God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 42: Episode 8 _ Wanna Bet On It_ (6)

He knew full well that this kind of development would lead to nothing good. He had the upper hand for now, but the moment he lost it, he’d be on the Emperor’s bad side, and his life in this game would become a massive headache.

Still, he had no choice.

‘I can’t give up here.’

He could have settled for a compromise, but that thought shattered the moment he confirmed that the prime location for a +15 Holy Water was the same as the one for his ring. The fastest path was to use the +15 Holy Water as an excuse to enhance the ring at the same time. He had to convince the Emperor, no matter what.

“Why do you think +15 is impossible?!” he shouted, his voice filled with genuine urgency.

“And how can you be so certain?” the Emperor countered, his composure unshaken. “You must know that reaching +15 is no simple feat.”

He remained perfectly calm, even as someone of Simin’s lowly status was essentially threatening him. That was what made it so frustrating. If he were a petty man, Simin could have understood, but he had been watching him with interest until now. Why was he putting his foot down at the most critical moment?

‘Just trust me, for crying out loud. What’s his problem? I’m offering to do it for him,’ he grumbled under his breath.

The curse slipped out before he could stop it. He flinched, but he took a deep breath and tried his best to act as if nothing had happened.

“Did you just curse?”

“Of course not. You must have misheard.”

‘I swear, I’m going to flip this whole game upside down one day.’

Forcing a smile, he began his persuasion. “As long as I have enough materials and the right prime spot, I have the ability to enhance an item to +12 or +15 with little difference in probability. Just leave it to me.”

“I’m the one saying it’s fine, so why are you so insistent? Do you have some other motive?”

‘Damn it. He’s sharp as hell.’

He instinctively fiddled with the ring on his left ring finger and offered an excuse. “Yes, to be honest, I was hoping to make a strong impression by succeeding at a +15 enhancement.”

A flicker of suspicion was already creeping into the Emperor’s eyes. Arguing any further would do him no good. He decided to throw a Hail Mary, revealing a sliver of the truth.

“If you truly don’t trust me, let’s make a bet.”

“A bet?”

“Yes, a bet! On whether I can reach +15 or not. What do you say? If I fail, I’ll work like a slave, doing nothing but enhancing until I succeed.”

“And if you succeed?”

He hadn’t thought that far ahead. Countless ideas flooded his mind, but he couldn’t bring himself to voice any of them. The Emperor had already promised him three wishes, and if he succeeded with the +15 Holy Water, he’d get three valuable items from his treasury. Adding one more reward felt anticlimactic.

‘Isn’t there something more valuable?’ he wracked his brain, his brow furrowed in concentration.

“Ah!”

Then it hit him. The simplest, most efficient, and most valuable wish of all.

“Give me your daughter!”

“What?”

“Back down if you’re scared!” he declared boldly.

“Hahahahahaha!”

Simin was dumbfounded.

The Emperor’s response to his challenge was completely unexpected.

10.

He laughed with genuine, pure amusement, a feeling that bubbled up from the deepest part of his chest.

“Hahahahahaha!”

How long had it been since he’d felt such joy? He hadn’t lost his mind; it was just that funny. Who in the history of the continent had ever spoken so brazenly before him, the Emperor of the Empire?

He held every negative title imaginable: The Worst Emperor in History, The Greatest Tyrant, The Merciless Slaughterer. His temperament was like steel, unbothered by such labels.

He paid no mind to the history books, did not believe in gods, and acted according to his own standards. His word was law. Believing himself to be right, he ignored the counsel of his subjects, and when his decisions led to the continent’s stability and his people’s peace, their voices dwindled even further.

His rule was absolute. Soon, everyone obeyed without him needing to display his temper. Ten years had passed like that.

He believed in his path and was proud to have proven it correct—if only his daughter, the apple of his eye, hadn’t fallen ill. He had exhausted every possible means, prayed to the gods for the first time in his life, and accepted the words of the temple without question.

Perhaps it was because he had softened that Han Simin’s words could make him laugh.

He hated to admit it, but this was interesting.

“Amusing. You want my daughter?”

“Yes.”

“My daughter, who is more precious to me than my own eyes?”

“...Well, when you put it like that, I feel a little bad. But it’s a bet.”

The adventurer’s tone was far too casual for someone addressing the Emperor, his legs swinging nonchalantly. Moreover, if not for the crimson aura enveloping him, his shabby attire would have made him pass for a common beggar.

The reason he could be so confident was undoubtedly his immortality. They were beings who came from another dimension to enjoy adventure.

“Indeed...”

He recalled something the temple had once said.

‘The adventurers will become the key to resolving the continent’s long-standing afflictions!’

At the time, he had scoffed and dismissed it, but looking at the adventurer before him, he thought he understood.

They were beings who, backed by their immortality, did not fear death and grew stronger with every adventure. They even had the audacity to propose a bet with the Emperor himself.

It wasn’t unpleasant; in fact, he liked it.

Compared to the people of the continent who had trembled at the mere sight of his feet for so long, he felt like creating an army composed solely of adventurers.

“Very well,” he said with a nod.

The position of the Emperor’s son-in-law, the husband of his only blood relative, was not something to be given away lightly, especially not to an adventurer, who could leave and never return if his heart changed.

But he made his decision. His word was still law, and his firm values had not changed.

He was an adventurer, a successor to a legend, and had the guts to intrigue him—those three things were enough.

“But there is a condition.”

“Yes, just say the word!”

“We will draw up a contract.”

He would, however, prepare thoroughly for any variables that might arise. A curious smile still playing on his lips, the Emperor raised his hand.

A moment later, the two of them stood before two copies of a contract.

* * *

“Do we really have to go this far?”

“Why? Do you object?”

“...It’s not that I object, but...”

‘This feels incredibly shady.’

Who in their right mind would readily sign a contract shoved in their face without a second thought?

The Emperor replied, “I must prepare for the possibility that you might take what you want and flee.”

‘And when you put it so logically, I don’t have a comeback.’ Simin sighed.

This was what he wanted, though. It was a bold declaration he’d made without ever imagining the Emperor would agree, but becoming the Emperor’s son-in-law—even if only in name—would give a player a massive advantage. It would be the stepping stone to realizing the countless plans he had concocted in his head.

Becoming rich had been a vague dream, but now that the hope of achieving it was real, Simin felt dazed. It was like marrying into wealth. In any case, the fact that he could achieve a level of success impossible in the real world was reason enough to sign this mysterious contract, even if it contained a clause about being enslaved for a hundred years before having his organs sold.

This was just a game, after all.

The only unsettling part was that his counterparty was the Emperor—the ruler of the continent created by the AI, Betago.

“Is it alright if I read it first?”

“Be my guest,” the Emperor replied.

Simin cautiously picked up one of the contracts. Pretending to read it, he checked the item’s identity.

The actual content of the contract didn’t matter. If he didn’t want to abide by it, he just wouldn’t.

[Soul Contract]

* Grade: Epic Special

* Option 1: Binds the souls of the contractors as collateral to ensure the terms are fulfilled.

* Option 2: In the case of a user, the character is deleted upon breach of contract.

Or not.

He was speechless.

‘This old man is insane.’

His dumbfounded gaze shot toward the Emperor.

“You may still back out if you wish,” he responded.

“I’ll do it. I’m doing it.”

Seeing the Emperor’s intrigued smile, the words he was about to say caught in his throat, replaced by a surge of stubborn pride.

‘Alright, let’s do this. You picked the wrong guy to mess with.’

Once Han Simin latched on, he was prepared to drain his target dry. The Emperor surely had his own reasons for dealing with him this way, but Simin would make him regret it.

‘The contract’s terms are...’

Of course, he wasn’t completely fearless, so he scanned the contents out of the corner of his eye. Just in case.

‘Party A and Party B shall make a wager on the +15 enhancement of a Highest-Grade Holy Water. Party A bets on failure, Party B on success. The enhancement will be attempted by Party B. Upon success, Party A shall take Party B as the husband of his only princess. Upon failure, Party B shall become the Emperor’s permanently bound enhancement master until a +15 Highest-Grade Holy Water is successfully created.’

There was nothing unusual in the text. The penalty for breach was likely built into the absurd contract itself, so there was no need to write it down.

As Simin cautiously signed his name, a jet-black darkness seeped from the paper, and a hologram appeared.

[You have entered into a contract.]

[The terms of the contract will persist until one of the contractors ceases to exist.]

Then, the contract disintegrated into dust.

“...Where in the world did you get something like this?” It looked like an item only demons would use. It was a contract that wagered souls.

“I thought it might come in handy one day.”

‘Yeah, I’m sure you did.’

“Let’s go.”

In the end, Simin was satisfied. Things had turned out just as he’d hoped. It was a win-win. The thought of losing didn’t even cross his mind.

* * *

His once-hesitant steps now strode confidently through the Imperial Palace. This was the finale. The time had come to end the long saga that had begun with an unexpected coincidence and culminated in a bet for his entire gaming life.

‘Seriously, what would I have done if I hadn’t gone to that enhancement shop back then?’

The thought alone was terrifying. He would have followed his plans and diligently enhanced items to make money, of course, but an opportunity for a windfall like this would have never appeared.

‘I guess what’s meant to be, will be.’

He decided to think of all his past misfortunes that had led him to today. After hardship comes happiness.

He was to get three wishes, three items from the treasury, and the Emperor’s daughter as a bonus. There was a high chance he’d be a prince consort in name only, but he could live with that, as long as he could squeeze enough money out of the position.

“Hehe.”

At the same time, he was filled with anticipation. A prime location for two +15 items. Where could it be?

“Where does this path lead? To your chambers, perhaps, Your Majesty?”

“My chambers are in the opposite direction.”

Now that they were partners in a life-or-death bet, he spoke a little more casually, but the Emperor just shook his head. ‘A shame. I guess the item’s level and grade aren’t high enough to warrant using the Emperor’s chambers yet. So where is it?’

Before he could ask again, they arrived. Simin stepped forward.

“May I go in?” he asked the Emperor.

He didn’t stop him, but the place exuded an ornate splendor that made him feel like he shouldn’t enter.

“That is a question you should ask the master of this palace, not me.”

“Pardon?”

‘What the hell is he talking about?’

He soon found out why.

“Father!”

As the massive doors of the detached palace swung open, a grating voice scraped at his ears. Simin instinctively grimaced, a primal urge to not listen washing over him.

His gaze naturally turned toward the source. ‘Who in the world is that?’

‘...Don’t tell me.’

Did he even need to see to know? How many fantasy novels had he read, how many dramas had he watched? The situation, the atmosphere, and the voice were all a dead giveaway—if he couldn’t figure out who it was, he didn’t deserve to be standing here.

“The bet will be more interesting now, won’t it? Assuming the prime location you spoke of is inside this very palace,” the Emperor remarked.

Han Simin stood with his mouth agape, speechless. It wasn’t because of the Emperor’s cryptic words. It was because he saw the Princess, smiling brightly from about ten paces inside the palace.

‘She lives like that?’

It was a pitiful sight. Her entire body was covered in boils, her skin a sickly mix of blue and yellow. It was difficult to even confirm she was human, and her voice was clearly a result of her condition.

She was cursed. Now he was certain why the Emperor had tolerated his rudeness and even accepted an unnecessary bet for an enhanced Holy Water.

“It has been three years,” the Emperor said. “Even I can only see my child’s face from a distance. Do you want it all? Then go in and save my daughter. I will give you everything you deserve in return.”

[You have accepted ‘The Princess’s Curse’.]

Simin scowled once more. Wait a minute.

“You’ve only seen her face for three years?”

He didn’t bother asking why. He had a feeling he already knew. His feet moved on their own, and he took a step to confirm his suspicion into the detached palace.

In that moment...

[You have entered the ‘Sanctuary of the Curse’.]

[All stats will decrease by 90%.]

[You have been afflicted with ‘Confusion’.]

[Your health will continuously decrease.]

‘Shit...’ He immediately let out a curse.

* * *