God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 204: Episode _Become a Well-Treated Sucker (5)
10.
When Han Simin awoke from a deep slumber and returned to the Rich Territory, the situation had become overheated enough for him to fully grasp its popularity.
“Wow.”
He couldn’t help but be impressed. There were several times more people than usual, and they weren’t just wandering around; they were busy enjoying the various theme park attractions. A world without window shoppers, the one thing Simin despised most! His heart pounded with excitement.
He headed for the lord’s castle. The Aide greeted him proudly, the corners of his mouth twitching. It was obvious he was bursting with things to brag about. ’Go on, praise me! Look at what I’ve accomplished!’ With such hopes, the Aide was about to speak.
“How much?” Simin cut in.
“...Excuse me?”
“Will any money come in this month?”
If Simin hadn’t spoken first, the Aide surely would have launched into his report. But for Simin, such tiresome pleasantries were a luxury. Unless it was money being deposited into his bank account, he wouldn’t waste his breath on empty praise, especially when he wasn’t sure of the outcome.
The Aide’s expression darkened for a moment as he understood the hidden meaning in Simin’s words. “My apologies, my lord.”
“...I see.”
“Unfortunately, revenue was only about triple the usual. We expect it to jump much higher in the future, but the current costs for establishing the Rich Casino are quite substantial...”
“Right. I suppose so.”
“Instead, I am doing my utmost to build it to be more splendid and secure than the Rich Territory itself, so as not to disappoint you, my lord.” 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢
“Yes, yes. Of course. You should.”
’That had better go well, or my aching gut will only get worse.’ He shot a slightly suspicious glance at the Aide but quickly looked away. It was so blatant that the Aide flinched, but Simin was unconcerned. It was a reasonable suspicion, and the mindset an investor should always have. What did loyalty and all that nonsense have to do with money? Even among family, you had to watch over financial transactions with the eyes of a creditor. If, by some chance, that pig of an Aide decided to embezzle funds, the amount would be unimaginable. The day Simin found out, he would probably die of a stomachache.
’Not that it would happen.’
Of course, he did trust him. Not the man, but his single-minded devotion to the territory. His track record proved it. He was a man who worked solely for the territory. The problem was his lack of hesitation in using Simin’s money—or anyone’s money—for the territory’s development. But paradoxically, that was why he was trustworthy. A person like that was frugal with money spent elsewhere.
“Then I’ll trust you and be on my way.”
“Yes, my lord. Please trust in me. I am always dedicating all our resources to the territory’s defense in case of any additional risks.”
“Yes, you should. After installing a 200,000 gold Sanctuary, you’d better be ready to die if it gets breached.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Ah, nothing.”
In any case, he ended the conversation on a warm note. Talking any further would only make his stomach hurt more.
’I shouldn’t have listened to how much the Sanctuary cost.’
There was nothing he could do about the pain now. It would continue to stab at him like a dagger. A sigh escaped him. With that money... Hearing the territory’s approximate revenue on top of that was even more agonizing.
Still, it would come into his pocket someday. Holding onto that hope, he walked towards the Sanctuary.
“Since I have it, I can’t just throw it away. Might as well increase its value a bit.”
If worst came to worst, he could just sell it for a higher price.
*
He could only enhance the Sanctuary up to +8.
“And it’s not like I can pick it up and move it.”
Enhancing a stationary object was harder than plucking a star from the sky. Even the great Han Simin was no different from an ordinary person in a place where he couldn’t benefit from a prime spot’s effect. In fact, when it came to pure probability, Simin was on the unlucky side. Naturally, he wouldn’t spend money on anything that wasn’t 100% guaranteed.
Besides, he hadn’t bought it, and while it was being used for his territory, it didn’t directly affect him. He let go of his lingering attachment and walked away cleanly. The Sanctuary had blocked the black magic mages’ curses just fine without being enhanced, so there was no need to push it to +15.
With that clean break came a new problem—the reason for all his recent suffering.
“What do I use this on?”
A +15 Special Enhancement Stone. Once again, a deep dilemma began to plague him.
11.
Kenji was well aware of his situation. It would be strange if he wasn’t. In the real world, he was a man who made huge profits from countless people.
’I am a pushover.’
That might be why it stung his pride so much. It didn’t happen in reality, only in the game. No, it hadn’t been like that in the game either. He was the master of a massive guild. In the past, all his guild members were hired players, but now, he was accepting NPCs and recruiting selectively from the Fantastic World player base. His guild was finally taking a respectable shape. He received guild merger requests several times a day, and when selling items from his constant hunting, he always managed to steer the deals in his favor.
He only became a pushover when dealing with Han Simin. And being taken advantage of while knowing it was more foolish than being ignorant. But he also knew better than anyone that it was unavoidable.
’I’ll endure it for now.’
Supply and demand, the first thing you learn in business school. Han Simin was the sole supplier of the items Kenji needed, so he had no choice but to be a pushover. If his opponent had some weakness, he could at least try to bluff and negotiate, but Simin was a veteran who showed no signs of wavering, as if he’d been through countless deals. It was better to settle for a smaller loss than to worsen their future relationship.
Of course, he couldn’t let himself be taken advantage of forever. So Kenji made up his mind.
“If I’m going to be a pushover, I’ll be a well-treated one.”
“Sir?” his guild member asked, confused.
Kenji didn’t explain, choosing to act instead. An opportunity had presented itself sooner than he expected.
“I will become a VVIP member of the Rich Territory and become Simin’s special pushover.”
“...Guild Master?”
“And I will enjoy it. Everything he has to offer. The benefits the Specialists enjoyed. More of them. If I pour in more money than he could ever imagine, I may be the client, but even he will have no choice but to treat me carefully.”
“Ah!”
He would be the one flying high while Simin was stuck on the ground! Though he was being played, Kenji had no intention of going down easily. He hadn’t had a chance until now, but things were different. This wasn’t a one-on-one deal anymore. In this net cast for the masses, he would run wild. The self-proclaimed pushover was finally flexing his power.
*
The first thing Simin thought of was, of course, a weapon. The Legendary Hammer. A memento left by his master, the Ultimate Legendary Enchanter. A Legendary item. If he could raise a single +15 item to +16, it had to be this one. The Ring of Blessing was tempting, but it was ultimately just for side income and couldn’t be his top priority since he couldn’t benefit from its effects himself.
“Hmm.”
He placed the Legendary Hammer on the anvil. If it worked, there was no need to hesitate. The time and money spent enhancing it had been considerable, but acquiring the Special Enhancement Stone had only cost $5,000. It wasn’t a small sum, but for the current Simin, it wasn’t a huge amount either.
“Will it even work?”
That was the problem. Would it go as he wished? Could he just recklessly enhance it without even knowing what the Special Enhancement Stone was or what it was used for? If it failed—if the concept of +16 didn’t exist yet or if the stone wasn’t meant for that—it would be fine as long as the stone returned to him. Then he could experiment as much as he wanted. But what if it didn’t? What if he enhanced it, the stone disappeared, and there was no change?
He fell silent.
In any other game, that would be absurd. If something like that happened in a different game, it would immediately lead to a lawsuit against the company. It was an item with at least $20,000 invested in it. But this wasn’t any other game. In the hyper-realistic world of Fantastic World, which had become another reality, nothing was out of the ordinary. You had to take responsibility for all your actions.
Caution. And more caution. He agonized for a while longer before finally making a decision.
“Right. What is there to life? If it’s gone, it’s gone.”
He would just have to think of it as a week wasted. The enhancement stones and the $5,000 invested would surely haunt him for months, a nagging reminder of what he could have done with that money, but... it was fine. He could endure it. And wasn’t the item valuable enough to justify such a risk?
[+15 Legendary Hammer]
- Grade: Legendary
- Requirement: Ultimate Legendary Enchanter
- Attack Power: 400 (+4000) (5th Seal Released)
- Option 1: Enhancement Success Rate +5% (+20%) (5th Seal Released)
- Option 2: Attack Power +80 (+800) (5th Seal Released)
- Option 3: On successful enhancement, 20% (+40%) chance to increase enhancement effect (5th Seal Released)
- Option 4: Deep Golden Aura effect applied
- Mana consumption reduced by 30% during enhancement
- Defense +100
- Special Option 1: Sealed
- Special Option 2: Sealed
“Yeah. It’s worth it.”
The attack power, which increased with each awakening, was monstrous enough to befit its legendary name. Combined with Simin’s abilities, the hammer had become a planet-destroying weapon. Its attack power, so high it could shatter an item on the anvil, had been absurdly inflated through enhancement. What would happen if it became +16?
’If we assume at least double...’
He might even be able to release Kardian and boldly challenge her to a one-on-one fight. He swallowed hard. He almost regretted having hastily enhanced the hammer from +13 for today’s attempt. At the same time, he felt a thrill. Maybe it would be okay even if it failed. He could just take this and vent his frustration somewhere, and that would be enough to console himself for the loss of a +16 hammer.
He held the hammer, trying to sense it. Was there a prime spot? A prime spot leading to +16. Holding the Special Enhancement Stone in one hand and the hammer in the other, his hands trembled. He took a deep breath and focused his mind.
Nothing nearby. He focused further, wider. Still nothing.
Even further? Unfortunately, he couldn’t feel anything. Growing impatient, he transformed Squeaker and climbed onto its back.
“Huh?”
Then he felt it. Something. A very strong sensation. His heart pounding with excitement, he settled into his seat and focused his mind again.
He frowned, confused.
But it was gone. ’What? I definitely felt it.’ He retraced his memory and his actions. What was the difference? The moment he dismounted and grabbed Squeaker again...
He fell silent.
He felt the difference. Simin’s gaze fell upon Squeaker.
“Is it you?”
“Squeak?”
“...No way.”
His suspicious gaze lingered for a long time.
