God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 16: Episode 3 _ The Enhancement Master Born of Capitalism (4)

Chapter 16: Episode 3 _ The Enhancement Master Born of Capitalism (4)

When Simin’s vision returned, the gloom of the dungeon interior instantly told Han Simin he was in an enclosed space, yet he felt more excitement than fear.

‘I wasn’t seeing things, was I?’ There was no way he had misread it. The hologram still hovering before his eyes confirmed it.

[This is a limited-entry dungeon. (5/10)]

He knew you could discover dungeons while roaming the fields, but he had no idea that limited-entry dungeons existed. There was no information about them, and it wasn’t the kind of thing that would have caught his interest anyway. It was the same now. Since he had no intention of hunting in the dungeon, the maximum number of entrants didn’t matter to him. However, the number that followed piqued his curiosity.

‘Five people?’ A total of ten people could enter and clear the dungeon, and five slots were currently filled. It didn’t take long to figure out what that meant. It was an answer anyone who had played a game for even a little while would know.

‘...So four other people came in before me?’ The answer was so simple it left him dazed. He couldn’t believe it.

‘In this vast field? In this dungeon? And right now?’ If it had been a plain swarming with players, he might have understood. But this was deep in a forest he had walked a long way to reach. A level 20 field where goblins roamed, and there was a dungeon within it.

“Ha.” A gasp of admiration escaped him. What a coincidence! And what luck!

“God, Buddha, Allah. I love you all.” He called out to the gods he didn’t even believe in, a wide grin spreading across his face as he moved forward. Based on the quiet silence in the area where he stood, the players who had entered before him must have already advanced quite a way. Since it was a dungeon, monsters wouldn’t respawn, which meant all he had to do was leisurely find the prime location somewhere inside.

“Ah! Don’t mind me, just keep doing what you’re doing. I’ll just take care of my business and be on my way.”

They all looked at him silently.

And that was how Han Simin came face-to-face with the Johnson party, who were in the middle of fighting the boss. Well, it wasn’t much of an encounter, to be honest.

“Wh-who are you?!” one of them yelled.

“Just a passing citizen,” Simin replied casually.

Han Simin’s sudden appearance, just as their battle with the boss goblin twice the normal size was nearing its end, was more than enough to startle the three remaining members of the Johnson party. That surprise prompted them to speak rudely to a player they’d never met.

‘What’s with this guy?’

‘How did he get in here?’

These were natural questions. It would be one thing if they were in an open field, but this was a dungeon. Even they had struggled to find the entrance. The questions soon turned to suspicion.

‘Did he follow us?’

‘His gear looks extraordinary.’

‘I’ve never seen that enhancement effect before.’

If they had known Han Simin was only level 6, they wouldn’t have been so wary. But in Fantastic World, the only way to gauge another player’s level was by their equipment. From their perspective, they had no choice but to be cautious of the flashy armor and weapon Han Simin carried while wandering a level 20 field.

‘The number one player on the ranking is level 18...’

‘Could that be him?’

‘If he backstabs us here, we’re in trouble.’

A strange standoff formed. Regardless, Han Simin casually approached the boss goblin.

“Stop!”

“If you move, I’ll... I’ll kill you!”

“So you were planning to backstab us after all!”

Their urgent voices stopped Han Simin in his tracks.

“No, I’m not interested in this guy,” Han Simin said with a shrug. It would be a lie to say he wasn’t interested at all, but he didn’t want to get into a fight with people he’d just met. ‘+14 first.’

A quick backstab wasn’t a bad idea, but if he failed, they would kill him, forcing him to spend ages searching for another prime location. He had entered the dungeon prepared to die, so why would he kick away the luck that had found him? For today, he decided to be charitable.

“I told you to stop!”

“You said you had business, so why are you heading over there! Was that your goal all along?”

“...My business is to go to that spot where this guy is standing.”

“Shut up, you backstabbing thief!”

“I knew we couldn’t trust Asians!”

The Johnson party rushed forward frantically.

“Kriee!” the boss goblin shrieked. Thanks to them, the monster, which had gotten a short break, blocked their path. In terms of distance, Han Simin was closer, but thankfully, the aggro it had built up from fighting them kept its attention off him.

“Well, good luck!” Simin cheered.

“Kieeee!”

“Damn it!”

If they killed the boss, they risked getting backstabbed. But if they tried to find another way, the enraged goblin’s attacks were too formidable to ignore. Simin let out a sigh of relief as he watched them reluctantly resume the fight.

“Phew.” It would have been better if the dungeon had been empty. I almost got labeled a scumbag. Still, just in case, he took out his anvil from his magic pouch and placed the dagger on it. ‘Better finish this quickly.’ As long as he got the +14, he would have no regrets even if he died. A +14! He had already made a +15 before, but achieving a high-level enhancement in Fantastic World felt different. The probability alone was similar to a +15 in The World. He couldn’t help but swallow nervously.

‘In The World, I went through all that trouble, and it was still only 70%.’ A 70% success rate was by no means high. Considering that failure meant certain destruction or downgrade, his hands trembled at the thought.

“Haah.” He closed his eyes and focused amidst the battlefield filled with the sounds of fighting and cursing.

’A +14! I will succeed!’

He could feel it. He had already found the prime location; all that was left was to strike. But a new sensation tickled him as he gripped the hammer.

It was a familiar feeling.

“Son of a bitch.” A curse escaped Simin’s lips. His gaze shifted slightly. He saw the three men fighting exhaustedly, and the boss goblin, covered in wounds but boasting incredible strength. The three, who kept glancing his way even while fighting, looked like they could die at any moment.

“Haaa.” To think he had to do something that would make him feel sorry for them. He shook his head. But he felt no shame. For a +14, he would even strip naked and dance in the Haran Castle plaza. It was just a game, after all!

’Pshnk.’

“Ugh! Damn it!”

“No!”

As he watched the player who looked like a healer get stabbed by the boss goblin’s claw, Han Simin immediately started to roll. Once, twice, three times. He rolled across the small cavern.

“What— what are you doing?!”

“You crazy bastard! Are you mocking us?!”

Naturally, the Johnson party was furious. But they had no strength to retaliate. If they had, they would have already finished off the boss goblin. The reason they had let victory slip through their fingers was because they had given the boss goblin a moment to recover while constantly keeping an eye on Han Simin.

Ultimately, the three of them, having lost their rhythm, couldn’t hold on, and the healer with the lowest health was the first to be logged out. It was game over. Johnson felt it instinctively. His resentful gaze fell upon Han Simin, who had just completed one last roll before returning to his anvil.

“You son of a bitch! Why are you doing this to us?!” Johnson screamed.

“What did I do?” Han Simin retorted nonchalantly without even looking at him. He then did a handstand and started doing push-ups. “Haah. It’s tough making a living.”

Then, he picked up the hammer and, with no hesitation, struck the dagger resting on the out-of-place anvil.

Lightly. And rhythmically.

*Clang! Clang! Clang-da-da-clang!*

“To the rhythm of the beat!”

Johnson didn’t understand the words, but he knew it was a rhythm that grated on his nerves as he faced certain death.

“You... you son of a bitch!” Regardless, the hammering continued, and in that time, the last remaining member of his party was also killed by the boss goblin. And at that same moment.

An aura so brilliant and magnificent erupted from Han Simin’s hammer that even the boss goblin, which had entered a frenzied state by drawing out all its strength before death, briefly turned to look.

‘Beautiful,’ Johnson thought, even he felt such an emotion. A deep, forest-green aura! It terrifyingly engulfed the already enclosed space. And then.

[‘Simin’ has succeeded in enhancing ‘+14 Beginner’s Low-Grade Dagger’!]

“Mwahahahaha!” A single line of text appeared on his hologram, followed by a laugh that seemed to shake the cavern. The light faded, and Johnson’s gaze fell upon Han Simin, who was now holding a dagger that boasted a deep green aura where a golden one had been.

“Success! It’s a success!” At the same time, Johnson realized that the man before him, the one he had been cursing and raging at, was now his only hope of avoiding a 48-hour penalty. A man had to know when to cast aside his pride in the face of death.

“P-please save me!” Johnson begged.

“Please help me!” The desperate voice reached Han Simin’s ear. He, who had been darting around with his dagger, glanced over at Johnson.

“This thing doesn’t have much health left either! If you just help, we can take it down in no time!”

“I’m sorry for misunderstanding you as a backstabber. I apologize. Please...”

“Ahem.” But before he could finish, Simin turned his back on him.

Johnson’s eyes widened.

“My shoulders are a bit stiff,” Simin said, stretching.

“Scrieeeee!” Instead, the goblin answered Johnson’s call and approached.

“...Damn it.”

* * *

[First of the Fourteen Stars!]

* Grade: Legendary

* Description: You, who have used up a lifetime of luck, must have been a hero of the continent in a past life!

* Benefit 1: All Stats +30

* Benefit 2: +5% chance to add a special option upon successful enhancement

* Benefit 3: Applied aura effect +5%

[+14 Beginner’s Low-Grade Dagger]

* Grade: Normal

* Level Requirement: 1

* Attack Power: 10 (+60)

* Option 1: All Stats +5 (+30)

* Option 2: Indestructible, Infinite Durability

* Option 3: ‘Deep Green Aura’ effect applied

* Recovers 8% of Health and Mana every 10 seconds

* Reduces incoming damage by 15% and reflects it

* Applies ‘Burning Wound’ effect on attack (Applies fixed damage equal to 10% of weapon attack power per second) (Duration 3 seconds, max 10 stacks)

“Ah...” Was this really a dagger meant for a beginner to slash a few rabbits? If a mere +14 level 1 dagger was this powerful, what would a +15 level 20 weapon be like? A +15 level 100 weapon? A +15 Legendary-grade weapon?

Simin’s body trembled uncontrollably. So this was the absurd power of an enhancement master. A 200% EXP penalty? It didn’t matter.

“Hehehehe.” No, it felt like he wouldn’t even need to level up. That one step toward the final stage was more important than some measly level.

‘Even with the ritual, it was 90%.’ Finding the prime location and adding the previously required ritual resulted in a 90% success rate. A +15 was definitely possible! His will blazed.

“First, I need to get out and... huh?”

“Krieee!”

Only then did his surroundings come into view.

“Huh?” Simin tilted his head. Weren’t there four of them? Why was only one left?

“No, wait—one living thing and four keepsakes?” What a jackpot! Was this a reward for the +14? Han Simin was not one to turn down a reward. And if possible, he was one to desire even more rewards.

“I should test out how good this dagger is.”

The corners of his mouth curled into a grin. The Han Simin of now was different from the man he was ten minutes ago.

“Krieeee!”

The boss goblin, foreseeing its own grim future, wailed sorrowfully.

* * *