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Chapter 194: Gremory’s Trial
Instructor Valen was the first NPC players would see if they started in Isbin Village. In other words, he was the most memorable NPC to the players. The reason why he was firmly imprinted in the players' minds was because of the cool and frosty aura that always emanated from him, despite being an NPC that only wore a simple leather armor and carried a sword on his waist. Even if he was just standing leisurely with his arms folded languidly, his cold and elegant aura would still flow out. Valen became an instructor in a starting village because the God of Athenae wanted him to do so. Since he also wanted to live a normal life, he willingly followed the orders of the God. However, he was truly the ‘Sword God’ of the past, a hero who had once saved the world.
Sword God Valen had a rare look of embarrassment on his face. He asked, “...Then, why are you here too?”
“Ah! Hello Instructor! Hehe, how have you been?”
There was a subtle smile on the face of Instructor, no, Sword God Valen. Without noticing it, the shock in Minhyuk’s voice was already gone and he was bowing politely to Valen just like he did in the past.
‘I didn’t expect that Minhyuk would be the one to challenge this trial...’
Valen knew that Minhyuk must have definitely become stronger for him to acquire the map to this place. However, the trial itself was extremely difficult.
“How are you and Instructor Roina?”
“We got married and already have a baby.”
“Congratulations!”
“Yeah. Thanks. From now on, let’s get down to business.”
“Yes! I understand!”
Valen knew the clear boundary between his delight and happiness and the trial. They were two completely different things. Minhyuk also clearly understood his intentions.
“I will first check your qualifications as the main host of this trial. The confirmation will be done once.”
Then, Valen began to explain. He said, “In addition, the power that you received from Athenae will be temporarily sealed. You can only fight with your pure strength.”
Minhyuk tilted his head in thought when he heard those words. Only after Valen said those words did the additional notifications ring in his ears.
[All of your stats are temporarily changed to the most basic stats.]
[Please check the temporary status window.]
[All skills and artifacts are restricted.]
Without waiting any further, Minhyuk checked his temporarily modified status window.
(Minhyuk)
Level: 340
Class: Eccentric Food God
HP: 55 MP: 50
STR: 5 AGI: 5 STM: 5
WIS: 5 INT: 5
Fullness: 100%
Minhyuk could see that his stats had changed and were similar to the stats that he had when he first entered Athenae.
“You will be dealing with Orcs. Originally, the Orc Warriors should be stronger than you are now but for this trial, their stats and power would be similar to yours.”
Stats and power that were similar to Minhyuk’s powers. This meant that his own skills and abilities would be the one to play a decisive role to determine whether he would win or lose.
Meanwhile, Valen thought, ‘It won’t be easy.’
Valen had heard that plenty of the foreigners who came to Athenae did not exercise or practice any kind of sport in their world. As for the Orc Warriors, they were very fond of hunting and were extremely ferocious when it came to killing. If these Orcs were compared to ordinary people, then the Orc Warriors were comparable to a centurion that had received systematic training. Also, from what he heard, the foreigners usually only learned martial arts to ‘defend’ themselves. However, the Orc Warriors had evolved and lived to kill.
‘You’re an extraordinary foreigner. But, will you be able to make it?’
Valen felt quite sorry. He knew that the Orc Warriors were truly formidable foes that could not easily be killed. If he was defeated, Minhyuk would receive a quest failure penalty and he would be thrown out of this place. However, he still had to fulfill his duty as the trial’s host.
The space in front of them was torn apart with a wave of Valen’s hand as two Orc Warriors walked out. It was not just one, but two. Of course, their level of abilities was similar to Minhyuk, but they were still Orc Warriors that were experienced in killing and were even given the title of a warrior. Minhyuk had to hunt them using only his pure ‘skills’.
***
Diet Manager Hyejin had a sullen expression on her face. She said, “Ah, I have to ask for a kimchi refrigerator...!”
“Just look at this!”
“Haha. Ms. Hyejin. Just look at this.”
Oh Changwook and Doctor Lee Jinhwan were both sitting on the sofa and hogging the TV watching UFC.
“That’s right! Let’s go Amba!”
“Hoho. But isn’t that guy really good?”
Hyejin glared at them as she muttered ‘Men.’ with a huff when she suddenly remembered a question that she wanted to ask. She said, “Ah, that’s right. I heard that Minhyuk was good at kendo and mixed martial arts before, is that true?”
Just at the right time, the show on the TV ended.
“Shit... He lost.”
“Hoho. That’s too bad.”
Only after saying those words did they react to Hyejin’s question.
“I don’t know about that. I only met Minhyuk after he contracted his eating addiction.”
It was not Changwook but Lee Jinhwan who answered her question. Jinhwan said, “He’s good at it. Not just kendo and mixed martial arts, even archery and boxing. There’s no sport that he can’t do.”
Before he continued his words, Lee Jinhwan fell in deep thought for a moment.
“Do you know the kendo gold medalist, Lee Da-Woul?”
“Kgghk! Doc, who in the world does not know about Lee Da-Woul, the gold medalist?”
The gold medalist Lee Da-Woul was the country’s joy and pride. He had won the gold medal in the Olympics two years ago with his overwhelming skills in kendo.
Lee Jinhwan just smiled at them and said, “Lee Da-Woul and Minhyuk are the same age, right?”
“Ah. Really?”
“When they were 15 years old, the two of them had an unofficial kendo competition.”
“Wow, for real?”
Hyejin and Changwook’s eyes both widened. Their eyes were sparkling with interest.
‘The gold medalist and Minhyuk had a match?’
“Yes. And he lost.”
“...As expected.”
“Kgghk. So there’s an opponent that Minhyuk couldn’t beat.”
Jinhwan tilted his head at them as he opened his mouth again and said, “No. Not Minhyuk, but Lee Dawoul.”
“...Yes?”
“OMG. For real?”
“Lee Da-Woul felt that Minhyuk was his one and only rival, but Minhyuk did not feel that way at all.”
“Wow...”
“OMG... Amazing.”
They felt Minhyuk’s greatness once more. Then, Hyejin said, “But he’ll probably lose to Lee Da-Woul now, right?”
This time, it was both Oh Changwook and Lee Jinhwan who answered her question.
“Who knows.”
“Who knows.”
“...Eh? Why? It has been quite a long time already.”
This time, it was Oh Changwook who answered her with a bitter smile instead of Lee Jinhwan. He said, “Minhyuk has also been training repeatedly every day.”
“But that’s just to lose weight, right?”
“That’s right. But Minhyuk tries to lose weight by doing kendo, boxing and swimming. And he keeps on doing them over and over again. His only reason is ‘Because I feel less hungry if I raise myself to the limit.’.”
“Really?”
“Since Minhyuk’s body is a bit fat right now, his jabs, one-two combis, uppercuts and kendo swings might have looked dull and boring.”
In fact, Hyejin was a woman who knew nothing about sports. That was why she could only see dull and boring movements whenever she watched the 170kg Minhyuk move his body. However, that was not the case at all.
“Have you been punched by Minhyuk?” Changwook asked, as someone that would sometimes act as Minhyuk’s sparring partner.
“...The strength of his punches is tremendous.”
Then, Changwook continued to speak. He said, “For years, Minhyuk has been training as much as any athlete has been training, just so he could lose some weight. So I...”
Changwook stopped talking while Hyejin looked at him nervously.
“If Minhyuk still had his talents of the past, then if he went and joined the Olympics now, I believe that he would be able to at least show a skill level that is on par with Lee Da-Woul’s performance.”
***
Once Minhyuk stepped forward, he was able to hear the notifications about the linked quest.
[You have completed the Linked Quest: Hidden Temple.]
[You have acquired 100,000 EXP.]
[You have leveled up.]
[Linked Quest: Gremory’s Trial.]
Then, another quest window popped out in front of him.
[Linked Quest: Into the Hidden Temple.]
Rank: SSS
Requirements: Level 340
Rewards: Depends on the degree of clearing the trials.
Penalty for Failure: You will not be able to acquire EXP for 1 week, all stats -10.
Description: You have now reached the Hidden Temple. Overcome Gremory’s Trial! Every time you overcome a trial, you will be given a chance to get out of the dungeon.
Minhyuk nodded as he stepped forward. Then, the notifications rang once more.
[Gremory’s First Trial will now begin.]
[We wish you victory against the 2 Orc Warriors up ahead.]
[If you successfully overcome the trial, you will be able to acquire the ingredient ‘Demon World’s Grilled Black Pork Belly’.]
[If you successfully overcome the trial, you will be able to acquire 200,000 EXP.]
[However, please take note that if the trial fails then all of the rewards that have been listed will disappear.]
[You are required to either overcome the trial or reach the end of the hidden temple to receive the rewards that you have earned.]
‘...!’
Minhyuk’s body trembled in shock when he saw the reward that was listed in front of him.
‘Demon World’s Grilled Black Pork Belly?!’
It sounded like the Black Pork that could be found in Jeju Island! However, Minhyuk felt that it was a bit disappointing since he could not get the rewards right away. If he successfully overcame the trial then he could go outside of the dungeon as it is, and the rewards that he had accumulated from the point where he went out would only be given at that time. However, if he died while trying to challenge the trial, then all of the rewards would disappear. Therefore, if he felt confident about himself, he could continuously challenge the trials, but it was also wise to step out if he already overcome a trial so he would not lose anything.
Minhyuk quietly pulled out Barraca’s Sword from his waist. The two Orc Warriors in front of him also pulled out the same Barraca’s Sword. They were equally matched with the same weapons too. At that moment...
“Well, well. Let’s first have a cup of coffee before you start.”
“Oh, thanks Grandpa Ben!”
When Ben handed the cup of coffee over to Minhyuk, he also called over Kaistra with his rubber gloves. The three of them clinked their cups together before drinking.
“...”
“...”
“...”
For a moment, Valen and the two Orc Warriors were left stunned and speechless. Then, one of the Orc Warriors’ said, “Chiiiiiik. He doesn’t feel nervous at all. Chiiiiik. It seems like he thinks we’re not worthy opponents.”
“Chiiiiik. I won’t let this go! That human!”
Minhyuk drank 20 cups of iced americano while Kaistra showed him his quick dishwashing skills. It was the amazing power of the Craftsman’s Dishwashing skill that Kaistra could wash dishes even without water!
When Valen saw the old man hand over the coffee to Minhyuk, he could not help but ask him, “Are you his vassal?”
“Yes. That’s right.”
‘...’
Valen was left speechless. After the trial that Minhyuk had to face alone, there was still a trial waiting for the three of them. However, Valen was unaware of the origins of the person in front of him. It was also only natural that he did not know of Ben. After all, even though Ben was deemed as the ‘Legend’, there were only a few people that knew what he looked like. It was also natural that Ben did not know of Valen, as similarly, ‘Sword God Valen’ had hidden his identity.
“He’s quite good and he’s a legend too! Instructor Valen, you should have a cup of coffee too!” Minhyuk said, offering Valen a cup of coffee, since it had been a long time since they last saw each other. It was a great achievement for someone to be offered food by Minhyuk. This meant that he felt really happy seeing him after a long time. In addition, Minhyuk had used the utensils and gas burner that he had given him before, so he was extremely grateful to him.
After tasting the coffee, Valen thought, ‘Is this coffee a ‘legend’...?’
My goodness! He had never tasted a coffee as delicious as this anywhere else in the world!
‘Minhyuk, the food lover, really deserves to have this type of vassal.’
However, from a different perspective, it would be difficult for an old vassal and a short, skinny boy to overcome Gremory’s Trial. This was what Valen thought. However, the most important thing was the situation right now. Valen said, “Then, now that you have moistened your throat… let’s get started!”
The two Orc Warriors stepped forward, quickly launching an attack.
“Chiiiiik! Cheeky human! Die!”
Dash!
Vwoooooong!
The Orc Warriors were fast. One of them shot forward, its sword stabbing quickly.
Clang!
Minhyuk blocked the incoming sword with a horizontal slash, as the other Orc Warrior tried to slash his flanks. Minhyuk dug his foot on the ground and twisted his body to avoid the strike. Then, with the chest of the Orc Warrior who tried to stab him earlier as the target, he moved his arm as if he was going to stab the opponent.
Swoosh!
The Orc Warrior moved to defend its chest, but at that exact same moment, a small smile could be seen hanging on Minhyuk’s lips.
Those who had fought for survival for a long time, or those who had undergone systematic training, were different from ordinary people. They might not see how the sword moved, but they could see the movement of their opponent’s arms. Through the movement of their arms and body, they could predict their opponent’s next movements. Just a moment ago, the Orc Warrior had seen Minhyuk’s arm move to stab its chest. However, at that same moment, Minhyuk’s arm movements changed trajectory. In other words, the Orc Warrior fell for Minhyuk’s trap.
Puhaaaaa!
Minhyuk easily cut down the Orc Warrior.
“Chiiiiiik!” The orc shrieked loudly. It staggered back as blood spurted out from its chest. At that moment, a sword swung again towards Minhyuk.
Dash! Dash!
Minhyuk moved fast and leaped high, maintaining his current posture. He stepped on the chest of the staggering Orc Warrior and slashed at the incoming sword attack.
Slash!
“Chiiik! Hu, human. Fast...!”
The Orc Warrior was struck down and fell to the ground. Minhyuk took advantage of the gap and quickly approached the orc. As soon as the punk tried to raise its sword again...
Kick!
…Minhyuk kicked the hand of the Orc Warrior that was holding the sword.
Clatter!
The sword fell down with a loud noise. Then...
Stab!
…Minhyuk stabbed the neck of the Orc Warrior with his sword.
“Chwiiiik...”
The Orc Warrior grabbed its neck as if it could not believe that its neck was stabbed. It fell down just like that.
When Valen saw this scene, his eyes could not help but widen in surprise. He thought, ‘Just three times...’
That was the number of attacks that the Orc Warriors had initiated. During those three attacks, Minhyuk was able to take advantage of the gap and succeeded in attacking. Those three attacks were carried out within only four seconds.
Valen could not help but tremble. He thought, ‘...I knew that he was much better than other foreigners, but I did not expect this at all.’
He was shivering in excitement.
‘Perhaps...’
As the Sword God, he thought that it might be possible for Minhyuk to learn his swordsmanship.