Chapter 10 - Enhancement is All About the Location (3)

　　He had no interest in how deep they had come. He didn’t even know where they were. Nevertheless, he was brimming with confidence.

　　Phew. Found it.

　　This was the spot for a successful +13 enhancement on a beginner’s dagger. All he had to do was hammer it here! That’s what his intuition was telling him.

　　“First, I’ll show you. I’d feel like a scammer if I just took five gold coins for nothing.”

　　If he hadn’t been able to find a prime spot, he would have just brazenly asked her if she wanted it enhanced or not. The absolute strength of Han Simin’s ability was that it eliminated the failure rate, not just slightly increasing the success rate. He could find a spot with a 60% or 70% success rate and enhance it there, but then it could fail, and the +12 dagger would become +11 or disappear completely. Considering that one enhancement attempt costs $100, that would be like over $1,000 evaporating in an instant. He wouldn’t care if it was someone else’s weapon, but since it was his own, he couldn’t be careless.

　　“Hmm. This place has about a 10% success rate.”

　　“…10%?”

　　“Yes.”

　　“The original success rate is point one percent, but being at a prime spot makes it ten. It’ll probably be the same for plus fourteen and plus fifteen. This is the only advantage of a Legendary job that receives no other benefits besides enhancement.”

　　Amazing! It sounded cool. But 10% was by no means a high probability. Knowing this, Jeong Seolah wasn’t convinced. As things went according to plan, Han Simin smiled.

　　“And to that, I add my secret technique.”

　　“A secret technique…?”

　　“Actually, with enhancement, prime locations are important, but guts are the most important thing. If someone else had my job, they probably wouldn’t have been able to utilize it this well.”

　　Then, he placed the dagger, which was emitting a deep blue light, on the anvil.

　　Jeong Seolah looked puzzled.

　　“Ten percent? The moment you get scared, it’s no longer a ten percent success rate, but a ninety percent failure rate.”

　　Clang!

　　The hammer struck the dagger.

　　“Wh-what?!”

　　Jeong Seolah instinctively reached out her hand and then pulled it back. She was that surprised. Before she could even compose her startled heart, the dagger on the anvil emitted a brilliant golden light, bright enough to color the entire forest.

　　[‘Simin’ has succeeded in enhancing ‘+13 Beginner’s Low-Grade Dagger’!]

　　The blue aura of the +12 had a charm that caught the eye, but the golden aura of the +13 was even more brilliant and splendid, and it had something that overwhelmed its surroundings. It even created the illusion that Han Simin, who had picked up the dagger, looked magnificent.

　　“Of course, if you’re confident and it fails, the disappointment is twice as great, but the choice is yours, Ms. Seolah.”

　　The one-act scam was perfect down to the finish. Jeong Seolah unconsciously took out her gold coins. She wanted to hold that golden weapon too. And she wanted to succeed in the named monster raid she had already failed twice!

　　“With special enhancement…”

　　She was sure of it. With just a +12, no, even with just a +11, she could break the deadlock and win!

　　Thump! Thump!

　　“What was that?”

　　Unfortunately, it seemed Jeong Seolah wasn’t the only one who was sure.

　　“…That’s the named monster we were trying to hunt, the polar bear.”

　　“…Huh?”

　　A giant bear revealed itself, breaking thick trees as it appeared.

　　5.

　　[You have obtained the title ‘First of the Thirteen Stars!’]

　　[First of the Thirteen Stars!]

　　* Grade: Special

　　* Description: To you, the first to risk everything to pluck the flower on the cliff, you are worthy of possessing it!

　　* Benefit 1: Luck +100

　　* Benefit 2: +3% chance of adding a special option upon successful enhancement.

　　A title given to the lucky person who overcame a 0.1% probability. And benefits commensurate with the risk taken to obtain that luck. Normally, his lips should have curled into a smile upon seeing it, but with the appearance of the polar bear, drooling as it eyed the intruder and radiating an unusual aura in its territory, he had no choice but to dismiss the hologram.

　　“…Are you sure that’s the one you were raiding?”

　　“Yes, you can tell for sure by the wound on its stomach.”

　　Ah. God gave me the ability to increase the success rates and took away my luck. What cruel twist of fate is this?

　　“Haah.”

　　A low sigh reached Han Simin’s ears as he was despairing. He turned his head to see Jeong Seolah with a crestfallen expression.

　　He looked at her with a questioning expression.

　　She said, “Our luck is bad. Of all places, here. It was strange that there were fewer monsters than usual on the way here.”

　　The expression of one who has already given up! Seeing her downcast face, so different from her usual expressionless one, a desire to protect her welled up inside him.

　　“Don’t give up. We can win!” He encouraged her.

　　“…A 48-hour login penalty means my ranking will drop.”

　　“No, think about winning first!”

　　“I can just buy the items I lose again, but still. Haaah.”

　　“Excuse me, Ms. Seolah.”

　　“And I already wasted several hours on enhancement…”

　　“Hey! Lady!”

　　Of course, Han Simin knew. He knew that he was still only level 2. And that, as a beginner under level 10, there was no penalty for dying. That’s why he could be so manly.

　　“We can win! Have some confidence!”

　　Jeong Seolah’s eyes wavered at his groundless confidence. It was undoubtedly the thing she wanted to believe most right now. But no matter how she thought about it, there was no chance of winning. Even in this situation, her cool-headed judgment was shining through.

　　“That polar bear is a level 20 named monster. Three level 14 players couldn’t beat it, so how…”

　　Still, she asked just in case, even though she knew that the man before her was a beginner who would be logged out with a single grunt-worthy hit from the bear. He was so confident that she wanted to believe him. Besides, hadn’t he just overcome a 0.1% probability a few minutes ago? He might have a way. Discovering a small glimmer of hope in her trembling eyes, Han Simin smiled.

　　“You have me,” he reassured.

　　“…What?”

　　“Let’s fight together!”

　　Seolah thought if she should just use this man as a sacrifice and run. She was momentarily swayed by the temptation. But she quickly remembered that the named monster before her was a polar bear. Not only was her level insufficient, but running away from a bear in a forest? It might be better to die without wasting energy.

　　“Grrr.”

　　The polar bear interrupted their conversation. Its fierce eyes were fixed on Han Simin’s dagger. The deep golden aura! A majesty that made even a named monster wary! Han Simin and Jeong Seolah, who had been having a pointless conversation, saw it. Both of their gazes also turned to the dagger on the anvil, the one that had survived a 0.1% success rate.

　　“Ah!” Simin exclaimed.

　　“Huh?”

　　The gasps and exclamations in their words were different, but the meaning was the same. This time, their eyes met.

　　"What…” She was confused.

　　“We have this!” In a short time, Han Simin had finished his calculations. At times like this, he was quick with numbers. He manfully held out the dagger to her.

　　“Let’s fight together! It’s not like we have any other choice, right?”

　　“…Are you serious?”

　　“If you take it and run, I’ll chase you for the rest of my life.”

　　“Thank you.”

　　It was an enormous gamble. In the realistic world of Fantastic World, lending an item was no different from a donation if it wasn’t based on trust. It was as if he had just handed her his entire fortune! His stomach churned with anxiety, and his last words just slipped out.

　　She won’t just take it and run, right?

　　Han Simin trusted in her wealth. And he calculated the future rewards he would gain through this trust. In any case, as a beginner under level 10, there was no penalty for him if he died. But what if she managed to kill the polar bear?

　　She’ll become my number one customer!

　　Life is a series of choices. At the first crossroads in Fantastic World, Han Simin chose the path of trusting her. It absolutely wasn’t because he had fallen for her beautiful looks!

　　“You have to win.”

　　“Will you help me?”

　　To Han Simin, who was 90% driven by ulterior motives, Jeong Seolah held out her +10 longsword with an apologetic expression. Even with the +13 dagger, the one that radiated a brilliant golden aura, she couldn’t guarantee victory. Her judgment that her attack power was lacking was based on her experiences with her other two team members. In a 1-on-1 situation, she could die from a lack of defense before her lack of attack power even became an issue. That’s why she was asking shamelessly. Asking him to risk his life to draw its aggro, she had heard he was only level 2, but it was better than nothing, so she was clutching at straws.

　　“Of course.” Having made his choice, Han Simin accepted the longsword without hesitation. If she takes my dagger and runs, I’ll just have to sell this thing and start enhancing again. A slight sense of relief lightened his shoulders. “Grrrr!” The moment the two previously frozen humans moved, the polar bear sprang into action. As if to prove it hadn’t been waiting out of fear, the named monster suddenly charged forward with incredible speed, creating an unbelievable amount of pressure for Han Simin, who was only level 2.

　　Shit! Why me?! He wondered if he should have just held onto the dagger himself.

　　He regretted his decision, but his primary goal wasn’t to kill the polar bear, but rather to put her in his debt. Since he was likely going to die anyway, it was better to make her owe him as much as possible. Of course, even if he achieved his goal, he couldn’t just let himself be killed. I can’t die pathetically right away, he thought. He had his pride as a man! Han Simin immediately rolled to the side. He didn’t even try to watch its movements, instead rolling recklessly the instant he sensed the polar bear had lunged. For a moment, the thought that this might be even more pathetic flashed through his mind, but he forced himself to ignore it.

　　Fortunately, his judgment proved correct, and he managed to dodge the polar bear’s heavy body slam. Suppressing a sigh of relief, he immediately swung the longsword.

　　A sword swung from an imperfect stance had no chance of dealing any real damage to a monster ten levels higher. Han Simin’s longsword sliced through empty air, and the polar bear, enraged by the failed attack, launched a vicious counter.

　　Thwack!

　　“Ugh!”

　　A single kick sent him flying into a tree. The pain was minimal thanks to his game settings, but seeing his health bar plummet made him gasp. I almost died. The bear had been agitated, kicking out wildly, which was the only reason a mere level-two player had survived the hit. It was a stroke of luck, but that was all.

　　Losing so much health at once triggered a status ailment, and in the few seconds it lasted, he would be powerless to block the polar bear’s next charge.

　　“Seolah! Run!” Han Simin shouted, anticipating his own death. He had meant for the words to sound heroic, but they lost their impact coming from someone sprawled on the ground.

　　The polar bear charged.

　　Shit…

　　He had braced himself for it, and there was no penalty for dying at his level, but death was never a pleasant experience. He felt a sharp pang of futility at his own weakness, made worse by the pride he took in his gaming skills. He wanted to be a hero, to pull out a hidden trump card like a protagonist in a novel, but a level-two player had no such card to play.

　　"ROOAR!"

　　Hearing the polar bear’s roar, he squeezed his eyes shut. Feeling it was unfair to just die, he hurled the longsword he was holding. It was an expensive weapon that would lose its owner if Jeong Seolah also died, but his agitated mind led him to make a choice he never would have otherwise.

　　“No!” Jeong Seolah cried out.

　　Kshnk.

　　"RAWRRRRR."

　　In that moment of certain death, the scene that unfolded before Han Simin’s eyes was of the polar bear writhing just inches from him, Jeong Seolah clinging to its back, having plunged a brilliantly shining golden dagger deep into its flesh.

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