Episode 298
Leaving the divine sword behind and coming up from the underground to the plaza, Seojun immediately headed to where Kresiteu was.
Two quest windows floated beside him.
One was Kresiteu’s request quest, updated to come today.
The other was the newly updated behind-the-scenes quest, ‘Desire for Power.’
‘Wonder how long that one lasts.’
The quest was still showing a question mark. It had appeared, but hadn’t been updated yet.
‘I’ll think about it after I come back from here.’
While Seojun was on his way to the workshop, almost all the other participants were following him.
‘The few that aren’t here must have stayed with the divine sword.’
Even if they wanted to do other quests, checking out the workshop first wouldn’t make them late.
The history book schedule wasn’t that tight.
So I can only think they stayed at the divine sword.
‘Risky.’
The danger level is fundamentally different between never having been suspected and having even a single suspicion raised.
A seed has been planted.
A seed that could sprout at any time.
‘Even meaningless actions will seem suspicious, and suspicious actions will seem even more so.’
What should one do in such a situation?
The answer is simply not to think about it.
For Seojun, the more he became conscious of it, the higher the chance of getting caught.
“We've arrived.”
While checking the quest and thinking, Seojun arrived in front of the workshop.
However, starting from the workshop entrance, the mercenaries who had been guarding the entrance to the other world were now standing guard.
When Seojun tried to enter, they stepped aside, but when other participants tried to enter, they blocked them.
“Only Kael can enter.”
“So we can’t even watch.”
“Well, that’s fine.”
“But how could the mastermind possibly do a quest like this? Hahaha.”
“Right, mastermind my ass. Hey Kael! I trust you!”
It was Gereuteu.
He’d been acting overly friendly since earlier, but Seojun actually welcomed it.
He had no intention of using him, but he was continuously being used automatically.
“Then I’ll go inside. Thank you for your hard work.”
Leaving behind the pros who had realized there was nothing more to check, Seojun entered the workshop.
“Kresiteu’s workshop. Yes, the interior hasn’t changed a bit.”
He’s not a pro, just a streamer. He must not forget his role.
So he decided to proceed in streamer mode.
***
[Let’s see. I have 620 points. Wow, that’s really a lot.]
It really was a lot.
Even from Bangju’s perspective, there was absolutely no participant who had gathered this many points at this stage.
Half of that?
Even half would probably be within the top three, high rank.
Maybe because I duplicated three times.
[I should thank Gereuteu, who keeps raising my affinity by giving me 100 points. You’ll probably see this later when it’s all over, right?]
-lololololol
-The streamer acknowledged it! Gereuteu, you succeeded!
-Germany’s affinity is world-class!
-Gereuteu’s really doing a big thing
-100 points is nice
-When you think about it, maybe Gereuteu was the very first to realize the streamer is the mastermind and is doing loyalty, loyalty to him?
-Loyalty, loyalty!
“I’m inside the workshop! And now I’m meeting Kresiteu. What on earth will he give to Kael, who made the biggest contribution? The secret of the train is finally revealed!”
As expected, it’ll probably be a new item.
But if it’s a consumable, having all those points wouldn’t mean much.
“But something unexpected could appear! Because the game company never tells you everything!”
[Kael, follow me.]
[Alright.]
[Ah, before you see, I have a gift for you.]
[What is it?]
[A dimensional pouch.]
A dimensional pouch.
In participant terms, it was simply extra inventory slots.
“Oh! He’s giving inventory slots! Being considerate so I can buy many things, huh? AI isn’t the type to do that, is it? Shouldn’t it be checking Seojun? Even switching the rewards they give out!”
[Wow. It went from 6 slots to 20 slots.]
-Suspicious, suspicious lololol
-For real, shouldn’t they not be handing stuff to the streamer? He’s got a ton of money?
-That’s too much
-Does 600+ even make sense?
[Now then, come this way. Let me show you this invention.]
[Oh. There’s an elevator here.]
They took the elevator to the top floor.
They reached an upper level that wasn’t visible from below.
“That building is famous. Kresiteu’s Shop.”
A long time ago, there was one participant who cleared a long chain of linked quests on the train once.
The final reward of that linked quest was exactly this space.
The so-called Kresiteu’s Shop.
The items displayed there back then were at least two tiers higher than most relics that boosted specs.
Kresiteu and Seojun stepped out of the elevator.
[Look around as much as you like.]
[Good. But I’m curious about something.]
[What is it?]
[How will you reveal this to the other heroes tomorrow? This place?]
[Reveal this place? I won’t do that.]
[Then?]
[There are many inventions downstairs too. I’ve only placed the very best of them up here. And for reference, you’ll also be able to enter downstairs tomorrow.]
[Ah. Everyone, this is really great. It seems like the special favor is bigger than I thought.]
-Really big, isn’t it?
-To go from downstairs up to here again, you’d have to clear another quest. How annoying
-Is it worth it? Even if it’s worth it, will participants find out? They’ll be caught in a dilemma
-But the streamer just came straight here
[I’ll check the items. There are 4 in total. The price is 300 points each? If we were doing this normally, it would’ve been hard to buy right away. But who am I?]
-The streamer who realizes he’s abnormal himself lolololol
-Crazy bastard who duplicated three times lolololol
-These are totally broken items!
-How do you know they’re broken?
-Just looking at them, they’ve got that glossy sheen
Seojun began examining the items slowly.
[Each one grants powerful effects. The Destructor’s Weapon, which increases raw damage by 30% without any conditions. The Destructor’s Gloves, which convert 20% of damage dealt into health recovery. The Destructor’s Armor, which grants invincibility for 15 seconds when used. All the basic stats they increase are high. And a bracelet that just boosts stats like crazy. But why ‘Destructor’?]
“Oh. Does that mean items like that get added into the game?! Of course, it might not be. Anyway, what would be best for the streamer right now!”
After examining the items’ details, Seojun started to ponder, and the viewers began debating.
-Invincibility is an absolute must
-Why?
-If you get 15 seconds of invincibility, you can just duplicate Judgment Sword
-Starting with Mother Lea, you can pull off something similar to a 5-man ult that requires a supporter. If you buy that. Cooldown is short too
-You think you can pull off a 5-man ult with that? lololol You should buy something that boosts other stats
-What are you going to do by boosting stats? The behind-the-scenes quest already boosts basic stats like crazy. Don’t you know that the higher they go, the less value each stat point has?
-Raw damage 30% does make me drool. The others might all have similar value, but just a flat 30% increase is a death spear, you know
-For real lolol
-What about lifesteal?
“Lifesteal has a drawback, everyone.”
The streamer said.
-What is it?
-What is it?
-Yes?
“It recovers 20% of the damage dealt. Seojun’s health keeps increasing, but if it's based on damage dealt, the amount of health recovered won't be much compared to his total health.”
This is an efficiency issue.
“The converted values of the other items are probably roughly balanced against the 30% damage. But that’s all when you only have basic stats. Some heroes might have high defense and health, others might have high attack power.”
You need to fill in your lacking stats according to your situation to see the best efficiency.
And when applying that situation to Seojun, while health recovery might be needed, in terms of converted value, it could be inefficient.
“Of course, if needed, it could be good! But above all!”
[Hmm, it doesn’t seem like they’re blocking duplicate purchases? Hey, Kresiteu.]
[What is it, Lord Arbiter.]
[Can I buy two of these?]
[Ha. You have the qualifications, so if you can pay the price, there’s no reason not to sell.]
[You know too. My points.]
[I don’t know what you’re talking about.]
Seojun grins.
The streamer was also grinning.
“Ah! So I can buy two of those broken items! This is a complete disaster, right? A real disaster, right?”
-For real lolololol
-300 points is seriously expensive, but oh well lolololololololol
-Let’s go raw attack!
-But considering you need to buy stuff at the shop tomorrow and things like runes, buying two might be a bit overkill
-Runes are cheap. Don’t worry
[Can I buy them anytime?]
[If you wish.]
[Then I’ll buy the Destructors’ Weapon first.]
“Death spear! The streamer’s first choice is the death spear!”
***
“Haah…….”
“He’s smart. That’s why he’s more of a problem.”
“Who made it so that anyone could buy multiple of those? And who made it fixed so the AI can’t touch it?”
“Stop blaming others!”
“It was the person who just spoke.”
“Ahem.”
In this history book, nothing from start to finish had gone according to the team leaders’ predictions.
Truly, everything.
The important thing was that the cause of all those failed predictions was a single person.
Jin Seojun.
A Korean streamer.
“Who would have known the mastermind would end up being able to buy multiple of those great items.”
No matter how much the AI continuously adjusted, some things absolutely could not be tampered with.
Unless there was a special scenario.
Things like the guild system, runes, etc.
Because you can’t adjust it to prevent a purchase just because someone grew too well, and in cases like this, the feeling was “if they gathered about 600 points, well, let them buy it” so they’d fixed it.
“Everything’s going beyond expectations, so this is just…….”
Their goal is the most perfect ending.
Whether the Korean streamer who newly became the mastermind wins, or a victor emerges among the other participants, the fight must not be one-sided.
But it keeps looking like it’ll fall apart. Constantly.
Of course, there was nothing they could do about it now anyway.
Their arrangements had all gone to waste, and the results had obstructed the AI’s adjustments.
The things they could do were limited to adjusting the tables in the cafeteria, monitoring if any health issues arose, and managing the staff well.
Or, they could cheer.
“Wow! The number of remaining participants is 37 now, so are we seeing this as 37 versus 1? Let’s go!”
Or hold a ritual for victory.
“AI, please, just make the quests disgustingly difficult.”
Someone analyzed the situation cool-headedly.
“If he’s going to get bounced anyway, it might be better if he gets even stronger and wins overwhelmingly…….”
“That’s also a problem. If he already weirdly stole even the mastermind position and then wins overwhelmingly with it? It’s completely… like we had no eye for talent.”
“Aren’t we indeed lacking an eye for talent?”
“Korean team leader, please step aside. Honestly, you’re enjoying this right now, aren’t you?”
“Yes, it’s fun.”
Currently, the team leaders were split into the Seojun faction and the non-Seojun faction.
Regrettably, the Seojun faction currently had only one member.
Perhaps because of that, a sudden cheer was heard.
Seojun’s quest had been updated.
[Desire for Power 3]
==
The being from the other world began to whisper to you, asking if you didn’t want to become stronger, saying it could give you greater power.
It says what you have to do is simple. However, now that it’s giving greater power, it says there will be a price.
Objective: Defeat three participants in one go during this cycle (View details)
Reward: Stat increase
Failure: Reset of stats acquired as rewards
==
Apparently, its content was quite pleasant to see.
“Yes, with that level of skill, you have to make it that hard!”
When Seojun pressed view details and checked the specific conditions, he saw that ‘in one go’ meant the interval between kills had to be within 10 minutes. The motion for absorbing power was said to disappear.
And above all, the quest was telling him to kill exactly, no more no less, three people this cycle, but this.
“This balances things out a bit! Three in one go means you absolutely have to ambush a group, and groups mostly move in groups of four or more, so you have no choice but to leave witnesses!”
That was the difficulty of this quest.
What if another witness appears?
“Winning streak unchecked? Not good, you know. He has to do it no matter what to avoid the reset, so maybe we’ll get to see a bewildered Kael playing too aggressively. The situation will keep getting tangled.”
Like characters who lose to the temptation of power usually do.
While they were rejoicing over that, Seojun spoke.
[What. Can’t I just go back to where we were earlier and kill everyone except the divine sword? How many were there?]
“…….”
“I see…….”
“Why does it feel like our AI keeps losing to that person?”
“How many are at the divine sword side? Check that.”