God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 53: Episode 11 _ A Single Serving Is Meant to Be Eaten Alone (2)
2.
The knights were experiencing a new world. To reach a higher state of enlightenment through combat with monsters? For knights of such high pride, the idea was preposterous. Occasionally, mercenaries would build their skills by subjugating monsters and become as strong as, or even stronger than, knights, but they were a tiny minority. Besides, the knights were filled with the pride that, in the end, a mercenary could never win a fight against a true knight.
So, they had never even considered it. They believed that spending time hunting was better spent swinging their swords one more time or meditating to comprehend the esoteric secrets of their inherited swordsmanship.
But what was this situation?
‘The wall I couldn’t understand has been broken.’
‘I’m stronger. It’s subtle, but...’
For knights who had reached a certain level, even that small difference—the few stat points gained from leveling up—felt like immense growth. The pride of a knight, ingrained in their very being, told them this was not the proper way to become stronger, but they didn’t want to stop.
To become stronger was the most fundamental human desire. Of course, there was a limit. No matter how much of a boost they got from the Ring of Blessing, the knights were at such a high level that a few hours of hunting wouldn’t raise their level. So, Simin cut it off at an appropriate time.
"Alright, alright. Let’s get going. We can always hunt again later. You’ll get stronger even faster if you find monsters suited to your skill level."
"Will you help us again next time?" one of the knights, who had been slaughtering monsters as if there were no tomorrow, asked with a surprised expression.
The contempt they’d shown when he first suggested they hunt was gone, replaced by raw expectation and hope. He was a con man who had perfectly played on their secret desire to fight stronger monsters.
“Of course,” Simin said with a magnanimous air. “I’ll come help you as soon as I get a chance.”
“Thank you so much, sir!”
“I never knew it was possible to become stronger this way.”
“We will serve you with the utmost loyalty!”
Their gratitude was genuine. It’s always the ones who’ve been held back the longest you have to watch out for.
“Right, right. For now, just hurry up and lead me to the secret tomb,” Simin urged. He didn’t give a damn about the knights’ pride or their taboos. The only thing that mattered was that he had gained another set of customers.
Naturally, while he had given them a free sample this time, he fully intended to charge them the proper rate starting with the next session.
“Oh, and feel free to spread the word and bring more knights,” he added.
His service with the Ring of Blessing was like selling hotel rooms or airplane seats—the more people he could accommodate, the more profit he made. The knights formed a large protective detail around Simin and moved out in perfect formation.
* * *
The Secret Tomb.
When they arrived at a place whose name alone screamed ‘hidden,’ Simin understood why it had remained unknown to the world and a secret known only to the Emperor.
‘That previous legendary enhancement master must have been one hell of a lunatic,’ he thought.
Why on earth would anyone build a tomb in a place like this? The well-paved road had vanished at some point, forcing them to traverse hunting grounds teeming with high-level monsters, pass behind a waterfall feeding a massive lake, and finally scale a towering cliff face just to find the entrance. He was simultaneously impressed and disgusted by Betago’s world design. Now, he was certain. The rumor circulating on the FW community forums—the one that had shot to the top of the ‘best posts’ list—was true.
‘Betago created Fantastic World just to screw with its players.’
There was no other explanation. Could he have found this place on his own? The only hint in the quest description was some nonsense about following a star. How was anyone supposed to find it with that? A shiver ran down his spine, but he also breathed a sigh of relief. His life wasn’t a complete train wreck, after all. Misfortune always seemed to strike at the most critical moments, but in moments like this, he couldn’t quite shake the feeling that he was lucky.
“So, I have to go in alone, is that it?”
“Yes, sir. Those who did not meet the conditions have never returned alive.”
“...And what are the conditions?”
“We do not know.”
“Wait, so what happens if I go in and don’t meet the conditions?”
The knight’s silence was a clear answer.
“I die, right?” Simin continued, “Are you sure this is the tomb of the enhancement master, one of the five legends of the past?”
“Yes, that is certain.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“His Majesty the Emperor said so.”
Simin was left speechless.
‘So I’m just supposed to trust the Emperor’s word and walk in?’ A wave of anxiety washed over him. How would the Emperor know about the tomb of someone who died over a hundred years ago? Especially when he said no one who entered ever came out. At best, it was something recorded in a history book passed down through the imperial line. What if it was a lie? Or just a guess? What if it were a legendary job’s tomb, but not the enhancement master’s? His natural paranoia kicked in. But he had no choice. In the end, if he died, it was his own loss. Complaining to the Emperor afterward would get him nothing more than a simple apology.
He thought about it and decided he still had to go in. He was sure he’d never be able to find this place on his own again. Besides, it wasn’t like he only had one life.
‘It’ll be a shame if I die, but...’
He’d given up on leveling up a long time ago, and he had an item that could negate the death penalty once.
“Let’s do this.” With a resolute expression, he walked toward the tomb’s entrance. The moment he stepped inside: 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚
[The ruin will test your qualifications.]
[Entry condition (Legendary Job) has been met.]
A pitch-black slide leading deep underground welcomed him.
“Aaaaaah!”
* * *
After Simin disappeared inside, the knights gathered in a tight circle, their swords now drawn and their faces serious.
“Commander, is this truly acceptable?”
“To grow stronger in this manner... This is...”
“Hmm.”
The knights’ commander’s expression was troubled. Ordinarily, this was something they should never have done. It was an unwritten rule—a mercenary’s method was unacceptable for knights. If they hadn’t been stuck at a plateau for years, they wouldn’t have even been swayed.
“Commander.”
But this was no time to be concerned with pride.
“What is certain is that we are making progress,” he stated.
The other knights were too stunned to speak.
“It’s been an open secret for years that knights from other kingdoms have been using such shortcuts. There’s no reason we can’t. The only reason we haven’t is because of an unwritten rule from the past.”
The stagnation of the knights’ skills was a huge problem. As the Empire that ruled the continent, its knights had to be incomparably stronger than those of the kingdoms. But as an era of peace had settled in, the skill gap between them had gradually narrowed. The problem was that if this trend continued, the power dynamic between the Empire and the kingdoms could one day be reversed.
“The times have changed, so tradition must change with them.” The Commander’s eyes grew cold. For the Empire’s sword to be broken was the same as the Empire itself being broken. The moment that happened, the Emperor’s authority would plummet, and the kingdoms would bare their claws from all sides. It might seem like an exaggeration, but it was also the truth. A tiny crack is all it takes to bring down a great dam.
“I will report to His Majesty. And we will grow stronger with the baron’s help.”
“Yes, sir!”
A fervent desire ignited in the eyes of the knights as they replied.
* * *
3.
Leveling hell! The Stagnation Period. That’s what players called the process of leveling up starting in the early 30s. Even by hunting all day, coordinating bathroom breaks and sacrificing sleep, it took several days to gain a single level. It was exhausting, tedious, and difficult. And that wasn’t all. To maximize experience gain with every hunt, players had to seek out stronger monsters, which was draining in itself.
This wasn’t like a traditional online game where you could just mindlessly press a button. Naturally, the FW forums were flooded with complaints. The saving grace was that Fantastic World offered a myriad of content to enjoy besides hunting. If not for that, countless players would have already quit.
“Wow, this is insane. The EXP gain is garbage,” Yeseul stated.
“...It’s pretty bad,” Seolah agreed.
“When is Simin getting back? We need him if we’re going to get anywhere,” Hyeonsu remarked.
But for the players who could never give up on leveling, there was no choice but to complain and keep grinding. What else could they do? No one was forcing them. They were the ones putting in grueling effort to gain more, get ahead, and adventure across the vast continent.
“We dropped another three spots in the rankings.”
“Let’s just hang in there a little longer.”
To make matters worse, even with non-stop hunting, their rankings—the only visible measure of their progress—were slipping, draining their motivation. It had been this way since the game’s launch, but as time went on, the top ranks were increasingly determined by each player’s unique hunting methods. Though the Specialists were hunting efficiently, they couldn’t compete with parties that funneled experience points to one person using sheer numbers, or those who contracted with nobles to get carried through hunts against monsters they couldn’t even touch.
To add insult to injury, the worst-case scenario was just beginning.
“This is Shield Guild territory. Please hunt somewhere else.”
“Huh?”
“What are you talking about?”
The sudden, absurd declaration from two players in gleaming armor made the Specialists’ expressions harden. It was baffling, but they understood what was happening. It was a common occurrence in any game, claiming a spot and monopolizing a hunting ground. They had expected it to happen eventually, but not this soon.
“We were hunting here first, you know?”
“As of today, the Shield Guild has taken over. If you want to hunt here, pay the fee or find another spot.”
As expected, trying to reason with them was useless. Jeong Hyeonsu, the most hot-tempered of the group, raised his shield. Jeong Seolah and Kang Yeseul readied themselves as well. It wasn’t that they didn’t understand. Those players were just enjoying the game in their own way, choosing their own method to get ahead. However, the Specialists would choose their own way of dealing with it.
“Seolah, isn’t it a bit early for this?” Yeseul asked.
“It is,” Seolah agreed. “Standing out too much at a low level isn’t good.”
“I don’t care about any of that,” Hyeonsu growled. “I’m going to kill that bastard with the lecherous eyes first.”
The man’s lewd gaze sweeping over the two women was an intolerable disrespect. The Specialists had never backed down from such a provocation.
“What’s this? You wanna go?” one of the men sneered.
“Hey, summon the guild members, quick!” the other shouted.
The two players guarding the entrance to the hunting ground scowled at the tense atmosphere. It was a bluff, of course. If they had really intended to call for backup, they would have used the guild chat instead of shouting. But they were arrogant.
‘There’s only three of them. They wouldn’t dare attack, would they?’
‘A mage, a healer, and a tanker. They won’t die instantly, at least.’
Seolah held a sword disguised as a staff, Yeseul wore what looked like a priest’s clothes, though they were black, and Hyeonsu carried a shield. It was a natural misunderstanding. But that natural misunderstanding was a fatal overconfidence.
“Weakness! Exhaustion!” Yeseul cried out.
Words rarely heard from a priest’s lips rang out. Then, Seolah charged. The sight of a mage, not a tanker, rushing at them made the men hesitate for a moment. It defied all logic. On top of that, their bodies felt incredibly sluggish.
“Wh-what the!”
In that instant, they realized the three players’ declaration of war was no joke, that they truly intended to take on the Shield Guild and its hundreds of members. But it was too late.
“Fire Ball.”
BOOM!
[You have suffered a critical wound.]
The unimaginable damage shocked the two players. Not only was Seolah a higher level, but she was decked out in stat-boosting items. Combined with Yeseul’s curses, they stood no chance.
“W-Wait!”
The players, sensing their impending deaths, cried out, but Seolah showed no mercy. Her sword swung relentlessly. The two players logged out. A smile graced her lips as the battle ended. It was a satisfying feeling, a single drop of happiness in an endless, boring grind.
“Let’s go.”
For the Specialists, their greatest advantage in the game was, without a doubt, player killing. The power to utterly crush their opponents with overwhelming control and spectacular items. The legend they had built in other games was about to begin in Fantastic World.
* * *
