Chapter 1442: Side Story 51
Chapter 1442 - Side Story 51
Everything, even the chirping of the birds, felt fascinating to Soo-Hyuk.
‘This is the virtual reality game that daddy was talking about! The place where daddy treated his disease!’
This part, Soo-Hyuk believed. His dad would often stare into the air for a long time as he reminisced. As for the other nonsense that he talked about? Soo-Hyuk did not believe them at all.
Soo-Hyuk had researched extensively about the game called Athenae.
‘This world has more people than Earth. It’s also a world where strong people like those in fantasy novels appear! But Daddy is supposed to be the strongest person in this amazing place?’
Parents always wanted to be superheroes in the eyes of their children. From what Soo-Hyuk could see, his dad wanted to be his very own Superman. Unfortunately, he was more intelligent and more mature than kids his age! Those are things that only five-year-old kids would believe. Soo-Hyuk was already six years old.
Soo-Hyuk looked around. He could see countless adults roaming the area. There were sturdy and muscular men, people whom he had never seen before, carrying sharp spears and swords, passing by him. They were probably the soldiers patrolling the area.
When Soo-Hyuk caught sight of the cold and gleaming sword, he could not help but get scared. The overwhelming and scary sight made him realize that this was the first time that he had been separated from his mom and dad. “Ugh…”
At that moment, a man who was as big as a mountain approached him and gave him a wooden sword. The man said, “My name is Barnes. Here, take this…”
Soo-Hyuk jumped up in fright. He learned from kindergarten that he should not follow any strangers, even when they gave him something. To top it off, the man looked rough and rugged with his patchy beard. The worst part was that Soo-Hyuk had seen this man yell at others. He heard him say, ‘Idiots! Don’t you even know how to swing properly?!’
‘Mommy, daddy… I miss you.’
At that moment…
“Barnes, I’ll take care of this child.”
Murmur, murmur!
The surroundings grew noisy when a man appeared. The man was tall, as tall as Soo-Hyuk’s dad, and slim. He was carrying a cool and nice sword on his waist and had a cape bearing the symbol of a fork and knife crossed together on his back.
“Hello? You must be Soo-Hyuk, hmm?”
“...?”
‘He knows me?’
“My name is Conir. I will be your instructor here, and I will teach you the basics.”
At that moment, Barnes and the passing soldiers stood at attention and saluted the man. They shouted, “Greetings, Pillar of the Sword!”
Meanwhile, whispers echoed in the surroundings.
“It’s Conir…”
“Wow! He’s so cool!”
“He’s the Pillar of the Sword who has created the Extreme Heart Sword, a swordsmanship that’s far more outstanding than the Heart Sword…!”
He was obviously a handsome and dashing man, especially with his clear and pure eyes peeking through the strands of his long hair and his fair skin. This uncle named Conir, who seemed to be in his late twenties, was so cool.
Soo-Hyuk looked at the man in shock. ‘This is the Sword God uncle that dad was telling me about…?’
His dad had told him about the young boy named Conir. According to his dad, this young boy stood by his side and helped him build the Beyond the Heavens Empire of today. He also said that the young boy was freed from his intellectual disability with the help of a special item that they found here in Athenae.
Soo-Hyuk’s dad said that he was in his twenties when that happened—a long time had passed since then. The young boy had grown to become a man of his own and had become the pride and joy of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.
‘No! I won’t fall for it! This is obviously some kind of sorcery or magic trick that daddy prepared!’
Nevertheless, Soo-Hyuk learned how to wield a sword from Pillar of the Sword Conir. At the end of his training, Pillar of the Sword Conir continued to guide him. The young man helped him hunt during the Goblin Defense Battle and even handed him a sword before they parted ways.
[You have acquired the Pillar of the Sword’s Kiddie Sword.]
After Conir handed the sword, he stared at the young boy for quite some time. Then, he muttered, “You look exactly like your father.”
Conir waved goodbye and said, “Soo-Hyuk, someone will be waiting for you outside.”
Blinding light surrounded Soo-Hyuk while he wondered, ‘What kind of magic is daddy using? Who’s waiting for me outside?’
Soo-Hyuk, who parted ways with Conir, opened his eyes as the light faded around him. There, he saw an old man with black hair tied tightly into a ponytail, and an old woman standing in front of him. Just like before, the appearance of the pair garnered attention and whispers.
“Wow! It’s Spear God Ben!”
“Oh! It’s the God of Cooking! She’s standing right next to him!”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Ben.”
The old man greeted Soo-Hyuk just like Conir did. He had a strong and muscular build and was carrying a very cool and nice spear. Soo-Hyuk had heard about him, too.
With the Beyond the Heavens Empire established, Grandpa Ben started feeling lonely. One day, this grandfather found himself falling in love with the God of Cooking. Eventually, the God of Cooking agreed to his pursuit. The two pledged eternal love and began living a happy life together.
“Hoho. I have heard a lot about you from His Majesty. I will accompany you, and we will take you all the way to the Beyond the Heavens Empire. I’m sure you know it well, but your dad is quite the playful one.”
“Grandfather, you know?! Did daddy set this up? Everything is a lie, right?!”
‘Ah.’
At this moment, Ben realized why Minhyuk made such a request.
“We’re not the only ones who will guide you. Many people will guide you until you reach the Beyond the Heavens Empire.”
“Hmph! I see! Let’s see how long this magic trick will last!”
The kind grandfather just patted Soo-Hyuk’s head. He led Soo-Hyuk up until a certain point. Then, he waved goodbye and parted ways with the child.
As he looked at the back of the young child, Ben could not help but chuckle. “
“His Majesty definitely knows that Soo-Hyuk thinks of him as a liar.”
“That’s only natural. Most children carry the innocence of youth and view their parents as their own superheroes. Alas, Soo-Hyuk has matured quickly, and he will not believe whatever his father says.”
“He must want to show his son who he really is, no? So, the child can keep his innocence for a while longer?”
Ben chuckled. He knew that Minhyuk wanted to tell Soo-Hyuk that this was not a lie, that this was true.
Soo-Hyuk, who kept on walking following Ben’s instructions, stopped when he saw a very familiar figure in the distance.
This person had flowing silver hair, a pair of silvery grey eyes, and fair and unblemished skin. She stood at 169 centimeters tall and was a divine beauty who would make heads turn wherever she went! She was also one of the most famous and well-known figures in the world as of today. It was none other than Philos!
“It’s been a long time, Soo-Hyuk.”
“Auntie!!!”
Philos, who was now in her twenties, graduated at the top of her class in Hankuk University’s Virtual Reality Department. She secured a job at Joy Co. Ltd. and proved her abilities, becoming the branch manager of the Greece Branch in just a few years.
Soo-Hyuk ran into the arms of his beloved aunt, whom he had not seen for a pretty long time now.
“How are you finding Athenae?”
“I don’t know yet! I met the Pillar of the Sword and the Spear God, but they must be the people that daddy recruited for this day, right? I already know everything!”
Pfft! Philos laughed. She found Soo-Hyuk, who was pretending to be an adult, to be adorable.
“Who knows? Maybe the stories that your dad told you are really true?”
“Auntie! I’m all grown up now. I will be in elementary school next year!”
“Hohoho.”
The two walked hand-in-hand with a friendly and happy atmosphere around them.
“Soo-Hyuk, in your eyes, what is your dad like?”
“My daddy?”
‘Shouldn’t you know this already?’
“He’s a fart machine who spills rice every day… Hmm. He also always jokes around and… Ah! He’s also someone who’s scared of thunder and lightning! I know this because he always comes to my room on days like that! But I think that it’s actually very nice when he comes to my room when there’s thunder and lightning because I was actually scared, too. Hehe.”
Philos smiled and thought, ‘My oppa has always been that kind of person. He’s a kind and humane person who doesn't like showing off. And Soo-Hyuk will know about this too.’
Soo-Hyuk and Philos entered a certain empire after walking for quite some time.
“Huh? Where are we?”
“This place? This is a peaceful empire led by the strongest and greatest empress.”
At that moment, a woman with blazing red hair appeared alongside beings from various races.
“That over there is Gremory. She was one of the Three Great Demons, though now she’s the only one left. The one next to her is Mercenary King Venteio, he is the king of mercenaries not only in the Western Continents but all the other continents in the world. Standing right next to him is His Majesty Raldo, he’s the one who leads the strongest kingdom.”
Not long after, Soo-Hyuk parted ways with Philos.
“Come here.”
“You’re Auntie Ellie, right?”
Ellie smiled kindly in answer.
“I’ve heard your story from Daddy. You’re the one who refused the position of the Sword God to protect your empire and eventually became the Hegemon King! You’re also the one who turned the Eivelis Empire into the most peaceful empire in the entire world of Athenae!”
“That’s correct.”
At this point, Soo-Hyuk had started to doubt himself.
‘Could Daddy’s words be true?’ But he immediately shook his head in denial. ‘There’s no way that such a perfect and cool person exists in the world!’
Soo-Hyuk’s dad was also said to be the chairman of their company. Yet, all of the chairmen that he knew were old men in their sixties to eighties.
“You will soon cross the border and enter the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s territory.”
In no time at all, it was time to part ways with Ellie. Of course, just like before, some people came out to meet Soo-Hyuk. The two were holding hands when they greeted the child.
“Oh? It’s Beanie!”
“Oiiink!”
“Is this Beansy?”
“Oiink?”
The two, who met with Soo-Hyuk next, were two little piggies. From what Soo-Hyuk heard, these two little pigs, whose figures remained unchanged, were leading Utopia together. He also heard that the cute little piggies were living happily with their own baby piggy.
“Oiiiiiiiink! (Listen to me well, Oink!)” Beanie smirked.
Soo-Hyuk raised his hand and poked Beanie’s thick and bulging belly while listening to the little pig.
“So cute… just like a doll!”
Just like before, he moved along with the two.
[You have entered the territory of the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]
As they headed deeper into the empire’s territory, the sight of the enormous capital gradually appeared in their eyes.
“Wooooooow!”
Soo-Hyuk’s mouth dropped open in awe. It was such a wonderful and amazing empire.
‘Did Daddy say that he’s the emperor of this place?’
Soo-Hyuk, who kept on walking, caught sight of two very familiar people. He called out, “Uncle Jisoo! Auntie Da-Sol!”
It was Locke and Ascar.
“Hello, Soo-Hyuk?”
Soo-Hyuk’s Aunt Da-Sol was as pretty as ever. Although she was almost in her forties, she was still beautiful enough to be mistaken for being in her mid-twenties. As for his Uncle Jisoo… he decided not to say anything. Fortunately, their daughter, Kim Hye-Min, inherited her features from her mother and was very pretty.
Soo-Hyuk walked hand-in-hand with the two until they saw Khan.
Soo-Hyuk’s Uncle Khan was a world-renowned figure. This uncle, known as King of Fists Khan, decided to take on the challenge and fight in the UFC one day. And surprisingly or maybe unsurprisingly, he took the position of the world champion.
As they continued to walk, Soo-Hyuk saw a huge dog running their way.
“A… Aaaaaaah!” Soo-Hyuk shouted in fright, immediately ducking behind Locke as he trembled in fear.
But the huge dog did not lunge at him. It lay face down on the ground in front of Soo-Hyuk and just wagged its tail gently in greeting.
“Love, Hope, Happiness. Stay.”
The three-headed dog sat quietly and just looked at Soo-Hyuk. When Soo-Hyuk finally gathered the courage and patted their heads, they immediately turned around and presented their stomach to him. This melted away the fear in the child’s eyes.
“Y… You’re not cute, but you’re cool!”
His cautiousness disappeared when he saw Love, Hope, and Happiness’ tongues hang out as they panted. They seemed to have liked it when he touched their heads.
“Up you go!” Locke said as he carried Soo-Hyuk and placed him atop the giant dog’s back.
Then, they kept on moving forward.
“The others will come out to meet you, too.”
Just like his Uncle Locke said, a group of people came out to meet him.
There was a woman with silver hair and a pair of snake-like eyes, a man carrying a fishing net on his back, and a man who had gone from being the Great Demon to a Demon King.
The woman, who was leading the group, stepped forward and introduced herself. She said, “Hello, Soo-Hyuk. I’m Haze.”
Just as expected, this older sister was someone whom Soo-Hyuk had heard about before. He heard that she was the prime minister of the Beyond the Heavens Empire and was also the God of Fraud. But the truth was, she was the God of Devotion and had the warmest and kindest heart in the world.
Locke and Ascar left him in Haze’s care. As they walked together, Soo-Hyuk’s Haze noona told him a lot of stories. In the middle of it all, two men appeared with a flash of bright and twinkling light.
The two men had completely different and contrasting images. One was a white-haired, middle-aged, handsome, and well-kept mage, while the other was a black-haired, gloomy uncle who dressed in rags.
“Uncle Ali? Uncle Death?!”
Of course, Soo-Hyuk has met these two uncles often.
His Uncle Death had been in an accident in the past. The accident left him with a huge burn mark on his face that left him as the target of bullying and made him isolate himself. But with the help of Soo-Hyuk’s dad, he was able to contact a world-renowned burn specialist and get his burn mark fixed. Now, he could walk around and live like any normal person. Soo-Hyuk also heard that he had already become the Master of Life and Death, too.
As for his Uncle Ali, Soo-Hyuk heard that he had difficulty making friends in the past. But these days, he appeared on TV frequently and would even happily offer blessings to others.
At that moment, a young boy and a young girl peeked out from behind Death. Death gently introduced the young boy and girl, who were holding hands tightly and looking at Soo-Hyuk awkwardly.
“Louis, Hela. This is Minhyuk’s son, Soo-Hyuk.”
The two were the reincarnation of the God of Farming and the God of Death.
When he heard the names, Soo-Hyuk recalled a story he had heard from his dad. From what he heard, his daddy had made a friend who was very awkward but very kind and welcoming.
His dad’s friend was called the Pillar of Life and Death, and from what he heard, he dearly missed the woman named Hela, who had crossed the River of Reincarnation ahead of him. Soo-Hyuk’s dad said that they were reborn in his empire, right next to each other’s houses, on the same day and at the same time, and were now living happily together.
Even after Death’s introduction, the young boy could not come forward. In fact, he even stuck closely behind Death. The boy and the girl made eye contact. When the brave Hela saw Louis getting scared, she stepped forward, put both her hands on her waist, and said, “I’m Hela! I am the greatest among all the kids in the entire Beyond the Heavens Empire!”
“???”
“I’m saying this just in case, but if you dare to bully Louis, then I will not let you go!”
From what Soo-Hyuk knew, none of the people in the Beyond the Heavens Empire had ever mentioned their past life to the two. They did not even hint at any reincarnation whatsoever. However, the two got along well. The young Soo-Hyuk could also see Hela’s love and fierce protectiveness toward Louis.
“I don’t bully others! Let’s be friends!” Soo-Hyuk shook hands with Hela. He also shook hands with Louis, who was standing awkwardly behind Death. Just as his dad became friends with the Pillar of Life and Death, Soo-Hyuk also became friends with Louis’s reborn self.
After waving goodbye to his two new friends, Soo-Hyuk continued forward with his journey.
[Is it you?]
At that moment, an unknown voice echoed in Soo-Hyuk’s ears.
‘Don’t tell me…?’
Among the people his dad had told him about, there was one whom Soo-Hyuk found most difficult to understand. He was someone everyone in Athenae used to be afraid of. He was none other than the Evil God, the person who had unintentionally killed tens of millions of people in the past.
–Right now, he’s my very best friend.
Soo-Hyuk did not believe his dad at all when he said that.
Then, Soo-Hyuk looked up at the tree. There, a strikingly handsome man with flowing black hair sat elegantly. Even after ten, twenty, or a hundred years, he remained as dashing and as graceful as before. Of course, he was a being who never aged. And he was…
“Uncle Obren?”
[That’s right. I’m the evil…]
“I heard that you cried at my mommy and daddy’s wedding.”
[Wh… What… I just got something in my eye back then!]
“Even though you couldn’t come to my first birthday party, I heard that you cried for me…”
[Cried? What cried? There’s just something in my eyes?]
“You’re the Evil God, but you can’t avoid dust???”
[...]
‘Is this really Evil God Obren? That’s impossible.’
Soo-Hyuk tried to deny it, but the notification that rang in his ear proved the man’s identity clearly.
[You have met Evil God Obren.]
At this point, he was starting to believe that the stories that his dad had told him might have some truth to them.
Meanwhile, Obren recalled the words that Minhyuk told him before.
–I don’t want my son to view me as a lying father.
In Obren’s eyes, his friend’s love for his child was undeniable.
Obren jumped down from the tree. The moment he landed, everyone around them disappeared.
[Today is a hectic day, Little Soo-hyuk.]
Indeed, the empire was teeming with people. Yet, the child did not know why. So, Soo-Hyuk looked at Obren in confusion.
[Today is the opening day of the festival held yearly in the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]
“Wow.”
[This festival gathers together the people from the world you live in and this world, Athenae.]
Obren, who was walking with his hands clasped behind him, smiled faintly at Soo-Hyuk.
[The fact that your father can gather so many people both from your world and ours is amazing. Don’t you think so?]
Soo-Hyuk could not imagine it before. Regardless, he was starting to believe it to some extent already.
Still, the figure of his dad asking for a bite of ramyeon whenever he ate one always flashed in his mind. He still remembered how flustered and embarrassed his dad was when he accidentally scratched someone else’s car while driving. To him, his dad was someone who always looked at him happily while asking, ‘Do you want to go horsey? Or do you want to go Superman instead?’ Or someone who would go to work with a pout when he said that he did not want to kiss him before going out.
So, even if Soo-Hyuk knew all of this, he still found it hard to believe.
Soo-Hyuk followed closely behind Obren. He could see an increasing number of people coming to the empire.
[This place is actually a place where most people are not allowed to enter. It’s reserved for me so that I can feel comfortable and at peace.]
Obren raised his finger and touched the air in front of him. The air trembled as a drop of water fell on the floor. At that moment, a completely different place appeared in front of the young Soo-Hyuk. The view in front of him was none other than the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s capital plaza, a place that was hidden from Obren’s hiding place.
Murmur, murmur!
Soo-Hyuk, who finally stood in front of the plaza, had never seen so many people in his life. It was only natural. After all, the number of people who had arrived in the Beyond the Heavens Empire’s capital had most likely gone beyond hundreds of millions. In a way, such a huge crowd could be too overwhelming for a child of Soo-Hyuk’s age.
[Look over there, your father’s friends are over there.]
The countless people who met and greeted Soo-Hyuk before were all standing atop the walls of the empire. The Pillar of the Sword, the Spear God, the Great Demon, the Demon King, his Aunt Philos, Uncle Locke, Aunt Ascar, and even Ellie and the others were also there.
Then, at that moment, the sky split open.
Swoosh!
Soo-Hyuk stared blankly at the shocking spectacle as a man stepped out of the open space and descended to the walls.
[That guy is Transcendental Bender.]
After a moment, the sky split open once again. This time, a beautiful woman stepped out.
[That one over there is God of Origin Athenae; she is the master of Athenae.]
[You can probably call her great-grandmother?]
[You can see Hephaestus over there, too.]
Bzzt! Bzzt! Bzzt!
A powerful bolt of lightning struck down from the sky as a huge temple appeared above them. More than ten gods were sitting inside the temple and looking over the Beyond the Heavens Empire.
[Those guys over there are the Gods of Olympus.]
[At first, we did not get along well with them. Then, our relationship got better thanks to Philos.]
[See that lady over there? The one with only one arm? That’s Hera.]
[Your dad made her that way…]
“Is such a cruel story something that you should tell to a six-year-old child?”
[...Ahem.]
Soo-Hyuk turned around. He could see a lot of famous and well-known people whom he usually saw on TV present. Even the president of their country and the United States were here, too.
‘Did all of these people come here to see Daddy?’
Soo-Hyuk started to feel scared again. Why? Because there were too many people. Most of them looked very, very scary. After all, they were all carrying big weapons like swords and spears in their hands, and they all looked huge to him. For a young child like Soo-Hyuk, the killing intent that was leaking out of them was very hard to endure. For a moment, Soo-Hyuk was left confused and out of sorts.
“Soo-Hyuk.”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang in his ears and broke him free from his confusion. When he turned his gaze to follow the direction of the voice, he saw his dad standing at the end of the wall and looking down at the entire Beyond the Heavens Empire.
‘How can I hear his voice when he’s all the way up there?’
It was not just him who heard it. The people who heard his father’s voice began to make way for him. Soo-Hyuk walked on the long road that opened up for him with Obren.
It was pretty strange. His dad had obviously gone out in the morning all sulky and pouty. Now, he was looking down at everyone at the top of the world. Soo-Hyuk could feel everyone’s eyes fall upon him. These eyes were all filled with admiration and envy. Why were they looking at him like that? The reason was simple. It was because he was his father’s son.
When they reached the edge of the walls, a staircase made of light appeared. Soo-Hyuk climbed the stairs one step at a time and walked toward his father, who was looking at the crowd with his eyes filled with majesty and charisma.
Thirteen years had passed since his cure. Wrinkles had already started to form around Minhyuk’s eyes, too. Regardless, time had tempered him and made him into the majestic and dignified emperor and chairman.
Soo-Hyuk unknowingly fell into a trance as he stared at his father. His father, who was completely different from normal, was smiling at him kindly. He, who was still in a daze, eventually arrived by his father’s side.
Then, his father said, “This child is my son. He might become the emperor who will rule over the Beyond the Heavens Empire in the future.”
[You are the son of Emperor Minhyuk, the emperor of the greatest empire, the Beyond the Heavens Empire.]
[You have been crowned as the Crown Prince of the Beyond the Heavens Empire. Everyone will look up to you.]
“I hope everyone here will look after my child and protect him. Consider this child’s words as my own words!”
[Emperor Minhyuk has declared that touching and provoking Crown Prince Soo-Hyuk is the same as touching and provoking him.]
Minhyuk smiled at Soo-Hyuk.
Soo-Hyuk’s heart thumped wildly at the sight of his father, the Master of the Western Continents and the chairman of Ilhwa Group. He was unknowingly fascinated by his father’s appearance.
Now, he finally believed it. His father was truly the chairman of the Ilhwa Group, one of the top five companies in the world, and he was also the Supreme in Athenae, a game that will not disappear and will forever remain in this world.
[Side Story Complete.]
#Author’s Note
This marks the end of all of the stories that I have prepared.
I will try my best to come back and greet you with a new work as soon as possible.
Thank you for loving Gourmet Gaming.
Regards,
Park Minggyu
Translator’s Note
Good meal!
This marks the end of Gourmet Gaming. Just as I mentioned before, I hope that you all enjoyed Gourmet Gaming as much as I did. Always eat on time! And I hope to see you soon in another work!
Love,
ChubbyCheeks