God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 158: Episode 31_You Come In on Your Terms, but You Leave on Mine (5)

Chapter 158: Episode 31_You Come In on Your Terms, but You Leave on Mine (5)

10.

Kenji wasn’t someone who had devoted his entire life to games.

However, thanks to his innate sense, his wealth, and the advice of experts, he was acquiring, understanding, and applying information about the game faster than anyone else. The main reason it wasn’t particularly difficult was the advent of a new genre: virtual reality. In a field everyone was encountering for the first time, Kenji’s lack of gaming experience wasn’t a major problem.

And that small yet significant gap could be filled with his money.

He hired people who had devoted their lives to games. People who had always stood at the pinnacle of whatever game they played. Veteran players who, instead of spending money on games, earned six-figure incomes from them—a feat so unbelievable to ordinary players that it seemed impossible.

It was thanks to their help.

Of course, the cost of recruiting them was absurd from a normal person’s perspective, but that was how Kenji had gotten this far. He had come this far, and his cold, tenacious corporate mindset meant he didn’t know how to give up.

"We fight until one of us quits the game."

"...Seriously, why is a grown man being so petty? Can you even function in daily life?"

"Perfectly."

"You’re not going to win anyway, so why are you digging your own grave? This is a hassle, so I’ll be nice and pretend it never happened. Go do your thing."

Kenji remained silent.

Even in the face of Han Simin’s grumbling, Kenji didn’t waver.

It takes two hands to clap. Even if one person charged in, ready to fight to the death, the momentum would die if the other was lukewarm. The reason he could steady his heart and remain unshaken was because he was a professional.

He had already made his declaration on stream, and on a personal level, his pride had suffered an irreparable wound.

"The thing I hate most is being backstabbed. I can’t forgive that."

"It wasn’t even that much money."

With that, he drew his weapon.

He might lose.

In this kind of fight-to-the-death, the pursuer was always at a disadvantage, even when the power levels were similar. And objectively speaking, Han Simin’s overall strength was far greater than the Kenji Guild’s. Even now, with luck having isolated Simin, Kenji still couldn’t be sure of victory.

’I have to kill him at least once this time.’

That was why he needed it. A victory snatched from the jaws of defeat.

That was how you grew.

The time spent tracking Han Simin could be bought with money, but the confidence of ’Can I really do this?’ and the conviction of ’If I push him this hard, he’ll suffer this much’ were things money couldn’t buy.

No matter how much Kenji’s guild members were on his payroll, nobody enjoyed playing a game where they died constantly, chasing after someone’s shadow. Especially if the end result was quitting the game altogether.

Judging by the mood, the other guild members felt the same; their spirits were high. And all that overflowing energy was directed at Han Simin.

"Wooooo!"

"Hey, hey, everyone calm down a little."

Thanks to them, Han Simin had to endure an excessive welcome. A battle, right when his mind was already worn out from enhancement.

"Ugh. These disgusting bastards."

He grimaced and swung his hammer, but there was no way he could put any real strength into it. Even as he fought, his mind was still consumed with thoughts of how long it would take to get the otter’s two ores to +15, or rather, what kind of bullshit sacrifices and rituals the system would demand this time.

[Agility has decreased.]

[Strength has decreased.]

Holograms flooded his vision.

No matter how good Han Simin’s gear was, his opponents were no joke. This was a guild that mobilized Kenji’s entire fortune to acquire every good item on the continent. On top of that, driven by their grudge, every single member was fully juiced up on doping potions.

And that wasn’t all.

They had even recruited new members specifically to pierce his previously unscratched armor. Add to that Haines’s magic.

He might not have the skill book, but he was still, in name and fact, a Legendary-grade Great Mage. The skill book had only been a means to maximize his efficiency; the terrifyingly powerful spells he possessed hadn’t gone anywhere.

As a result, Han Simin’s health bar was dropping fast.

"Huh?"

Only then did he grasp the seriousness of the situation.

’What the hell? These guys are stronger than I thought.’

At the same time, he felt wronged.

"Seriously, how many doping pots did you chug just to kill one guy, you lunatics!"

"Die!"

At this point, it almost felt like he ought to die once out of courtesy.

’Wow. I didn’t know you all cared this much about me.’

He was almost moved. So, he considered doing them a small favor.

"Tell you what. Every time you spend enough to fully dope your entire guild, I’ll die once for you. Deal?"

"Keep dreaming."

Naturally, it didn’t work.

Han Simin hadn’t really expected it to, so he brushed it off. But as time passed, he gradually lost his composure.

’This is bad.’

He wasn’t invincible. He wasn’t immortal.

If he fully leveraged his items’ abilities, he could fight indefinitely. That was why he had been wandering around alone, unconcerned, even knowing Kenji would come after him. But the doping potions and various curses were creating an unexpected situation.

[Healing effects are halved.]

[You have taken fixed damage.]

He couldn’t even imagine how much money they had burned just to make those holograms appear before him. In return, Kenji would get to claim his enemy’s death with his own hands.

That thought crossed his mind.

He was no fool.

He had lost.

Riding Squeaker to escape was impossible. In a situation where he couldn’t even kill a single person despite all the buffs, potions, and recovery, the only thing being worn down was his own stamina.

His mouth tasted bitter.

He had been convinced that no matter how many times they came at him, they couldn’t win. He hadn’t even considered the possibility that they would track him all the way out here. He had been focused on enhancement.

They had exploited that opening perfectly, and now he was starting to think he might actually die.

’Still, I’m taking one of them with me.’

Of course, his personality hadn’t changed.

’You’re all dead. See you next time.’

Once he got that ore to +15, he would turn the tables and use his own advantages to torment them. He made that vow and burned his last embers of defiance.

Not that there was any way for a guy like him, with no offensive skills and only a hammer to swing, to create some miraculous comeback.

Everyone had forgotten for a moment, but Han Simin was an enhancement master.

And a tamer.

’If only I had something like Meteor...’

No matter how much his longing pierced the sky, a tamer wasn’t going to suddenly get Meteor.

"Kku-eooong!"

Instead, from far away, he heard a cry that sounded like it was volunteering to be his Meteor.

* * *

The otter did not like Han Simin.

Naturally.

If it liked him, it wouldn’t be an otter. It would be a puppy.

From their very first meeting, they had been thief and victim, constantly at odds. To make matters worse, while the otter had been distracted, this man had stolen every last ore from the mine it had painstakingly built.

And that wasn’t all.

Han Simin had even destroyed the gate the otter was ultimately meant to protect. Whatever justification there might have been, from the otter’s perspective, Han Simin was the worst person in the world.

That same man had then used force to intimidate it and drag it around, so there was no way it could look at him kindly.

However, one of the humans’ companions had given it a brilliant gem from the gate—something the otter had never dared to pry loose itself. With an ore in each paw, the otter had decided, for the time being, to follow the human. He might have been sweet-talking it, but he had said he would treat it well. Besides, there was nowhere to run.

Then, the man started enhancing the ore.

At first, it had been unable to hide its anxiety, thinking he was just taking it away. But as the ore’s energy grew stronger with each step, from +1 to +2, its heart began to pound.

’Kku-eong?’

The ore it held was worlds apart from the others. If the other ores were level 1, the one it was holding was closer to level 10. And now, that ore’s power was being enhanced.

In player terms, it was like a Legendary item getting a rank-up.

How could it not be thrilled?

Even Han Simin, the world’s biggest piece of nuclear waste, started to look like a decent person. That was how important the ore was to the otter.

’Kku-eoong.’

’So he does have a conscience after all.’

The otter’s mind began to rationalize. ’Right. He must have been in a hurry. Humans need ore by nature. He needed it, so he took it and used it. Now he’s trying to repay me.’

+5, +6, +7.

The otter didn’t understand the concept of enhancement, but it could feel the ore’s energy better than anyone. The energy grew stronger, clearer, and more vigorous, pushing its heartbeat past its limit into uncontrollable excitement.

’I get to carry that around?’

It felt like a dream.

"Kku-eooong!"

So when the otter found itself holding two +10 ores, it made up its mind.

’Alright, human. I forgive your sins.’

With these two ores, it felt like he could weigh them against the entire ruined mine, and they would still be worth more. Of course, in terms of pure value, there was no way to compare a mine it had built over a long time to anything else, but the ores from that mine were disposable. These were permanent.

It was exciting.

And then Han Simin fanned the flames.

"I’ll take them to +15. Let’s live well together."

"Kku-eong!"

It didn’t know what that meant, but it knew the ore was going to get even stronger.

Just as the otter was ready to devote its body and soul, the unexpected happened.

Other humans appeared.

A battle broke out.

Han Simin was being pushed back.

"Kku-eong!"

’Master... no, human!’

Deep down, a part of it honestly wanted the man to just die. But at the same time, because of the ore, it also knew he absolutely could not be allowed to die.

It weighed the options.

Which was the better choice?

The answer came easily. It wasn’t so stupid that it couldn’t figure that much out.

"Kku-eooong!"

The mine was a thing of the past; the ores in its paws were the present. If it wanted a fresh start, it had to forget the past and cultivate the present. There were still things it didn’t like about him, but...

What could it do?

An otter couldn’t live its whole life doing only what it wanted.

VRRRRM.

With a deep vibration, the ore let out a cry. Along with the otter’s will, that cry spilled out in an emerald light, which was soon absorbed by Han Simin.

Two identical ores.

The intense light erupting from the +10 enhanced ores spread far beyond what even the otter had imagined.

"Kku-eong?" the otter asked, tilting its head.

It had never seen anything like it.

’This really is a brand-new Legendary item!’

While the otter swelled with pride, Han Simin was horrified.

"Wh-what the hell!" he blurted out.

And for good reason. This was a development he hadn’t anticipated in the slightest.

[You are under the effect of Rune: Echo of Earthquake for 150 seconds.]

[When you attack, all enemies within a radius of approximately 5 meters will take damage.]

He was speechless.

At the same time, a vivid picture formed in his mind: what would have happened if the final boss of the Main Quest’s second act had fought with its full strength from the very beginning.

* * *