God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 189: Episode _Name Your Price (2)

3. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝚠𝚎𝚋𝗻𝗼𝕧𝗲𝐥.𝚌𝚘𝐦

He was satisfied as he watched the professionally edited video and the heated reactions on the community forums. The existence of a video makes a huge difference in determining an item’s value. An item like this is usually evaluated not just for its functional effectiveness but also for its additional, intangible value.

—Whoever buys this is going to be famous.

—It would be epic to record a real war with that thing equipped.

—It would look more cinematic than a movie.

In fact, one of the messages even included evidence to verify their identity and asked if it was possible to rent the item for a film shoot. It was definitive proof that the age of Fantastic World had truly begun. He naturally refused, but with this level of recognition, the value had certainly increased. Just wearing it would get you recognized.

If you met someone wearing it on the battlefield, you would be intimidated from the start. ’That person gets stronger the more they fight. They don’t get tired.’ The psychological impact this would have on both allies and enemies would be beyond imagination. On top of that, wouldn’t it also generate secondary income?

Of course, not all the comments were so positive. In fact, there were more comments born of jealousy.

—Isn’t this a scam?

—Looks staged to me.

—Is that even possible?

—It’s just for show.

These were users who were unwilling to accept a story from a world they couldn’t reach. If they could, they would have protested to the game company or even held a one-man demonstration against Betago. Since it had been proven from the early days of the game that such actions were futile, it didn’t escalate that far, but the top comments were mostly filled with negativity. A small comfort was that the users weren’t so base as to post outright slander. There were also many users who expressed nothing but admiration and respect.

—The Church of Kardian has arrived. Commencing comment cleanup.

—Let’s start by downvoting the filth.

In any case, as time passed, a cleanup occurred, and what remained were only reasonable doubts and criticisms.

—But isn’t something a little strange? I think I saw in the last video that the required level was 70.

Among the few surviving critical comments, this one received the most upvotes. With it, the flames of suspicion began to rekindle one by one, and all sorts of wild speculation began to be published.

—That woman next to him. I heard she’s a mage. Didn’t she do it?

—For real. I bet he just pretended to wear it while she cast a shield and buffs on him.

—That makes sense. Seriously, chills.

—Almost got baited.

Fiction is a fabrication that tells a plausible story about something that could have happened. Those who wanted to believe it jumped on the bandwagon. It was quite credible. Unfortunately for them, Han Simin was in the clear.

—The video was filmed cleanly. There are no tricks, and the reason Kardian is in the video is to boost views. For those who don’t believe me, I’m attaching proof. It’s still a work in progress, so I’m a bit embarrassed, but I hope this clears up any misunderstanding.

A confident comment, with an attached screenshot.

[+12 Bloody Grudge]

- Grade: Special

- Required Level: 70

- Defense: 100 (+200)

- Special Option 1: Converts a portion of absorbed blood into a shield for the caster.

- Special Option 2: Converts a portion of absorbed blood into attack power for the caster.

- Special Option 3: Recovers the caster’s health with a portion of absorbed blood.

- Effect increases by 30% (+6%) if the blood is from the Demon Realm.

- Option 1: Applies ‘Deep Blue Aura’ effect.

- -15 Required Level

The controversy was put to rest. And as always, controversy marketing comes with profits. The value of the Bloody Grudge soared even higher.

*

One who stands at the center of a controversy is always tired.

"Ah, it’s tough making a living."

And yet, a smile never left the lips of Han Simin, who always managed to reap enormous profits whenever he stood in that center. The hardship and fatigue were like old friends he could never escape since he started the game. How could he not be tired when he slept less than four hours a day? If it weren’t for the capsule’s light sleep state, he might have already been on the news.

So, he was happy. The satisfaction of money coming in to match his suffering. It hadn’t sold yet, but it felt like playing the stock market. The price went up daily. All he had to do was decide when to sell. There was no worry of it hitting the upper limit and then crashing. It wasn’t like a perfectly fine pendant would suddenly be found to have a manufacturing defect. There was just one thing.

"As long as it doesn’t become soulbound."

That was his biggest worry. He had a major precedent for it, which made him even more anxious. Especially with important items like this, the soulbound option seemed to pop up as if the probability was rigged. The chance of a soulbound option appearing—how high could it possibly be?

"Please."

In truth, if it did become soulbound, he could just wear it. The initial conviction to sell it upon seeing the level restriction had faded with the level reduction option, but he still didn’t feel the need to wear it. The options were certainly good. Even as a Tamer, he often fought directly, so it would be helpful. But that was it.

’I have Kardian and Sudal, so there’s no need to wear a multi-billion won item around my neck.’

He had become rich, but he was not a satisfied rich man. To others, it might not seem so, but Han Simin himself believed he was just nouveau riche. He didn’t know when this happiness might disappear. The memories of his poor days were still etched in his mind. The hardships he endured from the age of twenty were not easily erased. The memory of loading and unloading trucks in the dead of winter, the memory of being robbed while working the graveyard shift at a convenience store.

While he didn’t let that fear make him stingy, his standard for satisfaction rose endlessly. Make money while you can! Spend freely on what’s necessary, but don’t waste it on what’s not. That was probably why he was praying.

’Please don’t evolve. Please don’t add any special options.’

A prayer uncharacteristic of him reached the heavens every hour of every day.

4.

The value of items in Fantastic World was rising by the day. The supply was increasing as the average level rose, but demand from the user base—which had surpassed twenty million and was growing without any sign of stopping—was overwhelming it. The price of items was bound to rise. In a normal game, the value of gold would fall in such a situation. But Fantastic World asked, "What’s that?" and had long since surpassed the $150 mark. With both gold and items rising in price, the burden on the buyer was fourfold.

Despite this, gold and item transactions continued to flow, with no signs of stagnation. If anything, it felt like they had accelerated. It gave buyers a greater sense of security. They were reassured that even if they bought something expensive, its value was unlikely to drop. At the very least, they could resell it without taking a loss. That meant they could spend real money with peace of mind. ’Even if I change my mind, which is unlikely, or if something happens at home and I need cash fast, I can sell it for what I paid and walk away clean.’

The result was another rise in market prices. Not only were people who needed the items buying, but also people who were investing for financial gain. And so it rose, and rose, with no sign of falling. There was one reason for this.

—It’s truly another world.

—I don’t think the prices will drop until players are on equal footing with NPCs, or have even more influence on the continent.

The NPCs. No, the inhabitants of the continent. The world was maintained by them, the absolute majority of its population. They didn’t care what price the newly arrived, uncivilized adventurers exchanged gold for among themselves, or for how much they sold their goods. The volume of transactions and gold moving between players was child’s play from the perspective of the entire continent. The rise and fall of market prices had no effect on the continent. Whether 1 gold was $150 or $200, a cheap iron sword still cost 15 silver to the people of the continent, and if there was an iron shortage, it would become 25 silver.

However, there were a few adventurers who did influence these inhabitants. A merchant who conspicuously spent money to manipulate the market in a certain region, for example. Or an adventurer who acquired items that would make the eyes of the continent’s upper crust—the nobles and knights—go wide.

Han Simin was such a person. No, he had become such a person. Back when he got the Ring of Blessing, he wasn’t very famous, and the perception of adventurers was lower than dirt. But not anymore. He was the Emperor’s son-in-law. A viscount with his own territory. And a warrior clad in Myth-grade items. And now, such a man had acquired an accessory that would go down in the continent’s history.

Through players who had begun to form connections with NPCs, the rumor spread to the NPCs themselves. When the exact options were relayed, the eyes of more than a few nobles lit up. Above all, it was a weapon designed for war. For lords who were always looking for an opportunity to expand their land through territory wars, it was the devil’s whisper.

Naturally, their gazes turned to the Rich Territory. When a territory is conquered, everything belonging to the lord is transferred to the victor. It is an absolute, immutable law. It didn’t matter if he was the Emperor’s son-in-law; if he lost, it was over. Not even the Emperor’s grandfather could save him. Territory wars were that sacred.

And so, they all began to size up the opportunity. Scouts began to sneak into the Rich Territory one by one. Infiltration wasn’t difficult. The Rich Territory had its gates wide open with the mindset that anyone was a customer, as long as they had money. The scouts used their reconnaissance funds to enjoy the unique luxury tourist courses in the Rich Territory under the guise of scouting. There were so many of them that the territory’s already jumping revenue skyrocketed. And when their money ran out, the scouts returned.

Their reports were consistent.

[The number of soldiers is small. The walls are high, and it is estimated there are one or two magic circles. It is a military strongpoint, but over 90% of it has been developed for tourism. If we can just open the gates and enter, conquest should not be difficult.]

They reported what they saw. For the lords who were less concerned with the Rich Territory itself and more with who would strike first, it was a tempting report.

“Prepare for a territory war!”

Lords from all over gathered their armies. There were players mixed in as well. In the midst of the continent-wide effort to destroy demonic energy-imbued gates, gathering troops wasn’t a particularly strange sight. And one lord, who finished his preparations first, ambitiously declared a territory war. He advanced the moment he made the declaration. He had already obtained intelligence that Han Simin was not in the territory.

However, a hologram message was delivered to Han Simin. And the news also reached the Rich Territory.

*

On the cusp of a +13 enhancement, Han Simin closed his eyes.

’Please. Don’t let it become soulbound.’

The path of evolution was always open up to +15. If it evolved, a few more options would be added and the effects would improve, but the possibility of a soulbound option appearing would also arise. In that case, it was better for it not to evolve at all. It wasn’t as if a few extra options would make the price jump by tens of billions.

In that situation, a hologram appeared.

[A Territory War has begun.]

His brow furrowed. He glared at it for a moment before dismissing the hologram. For a second, an image of the towering walls and the many theme hotels within them burning to the ground flashed through his mind, but the flames were quickly extinguished.

’They’ll handle it.’

When he built that theme park, the ones he had been most wary of were pig-like bastards who wanted a free meal. Beggars who would lead a massive army to snatch a fully prepared feast. Hadn’t he told his aide to invest whatever it took for that very reason? Even after pushing it from his mind, he wasn’t entirely without worry. But he decided to trust him.

It wasn’t like his presence would change anything anyway. He would be helpful, of course, but he had no desire to go running back every time a territory war broke out. He hoped they would win on their own.

’And it’s a pain to go back and forth.’

Most importantly, the prime spot was too far away. Still, just in case, he opened the guild chat.

“I’ve been challenged to a territory war. Please pass this on to my aide: Tell him if the territory is taken, I’ll just burn it all down.”

Having vented his last remaining anxiety, Han Simin brought his hammer down.

*