God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 220: Episode _Rose Gold Holy Dragon (6)

9.

The six elders knelt, their heads bowed low. There was nothing left to say. Though they vaguely sensed it was a scheme, they were trapped with no way out.

"Pope, Your Holiness should try using it!" one of them shouted desperately.

"Silence!" the Pope thundered. "How dare this turncoat try to scheme his way out! Drag him away at once!"

"Yes, Your Holiness!"

If they had asked the Pope to use the item under the same conditions from the very beginning, the outcome might have been different. But caught in an unexpected situation, they had no time to think, and in the end, they were defeated. The priests now held boundless faith in the Saintess. That, combined with their sense of betrayal and undisguised disgust for the elders, meant the situation was irreversible.

"...You cunning Pope!"

"How could you abandon us like this!"

"We will curse you for the rest of our lives!"

But what angered them most of all was the Pope. The man the six elders firmly believed was the mastermind of this whole affair! The man who had colluded with the Imperial family to oust them and secure his own position! All their resentful glares were fixed on him. But the Pope coldly dismissed their stares, looking at them as if they were lower than insects.

"That devil!"

"How could he wear such a mask!"

"He's worse than a demon!"

The emotional chasm between the Pope, who felt a pure sense of betrayal, and the elders, who were convinced he was the mastermind, would likely never be bridged. The Pope was not a warm or forgiving man who would converse with heretics. And Simin certainly wouldn't let that happen.

The six elders were dragged away. Once they were gone, the Pope bowed his head.

"!"

In front of all the priests. Though he always espoused the doctrine that all are equal under God, the sight of the Pope—the sole Vicar of God—bowing his head shocked the priests, who quickly bowed in unison. They knew why he was grateful. The temple had been on the verge of being defiled. No, it had already been defiled, to the point where traitors had usurped the title of elder. This was their gratitude to the benefactor who had discovered and resolved the issue.

The truth would likely change their tune, but Simin graciously accepted their thanks. 'It was a lot of work, I guess.' What was this worthless gratitude compared to the 45 million dollars worth of black mage items he had sacrificed? Still, he had a plan to make it all profitable, so he maintained the act.

After offering his thanks, the Pope approached Squeaker. "In the name of the Grand Temple that serves God, and in the name of the Pope who represents God, I recognize you as the Saintess."

A kiss was bestowed upon Squeaker' forehead. It wasn't a kiss between an old man and a beautiful woman, but a solemn blessing from the Pope representing God. The priests began to pray once more. It was a truly holy moment. And then...

['+15 Golden Hatchling of Flame (★)' has received God's blessing.]

[Would you like to change your job?]

"...?"

A dramatic twist unfolded.

*

A job change for a dragon? It was unheard of. And for good reason. What sane person would try to give a dragon a job change? The dragon race, the progenitors of magic, was already a job class that no one could beat—the very definition of overpowered.

But Betago seemed to think differently. A dragon was being given the opportunity to change its job. There was no need to ask what the new job would be. It was obviously "Saintess."

Here, Simin hesitated. It was a ridiculous dilemma. To do it, or not to do it.

"She won't lose her dragon powers, right?" he muttered to himself. The moment he asked the question and heard the absurd chuckle escape his own lips, he made his choice without a second of hesitation.

"Change job."

The one whose job was actually changing had no say in the matter. Even though there was a minuscule chance that the god named Betago might intervene in a dragon's life and strip her of her draconic status, Simin chose easily since it wasn't his life on the line. Yet Squeaker, who had every right to be upset, simply beamed. Anything that helped Simin was good enough for her.

Holy power enveloped her body, seeping into her. A dragon was, after all, a creature made by God. Having met the qualifications and fulfilled the conditions, she was blessed with the title of Saintess.

['+15 Golden Hatchling of Flame (★)' has evolved into '+15 Holy Golden Hatchling of Flame (★)'.]

"..."

'Is it just me, or is her name just getting longer and longer?' As if to wash away Simin's anxiety, more holograms appeared.

[The power of 'Holy' attribute magic increases.]

[The cost of 'Holy' attribute magic decreases.]

The holograms didn't exactly make him feel better. It was only natural. The only holy magic Simin had ever used was Sacrifice, a pig of a spell that devoured 45 million dollars whenever he was out of mana. He would probably never use it again in his life, so what did it matter if it got cheaper? Or stronger?

So he glossed over it. And because of that, the moment was buried. The first time in history that a dragon became the continent's Saintess.

10.

When the long saga of the Saintess scam finally came to an end, Simin released his movie on his personal streaming site before dealing with any of the aftermath.

"There's no other way if I want to recoup my losses quickly."

Though he couldn't recover all his losses, he could at least get some of it back. Thus, the price was set: 200 dollars. The price was high enough that viewers were starting to complain, but Simin couldn't care less. He judged that his first movie was well worth the cost.

"If they don't want to watch, they won't."

Besides, his confidence stemmed from his comfortable position. He'd been doing business this way for a long time. If people didn't like it, they didn't have to buy it. Why argue with viewers over a result that wouldn't change?

And so, the blockbuster movie was uploaded to the site, untitled, for 200 dollars.

- What is this insane price?

- It says it's a movie?

- It's too expensive to watch just out of curiosity.

The initial reaction was, as expected, lukewarm. For viewers, price equals expectation. It's the same for movies, dramas, comics, and novels. The amount you pay per installment has to match the satisfaction you get, or you're left with a bad taste. And at 200 dollars, how high would those expectations be? That was enough money to enjoy content for nearly a whole month.

Naturally, initial sales were slow. Incredibly slow, even for Simin. Of course, when comparing revenue with his other videos, his name value was still formidable, as the numbers climbed quickly. At 200 dollars per view, it was a given. A video that would normally attract tens or even hundreds of thousands of viewers started with just a few hundred purchases, but in terms of total revenue, it was incomparable to his other videos that cost a mere thousand won.

It was a tipping point. A waiting game for the reviews from the vanguard, those with enough disposable income to throw 200 dollars at their curiosity. An hour passed, then two. The viewers, eagerly awaiting the return of the first wave, grew tired.

- Why aren't they back yet? Did they fall asleep watching?

- No way. It's Simin, he's got standards. He wouldn't release trash like that.

- But it's taking too long. Is the movie like, five hours long? How are we supposed to watch that?

- I think he's trying to make us curious and then screw us over. People might pay out of curiosity if they wait long enough.

- So the conclusion is, it's not fun? 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

- Probably. I mean, not just anyone can make a movie. These days, any random person can film themselves killing monsters, edit it a bit, and it'll be more realistic and spectacular than a real-life movie.

- That's true. I'm curious, but I guess it's not worth 200 dollars.

Just as the atmosphere was fizzling out and the crowd was about to disperse, they returned.

- Watch it. Watch it twice.

- Holy crap. 200 dollars is not a waste.

- This isn't a misery loves company thing. It's seriously amazing. Wow. So this is how the Saintess's identity is revealed.

- The Saintess is so pretty. Seriously. I want to date her. I'm obsessed. I need to join her fan club. This is insane.

- Does anyone know what fan club level you need to see the picture at the 4 hour, 56 minute mark where she's lying in bed taking pictures and takes off her clothes because she's frustrated?

- I'm level 5 and there's no sign of anything like that.

- Ah, damn it. I'm gonna rewatch the movie. Seriously, being able to watch Hyegi over and over for 200 dollars is a steal, am I right?

It was the beginning of a storm.

*

Kenji heard the news. He hadn't been actively looking for it. It was just that his daily routine consisted of guild wars, pay-to-win spending, expanding his guild's influence and territory, and monitoring his competitors, so he found out naturally. And since his biggest competitor was the Specialists, and Han Simin in particular, how could he not know?

"He released a movie, Guild Master," a guild member reported.

"He's wasting his time on such trivial matters," Kenji replied dismissively.

"Still, I think you should be aware of it. He has become entangled with some major powers far earlier than expected."

"Hmm. The Imperial family and the Grand Temple. The movie claims the Saintess is one of his people?"

"Yes. She seems to be an NPC, but her identity is suspicious. In any case, seeing as she follows him, it's clear he has the Temple in his grasp."

"It's ultimately useless. Neither the Temple nor the Imperial family are the types to bend the rules for such personal connections."

"That is true."

While Simin's accomplishments were certainly impressive from a player's perspective, to a user of Kenji's caliber, his playstyle was utterly baffling. Simin didn't need to do things this way. If it wasn't for some personal preference, he could be achieving far more growth through hunting, territory wars, and enhancing. So why?

Because Kenji didn't understand that for Simin, money wasn't just a tool—it was the entire point of the game. Unable to see the grand, profit-driven picture Simin was painting, the mystery remained unsolved. In any case, Kenji filed the information away and put it out of his mind. Or, he tried to. If it hadn't been for his guild member's next words.

"Would you like to watch it, Guild Master?"

"What? The movie?"

"Yes."

"I don't watch such things."

"You don't have to watch the whole thing. People have already compiled a neat video of just the highlights. You'll have to pay, of course, but I can give you the timestamps for the best parts."

"...Highlights?"

"Yes. You won't regret it."

"Hmm."

Kenji, who had been about to refuse, nodded, swayed by his guild member's strange confidence. Besides territory wars, there wasn't much he did himself anyway. And if he didn't have to watch the whole ten-hour movie and could just see the highlights, why not take a look?

Kenji sat down, paid for the video, and started it. 200 dollars? To him, who had been fleeced by Simin for sums that made other suckers look like amateurs, it was a paltry amount. He clicked on the indicated timestamp, and his hand froze. His intention to just glance at it and move on was unfortunately no match for his instincts.

"..."

Ten minutes, twenty minutes, an hour, two hours. It took a long time just to watch the highlights. When it was over, Kenji cleared his throat in the empty room.

"Ahem. She is rather pretty."

At the same time, he accessed the Saintess's fan club he had only heard rumors about.

The true sucker had just entered the arena.

*