Chapter 5: Episode 1 _ The Ultimate, Legendary Enhancent Master (4)
5.
Khan’s pride was wounded. Through countless enhancents, he understood intellectually that there were days when things just didn’t work out, but it was impossible not to be affected.
‘Only
4...’
He had used ten whole enhancent stones. If it had been five, he could have understood. Two failures out of five attempts were sothing that could easily happen. But this was ten. Seven failures out of ten could only be interpreted as a 30% success rate. To get only a 30% success rate on attempts that should have been 90%, 85%, and 80%... Setting aside any guilt, for Khan, who prided himself on being quite skilled among enhancent masters, it was an unacceptable outco.
“This ti, my disciple will do the enhancent.”
“...Isn’t he an adventurer?” the woman asked.
“He is an adventurer.”
“Then how...?”
The woman scanned Han Simin with a questioning gaze. No matter how she looked at him, his attire scread ‘beginner’. A player like that was going to perform an enhancent? For soone who had diligently played Fantastic World for ten days and gathered a fair amount of information about the enhancent content, it was an incomprehensible statent. As Khan had said, the enhancent master job was extrely rare in the ga.
“He is my disciple, so you need not worry about that.”
“I understand.” The woman nodded agreeingly, seemingly thinking that as long as the enhancent succeeded, it didn’t matter.
Han Simin interjected into their agreent.
“Hey, mister.”
“What?”
“What is this sudden developnt? Why am I doing the enhancent?”
He could do it, of course. Today was the tenth day, and it was the mont he had planned to succeed in a straight shot to
10 in front of Khan, as promised, and show off his fraudulent, probability-defying ability to his heart’s content. But not like this.
“You have to prove it anyway, don’t you?”
“That’s true.”
“Then is there a problem with proving it using this adventurer’s weapon?”
“Of course there is.”
It wasn’t just a problem. It was a very big problem.
“What’s the problem?”
“It’s a bit hard to say here...”
Han Simin glanced at the woman. Khan was an NPC, but the woman was a player. One must distinguish between public and private matters. He subtly led Khan to the front of the anvil.
“With you, Master, it’s a give-and-take where I show you the enhancent and can give you the weapon, but that woman is an adventurer. My secret technique can’t be bought for a re 50 silver.”
He then spoke seriously. The gravity in his tone was more profound than ever before, leaving Khan at a loss for words.
“...Are you being serious?”
“Of course.”
During the ten days he had spent with Han Simin, Khan had asked him various things, mostly about the unbelievable claims he had made.
A 100% enhancent success rate. It was tantamount to ignoring the rules set by the gods, so while it was absurd, he couldn’t help but be curious. He had many conversations to resolve his curiosity, and the conclusion Khan reached was to wait and see. For him, it was a huge decision. It was like presenting a mathematician with a formula that completely overturned existing ones and asking them to accept it, but he had done so. If Han Simin hadn’t been an outsider from another world, if he had been soone living by the rules of the continent, it was sothing he would never have accepted.
“I’ve beco curious. Can’t you show ?”
Khan’s resolve had tilted even further due to the recent enhancent failure. It was an unknown world that he couldn’t understand, even after decades of enhancing. It was a realm of dreams that he had, of course, thought about at least once while enhancing.
The probability that it was just the delusions of a rookie adventurer who had just started his journey was higher, but Khan decided to trust his judgnt of character. On the other hand, there was also a sense of resentnt and rebellion against the gods who still granted him such unlucky days despite having perford so many enhancents. These complex emotions created a rare opportunity, and Simin took it. He might be unemployed, but he was sharp and quick-witted in situations like this.
“Well, if you want to see it that badly, I can show you. But what will you do for ?”
Khan was confused.
“I an, think about it. Our deal is that you teach
the enhancent skill, and I show you my unique talent for guaranteed enhancent. If I suddenly enhance an unrelated adventurer’s item, isn’t that a loss for ?”
“If you beco an enhancent master, that’s sothing you’ll have to accept...”
“Even if I charge at least three tis the normal enhancent fee when I beco one?”
It was an absurd argunt, but he pushed it. In any case, it was far more advantageous for Han Simin not to enhance the woman’s weapon. He didn’t need to use a player’s weapon to show Khan his ability to succeed up to
10.
“Why do you insist on using that woman’s weapon? Don’t tell
it’s because she’s pretty...”
“Ahem. It’s not like that.” Khan stated.
“Looks like it to .”
“I said it’s not!” Khan insisted.
“If it’s not, it’s not. Why are you getting angry? It’s suspicious.”
“...Are you going to do it or not? To be honest, as an enhancent master, this failure hurts my pride, so I wish to compensate her.”
Khan, his true intentions exposed, hurriedly made an excuse. But Han Simin was not one to be easily swayed.
“What are you going to do if my words turn out to be a lie?”
“Even so, it’s a matter of probability, so it won’t be a big problem.”
So it was because the woman was pretty. Han Simin sighed. After a mont of thought, he decided to refuse.
‘Who am I doing this for?’
She was certainly a beautiful woman, and Simin was attracted to her. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to make a good impression. But that was a separate issue; she was a stranger. It was pitiful that she had wasted ten enhancent stones to get to
4, but it wasn’t his fault. To donate his talent for a woman who hadn’t contributed a single cent to his life—such ridiculous logic did not exist in Han Simin’s dictionary.
“Still, I won’t do...”
“If you really succeed up to
10, I will give you all the money received for the enhancent fee. And I will give you 20 enhancent stones separately.”
“I was planning to do it all along, Master. I will restore your shattered pride!”
He hadn’t been, but Khan’s words engraved the intention into his mind. Once the deal was struck, Khan placed his hand on Han Simin’s head and, just like when enhancing, drew up his mana.
Vwoom!
Simin was confused.
“Temporary bestowal of the enhancent skill,” Khan said.
[You can now use the ‘Enhancent (F)’ skill.]
[Ti Remaining: 2:59:59]
Han Simin now had the wings he needed to show off his talent.
* * *
Jeong Seolah was displeased. It was because of the rookie player and the NPC whispering in front of her.
‘This is costing more than I expected.’
She had brought extra enhancent stones just in case, but she hadn’t thought she would have to use them all. But now it seed she would. No, she had a feeling that she might not be able to make the
10 she had planned, even after using them all.
‘If the success rate is only 30%...’
To have such luck at a stage where she needed to climb up quickly. She had a strong desire to do the enhancent herself, but there was nothing she could do. In Fantastic World, confronting an NPC only resulted in a loss for the player. She endured it and cald her mind. A little more money wouldn’t be a problem. It was just annoying that her plan was going awry, and the ti it would take to get additional enhancent stones was a waste. She just hoped she could finish with this enhancent attempt.
“Alright. I’ll begin the enhancent.”
Then, as if their conversation had ended, the player who was called a disciple approached the anvil with a wide grin. Since he had just learned the skill, there was no way he would have any additional probability bonuses. Without much expectation, she crossed her arms and sat down in the provided chair. When it ca to enhancent, expectation leads to disappointnt. She assud the worst and closed her eyes.
Clang! Clang!
The refreshing sound of a hamr striking filled the air.
Even with her eyes closed, a faint light that pierced through her eyelids told her the result.
‘Plus five.’
It was to be expected with a 70% probability, but after what had just happened, even this was a relief. Still, she didn’t rejoice. This was just the beginning. From
6, a new Chapter of enhancent began. The prelude to suffering starts with a 50% chance of a level drop upon failure. This was where it truly began.
“Then I’ll go right ahead.”
Whether he knew it or not, the rookie enhancent master imdiately began to strike with the hamr.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Success! A brighter light illuminated the inside of the enhancent shop. The sword’s options would have been improved.
“Going for plus seven.”
Simin shouted loudly as if for her to hear and began hamring again.
Flash!
“Going for plus eight.”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Flash!
An intense light that could warm a player’s heart even for a mont penetrated her closed eyelids, and only then did Jeong Seolah open her eyes.
‘ 8? In one go?’
Was this the sa weapon that had failed seven tis to get to
4? Could he have switched it with another weapon? Even though she knew that the effect that burst out upon a successful enhancent was different for higher levels, she had her doubts. He could have succeeded by luck. It was better to be grateful and think of it as beginner’s luck rather than being suspicious. But Jeong Seolah was not that kind of sentintal woman.
‘The probability of succeeding consecutively is...’
She didn’t need to calculate it to know that it was low. What was more surprising was that when she opened her eyes and turned her gaze to the anvil.
She stared in disbelief.
“Ah. Damn it. It always starts acting up from plus nine,” he grumbled.
“Wh-what are you doing?” the enhancent shop NPC, also flustered, asked the rookie player who was about to start hamring.
This wasn’t sothing they had discussed beforehand. The rookie replied nonchalantly.
“It enhances better this way.”
Both Khan and the woman were speechless.
The player, lying flat on the floor, began to hamr with both hands. And then.
Flash!
Light burst out once more. Jeong Seolah was already on her feet. The NPC also had his mouth agape in surprise. The player who had gotten up t her gaze and smiled awkwardly.
“I’ll begin the final enhancent.”
‘...The final one?’
His words were filled with conviction as if he would definitely finish it. It was as natural as saying he would wash his hair after a haircut at a salon. Jeong Seolah nodded before she even realized it. Her eyes then fell upon the sight of the enhancent master, now lying on his back, gripping the hamr with his toes as he struck the weapon. The ritual was so bizarre it made her wonder if he was a psychopath, but the enhancent had already begun.
Flash!
The mont a deep, pure white light burst forth, Jeong Seolah was captivated, as if by a spell that made even the enchanter’s form seem subli.
She was too stunned to speak.
It had taken six enhancent stones to go from
4 to
10. Jeong Seolah stared intently at the man approaching with the sword, which now emanated a soft, pure white light like an aura.
* * *
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