God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 180: Episode 36_Hand It Over (2)

3.

With the Main Quest assistance and the guild selection tournament over, Han Simin was left with two options: enhancement or leveling.

They were the fundamental goals of any game, and the most straightforward path to powering up his character.

Naturally, standing at that fork in the road, he chose the former.

“I’m not leveling.”

To hell with levels.

He had been level 49. Even after the Main Quest and the guild selection tournament—after killing countless monsters, hundreds, if not thousands of them, all more than thirty levels above him—he was only level 56.

It was a significant gain.

Seven levels in such a short span were enough to make anyone gasp.

But so what?

It meant nothing. The moment he became conscious of his level, the EXP bar refused to budge.

He toyed with the idea of closing the gap with the Specialists, who had passed level 60 and were heading for the mid-60s, but the thought of grinding purely for EXP made him want to puke.

He would rather just happen to hunt monsters while he was out doing enhancement work.

He had given up on leveling from the very start.

Which left only enhancement.

And there was no shortage of things to enhance.

“I should be able to handle the Symbol of the Empire now, right?”

The item he had received so long ago, he could barely remember it, only to promptly forget about it.

A treasure that would let him squeeze the most money out of a single enhancement.

“I also have to burn through all the gold Squeaker ate. So much to do.”

Even in a 2D online game, developers could keep players from getting bored just by repeating a few patterns.

But this was 『Fantastic World』.

An entire world.

A world teeming with natives already living their own lives behind their own walls.

And he was in the process of adapting to, conquering, and ruling that world.

The idea that there was “nothing to do” was absurd.

The longer you played, the more seriously you immersed yourself, the more you felt that truth in your bones.

Not even someone like Han Simin, who bulldozed his way forward with broken luck and overpowered abilities, could escape it. 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

Whew.

He took a deep breath, steadying himself.

Just because he had gotten close to the Emperor didn’t mean he could swallow the Empire whole.

He had to become stronger.

Not bound to a dragon by a pact, but strong enough to make her submit by sheer force.

To do that, he needed to go back to basics.

What was the first thing he should do?

After making his decision, Han Simin logged out.

* * *

He took a warm shower and quickly got ready to go out.

“Gotta spend some money before I can play.”

Before enhancement or anything else, the first thing on his list was his long-standing, lifelong dream: becoming a building owner.

Of course, the process would be complicated.

There would be a lot to learn and even more to pay.

But he wasn’t worried.

He had reliable allies, didn’t he?

“Yeah, I’m heading out now.”

—“Oppa, you know my dad’s putting his personal team on this for you, right?”

“I know, you brat. I’m a man who understands give-and-take.”

—“Seolah and I talked it over. We want you to help us get to level 100.”

“What level are you now?”

—“Sixty-six.”

He was speechless.

—“Oppa, you know this isn’t something money alone can buy, right?”

His allies had picked up all his worst habits and were constantly looking for chances to milk him, but he didn’t find it annoying in the slightest.

If anything, it felt good.

This was exactly the kind of relationship Han Simin wanted.

If you needed something, you asked for it and paid a fair price.

How clean was that?

There was no need to tiptoe around when asking for favors, and no reason for anyone’s feelings to get hurt.

A simple, cool relationship.

“Deal.”

After sealing the agreement, he pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, grabbed his wallet and phone, and stepped out the door.

It had been a long time since he’d gone out.

Not just a long time—a really long time.

“Did I go out a month ago...?”

He couldn’t remember anything before that. His most recent memory of leaving his apartment was sometime before the guild selection tournament.

That was how convenient the world had become.

As long as you had money, you could live without taking a single step outside.

He was thinking that maybe he could live like this forever when, the moment he stepped out of the elevator—

“Jesus, what the hell? Why is it so cold?”

Han Simin turned around and went back up to his apartment.

He pulled out a down parka, shrugged it on, and headed out again.

At the same time, he checked his phone.

December 2nd.

The season had changed since he’d last left the house.

4.

Jeong Seolah looked stunning in a coat.

Did she really need any other description?

The coat couldn’t hide her curves, and at five feet seven inches tall, her legs drew the eye of everyone in the café, men and women alike.

Her looks alone were enough to prove the legend—confirmed by Kang Yeseul—that she was constantly being approached by talent scouts.

And then there was Kang Yeseul, who was no slouch herself.

It would have been a perfect picture, if not for the solid, intimidating presence of Jeong Hyeonsu following behind them.

“Why’d you have to come?” Simin muttered to Hyeonsu.

“To make your day, obviously,” Hyeonsu shot back sarcastically.

“Tch. That’s harsh.”

“You’re just spoiled.”

The four of them met at the café before moving to a bar with private rooms.

There, a few more people joined them.

The Hanshin Group Chairman’s personal lawyer and his asset management team.

The conversation didn’t take long.

They just needed to explain the existence of taxes to Han Simin—who had never paid a cent in his life—tell him what he needed to do, ask how much he was willing to invest, and determine what kind of revenue structure he wanted.

He wasn’t embezzling or hiding billions; they were simply going to manage his assets efficiently.

With mutual trust already established, there was no reason for the discussion to drag on.

“You can use the whole 17 million dollars. Just make me a respectable building owner.”

That was his one dream.

He might not become a tycoon whose name shook the world, but he could at least buy a modest building.

Once the business was concluded, the asset managers left, and the drinking continued.

“Oppa, what’s gotten into you, spending money like this?” Yeseul asked. “You used to act like you were going to take it all to the grave.”

“It’s time to invest a little. The stream’s bringing in a stable income now. And I’ve got another lump sum on the way.”

“From where?”

“Kenji.”

“Ah.”

At the mention of Kenji’s name, the mood at the table grew even more lively.

From the very start of the game, the Specialists and Kenji had been tangled in bad blood.

If not for Han Simin, they might have been crushed.

Even with him, they had taken their share of hits, so any story about Kenji getting screwed over was always welcome.

There was no better snack to go with drinks.

“So what are you going to do?”

Curious, Jeong Seolah and Kang Yeseul scooted closer to Simin.

Never happier than when he was messing with Kenji, Han Simin eagerly laid out his plan.

The drinking party grew even merrier.

5.

“Kkyu kkyu kkyu!”

The moment he arrived in his territory, the rabbits came rushing toward him.

It had been a while, and Han Simin greeted them just as warmly.

“Welcome back, my lord.”

“You’ve made a lot of progress.”

“I’ve been raising it diligently. Hahaha.”

The Rich Territory had changed a lot while he was away.

Inside the vast walls, where there had once been nothing but empty land, all sorts of high-end buildings had sprung up just as he had envisioned. Not only players but also many of the continent’s natives had moved in.

It was only a matter of time before it became a true city of pleasure.

“If you need more money, just say the word.”

’Is this what it feels like to come home from a trip and find the empty shell of a house you bought suddenly filled with brand-new appliances?’

Feeling generous, Han Simin started handing out empty promises like candy.

“No, my lord. We’re reinvesting everything we earn, so we’re not lacking for funds yet. If we need more, I’ll let you know.”

Fortunately, his aide accepted the offer as mere politeness.

Simin let out a sigh of relief and immediately prepared to leave again.

He very much wanted to look around the territory, but he had come mainly to retrieve the rabbits.

“No point in suffering alone. It’s time to move as a pack.”

It was about time to level up the rabbits as well.

He had upgraded their gear; now he needed to raise their levels to match.

“Shall we go?”

“Squeak!”

“Kkyu!”

“Kku-eong!”

Reunited after a long time, Han Simin’s pets happily followed him as they headed north.

* * *

Han Simin blocked the Kenji Guild’s path.

“Hi!”

Kenji glared at him in silence.

“We still haven’t finished our settlement, have we?”

“I have nothing to say to you,” Kenji growled. “Tell the Emperor or don’t. Do as you please.”

Naturally, Kenji’s face twisted in a scowl.

Had he not known the robed beauty was the Black Dragon, his grudge against the Specialists might have driven him to charge in, even if it meant annihilation.

Now, he had just added another layer to that grudge.

It didn’t matter that it was a one-sided rivalry.

They had still been an obstacle.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Let’s talk.”

Kenji remained tight-lipped.

Kenji’s resolve not to speak was firm.

Just drawing his weapon was answer enough.

One more word, and he would fight.

But even in the face of that determination, Han Simin stubbornly pushed his agenda.

“If you hear me out, you might not hate it. I sweet-talked the Emperor and got some land. Still not interested in talking?”

Kenji did not respond.

“A golden opportunity for a baron to get his own territory. This is the kind of deal you’d join hands with demons for, never mind an enemy.”

Suddenly, a sheet of parchment was fluttering between Han Simin’s fingers.

Kenji had no idea what the parchment actually was. However, if Simin’s words were true, then it was clearly valuable enough to warrant a conversation, regardless of Kenji’s anger.

"What kind of trick are you pulling?" he demanded.

Still, working under the assumption that Simin was telling the truth, Kenji finally opened the door to a negotiation. As if he’d been waiting for that opening, Simin dove straight to the point. He struck fast, having no intention of dragging out the conversation.

It wasn’t personal. After all, every time they clashed, Simin was the one who walked away with a profit. In a way, Kenji was a valuable client. If he had to find a reason for his haste, it was probably just that he didn’t like talking to other men for too long.

"I honestly don’t have anything against you," Simin began smoothly. "It’s just that the Specialists are my main clients, and we just keep bumping into each other. But you’ve also helped me out a great deal, so it felt wrong to just ignore you. This time, I accidentally got in your way again."

"I wanted to help you out, but... well, you did wrong me, didn’t you? What am I supposed to do? If I just hand this over, I’ll look like a total pushover. So, I’m just going to attach one small condition."

"Let’s hear it," Kenji replied.

Despite the tense situation, the words flowed from Simin like a river. He enjoyed dealing in facts, but when it came to propaganda and fabrication, no one could touch him. He just had to run his mouth, saying whatever came to mind.

Evidence? He didn’t need any. When you were talking about personal feelings, where was the "proof" anyway? All you had to do was speak as if you were ready to rip out your own heart and soul for the other person. And if you mixed in just one percent of genuine feeling, it became impossible not to believe.

Kenji fell silent, mulling it over.

’Is he telling the truth?’

He wrestled with the question for a moment before giving up and looking up. It didn’t matter.

"What are the terms?"

Ultimately, any deal with Simin would favor him in some way. Though Simin had given him many bitter pills to swallow, he had never presented a deal that was entirely disadvantageous or a losing bargain. A dry laugh escaped him. He had ground his teeth in frustration at the man so many times, yet here he was, ready to deal after just a few sentences.

At the same time, he had to acknowledge it.

’So this is the source of Han Simin’s power.’

From the very beginning, the man had pulled ahead, locked down an elite party of chaebol heirs, and even forged ties with the Emperor. He’d known all this, but the realization struck him anew.

Acknowledging a rival’s strength was the first step to surpassing them.

He would take the deal. And later, he would crush him. To do that, he first needed to judge the fairness of the offer.

In the midst of that cool-headed assessment, however, Kenji had briefly forgotten one crucial thing.

"This plot is about 35,600 square feet. 3 gold per square foot. Deal?"

Kenji was speechless.

"If you don’t like it, forget it."

He had forgotten that any deal with Han Simin could never be between equals.

One side had to be the one holding the upper hand.

And Han Simin never made a deal when he was on the weaker end of it.