God-Tier Enhancement: My Upgrades Never Fail-Chapter 227: Episode _Don’t Talk to Me About Suckers (7)

Chapter 227: Episode 227_Don’t Talk to Me About Suckers (7)

11.

Time flies.

Repetitive hunting. A short break. Hunting. Another break.

By the time you start to wonder if you lie down in the capsule to enjoy the game or get out of it to enjoy sleep, by the time your consciousness reaches a point where you question if this is any way to live, by the time you finally wonder what time it is—a great deal of time has already passed.

“Wow, seriously. This brings back memories,” Yeseul said.

“It’s not like it was that long ago. It was last year,” Hyeonsu retorted.

“Last year is a long time ago! Besides, we were such low levels back then. Come to think of it, leveling up now feels even easier than it was then, don’t you think?”

“Easier, my ass. It’s just as hard.”

“Come on, Hyeonsu. We’re pioneers, aren’t we?”

And for the Specialists, a group of expert gamers who freely enjoyed and took pride in the passage of time, such thoughts always surfaced when they were about to reach their goal.

They had reached level 99 and were on the cusp of triple digits.

There had been moments back in the 80s when they wondered if they would ever make it, even with Simin’s admin-level experience bonus, the enhanced demonic energy-imbued gates, and the help of a high-ranking demon making the hunt easier. But in the end, they did it. In the process, two months had passed in 『Fantastic World』—enough time for mountains and rivers to change twice over.

They were satisfied. They were proud.

“This is overwhelming,” one of them murmured.

“Of course it is,” Simin replied.

The race for the top of the level rankings had become meaningless. Even Kenji, who had been close behind, hadn’t dared to catch up since he started focusing on his territory and building his forces. Once the level gap between them had widened to more than ten, they had stopped paying attention to the rankings altogether.

The result was proof of their incredible dedication. No, it was more than that. Even someone who didn’t know games, anyone who had ever competed in anything, would marvel at how wise, clever, determined, and persistent they were, and how methodically they played. It was that kind of achievement. In a world overflowing with players who did nothing but hunt, sleeping only the bare minimum as if they were born for it, achieving several times the efficiency in the same amount of time meant they were using a revolutionary method no one else could replicate.

Though, it was 99% thanks to Simin.

“You all worked hard,” Seolah said politely.

“Thank you so much, Simin,” Yeseul added.

“Don’t mention it. It’s all give and take.”

In any case, Simin, the one responsible for their success, refrained from gloating for once. He simply didn’t have the energy.

“Ugh. Making a living is hard.”

He was, in fact, the one who had worked the hardest. The Specialists just had to take down the monsters served up to them on a silver platter. But Simin had to find the demonic energy-imbued gates, enhance them, endure the stress of failures, tame Grokile, and order Kardian to make sure the Specialists didn’t die. In emergencies, he even had to step in with his hammer himself.

Doing that for two months was bound to be exhausting. More importantly, this was practically unpaid labor, far beyond a mere passion project. It was purely an investment in the distant future—a choice he never would have made in the past. It was only possible now that he had some breathing room in his life and the foresight to plan ahead.

But possible or not, it was still exhausting. How demoralizing must it be to hunt without gaining a single point of experience, having set the party distribution to prioritize the Specialists? Despite all the experience penalties he was saddled with, if he had shared the EXP, he might have reached level 70, or even 80, and made a name for himself in the rankings.

“I’m going to go get some rest,” he announced.

“Okay. You’ve earned it.”

After many twists and turns, the long journey was over. Of course, Simin and the Specialists knew better than anyone that this was only the beginning. It was just the grind to get to the starting line. The main quest. The minimum requirement to get a taste of the good stuff, and beyond that, to control the entire board.

His footsteps felt heavy as he logged out.

“The way Simin sacrifices himself like that... it scares me,” Yeseul muttered.

“...I almost feel like I should just give him some money,” Hyeonsu added.

“We just have to do well,” Seolah concluded.

It felt a bit like being a debtor being raised by the world’s greatest loan shark, who finds you a job and helps you start a business.

*

The Specialists had gone completely off the grid, diving so deep into their grind it was like they’d descended 2,000 meters below sea level. It was telling that their names hadn’t appeared once on the official FW community forums, where the names of rankers were mentioned a dozen times a day.

But that only lasted for a month. Or rather, including the time before, it had been two or three months since the Specialists were mentioned, and even then, only in occasional comparisons to Kenji.

Their names began to circulate again because of the level rankings.

Perhaps it was inevitable. It happened naturally. It wasn’t as if someone had casually brought them up. It started the moment they achieved a level no one else had reached: Level 100.

—The Specialists broke Level 100.

—That’s insane.

—Are they using some kind of hunting macro?

—As if that exists in Fantastic World.

—Got some high-level intel that Simin is with them.

—Who the hell is Simin that they’re leveling up this fast?

Even though no one had been talking about them, everyone had been watching. The Specialists had shown overwhelming growth from the very beginning of the game. After dominating the level rankings, they had crushed their competition so thoroughly it was almost boring. And with Kenji now focusing on things other than leveling, there had been no tension to speak of.

But Level 100 was a different story. The first triple-digit level on the continent. The requirement to participate in the main quest. Whether one reached it or not was critical.

It was a time when level simultaneously meant less than ever before and more than ever before. Kenji, who was gathering forces despite his lower level, and the Specialists, who were leveling up to get on board the main quest, were the prime examples.

Faction versus game system! Which would ultimately rule the continent? They might be standing at the dawn of that history, so how could anyone lose interest just because it wasn’t happening to them?

—Rule the continent? Don’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Comments like this popped up occasionally, but it changed nothing. If anything, interest in the Specialists, who were silently and steadily leveling up without showing themselves anywhere, only grew. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Naturally, the debate over whether it was a bug intensified. It reached a point where the game company, which had only made one official comment during the initial controversy over Simin’s enhancements, issued another statement nearly a year later.

There are no bugs in Fantastic World. If you witness any suspicious activity, it is purely a display of a user’s discretion and ability in this other world. If there is anyone who can interfere with Fantastic World through illicit means, we invite you to do so.

The company’s comment was as arrogant as ever, showing their infinite confidence in BetaGo. For those who hadn’t experienced the enhancement incident, it was a source of endless novelty and envy.

—Some people are struggling to hit level 50, and these guys are hitting 100.

—Are they leveling up once every two days?

—Are they even human?

—I wish I knew what method they’re using.

And so, the continent’s attention unwillingly shifted back to the Specialists. This meant only one thing.

—The third main quest is going to be the Specialists’ stage.

It was a single, undeniable truth.

12.

In the midst of it all, the Rich Territory also announced its new VIP members. Although it was long overdue, there were no complaints, thanks to the aide’s firm handling of the situation—which reflected the lord’s character—the fact that it was a semi-annual announcement anyway, and the enthusiastic cheers of the existing VIP members.

The selected VIPs and VVIPs were granted numerous benefits, and quite a few players were among them. Then, the exclusive perks for the territory’s VIP members were revealed.

—The benefits have increased since last time.

—I’m most jealous of the enhancement ticket.

—I wonder what the VVIP benefits are.

Just a few months ago, the VIP membership was seen as something for rich people with nothing better to do. Most of the applicants were wealthy individuals in the real world who enjoyed relaxing at resorts. But as the months passed and the membership benefits began to include special abilities unique to Han Simin that couldn’t be purchased from NPCs—abilities that directly impacted gameplay—many players who spent heavily on the game started to participate.

As a result, revenue increased, and so did the number of people who fully reaped the benefits.

A prime example was Kenji. He had proudly secured a VVIP membership. It was tantamount to announcing to the whole world that he was one of the top ten biggest spenders on the continent, but he was unashamed.

“I need to find a weapon to enhance. The best one available.”

It wasn’t like this was the first or second day he’d been spending money. He had already demonstrated the true meaning of pay-to-win by achieving the number one rank in the Saintess’s fan club, even if he hadn’t reached the max level. He was also enjoying pleasant conversations with the Saintess from time to time in exchange for small amounts of gold, and his territory was growing smoothly.

The only thing that bothered him was the Specialists reaching level 100, but he didn’t dwell on it. He had already decided to give up on the level rankings. The main quest wouldn’t be easy, and it was no exaggeration to say that the Specialists were the only ones challenging this third act. In the meantime, he could build his strength in other ways and join the fray later.

Thinking this way put his mind at ease. The world is what you make of it. It’s only frustrating and unfair when you’re caught off guard. Having already rationalized being ripped off by Simin, Kenji no longer felt aggrieved. Although he was being overcharged, it wasn’t a significant amount of money to him.

He was paying for something that couldn’t be found anywhere else in the world. For a wealthy man, what could be a more profitable trade? A smile naturally formed on his lips.

Today was no different. It was finally the day of the Saintess fan meeting, one of the exclusive benefits for VVIP members. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a one-on-one meeting, but that didn’t matter. Given that the host was Han Simin, he had a rough idea of how it would proceed.

One by one, the VVIP members gathered in the magnificent, spacious hall. Their faces were hard to make out, but their names were those of tycoons anyone who played 『Fantastic World』 would have heard of at least once.

Still, he smiled. ’It’s a gathering of pushovers, but I’m the only winning pushover here.’

’I may be a pushover, but I’m different from the others!’ Kenji was the epitome of self-rationalization.

After some time, once everyone had gathered, Han Simin and Squeaker entered, followed by Saint. Saint slowly walked to one of the ten seats and sat down.

Seeing him, Simin’s smile grew even wider than Kenji’s. ’So, there is a rainbow after the storm.’ It was worth coming straight here without getting much rest. His gaze toward Kenji was particularly warm.

’A submissive, top-tier idiot pushover.’

Wasn’t this the same pushover who, in his absence, had been donating money as if he were ready to hand over the deed to his house? Now that he wouldn’t be clashing with the Specialists for a while, why did Kenji feel so much like family? It probably wasn’t just a feeling.

And so, he had prepared.

“We will now begin the fan meeting with the Saintess.”

An event for pushovers, by a pushover.

*