God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 80: Episode 16 _ Sow Beans, Get Beans. Feed Gold, Get Gold (1)

Chapter 80: Episode 16 _ Sow Beans, Get Beans. Feed Gold, Get Gold (1)

1.

Simin was speechless.

What was he to do? The silence that had fallen in the middle of the enhancement session showed no signs of lifting. Simin stared intently at the egg, his face frozen in shock, while Seolah and Hyeonsu exchanged awkward smiles and shook their heads. They didn’t want to believe it, but it had already happened. Once could be a coincidence. But twice was definitely not.

“Wow, the egg eats gold? That’s so cool. Can I try?”

And then there was Yeseul, cluelessly fanning the flames.

The sight of a coin worth $110 being absorbed by the egg was nothing short of astonishing.

“My $1,200...”

Of course, for a second-generation chaebol with money to burn, it was a fascinating experience. But for Simin, who had just fed it eleven gold coins, thinking it was all nonsense, it was an expense large enough to make his whole body tremble. Eleven gold was three months’ worth of food! And the egg had shamelessly gobbled it up when offered.

“This son of a... raw egg.”

A wave of sorrow washed over him for the effort he had put into getting it to +15 and for the gold he had just lost. ’You evil thing. I treated you so well. I set a forest on fire and didn’t hesitate to risk my life just to enhance you. And yet, and yet!’

“The first rabbit to volunteer gets fried with this egg.”

“...Kkyu.”

What angered him most was that despite all that, there was no change. The egg, which hadn’t budged no matter what he did, had eaten the gold. That could be seen as a sign that gold was the key to hatching it. But how could it eat eleven gold and show no signs of vibrating or cracking?

“Simin, it’s still intact. Maybe it needs more gold?” Yeseul suggested.

“...Shut up.”

He despaired at the truth she so casually pointed out. ’It can’t be. How much more do I have to feed it?’ Besides, there was no guarantee that feeding it more gold would make it hatch. It was just the most likely solution at the moment.

“I’ll put it away for now and try again later when I need it.”

He tried to rationalize his decision. If he let his stubbornness get the better of him, he couldn’t imagine how much gold he would lose. The egg was too extraordinary to think otherwise. He didn’t even need to think back on its origin or the location of its +15 enhancement.

’At least a thousand gold coins.’

That’s what Simin’s instincts were telling him. He would probably need at least that much for whatever was inside to emerge as something beyond his wildest dreams.

Naturally, he was fed up.

Yeseul asked, “Oppa, I’m curious. Can’t you feed it money and see it hatch?”

“...I don’t have any money.”

This was, in fact, the most important reason. There was a lack of funds. His once-full bank account now held less than $50,000 after buying and decorating a house. He had also had over 2,000 gold coins, but his aide had taken most of them for the development of the territory, leaving him with less than a hundred. Forget the egg; he was in a situation where he had to eat ramen in real life, never mind feed his in-game character.

And she was egging him on like this. ’She’s just saying whatever because it’s not her egg, right?’

“We get paid for the enhancements, right? Huh? I’m curious. I’ll chip in a little, let’s try to hatch it," she offered.

Simin was silent.

’Should I just punch her?’ But since he was still in the middle of providing a service, that was impossible. So, he resorted to his last option.

“Huh? Oppa, Oppa? Can’t you hear me?”

“...Resuming the enhancement.”

Ignore her. It was better for his mental health not to listen to nonsense. Someday, Simin—who wanted a jackpot more than anyone and was dying to know what was inside the egg tormenting him so—would eventually pour money into it or break it open. But not now.

’I don’t need whatever it is.’

It was time to think only good thoughts and focus on making a lot of money. Wasn’t the auction that would make his dream of becoming a billionaire just around the corner? Spending money right before a large sum was about to come in was like advertising his inability to save.

’I have to buy a car, a building, and live a life of luxury, right?’

If he wasn’t careful, only his in-game character would become more glamorous while he was stuck eating ramen for the rest of his life. Reality first!

It was the number one rule of gold farmers that should never be forgotten. With his focus renewed, the enhancement continued.

* * *

Dino was a genius—the kind people called heaven-sent. So, it was no surprise that he had obtained one of the five Legendary jobs on the continent. Even as a beginner, he had completely understood and perfectly implemented all the magic formulas, earning applause from NPCs for his incredible talent. Even archmages had secretly reached out to take him as their disciple.

For someone like him, stumbling upon Han Simin’s broadcast and seeing his master’s legacy up for sale was a shock. Chantless! Penta Casting! No matter how much of a genius he was, he couldn’t create something from nothing. And this was a game. In a world where logic and science didn’t apply, what could he possibly invent or create? The only way to fully utilize his abilities as a mage was through fast casting and excellent spell placement for any given situation. And now, a skill that would give him wings had appeared.

Of course, he was desperate. The desire to possess it was one thing, but if it fell into the hands of another mage, his talent would be rendered obsolete by an overwhelming skill. That much was easy to calculate. What good was being faster and more creative than others when five different spells could fly at him the moment he parted his lips? Not only that, but with no incantation needed, he could prepare another spell in the meantime. With enough mana, he could demonstrate a hunting efficiency at least ten times greater than that of a normal mage.

Hunting, PVP—a skill book that would make any mage an overpowered character in every respect. He had to have it. ’I’m the only one who can utilize these skills to their full 1,000% potential.’

His impatience spurred him to action. He would get the owner’s attention by posting a provocative comment on the community forums and then contacting him. At the same time, he would present his conditions and plead for understanding. That had been his plan. At least, until a few days ago.

“...Why isn’t he contacting me?”

He should have at least responded in anger. He was expecting to read: [Why is this yours? Did you leave it with me? I found it. If you want it, buy it at the auction.] If only he could get in touch, he was confident he could slowly persuade the man, even while being cursed at. But there was nothing. A full day with no contact meant the seller had no intention of responding. It was absurd to think that the owner of an item with a starting bid of $1 million wouldn’t check the post for an entire day.

So, he changed his method. This time, he sent a friend request. It was a worst-case scenario he didn’t want to imagine, but if his prediction was correct, he should at least be able to exchange a few words with him.

[Simin has accepted your friend request.]

The request was accepted immediately, as if to mock his anxious heart. Dino’s expression darkened. ’It’s worse than I thought.’ With a grim face, he requested a chat.

“Hello. Is it really $100 per minute of conversation?” Simin asked.

“Yes, it is. A pleasure to meet you. My name is Dino.”

“I know. The Legendary Grand Mage.”

A classic money-grubber. It was the most common type of person in modern society, but most people, while loving money, tended to be discreet about it. They also wanted to appear humble and frugal on the outside. But this Han Simin was different. He must have been offended by the comment, but he had judged it unprofitable and mercilessly ignored it. Yet, the moment he was offered $100 per minute, he immediately agreed to a conversation. This brazenness meant he only saw money.

Dino swallowed hard. Persuading someone like this was both the easiest and the most difficult task.

Simin could demand any price, but unfortunately, Dino didn’t have that kind of cash on hand. He had to offer an alternative. The one saving grace was that he was, after all, a genius.

“I apologize for the comment on the community forums. I wanted to contact you somehow, but I had no other way.”

“It’s fine,” Simin said with a dismissive laugh. “I’m not the type to get worked up over some comment on the forums. Besides, the top comments are usually just whatever piece of crap people upvote for a laugh. There’s no need for you to apologize. I’m not bothered at all.”

He was deliberately dragging things out with his stilted, unnatural speech, turning a thirty-second point into a two-minute monologue. ’One obstacle after another,’ Dino thought. ’This guy is tough.’

After he sighed, Dino continued calmly. “As you know, I was fortunate enough to inherit the Ultimate Legendary Grand Mage job, and I need that skill book to maximize its efficiency.”

“Ah! Right. I did have a question about that.”

“Yes, please ask.”

“You didn’t seriously contact me thinking that if you just explained your situation, I’d say, Oh, of course, and hand it over, did you?”

“...Of course not.”

“Then let’s cut the crap and get to the point. The longer we talk, the more money I make, but I’m barely resisting the urge to punch you in the face, you bastard. I’m being patient here.”

Fantastic World’s translation system was seamless, but it tended to soften profanity as much as possible.

Even so, the aggression in his tone was unmistakable. This was Han Simin’s true personality, hidden behind the anonymity of the game.

Dino got straight to the point, laying out what he could offer. “I don’t have the cash on hand to match the skill book’s value right now. But if you sell it to me, I will double whatever amount you have in mind within a year. Please. I have the ability to do it.”

“Ah.”

He was a genius, after all. He could easily make money through stocks; he just chose not to. He’d never thought he’d regret that decision, but now he could only pray his offer would be enough.

“A year? You must be joking. Forget it. We’ve been talking for fifteen minutes, so that’s $1,500. Wire it to the account on my channel. What are you talking about, a year from now? I might not even be alive then.”

“...Excuse me.”

But it was a futile hope. Han Simin had no mercy. It was a natural reaction, really. Who would believe such a promise? Besides, he was expecting a huge cash payout the very next day.

“Damn it.” Dino was crushed. He had always been arrogant, thinking he could make money whenever he wanted, so he’d never bothered to save. He’d never regretted it as much as he did today. What could he do? He thought about calling back to beg, but Simin had already unfriended him. The ever-confident Dino was out of options.

2.

It was like if the Legendary hammer Simin couldn’t obtain was in the hands of another Legendary job holder, and that person was about to put it up for public auction. How frustrating would that be? After all the hell he’d gone through to get his job, with its 200% experience penalty! Without that key item, a Legendary Job was only half legendary.

Thinking about it that way, he felt a little sorry for the guy. But what could he do?

He was a stranger. Besides, it was a treasure that would have never seen the light of day if not for him. If he hadn’t used his enhancement ability—his unique superpower—to upgrade the key, only the useless tamer job would have been revealed from the five chests. There was no need to feel guilty.

“Our predecessors might have been friends, but we’re not.”

If their roles were reversed, there was a 100% chance Dino would have done the same. Who would just give away an item worth at least $1,000,000 to a complete stranger? Still, as he thought about the player who had kept his promise and wired the $1,500, Simin felt a tiny pang of pity. 𝒻𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝘯𝘰𝑣ℯ𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝘮

“Let the auction begin.”

But that feeling vanished the moment the auctioneer spoke.

“Whoa! It’s starting!” Yeseul exclaimed.

“Yeseul, are you sure you should be here?” Simin asked.

“Yeah, my dad hired someone to handle the bidding,” she replied casually.

“...That’s incredible.”

The auction had drawn a far larger crowd than Simin had anticipated. A quick glance revealed that the majority were foreigners—without a doubt, wealthy individuals who had flocked here from all over the world. His heart began to pound with anticipation as the auction officially began.

* * *