God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 132: Episode 26_Let’s Mix ’n’ Eat (3)

5.

Even if they thought of each other as mortal enemies, it wasn’t that strange for Han Simin and Kenji to join hands and form an expedition for a gold mine.

Because this was a game!

It was a world where killing on a whim or stabbing someone in the back was seen as mere playfulness.

Besides, weren’t Kenji and Han Simin both people who thought nothing of sleeping with the enemy if it meant achieving their goals?

’If I obtain the gold mine and offer it...’

He didn’t even hope for a promotion in rank.

Just a small territory, or even just the qualification to own a territory!

From then on, the real reason Kenji jumped into 『Fantastic World』 would begin.

A stepping stone to freely unleash the money he had earned in reality!

He didn’t think it was a pipe dream.

If the existence of the gold mine was true, there would surely be a reward of that magnitude.

A gold mine was that kind of existence.

Even for an Empire with plenty of money, it was a place valuable enough to give sufficient encouragement to the one who found it.

It would depend on the mine, but considering the nature of the game, a gold mine located in a hunting ground with monsters strong enough to kill Han Simin might yield enough gold to make one want to swallow it all halfway through.

Of course, that was assuming Han Simin’s words were true.

’Can I trust him?’

He accepted it because his words and appearance didn’t seem like a lie, but he had to assume the worst-case scenario.

It wasn’t just once or twice that he had been backstabbed by Han Simin.

So, he decided to monitor him more thoroughly.

First of all, backing out after accepting was out of the question.

It was a place he had to go to anyway.

"I will wait two weeks for the expedition to be organized."

"Yes, Guild Master."

In any case, due to Han Simin’s sudden joining, the Kenji Guild’s steps toward the Unknown Mountain Range had to be delayed.

Since it was an expedition, and since it was to mine gold as safely as possible, the more players, the better.

Thanks to the quick-acting Kenji, the story of the expedition spread across the entire continent.

It was possible because he not only had his usual broadcast but also actively advertised it on the community.

Players began to move one by one upon seeing him.

"Hey, did you hear? The Kenji Guild is recruiting for a gold mine expedition."

"What gold mine? Does something like that exist?"

"Of course. Anyway, there’s a massive amount of gold in that mine, but the problem is the monsters guarding it are at least level 100."

"Are you crazy? Who would go there just to benefit someone else? It’s obvious death."

"It is obvious. And the Kenji Guild knows it’s obvious. But wouldn’t there be a reason people are going?"

"Reason, my foot. They’re just volunteering to be bullet sponges to try and get into that guild somehow."

"No, no. There might be players like that, but I heard the applicants are already heading towards four digits."

"Why?"

"Minimum level 40 players. 1 Gold allowance per day upon participation, 10 Gold upon success. From level 50, the treatment itself is different." 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

"...Whoa. Hey, pack your bags. Let’s go."

It was a scene that clearly demonstrated why the Kenji Guild was nicknamed the "Money-Splurging Guild"!

Even if it meant spending $100,000 for a thousand people at 1 Gold each per day, there was no hesitation.

Naturally, it was overspending enough to make Han Simin click his tongue.

"Tsk, tsk. He should just give that money to me. I could do it much more efficiently."

Even though his desensitization from buying a Baron title for a whopping $5 million played a part in spending like this, he felt not a shred of guilt.

"Still, it will definitely be a comfortable trip."

He just flashed a proud smile watching the expedition being organized more solidly than expected.

It was Kenji’s expedition through and through, and Han Simin was merely a broker providing information and sharing the reward, but the smile hanging on his lips was definitely not something that could come from someone in such a position.

It looked like the smile of an evil Demon King plotting a conspiracy!

"We are departing!"

And so, the first large-scale player expedition in the history of 『Fantastic World』 departed for the Unknown Mountain Range.

For the Main Quest.

For the gold mine.

* * *

Squeaker had returned, and this time he brought the rabbits too.

"You’re all dead."

On the way with an expedition of nearly 1,000 people, there was nothing to fear.

He would take proper revenge.

Han Simin’s sparking eyes turned toward Squeaker.

"Hey, you didn’t eat the gold before coming back, did you?"

"Squeak!"

A desperate conveyance of meaning that he didn’t!

Unable to trust him, he opened the hologram to confirm that the Gold Points hadn’t increased, and nodded with satisfaction.

’Good.’

The gold mine was safe, the scale of the expedition was impressive, and the monster that had eaten him for a meal was probably living well too.

That was enough.

"We have to go over there! Over there."

The movement of the expedition was slow.

Since they were all players over at least level 40, stamina wasn’t an issue, but with such a large number, it was natural to accept a slower pace to move without stragglers.

Considering he spent a lot of money to bring them, if one or two started to drop out, there was a possibility that numerous players would leave before achieving the goal of the gold mine expedition.

He could just not pay such people, but it was a matter of overall morale.

Kenji was a leader capable of controlling at least that much.

"From here on, we will adjust the travel time."

Above all, the fog that appeared after entering the Unknown Mountain Range was the biggest variable.

"This must be it."

"Yes. It lifts for two hours and descends for four."

He had heard it from Han Simin beforehand, but facing it in reality was quite a difficult situation.

Humans are animals that rely on vision, and it was no different just because it was a game.

Senses or whatever, you ultimately have to see to dodge or do anything.

"There must be a way to solve the fog..."

The fortunate thing was that this was a game.

Abnormal phenomena have causes, and if you solve the cause, it can return to normal.

Furthermore, although only a very few knew this fact, this was the place where the final Chapter of Main Quest Act 2 was taking place.

There would surely be a device to solve the fog.

Otherwise, there would be a massive hindrance in solving the quest.

Of course, realizing that didn’t mean the answer appeared immediately.

"First, we will adapt and head to the gold mine."

Kenji shouted as he watched the fog slowly settling down.

Tension settled along with the expedition as they took their positions to rest.

The confidence from when they first departed and the happiness of people thinking they could get free money could no longer be found.

"Are we really going to die?"

"They said the monsters are basically level 100. Plus, what do we do if they attack when the fog descends?"

"Hey, don’t say unlucky things. The monsters won’t be able to see because of the fog either."

Anxiety! Fear!

Before the gloomy atmosphere could even spread, the fog blocked their vision.

6.

When the expedition arrived at the Unknown Mountain Range, the Specialists, who had already been adapting to the mountain range for several weeks, were in a terrible state.

"Sigh. Is it almost shutdown time again?"

"How many awakening potions are left?"

"Six. It’s touch-and-go."

"I’ll reduce my rest time during the off-period and hunt."

"Ugh. Just kill me instead!"

"Still, gaining a lot of experience is nice."

Being covered in dirt and dust was the least of their worries.

Drenched in sweat, hair disheveled, and looking so grimy that one couldn’t tell if they were human or monster, they moved and hunted without a moment to care about appearances.

"It’s coming down."

They had no choice.

The Unknown Mountain Range was that kind of place.

To survive, they couldn’t afford a moment of relaxation.

"Now."

The moment their vision was obscured, they quickly swallowed the pills held in their hands.

Timing without an inch of error.

To respond to the fog where they couldn’t even see their own hands in front of their faces, to hunt even for one second more, they had to match the timing of swallowing the pill perfectly.

The pill sliding down the throat.

And the vision clearing up.

[’Fog Awakening Potion’ has been consumed.]

[You can see through the fog.]

[Remaining Time: 4:00:00]

Of course, it wasn’t perfectly clear.

It felt like walking through fog in a first-person VR game, blurry and hazy.

Even so, compared to a few seconds ago when they could see nothing, it felt like regaining sight after being blind.

Naturally, they readied their weapons and grouped up.

"Ugh. The concept of this hunting ground is the absolute worst."

"Agreed."

"Still, it’s fun, isn’t it?"

"Sis! Stop saying such perverted things. You know Simin will hate it."

"..."

They moved with light conversation.

In the Unknown Mountain Range, the fog wasn’t a device to hinder or block players’ hunting.

They had wasted a whole three days to realize that.

"I still don’t know how we actually survived."

"We were lucky."

"Yeah. Considering we’re still alive and well even though we thought the monsters wouldn’t be able to see when the fog came down, we really were lucky."

The stage ending Act 2 of the Main Quest.

Naturally, such a stage couldn’t be easy.

The levels of the monsters were only similar to or slightly higher than those in the forest, but the options applied to the hunting ground itself raised the difficulty by at least three levels.

Most importantly, 『Fantastic World』 didn’t just give players any clues or hints for free.

"That Kenji person’s guild will be coming soon too, right?"

"I heard from Simin that he’s organizing an expedition and coming. He probably intends to do the Main Quest and find the gold mine at the same time."

"I hope they suffer a bit. Simin too, if possible. Hehe."

"I don’t know about the others, but that guy Simin will survive somehow."

"Admitted."

They advanced while continuing to converse about the monsters they hadn’t encountered yet.

Yet, they didn’t relax their tension.

Perfect teamwork, excellent harmony of classes, and the beautiful equipment and skills possessed by each individual—now that the disadvantage of blinded vision was gone for the Specialists, there didn’t seem to be much danger. But they remembered the crisis that struck the moment they had thought that.

"If they arrived, they’re probably getting hit right about now, right?"

"That really feels like shit when you can’t see."

"Serves them right."

The three of them laughed.

However, the laughter didn’t last long.

Because they, who had smelled the scent of life, appeared.

* * *

The crowd was buzzing with noise, but Kenji didn’t particularly restrain them.

With a scale of a thousand people, if he tried to control even this, the current anxiety would amplify and amplify until it reached an uncontrollable level.

Above all, his judgment was that in a situation with limited vision, massive noise would become a target of wariness rather than an objective for the monsters.

And that wasn’t a wrong judgment.

At least for about 30 minutes, nothing happened.

That was enough time to gain confidence in the assumption he had made.

At the same time, it was the time when carelessness began.

That was the beginning.

Secretive sounds coming from somewhere.

And something digging in.

CRUNCH.

Monsters attacking without warning!

"Wh-what is that?!"

Chaos began.

* * *