God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 97: Episode 19 _ Don_t Worry, I_ll Sell It for a High Price(4)

Chapter 97: Episode 19 _ Don_t Worry, I_ll Sell It for a High Price(4)

7.

I had emptied my entire fortune.

It was an additional expenditure of 1,000 gold coins.

Even though I had handed it over, telling myself I should spend it freely since I got the gold coins for free, watching Squeaker devour it made my hands tremble and my heart rate spike.

Nevertheless, I suppressed the urge to stop him and slowly activated the skill.

’Since 100 gold coins raised it by 5 levels, surely 1,000 gold coins will raise it by at least 20 levels, right?’

My heart wanted to hope for 50 levels, but given the nature of 『Fantastic World』, there was no way it would grant my dreams so easily.

If the game made the required experience points for players obscenely high as they leveled up, would a dragon be any different?

For the first time in a long while, I searched for my conscience and prayed for just an average result.

But that, too, was merely Han Simin’s wishful thinking.

"...It’s just shy of level 20."

’Isn’t this a bit too harsh?’

It only went up by 14 levels.

Thanks to that, however, I now knew exactly how much gold coins was needed to level up.

"What good is knowing? Shit. It’s so expensive I can’t even raise it."

From level 1 to 10, it costs 20 gold coins per level.

From level 11 to 20, it costs 100 gold coins per level.

Then what about from level 20 onwards?

At least 500 gold coins. If the developers were completely shameless, they might demand 1,000 gold coins or even more.

The only saving grace was that from level 11 onwards, the stat points gained per level increased to 10. If not for that, I wouldn’t have been satisfied even after cursing at BetaGo for three hours straight.

"Phew."

But what could I do?

I had to raise it.

It was my child, after all.

Moreover, the biggest worry was that it was still the size of a rat dropping.

"Squeak?"

"What’s so good that you’re screeching, you damn money-eating lump of a child?"

"Squeak!"

I had hoped it would grow larger as its level increased, but perhaps it needed to evolve or satisfy some special condition.

Come to think of it, players also had to reach a certain level to change classes and get stronger, so would a pet be any different?

’Please, let it get a little bigger at level 30.’

Ideally, I wanted it to become huge.

"I don’t think it’s bad that Squeaker is that small. Isn’t it cute and nice?"

"...Squeaker, ignore what that stumpy old lady says. Got it? You are a dragon who is beautiful when you are big and thick."

"Squeak!"

Of course. Of course. It listens well.

I stroked the head of Squeaker, who was nodding vigorously.

Kang Yeseul could say such carefree things because she wasn’t feeding it her own money or raising it herself.

How would she feel if a bird she hatched after feeding it $1,000,000 did nothing but chirp "Squeak" all day and scream for gold coins because it was hungry?

It gave quite helpful buffs, but that was still money coming out of Han Simin’s pocket!

It is every parent’s wish for their child to grow up quickly, become independent, get married, and become a successful adult who sends them an allowance.

"It would be even better if you caught something like a Dark Dragon or a Red Dragon—no, knock them out and bring them back alive. Fresh meat sells better."

"Geez."

To think he could talk about killing its own kind so casually.

And the golden sparrow nodding its head as if that were a great idea was just as bad.

Still, thanks to them, hunting wasn’t boring.

It was quite entertaining to watch Han Simin sitting there, spoon-feeding gold coins to the creature in a desperate struggle for survival.

"This won’t do. I need to buy some more gold coins."

And it was interesting to watch Han Simin stand up with a determined look after observing the sparrow-sized creature for a while.

After all, the most fun things to watch in the world are a fire, a fight, and someone else spending money.

8.

Naturally, I had absolutely no intention of using the $5,200,000 sleeping in my bank account to raise the Gold Dragon.

That money was ready to be used for the game at any time, but money converted into cash was strictly a last resort!

I wasn’t bankrupt in the game, nor was I in a situation where I would lose everything if I didn’t have gold coins right this second. Why would I touch my retirement fund?!

Even though Han Simin was currently obsessed with Squeaker’s growth and wanted to see it grow quickly, he wasn’t so far gone as to do something that stupid.

It was true that I wanted to feed it more money right now, but there were plenty of holes for money to come out of and various methods to get it.

"aide."

"Ah! My lord!"

The first of those was the territory he owned!

A place that was developing and growing day by day, finally escaping the red and accumulating surplus funds thanks to the influx of users hooked by the Main Quest bait!

A bonanza land where sitting on a cushion of money was only a matter of time, provided the vast, unknown lands stretching to the north, east, and south were developed well!

"Give me some money. In gold coins."

As the lord who had dragged such land up from the bottom—no, from the mantle where it had been stuck—invested money that was practically his entire fortune, and even bought and installed magic circles from the Magic Tower to prevent monster invasions, a demand of this magnitude was nothing!

Moreover, hadn’t he played the biggest role in bringing in players? And soon, nobles would come under the pretext of the auction and learn of the greatness of the Rich Territory.

Word of mouth is the stepping stone to success.

It would be nice if 『Fantastic World』 had social media like reality, but even without it, if the Rich Territory was mentioned just three times at each noble party, this place would no longer be a wasteland but a transportation hub and a core territory for entertainment.

"...We have no gold coins in our possession, my lord."

"Eh?"

That was why he was so confident.

Even knowing that outside was full of construction sites.

The center of the territory was now bustling, and merchants were gradually increasing one by one.

Surely nothing bad would happen if I took out a little money.

But what?

"It’s not that you don’t want to give it, but that you don’t have it?"

"Yes, my lord. We are reinvesting the entire fortune of the territory, so there is no cash available to withdraw."

’Crazy.’

"Why?"

If he gave reasons, he could probably list hundreds.

But I had to ask.

"What about the monster corpses I brought? Did the rabbits eat them and run? No. That can’t be."

"...We disposed of them all and immediately invested the proceeds."

"Where on earth?"

"Everything went into building the walls currently surrounding the Rich Territory..."

"Aaaargh!"

So this was what it felt like.

Novels, dramas, movies, and so on.

Whenever they built a building or developed land, time would just pass—a few months later, a few years later—and it seemed like they just gathered some nearby wood and stones to build it roughly. I didn’t know because of that, but experiencing building and developing something in a game that was 150% realistic made me realize the truth.

Breathing and eating weren’t the only things that cost money.

Building, expanding, and making things fancy.

Creating a place for people to live costs even more money.

And all that money was my money.

"Haa. I understand."

Perhaps I might feel proud when it’s all completed.

The sturdy standing walls might look like solid gold coins to me then, but I could erase that cost from my memory with my long experience. Seeing users pass by in admiration and stopping to spend money would make me happy.

But not now.

It was just painful.

With that money, couldn’t I have fed the Gold Dragon until it grew at least a little bit?

He fell silent.

Regret only brings pain to oneself the longer it lasts.

Even if I appealed to my feelings, would that pig-like fool who only knew about the territory understand?

There was no way he would pull stones out of the wall under construction to refund my gold coins.

Dammit.

Why did the aide have to be so uselessly loyal?

At times like this, shouldn’t he have created a slush fund, laughed wickedly, and groveled to the lord?!

I left the lord’s building with heavy steps.

I had to find the next method; what else could I do?

"Haa."

The second method was a bit troublesome.

Yet, before he knew it, Han Simin’s hand had gone into his leather pouch and was gripping a hammer and an anvil.

* * *

In the past, if I had put down an anvil and hammer in the middle of a village and offered proxy enhancement, no player would have been interested.

The price of gold coins, far from dropping, was skyrocketing toward the $120 mark. For players in the midst of leveling up, it was an undeniable fact that investing money in equipment with better options was more efficient than irreversible equipment enhancement.

But this was the Rich Territory.

A place where players within the top 0.1% of the world gathered.

A situation where they faced enemies far stronger than the monsters they usually fought for Act 2 of the Main Quest.

They were bound to feel a lack of specs.

Naturally, they would look for other methods, and rather than fitting additional accessories, they had no choice but to rely on enhancement, which was cheaper.

Furthermore, hadn’t Han Simin’s recognition risen to a different dimension compared to just a few months ago?

The piles of crimson aura weapons shown on broadcasts and the holograms of successful enhancements had built trust among the players.

"How much for enhancement?"

"2 gold coins up to +5, 5 gold coins up to +7, and 10 gold coins up to +11. The price is for every 10% added probability."

"Please just get it to +8 for now."

"Yes, customer."

Of course, they didn’t swarm like bees immediately.

There weren’t many testimonials from people who had experienced it firsthand yet.

A few players with money to spare approached first.

The humble equipment they held out.

Although they had paid a decent amount for it, it dared not even compare to the Special Armor Set from the Imperial Treasury that Han Simin was wearing.

Han Simin, having received the advance payment, stared intently at the player standing awkwardly.

He looked at him questioningly.

"Enhancement stones are also at your own expense, customer."

"Ah. I don’t have those..."

"They are selling them for 2 gold coins each at the enhancement center over there, so please go buy some."

"...Aren’t enhancement stones usually 1 gold coin?"

"I know, right? Maybe it’s because it’s a bit far out here. If you had brought them beforehand, you could have done it cheaper."

He had set up a suitable resident as a figurehead president at the first enhancement center built and was even pulling a thug-like move by selling his own enhancement stones at double the price!

Han Simin’s efforts to raise Squeaker were tear-jerking.

But there was no need to receive sympathy from others.

Han Simin, having received the money, raised his hammer high into the sky.

’Since it’s the first time...’

He only took money for 10%, but there were watching eyes, so it seemed necessary to use a little trickery.

CLANG!

A refreshing sound!

And success!

As always, I never felt nervous enhancing other people’s items.

So what if it breaks?

It’s not mine.

Since that mindset showed on his face, he appeared nothing but calm in the eyes of others.

"Wow."

The first time, it was faint admiration.

The second time, it was a feeling of "Oh?" and the third time was "Huh?"

But most players were those who had gone through standard games.

That enhancement was familiar.

So, he was a bit more generous.

Rather than a service for the player who only hoped for +8, it was a performance to attract more suckers! 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

CLANG! CLANG!

"Whoa!"

+4. +5. +6.

The continuously flashing lights compounded the players’ astonishment.

The ritual of moving seats here and there also stimulated the players’ nostalgia, reminding them of their memories.

Who hasn’t prayed, bowed, or performed a ritual in front of the computer over an enhancement button at least once?

At the success of +7, soulless exclamations no longer popped out.

"...Wow!"

There was only sincere respect.

And at +8, the potential exploded.

"Please do mine too!"

"Me too!"

Han Simin smiled as he watched the players flocking with money.

’You guys are lucky suckers. I’ll give you a special 10% service.’

Today’s service for the sake of tomorrow!

The first step of the Rich Territory toward earning the title of "Enhancement Hotspot" was beginning.