God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 155: Episode 31_You Come In on Your Terms, but You Leave on Mine (2)

Chapter 155: Episode 31_You Come In on Your Terms, but You Leave on Mine (2)

3.

Huh?

Everyone froze. Had they misheard? No.

An even deeper silence than before settled over the battlefield. It was only natural. Earlier, they had been debating whether to participate in this “side story” as bystanders. Now, each of them had to decide, as the protagonist of their own story, which side to take.

It was a strange situation.

“Which side are the good guys?”

“Who cares about that right now?”

“True.”

“The question is, which side pays better.”

The tension that had been pressing down on the battlefield vanished. All that remained was everyone trying to read the room.

In that atmosphere, the players who finished their calculations fastest were the first to move.

RUMBLE.

“Thank you. I won’t forget this favor.”

These were the ones who decided that the odds of being one of a hundred survivors in a suicide squad were better—if only by lottery-ticket margins—than the odds of their sword landing the killing blow on one of the four when thousands of people were ganging up on them.

In other words, the riffraff. They believed they had made the smartest choice, but in truth, they were the ones thinking the least.

’We’ll filter these guys out later.’

Even so, Han Simin welcomed them with a smile. Even people like this were useful right now. There was no way the four of them could break out of this alone.

“Then I’ll be counting on you.”

“WRAAAAH!”

“Out of the way!”

“They’re on our side! Cease fire! Help them! I need my weapon at +13!”

Thanks to them, a small path opened up almost by accident. Just minutes ago, these people had been strangers charging toward a common goal; now they were clearing a path for their former enemy. What were they supposed to do? Swinging their swords felt... awkward.

That was when Kenji’s guild members stepped up.

“Attack! The guild master promised five gold coins for every traitor’s head!”

The players were shocked.

Another twist, another betrayal. The battlefield plunged into chaos again as the cunning of Han Simin and the late Kenji clashed. The hundred-plus players who had switched sides now found themselves locking eyes with the rest of the expedition.

And hell began.

“WRAAAAH!”

An antlion pit, born from money being flung from both directions.

* * *

Han Simin’s forces dwindled quickly. It was, in a way, inevitable. Even if around two hundred people had joined him, the enemy still numbered in the thousands. It was roughly a seven-to-one difference, and the larger force was surrounding the smaller one. There was no way for them to truly resist. Above all, the difference in individual power was huge.

“Knew it wouldn’t work.”

The others remained silent.

Han Simin had known. He had never really expected much. The wild promise of “+13 for a hundred people, for free” hadn’t been for their benefit.

“Oppa, what do we do? Shouldn’t we use this chance to run?”

“That’s what I’m saying. Try opening a path.”

“There are too many of them.”

He bantered halfheartedly with Kang Yeseul, his eyes glued to the shifting tides of the battlefield.

It would have been better to cut down as many enemies as possible while players were still on his side, but instead of swinging his hammer, he watched the chaos, biding his time and searching for an opening.

’The world is a big place, and it’s full of sly bastards.’

The thought genuinely impressed him.

He had been quite proud of himself, thinking he’d wrung every last drop of brainpower from his exhausted mind to come up with that brilliant, last-ditch plan. Yet even after hearing his offer, some players had coolly assessed the situation, done the math, and were now waiting to play their own angle.

The battlefield was too chaotic to see everything clearly, but it takes a scumbag to know one. A single sweep of his gaze was all Han Simin needed.

While everyone else, blinded by gold, fought as if their lives depended on it, a few players had quietly backed away, hovering just outside the most dangerous areas.

They weren’t Kenji Guild members, which meant they wanted something else entirely.

He still didn’t like them—a bunch of materialistic scum—but the situation was dire enough that he needed every hand he could get.

When the number of players on his side had dwindled to almost nothing, he shouted again.

“+14 for fifty people!”

“...”

* * *

4.

Kenji, having been forcibly logged out, watched the battle unfold in real time.

He was watching Han Simin’s stream—the stream of the man he wanted to tear apart with his bare hands.

And he had paid $200 for the privilege.

He didn’t have much choice. He could have watched someone else’s stream, but the area was so crowded that finding a broadcast with a clear, steady view was difficult. His own guild members had already pulled back, so they were no help.

Against this backdrop, the scheme Han Simin was pulling was absurd to the point of disbelief.

—Wow. He’s really doing it like that?

—And what’s with all the idiots happily running over there?

—I kind of get it, though. I’d want to be on his side, too. A +13 enhancement is no joke...

They were members of Kenji’s own expedition, but they had no real loyalty to him; they were just players who had come for the money. Now, they were switching sides.

It was still a minority, and the expeditionary force still had the upper hand, but the mood had soured enough that Kenji decided he had to act. He contacted his guild members and put a bounty on the traitors’ heads as well.

The war reignited, and Han Simin’s crisis returned with full force—right before something else blew up.

—+14?

—Has he lost his mind?

—Down to fifty people and he’s offering +14... At that point, you have to assume even core members might defect.

Just as the chat predicted, another wave of players bolted.

Han Simin had clearly said the offer was limited to fifty people, but no one cared about the number. There were still plenty of enemies to fight through, and they all figured that if they could just make it to a safe area, others would die along the way, naturally whittling the headcount down to fifty—with them among the survivors.

The situation swung back toward an even match.

No, compared to before, it had improved so dramatically that one might say the momentum had actually shifted to Han Simin’s side.

“...”

In the midst of it all, Kenji sat frowning, unable to issue any orders.

It wasn’t just that he was dumbfounded; he was too busy calculating.

’What should I do?’

He had no proof, but he was certain those promises were empty. If he started making his own empty promises to match them, the honor and trust he had so carefully built could crumble in an instant.

Besides, if push came to shove, Han Simin could actually deliver +14 enhancements for fifty people. For the recipients, it would be an insane windfall, but for someone with Simin’s skill, it was just a matter of investing a little time.

Kenji, on the other hand, would be bleeding money no matter what he did.

A ridiculous amount of money.

One wrong word, and he could find himself in a situation that cost more than it was worth. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

In fact, it was already happening.

Over two hundred players who had sided with Han Simin were already dead, which meant a thousand gold coins at five per head. Now, over a hundred more had defected, bringing the total potential payout to around fifteen hundred gold.

At this rate, it might honestly be better to just be the bad guy and stiff them.

That was the scale of the loss.

And that was when Han Simin delivered the final blow.

“+15 for fifteen people! Please, just let me live, sirs!”

What was being broadcast could no longer be called a war or hell.

It was a complete shitshow.

The beginning of a total and utter shitshow.

* * *

—You are now witnessing what happens when a human completely loses his mind over a game.

—Is this Fantastic World or a battle royale?

—Seriously, I’ve got chills.

—What the hell is a +15 enhancement that people are betraying their own comrades for it?

—+15... It is insane. Look at that guy’s gear. Every single piece is +15.

—Honestly, I’d betray them too. It’s not like I feel any guild pride, and I’m not getting anything out of this. If I somehow end up as one of the lucky fifteen, that’s better than winning the lottery.

—[Breaking] A post just went up on a trading site offering $2,000,000 for a +15 enhancement ticket.

The stream had long since left "cinematic" or "off the record" behind and was barreling straight into a trash fire, but viewers couldn’t tear their eyes away.

They understood, and yet they couldn’t.

On one hand, they thought, ’This is only possible because it’s a game.’ On the other, they wondered, ’Would I really want to go that far?’

Of course, the viewer count kept climbing by the minute.

From viewership alone, Han Simin was raking in enough money that even if he actually gave fifteen people +15 enhancements as promised, he would still make a whistle-worthy profit.

Watching people fight tooth and nail to protect Han Simin and the Specialists was better than any premium content.

In practical terms, the war was over.

All that remained were Kenji’s guild members, awaiting orders, and the players locked in life-or-death duels to decide who would be among the final fifteen.

Han Simin, who had been hiding somewhere, reappeared on Ppaeaek-i’s back and watched the spectacle while munching on popcorn.

With his rabbits.

Time passed. When the number of survivors had noticeably dropped—

“Hello?”

Han Simin answered a call from the real world.

The stream went silent for a moment.

And then—

“AAAAAAARGH! FUUUUUUUUCK!”

[The broadcast has ended.]

—Huh?

—????????????????????????

He vanished.

From the stream, and from the battlefield.

* * *

5.

The Specialists were just as stunned as everyone else.

Even so, Jeong Seolah calmly assessed the situation and, instead of trying to find a solution, chose to log out.

Their characters would remain in place, but with Ppaeaek-i and the rabbits there, she judged they would be fine one way or another.

She immediately called Han Simin.

“Haah... Yes, Seolah.”

“Did something happen?”

The deep sigh and the noticeably heavier tone in his voice made Jeong Seolah ask with concern.

’What? What happened?’

She had assumed it was all just a ploy to grab the loot and run.

Fifteen people, +15 enhancements.

Compared to the value of all the rare items Han Simin owned, plus his life, plus two days of his time, it was a reward he could afford to offer. But knowing his personality, there was no way he would actually enhance other people’s gear for free so easily.

She had been sure he would pull a last-minute betrayal, either leaving no one alive or just bolting.

Seeing him scream and log out, she had concluded it was the latter.

But now, hearing his voice, she was starting to think she might be wrong.

Of course, even this could be an act, but there was no reason for him to put on a performance for her.

“It’s bad.”

“What...?”

“Let’s talk in person. Haah...”

If even the ever-cheerful Han Simin sounded like this, there had to be a reason.

Kang Yeseul and Jeong Hyeonsu also gathered, the three of them meeting up for the first time in a while.

Han Simin naturally ordered beer and started knocking it back.

“Ahh.”

“So? What’s going on?”

“Haah... I’m screwed.”

“What is it?” even Kang Yeseul, who was usually at odds with him, asked anxiously.

People who bicker the most often end up with the deepest bond.

With that much worry etched across Han Simin’s face, she couldn’t help but be concerned.

“Did you drop an item or something?”

“No.”

“Then... did something happen with your family?”

“No.”

“Ugh, then what is it?!”

Of course, her personality hadn’t changed. Frustrated, Kang Yeseul took a swig of beer herself.

After a brief hesitation, Han Simin finally spoke.

“I’ve got reserve training tomorrow.”

“...?”

“Huh?”

“I was too busy playing to notice, but yeah. That’s what the notice said.”

“...”

The three of them, who had grown somewhat accustomed to the day’s barrage of random developments, just stared blankly in disbelief.

Then they burst out laughing.

And felt oddly moved.

“So you’re just a normal guy in real life, too.”

They had thought he wasn’t of this world, that you could stab him and not a single drop of blood would come out.

At the same time, they couldn’t help but be impressed by the sheer authority of the military.

“To think even the great Han Simin trembles before it.”

“Trembles? I’m just extremely annoyed, pissed off, and unmotivated, that’s all.”

“Either way. So you can’t play starting tomorrow?”

“Two nights, three days.”

“Then what about the war? Are you just going to dine and dash like this?”

“I can’t do that.”

Han Simin took another gulp of beer and smiled.

He had never intended to dine and dash.

It might be “just a game,” but to him, it was his workplace. How could someone who lived by his reputation commit such a disgraceful act?

As things stood, he had technically pulled a dine-and-dash for the moment, but he had absolutely no intention of abandoning the situation.

So he leaned in and lowered his voice.

He was about to ask them to handle things while he was gone.

“When I log in tomorrow, the first thing I’ll do is...”

* * *