God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 159: Episode 31_You Come In on Your Terms, but You Leave on Mine (6)
11.
Unlike the Kenji Guild, who were busy trying to grasp what was happening, Han Simin’s jaw dropped for a completely different reason.
’...So this is what it feels like.’
This was what it felt like to stand next to someone receiving a ridiculous buff.
A sigh he had long forgotten how to make slipped from his lips.
The Ring of Blessing.
He naturally began thinking about the true value of that pie-in-the-sky item. And with that came a moment of bitter self-reflection: just how much happiness had he been bestowing upon others, never once enjoying it himself?
’I could’ve squeezed them for so much more!’
If only he had known it would feel like this.
He felt like he could do anything, and on top of that, he now actually had the power to back it up.
Even if it weren’t him, anyone present who had just seen that hologram would have had the exact same thought.
That was how absurd the ability was.
"Wow."
It was enough to draw a gasp.
Lightning arced from his weapon—who wouldn’t be impressed by that?
The Kenji Guild members, who had been scrambling to recover from the sudden turn of events, instinctively hesitated in their charge.
"Attack!"
But at Kenji’s shout, they rushed in again.
They had made their decision. To them, nothing had truly changed.
That damn otter’s cry? Whatever.
At the end of the day, it was just a boss monster that had been buying time by eating ore in the mountains.
What could a punk like that possibly do in this situation?
No, even if it did something, what could it accomplish when there wasn’t a single monster left to protect it, only a master doomed to die at any moment?
’We’ll kill the master soon enough, and then kill it right after!’
Buoyed by an early taste of victory, attacks rained down from all directions.
And then—
Explosions rocked the area.
Kenji stood frozen.
From that single clash, from the sight of Kenji Guild members being blown away, everyone felt it.
The tide had turned.
* * *
When players raid a boss, there is usually only one thing on their minds.
’Can we clear it?’
Just that one question.
Who dies, how much money it costs, how many hours it takes—none of that matters.
’First Clear!’
For the sake of that title, the word “efficiency” simply cannot coexist with the challenge.
So, when players form a party to take on a boss that no one has ever dared to challenge, they won’t hesitate, even if they can only deal 1 damage per hour against a boss with 10,000 HP—so long as they believe there’s even a sliver of a possibility.
The problem is that “possibility.”
Judging that possibility without seeing the fight through to the end is the hardest part.
Everyone knows—even a three-year-old—that bosses always have more difficult phases waiting in the later stages.
Amid all that, the sole basis for judgment is sustainability.
You don’t know what the future holds, but can you keep fighting until the very end?
If you can, then sooner or later, the boss will fall.
The Kenji Guild had judged Han Simin to be a boss they could eventually break.
His attack and defense were absurdly high, and his regeneration was so ridiculous that calling him a top-tier boss wouldn’t be an exaggeration. However, his hammer swings followed fixed patterns, and he hadn’t shown a single area-of-effect skill that players truly needed to watch out for.
For people like the Kenji Guild members, who had practically spent their entire lives playing games, there had never been an easier raid.
Unlike before, their defenses had been boosted with every buff and potion imaginable, so they could now survive at least one hit.
When one person took a hit, the rest would pour in damage.
The one who got hit would quickly retreat, get healed, and rejoin the fight.
In the meantime, someone else would take damage, retreat, get healed, and return.
That cycle was faster than the rate at which the Kenji Guild’s overall strength was diminishing, which was why they could afford to smile.
But once the otter cried out and that light exploded, the situation changed completely.
Kenji’s expression froze and refused to relax.
This was a development he had never even considered.
It could happen, if you thought of Han Simin not as a player but as a boss.
A cornered boss.
In games, it wasn’t uncommon for a boss, with only a sliver of HP left, to flip the bird at the excited players and unveil a final phase.
In fact, hadn’t the otter dragged out that raid for nearly a month when everyone was sure it was almost over?
What made this so ridiculous was how sudden the pattern change was.
BOOM BOOM!
He was dumbstruck.
’How is that even fair?’
In that instant, the belief that they could win vanished completely, without a speck of dust left behind.
That’s how overwhelming it was.
The only thing that had changed was that his attack had gone from single-target to area-of-effect.
"Ha."
Simultaneously, everyone’s gaze turned to the otter.
The source of it all.
And with that, Kenji suddenly remembered something he had completely forgotten.
’Right. It was a boss.’
He had simply ignored it because its presence felt like a support type, not something that hit you square in the face.
A hollow laugh escaped him.
At the same time, he had to admit it was brilliant.
’So that otter was actually some kind of monster, huh.’
If, instead of a bunch of trash mobs, there had been just one named monster at its side—one strong enough to overwhelm the entire field—would they have been able to clear the Main Quest’s second act?
That was how mysterious buffs were.
Mysterious, and devastatingly powerful.
“We’re retreating.”
The possibility had already shattered.
This attempt had failed.
No one seriously expects to clear a boss on the first try, nor should they, so there was no need to cling to it.
You just analyze the pattern, think it through, and come back with a strategy.
Rather than letting every last player die here, it was better to have at least a few survive and aim for the next run.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
Of course, that was assuming they could run.
12.
Unfortunately, Kenji got away.
Han Simin could have chased him to the ends of the earth if he had wanted to, but he chose not to.
“Wow.”
Instead of petty revenge, he wanted to savor the joy of the windfall that had just landed in his lap.
“This is insane. Completely insane.”
The rush still hadn’t faded.
He hugged the otter to his chest before he even realized it, stroking it like a sacred relic as he basked in the lingering thrill.
That feeling in his hands!
The countless players sent flying with every swing!
Yes, this was what a game was supposed to be.
You were supposed to unleash impossible skills with a bang and revel in overwhelming power.
For Han Simin, who had spent over half a year doing nothing but enhancing items and fighting in a way that felt almost no different from reality, this was not a sensation he was willing to give up easily.
’So this is why everyone wants to play a mage.’
“Hey, can you use that whenever you want?”
“Kku-eong!”
He asked, grinning from ear to ear.
The otter tilted its head, then shook it.
“Kku-eooong!”
It was hard to tell if it didn’t want to answer or if it was saying it couldn’t be used continuously.
“Yeah?”
But that didn’t matter to Han Simin.
“Heh heh.”
What mattered was that the otter had just been promoted from a slave who built mines and dug ore to a supporter who could turn him from a mere hammer-swinging blacksmith into a top-tier cannon, capable of unleashing massive firepower even in war.
It would make money and help him hunt.
This was the ideal he pursued.
’Killing two birds with one stone!’
’Trying to double dip!’
He stood up, gathering the loot.
A motivation he hadn’t felt in ages surged through him.
What was the cooldown? How could he extend the duration? What exactly were the effects?
There was no need to ask the otter, who couldn’t even speak properly, and no need to consult BetaGo.
He already knew, without asking.
He knew exactly what he had to do.
“+15...”
His standard of value had changed.
The ores in the otter’s paws were now divided into two categories: "before the Kenji Guild showed up" and "after."
Before, they had simply been an investment to tame the otter. Now, that was just a side benefit. They were an investment aimed squarely at his own development.
Han Simin never skimped on an investment in himself.
In fact, he wouldn’t even hesitate to take a loss if it meant investing in himself.
That was why his eyes burned.
“I’m taking them to +15.”
He had received only a single effect, a single buff, and it was already this powerful.
What kind of effects and other powers would emerge from ores enhanced to +15?
Filled with excitement, he began to prowl through a hunting ground so remote he didn’t even know its exact location.
“Argh! Shit!”
Of course, that didn’t change the fact that he was now entering the infamous "enhancement hell," where success rates plummeted.
13.
The princess grew more beautiful with each passing day.
By the standards of 『Fantastic World』, she was a bit past the prime age for marriage, but in real-world terms, she was at the age everyone would agree was her most radiant. On top of that, as the remnants of the curse faded, her natural beauty was finally beginning to shine through.
Above all, the biggest factor was that her father was the Emperor.
For someone who never had to think about the concept of money, the countless gold bars she poured into her skincare alone made it impossible not to become more beautiful.
Furthermore, she was clearly proving her qualifications to succeed the Emperor and rule the empire—and the entire continent.
The way she participated in politics, mingled in high society, and governed her people was truly impressive.
The Emperor couldn’t help but feel proud.
He was a doting father to begin with.
Yet lately, that same man had a new worry.
“Why are you making that face?”
“It’s nothing, Father.”
“...It is because of him, is it not.”
As time went on, the look of longing on the princess’s face only deepened.
As a man, the Emperor couldn’t understand why his daughter had fallen for such a good-for-nothing bum, but what could he do?
As her father, he couldn’t very well order her to stop liking someone she liked.
And even if he did, she wasn’t the type to listen.
“Haah.”
A sigh slipped from the Emperor’s lips.
This was the same man who had watched hundreds of thousands bleed in his quest to rule the continent without so much as batting an eye.
Now, he was troubled.
What should he do?
In his heart, he didn’t want to see Han Simin.
Part of him thought, ’She’ll get over it eventually.’
But instead of getting better, things only seemed to be getting worse. In the end, he had no choice but to make a decision.
“Announce it to the entire continent. We will hold a Guild Selection Tournament, and that adventurer’s guild will be included.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
An event with no fixed schedule had been declared.
“Father...”
“You are already married. Why are you fretting so? If you wish to see him, you can go to him. If that is not possible, you can summon him.”
“Thank you.”
That one sentence was enough to make the princess’s face visibly brighten.
A smile spread across the Emperor’s lips as well.
At the same time, he squared his shoulders and added a grave order.
“Make sure my son-in-law participates.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If we tell him directly, there is a high chance he will refuse, so make it absolutely clear to the adventurers in his guild. Tell them that the penalties for failing to participate will be beyond their imagination.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“He must—must—take part.”
Inside, however, he was filled with anxiety.
He had raised the princess’s expectations this high; what if Han Simin was the only one who didn’t show up?
He fell silent.
The Emperor didn’t even want to imagine the worst-case scenario that would follow.
He rose from the throne.
“Summon the Royal Knights.”
If he could, he would have unleashed a dragon just to drag Han Simin back.
* * *
