God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 234: Episode _A Hero is Made in Turbulent Times (6)
8.
In every game she played, Kang Yeseul had always insisted on being a Healer. Since basically every game considers user convenience and includes a Healer class, she never had to hesitate or think long about her choice. Only a Healer! Always a Healer! Even if the class wasn’t called Healer, if there was a healing skill tree, she would choose it. Even in games where the Healer’s role was so minor that all they did was follow the party, tossing out a heal here and there while leeching experience, she would silently and steadfastly choose to be a Healer. She would even go so far as to choose a staff as her weapon in games without a class system, creating a support role for herself.
Her love for Healers made even Jeong Seolah and Jeong Hyeonsu, the ones who introduced her to the class, click their tongues. It couldn’t be helped. It was just that ridiculous. She only played Healers, every single time. The nature of the class meant she didn’t have to play intensely, and aside from tossing out appropriate heals during party hunts, she didn’t have to face monsters directly, so she didn’t need much in the way of repair costs or other expenses. She could even save on potion costs, which were essential for others. In some games, she could even resurrect people. How convenient and great was that? Unless the game was made by some unhinged developer, Healers were always a privileged class. Especially a skilled and experienced Healer like Kang Yeseul.
But that wasn’t why Seolah and Hyeonsu clicked their tongues. If it had been a choice made to become the best in one field, they wouldn’t have shaken their heads like this. They would have been satisfied, proud. Even in 『Fantastic World』, while she might not be called the world’s best Healer, she managed Seolah and Hyeonsu’s health well and even voluntarily bought a $6.1 million skill book to provide attacks and debuffs. She was, in short, the best supporter for the Specialists.
But the reason behind her choice was truly absurd.
"To think she keeps playing a Healer because they’re the strongest when you pay to win."
"In a way, Yeseul is in the same league as Simin."
It wasn’t about sacrificing for the team. From the beginning, Kang Yeseul started playing for fun. A game that was all about selfless sacrifice couldn’t possibly be fun. The proof was how she had struggled with pulling all-nighters to level up, finding it almost torturous at first. In fact, Seolah and Hyeonsu had even considered removing her from the team because she was having such a hard time. At the time, it was the beginning of the game, so it was an understandable and easy thought to have.
After some deliberation, they decided to let her go once they had secured a certain rank. With the thought that the game was a lost cause anyway, they decided to just go on a rampage and started PKing indiscriminately. That was how they discovered her true nature.
She was a completely different person from when she was hunting. The girl who had struggled to log on until after Seolah and Hyeonsu did was now staying in the game and enjoying herself even after they had gone to bed. That was the beginning. It started there and has continued to this day. That personality wasn’t going anywhere.
The expression on Kang Yeseul’s face as she led the black magic mages was happier than ever.
"Hah. This is why I play games."
She had brought a city to ruin. It wasn’t difficult. When black magic mages reveal themselves, they are bound to have that much firepower. They had lived in hiding not simply because they were weak, but because they were afraid. They were few in number. No matter how strong they had become through dark powers, they weren’t confident they could win a fight against the entire continent. As strong as they were, the continent was overflowing with strong individuals. On a one-on-one basis, they wouldn’t be pushed back, but if the continent united to wipe out the black magic mages, risking their lives to do so, the black magic mages would inevitably lose a war of attrition.
But now, it was do or die. The demons were crossing over, and with enough sacrifices, they could summon darkness to the continent. For the black magic mages who had lived their entire lives for this cause, what was there to fear? And now, a crazy next-generation leader had joined them. The black magic mages, who had initially looked at her with doubt, their eyes widened when they saw her bring a city to ruin.
"Impressive."
"A rational leader with no blood and no tears!"
"How can she be so decisive...?"
The black magic mages were, in fact, psychos themselves. The feeling of being acknowledged as a psycho in a group of psychos!
"Kyahahaha! Die! Kill them all!"
Kang Yeseul’s $6.1 million skill book, which usually didn’t see much use outside of hunting due to mana consumption, was now on full display. Five at once. The spells, flying with the support of the black magic mages, were a spectacular sight. And the scene was captured in its entirety by the cameras of the users who were caught in the crossfire.
And was the scene just captured? The dead players were all busy posting about it on the community forums. To them, death wasn’t such a big deal. So even though they had died, even though they had dropped items, their posts were filled more with excitement than anger or emptiness.
[Wow. Jackpot. It’s the black magic mages’ rebellion!]
[Crazy. Isn’t this the first time they’ve openly destroyed a city like this?]
[This is the first time I’ve died inside a castle.]
[So safe zones aren’t safe zones anymore.]
It was like a movie. Even for the new users, it was a story from a completely different world. And it was the same for the rankers from level 50 to 70. The main quest had been cleared for the first time, and the quests they were clearing in its wake were already overwhelming, but now a new main quest was approaching! To be able to feel its impact firsthand—how exciting and thrilling!
This was the charm of 『Fantastic World』. No single player was the protagonist. Even the ones running at the forefront weren’t the protagonists. There was no one who could control the entire continent alone. And now, the continent wasn’t just about hunting. You could go hunting and come back to find your castle gone. That castle could have become the black magic mages’ territory, and you could be taken prisoner, or you could submit to them and become a subordinate of the black magic mages.
Realism! Where else could you find this? The users were excited. And they were even more amazed to see who was standing behind that excitement.
[The Specialists! It’s the Specialists!]
[That’s Kang Yeseul.]
[Jeong Seolah is there too.]
[What the. Why are they there?]
[Why do you think? If you have a brain, use it.]
It gave them goosebumps. The question of why the Specialists weren’t checking Kenji’s faction, which was growing like mushrooms after rain, was answered. If they had any sense, it wouldn’t be strange for them to accept guild members to expand their power based on the Rich Territory. Anyone who had played 『Fantastic World』 for even a week would know that being a small elite group was meaningless. But they hadn’t, and had silently leveled up. It was seen as a determination to become the best in other areas, abandoning what they couldn’t do. Or some saw it as an obsession, an unwillingness to admit defeat. But for this to be the result.
[Where’s Kenji? Is he watching this?]
[Holy crap. They’re on a different level.]
[Don’t tell me they hit level 100 just to go on a rampage with the black magic mages?]
[How did they even connect?]
[Anyone who’s watched Simin’s broadcast for half a year knows Kang Yeseul is a black mage.]
[This is crazy. Insane.]
[So charismatic. What’s with that pure white staff?]
In an instant, Kenji took a loss out of nowhere. What good was expanding his forces? The Specialists, who had surpassed him in level, had appeared before the world with an even greater force. Even though it was an opposing, hostile force that threatened the users, if you compared the two objectively, it was an undeniable fact that the black magic mages were stronger.
The concept itself was dark and spectacular: dark magic embroidering the sky and curses seeping in from unseen places! And as if to put a final touch on it, the publicly revealed black magic mages’ steps turned toward Kenji’s territory. It was still a two-week journey, so it was too early to say for sure, but at some point, they had suddenly changed direction. Someone, feeling suspicious, drew a line on the map, and the result was clear. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞
[If they go straight from here, it’s Kenji’s territory.]
[Wow. Are we getting an epic battle?]
[Let’s place our bets! Bets!]
Someone had once said it. The third act of the main quest would be the Specialists’ stage. Those words soon became reality, and the planner who had set the stage presented a performance that sent the players into a frenzy.
*
When someone is in the spotlight, someone else is left out. That’s reality. Thanks to Kang Yeseul’s spectacular debut, Han Simin’s army, which had enough firepower to draw attention just by walking around, was temporarily forgotten.
"...Isn’t she a total demon?"
Of course, he wasn’t disappointed. Simin had also seen her progress, not live, but through videos. She proved that the consideration he had shown, worrying that she might feel squeamish about killing NPCs in a virtual reality, was completely unnecessary, displaying a spectacular and fiery black mage-like demeanor. She was so tough that she wasn’t even criticized by the players for being cruel or anything. If she had shown even a hint of hesitation or fumbled, the immersion of the game would have been broken, and voices of criticism might have emerged. But she did well, and now she was the center of attention.
Added to that was Simin’s script.
"Hey, Yeseul. Turn around and head straight for Kenji’s territory."
"Huh? Okay! I’ll smash everything!"
To the users, the black magic mages’ rebellion was an event. A continent-wide event! Because of that, even if their homes were destroyed, there weren’t many voices protesting to the game company or demanding compensation. This was a chance to break everything they could.
After giving the order, Simin also started his broadcast. Kang Yeseul was doing much better than expected, so now it was his turn. Countless posts were already up on the community forums, and opinions were divided on the Specialists’ turn to the black mage side, but the hottest topic was just one thing!
[Okay, let’s say that’s true.]
It was a game, after all, and players were free to side with whomever they pleased. But siding with the black magic mages meant becoming enemies of the Grand Temple, didn’t it? As far as I know, that Simin fellow is working with the Temple after cozying up to the Saintess. Aren’t they all in the same guild? What’s going on?
[Oh? That’s right.]
[Are they breaking up?]
[How lame.]
The questions poured in. "We’re curious! Tell us!" Countless private messages flooded his inbox. Standing at the center of all this attention, Han Simin set his broadcast title.
[The black magic mages...?]
The short, impactful title signaled the beginning of a primetime drama.
*
