God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 29: Episode 6 _ What Would Happen If I Enhanced This_ (4)
4.
[You have accepted ‘The Ruins’ True Nature’.]
[The Ruins’ True Nature]
* Grade: Main
* Description: Investigate the desert ruins, the source of the evil energy, to eliminate the cause of the rampaging and corrupted monsters that have begun to appear!
* Condition: Clear the desert ruins and defeat the named monster ‘Illusion’.
* Reward: 1st Scenario Main Quest Cleared
An awkward silence hung in the air.
“How do we get out of here?” Han Simin asked.
“Shouldn’t we be able to leave once we clear the ruins?” Jeong Seolah replied.
‘Yes, obviously,’ Han Simin thought, his brow furrowing instinctively. ‘Seriously, why me?! Oh, right... I walked in here myself.’
“Since you’re here, let’s raid together,” Jeong Seolah suggested.
“Can you carry?” he asked while taking a step back.
“Of course.” Jeong Seolah readily nodded at his question.
The thought of him needing to be carried was amusing. Would Han Simin, a man who could kill players of a similar level even while taking a beating, really be of no help here? A faint smile bloomed on her lips.
With Han Simin joining them, their chances of success had skyrocketed. Kang Yeseul’s +13 staff would be a great help to their combat sustainability, and if a critical situation arose, Han Simin could jump in and turn the tide of the battle. As long as no unexpected variables appeared, it was safe to say the raid was as good as theirs. Besides, hadn’t he already taken care of any potential backstabbers?
‘I got lucky,’ Jeong Seolah thought.
The enormous sum she had spent on him might have given others pause, but she didn’t consider it a waste at all.
‘I can get it back! And it’s not money wasted.’
Enhancement was clearly an over-investment for a low-level player, but that was only because a player’s income was limited at that stage. If you could earn as much as you spent, there was no better way to widen the gap between yourself and other players. That was her philosophy, and the reason she was treating Han Simin so well.
“Ah! By the way, Oppa, did you get the main quest?” Yeseul asked.
“No?”
“Then how did you get in here? It definitely said only those with permission could enter the ruins.”
“Whose permission?”
“It’s a condition for those progressing the main quest. The ’permission’ is just a detail written into the scenario."
“Hmm.”
Simin, who was in a good mood from being paid so handsomely, fell into thought. He had stumbled in here by chance and had no interest in the main quest that had suddenly been assigned to him, but it wouldn’t be difficult to stick with them, complete the +14 enhancement, and get paid. He was, however, curious as to how he—someone who hadn’t completed a single quest, let alone the main one—was allowed into the ruins.
‘Why?’
Did they just let him in because he had a Legendary job class? No way.
“Ah!”
Suddenly, he remembered the item he had received before leaving the capital. He opened the leather pouch, and a golden plaque revealed itself.
[Mark of King Ain’s Agent]
* Grade: Special
* Option 1: Can undertake any quest available within the kingdom without prerequisites. (For main quests, cannot undertake Chapters beyond the current progress; possible only up to the second scenario, Chapter 3.)
* Option 2: Can enter any location within the kingdom without restriction.
“So it was this.”
He hadn’t bothered to check it, thinking it was nothing special. It turned out to be something incredible.
“What’s that?” Hyeonsu asked.
“It seems I don’t have to do the prerequisite quests if I have this.”
“What?” Hyeonsu was shocked.
“Whoa. It’s a Special-grade item. Oppa, where did you get this?” Yeseul asked.
They were making such a fuss. A smirk escaped him, but he, too, was surprised by the golden plaque’s value. Right now, players were desperately leveling up just to see the main scenario, the most important storyline in Fantastic World. In fact, most of the content that countless viewers of Fantastic World streams were looking for was related to scenario quests. Naturally, they would complete the tedious prerequisite quests for the main quest without complaint, and most would endure it even if it slowed down their hunting speed.
An item that let you skip such an annoying process was truly something else. Any other owner would have cherished it. To Han Simin, however, it was just a useless lump of gold coins.
‘I should’ve sold it sooner!’
No, wait. It was effective up to the second scenario. Should he sell it now?
“Haa.”
Selling it would certainly make him money, but he didn’t want to live on the run as a traitor. Besides, there was more to be gained from King Ain in the future than the few coins he’d get now.
“Let’s go. Since you’re offering to carry, I’ll gladly take you up on it.”
Resigned, he followed the three as they moved forward. The Specialists’ four-person raid had begun.
* * *
The ruins were a gloomy, monotonous labyrinth of dark, damp corridors.
“Why are dungeons always like this?”
Han Simin mused idly from his position about five meters behind them. After walking for an hour, you couldn’t help but let your mind wander. He had no idea how much farther they had to go. He subtly closed the distance with Jeong Seolah, who was leading the way, and asked quietly, “Do you even know where you’re going?”
She didn’t answer. So she didn’t know. The ruins, the main quest, and the rewards were all fine, but the process was just so boring. How bad must it be for a guy who planned to get carried without lifting a finger to actually want to kill some mobs? If it weren’t for his desire to remain a beginner, he might have been running around swinging his crimson dagger. That’s how difficult and confusing the path was.
“Unni, you don’t think we’re trapped, do you?” Yeseul asked.
“Hey, don’t say such unlucky things,” Hyeonsu grumbled.
Hearing such an ill-omened remark at a time like this made Simin frown. Trapped in a maze-like dungeon? The thought alone was enough to give him a case of claustrophobia he never knew he had. What was even scarier was that Jeong Seolah remained silent.
“No way, right?”
Jeong Seolah didn’t answer.
“It’s a main quest. Didn’t you get a map or something?” Simin asked.
Seolah admitted, “All I know is the location of the ruins and some basic information about the named monster. My apologies.”
Well, who was there to blame? He had walked in here on his own two feet. He had to endure it. He had already spent ten days just to learn the Enhancement skill, so what were a few more hours? If they kept walking, they’d find an exit eventually.
‘At least we’ll get out before the day is over.’
No matter how final the Chapter of a main quest was, the game probably wouldn’t lock a player in a dungeon and force them to sleep there. He wanted to believe that. As always, reality answered with the very outcome he had hoped to avoid.
5.
Fantastic World was a virtual reality, a perfect game praised for recreating ninety-nine percent of reality. This naturally included minimizing the disconnect between the game and real life while ensuring it didn’t lose its charm.
That was why there was no basic inventory system like in other games, why you had to meet conditions set by NPCs to create a guild, and most importantly, why the logout issue was designed to fit the world of Fantastic World rather than the player. You could log out anywhere, but logging out during an important quest or inside a dungeon came with consequences. The character of a logged-out player would simply stand still in that spot until they returned. If they were lucky enough not to be attacked by monsters, they’d survive. If not, they would find their character revived in the nearest castle upon logging back in, having lost levels and items.
“Oppa, the mood is nice, isn’t it?” Yeseul purred beside him.
Simin didn’t respond. And because of that system, he was now standing watch with Yeseul. It was a situation completely devoid of any awkwardness. Considering this was only their third meeting, things were moving way too fast.
“Hey, kid. Since when were we this close?”
“Come on, in this day and age, a guy and a girl who hit it off can end up talking in bed right away. What’s with the flustered response?” she teased.
“Can I just log out?”
“No, you can’t. There’s no point if I stand watch alone.”
That was true. Even with a +13 staff, she was ultimately a non-combat class with not a single attack skill. The same went for Han Simin, but at least he could take down most monsters with his gear, which was why he was participating.
“Haah. Money is the root of all evil.”
Of course, he wasn’t doing it for free.
“I’ll wire you the money as soon as we get out,” Yeseul promised.
“Deal.”
Simin was keenly aware of why everyone worked themselves to the bone to earn money.
“Get your hands off me,” he warned.
“Aww, come on.”
He couldn’t bring himself to forcefully push away Kang Yeseul as she clung to him. His stats were definitely much higher than hers! Think of the money...
“Hmph.”
He was a rotten human being, too. Still, he’d let it slide since she was cute. As if sensing his resignation, her hand slowly crept downwards with clear intentions. She was cute, but he wasn’t so starved as to satisfy his desires in a game with a kid who looked like she had just turned legal. He pushed her hand away and changed the subject.
“Hey, even if you are rich, is it okay for you to just spend tens of thousands of dollars like this?”
It was a question he had always wanted to ask, a question he’d had since watching dramas long ago. Just where did all that money come from? Her eyes sparkled at his curiosity. Kang Yeseul clicked her tongue and answered nonchalantly, “I’m just giving you money that’s in my bank account.”
“Who puts it in your bank account?”
“Sometimes I put in what’s left of my allowance, my grandparents give me some, it comes in from the buildings in my name, and also through illegal channels...”
“...Right, thanks for the detailed explanation.”
‘I was an idiot for asking.’ Still, the process of getting money wasn’t so different from that of other normal kids. It’s just that the amounts were a little different.
“Tsk. You totally ruined the mood," she pouted.
“You’re too forward for your age. You’ll wear yourself out at this rate.”
“This is how everyone my age has fun!”
“Tsk, tsk.”
“You’re the weird one, Oppa. Are you gay, by any chance?”
“...Are you asking me to break your staff? Because that’s what it sounds like.”
“No! I mean, come on. It’s just a joke, but still. A beauty like me is coming on to you. You have to be gay or impotent not to react!”
He remained unmoved by her grumbling. She was certainly short and looked young, but upon closer inspection, she had plenty of charm as a woman. However...
“Listen, kid, I have a little sister your age.”
“How old is she?”
“Nineteen.”
“...But I’m twenty-three?”
“Huuuh?”
She was twenty-three? His gaze naturally swept over Kang Yeseul. It passed her cute face, grazed her slender jawline, traced her collarbone, and came to a brief stop. It was so blatant it could have been offensive, but the way she proudly puffed out her chest was a move to make up for her previous humiliation.
“Hmm.”
But he contemplated.
"What?! What is it?!" she shrieked. "This is above average! Do you have any idea how hard a full B-cup is for Korean women to achieve? My robe is just too big, so it doesn’t show!"
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Your eyes are saying it, your eyes!”
“In any case, you’re not my type,” he stated.
“Ugh!”
She let out a cry of frustration, but Han Simin’s gaze remained indifferent. ‘He must be impotent!’ she tried to console herself, but she couldn’t help feeling vexed. He offered some half-hearted comfort at her cute display.
“Cheer up. You’re still a cute sucker... I mean, girl. You’re just not my type.”
“Then what is your type, Oppa?”
“Well, I don’t have particularly high standards, so someone like Ms. Seolah would be...”
“You have no shame.”
It was useless to glare at him like that. His answer wouldn’t change. Even if she had brought him over six hundred gold coins in sales, his conviction would not waver.
“Should I ask her for you?” Yeseul offered with a sly grin.
“About what?”
“That you want to sleep with her once.”
“Ah! What are you talking about?!”
“Oh. Is it not just once? Perhaps, multiple times? All the time? Whenever you get the chance?”
When did he ever say that! His carefully maintained composure began to shake violently. What on earth did a person have to be thinking to interpret ‘ideal type’ as a ‘one-night stand’?
“Come on. Your ideal type becomes your girlfriend, and when she’s your girlfriend, you spend a passionate night together. It’s the same thing.”
“Shut up!” he snapped. That might be true if two people loved each other, but this wasn’t that kind of conversation! “If you want to protect your staff, it would be wise not to run that mouth of yours any longer.”
“Pfft. You’re cute,” she giggled. “Okay, okay. It was just a joke, but when you react like that, it just makes me want to do it again.”
Ah! He had a strong urge to hit her. It was just a game, so there was nothing holding him back. But he couldn’t act on it.
“What are you two talking about so excitedly?” Seolah’s voice cut through.
“Oh! Unni! You see, Simin Oppa wants to have se— Mmph!”
“I was saying it’d be best to start the enhancement as soon as you were up, Ms. Seolah.”
Seolah’s character, which had been lying down, was now moving. He hastily covered Kang Yeseul’s mouth and grabbed her staff with his free hand. He had nothing to be ashamed of, but dealing with misunderstandings from such baseless rumors was a pain. He grabbed Yeseul’s staff with his free hand.
“The prime spot happens to be nearby!” Simin exclaimed.
Following her was Jeong Hyeonsu, also getting up. With the staff in one hand and Kang Yeseul’s mouth in the other, Han Simin started to run.
“Aah! Oppa, monster ahead!” Yeseul screamed.
“Get lost!” he yelled.
He leaped over the scorpions that appeared and headed toward the spot where he could feel the energy of a prime location. It was closer than he thought. He trusted that the others would take care of the monsters behind him. Pushing past the monsters blocking his path and navigating the winding maze, he arrived at the spot, which was a wall covered in strange drawings.
“This is it?” Yeseul asked.
“Looks like it.”
Han Simin’s intuition never lied. The wall, however, seemed to be telling him that he’d need considerable resolve to get past it.
“I have a feeling this is a boss room, but...”
Who cared! All that mattered was successfully enhancing the item and getting his one thousand gold coins. He kicked the wall without hesitation.
Slam! Rumble!
“Aaah!”
He tumbled down as the wall collapsed.
[You have discovered ‘Illusion’s Room’!]
His intuition, as always, was never wrong.
* * *
