Chapter 4 - The Ultimate, Legendary Enhancement Master (3)

　　4.

　　The enhancement shop was quiet. As time passed, more players flocked to the castle, but Fantastic World wasn’t a leisurely game where new players had the luxury of trying out the enhancement content. Of course, it wasn’t completely devoid of visitors. When there are many players, there are bound to be those who act strangely.

　　“I’m here to enhance.”

　　“Weapon, money, and enhancement stones.”

　　“Here’s a beginner’s dagger and the money. I don’t have any enhancement stones. Where can I buy them?”

　　“…Get out.”

　　The few players who came, wanting to use a different weapon than others from the very beginning, had to turn back without being able to say much in response to Khan’s blunt words. Naturally, all Han Simin did was sit around all day, killing time and doing a few pointless chores that Khan ordered. He could have undertaken quests within the castle, but he didn’t because he was too lazy. As he was passing the time like that, on the fourth day, he stopped a player who had come out of curiosity, only to be yelled at, and was about to leave.

　　“Excuse me.”

　　“Yes?”

　　“Where did you get that dagger?”

　　“This?”

　　“Yes.”

　　From the second day, Simin started seeing them one by one, and by the fourth day, today, most of the players on the streets were carrying daggers and wearing plausible-looking cloth scraps. It would have been easy to find out by logging out and checking the community forums, but Han Simin found even that time to be a waste, so he asked directly. The fact that he didn’t need it right away also played a part.

　　“If you go to the main castle and say you’re here for adventurer support, they’ll tell you to go out and catch two rabbits and then give you this.”

　　“…Ah.”

　　“By the way, is that old guy always that grumpy? I was so scared he was going to hit me that I ran out.”

　　“Don’t worry about it too much. He’s just like that. And it’s probably better not to enhance right now. I’ve been hanging around and found out that you have to get enhancement stones from NPCs, and they cost one gold coin each. The enhancement fee is also a base of fifty silver per attempt.”

　　“What the hell?”

　　It was a give-and-take. When Han Simin first heard it from Khan, he had gasped as well. A single enhancement attempt costs approximately $150 in cash. Of course, the current exchange rate of 1 gold coin to $100 was because the currency’s value was high in the early stages of the game, but regardless, enhancement was not content that players who had just started the game could dare to touch. The player who heard Han Simin’s words also seemed daunted and nodded his head.

　　“Thanks. Well then.”

　　“Yeah, have fun.”

　　After sending the player on his way, Han Simin let out a sigh. In six days, he would learn the enhancement skill. After learning it, he would succeed up to +10 as per Khan’s condition, and the quest would be complete. The problem was what came next. Could Han Simin, who now had less than fifty copper coins in his pocket, afford the enhancement cost of one gold coin and fifty silver coins per attempt, or one gold coin if he used the skill himself? It went without saying that Khan would take the weapon that was successfully enhanced to +10.

　　Should I ask for an advance?

　　It was questionable whether it would be possible, but it was the most viable method at present. The crazy act of buying gold coins with real money to enhance and sell items was something Han Simin, who was surviving on instant ramen in his studio apartment, couldn’t even dream of. It wouldn’t even be profitable.

　　It’ll be a level 10 weapon at best…

　　Seeing that no player had surpassed level 10 yet, he could tell how hard it was to level up, and at the same time, how crude the weapons players were currently using were. To buy such a weapon and raise it to +8 or higher—the point where you have to risk a certain failure rate and where the enhancement effects start to kick in—would require at least eight gold coins. Would anyone be willing to pay $800 or more for such a weapon?

　　I wouldn’t buy it.

　　While someone out there might, the idea seemed so foreign to Han Simin that it didn’t even occur to him.

　　“Haaah.”

　　Reality really bites. Even with a mysterious ability to find a 100% enhancement success rate, it seems the reality of going on a crazy rampage like in a novel doesn’t exist. The rich get richer, and the poor get poorer. What’s the point of guaranteed enhancement success if you don’t have the money to enhance? He couldn’t even go out to hunt two rabbits to enhance his own weapon and farm for money, so he was bound to feel frustrated.

　　“If you’re here, start cleaning.”

　　“…Yes, yes.”

　　On top of that, the damn person in power wouldn’t leave the subordinate alone for a moment. Han Simin grabbed the mop again.

* * *

　　During the ten days he spent doing nothing special and maintaining level 1, Han Simin had one thought.

　　Wouldn’t there be at least one crazy person who enhances their weapon from the start and goes on a rampage?

　　This was a game played by over ten million people. The number of players was steadily increasing, thanks to word of mouth and the game company’s aggressive marketing. Especially in South Korea, a gaming powerhouse, people were starting to buy dozens of $15,000 capsules to operate capsule rooms. Could there not be a single person in such a game whose hobby was throwing money around? The probability was high, especially in this castle.

　　According to Khan, this castle wasn’t the capital of a kingdom, but it was on the level of a special city. So he waited, spending the mind-numbingly boring time. But no one appeared, and just as he was about to finish the quest, disappointed by the players who only came to get yelled at and leave…

　　“Welcome.”

　　“I’m here to enhance.”

　　A woman clad in leather armor, not cloth scraps, entered.

　　“…Ah. This way, please.”

　　Han Simin, who was manning the counter in Khan’s stead, quickly scanned the woman.

　　She’s beautiful.

　　That was his first impression. Her beauty required no description to elicit admiration, and her tall frame, standing at nearly 5 feet 7 inches, with a slender yet full figure that seemed to burst through the leather armor, possessed all the key elements of the alluring female character customization he had envisioned when creating his character. The important thing was that this appearance was likely almost identical to her real-life appearance. He felt an instant liking. It was an unavoidable male instinct. But it was quickly overshadowed by a sharp pang of envy.

　　She must be rolling in money.

　　Although he was trapped in the massive prison that was Haran Castle and hadn’t leveled up due to laziness, he had picked up a lot of information by wandering around.

　　To wear leather armor, you need at least 20 gold coins.

　　The leather didn’t seem to be made from the hides of rabbits roaming just outside the castle, either. It was at least wolf leather. To have a full set—top, bottom, gloves, and headgear—meant she had spent over 100 gold coins. The current gold coin market rate of 1 gold coin to $100 automatically came to mind.

　　His gaze towards her turned to one of contempt.

　　She was born with a gold spoon!

　　Even if leveling up wasn’t easy, to pour ten thousand dollars into armor that she would only wear at a low level in the early stages of the game! Her visit to the enhancement shop was probably not out of boredom or curiosity like the other players.

　　“Master, we have a customer.”

　　“A customer? It’s been a while since we’ve had a proper one.”

　　Khan, noticing this as well, got up from his seat.

　　“Weapon, enhancement stones, money.”

　　“50 silver per attempt. Is that correct?”

　　The woman, so beautiful enough to be a celebrity, handed over a decent-looking longsword, ten enhancement stones, and five gold coins with a blank expression, as if she already knew everything. Han Simin once again felt a sense of disconnect from reality and took a step back. Then he cautiously asked.

　　“Excuse me, you are aware of the enhancement success rates, right?”

　　“90 percent for +1, 85 for +2, 80 for +3, 75 for +4, 70 for +5, 60 for +6, 50 for +7, 40 for +8, 30 for +9, 20 for +10, 12 for +11, 1 for +12, 0.1 for +13, 0.01 for +14, and 0.001 percent for +15.”

　　“…So you’re aware.”

　　And you still came to throw money away? The probabilities were certainly high up to +5. Seeing her hand over 10 enhancement stones right away, it seemed she was aiming for around +8. But for Han Simin, who had become close to enhancement after his accident and had studied it diligently, he could only shake his head.

　　She’s going to lose a fortune.

　　That was the nature of probability. 70%, 60%. These numbers often brought more misery to players than lower numbers like 20% or 10%. The frustration, anger, and sense of loss from it not working when it feels like it should. The probability of success seems high, but it’s deceptive. Doing it many times doesn’t guarantee success. If you’re unlucky, you could fail ten thousand times in a row. It’s unlikely, but if you want a sure bet, you have no choice but to spend a huge amount of money. Or have a special ability like Han Simin.

　　Tsk, tsk.

　　Of course, it was none of his business. It wasn’t his money. He followed Khan, who had taken the longsword and was heading to the anvil. It was none of his business, but watching was always fun. The two things players loved most in games were watching other people’s items break and watching character deletion bets. There was no reason to refuse the chance to witness such a rare scene.

　　“Beginning the first enhancement.”

　　She nodded.

　　Perhaps for the sake of the first proper customer in a while, or perhaps because he too was a man, Khan spoke in a solemn voice he didn’t usually use, placed the weapon on the anvil, and struck it with the hammer.

　　Vwoom!

　　A faint light gathered in the hammer and seeped into the weapon. It was a scene that seemed real, yet at the same time showed elements of a game. Han Simin watched without any tension. It was only the first enhancement, after all. There was no way it would fail. The female player who had commissioned the enhancement seemed to think so too, as she remained expressionless. However.

　　Clink.

　　Khan and the woman exchanged confused glances.

　　The moment the final hammer strike hit the anvil instead of the sword.

　　“Huh?”

　　Khan’s bewildered voice was heard. It meant only one thing.

　　“Did it fail?”

　　Khan remained silent.

　　“But it only had a ten percent chance of failure?”

　　The beautiful woman’s brow furrowed slightly as well. Khan, perhaps his pride wounded, didn’t answer and struck the hammer again.

　　Clang! Clang! Clang!

　　The hammering, which felt more forceful than before, was repeated several times before finally finishing properly this time.

　　Flash!

　　A faint light emanated from the longsword once. It was the effect signaling a successful enhancement. But since it was only +1, there was no change to the weapon’s appearance. There would only be a slight increase in its options.

　　“Beginning the third enhancement.”

　　She nodded.

　　Clang! Clang! Clang!

　　The enhancement continued. It was only natural, as there were ten enhancement stones. If she was lucky, she should get to +8 in one go, or at least +5.

　　He fell silent.

　　But when the enhancement was over, that wasn’t what had happened.

　　“Your luck is not good today.”

　　+4. With ten enhancement stones, he had only managed to get to +4. A total of six failures. Considering the enhancement success rates, it was an unbelievable outcome, but not an entirely impossible one. There was no apology in Khan’s expression as he handed over the longsword. Just a look of displeasure. It was the player’s burden to bear the bad luck. The woman, knowing this, accepted it silently. Then she held it out again, along with twenty enhancement stones and 10 gold coins.

　　They stared at her, bewildered.

　　“Please get it to +10,” she said.

　　Han Simin suddenly wondered what kind of woman she was. But he had no time to wonder. Khan’s following words were even more shocking.

　　“…Very well. But this time, my disciple will do the enhancement.”

　　“Huh?” Han Simin, who had been watching while munching on popcorn, shot up from his seat.

* * *