God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 169: Episode 33_So Sue Me (6)

10.

His vision flickered, and the background shifted from the auction house to a forest.

He blinked in confusion.

His brain processed the situation faster than his mouth could shout, ’What the hell kind of rude stunt is this?’

That was only possible because Han Simin cherished his own life with almost pathological care.

A mysterious beauty. Physical contact at the wrist. Then Teleport.

What did it all mean?

There weren’t enough clues. The immediate circumstances alone were insufficient, but fortunately, Han Simin’s brain spun like a top whenever profit was on the line.

One particular episode came to mind.

Why was he selling items at an auction house in the middle of the Guild Selection Tournament? Where had those items come from? Who did the stolen goods originally belong to? And how strong was that original owner?

When he followed that chain of thought to its end, he arrived at a single conclusion.

’A dragon?’

It was the most plausible guess.

The Teleport he knew of was at least a 7th-circle spell. No player should be capable of using that spell at this stage, which meant she had to be an NPC. But why would an NPC suddenly drag him off to some gloomy forest?

More importantly, there was another reason the odds favored "dragon" over "NPC."

’She’s way too pretty.’

She didn’t look human; she was that flawless.

It felt like he could make her a celebrity and become a billionaire without ever needing his enhancement skill again. She wouldn’t even need to talk, dance, or sing. She was on that level. She had a charm that pulled the viewer in, and that wasn’t something mere looks alone could accomplish.

“Who are you?” he asked carefully.

His anger management issues were a sly disease that manifested as a disability in front of the strong and a talent in front of the weak. There was no need to get mad until he knew who he was dealing with.

At his question, Kardian smiled seductively. Even her smile overflowed with allure.

“Looks like I was right.”

“About what?”

“You’re the human who robbed my lair.”

He was speechless.

’So she is a dragon.’

Her blunt words, which cut straight through any attempt at wordplay or feigned ignorance, left Han Simin speechless, as if she were his natural enemy.

What excuse could he possibly make? She had come here knowing everything, and he had been caught selling the heart of one of her own kind right in front of her.

There were only two possible responses.

Admit it.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about...”

Or deny it.

Naturally, Han Simin chose the latter.

The phrase “admit I was wrong” did not exist in his life. Admission meant refunds, and refunds meant losses.

Any money that had entered his account was his, no matter what.

He brazenly slapped on his +15 shameless face and casually turned his back. He took a step away, his gait smooth and unhurried, as if he had just been continuing on his way after answering a random question from a stranger.

“Do you have a death wish, human?”

He stopped.

Kardian didn’t let him go so easily.

He sighed and turned back around.

’So even this trick doesn’t work.’

Kardian hadn’t actually done anything yet, but the mere fact that she was a dragon was enough to put him in such a bind.

Realizing that, Han Simin shook his head.

’Get a grip, Simin. Dragon or not, as long as you keep your head, you’ll be fine. When has your life ever been easy? Just don’t lose the goods. You can throw away your life a hundred times over if you have to.’

With that in mind, Han Simin pulled out his final card.

’...Man, this was the one thing I really didn’t want to use.’

“So what!”

“...What?”

“So what do you want me to do about it? Yeah, I robbed you! Why? What about it?”

She was too stunned to speak.

“How is that my fault, huh? You left your front door wide open, piled gold and jewels inside like you were begging someone to steal them, and then went out. That’s on the homeowner! Huh? Say something! You’re a dragon—if you’re short a few coins, you can just go earn more. And you came all this way to hunt down one little human over that? Aren’t you embarrassed?”

It was the thief crying, "Stop, thief!"

Kardian’s body trembled. With rage. And with sheer disbelief.

It seemed Han Simin’s last-ditch tactic had worked quite well.

“How dare you... A mere human...”

“What? You gonna hit me? Go on, hit me! Hit me! As expected, a barbaric lizard like you has nothing going for you but brute strength, huh?”

If he was going to die anyway, he might as well shred her nerves on the way out. That way, at least he wouldn’t die feeling cheated.

As Han Simin prepared himself for death in his own proper way, Kardian clenched her fist, lips pressed tight.

Then she drew up her mana.

She concentrated.

A minuscule amount answered her call, but she didn’t let it show.

She didn’t need much. He was just a human. He wasn’t one of the Five Heroes, so there was no need to pour a lot of mana into the attack. It would have been better if she were in her true body, but even in her polymorphed state, her physical abilities were more than solid.

This little human was nothing. She would finish him quickly and withdraw before other humans could swarm in.

With that thought, her fist flew.

Unlike humans, dragons did not hesitate. They thought, and then they acted.

Even Han Simin was surprised by her decisiveness. He hadn’t actually expected her to throw a punch.

’Yep, definitely a savage lizard.’

Even as he clicked his tongue, he calmly raised his guard. She was fast, but not as fast as he had imagined.

’I can block this.’

’She’s a dragon, but is it because I’ve been fighting such high-level monsters?’ He didn’t have many wins under his belt, but the monsters he had met in the Mountains of the Crash had been about this fast.

He could see her fist. That was enough.

He wouldn’t die in one hit. Then he would just have to run. He had steeled himself for death, but if an opportunity to live appeared, of course he would take it.

THUD.

With a dull sound, an impact that made him instinctively grimace slammed through his entire body. He felt no pain, but the chunk taken out of his HP bar was infuriating. It would probably bottom out.

“...Huh?”

She looked bewildered.

That was what he thought—until he checked.

A baffled sound escaped him.

Kardian, too, froze in place, as if the result was not what she had intended. Her extended fist and his raised guard had definitely collided with a tremendous crash.

But the outcome was a little different from what they had both expected.

No, very different.

“What, are you going easy on me?”

She remained silent.

“No? Or is it because I’m a woman? Are female dragons weaker? More of a magic type?”

She didn’t answer.

That unexpected result was enough to bring out the worst in Han Simin in under a second.

He poured out every kind of insult that would make even a bystander feel offended.

It was the natural progression. The moment he sized her up, his future changed as well.

’I think I can win this.’

Han Simin began pulling precious items out of his subspace, one after another.

* * *

Kardian’s pride was so high it pierced the sky, crossed the universe, and reached all the way to the Demon Realm.

She had been born at the very top of the continent’s food chain, she possessed the pride of the educated, and she had such self-love that she had even betrayed and looked down on her own kind.

That was why, even when humans had swarmed her lair, she had refused to swallow her pride and call in other monsters, and why she had restrained herself from being the first to tuck tail and run.

But that had only been because she had been certain her life was not in danger.

Pride is something you can only wield while you are alive. Once you are dead and gone, what use is all that lofty pride?

Kardian, cleverer than most, understood this better than anyone.

And right now, she felt her life was in danger.

She swallowed hard.

’What is this human? How did he block that? No, have I gotten weaker? That can’t be...’

Confusion flooded in from all sides.

It was an unusual state for a dragon. No matter the situation, things had never gone so far off the rails from her calculations.

Her deliberation did not last long.

Han Simin, too, was someone who never hesitated when it came to putting thought into action.

WHOOSH!

His hammer came crashing down toward her.

’Should I dodge? Block?’

In the midst of her confusion, she still clung to what pride she had left. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

’Fine. Maybe I just didn’t put my full strength into that last one. Or maybe this human is just stupidly tanky.’

She didn’t want to belittle her own power based on a hasty judgment. Her pride was too strong to tuck her tail and run just because one attack had been blocked.

BAM!

Another clash rang out.

The hammer against Kardian’s slender arm.

“Kgh.”

The result did not change.

Kardian let out a faint groan. Unlike players, she was a living being in Fantastic World. She felt pain, and she could cry out from it.

Just twice.

With only two exchanges, their opposing reactions had already decided the outcome.

Kardian quickly weighed her next option.

’Can I run?’

She had no mana. In terms of physical ability, the human in front of her had a slight edge.

“W-wait!”

The tables had turned.

Naturally, so had the roles of master and servant.

* * *

“I—I’ll only take half back!”

“Half of what?”

“My treasures...”

“And what exactly are your treasures?”

“The things you stole...”

“Huh? What did I steal?”

She was speechless.

Han Simin folded his arms, one leg cocked, and dug a finger in his ear.

He had been tense because she was a dragon, but she was nothing special. Or maybe she just wasn’t that strong in human form. He didn’t know enough to make a definitive judgment, but either way, the situation was now in his hands.

Naturally, his attitude at the negotiating table flipped completely.

“Fine. I, in my great generosity, will allow you, a human, to keep the treasures of my lair on the condition that I get back one-third.”

“Get lost.”

“I may be unable to kill you right now due to... circumstances, but once I return and recover my mana...”

“What was that? All I hear is some loser lizard shaking with rage because she can’t even handle one human.”

“...You little—!”

“What, bitch?”

“Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”

“Yup. I plan to live a long life. Gotta grind like a dog to do that.”

To Han Simin, who fully intended to live until he was old enough to smear shit on the walls, that kind of curse didn’t even register. If he were the type to cave to threats like this, he never would have made it this far. He would be groveling in front of the Emperor, reading the room, and eking out pocket change from enhancement work in some quiet rural village by now.

On top of that, after spending only a few hours face-to-face with a dragon, his illusions and preconceptions about them had already shattered.

“Fine, then.”

After probing him a few times and finding no angle of attack, Kardian sighed and issued her final ultimatum.

“Just one. Give me back just one thing.”

Her eyes were earnest. Not a threat this time, but a plea.

With her perfect, human beauty, the look in her eyes was so captivating that no man could easily resist it. It was the kind of moment where your head might nod before you even realized it.

But Han Simin shook his head.

Firmly.

For one simple reason.

“No. You’ll get spoiled.”

She stared at him blankly.

It wouldn’t be hard to give it back. He had gotten everything for free anyway, and if returning one item meant he could shed the label of "thief," he would be able to sell the rest with a clear conscience.

But he was looking further ahead. He refused for the sake of that future.

And then he tossed out some bait.

“Let’s at least hear what it is. If it’s something I don’t really need, I might give it back.”

It was the most obvious bait in the world. His sly, narrow-eyed look screamed that he was trying to reel her in, but Kardian was too desperate to care.

“The Heart you were selling at the auction. Just give that back. It’s my mother’s keepsake.”

“Oh? Is that so?”

At her honest confession, Han Simin pulled the box out from his coat.

His original plan had been to use his advantageous position to gouge the dragon and sell it back to her at a markup, but that plan was out the window now.

“You want it?”

She nodded.

“Then just sign one thing for me.”

This time, Han Simin held out a sheet of paper.