God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 114: Episode 22 _ You’ll Remember If You Get Hit(5)

Chapter 114: Episode 22 _ You’ll Remember If You Get Hit(5)

7.

Baron Karan truly had nothing suitable.

No matter if he was a noble with connections to the central aristocracy, he was just a lowly baron; how could he possess a gift befitting the only Princess of the Empire and the future Empress of the continent?

At best, all he had was a territory located in a decent spot and money.

So, just as his mind was becoming faint, he shouted.

“Take it all! I’ll give you everything, even my hidden treasures!”

Sincerity born purely from the desire to live.

The Baron Karan, who, just thirty minutes ago, thought he would secure his life no matter how much he was beaten and planned for the future with his hidden slush fund, was no more.

Each blow chilled him to the bone, and accompanied by a feast of auras applied simultaneously, all sorts of pain followed.

Didn’t they say that living while unable to die is the most fearful thing in the world?

Han Simin didn’t know how to control his strength to hit just hard enough to cause pain without killing. Instead, he was even more cruel and violent; he would feed Karan a highest-grade potion to wake him up when he was about to die, only to beat him again and again.

At least if one knows how to control strength, the pain comes with just enough intensity not to kill, leaving only the thought of wanting to die. But in Han Simin’s case, since he beats with the intent to kill and then revives his victim, the thought that ’I’m really going to die’ constantly crosses the mind with every hit.

The difference between the two is subtle but vast.

“That’s naturally all mine.”

“Yes. Yes. That is correct. Take it all. Please, just spare my life...”

Because he had turned Baron Karan into a different person like this.

Han Simin, who had mastered a skill that was a great help in rehabilitating a person, stopped punching for a moment, loosened his shoulders, and sighed.

“Phew. To think you still don’t remember. You’re quite a tenacious friend, aren’t you?”

He held his tongue.

’You crazy bastard! It’s not that I don’t remember, I can’t speak because I don’t have anything!’

If tortured to this extent, even a demon would have betrayed its kin and stood on the side of humans.

He wanted to shout out his feelings of injustice, but the future that would unfold if he did was clear before his eyes, so he swallowed his saliva.

Yet his brain continued to think, and think again.

What was there that fit the princess’s dignity, and wouldn’t result in getting beaten up by that damn devil bastard asking if ’this’ was what he was offering as a gift?

He was ready to sell his territory—no, sell his soul—to obtain such a thing if it existed.

“Still don’t remember?”

Silence answered him.

“This won’t do. I’ll increase the intensity a bit more.”

“...Ah! Aaaaaah! I remembered!”

“Don’t lie. I don’t think you have.”

“No. It’s true!”

Seeing Han Simin approaching again, Baron Karan shouted while convulsing.

The correct answer was shouted instinctively to survive!

Since it was a pattern used several times already, Han Simin pretended not to hear.

But Baron Karan was sincere.

This time, for real.

“M-My maternal uncle has a precious treasure! That will be enough, more than enough, to be a coming-of-age gift befitting the princess who will become the Empress of the continent!”

“Really?”

“Yes! Of course!”

The steps stopped.

At the word ’survival’ flashing through his mind, Baron Karan spat out words without a break.

It had to be now.

Opportunities must be seized when they come!

Once those fists started drumming on his body, he wouldn’t be able to speak even if he wanted to.

“What is it?”

A blunt question.

But a moment where everything hung in the balance.

Baron Karan swallowed his saliva.

A brief hesitation.

If it dragged on a little longer, the time of patience, pain, and adversity would return. But the reason he hesitated was that his reason had returned for a very short moment.

’That is our family’s treasure...’

There was a reason why he couldn’t think of it immediately.

For instance, it was the Maginot Line.

The Maginot Line of items he could bring.

Like a secret vault in a bank.

A place where, although one can open a bank account and withdraw money as much as they want, the bearer bonds inside the secret vault are inaccessible, no matter if one is a second-generation chaebol or if their grandfather is a billionaire!

The item Baron Karan was about to mention was such an existence.

“It-It is a ring.”

He wasn’t 100% sure he could bring it, and even if he did, he wasn’t confident he could handle the aftermath.

But what could he do?

He needed to live right now.

Those who have nothing and nothing to lose often value their beliefs more than their lives. But for Baron Karan, who had lived his whole life eating what he wanted, wearing what he wanted, sleeping where he wanted with the women he desired, and enjoying everything, this harsh situation was far from adaptable; every minute and second was too difficult.

Give up and be at peace?

Of course, he didn’t want to die.

Didn’t all this start from begging for his life?

“A ring?”

“...Yes, it is a ring passed down through the family for generations. It is a precious wedding ring passed down to the successor, and it is said that hundreds of years ago, one of the Five Legends made it with great care.”

The first step is hard, but the next is easy.

The peace that came with the spoken words made Baron Karan spill everything out smoothly.

“Legend? Heroes?”

“Yes.”

“Why would those humans give a gift to something like you?”

“...Not me, but my family.”

“Ah.”

As the error was corrected, Han Simin nodded.

He was quick to understand.

“So, it means the thing you can give is to that person named Uncle? Naturally, since it’s not yours, the probability that you can give it to me is low?”

Karan did not answer.

He flinched at the words that hit the mark.

Ninety percent of it was said just to escape the current situation, so he had no excuse.

About 3% had the intention of running away while pretending to get the item.

“So the conclusion is, because you didn’t want to get beaten—no, because you didn’t want to think—you tried to trick me.”

“N-No!”

“No, my ass, you punk. I, huh? I was going to let it slide if you at least tried your best to think and really had nothing, you know? But you’re hopeless. To think of running away while lying because it’s bothersome, just trying to get by with your body, pretending to think. Ha! To think I was considering sparing the life of a human like this after winning the territory war. I’m the crazy one. The crazy one!”

He gasped.

At the bait thrown out with exaggeration, Baron Karan’s pupils shook.

It was break time now, but his body still remembered Han Simin’s fists.

“Y-You were going to spare me?”

“I was. Until just ten minutes ago.”

“...I will bring it. I will bring it unconditionally!”

“By what means?”

“I will depart right now and...”

“How can I trust you?”

“I will put the territory up as collateral!”

“This is already mine.”

He was struck dumb.

His whole body trembled.

In his current state of mind, he was confident he would never run away and would bring it even if he had to stab his uncle to death, but there was no suitable way to express that.

Seeing that satisfactory attitude, Han Simin took a piece of paper from his bosom.

“Put your thumbprint here.”

“...?”

“It’s a Soul Contract.”

He gasped.

He flinched at the calmly spoken words.

Soul Contract.

It is a word handed down only in legends, but few know it.

Paper that aids in contracts with demons.

Magic that gains power with the soul as collateral.

Why was that here?

“Don’t want to?”

“No, no!”

The question was brief; as soon as he saw Han Simin raising his fist again, he immediately stamped his thumbprint.

He decided not to question ’why’.

Because it wasn’t that strange for the devil bastard in front of him to have a contract used by demons.

“With this, the contract is complete. If you don’t bring the item of our deal within the time limit, you will...”

He swallowed hard.

“Die in the most terrible way in the world. And you won’t even be able to die, but will revive again.”

He looked puzzled.

“As an undead.”

“Eek!”

The Baron bounced up from his seat.

His muscles all over his body screamed, but where was the time to care about that!

“Go quickly and come back.”

The layers of fat jiggled as they moved.

* * *

“Will he bring it?”

Seeing Karan run out frantically, worry came first.

Basically, trust was impossible for Han Simin, who operated on the premise that all humans were as wicked and cunning as himself!

He had scared him by thrusting a fake contract at him, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious.

“I should look around the auction house.”

The Princess’s coming-of-age ceremony wasn’t far off.

If he left everything to the windfall that just rolled in and got backstabbed, the loss he would suffer would be immense, so he decided to look into this and that as well.

He skipped the items appearing in the continent’s auction house used by NPCs since the Emperor could buy them anyway, making them nothing special. Instead, he browsed the trade intermediary site where only items obtainable by players hunting monsters and using player-only authority were traded.

“Hmm.”

Prices ranged from the lowest line to the maximum.

Excluding equipment, starting from miscellaneous goods.

Since he was considering quite high prices, his brow furrowed automatically.

“This damn game is all about money, whatever you do.”

The military supplies used in this territory war could be sufficiently replenished and overflow from the newly acquired territory, but apart from that, the money spent on surrounding the castle walls and splashing +15 enhancement dye all over them was enough to evaporate those overflowing funds.

Even-steven.

It meant a war with no income.

Of course, there were positive elements to consider, such as building the defensive wall he intended to build anyway and setting up the magic circle well, but Han Simin’s dream of cleanly covering the princess’s coming-of-age ceremony with this territory war had been shattered.

“What can I do. It’s my life.”

Resigned, he examined the items.

From completely useless items to accessories that seemed quite decent.

Indeed, befitting a game used by tens of millions of players, the traded items were diverse.

“Ooh.”

Among them, there were many items that could attract interest.

But Han Simin did not waver in his desire to purchase.

“It looks good, but I won’t need it.”

Greed is like that.

If you buy things that look necessary one by one, there is no end to it.

Originally, the more convenience is improved, the higher the standard becomes, causing the point of necessity to skyrocket endlessly.

Isn’t he enjoying the game enough with what he roughly obtains now!

’I absolutely won’t buy.’

No matter what attractive item appeared, he wouldn’t buy it.

At least, unless a 200-gold item was listed for 2 gold by mistake.

Han Simin, who had been watching while lying on the fluffy sofa for about two hours with such a cool-headed and wise eye-shopper attitude, discovered a post that whetted his appetite from the title alone.

[Essential item for Simmanis! Selling item with Item Drop Rate Increase option.]

The price was $50.

His hand clicked the post automatically.

It hadn’t even been a minute since his vow, but looking didn’t cost money anyway.

The post contained a screenshot of the item options and a lengthy explanation.

[This is an essential item for the many gathering players who barely scrape by digging herbs and wandering mines in Fantastic World. I’ve confirmed that this is the only listing on the trade intermediary site right now, and for the buyer, I’m especially offering a service to meet at a midway point. Trade is possible in all kingdoms, so please call anytime, 24 hours a day.]

And the visible item option.

“Item Drop Rate 0.5% increase?”

That was all.

Even if one could wear as many rings as possible on ten fingers, exceeding thirty rings.

Who would pay $50 to buy such a seemingly useless item?

Smirk.

Han Simin laughed.

And he paid without hesitation.

* * *