God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 133: Episode 26_Let’s Mix ’n’ Eat (4)

7.

Han Simin knew because he had heard it beforehand.

—When the fog descends, fog-type monsters become active. I haven’t identified all the types yet, but if you don’t secure vision in the fog, the result is death, so you have to get the Fog Awakening Potion item first.

The characteristic of the Unknown Mountain Range!

The fog descending and lifting wasn’t simply a map concept.

『Fantastic World』 was a living world.

Monsters wouldn’t be wandering lost in the fog in a region that had maintained this phenomenon for hundreds of years.

They were monsters that had adapted to the environment in their own way.

’You can obtain Fog Awakening Potions by killing the monsters visible when the fog lifts; they drop with a certain probability. The setting seems to be that they also carry them to eat when the fog descends to survive, but the problem is the drop rate is too low. Hunting for two hours straight barely gets you enough to last one session? Plus, the duration of one Fog Awakening Potion is only 4 hours, so to hunt here, you have to catch monsters all day long.’

Monsters active in the fog and monsters active outside of it.

They might have a predator-prey relationship with each other, but from the perspective of a newly arrived third party, it was clear that both were enemies to be wary of.

Not only that.

’Monsters outside the fog generally have high defense, while monsters inside the fog have excessively high attack power. So, the hunting experience points are overwhelmingly higher when the fog is down, but the monsters inside the fog tend to move in packs.’

It was particularly tricky.

In fact, at this point, giving up hunting and finding another hunting ground wouldn’t be a wrong judgment.

Going back and hunting in the forest right now might be much more efficient than this.

Hunting isn’t just about the total amount of experience points; one must compare the cost, effort, time invested, and the resulting efficiency.

In that respect, the Unknown Mountain Range possessed every worst condition possible.

"Wow. This is crazy."

Han Simin, confirming this with his own two eyes, let out an exclamation.

Since hearing about it beforehand and not preparing would be no different from saying he wanted to die, he had briefly left the formation while the expedition advanced in confusion to procure a Fog Awakening Potion.

With over 90 rabbits and even Squeaker present, getting just one wasn’t that difficult.

It wasn’t like he prepared for this exact moment, but the drop item he had procured seemed to shine now.

Anyway, as soon as the fog settled, he took the awakening potion, and with his vision clearing, he retreated with his pets.

He trusted Jeong Seolah.

Since she said they would definitely attack, they would come.

The rabbits and Squeaker had their vision blocked, but thanks to their instinct to recognize their master, they could follow. Han Simin, having climbed up a soaring tree, could clearly confirm the unknown creatures approaching the players who were emitting noise to their heart’s content, practically asking to be eaten.

"Wow..."

A stealthiness that naturally drew admiration.

Even if someone noticed, their bent waists and small stature made it difficult to counterattack easily. Their skill in instinctively grabbing the enemy’s back, wrapping around the neck, and piercing vital points with sharp teeth was exquisite.

Those guys the Specialists named "Human Hunters"!

"Aaaack!"

"What, what is this!"

"Urk!"

Naturally, the result that followed was the death of the players.

It must be absurd for those on the receiving end, but from the perspective of watching, it was dumbfounding.

’No, isn’t this too much?’

Who hunts in a place like this?

It was difficult to adapt to, and just roughly counting, the number of monsters exceeded 30.

It didn’t look like many because the expedition members gathered here numbered in the four digits, but considering that usually party hunting or guild-unit hunting didn’t exceed ten people, it was an excessive number.

Unless you dragged around 100 people while throwing money around like Kenji, would you even gain the confidence to face them?

"Everyone, group up! Watch your backs in pairs and cut down anything that approaches!"

In the meantime, the chaos amplified, and Kenji calmly issued orders even in the midst of it.

Of course, it wasn’t a measure to quell the chaos.

Right now, even he was desperate to protect his own life.

Watching that, Han Simin realized.

’Fog Awakening Potion. This is the answer to this hunting ground.’

There was no need to worry about whether hunting was tiring or about the experience points.

The fact that the cold-blooded Jeong Seolah was still hunting here meant that if one could just endure it, they could eat that much more experience.

As if to prove it, the level gap with Kenji, which had shrunk to 3 levels, had widened again to 4 levels today.

In the end, the answer was the Fog Awakening Potion.

...The way they moved—effectively seizing the enemy’s back, wrapping around the neck, and sinking their sharp fangs into vital points—was truly exquisite.

The Specialists had named them "Human Hunters."

"Aaaack!"

"What—what is this?!"

"Urk!"

Naturally, the result was a slaughter of the players.

For those on the receiving end, it must have been absurd, but from the perspective of a spectator, it was simply dumbfounding.

’No, isn’t this too much?’

Who could possibly hunt in a place like this?

It was difficult to adapt to the environment, and just by a rough count, the number of monsters exceeded thirty.

It didn’t look like many because the expedition members gathered here numbered in the four digits. However, considering that party hunting or guild-unit hunting usually didn’t exceed ten people, thirty monsters was an excessive number to handle at once.

Unless you dragged around a hundred people while splashing cash like Kenji, how could anyone gain the confidence to face them?

"Everyone, group up! Watch each other’s backs in pairs and cut down anything that approaches!"

Amidst the amplifying chaos, Kenji calmly issued orders.

Of course, it wasn’t a measure to quell the confusion. Right now, even he was desperate to protect his own life.

Watching him, Han Simin realized something.

’Fog Awakening Potion. That is the answer to this hunting ground.’

There was no need to worry about whether hunting was tiring or about the experience points. The fact that the cold-blooded Jeong Seolah was still hunting here meant one thing: if you could just endure the conditions, you could devour a massive amount of experience.

As if to prove it, the level gap with Kenji, which had shrunk to three levels, had widened again to four levels today.

In the end, the answer was the Fog Awakening Potion.

Even if they were running around in confusion right now, once they adapted, the Unknown Mountain Range would become a hunting ground that guaranteed rapid leveling for high-level, high-capital players.

The moment that thought occurred to him, a scent wafted in.

The smell of money!

’I need more drop items.’

A plan formed in his mind, regardless of whether the expedition members died or not.

The conclusion was singular.

This place was a bonanza!

From the gold mine to the items he could sell at a rip-off price to the countless high-level players who would enter in the future.

A smile formed on his face automatically. The plan naturally sketched itself out in his head.

In the meantime, the Human Hunters’ raid ended.

Having extorted as much blood as they needed and wanted, the Human Hunters disappeared leisurely, as if they had no interest in the survivors.

It wasn’t entirely a good thing.

The fog still remained. Since they had been attacked once, anxiety created deserters, and it was impossible to even assess the damage status.

When the fog finally lifted, the number of remaining expedition members was a little over five hundred.

More than half lost!

A gloomy atmosphere settled heavily over the group. Even Kenji couldn’t solve that; he was just as at a loss as everyone else.

That was when Han Simin stepped forward.

"I heard there is a way to see inside the fog."

"...?"

"Fog Awakening Potion. We have to obtain that when the fog lifts."

Hope was visible in his calmly spoken words.

"Where can we get that..."

"My guild found it. They told me it was a secret, but since I was the one who suggested coming here, it felt a bit wrong to hide it."

"...!"

’Then why tell us now?’

No one could bring themselves to say those words.

Because humans are selfish. The dead colleagues were unfortunate, but hadn’t the survivors made it, anyway? Moreover, an answer had appeared in a situation where it seemed they would have to turn back without hope.

"Could you explain in detail?"

"Of course."

Kenji asked Han Simin politely. His guild had also suffered tremendous damage. He had been thinking of returning immediately to reorganize, but now that this information had appeared, there was no need for that.

The damage to the expedition?

To him, who had no thought other than solving the mystery of the fog to proceed with the Main Quest, those words were like sweet rain, far more important than the casualties.

With the warning that there was no time, the expedition moved out after hearing the quickly summarized explanation. Even though half had died and logged out, they were overflowing with vitality.

Because of the hope that a foothold for a leap forward had been prepared alongside the crisis!

At the same time, the thrill of a new hunting ground they had never experienced anywhere else dominated them.

Was that why?

No one noticed the place they had left behind.

They didn’t notice the fact that despite at least three hundred people dying, not a single item was left on the battlefield.

And the subtle change that one more leather pouch was filled on the rabbits’ armor!

* * *

In fact, the reason Han Simin proposed the expedition wasn’t to gain this kind of profit.

When he died and came back to life, and when he confirmed Kenji was in front of him, he didn’t know the terror of the fog. He had just thought that if there was fog, they could rest for a while and then go.

An unexpected variable had intervened in the situation, but even so, nothing changed.

The original objective must be achieved.

’Since the gold mine was this way.’

Lead the expedition and cleanly clear the area around the gold mine!

Of course, he had absolutely no intention of taking the expedition to the gold mine. Why would he hand over the gold mine he had gone to such trouble to find to them?

The fact that it would eventually go to the Emperor was what he disliked more than anything. If it were going to be like that, he would have told Squeaker to eat it all alone and come out.

"Prepare for battle!"

Han Simin, having arrived at the mountain lined with familiar trees, began hunting with the expedition.

All sorts of monsters appeared, and even the giant monster that had once eaten Han Simin as a meal showed up.

It was truly a different world!

"Wow. What kind of hunting ground is this?"

"They don’t even die."

"Firepower is lacking! Dealers! Hurry!"

Most of the monsters roamed alone or in pairs, but they were all tough and had strong attack power.

Typical tanky DPS monsters!

Naturally, the number of players decreased. They hunted them one by one, enduring the sacrifices.

Two hours.

Hunting for a time that was by no means long, the expedition discovered the absolute problem of this hunting ground and the weakness of having a large headcount.

"...How many awakening potions dropped?"

"I don’t know. Didn’t we catch about thirty?"

"It’s not like they drop every time we catch one."

Hope, my ass.

To think that nearly five hundred players hunted for two hours, and only about a dozen people could see ahead for four hours.

"What do we do?"

"Yeah. Can’t we log out and come back in four hours?"

"Huh?"

"That would work, wouldn’t it?"

"Work, my ass. Even if we do that, the characters remain, so dying is the same."

"...The Expedition Leader will come up with a method."

Watching the fog beginning to descend slowly, confusion visited the expedition once again.

Kenji was just as headache-ridden.

’I shouldn’t have brought them.’

Forming an expedition for no reason had made the problem more serious. If it had been just his guild members, they could have hunted more systematically, obtained the necessary amount of awakening potions, and hunted even when the fog descended.

Since Han Simin had casually tossed out the information that the experience points from the monsters in the fog were quite salty—lucrative—he couldn’t help but get greedy.

The moment he thought that, the answer came.

Switching to guild chat, Kenji spoke quietly.

"Connect yourselves by tying ropes or holding hands, centering around the players who have the awakening potions. We break away from the formation as soon as the fog descends."

The thrill of the game!

The beginning of betrayal!

He felt sorry for the expedition, but what could he do? If they went on like this, they would just be doing good for others and then all die a pointless death.

He would get cursed at, but...

’The strong are the law.’

Getting cursed at in a game is nothing.

When the fog, the start of a new phase, descended.

"Uh, uh?"

The regular players were flustered watching the vanguard disappear rapidly.

And after a brief moment passed, they grasped what was happening. 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

At the same time, they started running.

To live!

"What the..."

Watching that, Han Simin, who was preparing to bail out, paused.

"They’re doing the bullshit all on their own."

It was annoying to have the lead in betrayal stolen, but it wasn’t bad.

Han Simin, sitting on Squeaker’s back, took something out.

It was popcorn.

* * *