Transcendent Warrior with a Dimensional Shifting Inventory

8

“I’ve kept you waiting!”

The attendant came pushing a food cart.

And while putting the dishes on the table one by one, he explained them to Minhyuk.

“This is chicken roasted with salt and butter. This is pork boiled with various spices. This is a stew with beef and vegetables. And this is…”

The foods served in gorgeous tableware were visually stunning.

In particular, the brown Maillard reaction of the well-roasted chicken stimulated Minhyuk’s appetite.

He started by taking a bite of the chicken leg.

The crispy skin was well-seasoned with a salty taste, and the meat inside was moist.

Whoever the chef was, their cooking skills were excellent.

If it were this level, even if he opened a restaurant in any city in Korea, it would be popular.

Minhyuk tasted the other dishes one after another.

The boiled pork had an unfamiliar spicy smell, but it was very tender and delicious.

The hot beef stew with tomato flavor was also delicious.

With so much food, he naturally thought of alcohol.

As if reading his mind, the attendant brought a bottle of alcohol and filled Minhyuk’s glass.

“This is Asdel’s famous honey wine! It’s a gift from nature made only with honey, yeast, and water.”

Minhyuk took a sip and savored it.

He thought it would be very sweet because it was made with honey, but it was surprisingly refreshing.

And the alcohol content was quite high.

“This is good. The food is delicious too.”

At Minhyuk’s compliment, the attendant smiled broadly.

“Before the Great Flood, Asdel was the richest trading country on the continent. Of course, that’s just a legend now.”

“The Great Flood? What’s that?”

“You don’t know about the Great Flood? How can you not know?”

The attendant tilted his head.

Then he briefly told Minhyuk about the Great Flood.

He said that the habitable land was constantly decreasing as the harsh environment expanded.

Minhyuk emptied his glass and asked the attendant.

“Is there still enough food?”

“This is the Imperial Palace, so it’s like this. Most of the people live in poverty.”

The attendant filled Minhyuk’s glass with another glass of honey wine.

“Please enjoy yourself. I’ll be outside, so please call me anytime if you need anything.”

The attendant went outside the dining room.

Alone, Minhyuk ate his meal in earnest.

He ate greasy food and drank alcohol to his heart’s content, and now he felt like he was finally starting to gain some weight.

He wasn’t particularly interested in the attendant’s story about most of the people living in poverty.

Isn’t that the case in every society in the world?

Wherever you go, a small number of rich people reign over the majority of poor people.

The world is inherently unequal.

Isn’t Korea the same?

When someone was drinking champagne on a penthouse terrace and looking down at the night view of Seoul, Minhyuk couldn’t even cough loudly in his windowless studio.

But at some point, he felt a presence behind his back.

He turned around and saw a little girl standing there.

She was a cute girl with freckles on her chubby cheeks.

“Mister, are you good at fighting?”

The girl suddenly asked something strange.

“Who are you?”

“I’m Verona! The head chef of the Imperial Palace is my father.”

“Oh, really?”

“But mister, are you good at fighting?”

The little girl must think Minhyuk looks strong.

Minhyuk replied playfully.

“Alright! I’ll fight for you then! Who’s bullying you? Should I go and scold them?”

“That’s not it. Mister, can you defeat the Tyrant?”

“Tyrant? What’s that?”

“Don’t you know about the Tyrant King in the forest?”

When Minhyuk didn’t answer, the little girl continued.

“Mister, if you’re good at fighting, can you bring me the Tyrant’s heart?”

Her request to bring her a heart sounded fierce coming from a five or six-year-old girl.

“What would you do with it if I brought it to you?”

“We all have to be alive for that. Even the princess because of that···.”

Just then, a man entered the restaurant.

He saw the little girl and ran to her, taking her into his arms.

Then he bowed to Minhyuk and apologized.

“I’m so sorry for interrupting your meal! My daughter has been rude to the princess’s guest! Please be merciful and forgive her!”

He was the little girl’s father.

Minhyuk pointed at the food on the table and asked him.

“Are you the chef who made this food?”

“Yes, that’s right!”

“It’s delicious. I enjoyed it.”

“Oh, really? I’m glad! And I apologize once more!”

The chef apologized to Minhyuk again and left the restaurant with his daughter in his arms.

Gulp-

Minhyuk took a refreshing sip of honey wine and muttered to himself.

“The Tyrant’s heart?”

***

While Minhyuk ate, the princess and the ministers were having an audience with the emperor in the civil war conference room.

The emperor spoke to the princess with a benevolent look in his eyes, leaning against his throne.

“I am so glad that you have returned safely, my princess! You have done well!”

The princess felt embarrassed in front of the ministers at the emperor’s words, which were dripping with fatherly affection.

So she began to loudly berate herself.

“I have done nothing well! Because of me, we lost the lives of precious soldiers! Your Majesty, please punish me!”

When the emperor made a troubled expression, the alchemist Mina, who was standing next to him, spoke up.

“The princess embarked on an expedition to Asdel, putting herself in danger for our sake. It would be inappropriate to punish her.”

The princess glared at Mina and snapped at her.

“I am speaking to my father, His Majesty the Emperor right now! This is not your place to speak!”

“I, I was only··· speaking up for the princess···”

“You little···!”

“…”

Although Mina had no official position, she was like a shadow who always followed the emperor around, so there were many nobles who tried to curry favor with her.

Unbeknownst to her, she had become the fulcrum of their power.

The princess found this unpleasant.

The atmosphere in the conference room turned chilly, and only the nobles turned pale.

At that moment, Raymond spoke up.

“The territory under our protection continues to shrink. The power of the altar is weakening. If this continues, the monsters will invade the castle walls next year.”

Deep beneath the imperial palace was a secret space.

And within it was a mysterious altar.

The mysterious power that kept the monsters at bay originated from that altar.

“A hundred years ago, Grand Sage Allen created the Altar of Protection to save everyone from the cataclysm! Without that altar, humanity would have perished long ago. The altar protects our lives. However, the altar’s power is not permanent.”

Grand Sage Allen had used ancient magic, known as the realm of the gods, to craft the altar.

And he had infused the altar with magic power using a dragon’s heart.

Now that all the heroes of the past had died or disappeared,

there was no one left with the ability to kill a dragon and extract its heart.

“It may not be as effective as a dragon’s heart, but if we could obtain the heart of Teidon, the king of the eastern forest, we could restore some of the altar’s power. That is the only way to extend Asdel’s life.”

What Raymond was saying now was something he had already told everyone before the princess left on her expedition.

The princess had embarked on an expedition to obtain Teidon’s heart, but she had failed miserably.

She spoke with a heartbroken expression.

“I didn’t even catch a glimpse of Teidon before we were annihilated by the мелкие монстры in the forest!”

Her words darkened everyone’s expressions.

At this rate, the territory under their protection would not just shrink, it would disappear completely.

Then, no one would be able to survive.

“However, I have found a glimmer of hope!”

At the princess’s exclamation, all the nobles looked at her.

General Drake asked the princess,

“By any chance, is this hope the red-haired man you were with earlier?”

“That’s right!”

The expressions of the nobles, who had been somewhat hopeful, darkened again.

Someone muttered,

“I’m sure he’s a great man, but what can one man possibly do···?”

The princess said to the nobles,

“He is no ordinary man! I saw it with my own eyes. He single-handedly defeated dozens of goblins in an instant with just a mace!”

Raymond also supported the princess.

“I saw it too! He decimated hundreds of goblins that were shooting arrows from the trees by throwing stones!”

Hundreds, that was a bit of an exaggeration.

However, the princess did not bother to correct Raymond.

After all, some exaggeration was necessary to convince her father and the nobles.

The princess nodded slightly at Raymond, and he proceeded to demonstrate the abilities he had witnessed.

“Furthermore, he uses advanced magic! Spatial magic that allows him to pull objects out of thin air is basic for him, and he can control rain and thunder, and he can summon upper-level spirits and use them like his arms and legs!”

At Raymond’s words, someone exclaimed in admiration,

“Doesn’t that make him comparable to Grand Sage Allen, who created the Altar of Protection!”

“Well, not to that extent… but anyway, he’s no ordinary man!”

Murmur-

The ministers stirred.

The emperor was also listening to Raymond’s story with interest.

“We have such a talent in our Astel?”

“That’s… he’s not from Astel.”

“Then which country is he from? Silphir in the north? Melbeck in the south?”

“That’s… actually, he’s not from the Rania continent. He’s a messenger of God who received a divine revelation from a continent from a very distant past and crossed the sea!”

Raymond’s lie was as clear as blue water.

Hmm-

The emperor, who had been lost in thought for a moment, gave a rare, strong voice as he ordered the princess and the ministers.

“I want to see him in person! Bring him before me!”

The princess bowed her head and accepted the order.

“Yes! Your Majesty!”

.

.

.

When the princess arrived at the dining room, Minhyuk was already gone.

The attendant Alfredo prostrated himself before the princess and begged.

“I have committed a mortal sin! There was no way I could have kept him with my skill.”

The broadsword and spear hanging on the wall and the potions in the display case were all gone.

Minhyuk had taken them all.

“Was there nothing else he said?”

“He said that he might come back if he needed something.”

“Really?”

Minhyuk’s one word, that he might come back, was a glimmer of hope for the princess.

***

Pitch-black darkness.

Minhyuk had returned to the swamp.

He had a torch in his hand.

He had taken one that was attached to the castle wall.

‘He said he would give me anything.’

He had also brought a large bundle of jerky and sausage.

With this amount, he wouldn’t have to worry about food for a while.

“Shall I start hunting?”

It was inconvenient to hunt with a torch in one hand.

Minhyuk took out a pink potion.

＜Pink Intermediate Strengthening Potion＞

– A potion for strengthening the body made by mixing herbs and mineral ingredients.

– Can see in the dark for a certain amount of time after consumption.

From the Imperial Palace, I procured three bottles of the rosy elixir.

Since I only need to keep one, I can use the other two now.

Pop-

Minhyuk uncapped the rosy elixir.

And downed it in one gulp.

Whoa-

An exclamation of amazement automatically escaped his lips as his vision became crystal clear.

It was incomparable to the night vision goggles he had used in the military.

He could see small objects far away with remarkable clarity.

With this, hunting would be a breeze.

‘The goal is to accumulate 30 minutes of return time!’

Splash, splash-

Minhyuk stepped into the swamp.