God-Tier Enhancement Chapter 321: Episode 321All-Star Match (2)

Chapter 321: Episode 321_All-Star Match (2)

3.

On the way to the Empire, he skimd through the community boards to get a sense of what had happened during the week he was away.

“I left thinking nothing would happen, but a lot of stuff went down, huh.”

A truly surprising number of changes had occurred.

Strictly speaking, it was more accurate to say that “signs of change” were appearing. But in any case, those changes were bound to happen soon enough. Barring so natural disaster—or the Heavenly King opening another Gate and reappearing like resurrected Jesus Christ—the schedule wasn’t going to change.

However, he wasn’t flustered by these unexpected developnts.

Ever since he started Fantastic World, the only ti Han Simin had ever been certain about the future was when he attempted an Enhancent with a 100% success rate.

The future was sothing no one could know.

It had been that way when the accident happened, and it had been that way after he miraculously survived it.

In the mont he thought, ’I’m going to die,’ his prediction was wrong. During the period when even breathing was a struggle, his entire body wrapped in bandages, his certainty that his breathing would stop any day now was also wrong.

And then, a miracle found him.

Because of this, Han Simin was, paradoxically, the person who believed least in God, yet most in miracles.

Would soone like that get discouraged by a few failed predictions in a place as full of variables as Fantastic World?

He simply found it interesting.

’There’s no money in it for .’

There was nothing in particular that required him to tense up or prepare.

He just had to sit back and enjoy it with popcorn.

Han Simin and his territory now projected such overwhelming might on the continent that no one dared to touch them, and he was on the verge of having his territory elevated to a kingdom, with the Emperor’s blessing.

When he reminded himself that not a single cent would be coming in during that process, he felt like throwing the popcorn he was eating, but he had already given up on making money off the territory.

He erased that from his mind and brought the next interesting issue to the forefront.

A na that had been buried deep in his mory.

“The Ain Kingdom...”

It was, for lack of a better word, a nostalgic na.

It hadn’t even been a full year since he had gotten involved with them, yet it felt like sothing from the distant past. That was probably because so many enormous things had happened in the anti, and also because, in terms of gaplay, it was sothing he’d rely brushed past in the early stages.

The symbol he had promised to Enhance was probably stuffed away in his subspace, covered in dust. He’d be lucky if its teeth hadn’t rusted out.

The thought prompted him to take it out.

“Heh.”

He sank into nostalgia.

He did have so fond mories of the Ain Kingdom.

It had helped him quite a bit in his growth.

How could he forget the mory of Enhancing on the throne?

He didn’t have the slightest intention of repaying them out of so sentintal notion of profiting from a worthless mory. He was soone who calculated public and private matters, favors and grudges, with cold precision.

’Letting them use my na a bit is no big deal.’

The posts about the Ain Kingdom trading on his na to flaunt their connection were one of the hottest topics lately.

At a ti when users were just starting to acquire territories, it was a very important issue.

The difference between being favored or cast aside by the Emperor could an being branded a rebel the mont you received a territory.

But if what the Ain Kingdom was saying was true—

Users would flock to the Ain Kingdom, which had nothing but a bright, expansive future ahead of it.

If that happened, the Ain Kingdom would grow even larger than it was now, and that would an, for Han Simin—

’It wouldn’t benefit .’

Sure, they might occasionally send tribute or bribes, but compared to the profits they would be raking in, it would be enough to make his stomach churn with regret.

Even so, he decided not to stand in their way.

He was about to beco the king of a kingdom himself.

Going completely solo was fine, but having a few kingdoms that supported him, especially powerful ones, was by no ans a bad choice.

He had realized that during the recent Heavenly King–Demon King incident.

The Rich Territory had prepared its defenses and resolved the situation before it exploded, which was why it had remained safe. But if he had been even a little late, if anything had gone wrong, he would have had to endure attacks from all sides as a lonely, ally-less outcast.

No matter how

15 the walls were, they wouldn’t have held out for long. And even if the territory didn’t bring in a single cent, his Rich Territory, his symbol, would have disappeared from the map.

So he decided to pay attention.

Rather than formal alliances, he would secure kingdoms that could watch his back.

Of course, there was a longer-term gambit behind that.

’It’s a ga that’s going to shut down soday anyway. If I want to sell at the peak, the bigger my power base, the better.’

Everything was about money.

In real-life terms, it was like a twenty-year-old starting a pension fund to prepare for retirent.

Han Simin calmly entertained thoughts that would have made his aide foam at the mouth and faint if he had heard them.

*

The Emperor was enjoying a deep sleep for the first ti in a while.

A nap.

For a man who almost never closed his eyes during the day to be taking a nap—and a deep one at that—ant the current state of the continent was pleasing and comfortable to him.

Comfortable enough that he could afford to carve out two hours a day to sleep in the afternoon.

The biggest reason, of course, was Han Simin’s absence.

Even if they didn’t cross paths often, just knowing that ’bastard’ wasn’t on the continent made his heart feel lighter and more at ease.

So he was able to enjoy a nap.

And then that nap was broken—by the very bastard who had allowed him to nap in the first place.

“Father-in-law! I’m here!”

“...His Majesty is currently taking a nap...”

“Oh, co on. Why is an old man like him taking a nap? He’s usually not even the type to sleep. They say people change when they’re about to die, so don’t tell ...”

That sharp, gratingly confident voice pierced straight through the soundproofed door.

The Emperor’s brow furrowed before his eyes even opened, and he pushed himself up.

“Haah.”

So it was just a fleeting dream.

Had it already been a week? No, it felt like more than a week had passed. Why did ti feel like it had flown by so quickly?

Before he could even express his displeasure, the door flew open.

“Unbelievable...”

The insolent brat.

No matter that he was the Emperor’s son-in-law, a hero of the continent, and soon to be a king himself, to be this outrageously rude in front of his retainers was beyond the pale.

He had endured it for his daughter’s sake, but the Emperor was still the Iron-Blooded Emperor.

He would show this rude punk his true face for the first ti in a while.

“Father! My husband is here.”

“...”

“I’m here, Your Majesty. Hey, honey. How can you just barge in and fling the door open when Father is sleeping? I could’ve waited two, three hours, you know.”

“No, Husband. Father was about to wake up anyway.”

“...”

’Like hell I was.’

The first face he saw as the door opened was that of his one and only daughter, the apple of his eye, and the Emperor’s expression twisted again.

With one arm wrapped around the princess’s waist, the punk hid behind her, poking his head out over her shoulder as he shalessly ran his mouth.

The shield was far too solid for him to curse at that bastard’s face.

If he hurled abuse now, all the damage would land on the princess before it ever reached that shaless punk.

He had no choice but to swallow the curses that had been about to spill out.

Instead, he chose different words.

“I need more sleep. Co back later...”

He had no intention of sleeping more, and his drowsiness had completely vanished, but he said it out of spite for his daughter, who was openly taking Han Simin’s side in front of her own father.

It was unfair.

Not only had she fallen for such a scoundrel and disturbed her father’s precious nap, but she was also now even trying to justify it!

Unfortunately, that frustration also never saw the light of day.

“See? He’s clearly awake, but he’s telling us to leave so he can sleep more. He’s sulking. What are we going to do about him?”

“No, Husband. Father would never do that.”

“Wouldn’t he? Look at that face. That’s totally the face of a man jealous of his son-in-law.”

“...Father?”

If he kept venting his frustration, he would just be proving the punk right—a petty father jealous of his son-in-law.

So, without rebutting them, he got out of bed.

“I’m thirsty.”

“All of a sudden? You said you were sleepy...”

“Enough. Why are you here?”

“You summoned , rember? You said you were holding a contribution award ceremony tomorrow, so I ca all this way. I’m hurt, you know.”

“...”

“I ca a day early because I was eager to see Your Majesty.”

“What about ?”

“I’ll see you tonight.”

“Oh! You’re making

blush.”

“...”

For the first ti in his life, the Emperor, who had never once regretted his own decisions, blad himself for announcing a contribution award ceremony and inviting adventurers.

4.

In the end, the ceremony itself was nothing special.

It was flashy, grand, and magnificent.

But it was exactly the kind of award ceremony everyone had imagined.

They rewarded those who had contributed, announced the nas of the kingdoms that had been punished as a warning against rebellion, and then gave a speech dangling carrots for continued loyalty to the Empire.

It was obvious, tedious, and repetitive, but it was a necessary process, and the Emperor’s charismatic words made it a moving ti not only for the adventurers but also for the NPCs.

They were moving up in the world.

Every person there received so benefit, so aside from Han Simin, not one of them looked bored.

The adventurers, in particular, displayed even greater loyalty.

For those who had just escaped the newbie stage and were pouring money into building their own power base, there was no better path to advancent than this.

It had already been proven just how much money users who had built up their forces and secured their positions could make, and why they were called “walking Ss.”

Especially Han Simin, now the king of the Rich Kingdom, sitting beside the Emperor with his legs crossed and his chin propped on his hand. He was considered beyond a walking S and more like a global conglorate.

From a jobless bum playing gas in a studio apartnt to soone’s role model.

“Wow. She’s really gorgeous.”

“Holy crap. So that ans Simin sleeps with the princess every night?”

“It wasn’t all him. I heard the princess was originally cursed and destined to die, but he saved her. She fell for him and pushed the Emperor hard for the marriage.”

“For real?”

“I don’t know. That’s just the rumor.”

“Then doesn’t that an the princess is the more aggressive one?”

“I’m jealous. She looks like a minor at first glance.”

“You idiot. There’s no such thing as a minor in Fantastic World.”

“Still. Man. Look at that. Even in that dress, you can see every curve. The princess is built. Shit. I’m jealous.”

Naturally, the greatest envy ca from the n.

Money, fa, and won.

He had all the primal things everyone wanted.

Of course, a few of them were burning with fighting spirit.

“Here, I’m still stuck looking up at him from the bottom, but in the All-Star Match, I can beat him.”

“You’re going too?”

“Of course. I’m Special grade, and my personal stream does pretty well, so I got an email. I’m going there to kill that lucky bastard first, no matter what.”

“You think you can? The Specialists will probably be there with him.”

“Dude, those guys just got a good head start and widened the gap. If we all start from the sa place, you really think it’ll be the sa? If I’d started just two weeks earlier, I’d be up there with them.”

“Tsk, tsk. Sure. You do you.”

The All-Star Match.

There were plenty of users sharpening their blades for Han Simin.