God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 238: Episode _A Hero is Made in Turbulent Times (10)

Chapter 238: Episode 238_A Hero is Made in Turbulent Times (10)

13.

Suddenly, Kenji was the bad guy.

He hadn’t done anything wrong. All he had done was exercise a legitimate right—a right he hadn’t even asked for. Simin himself had offered it. "Just say the word, anytime, anywhere." So he had. He had even entrusted Simin with items he wouldn’t easily hand over to his own family.

And now, Simin was threatening to run off with them. If Kenji wanted them back, he had to name a price. ’Why on earth do I have to buy back my own items with my own money?’ The question was unavoidable. If it didn’t cross his mind, he wouldn’t be human.

He was speechless.

Naturally, he was speechless. What was the right thing to say here? The correct response was probably to let loose a string of curses, broadcast be damned. Kenji was a man who cared about his image, but simply laughing it off in a situation like this would be just as damaging.

But even in his rage, his sharp mind was coolly assessing the situation. He couldn’t get angry. The moment he did, the items in that shameless bastard’s hands would be delivered straight to the enemy, ready to be unleashed upon his own allies. And so, the silence stretched on. He couldn’t say what he wanted to, and the thought of giving in to the other party’s demands was so absurdly frustrating he felt he might die of a stroke.

As if sensing his turmoil, Simin graciously provided him with a pretext.

"Ah, don’t misunderstand. Do you really think I would forget that these two items belong to you and say something so rude? I’m merely asking. How much are you willing to spend to ’protect’ these two items?"

Kenji fell silent.

’That’s the exact same thing, you bastard.’ In fact, similar comments were popping up in the broadcast chat. It was a difficult statement to parse. So, Simin kindly elaborated.

"Right now, these two items are yours. But if I’m bought out by the Specialists, I’ll have to abandon my title as the Emperor’s son-in-law and everything else to join the black magic mages, correct? In that case, the Rich Territory would lose its protection from the Empire. Whether it’s conquered or I defend it, it becomes my sole responsibility and, by extension, black magic mage territory. Then, of course, I can’t do anything that benefits the Emperor’s side, so all previous events and the VVIP privileges I issued would be nullified. Consequently, the ownership of the weapons bound to me becomes ambiguous, and if I so choose, I can hand them over to this side."

He was speechless.

"So, in conclusion, I’m asking how much you’re willing to spend to recruit me, so that I don’t have to sell these two weapons to the Specialists to cover my losses—as much as it would break my heart—and so that I can ignore the black magic mages’ offer."

He still said nothing.

It was a long speech, but it all boiled down to the same thing. Kenji closed his eyes.

"Surely you’re not wondering why ’you’ have to be the one to recruit me, are you? I wouldn’t normally be so blatant about asking you to secure my loyalty, but since you recently became the Commander-in-Chief, I have no choice but to appeal to the man second only to His Majesty the Emperor in leading this current situation."

Kenji remained silent.

"First, let’s take a look at the enhanced items. You must have been curious."

Having said his piece, Simin took out the Legendary-grade sword and the Special-grade staff and displayed their stats. The broadcast was still live, so everyone could see them clearly. The minor issue of an item’s stats being revealed to the world without the owner’s permission was the last thing on Kenji’s mind as his eyes widened.

It was impossible not to be shaken. While a +15 item’s power could pierce the heavens, for ordinary players, even a +14 boasted stats that could practically destroy a planet. Moreover, the sword was a Legendary-grade item. Not only were its base stats incredible, but the newly added options were outstanding. And the one who had enhanced it was Han Simin. The special options and enhancement effect boosts he applied made the weapon more than 1.3 times more effective than a standard enhancement.

—Whoa, what is that?

—He actually enhanced it? It didn’t break?

—At this point, isn’t the enhancement master the most broken class in FW?

—I heard enhancing to that level is supposed to be incredibly difficult.

—Difficult or not, if you can guarantee success, it’s worth it.

—Why in the world did BetaGo create a class like that?

Once again, Han Simin’s game-breaking ability was on full display, and poor, innocent BetaGo took all the blame.

—Nah, I think Simin has some kind of secret method. I looked it up in the lore books, and it says even the previous Legendary enhancement master never managed to create a +15.

Occasionally, comments from players well-versed in Fantastic World’s history would appear, but they were lost on the crowd, which was already blinded by excitement. And the most excited person of all was, of course, Kenji.

"Turn off the broadcast... and let’s talk," he said, finally falling into Simin’s trap. It had been a long and winding road. For a fleeting moment, he wondered what might have happened if he had simply asked for Simin’s help when he had visited him a while back. Regretting the past changed nothing, but he knew he shouldn’t have ignored that uneasy feeling back then.

With a sigh, the broadcast ended. The viewers, who reveled in others’ misery, lingered in the chat, sharing their own commentary.

—"I spent billions to become Commander-in-Chief just for this." Kenji must be feeling so pathetic right now.

—LMAO

—"I became a Rich Territory VVIP member just for this." So pathetic.

—Simin is a true devil. Isn’t he being a bit too merciless, squeezing his VVVVVIP-level sucker like that?

—For real. But that’s part of his charm.

—Seeing Kenji get played over and over again, I wonder if this is the "bad boy" style that women fall for.

—Fucking psycho. Charm? What a load of crap. If I were the VIP, I would have flipped the table.

—Hey, guy above, are you Kenji? LOL

*

Han Simin didn’t need cash anymore. Or rather, he no longer felt the need to hold on to large amounts of it. A steady stream of cash flowed in every month—an amount he once would have considered enough to retire on—and besides, he had become captivated by the allure of owning buildings.

"Holding cash doesn’t earn any interest, and it would be a hassle for you to procure that much, Kenji. So we settled it cleanly with real estate," Simin explained later.

Kenji was speechless.

The master of leading a negotiation to his desired outcome while pretending to be considerate of the other party! The serious conversation that began after the broadcast ended, as expected, in a deal. It was disappointing news for the Specialists, who had been secretly hoping the negotiations would fail, that Simin would join the black magic mages, and that they would receive the weapons. But what could they do?

"Well then, I’ll be off to do my part over there. You all fight hard and do your best," Simin said to them.

"You know the deal, right? Don’t go too hard on us," Yeseul reminded him.

"Don’t worry. It’s not like my joining will change the outcome. I’ll just keep an eye on the black magic mages and pretend to kill a few of them."

Looking at the details of the deal Simin shared only with the Specialists, they had no choice but to accept it. No matter how much of a pushover Kenji was, the price he paid was impossible to ignore.

"What kind of devil is Simin, extorting a $30 million building with items worth 3 million at most?" Yeseul muttered.

The others were silent.

It was a deal on a scale that would leave even chaebol heirs speechless. It made one wonder if the biggest beneficiary of Fantastic World’s launch wasn’t Goggle Inc., but Han Simin himself.

14.

Troubled times make a hero. It’s a famous saying, and a true one. No matter how outstanding a hero may be, they cannot display their heroism if the times are not chaotic. Trying to be a hero in a peaceful and prosperous world is a surefire way to become a villain.

In that sense, the current state of the continent was the perfect breeding ground for a hero. Of course, it wasn’t easy. To become a hero acknowledged by all, one had to perform a feat so great it could single-handedly turn the tide of an unfavorable war. Only after such a difficult trial could a hero’s name be etched into the annals of history.

"I will make you a hero," Simin declared to Kenji.

Kenji was speechless.

It was an unplanned gift. But this whole situation had started with Kenji’s unpredictable actions. Now, Simin had acquired another small, $30 million building in New York, and his smile stretched from ear to ear. The power of a sucker was so great it could make even Han Simin—a man who forgot a debt of gratitude in a single second—dance with joy.

Standing before the assembled army, Simin delivered a rousing speech.

"The forces of evil tried to taint our holy Saintess with their vile methods! But our Commander-in-Chief risked his life to save her! We can do this! Let us trust in our Commander-in-Chief and vanquish the darkness!"

"HURRAH!" the NPCs roared.

The speech was nonsensical, illogical, and cringeworthy. But the NPCs cheered wildly. Such details were unimportant to them. It was all about morale. When the Saintess herself, dressed in holy robes that shone like a beacon in a sea of grim-faced men, smiled and nodded in agreement that the Commander-in-Chief was a hero, who would dare to deny it?

The players, knowing the full story, simply watched on. It was a game, after all. And so, Kenji temporarily became a hero. He wasn’t a true hero, but the title helped a little in controlling the vast army. If asked whether it was worth $30 million, Kenji would probably hesitate, but since the money had been extorted from him anyway, he didn’t dwell on it. He decided to think of it as the price he paid for the enhanced weapons.

Of course, that didn’t mean his anger had subsided. That anger would be unleashed upon the Specialists and the black magic mages, who were likely conspiring together.

The army that had been waiting for the black magic mages began its advance. The all-out war had begun. There was only one objective: the annihilation of the black magic mages.

The Emperor also sent a message of support. "Annihilate the insects!" It was a sharp command, laced with the Emperor’s own fury at seeing the Lord of Rich’s name praised while the foundation’s funds were being drained to restore the destruction across the continent.

The army’s march was relentless. Black magic mages from every corner of the land had gathered to form a formidable force, but the combined army of the continent was even larger.

And Simin, too, sortied separately.

"I got paid, so I’ll do my part," he said to Kenji.

Kenji was speechless.

"You don’t think we’re conspiring, do you? I’ll show you we’re not."

He announced that his special detachment, consisting of the Royal Knights, the Holy Knights, and the Saintess, would focus on intercepting black mage reinforcements rather than engaging the main army.

Kenji nodded, averting his gaze as if he couldn’t stand the sight of Simin. Undeterred, Simin waved cheerfully.

"One gold per black mage. Give me that quest, too. I’ll be sure to catch a lot."

Kenji remained silent.

He just had to rub salt in the wound until the very end.

*