God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 184: Episode _The Great Cataclysm (1)

1.

They dismissed it as the ravings of a mythomaniac or a joke meant to be funny, laughing it off.

“Sure. He was satisfied. Kenji was definitely...”

“As long as the result is good, the process doesn’t matter. Haha.”

They felt a pang of pity for Kenji. But what mattered to the Specialists right now was themselves. There was no need to shatter Simin’s ego for the sake of Kenji, who was an enemy, for all intents and purposes.

“Ah, I’m hungry. Should we go out to eat?”

“Just chew on some jerky.”

They quickly changed the subject, and Simin, having at least a sliver of conscience, didn’t press the matter further. The tedious hunt continued without any other incidents, and soon, Christmas Eve arrived.

*

December 24th. The day love was in full bloom. The day when every motel and hotel was said to be fully booked a month in advance. But this year was different. The streets were still crowded with people, and the laughter of accommodation owners filled the air, but it wasn’t like last year. It was busy, but less so. The meaning of this was significant. Very significant.

“Fantastic World has really sunk its roots deep, huh?”

“There are probably a lot of people who think of that place as reality.”

“Is this a time for self-reflection?”

He was too stunned to speak.

That so many people were choosing to spend the historic night of Christmas, the birth of Jesus, in Fantastic World instead of reality meant that the game had become an important part of daily life, not just for dedicated gamers, but even for those who only logged in occasionally as a hobby or didn’t play at all. The familiar streets, the movies they watched, the beds where they made love—they were casting it all aside to fulfill their desires in Fantastic World. The fact that it was a snowless Christmas Eve might have amplified this effect.

“Wow. At this rate, the streets will be empty.”

“Investing in Fantastic World really is the answer.”

Thanks to this, the Specialists, who had logged into reality for the first time in a while, were able to enjoy a drink while observing the rare sight. They were in a private room, so the number of people outside didn’t affect them, but the headcount on the streets was a clear indicator. It was enough to make one worry.

“I can practically hear the wails of the seasonal business owners,” Hyeonsu remarked. It was a natural prediction for a future corporate leader. Of course, he felt no pity. Reading market trends was the first duty of any manager. The joke about investing in Fantastic World wasn’t just a joke anymore. Look at what was happening less than half a year after the game’s launch. No, there was no need to guess. The concrete evidence was right in front of them.

“Heh. A man’s got to invest,” Simin said proudly.

“I’m so jealous, Simin. I heard the Rich Territory has been so packed for the past week you can’t even find a place to stand.”

“Don’t even mention it. People are coming from the other side of the continent.”

“You could really just live off that for the rest of your life.”

“What time do I have to play? Do you know how much money I poured into building the Rich Territory? I still need to expand it more.”

It was Han Simin’s idea to decorate his territory with a unique theme. After announcing a few promotions and discounts on the community forums with a Christmas Eve theme, the number of visitors had surged. It was still a seasonal business, but as word spread and people discovered the charms of the Rich Territory, they would visit whenever they wanted to celebrate a day unique to Fantastic World. And in the end, Han Simin would be the one making the money.

“Drink up! Drink up! It’s on me tonight!”

“I’m really going to drink until I black out tonight.”

He was in a good mood, so he could afford to be generous. His hands trembled from his instinctive frugality, but he had already erased all calculations from his mind. ’Alright. Let’s just spend a little today. I made thirty million, after all.’

The night of Christmas Eve burned brightly, along with the wild celebration of four single people.

2.

While some took a day off to enjoy life in reality for the first time in a while, many other users had forgotten the concept of dates altogether, dedicating themselves solely to Fantastic World. These weren’t the people looking to spend Christmas Eve enjoying the game’s unique themes, but the hardcore gamers. The people who, unlike Simin, didn’t have a group of close female friends who could make even a drinking session among non-couples more enviable than any date.

“Dodge!”

“Stab him!”

“It’s an AoE pattern!”

Or perhaps they did, but the game was more important. These people were running around tirelessly, even on Christmas Eve. And for the expedition party tackling the main quest, it went without saying.

“This is the last one! Just a little more!”

The Southern Mist Coast. Deep within the misty forest surrounding one of the Four Forbidden Zones, the final part of Act 2 of the main quest was underway. There were four main quests, each centered around one of the four zones. The North, centered around the Ain Kingdom, had been cleared first. After some time, watching the clear videos from the first group, the East and West were cleared, leaving only the South.

It wasn’t particularly difficult. The content of the main quests was similar, though not identical. At least, it had been so far. The objective was to destroy the gates that the demons had used to travel hundreds of years ago, scattered across the map, leading to the Forbidden Zone. The North had already demonstrated the level of the monsters there through countless videos, so all the other groups had to do was meet the gear and number requirements. As for boss raids, there were at least tens of thousands of skilled players among the tens of millions, so that wasn’t an issue.

In Act 1, the gap between Simin and the other users had been so vast that there was a significant time difference, but that gap had narrowed considerably in Act 2. Of course, the fact that they were late hadn’t changed. Being late by a single day—no, a single hour, a single minute—made you second place. It wasn’t recorded in any official rankings, but that was how users distinguished the ‘firsts.’ The reason users coveted this title, even without any material reward, was simple: to have their pure effort acknowledged.

It justified their trials and failures. Those who were not first were only granted the right to talk about how well they could eat from a table that had already been set. That was the difference. Trivial, yet immense.

And so, the southern users had no choice but to grit their teeth. They weren’t first, not even second. They were last. The last to clear one of the four zones. Their pride was wounded. If they couldn’t even clear it now, it would be a complete embarrassment. Even if the raid was conducted privately, word would eventually get out. They had to clear it. That was why they were raiding with clenched teeth, having forgotten all about Christmas Eve.

Such desperation fosters growth. The boss monster, which had seemed invincible, finally fell. The end of a raid they had clung to for days and nights. The faces of the surviving users brightened. After hardship comes happiness! They would destroy the gate and get their reward. Knowing roughly what kind of rewards to expect from the main quests in the other three zones, they cautiously destroyed the gate, their hearts filled with anticipation. ’Are we going to get a special item too?’ They decided not to worry about how to distribute it yet; that had already been decided when they formed the expedition. What mattered now was how good the drops would be!

The gate crumbled. And a hologram appeared.

[Quest Complete.]

[‘Scenario Quest: Act 2’ has been cleared.]

[‘Scenario Quest: Act 3’ is now open. Adventurers have proven their sufficient skill and earned the right to proceed to the third act.]

So far, it was no different from what they had seen in videos and on the community forums. They were about to dismiss it and focus on the dropping rewards. But they couldn’t. New holograms, unseen in any video or post, appeared before their eyes.

[The four sealing stones have been destroyed.]

[The seal is broken.]

“Huh?”

“What’s this?”

’What sealing stones?’ The users, who had been about to approach the rewards, froze. ’Something’s wrong.’ The people gathered here were veterans, passionate and skilled enough to clear the main quest, even if they were later than the others. A new hologram heralding a new phase! They knew the meaning of this was anything but light. A natural tension settled over them. Regardless, the holograms continued to clutter their vision.

[Demonic energy seeps into the continent.]

[Gates imbued with demonic energy are created.]

He was too stunned to speak.

One thing was clear: these were not positive words. The users’ expressions grew serious.

“The thing we broke was a sealing stone?”

There was no time to process it.

[You have prevented the natural destruction of the sealing stones.]

[When hunting monsters imbued with demonic energy, you have a chance to obtain a ‘demonic energy-Imbued Box’.]

The message flashed by before they could fully comprehend it. After reading the holograms, the users’ gazes returned to the rewards. Among the brilliantly shining loot, a box emitting a jet-black aura caught their eye. No one who had read the hologram needed to wonder what it was. The expedition leader approached and picked up the box.

“Let’s decide whether to open it or not.”

This was an unforeseen variable. An impromptu meeting was held, and they decided to open it. The last hologram, at least, had a positive message, so they judged that nothing bad would happen. As soon as the decision was made, the expedition leader opened the ‘demonic energy-Imbued Weapon Box.’

The moment he did...

He was too stunned to speak.

He was dumbstruck.

Everyone was at a loss for words as a long sword emerged from the small box. It wasn’t because its size defied the laws of physics. It was because the expedition leader, after checking the item, shared the link with everyone.

“...A Legendary item?”

The news was immediately posted to the community, from the beginning of the event to its conclusion. But people weren’t interested in the summary.

[We didn’t have anything like this in Act 1, did we?]

[I guess the real main quest is starting now.]

[So this is why that hologram suddenly appeared.]

It was because the message had been visible to all users. Thus, the long post garnered attention only for its screenshot.

[Holy shit. A random box?]

[So Fantastic World is just another RNG game in the end.]

[Let’s not get our hopes up. It probably only drops from named monsters, and you won’t get a Legendary unless it’s a main quest boss.]

But regardless, a stone had been thrown into the calm waters of Fantastic World, which had been flowing along a dull and predictable course. The community forums caught fire. On the night between Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

The news, of course, reached the Specialists at the bar.

“Drink! Drink!”

“No, wait!”

Just as the three were about to order every brand of whiskey in the high-end bar, Han Simin frantically stopped them. He grabbed his coat and bolted for the door.

“Shit. This is an emergency!”

“What is it, Simin? Are you trying to get out of paying for the drinks again?” Yeseul quickly blocked his path, her will to not let him escape tonight was absolute. Simin showed her the community post on his phone.

She was too stunned to speak.

As Yeseul stepped aside, he tossed the phone to Seolah and left the bar. After checking the post, the other three ran out after him without another word.