXP potion that had a two-week duration might be more beneficial than this one. However, what if he could gain a huge amount of EXP in an hour?
âThen, it would be better than taking several week-long EXP potions.â
As for the Mandalaâs Elixir, it was an exceptional recovery potion that money could not buy.
âIt can recover your HP and MP to 100% and has no cooldown? On top of that, it can also increase your defensive power by 20%?â
The only word that could come out of Minhyukâs mouth was âcrazy.â
There was also the Mandalaâs Treasure Chest. It was an item that worked just like any other Treasure Chest where one would randomly get a potion made by Mandala once opened. Mandalaâs Treasure Hunting Map was an item that would allow the item user to find whatever they wanted.
Then, there were the 200 special STPs. These were points that could increase stats that could not be increased by regular STPs, like Will and DEX. Minhyuk had actually received 200 of them. However, he decided not to use them for now.
Minhyuk then turned his attention to the rewards that he received for killing Gaerna. The first one was Gaernaâs Life Elixir.
âYou can even save the dead with thisâ¦?â
It was a completely crazy elixir with an astronomical value. The next one was Gaernaâs Map to Overcome Oneâs Limitations.
âThereâs someone in Beyond the Heavens that needs this.â
Minhyuk chuckled. The effect of the item was none other than locating a way to overcome the personâs limits. Next was the Master of Aeropiaâs Necklace.
âThis is a token of recognition that recognizes one as the master of the Insect Kingdomâ¦â
To put it simply, Gaerna was the Queen of Insects. Aeropia was the land of insects. Minhyuk stared at the item and thought that it would probably be able to contribute to the development of Beyond the Heavens Kingdom into an empire.
But the most notable item was the Six Monster Godsâ Skill Creation Book. It allowed the user to combine the skills in their possession or create the skills that they wanted. Minhyuk believed that the use of this item needed careful consideration.
âIf itâs not too absurd, then maybe itâs possible?â
Perhaps Minhyuk could use this to create a skill that was along the lines of Double Food, Double Skill, or maybe something along the lines of Sword of Absolute Death.
âThis is amazing.â
Even though Gaerna did not drop any outstanding artifacts, the rewards that Minhyuk received were more than satisfactory. The only thing that he was disappointed about was, of course, regarding food.
âThereâs nothing here that I can eat. Tch.â
However, there was really no need for him to feel sad. After all, the Mandalaâs Treasure Hunting Map could help him find whatever it was that he wanted.
âI need to take a break.â
Minhyuk had rescued Brod and killed one of the Six Monster Gods, Gaerna, within the span of a short time. He badly needed to take a break.
âTomorrowâs Christmas. Ah. Itâs also Genieâs birthday.â
Minhyuk recalled the Beyond the Heavensâ Vice Guild Master Genie. Christmas was just right around the corner, which meant that it was his dear old friendâs birthday.
After going around the kingdomâs capital once, Minhyuk logged out of the game.
***
Royal Department Store was owned by the Ilhwa Group, located in Gangnam with various luxury stores located inside.
Inside one of the world-renowned luxury brandâs stores, a woman in her early twenties was seen bowing down while the rest of the staff around her were fidgeting.
âF*ck, I already told you. My baby at home accidentally took off the tag. This has never been worn. But youâre telling me that you canât give me a refund because of your regulations? F*ck that.â
âSir, according to our regulations, products with their tags removedâ¦â
âNo. The tag was just removed. Ah, I really donât like the way this girl talks to me.â
Kim Heung-Soo, a man in his early thirties, was a VIP client that spent around a million won per year at the Royal Department Store. However, he brought forward a pair of luxury shoes that had clear signs of wear and was demanding a refund.
The truth was, Kim Heung-Soo knew that he would not be able to get a refund with this. However, he was in a very bad mood today and wanted to abuse his power as a VIP and show off his superiority.
Surprisingly enough, something like this often happened in the Royal Department Store.
âWeâre very sorry, sir.â
In the end, the employee in her early twenties, Im Yoon-Ah, bit her lips and apologized even though she did not know what she was apologizing for.
âBut you donât look sorry at all?â Kim Heung-Soo rolled his eyes. He found it unpleasant to hear that products with their tags removed were not eligible for refund. Then, he gestured with his eyes, glancing on the floor beneath them.
âThat⦠sir. No matter how much youâre a VIP, thatâs a bitâ¦â
The manager immediately noticed the meaning of his gesture and tried to stop him.
âShould I lodge a formal complaint?â
Complaints from VIP were very fatal. There had never been a case where the department stores protected their employees after a complaint. They would always protect their customers. This was how ordinary department stores usually worked.
However, the reason why Im Yoon-Ah took a job at the Royal Department Store was because of something else. The representative of the Royal Department Store had recently been changed and became Ilhwa Groupâs successor, Minhyuk.
Minhyuk had mentioned something when he went around the department store recently.
âCustomers might be king but the staff is my family. As my family, if someone dares to speak informally to you, then speak informally to them. If they cursed at you, then curse at them too. I, and Ilhwa Groupâs legal team, will take responsibility for you.
Lim Yoon-Ah brooded over those words.
Once again, Kim Heung-Soo glanced at the floor. It was a gesture that wanted her to kneel down on his feet. He wondered if her trembling legs would drop to the ground.
âThis b*tch. If you did something wrong to your customers then you have to apologizeâ¦â
âIf a customer speaks informally, then speak informally to them.â
Thus, Im Yoon-Ah steeled herself and shouted, âYou f*cking bastard! How dare you call me b*tch! Youâre the one thatâs a f*cking mother*cking b*tch!!!â
ââ¦â
ââ¦â
A moment of silence passed. Everyone in the store was flustered. At that moment, Kim Heung-Soo raised his arms.
âThis crazy b*tch! Is this how the Royal Department Store treats their customers?! You curse at them?!â
Then, he tried to swing his arm. Im Yoon-Ah closed her eyes tightly to prepare for the impact.
âI was the one that ordered it. You really are a shitty pig-like bastard, huh?â
ââ¦â
Kim Heung-Sooâs arm stopped as he turned to look back.
A 185-centimeter-tall man clad in a fitted black suit with a face that seemed to be sculpted by the gods, stood with his hands in his pockets. There were dozens of the department storeâs executives standing behind him too.
âI ordered them to speak informally if any customer spoke informally to them, and curse if the customers cursed at them. â
Kim Heung-Soo knew this manâs name. He was the owner of the Royal Department Store and the heir to Ilhwa Group. He was the most influential person in the world right now, and with a simple order, it could break his company and turn it into ruins in just a week.
With dozens of executives lined up behind him, he stood in front of Kim Heung-Soo and asked, âGot a problem with that?â