God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 244: Episode _Thug of Light and Darkness (1)

1.

He looked at her, bewildered.

’What kind of bullshit is this?’

Simin rolled the angel’s sudden words around in his head.

’Demon’s dog?’

"The kind that goes woof woof?"

"It would seem so."

’Probably,’ he thought. Otherwise, how could such a beautiful face wear an expression of such utter disgust, as if looking at a bug?

"Whew."

It was a situation that stung his pride, but Simin didn’t lose his composure. He was someone who always knew how to restrain himself. He drew a clear line between public and private, was always ready to grovel if it meant money, and was the perfect survivor: weak to the strong, and strong to the weak.

Before getting angry, the first thing to do was figure out if the other side was strong or weak.

Simin’s half-lidded eyes swept over the angel floating in the air, from head to toe.

She had three pairs of wings. She was stunningly beautiful and, at the same time, radiated a powerful allure—a kind of healthy, athletic beauty.

The armor she wore, if you could call it that, was a single piece of cloth draped over her with complete indifference to how it showed off her body. Yet it somehow looked extremely expensive, and despite being a mere scrap of fabric, it seemed capable of blocking a fatal blow. It was clearly chosen for her own safety and the bare minimum of propriety, not for the gazes of others. The lean muscles visible here and there weren’t off-putting; in fact, they were surprisingly alluring. And it went without saying that she was perfectly proportioned.

To top it all off, she held a spear that looked priceless.

That was the clincher. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

’She looks strong.’

With that, Simin quickly assessed the situation and made his decision.

In truth, her words alone were enough to make a solid deduction. She had appeared calling him a demon’s dog, so the dog she meant was most likely Grokile, the Upper Demon bound to him by contract. Grokile was an Upper Demon who had crossed over without restrictions, and Simin had already seen a benchmark of that power on the broadcast. If an angel could show up this confidently before such a demon’s master, then her strength had to be comparable.

"So there really are angels, huh?"

"Since there is a Demon World, there is also a Celestial Realm. The race that lives there is what you humans call Celestials."

"Ahh."

While Simin was taking stock of the situation, Kardian added a brief explanation. The Upper Celestial, Aria, still on full alert, continued speaking.

"You have recklessly violated the contract between the Celestial Realm and the Demon World and brought beings of the Demon World here through underhanded means. Because of you, the influence of demons on the continent has grown exponentially. The Celestial Realm has judged that it can no longer overlook this situation, which is why I have come. Now, I will deliver your punishment."

It was a one-sided declaration.

In an instant, her figure vanished.

"What the..."

’...hell are you talking about?’

Before he could even finish the thought, Aria appeared right in front of him. Her face was even more beautiful up close. He barely had time to marvel at her flawless skin before the spear in her hand swept toward him.

WHOOSH—

She was fast.

Even Simin, whose stats were all over 100 despite being only level 58, could only register it as something flying toward him. It was an impressive display of skill, but unfortunately for Simin, he was the target.

THUD—

He gasped in shock.

[You have suffered a critical wound.]

[Your movements are restricted for 5 seconds.]

[You have died.]

The system messages followed. He didn’t even have time to be happy at seeing those familiar notifications again before his vision blurred.

One-shot kill.

His HP stat was over 430, and with bonuses, it reached nearly 600, yet he died in a single hit. Yes, she had pierced his heart, but still—he was wearing two layers of +15 armor, and she had gone straight through them.

A wave of emptiness washed over him.

"Son of a bitch..."

’So this is life.’ Before the strong, the weak were endlessly fragile.

His life flashed before his eyes. He remembered how far he had come, all the bullshit he’d gone through to get the Enhancement skill, and running all over the place. He recalled getting a Legendary class but having no time to enjoy it because of the constant EXP penalties, the times he’d felt small among the conglomerate heirs, and the stroke of luck that had given him an item to turn his life around. All the memories he had built up over more than a year flickered past.

And then he went limp.

Death.

[The option on ’Necklace of Resurrection’ is activating. Do you wish to resurrect?]

And then resurrection.

Simin, who had collapsed after the spear was pulled out, carefully planted a hand on the ground and pushed himself up.

He flinched.

Naturally, Aria’s expression was a mix of shock and confusion. It couldn’t be helped. The opponent she was certain she had killed was now frowning and getting up as if nothing had happened.

Her thrust had been flawless.

And yet, the chest of the rising Simin was completely intact.

"Damn it. Hey!"

She remained silent.

He didn’t just look fine; he didn’t have a single scratch on him.

Aria’s delicate brows knit together. As an Upper Celestial who had descended without restrictions, her pride was stung. Especially since she was a Celestial specialized in combat. For a warrior like her to fail to properly deal with a single human who had surrendered to demons?

She raised her spear again.

No questions asked. If he hadn’t died, she would simply kill him again.

Watching her move, Simin didn’t make the same mistake twice.

"Wait! Don’t stab! I’m not a demon’s dog!"

"No one goes around advertising that they’re a demon’s dog."

"No, look at this! This! A Sanctuary!"

She looked at him quizzically.

He thrust the item out—the medium containing the Sanctuary. It was the item he had clutched desperately even in the moment of death, terrified of dropping it.

This time, the spear stopped just short of his throat. Apparently, she had been aiming to decapitate him. The speed and precision, which he had already experienced once, were enough to make him break out in a cold sweat. She had the attack power to pierce two layers of +15 armor; his unprotected neck would have been sliced like tofu.

He swallowed hard but didn’t let it show. He stood his ground. He might have a connection with Grokile, but he wasn’t the dog she was talking about.

If he wasn’t a dog, what was there to be afraid of? He was the victim here.

"That is..."

"Yeah! A Sanctuary, you idiot! It’s a Sanctuary! Have you ever seen a demon’s dog running around Enhancing Sanctuaries? Huh?"

She was speechless.

For a moment, Aria’s mind spun. She had come with absolute conviction, but now that she was facing him, things didn’t add up. At first, when she had seen the group in black robes, she had thought she’d found the right place. But she hadn’t felt even a trace of dark magic from them. In fact, she had sensed divine power, which she’d found odd, but she had still been sure they were the culprits and had moved to execute them.

And now he had not only survived but was insisting on his innocence. Of course she was thrown off.

This was where her weakness showed. She was a Celestial specialized in combat.

"Then... you are not a demon’s dog?"

"Hey! Did you just stuff my words in your ears and call it a day? I said I’m running around enhancing sanctuaries! The demons joined the war and things are going south, so—"

"...Ah."

"Ah my ass. You half-baked angel. You just burned one of my extra lives; what are you going to do about it?"

"Ah, that..."

The moment her certainty wavered, she fell right into Simin’s pace. It wasn’t that she was a complete idiot. It was just that he was too confident.

"Besides, we’ve even got a Saintess recognized by God himself here, and you’re talking about a demon’s dog? My goodness. Calling the Saintess a demon’s dog. Are you sure you’re really an angel? Huh?"

She had no words.

"Saintess, if you would."

Never one to lose a shouting match, Simin even brought Squeaker over and had them demonstrate holy magic. On top of that, the paladins and priests, who had all become thugs by now, also displayed their divine power.

After all that, continuing to doubt them would have made it more reasonable to suspect that Aria herself was a demon. She bowed her head.

Only then did the guilt hit her.

"I am sorry. But clearly..."

"Yeah, the demons showed up. But they were summoned so we could kill them all."

"You just barged in here without a second thought and started killing innocent people. Meanwhile, that so-called high-rank demon is summoning his underlings using almost the exact same method I am, and they’re the ones massacring humans. Tell me this isn’t proof that Heaven is just a clubhouse for trigger-happy lunatics."

Even with ten mouths, she would have been speechless. Han Simin was a master at twisting words to paint his opponents as villains, and his anger was palpable. After all, he’d just watched one of his extra lives get snuffed out in a single hit, and that fury was fueling his every word.

"You!"

"...Y-yes?"

Only then did Aria seem to grasp the situation. She took a step back from his forceful shout and answered timidly.

She was a Celestial, a warrior who never hesitated to protect the balance of the world and eradicate evil. But outside of that context, she was the very picture of a gentle, timid angel.

“Whew... No matter how I look at this, it just won’t do. You need to be punished. Right? You agree, don’t you?”

Aria remained silent.

“You don’t? Then pay up.”

“...Pay for what?”

“My life.”

She was at a loss for words.

“So, you agree you should be punished. Yes or no?”

Once he sank his teeth into a weakness, he never let go.

Without waiting for her answer, Han Simin strode toward Aria and crooked a finger, beckoning her down.

Floating in the air, Aria reluctantly obeyed, a sour look on her face. The moment she landed, he pulled something from his subspace.

“No! Not that!”

It was Kardian who cried out. She had been quietly watching Simin’s death with a faint smile on her lips.

“Wait!”

“Wait for what? You just sat there and watched me die.”

Kardian shut her mouth.

Kardian felt wronged but couldn’t refute him. She couldn’t deny that she had, in fact, done nothing.

Of course, she had plenty of excuses if she wanted to make them. There was a vast difference between a high-rank angel who had arrived without restrictions and a Black Dragon bound by heavy constraints. It would have been impossible for her to keep up with the angel’s movements and protect Simin at the same time.

And yet... it was also true that watching him die had brought her a strange sense of satisfaction.

Seeing that Simin was in a foul mood, she simply pouted in displeasure and left it at that.

’When did he even grab that?’

It was one of the treasures from her lair. To think it would finally reappear, and of all places, in his hands. Getting it back would be impossible. At that thought, she suddenly felt a pang of pity for the high-rank Celestial.

“Here. Put this around your neck.”

Aria looked at him in confusion.

“It’s an artifact that will prevent you from attacking me. I already died once for no reason; dying again would be even more infuriating, wouldn’t it? I need to nip this problem in the bud.”

As he spoke, he slipped a rough piece of leather around Aria’s neck. It was little more than a simple strip, yet the moment he tied the knot, it settled around her throat as if it had always belonged there, fitting snugly.

“For what it’s worth, it’s an item I enhanced all the way to +13, so it’ll work as a self-defense tool, too.”

“What is this?”

“I told you. It’s something that keeps you from attacking me.”

She had nothing to say.

“Guys, we’ve got a newbie. Get her a robe.”

The moment the collar was fastened, the furious, aggressive Han Simin vanished without a trace.

A black robe was held out to her.

“Take off that scrap of cloth and put this on. And hand over the spear.”

His attitude had already shifted into the mode he used when dealing with the weak.