God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 182: Episode _Hand It Over (4)

7.

Two gold per square feet. Even after spending a total of two thousand gold and receiving cash equivalent to one hundred thousand gold, Han Simin was filled with regret.

“Agh, what a waste. He could have given me some cheaper land.”

It wouldn’t have changed the fact that he was going to sell it for one hundred gold per square feet anyway. To maximize his profit, he should have tried to lower the initial cost. He would have loved to find a plot for ten silver, but it wasn’t up to him. He had to be content with what he got. In any case, he decided to be satisfied with having thoroughly ripped off the Kenji Guild.

“And my empty bank account is full again.”

Since he was buying a building, he wanted one large one in a prime location rather than several small ones. He sent a text authorizing an additional ten million dollars for the purchase. A staggering twenty-seven million dollars! It wasn’t so much that he had become bold as that he had simply lost his sense of money. It felt like game currency.

Few people would feel the reality of a sum they had never physically touched moving in and out of their bank account. Of course, spending money like this would drain his account in no time. But he wasn’t worried.

“I’m not a beggar anymore.”

His monthly income was incomparably higher than what he used to make at part-time jobs, and if worst came to worst, he could tap into his emergency funds: the 350,000 gold he held in Fantastic World. While others were desperate to turn their cash into gold, Simin was still someone who valued the real world more.

“I think I’m holding too much gold. I should unload some of it,” he muttered, though no one would have believed him.

8.

The current market price for one gold in Fantastic World was $130. To be precise, it was $131.14. The price fluctuated every hour of every day, making precise tracking meaningless, but for those who traded in gold, it was a matter of greater concern than the stock market. The value of Fantastic World’s currency was far higher than anyone had anticipated; not only had it maintained its initial launch price, but it had actually risen by thirty percent—a topic of heated debate among gamers who wondered if any other game had ever achieved such a feat.

This might be the most accurate and undeniable indicator that Fantastic World was, in fact, another world. It was an irrefutable fact. It had even reached the point where people—even on Wall Street—were saying to invest in Fantastic World gold instead of stocks. There were credible rumors that successful fund managers were investing their personal funds in gold. You couldn’t make a huge profit, but you would never take a loss. And with a bit of short-term luck, you were guaranteed to come out ahead.

This wasn’t just a theory; it had been proven several times. Hadn’t the price of gold spiked significantly on the two occasions Simin had made large purchases? It probably wasn’t his influence alone. Other wealthy individuals, anticipating the price hike that accompanied his buys, likely moved to purchase gold in advance. Regardless, the price never seemed to fall.

A unified server. Tens of millions of users. The demand was immense, but so was the supply from those trying to make a living through the game. The balance was maintained so exquisitely that it seemed almost intentional. Any additional demand was enough to shatter this delicate equilibrium and become the starting point for a price increase.

And once again, such a movement had begun. This time, it wasn’t Han Simin. It was Kenji.

After buying the abandoned mine for a whopping thirteen million dollars, he began a massive gold purchasing campaign. It was an investment to make his new territory look like, well, a territory. The gold he had bought sporadically wasn’t enough. He bought up every last bit of gold listed on the brokerage sites. Some small-time sellers, daunted by the trip to the center of the continent, canceled their trades, but most sold without hesitation. They could just travel there, log out, and come back later.

For the first time in a long while, the gold listings on the brokerage site temporarily dried up. This was a game with over twenty million players, and this was the go-to site for anyone involved in real-money trading. One could guess how much Kenji was buying without needing the community to gossip about it.

But even with numerous trade requests, he couldn’t secure the amount he wanted. The gold supply had increased since the early days of the game, but it was still scarce. Even Kenji was struggling against the walls put up by NPCs; how many people could possibly be hoarding gold? Thinking you could earn one gold, worth $130, in a single day of grinding was a grave miscalculation.

As a result, after a few days, the price had jumped, but a satisfactory supply was nowhere to be found. The listings were for ten gold at most.

“Guild Master, you should stop buying. Purchasing these small amounts is only driving up the price,” a guild member advised.

“It’s still not enough. I need to secure at least another hundred thousand gold,” Kenji replied.

He had managed to buy about 50,000 gold so far, essentially cleaning out the entire player base. Naturally, the price of gold shot past $140 and showed no signs of stopping. Any rational person not trying to corner the market would have stopped. But Kenji had already begun developing his territory.

“The price isn’t going to fall anyway. It’s better to get as much as we can, as quickly as we can.”

“But the supply...”

The demand was overflowing; it was the supply that had dried up. If Kenji reduced his demand, would the price fall? Dino knew it wouldn’t, so he couldn’t stop him, but he was just as frustrated. A game where you had the money but couldn’t buy the in-game currency... it was laughable. And this was despite knowing that 50,000 gold was more than they had expected to get.

“Perhaps you should scale back the development.”

“No. I will develop it to be at least as advanced as the Rich Territory. I have to. Otherwise, we might get plundered.”

“...I’ll see if I can find more.”

The entire Kenji Guild scattered across the continent to buy up even the smallest amounts of gold. The real reason Kenji was in such a hurry was simple: territory wars. In this world, he wasn’t as powerful as he was in reality. As a noble, a mere baron who now possessed a territory, he had made countless new NPC enemies. No matter how useless the land, having it was better than not, and others would surely covet the scraps that might fall from it. Defending it was his top priority. His grand plans could come later.

The rising price of gold? Seeing the lack of supply, he had a firm realization this time.

’If I can do it with the money in my real bank account, I’ll spend whatever it takes.’

Kenji had become fully immersed in this second reality, and he was feeling a sense of challenge greater than any he had ever felt in his life. For three weeks, the price of gold soared to astronomical heights.

*

December 20th. The Specialists gathered once again, this time with the agents who had handled the building purchase.

“As requested, we have completed the purchase of the Seocho-dong building for twenty-seven million dollars.”

“Wow. Thank you.”

“Simin, have you even seen it yet?” Yeseul asked.

“Nope, not yet.”

“...What kind of owner doesn’t even look at his own property?”

“Eh, I’m sure you guys handled it well.”

Everyone clicked their tongues at his nonchalant attitude, as if becoming a building owner was the only thing that mattered. To think this was the same person who ran around like a madman in the game just to earn a single extra penny. It made one resent the gods.

“It’s highly profitable and its value is expected to keep rising. It was a property that would have been difficult to acquire for twenty-seven million, so you were very lucky.”

“Really? Well, I am pretty lucky.”

“The seller must have taken at least a five-million-dollar loss.”

“What? Who in their right mind sells at a five-million-dollar loss? Did they need cash urgently?”

After the agents finished their business and left, Simin took a swig of his drink, looking utterly bewildered as he sorted through the documents.

“What? Why?”

The calculation was beyond his comprehension. It wasn’t impossible for the owner of such a building to be short on cash, but was it really a property worth selling at such a loss? He might not be an expert in real estate, but he could make an educated guess.

“Isn’t that a neighborhood where properties sell instantly even if you list them for a little less?”

“That’s right. It would probably sell immediately even if you listed it above market price,” Seolah confirmed.

“Then why?”

As he puzzled over it, Yeseul sidled up to him. “Curious?”

“Well, it’s not really my business, but yeah, I am.”

“The owner of that building wants something from you.”

“Huh?” ’From me?’

Everyone laughed at his clueless expression. In moments like these, he really was just an ordinary guy in his mid-twenties.

“That crazy girl is Seolah.”

He was too stunned to speak.

“That building belonged to Seolah.”

He was dumbstruck.

“She said she wants to spend a night with you.”

Pfft!

“Hey! Simin!” Yeseul yelped as he sprayed his drink everywhere.

Startled by the unexpected revelation, Simin’s gaze darted to Jeong Seolah, who was watching him with an amused expression, swirling the drink in her glass. Finally understanding the situation, Simin grabbed both of her hands.

“A lifetime would be fine, too.”

Yeseul scowled at his eagerness to become Seolah’s loyal servant. “You didn’t act like that when I asked you to sleep with me.”

“You don’t do that with family.”

“Ugh. Let go of her, quick. It was a joke.”

As Simin released her hands with genuine disappointment, Seolah finally spoke. “Please continue to take good care of me. You know it’s not for free, right?”

“Of course. Just call me day or night, and I’ll be there anytime...”

“Hey!” Hyeonsu roared.

“Yes, sir! I’ll go in secret!” Simin quickly corrected himself as he saw Hyeonsu grab a bottle by the neck. “Ah, you know I’m kidding. Don’t worry, I’ll power-level you to 100 just like I have been.”

He knew it was a transaction. He quietly shelved his questions about why people like Kenji and the Specialists sold real-world assets to go all-in on a game. They were cut from a different cloth; what was the point in trying to understand? All he had to do was work hard.

“I should go see my baby,” he said, referring to the building.

“And you have to treat us,” Yeseul added.

“Ah, right. Let’s all meet on Christmas Eve. I’ll treat everyone to a huge feast.”

“Why Christmas Eve? That’s so sad.”

“It’s better than grinding in Fantastic World. We can get together and feel the Christmas spirit.”

The mood in the room sank.

“But Simin, didn’t you spend all your money? We can drink a lot, you know. I don’t think you can handle the bill.”

“Don’t worry. I have money coming in. It’s time to harvest.”

“...Who are you planning to fleece this time?”

“Kenji.”

The mood sank even lower. It wasn’t just the unease that came with the familiar name.

“I’m starting to feel sorry for him. Stop bullying him, Simin,” Yeseul pleaded.

“What sin did that guy commit in a past life to get tangled up with a guy like him? Every single time,” Hyeonsu lamented.

“Didn’t you just get thirteen million from him last time?” Seolah asked.

It was pity. They felt a deep sense of condolence for the man who had been fleeced by Simin even more than they had been bullied by him. It was genuine. At the same time, Simin’s wicked grin was terrifying.

“He really knows how to hold a grudge.”

“I’m just glad it’s not us.”

“No, we’re his suckers too. We’re just the friendly ones.”

He was too stunned to speak.

“So, what is it this time?”

Simin just smiled and told them to get ready for a big night of drinking.

A few days later.

He was too stunned to speak.

“I’m getting tired of this. I’d rather not see you again. Haha.”

“...One hundred thousand gold.”

“Yes, yes. It’s me. I’m here. For you, my valued customer.”

Kenji had achieved a grand slam. He had made it into the history books of Fantastic World, and now, he was on the 9 o’clock news.

[Did you hear? Someone sold 100,000 gold for 17 million dollars on the brokerage site.]

[WTF. The price is barely $150, and he paid $170? Is it going to keep rising?]

But after that, the gold rush subsided, and the market price stabilized around $140.