God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 179: Episode 36_Hand It Over (1)

1.

Smiling at Kenji, Simin began calculating just how much he could squeeze out of him.

Meanwhile, Jeong Seolah stepped onto the platform to receive the rewards given to ranks two through ten.

The smile on her lips showed no sign of leaving as she accepted them.

On a stage packed with grim, dark-clad men, her radiant smile bloomed, and for the spectators, it felt as if their own hardships were finally being rewarded.

That was how great an honor ninth place was.

Great enough that even the ever-composed Jeong Seolah couldn’t hide her grin.

The intangible value of this achievement far exceeded the reward personally bestowed by the Emperor.

A Guild Ranking Hall of Fame would immediately be created on the 『Fantastic World』 community forums, and more importantly, they would finally shake off some of the disadvantages that came with being mere “adventurers” in the game world.

No, the Specialists had now shed the adventurer penalty completely.

This wasn’t just ninth place; it was ninth in the guild rankings for the entire continent.

Who would dare look down on them or gossip about them just for being adventurers?

Even if others didn’t respect them, fear alone would keep them in line.

“Thank you, Mr. Simin.”

“Don’t thank me. We’re all just helping each other out in life.”

“Don’t worry about the taxes or buying the building. I already spoke to my father. Let’s meet up in person soon.”

“Sure.”

And so, the Specialists’ run in the guild selection tournament came to an end, their relationship of perfect reciprocity upheld as always.

All under the burning glare of Kenji, who watched from afar with clenched fists.

* * *

“Guild Master, are you really just going to let that slide?” Dino asked, biting his lip.

They had lost. Again.

This was a competition they absolutely should have won.

On paper, their calculations had been perfect. In practice, they had surged ahead from the start, opening up such a wide gap that, for the first time in a long while, they had practically erased the Specialists from their minds.

Or so it had seemed.

Then, at some point, the Specialists had come charging up as if to mock them. In the end, they not only overtook the Kenji Guild but rocketed all the way to ninth place.

It was as if they had never even considered the Kenji Guild a rival.

That was what stung the most.

’I saw them as a competitor,’ Dino thought, ’but they saw me as a joke.’

The Kenji Guild’s name was still within the top 100, an incredible honor for a player guild, and being the second-ranked player guild was nothing to scoff at.

But there is a world of difference between first and second.

Between ninth and seventieth.

Objectively, it was an impressive result, but in comparison, it was nothing to brag about.

That only deepened the sense of futility.

Fortunately, their frustration didn’t end there.

“It all started when that dragon appeared,” one member muttered.

“The Black Dragon. I don’t know how, but it’s on the Specialists’ side.”

“What will you do, Guild Master?”

“What’s done is done. We can’t turn back a ship that’s already sailed.”

Kenji and Dino were not so weak as to crumble over a single defeat.

They accepted reality and looked to the future.

Revenge, if the opportunity arose. Growth, if it didn’t.

Only those who could accept reality were capable of either.

“I’ve already taken measures,” Kenji said calmly. “The Specialists and the Black Dragon—there may be no hard evidence, but there are more than enough witnesses.”

“As expected of you, Guild Master. Besides, the 『Fantastic World』 scenario is only now entering its midgame. There’s no need to sprint just yet.”

“Right. As long as we’re the ones laughing in the end, we win.”

“I will be with you to the very end.”

“It’s reassuring to have you, Dino.”

They consoled themselves, grinding their teeth.

And they prayed.

They prayed that their own final gamble would work, and that the disgusting expression on Han Simin’s face would finally freeze over.

“The Emperor won’t be able to overlook this just because he’s his son-in-law. A human who has joined forces with a traitor... that’s the kind of person the Emperor hates most.”

Unfortunately, they had no solid proof.

But countless people had seen it.

They had seen the woman who appeared after the dragon vanished, wielding high-circle magic.

They had seen how a portion of the Cliffs of Fall remained a disaster zone where no living thing could approach because of her.

That was more than enough.

For the rumor mill, such circumstantial evidence wasn’t just sufficient—it was a luxury.

Satisfied, the Kenji Guild also departed the Imperial Palace.

Thus, the noisy, boisterous guild selection tournament came to an end.

* * *

The Specialists, declaring that they would now prepare for Act 3 of the Main Quest, departed for the Rich Territory.

Han Simin had a mountain of tasks to deal with, chief among them settling his accounts with Kenji, but his first stop was a visit to the Emperor.

“So? Your son-in-law did a decent job saving your face, didn’t I?”

The Emperor remained silent.

“It’s a shame. If we’d had just a little more time, we would’ve taken first. Now that I’ve got the hang of it, I’ll get you first place next time.”

He was there to brag.

“You’ve worked hard.”

“Oh, Your Highness, you get prettier by the day.”

“Oh my. You’re making me blush.”

“What’s there to blush about between husband and wife?”

And he was there to see the Princess.

’A breadwinner has to protect his family life, even when he’s busy!’ he thought. ’I need to keep grinding that affection score so it’ll be easier to take over the continent later.’

Even if it was an act, what could be better?

She was beautiful, had a great figure, was gentle and sweet, and even liked him.

It was an act that could easily become genuine.

“Hmm.”

Watching the two of them fawning over each other, the Emperor let out an awkward cough.

Then he asked, as calmly as he could, “Is it true that you joined hands with the Black Dragon?”

The faint anger in his voice made it clear he already suspected it was true.

He was only holding back because the Princess was present.

If she hadn’t been there, his expression said he would have killed Simin ten times over before even starting the conversation. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

Or perhaps he was caught between belief and disbelief.

He had heard enough testimony to find the claims credible, but he still had to hear both sides of the story.

That was how serious this was.

An alliance with a traitor.

That meant only one thing.

So, he was forcing down his own nature, using the Princess as an excuse, and asking.

Because he wanted the truth.

He was furious, but he was also curious.

If it was true, then why?

Why would the Black Dragon, a being whose name had spread more terror across the continent centuries ago than any demon, do such a thing?

And for a mere human—a fledgling adventurer, at that.

If she were to contract with a human, there were countless mercenaries far stronger than him who had flocked to the Emperor’s banner back then.

He wanted to break free of his confusion.

He wanted to hear it straight.

Simin could deny it, of course.

He should deny it.

Part of the Emperor even wished he would.

If he did, the Emperor could at least force himself to believe it.

“Yes.”

“...What?”

But Han Simin neatly kicked that hope aside and nodded.

He seemed to be mocking the headache that had plagued the Emperor for days.

“This is the Black Dragon right here.”

The Emperor was speechless.

Then he pulled back the robe of the woman who had followed him in—Kardian.

The Emperor gasped in shock.

A breathtaking beauty was revealed, enough to make even the Princess gasp.

At the same time, the Emperor was struck speechless.

’What is this? How am I supposed to process this situation?’

While he floundered in confusion, Han Simin handled it with perfect composure.

“I was going to tell you first. Go on, introduce yourself. This is my father-in-law.”

“So you are the master of this continent.”

The Emperor could not find his voice.

"D-Dear, who is this woman?"

Unfortunately, he and the Princess were the only composed ones.

The only one who couldn’t adapt was the Emperor.

2.

The Emperor pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to ease the throbbing headache.

“Whew.”

If he didn’t, he felt he wouldn’t be able to endure the stress that came with every single one of his meetings with Han Simin.

A dragon, of all things.

“So that is truly a dragon?”

“Yes. She’s my slave.”

The Emperor stared at him blankly.

The Black Dragon Kardian.

Her name occupied only a single line in the history books, but that line alone was an object of terror.

Just reading about her atrocities was enough to make one’s skin crawl; the thought of facing her in person could make one’s entire body tremble.

Yet the Kardian sitting before him now projected none of that terror.

When he first learned she was the Black Dragon, he had felt that fear, but it had subsided after a short time.

That was probably around the moment he realized that, in this utterly surreal situation, he was the only sane one in the room.

“Honey, she really is your slave, right?”

“Yeah, of course. You know I don’t cheat.”

“Yes. I believe you.”

The Princess clung to Han Simin in alarm, warily eyeing Kardian.

Simin accepted her embrace casually and ordered Kardian to bring them tea.

In an atmosphere like this, what would happen if the Emperor suddenly flew into a rage and tried to throw his weight around?

Nothing.

No one here would so much as flinch.

Haa.

“So anyway, I happened to run into her, and she said she wanted to atone for her past sins,” Simin explained. “So I told her, Serve under me. I’m a hero who runs around working for the continent, so let’s protect it together. That’s how she became my slave.”

The Emperor rubbed his face, speechless.

He didn’t want to believe such an absurd story.

But in the end, he had to choose whether to believe it or not.

The fact was, he had received the reports, and in his mind, he had already filed Han Simin away as exactly the kind of bastard who wouldn’t hesitate to join hands with the very traitor who had once plunged the continent into terror.

It was entirely in character.

The only question was: who held the leash?

Who had the upper hand?

It was ridiculous to even consider such a dynamic between a dragon and a human.

’And yet...’

From what he had just witnessed, Han Simin was clearly in control.

If Kardian really was a dragon, there was no way she would play along with this farce.

“Dian, bark.”

Kardian hesitated for a moment.

“Oh? You’re not going to?”

“...Woof.”

Absolutely not.

In the end, the Emperor had no choice but to accept it.

“Honestly, if I’d revealed this earlier, I would’ve taken first place. But I kept it hidden on purpose. I figured she’d come in handy later when the demons start pouring in. And what do I get for it? Suspicion. Let me guess, those bastards from the Kenji Guild tattled, right? Didn’t they? Those little shits, I swear I’m going to—”

“I understand,” the Emperor cut in.

“In any case, keep this between us, Your Majesty. And if rumors like this start spreading, arrest whoever’s responsible for slander and throw them in a cell.”

He nodded.

A human who kept a dragon as a slave.

He hated himself for even wondering if he should put that in the history books.

He was supposed to be the one who had conquered the continent, hailed as the greatest ruler in history.

How had it come to this?

“Go.”

He waved his hand, wanting nothing more than to get this infuriating adventurer out of his sight.

Ideas on how to use the dragon through Han Simin flickered through his mind, but he erased them at once.

Right now, the dragon wasn’t the problem.

The problem was that to use the dragon, he had to go through Han Simin.

“You’re just going to send me away? Treating family like this, doubting me, and not even compensating me for the emotional damage?”

The Emperor looked at him with tired eyes.

This was a man who could sell sand in the desert.

If he was already whining about family and emotional damages over something this trivial, what would he demand in return for the use of a dragon?

He didn’t even want to think about it.

He would rather live in ignorance.

He would be satisfied simply knowing that the dragon wouldn’t go berserk and reopen the hell of centuries past.

A man who had always needed to see things through to the bitter end found himself abandoning that nature.

Suddenly, he longed desperately for a quiet, stable life.

Having secured permission to live with a dragon, Han Simin let out a small chuckle and dropped the act.

“Your Majesty, one more thing—please grant me a small plot of land on the Empire’s frontier. I need to deal with an insolent bastard.”

“Take it.”

“Yes, thank you. Ah! And now that I have some free time, I’ll go enhance the Symbol of the Empire for you.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened.

Then, tossing the Emperor a carrot, he left the palace.

* * *