God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 117: Episode 23 _ Turning Dead Weight into a Feast(3)

Chapter 117: Episode 23 _ Turning Dead Weight into a Feast(3)

5.

Han Simin is a merchant.

A merchant capable of creating items in 『Fantastic World』 that others would drool over, and one who has the composure to haggle in any situation!

Naturally, he tries to sell the goods he makes for at least a 30% markup rip-off from their true value, and conversely, strives to buy at half price.

It wasn’t about being a cheap and dirty merchant. It was simply the fundamental principle of the market!

That was the reason I bought the ring with the item drop rate increase—which looked like a dud to everyone else—from Simmani for $100.

’He’s not someone who knows its true value anyway.’

Should I confess the true worth of this ring for the sake of realizing a just society? Was I supposed to tell him that I planned to buy it, enhance it to +15, evolve it to provide buffs to people around me, and make over $300 per hour just by wearing it? Or that even without that, I could roam around catching named monsters to get Unique-grade or higher items, reaping profits thousands or tens of thousands of times the ring’s cost?

How many people in the world would still sell the item for $100 after hearing that confession?

Even if that hypothetical scenario were only possible for one person in the world—Han Simin—they still wouldn’t sell it. Grasping the cold, complex reality isn’t what’s important here.

It is human nature.

It is spite!

People would sooner die than watch someone else succeed!

Even if they picked this item up on the street—an item so useless that no one would bother picking it up if they threw it away—if they knew just one person in the world could profit from it, they would rather destroy it!

Of course, if they had known beforehand and negotiated, Han Simin might have agreed. As long as the price wasn’t absurd, the option was interesting enough that he would have been willing to pay a fair price.

Besides, hadn’t it already been proven through the Ring of Blessing?

In 『Fantastic World』, no grade is meaningless.

Even if it only has one option and the effect is a mere 0.5%, the ring’s grade is Unique. There are Special and Legendary grades above it, but in terms of rarity, it is safe to say it is the only one on the continent—a grade that can be interpreted literally, just as the English word implies.

In other words, options that challenge the domain of God, which humans practically cannot touch—such as increased experience gain or item drop rate—are bound to be useful somehow.

Simmani had brought those in a heap. Most of them were, as expected, things that wouldn’t matter if he just threw them away. But if even a single one of them turned out to be good, it wasn’t bad for Han Simin at all.

’Where on earth does he get stuff like this?’

That was the reason he offered better conditions to Simmani, someone he would otherwise never see again, proposing to continue their relationship a bit longer.

I might be able to see even bigger profits.

He was curious about where Simmani got them, but that was also why he didn’t pry further. His current schedule was already so packed it was hard to handle. Even if he knew the route, it was much more efficient to stick to the Specialists and work his part-time job as an experience leech rather than moving around himself.

Above all, the fact that it didn’t cost much to purchase was the biggest factor.

’It was just like looking at my old self.’

A hyena starving for money.

The look in his eyes said he would do anything for cash, even if it meant sleeping only four hours every two days to earn it in a game. If there was a difference between the two, it was that Han Simin was a smart and capable hardcore gamer, while Simmani was naive.

The perfect style to fleece!

’Still, it’s not like I’m abusing my power over fifty bucks.’

He nodded, rationalizing it to himself. From his perspective, it was a natural nod. After all, he had voluntarily raised the price even though the pushover customer hadn’t even realized it. It would have been impossible if he hadn’t seen the desperation of a head of a household.

"Living a win-win life is my life philosophy. Indeed."

He was proud of himself for raising the price by a few tens of dollars, even though the estimated value was at least tens of thousands of dollars.

The day to decide whether it would be a jackpot or a super jackpot!

The item drop rate ring, finished up to +11, was placed on the anvil.

* * *

[+15 Ring of Luck]

- Grade: Epic Unique

- Required Level: 35

- Option 1: Item Drop Rate +0.5% (+10%)

- Special Option 1: Aura Effect Evolution (Special Aura)

- Special Option 2: ’Special Deep Red Aura’ Effect Applied

- Item options applied to allies within a 52 ft radius (50% penalty)

The name changed, and it evolved.

It was truly the desired scenario. On top of that, the passive skill that increases enhancement effects upon success—which has a 35% chance—triggered, causing the option that should have added 5% to balloon to 10%.

"To think that luck would hit the jackpot consecutively in this luck-based trash game."

Han Simin’s luck stat was a bit high, but he never imagined it would explode like this. Thanks to this, his probability of getting more items than others or getting higher-grade items increased by 10%.

It might seem like a small figure, but the situation is easily understood when compared to the lottery!

"When others are fighting with odds of less than 0.001%, I’m over 10%."

Wasn’t that truly a scam-like effect?

Although there was no way BetaGo would easily hand over all the continent’s rare items, he couldn’t help but feel reassured deep down. That wasn’t all. The most important option had been added.

"How about it? With this option added, it’s $100 per hour, and $500 for named monster raids. Deal?"

"...Simin, where on earth do you get things like this?"

Perhaps because it wasn’t a Legendary grade item like the Ring of Blessing, the item drop rate applied to people around him was only 5%. But even that was the talisman of talismans—something players who made a living from the game and stood on the precarious bridge where hundreds of thousands of dollars exchanged hands through top-tier monster raids couldn’t get even if they wanted to!

Since it was a talisman verified by the game itself, they would never be able to refuse.

"That’s a trade secret. Are you going to do it or not?"

"Seolah, what should we do?"

"Hmm."

Jeong Seolah fell into thought as she looked at the ring’s options he proudly presented. She was just as curious. Where did he wander around to find such money-making items?

Just selling the items from the named monster they caught with the Specialists’ help this time would bring in enormous profits. A smile formed along with her envy.

’Right, it’s a relief that a monster like this is in our guild.’

If Han Simin had gone to the Kenji Guild, which had as much capital as her—no, even more—and whose guild members were wealthy, would the Specialists have been able to keep the number one ranking in 『Fantastic World』 at this time?

She shook her head. Gratitude arose naturally. However, she wouldn’t pay expensive money for such personal feelings.

"I’ll let you know when we need it."

"Deal! Then I’ll keep it unequipped and just put it on when the coin comes in."

"That’s cheap."

Han Simin readily accepted the half-positive answer. Any answer wasn’t bad for him. Anyway, the item was successfully completed, and even if it wasn’t the Specialists, there were plenty of other customers lined up to pay.

He had too much to do to follow them around hunting all day to earn money; he only followed the Specialists when he had spare time because they were the most comfortable and he trusted them to deposit the money. Above all, the fact that the production cost of this item was less than 20 gold made even the notorious Han Simin feel generous.

"Cheap? Yeseul, did I hear you wrong?"

"Ayy. Simin, it doesn’t make much difference whether you wear it or not anyway, so just give us some service."

"I just can’t mix such private feelings with business. Sorry. My fair personality is the problem at times like this."

She was speechless.

"What? What’s with that dumbfounded silence? It looks like you want to see someone’s dog cosplay saved on my phone again?"

"No, no! Absolutely not!"

Of course, Kang Yeseul suffered even in that situation.

"We’ll try using it for just a few hours first."

"Okay."

Jeong Seolah said with a smile, watching the crumpled Kang Yeseul. Although she had made a cold judgment, she was curious about how effective it would actually be.

Would items really drop better? If it’s true, what are the specific figures?

She needed a sample to compare and decide whether to use it in the future. The cost incurred until then would come as a loss, but she was a wealthy heiress prepared to bear that much!

The hunting began.

6.

Huff. Huff.

In front of the sturdy crimson castle gate. A pig dressed in rags arrived, gasping for breath.

"Who goes there?"

A soldier approached, trusting in his well-equipped named monster, and showed off the dignity of the Rich Territory, which now even had proper gatekeepers! His eyes were full of wariness.

Han Simin might have thought of the territory war as just a way to earn pocket money, but for the residents, it was never such a light matter. Since the war had been won but hadn’t ended long ago, suspecting a suspicious person was the proper attitude for a gatekeeper!

"I-I came to meet the lord. Open the gate."

The pig said with a frown at the guard’s attitude. Through the stigma of pain engraved on his entire body, his former arrogance had subsided somewhat, and he was more cautious because he was fleeing after stealing a treasure from a high-ranking noble that shouldn’t be touched, but his remaining authority made the gatekeeper flinch.

"Please show your ID."

But the gatekeeper was the face of the Rich Territory! The pride of guarding a wall so high that one had to crane their neck to see the top made him confident even in front of power.

"...I have no such thing."

"Then you cannot enter."

Noble or whatever! I follow the rules!

It was guts a commoner soldier couldn’t imagine having, but when he recalled the adventurer Viscount, the Emperor’s son-in-law, patting his shoulder and saying he always favored those with such guts, he feared nothing.

He stood there, stunned.

Baron Karan, who had been denied at the entrance, frowned. To think he had to suffer such humiliation. Now, even by a commoner bastard...

Tears were about to burst out, but he held them back. There wasn’t much time left. If he couldn’t meet Han Simin today and hand over the ring in his bosom, he would be branded a traitor to his family and have his soul plundered.

What a tragic end that would be! If he died like that, would there be even a single person who would mourn him, even falsely?

The urgent heart made him, a noble to the bone, hasty.

"I must enter, so open the door at once!"

"Ahem! How dare you, knowing where this is!"

"You bastards! Do you want to die? Do you know who I am!"

Even so, since he had never bowed his head in his life, he maintained a coercive attitude. The problem was that he lacked the appearance to make such coercion stand out.

"Hmph. Who are you? You look like a beggar bastard, worse than an adventurer at best."

"Wh-what?"

The gatekeeper, having decided he was a crazy guy, sneered openly. Looking at his physique and fat, one might suspect he was a noble, but his whole body was covered in dirt, and his appearance was a mess.

"You need a beating to come to your senses."

"Heeyah!"

The gatekeepers pushed Baron Karan.

"Oof."

Even after falling to the ground, Karan didn’t give up and rushed at them. He wanted to enter somehow. He had to meet Han Simin and end this hell.

But the impossible reality didn’t change.

He lay there in silence.

Karan, chased far away, was lying on the ground, preparing for the end! Just as he was sighing while watching the setting sun.

"What the... What are you doing here?"

The savior appeared.

* * *