God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 43: Episode 9 _ Blow It Up (1)

1.

“Aargh!”

He immediately scrambled back. He had to.

“Whew. I almost died.”

He had only set foot inside for a moment, maybe a second, but his health had already hit rock bottom. If he had hesitated any longer, he would have been logged out instantly.

“So? Do you still have the heart to continue?” the Emperor asked.

Simin shot the Emperor a resentful glare, only to be met with a pure, innocent smile. ’Ugh, that infuriating bastard.’ Seeing that expectant look on his face made him want to give up on finding a solution.

But with so much on the line, Simin took a deep breath and asked, “What’s wrong with her?”

“As you can see, she is cursed.”

“...The Princess is the one who’s cursed. What did this palace ever do to deserve this?”

“Only the one who cast the curse would know.”

“And where is that person?”

“That, I do not know.”

‘Excuse me? What kind of answer is that?’ His daughter was in that state because of a curse, and he didn’t know why?

“We only surmise it was a demon. One day, she simply became like this.”

He was at a loss for words.

Well, he supposed that was possible. This was a game, after all.

He calmed his excitement and switched to listening mode. These insane NPCs lived as if this world were their reality, so they naturally became assimilated. Sometimes, he forgot it was a game and started thinking like them. This had to be part of a scenario.

The Emperor explained, “The palace also became like this on the day the Princess was cursed. As you’ve experienced, no one who enters ever returns alive.”

“I see.”

No, this isn’t good at all.

‘Shit. I’m so screwed.’

Simin couldn’t care less about some long, sob story. It was just a pre-written scenario that had nothing to do with him.

The problem was that the prime location was located in the middle of this completely unrelated situation.

His expression grew frantic. “Then how do I get in there?”

“Did you not hear me? No one besides the Princess has ever come out of there alive.”

“I know, but it’s been months! There must be some way by now. The Empire has plenty of strong people.”

“If there were a way, I would have broken the curse already. Why else would I resort to following a prophecy from the temple?”

Simin was speechless.

‘Are you insane?! That’s your daughter! Don’t talk about it with such a calm expression!’

“Then how do you feed her? She still has to eat, even in that state.”

“Food is left at the door, and the Princess retrieves it.”

“...Whoever cast this curse is a real piece of work.”

So, it wasn’t meant to kill her, Simin guessed. In any case, the conclusion was that there was no way to get inside right now.

“Hah.”

Why was his life like this? Just a few hours ago, he thought he’d hit the jackpot and eagerly accepted the bet, but if this was how it was going to be, he had doubts.

“Excuse me, Your Majesty. Is there any chance we could just call off the bet?”

“There is.”

“Oh! Then, if we could just cancel...”

“However, you will have to pay the price for deceiving me.”

‘Just say no, you bastard!’

Overwhelmed with frustration, Simin sank into serious thought. Giving up was not an option. He had to solve this situation, no matter what, and return with a +15 Ring of Blessing.

“Ah!”

Then, he thought of an idea. Of course! People really did come up with anything when they’re desperate.

“The reason you made this bet was to cure the Princess, right?”

“That is correct.”

“Then let’s do this. First, have her come out and drink a +14 Holy Water. If that doesn’t cure her, I’ll keep enhancing them until it does.”

It was a plan that required the Emperor’s permission. If Simin couldn’t make a +15, he’d just have to brute force it with +14s. The terms of the bet would be void, but the Emperor’s goal was to cure the Princess, and Simin’s goal was to enhance his ring to +15. If the Princess was cured, the curse on the palace would lift, and he could go inside and do the enhancement he wanted. It was a win-win.

To his disappointment, the Emperor shook his head. “The Princess cannot come out.”

“Why not?”

“The reason is the same as why others cannot enter.”

A bitter smile touched Simin’s lips. To him, the Emperor’s words were a death sentence.

‘No!’

He couldn’t let it end like this. Even now, a cold, logical solution was forming in his mind, but it would take too long. How much time would he waste traveling to another prime location?

It was then that a voice cut through his thoughts. “Who is this person?”

The grating sound of her voice made him flinch. In his excitement over the enhancement, he had forgotten a crucial fact.

“He is to be my son-in-law,” the Emperor said with a smirk.

“Pardon?” the Princess replied, her eyes wide as she stared at him.

’Wait, hold on!’

“And he is to be your husband.”

“Mister! What are you talking about?!” Simin yelled in horror.

But unfortunately, the words that had left the Emperor’s mouth could not be taken back.

* * *

It didn’t really matter to Simin whether she was hideous from a curse or not.

His goal wasn’t to play some dating sim, taking advantage of a game with sky-high freedom where you could have fully realistic sex and even end up pregnant. He had no intention of staying in the Empire for long. All he wanted was power he could use within the game. That was it. But this... this was a different matter entirely.

“What are you going to do if I lose?” Simin asked.

“If you lose, you’ll be a slave in the Imperial Palace regardless. Wouldn’t I be the one deciding your treatment?” the Emperor answered.

“...You have a point.”

‘So I guess it’s not a different matter after all,’ he thought, ’Well, it’s a good outcome for me, but I can’t shake this weird feeling.’

Still, she was an NPC and the Empire’s only princess. It wasn’t like he had zero expectations. He mulled it over for a moment before shaking the thought away. A much bigger problem still remained.

“How about I toss this over so you can drink it?” he said, offering the most straightforward solution he could think of.

“I may not know the full details, but are you here because you have business inside the palace?” the princess asked.

Her voice was still unpleasant, but the question was polite and surprisingly sharp. Simin nodded. ‘What’s with this woman? She’s smart.’ She’d figured him out after he’d only exchanged a few words with the Emperor.

“In that case,” she continued, “even if my curse is broken, I don’t think you’ll be able to get what you want.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“My curse and the curse on the detached palace are two separate things.” She continued, “When I first learned I was cursed, I went outside, preferring to die. My heart stopped, but the curse on the palace remained.”

“If you died, how are you alive now?”

“She began breathing again the moment she entered the detached palace,” the Emperor answered for her.

Simin’s jaw dropped in disbelief. ‘Wait, what? So is she technically dead, then?’ This was a complete and utter mess. There were no guarantees, and even if he succeeded, there was no telling if it would be a happy ending. He felt a strong urge to just give up. In fact, if the reward wasn’t so substantial, he would have quit long ago. The bet had no restrictions on time or place, after all.

“Whew. Let me think for a moment.”

‘If you can’t give up, you might as well enjoy it.’ He couldn’t quite bring himself to do that, but he decided to at least take a moment. It was still a game; there had to be an answer somewhere. Either that, or this was a problem he couldn’t solve at his current level. The latter would be a serious issue. This world felt real, but it was still a game. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“This isn’t something that needs to be solved right this second, is it?”

“I’ve waited three months in this hell. A little longer won’t change anything,” the Emperor replied.

“...Is it just me, or are you pressuring me?”

“You’re correct.”

“Still, no. You’ll have to wait.” His head was throbbing. He didn’t care if he was speaking to the Emperor; he just said whatever came to mind and started to walk away.

“Where are you going?”

“Creative ideas are born from a calm mind, rest, a warm bed, and a full stomach. Give me some food.”

To hell with it. Simin would figure it out after he lay down for a bit. This must be what it feels like to pitch a tent in a thick fog just below a mountain summit.

“Oh, and open up the treasury for me. I want to see if there’s anything in there that might help.”

He decided to soothe his frustrated mind with a bit of window shopping.

2.

For the several hours Han Simin was gone, the enhancement masters waited in the contest hall. The Emperor’s attention had long since shifted away from them, but who would dare leave in the middle of a contest just because they had nothing to do? As they waited, their eyes fell upon Simin, who was trudging back toward them.

“Ugh, I’m stuffed.” He had eaten his fill and decided to put off visiting the treasury until tomorrow. He was on his way to rest on a plush bed. Naturally, the Emperor had already retired to his chambers, so Simin was alone. It was a scene perfect for misunderstanding.

“Just as I thought. He failed.”

“What do you expect from a con artist? This was bound to happen.”

“Pwhahaha! Hey, Khan, what was that you said? That we should be nervous? Too bad for you. The fraud couldn’t fool the Emperor and came back looking pathetic.”

Their misinterpretations reached Simin’s ears. Normally, he would have just snorted, flipped them the bird, and walked on by, but right now, he was on edge.

“Hey, you.”

“...Whatcha say?”

The word came out sharp and crooked. It wasn’t that he had any particular feelings for them, but he wasn’t in a good enough mood to just laugh off their insolence. His mind was already splitting apart as he tried to figure out how to resolve the situation—so he could have his cake, eat it too, and then raid the cake’s emergency food stash afterward.

‘Perfect timing.’

Maybe blowing off some steam would clear his head. Of course, he had no intention of getting his own hands dirty.

“Seize these men for insulting me. I am His Majesty the Emperor’s potential future son-in-law!”

“Yes, sir.”

At his gesture, the imperial knights rushed forward. They were supposed to be protecting the Emperor, but His Majesty had assigned them to watch Simin in case he tried to flee. Simin decided to make use of them. Their real job was to monitor him, but since the Emperor himself had designated him as a potential son-in-law, they would surely listen.

“W-What? Son-in-law?”

“You con artist! Now you’re even resorting to...”

The flustered masters couldn’t finish their sentences. The cold, sharp edges of well-honed swords were suddenly pointed at them. The knights didn’t seem particularly thrilled about it, lacking any real killing intent, but it was more than enough to intimidate the masters. After all, this was the heart of the Imperial Palace.

‘Well, this is an unexpected power trip.’

As he slowly approached them, Simin could see the dawning realization on their faces. He wasn’t the kind of pervert who enjoyed this sort of thing, but he couldn’t help but puff out his chest. ‘So this is why people crave power!’

“What’s wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you all just silent because you’re afraid you’ll get scammed if a con artist gets too close?” Simin taunted.

The masters remained silent. With swords at their throats, no one was brave enough to speak their mind just to save face. At the same time, no one apologized either. An enhancement master’s pride was nothing if not that strong.

“Hmm. How should I handle this insult?”

He didn’t particularly want an apology anyway. An apology is just something you say to get out of trouble for free. Since that’s what he believed, there was no way he could accept someone else’s apology as sincere. He preferred to receive material things instead. He scanned them over. They had to have something worth money. They were enhancement masters, after all—thieves who charged several gold coins per swing.

’Oh ho.’ They had come to the festival and to meet the Emperor dressed in their finest. He had no information on luxury brands in Fantastic World yet, but he could spot several items that looked like they would sell for a high price.

“Huh?”

His gaze suddenly landed on the enhancement master at the very front, the one who had insulted him and gotten a kick to the head for it. Simin’s expression brightened.

“Well, well. Look what we have here!”

How had he not noticed it before? Because he hadn’t been paying attention. But now that he was looking closely, it stood out. That item was impossible to forget, even if he tried!

“Wow, you’re wearing an item that costs five hundred gold coins? You must be richer than you look.”

The master was silent.

He instinctively sensed the danger and tried to hide his hand behind his back, but it was too late. Simin’s radar already locked on him; there was no escape.

Simin declared, “You. I told you, didn’t I? That when I returned, you all would have to prove yourselves.”

A wicked grin spread across his face as he whispered like a coniving demon.

“Show me. No more, no less. Just get to +10. If you can do it in a straight shot, I’ll admit I’m a con artist and apologize. But if you can’t...”

The rest of the sentence was unnecessary. His gaze said it all. The enhancement masters swallowed hard.

‘That bastard... he’s not a con artist, he’s a thief, a demon.’

They had finally realized a very important fact.

* * *