Chapter 48: Episode 10 _ Tell
Your Wish (1)
“Installation complete, sir.”
“Thank you for your hard work.”
It was a studio apartnt, just over three hundred square feet. Though it was the sa size as his old place, the cleanliness was a world apart. It still felt cramped after the VR capsule was installed, but it was incomparable to the one-room hovel he’d been living in until yesterday. Hot water ca out instantly, and there wasn’t a single bug in sight. Aside from the $1,000 monthly rent, it was the perfect ho.
“Haaaah.”
But as Han Simin rolled around on the exceptionally plush bed, his sighs only deepened. The reason was last night’s catastrophe. In a way, god had answered his prayers perfectly. The ring had evolved as he’d wished, gained extra options, and was even gifted a special option as a bonus. This was beyond the realm of what his supernatural ability could control. He should have been proud to have succeeded against such odds.
“Fuck . Damned if I do, damned if I don’t.”
Besides, his life wasn’t over just because the ring was soulbound. It wasn’t imdiately useful, but there were plenty of ways to leverage it for money. The opportunity for a massive, one-ti jackpot, however, was well and truly gone. That was the one unchanging truth.
The shock had been so great that he’d stayed logged out for twelve hours. The only silver lining was that despite his dark thoughts about the Han River, he had no intention of actually jumping in. The fact that he’d moved the capsule here instead of throwing it in the trash was proof enough. What else could he do? A man had to eat.
“Sigh.”
Even so, he couldn’t bring himself to post a screenshot of the item on the FW community forums, even though doing so would instantly raise his community grade. It was just too painful and annoying. He could already picture the swarms of small-fry players who would see it and try to latch on for a piece of the action.
‘The milk’s already been spilled,’ he thought, calmly collecting himself. You couldn’t cry over spilled milk. But while you could always get more regular milk, what he’d just spilled was practically milk from the heavens. It was irreplaceable. If he couldn’t scoop it back up, he might as well drink it off the floor.
‘Damn it. Looks like I’m destined to be a professional experience leech, a role I never wanted.’
A scowl ford on his face. As it stood, that was the only way to get the most value out of the soulbound Ring of Blessing. He scratched his head and got out of bed. Twelve hours of wallowing was more than enough. After washing away his wounded pride with a hot shower, he picked up his phone.
“We’re having a get-together,” he said, his voice firm.
* * *
As the sun began to set, the Specialists gathered at a pub. It was a eting Simin had requested, a huge decision for a group of addicts who spent every waking mont gaming. Knowing this, he had told them it was fine if they couldn’t make it, but they all showed up. After all, Han Simin held all the cards.
Anyone could guess this was about the ring. Sacrificing half a day was worth it if it ant getting their hands on that ring.
“Hello,” Simin said, arriving after the other three. He greeted them and sat down without a hint of awkwardness.
“Whoa, Oppa, you’re handso in real life too!” Kang Yeseul chirped.
“And you’re just as cheeky in real life,” Simin retorted.
The other two looked much the sa as their in-ga avatars. Since appearance customization was extrely limited, that was to be expected. But the three of them exuded an aura he’d never noticed in the ga.
‘Is it because they’re chaebol heirs?’ he wondered. A sense of effortless confidence seed to radiate from them. Even the casual clothes they wore looked expensive.
Jeong Seolah, in particular, was dressed in all black, complete with a black cap, but even that couldn’t hide her beauty. If they weren’t in a private room, she would have been constantly bothered by people. And Kang Yeseul, well, that went without saying.
“Hah.”
Seeing them made him sigh once more. He had tried so hard to forget, but it seed impossible. He had just blown his chance to fleece these rich kids for a fortune.
“I called you here to talk about the ring,” he began, getting straight to the point. There was no need to drag it out. The sooner he told them the reality of the situation, the sooner they could discuss their next steps.
“Yes,” Seolah replied.
“How much are you selling it for, Oppa?” Yeseul asked eagerly.
“I don’t think I can sell the ring,” Simin said.
“...Excuse ?” Seolah’s brow furrowed.
“Why not?” Hyeonsu demanded.
“What?! Why?!” Yeseul exclaid.
He wondered how they would react. They would probably feel the sa sense of loss he did. It was only natural. The mont they saw the hologram announcing the
15 success, they must have already considered it theirs.
“It’s faster if you just see for yourselves.” Forcing back a bitter smile, he took out his phone. His stomach still churned, but there was a strange sense of joy in not suffering alone. He showed them the saved screenshot, and their heads huddled together.
“Whoa. That’s insane,” Hyeonsu breathed.
“A 60% experience boost...” Seolah murmured.
“That ‘Devoted’ special aura is completely broken,” Yeseul added.
Their initial reactions were no different from his. And just like him, their excitent grew with each line they read. But then...
“...Soulbound?” Seolah asked, her voice trailing off.
“You’re kidding ,” Hyeonsu muttered.
Yeseul fell silent.
In the end, there was only despair. Resentful glares turned toward Simin. What? It wasn’t his fault! He shrugged. If he could turn back ti, he’d be the first one to do it. This was a disappointnt for the Specialists, too, but what could he do?
“It wasn’t intentional. Just bad luck,” he explained.
“...I suppose it can’t be helped,” Hyeonsu conceded.
“Anyway, I’m sorry. You might have already prepared the cash to buy it.”
“It’s alright, Simin. I know you wouldn’t have done it on purpose,” Jeong Seolah said. A bitter smile touched her lips, but she didn’t seem to dwell on it. She knew his personality well enough to understand.
Wordlessly, Kang Yeseul poured a shot of soju. Now he understood why Simin had called them to a pub in the early evening.
“Let’s drink till we drop!” she declared.
“You look like you’d pass out after three shots,” Simin teased.
“Hey, Oppa! Wanna bet?”
“No.”
When you’re feeling down, alcohol is the answer. They decided to discuss how to utilize the Ring of Blessing after a few drinks.
“Drink! Drink!” Yeseul chanted.
“Let’s get wasted!” Simin joined in.
“Tsk, tsk.” Hyeonsu clicked his tongue as the other three began to pour drinks down their throats.
* * *
“More! Let’s drink more!” Yeseul shouted.
“Simin, you moved, so let’s have a housewarming party!” Seolah suggested.
“It’s a bit small for the four of us...”
They had been drinking for a while, but no one was truly drunk. The compulsion to get back ho and start hunting was always lurking in the back of their minds. Of course, the alcohol had lifted their spirits a bit. Hyeonsu felt it was ti to break the mood.
“Are you two trying to get out of your penalty?” he asked the won.
The two won’s expressions froze for a fraction of a second before returning to normal.
“Oh, right. Seolah, we have to go hunt,” Yeseul said quickly.
“You’re right. We’ve been out for too long today. Let’s do the housewarming another ti,” Seolah added.
“What, you traitors! Why are you leaving already?” Simin protested.
“Because we made a bet and... mmmph!”
The drinking party ca to an abrupt end. Hyeonsu was dragged away, his mouth covered by the two won.
“See you in the ga!” Seolah called back.
“Oppa, you have to co be our leech!” Yeseul added.
They were practically advertising that they were hiding sothing, but Simin didn’t press it. His mood had improved.
‘Maybe a long-term savings fund is better than a one-ti jackpot,’ he mused. He’d found his alternative plan during their drinking session. He’d already had the idea, but after discussing it directly and getting a positive response from his clients, all that was left was to put it into action. After enjoying a brief respite, Han Simin returned to Fantastic World.
* * *
2.
“At least it looks cool.”
Stroking the ring on his left ring finger, which now felt like a part of his body, Simin headed toward the Emperor’s location. He would forget about yesterday and focus on doing well from today onward. It wasn’t as if he’d lost his fundantal enhancent ability. He could just find a better item and enhance it again. And he’d learned an important lesson from this incident.
‘I need to be careful about enhancing Legendary items to
15.’
The soulbound option was probably also determined by probability. If his goal was to sell, it was best not to leave even a sliver of a chance for it to happen. It wasn’t like the value of a Legendary item would plumt if he sold it at
14.
“You’ve co,” the Emperor said.
“My apologies for yesterday. I had so urgent business to attend to.”
“There is no need to apologize. We are past the point of choosing our words carefully with each other.”
“...Co on, just think of it as
being charming, Father-in-law.”
“Hmph. You truly are a funny one,” the Emperor chuckled.
The Emperor and the Princess sat side-by-side. A sense of pride swelled in Simin’s chest, allowing him to speak boldly.
“That aside, it’s ti for my reward.”
The Emperor was silent.
’Pay up!’ Since Simin couldn’t cash in on the ring, he was determined to squeeze every last drop out of this. His intense resolve was palpable to the Emperor.
“You have the gall to say that after smuggling out sixty enhancent stones?”
“Smuggling? That’s a harsh word. I perford over three hundred enhancents. I deserve at least that much for my labor.”
“You’re the kind of man who could skin a cal in the desert.”
“Thank you for the complint,” Simin said with a grin. ‘So hurry up and hand it over.’
“State your terms,” the Emperor sighed.
“Two wishes and three items from the treasury.”
The Emperor nodded.
“And don’t forget you’re making
your son-in-law at the end.”
The Emperor scowled at the reminder from the man who was stealing his daughter, but he didn’t deny it. With confirmation secured, Simin started walking.
“First, I’ll be raiding the treasury. Please open it.”
“Open it for him,” the Emperor commanded a servant.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor turned his head away from Simin’s beaming face. In his desperation to save the Princess, he had lost his mind for a mont and promised all sorts of things, but the personal treasury was no trivial matter. It was a place where successive emperors had gathered the continent’s rarest treasures for hundreds of years. It even contained contracts used by demons; its rarity was beyond imagination. To have to grant soone the right to choose any three items from such a place—how could his stomach not churn? He was feeling a regret he’d never experienced in his life.
“It’s alright, Father,” the Princess said softly. “He will be a great asset to the Empire.”
“He had better be.”
“I will assist him and ensure that he becos one.”
“Haaah.”
That place was no vault for a common thug of an adventurer to go rummaging through. If he could, he would revert to the Emperor of his pri, bind the insolent adventurer, and nullify everything. But one look at the Princess beside him, and such shaless thoughts buried themselves deep. Besides, he had a score to settle with the one who had not only provoked the Emperor but had also cursed his daughter before fleeing. For that, he needed to gather adventurers.
‘Please, just let him take sothing useless,’ the Emperor prayed internally.
Fortunately, the treasury held so many items, most of which were priceless artifacts unobtainable anywhere else on the continent, that a novice adventurer who had just arrived would have a hard ti discerning their true value. He knew they had so ability to sense an item’s worth, but the world wasn’t a place where one could live wisely with that alone.
“I think I’ll have a al. Let us go,” the Emperor said to his daughter.
“Yes, Father.”
With that thought, the burden on his heart lightened. ‘Right, what could a brat like him possibly know? He’ll probably just grab a decent-looking weapon and a piece of armor and co out.’
The Emperor had underestimated Han Simin. And so, instead of following him to watch carefully and pressure him, he casually went off to eat.
At that mont, the treasury door opened.
* * *
The treasury was vast, with countless items displayed on shelves and even more rolling around on the floor. But Han Simin walked in without hesitation. There was no need to rush in a bonus room with no ti limit.
‘I’ll start from the deepest part and work my way through.’
This was a man who had swung a hamr for twenty-four hours straight to achieve his goal. And having just suffered a loss so painful it felt like he’d sold a kidney, he was filled with a venomous resolve. His patience was naturally maxed out.
‘There must be a grading system in here, too.’
The Emperor had opened it casually and allowed him easy entry, but the fact that only he could enter proved the treasury’s value. The items in a place that adventurers wouldn’t be able to access for years couldn’t possibly be ordinary. Simin’s task was to pick the three most valuable items among them.
‘I don’t need weapons or armor. I’ll focus on consumables or accessories with permanent effects.’
He planned to check everything, but he set his priorities first. He began picking up items one by one to inspect them. Then, a brilliant idea struck him. Reverse psychology.
‘If I were the Emperor, what would I be most pissed about if soone took it?’
That would probably be the most valuable thing. Having recently developed a taste for unconventional thinking, Han Simin let a wicked smile spread across his face as he made that his guiding principle.
* * *
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