Gourmet Gaming

Master Xuanzang and Obren made their way to where Great Demon Verus was. After Obren had wiped out the 300,000-strong Demonic Beast Army at the entrance, even more soldiers of the Demon World’s Army had appeared to block their path.

Rex had used several demons to attack the Beyond the Heavens Kingdom, using the name of the God of Death. However, the demons that appeared back then were nothing but empty shells; they were not true demons.

‘When members of the demon race or demonic beasts descend on earth, their power would weaken greatly.’

In the Demon World, these demons would be able to exert power that could exceed someone at Level 700.

Master Xuanzang groaned. ‘We had planned to take away Great Demon Verus’ Absolute God’s Necklace without alerting or encountering any demons.’

However, Devil Uvall had appeared in front of them. A demon in the form of a black camel, Uvall led a huge number of troops of the Demonic Beast Army, just like any other of the 72 Devils.

‘…This is crazy.’

Master Xuanzang reflected after realizing his evaluation of Obren was not accurate before.

“Foolish bastards,” Obren jeered at them as an Evil God Book carrying the pattern of a sword appeared above his head.

Crackle—

A black sword appeared as the Evil God Book burned and disappeared into nothingness.

Crackleeee— Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang!

Obren moved swiftly and cut down the demonic beasts without stopping. At the same time, tens of thousands of lightning bolts fell down from the sky as the Evil God’s Books floating in the sky displayed their power. As it turned out, the power of the Evil God’s Book could easily trample even the demons from the Demon World.

Still, Obren’s power had been sealed and he was not invincible. Injuries, like tears, cuts and gashes, continued to appear all over his body. In the end, even one of his arms was cut off, disappearing without a trace as he clashed against Devil Uvall. Unfazed, his expression remained unchanged as he stabbed his sword deep into his opponent’s heart.

Crackle—

Obren looked silently at the demon that disappeared in a burst of flames. Then, he recalled a conversation that he had with Minhyuk.

—Obren, I will become an emperor.

—The emperor only likes to eat. Sooner or later, the empire will go bankrupt.

—What’s wrong with an empire where everyone does not go hungry?

—All of the people will be happy. However, it won’t be easy.

—I know. But I have you, right? You’re going to stay by my side and help me become an emperor, right?

—What are you on about? You’re on your own.

—Eeeeeeeh. Obren, help meeee~

—I feel like throwing up.

—…

Obren was very happy to hear that his friend had a new dream, which was to become an emperor. Although he did not say it out loud, Obren had made a vow then.

‘I will help you.’

He would help Minhyuk to become an emperor, to not be trampled by the Luvien Empire’s powerhouses, and most importantly, to eat delicious dishes.

Obren looked at his missing right arm as another Evil God Book appeared.

[You have used the Book of Recovery.]

[You can only use the Book of Recovery three times!]

[You have used the Book of Recovery to regenerate your broken and injured body!]

[You have used a lot of mana. You are now experiencing dizziness!]

Twitch, twitch—

Obren’s right arm, which had disappeared without a trace, started to regenerate. At the same time, another set of notifications rang in his ears.

[Buddhist Monk Xuanzang’s Buddhist Mala Beads are exerting their powers!]

The beads were an artifact that could lift the seal on Obren’s power. First, they had to absorb the energy and force from the evil beings that he slain.

[You have gathered 3% of Unsealing Power!]

[If you keep the beads on for more than a week and continuously gather the Unsealing Power, it will help you recover your original powers permanently.]

[However, if you use the Unsealing Power within that week, then all of your Unsealing Power will disappear.]

Obren’s arm completely regenerated. At the same time, his vision turned white. He immediately raised his hand and slapped his head to recover his senses.

“Are you alright?”

Obren raised his hand and stopped Xuanzang in his tracks. Then, he slowly leaned against a nearby rock to support his reeling and shaking body.

“Why don’t we hide for a bit and take a rest? It would be impossible to move further with the state of your body right now.”

“No. We have to move as fast as we can.”

That guy must be waiting for his return. Unfortunately, no matter how hard he tried to stand up, he still could not stand up.

“Look at yourself. You have to rest, even if just for an hour.”

Obren breathed roughly, his face turning ugly when he realized that his body was not listening to his commands.

“Wait. I’ll be fine after a short moment of rest.”

Although cold sweat was dripping down Obren’s forehead, he positioned himself to lean comfortably on the rock behind him. Then, he took out a book from his pocket.

Quickly, he became immersed in the contents of the book as soon as he started reading it. After a few moments, the cold sweat that was dripping down his face had disappeared. Even his complexion turned rosy.

“Hoooo…”

After a rough and long exhale, Obren’s condition stabilized. His expression even became more comfortable.

‘What in the world is that book…?’

Master Xuanzang looked at the book in admiration. It was too magical. It could instantly heal the exhaustion of someone that had lost an arm before. On top of that, Evil God Obren was someone that had the power to handle books. The power of the book that was in his hands would definitely be extraordinary. Xuanzang glanced sideways at the page that Obren was reading.

[The woman laid down on the magical creaking bed.]

[The woman hugged her blanket tightly, her body and her spirit in the throes of ecstasy.]

[Creak, creak… The sound of the bed was followed by her… groans and moans… her beautiful and slender waist…]

Glare!

Master Xuanzang’s eyes grew wide as he glared at Obren.

‘How can he read a book like that?! Isn’t he the Evil God? Why does he have such a frivolous and perverted book?!’

However, even though Master Xuanzang complained in his heart, he could not tear his eyes away from the book either. For some reason, he felt like his body was coming down with a fever.

Meanwhile, Obren, who was completely immersed in the book, savored each sentence on the page slowly, as if he was tasting fine wine.

“Can you please turn the page quickly…”

“…?”

“…”

“…?”

“…”

The two made eye contact with each other.

***

Everything would not go as smoothly as one originally planned. These words seemed to describe Obren and Master Xuanzang’s situation perfectly. After several twists and turns, the two finally reached the place in the Demon World where Great Demon Verus was sealed. The place was a shelter and it housed Verus’ egg, which was in the form of a heart.

[You have reached Verus’ Sealed Egg!]

[Great Demon Verus has transferred the ownership of the Absolute God’s Necklace to his first ranking Devil, Demon King Baal!]

Master Xuanzang felt his heart drop into the depths of despair when he saw the first to tenth ranking Devils of the 72 Devils guarding Verus’ egg.

‘This is the end for us.’

Xuanzang felt frustrated.

[Devil Baal. Level 775.]

[Devil Agares. Level 739.]

[Devil…]

[Devil…]

[Great Demon Verus’ special power is protecting the Devils!]

[If the Devils die inside the Demon World, they will be sealed and turned into eggs.]

[With time, the seal binding them will be lifted and they will return as Devils once again.]

Xuanzang never expected that the demons of the Demon World, especially the first to tenth ranked devils of the 72 Devils would be guarding Great Demon Verus’ egg.

‘Perhaps, they had been summoned after the commotion from earlier.’

Regardless if they had been summoned or they were stationed here from the beginning, their appearance made Master Xuanzang feel numb. Even so, and despite his legs shaking, Xuanzang still took a step forward and followed Obren.

“I have consistently gathered enough Unsealing Power to release my sealed power while we were on our way here.”

Obren had already gathered around 60% of the force to lift the seal on his power. This meant that he could use around 60% of his original power.

“Please stop your nonsense! Do you think you can be an opponent to those Devils with just 60% of your power?!”

It was quite strange. Xuanzang had been in constant fear ever since they stepped foot in the Demon World. However, the man in front of him was not.

Obren took a step forward and said, “Watch.”

[You have used the Unsealing Power!]

[The Evil God’s power has awakened! 60% of the original power of the Evil God has been released!]

“I am the Evil God.”

Vwoooooooooooong—

The Devils in front of them groaned as a huge wave spread and covered the entire Demon World.

At the same time, the first ranked Devil, Devil Baal, sent his spear straight toward Obren’s heart.

[You have used your sealed power!]

[You can use your power for ten minutes!]

[All of your Unsealing Power has been used up!]

“…!”

However, at that moment, something unexpected happened. Baal’s spear, which was moving at a breakneck speed, stopped just right before it touched the tip of Obren’s outstretched finger. It was as if time stopped. Then, the spear flipped around and flew back to Baal, its sharp tip piercing through the Devil’s heart.

Crack—

“I was once the supreme of an era.”

“…?”

Baal looked at Obren in shock.

Just like that, both sides continued to fight for several days. Master Xuanzang underwent a rollercoaster of emotions as he watched the battle unfold in front of him. He would sometimes feel delighted, scared, and even frustrated.

Obren sustained injuries of varying degrees as he fought for days on end. Thankfully, he was able to properly utilize his two final chances of using the Book of Recovery, allowing him to last longer.

The problem was that Obren’s Book of Recovery no longer had any available use. On top of that, he had not been able to kill a single one of the Devils present, all because of the Great Demon Verus’ egg.

[Great Demon Verus’ Egg has doubled the Devils’ Recovery Rate!]

The Devils were beings that originally already possessed a high recovery rate and defense. In fact, the one that was more admirable was Obren for being able to endure a fight against them for several days.

‘If all of his sealed power had been released then…’

Gulp—

Master Xuanzang gulped dryly. However, in the end, Xuanzang was left hugging Obren’s body, which was littered with several severe injuries and was almost torn into pieces. The only thing that had been keeping the two of them alive for two days straight was the power of Buddha that was used to create an absolutely invincible barrier around them.

“…Do you still think the same way?” Master Xuanzang asked Obren. He was asking if the Evil God still did not have any intention of running away.

“…”

Obren, with his ragged body, lay inside the barrier and looked up at the Demon World’s sky. Obren no longer had the power to lift even a single finger. Although a few days had already passed, his body still remained riddled with wounds. It was not recovering at all. Meanwhile, the Devils had already recovered and were now waiting for the barrier to disappear, before attacking the two.

The result of him forcefully utilizing the Evil God’s Books had caused this situation.

“You’re already dying.”

“…”

“Let’s go back. Let’s go back and find another way, hmm?”

Master Xuanzang was helpless in this place where the power of Buddha did not have much influence. He felt that they should go back. If they did so, they would still be able to find a way to survive and live. However, Obren was far too stubborn and insistent.

Obren tried his hardest to open his lips slightly and say, “I… pr… promised…”

“…”

“I… will… pr… otect…”

Xuanzang’s heart throbbed painfully.

‘An unknown and strange fate brought about by the relationship created by a mere human and the Evil God.’

Perhaps, Obren’s fate was far too great.

‘I cannot see through his fate. My abilities are lacking.’

Then, Obren’s eyes slowly closed.

‘Is this the end? Does this mean that I can no longer protect the weak brat?’

At that moment, the idiot’s face appeared in Obren’s mind.

***

This story happened quite a long time ago.

While Minhyuk was working in his office, Obren suddenly awakened from his long slumber in the Puzzling Seasoning Jar. Obren leaned on the sofa and looked at Minhyuk worriedly.

“Are you doing all of the work in the kingdom?”

Minhyuk smiled faintly at Obren’s question. He said, “It’s because I am the king. If I run and work hard like this, then everyone will definitely be happy.”

“You’re too naive. I have to stay by your side.”

“You’ll protect me?”

“…What are you on about?” Obren said as he looked at Minhyuk in confusion.

Minhyuk stood up and looked out of the window. Then, he asked, “But you know, Obren… You’re quite strange.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Why do you think that you’re the only one doing the protecting? I’ll protect you too.”

Grin—

Obren laughed incredulously. “A weak guy like you?”

“Yeah! I will definitely protect you. And Obren, you have to remember this. Do not give up on your life for my sake. I would not be grateful if you do that. Besides, aren’t you afraid to die?”

“…Yes, I’m afraid.”

Obren smiled wryly. It was natural for most to be afraid of death.

“Let’s be honest. There’s no one in the world that’s not afraid of death, right?”

“…”

Obren did not say anything. However, a bright smile appeared on his face when he returned inside the Puzzling Seasoning Jar as he recalled the words that Minhyuk told him.

‘I’ll protect you too.’

***

There was a wide smile on Obren’s face as he lay down on the ground and looked up at the Demon World’s sky.

“Haa… Haa…”

Although his breathing was heavy, the bright smile on his face did not diminish. Master Xuanzang knew that Obren’s death was fast approaching. However, he could not help but wonder why the Evil God was smiling so brightly like this.

‘Thanks.’

Obren was grateful that he was able to live because of Minhyuk. He was grateful that Minhyuk offered to protect him, even though he was hailed as an Evil God.

‘I’m afraid.’

Just like what Minhyuk had said, Obren was afraid of death, of eternal rest. Alas, slowly, ever so slowly, Obren’s eyes started to close. Everything around him started to grow quiet.

“Obreeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen!!!”

Just then, a desperate and frantic voice that called his name rang in his ears. Although everything was very blurry and foggy in his head, he could still hear the notification in his ears.

[The person in possession of the Puzzling Seasoning Jar is approaching you!]

The voice sounded frantic, like the cries of a child crying for his parents.

“Obreeeeeeeeeeeeen!!! Where are youuuuuuuuuuu?!!!”

“…”

Obren felt glad that he would be able to see the owner of that voice. At that moment, he felt a strong will to live.

As the Evil God, Obren had always pretended to be a noble and lofty being. He always made it appear as if he was greater than anybody else. However, someone still offered to protect him. For once, Obren wanted to rely on someone, on him. He wanted to let his guard down and rely on him, because it was him.

Twitch—

Obren’s fingers started to twitch and move. Although he was the Evil God, he still opened his mouth to say these words aloud.

“I… want… to… live…”

His voice sounded too soft. However, Obren squeezed the last of his strength to shout as loud as he could.

“I want to live! Please save me!!!”

At that moment, blazing flames appeared and devoured the entire Demon World. Even Master Xuanzang could not believe his eyes even though he was witnessing it in front of him. The source of those flames was a gigantic horse engulfed in black flames.

“Hihihihihihihihing!”

“Hihihihihihihihihihihihing!”

“Hihihihihihihihing!”

Minhyuk rode atop the gigantic horse engulfed in black flames, with hundreds of thousands of Hell Horses galloping behind him and burning everything in the Demon World.

Obren smiled faintly. The only person that he could trust and rely on, who he could show his weak side to, was none other than Minhyuk.