God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 108: Episode 21 _ Do You Know Who I Am, Punk_(4)

6.

If anyone were to ask Han Simin when he felt he was playing the most ’authentic’ game since he started, he could assertively say it was today.

"...Ah."

It was a bloodbath that had drained every ounce of energy from his body. They had fought so fiercely that he couldn’t even remember how the battle unfolded, having rolled around in the dirt for so long.

As a result, they managed to take down the named tiger. But then, the second round began against the remaining tigers who had lost their leader, the Ruler of the Forest. The struggle was so relentless it was terrible even to recall.

He had thought they were clever monsters, quick to make decisions when fleeing from the forest fire. However, when it came to avenging their own kind, they were reckless to the point of stupidity, pouring everything they had into the fight without a second thought.

While that made their weaknesses more visible, it also meant he had to be incredibly careful. They attacked with the singular determination to drag their enemy down to hell with them, even if their weak points were struck.

After all, Han Simin felt the pain of loss more acutely than anyone else in any situation. A fight against an enemy with nothing to lose was the type of battle he was most reluctant to join.

Yet, it was too late to run away. Unlike other games, this one had stamina and muscle fatigue in addition to Health and Mana. Running away from tigers that had lived their entire lives in the forest after an exhausting battle?

It might have been possible if he rode Squeaker, who still had enough strength to flap her wings. But if that had been his intention, he would have abandoned the rabbits and fled before the fight even started.

In the end, they fought to the finish and won. He didn’t know ’how’ they had won. He just knew that when he came to his senses, all the tigers were dead on the ground, and the situation on Han Simin’s side was much the same.

Huff. Huff.

Gasping for breath, he felt an overwhelming desire to just lie there and rest, but the first thing he did was check for casualties. The Specialists would take care of themselves, and even if they died, they would respawn. But for the rabbits, death was the end.

Even if Han Simin thought of them as mere slaves, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t developed any affection for them. His face darkened as he lined up the rabbits, who were struggling with exhaustion.

"...Shit."

Eleven columns, nine rows. In the formation where ninety-nine rabbits should have been, there were gaps here and there. Exactly four were missing.

He couldn’t even harbor the hope that they had collapsed somewhere to sleep from exhaustion. Four streaks of crimson aura rising from the tiger corpses were clearly visible to his eyes.

"Haah."

It wasn’t entirely unexpected. Even Han Simin, who wore two layers of armor that were all Special grade or higher and had achieved +15 enhancement on everything, had barely survived thanks to a level up. How much worse must it have been for the rabbits?

’If it weren’t for Squeaker, at least five times as many would have died.’ 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

The reality he faced while swallowing his sorrow was cold. At the same time, regret washed over him. When he saw the hope of winning, what if he had pulled back for a moment and chosen a safer method?

He had been rash. It was a misjudgment. Unconsciously, he had failed to recognize the countless variables that could occur in such a large-scale battle. He hadn’t predicted that the tigers would charge with the will to kill him even if it meant their own deaths.

"Phew."

He let out a sigh as he approached the dead rabbits, stripped off their armor, and buried them in a sunny spot. He didn’t feel any overwhelming grief, guilt, or intense anger. Ultimately, this was a game, and the rabbits were just his summons.

Even if it was another reality, Han Simin didn’t invest his emotions deeply enough to lose himself beyond reality. Still, the slight bitterness he felt made him realize the realism of 『Fantastic World』.

"Are you okay, Oppa?"

"Well. It’s a shame."

Of course, the biggest regret came from the void left by the rabbits he had raised with such effort. Although they had benefited greatly from the Ring of Blessing’s effect, hadn’t he raised them from level 1?

He had grown their specs to the point where they wouldn’t be pushed back even in a one-on-one fight against a current top-tier player.

"These son-of-a-bitch tigers."

Anger surged as he thought about it. When would he fill the empty spots and raise new ones again?! What about the equipment?!

His gaze naturally turned to the tigers, the root cause of this.

’These damn bastards.’

’To cowardly gang up on us like that!’

He approached the named tiger, the culprit who had set fire to its own base first and then died a "heroic" death while playing the victim. Its massive body, three times larger than the others, exuded a dignity even in death that befitted the Ruler of the Gloomy Forest!

Regardless of that, Han Simin kicked the named tiger, whose face was already a mess from how much it had been beaten. The tiger didn’t budge.

He kept kicking until his anger subsided.

As he kicked, the corpse of the named tiger was pushed aside. And from the ground where the tiger had been lying, a brilliant, five-colored light leaked out.

"Huh?"

"Eh?"

The Specialists saw it too. Han Simin, who saw it from the closest distance, stopped kicking. The urge to stomp it until its form was unrecognizable vanished in less than a minute, but he didn’t care.

The anger had already disappeared from his face. Naturally. Because he had discovered something he had forgotten due to regret and anger.

The reward!

"...Wow."

"Jackpot!"

"I found it!"

The thought that items more valuable than the deaths of five rabbits would appear was...

"Whoa! Special grade items?"

Something he could fully entertain!

Han Simin’s eyes widened as he checked the grade of the item he roughly picked up. Hearing his words, the Specialists also dragged their heavy bodies up and dashed over like arrows.

There were over a dozen such items. They couldn’t all be Special grade, but he couldn’t help his heart pounding!

He smiled, mourning the death of the five rabbits once more.

"Let’s get right to work."

* * *

Han Simin’s broadcast was so famous now that people tuned in on their own. Even with an entrance fee of $100, the number of viewers filled up. Some analysts even claimed that the viewership had stabilized to a select group capable of spending a certain amount or more!

After completing the Main Quest and accepting the content for the next destination, Han Simin began the broadcast and meticulously explained the items obtained from hunting tigers, one by one.

"Special grade items you can’t buy anywhere else because they simply don’t exist! On top of that, the level requirement is hot off the press. A whopping level 60 requirement! Is that all? Unlike armor that needs to be replaced every 10 to 20 levels, these are accessories that you can use for a lifetime if the options are good and you enhance them. I trust that the viewers watching this broadcast know why accessories are classified as lifetime items in 『Fantastic World』, so I’ll get straight to the point."

Han Simin promoted the goods for money so tastefully that even the Emperor would be tempted. Furthermore, the numerous crimson items he was equipping gave the players a sense of trust.

Above all, they had made a verbal agreement that Han Simin would keep 70% of the items dropped from this request, for which he had already received $30,000. There was no reason not to sell them diligently.

—Is this the first broadcast in FW to loot and sell Special items?

—Aren’t all the things Simin is wearing Special grade too?

—I think this is the first time Special grades dropped from a named monster?

—I heard the forest monsters for the current Main Quest are roughly between level 70 and 100. Does that mean Special grades drop from named monsters at least level 100 or higher?

Whether the players were buzzing about the interesting news that would cause another ripple across the continent or not, Han Simin finished his explanation and took out the final items.

The keepsakes of the five rabbits who had died a heroic death just a few hours ago! Rabbit armor and teeth.

"...No, Oppa. You’re selling that?"

"Of course. I have to sell them. It’s not like I can just pick up random rabbits and raise them again."

"Still..."

’How could you do that!’

Yeseul, who was about to shout, tilted her head.

’Wait. Is this right?’

When she tried to think of it as cruel, she remembered this was a game. What was she thinking in a world where it wasn’t strange at all to kill a monster you tamed yourself just because you didn’t like it or needed to free up a taming slot?

"Now. If I were to speak about this, it is the dream item for all tamers! Most tamers choose a rabbit as their companion when they start, right? They’re cute, low-level, and easy to tame. But rabbits are also the easiest pets to get killed. So I prepared this! Rabbit-exclusive armor and teeth! You probably know about my rabbit squad well. My rabbits wore these from level 1 and grew up quickly to nearly level 50 without any significant danger."

—Ohh! What’s that? Rabbit items? Things like that exist?

—You clearly don’t know Simin. Go subscribe to Simin’s videos and come back.

"Items enhanced to a whopping +15, strong enough to win even against level 100 monsters! Regrettably, five rabbits have left my side, so I am selling these. I will gladly sell them only to those who consider their rabbit a true companion and are ready to make a generous investment."

A slight exaggeration and a comment emphasizing that he was a user who cared for rabbits! In reality, it meant he was looking for a sucker to pay a high price, but it was packaged beautifully.

The broadcast ended with the strongest impact. And then, the second war began.

"Who’s going to buy it?"

"Let’s play Rock, Paper, Scissors."

"Ey. Oppa. That’s boring. Then, let’s decide with PVP."

"No."

"Let’s do it fairly."

The argument between the three! A sparking close battle for the Special grade bracelet!

Han Simin watched comfortably, lying on Squeaker’s back.

7.

They decided to trade the items through an auction on the FW brokerage site, and the Specialists declared they would focus on leveling up for a while.

Although they managed to catch the mid-tier named monster with Han Simin’s help, the time might come when they would have to catch even stronger monsters to proceed with the next stage of the quest. Rather than going there, suffering, and dragging things out, they showed the will to create an environment where they could hunt a bit more comfortably by leveling up first.

Besides, hadn’t they gained quite a lot from this named monster hunt! The joyful heart granted them leeway, which soon led to overspending.

"Please play the Cicada for us."

"Anytime."

Hunting for 20 hours a day meant $30,000. Since he received about $200,000 from last month’s settlement, it was quite a good deal for a side job done in his spare time.

Anyway, while the massive walls surrounding the territory were being built, he had no intention of going anywhere, so he gladly agreed when they offered money. In the meantime, whenever he had time, he wandered around here and there.

’I wonder if someone will drop a special and pretty necklace.’

He couldn’t go empty-handed to the princess’s upcoming coming-of-age ceremony. With his personality, going empty-handed would be typical, but doing so would create a situation where he would have to give up larger future profits.

So, even if it was annoying, it was necessary to put in some effort. Simply put, the princess had become pretty enough that he didn’t need to approach her solely based on profit.

Time flew by like that, and Khan arrived at the Rich Territory.

* * *