Chapter 60
Chapter 60
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 60
Chapter Title: Trait Enhancement (2)
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The moment I saw the description that it would enhance a trait, the first one that came to mind was Failed Game Master.
Of course, I was also worried that it might change into some strange trait, causing me to lose all the benefits I'd enjoyed so far.
I could end up killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.
Of course, Bio resolved that concern.
There was no special effect, like a burst of light.
Just a short notification window appeared.
[Through the power of the Dragon God Kalonipe, Failed Game Master has been enhanced to True Failed Game Master.]
True Failed Game Master?
It felt a bit lazy, just adding a single word, but I was actually fine with it.
I trusted Bio, but my anxiety hadn't completely vanished.
If the name hadn't changed much, the effects probably wouldn't be drastically different either.
With a sense of excitement, I opened my status window.
[True Failed Game Master (EX+)
Grants the trait holder the True Failed Game benefits.]
The trait description also had only two words added, not much of a change.
But the description wasn't what was important.
The true value of Failed Game Master had only revealed itself after I fully entered Elsia, after all.
Shouldn't something else appear right away?
Maybe the effect doesn't apply inside the labyrinth...?
Just as I thought that, my vision suddenly changed.
Surprisingly, it looked like a modern corporate office.
Before me stood about a dozen men and women in neat business suits.
Wait a minute, this setup looks awfully familiar...
The man in the center of the suited group stepped forward and bowed his head, and the others followed suit.
“We are truly sorry. This was our mistake. We deceived our valued customers by exaggerating meager benefits as if they were something grand. This time, we will truly give everything away without holding back.”
...I had a feeling, and it seems my guess was right.
“Sir, we need to make money too!”
“If you give that much away, how will we run the company...”
“Sir, sir...”
“Enough! Everyone, be quiet! As long as they enjoy the game, that’s all that matters! To all the users watching this ad, log in right now and enter the special VIP code, VIP0610.”
When I used to review failed games, I would often watch their ads with my viewers.
They were all ridiculous like this, but they were a great warm-up and a good way to kill time before getting into the main content.
Ah, of course, a lot of viewers didn't like them.
When the ad ended, my vision changed again, returning me to where I was.
[Due to the enhancement of the Failed Game Master trait, a code input function has been added.]
I opened the trait again, and sure enough, there was a code input function.
I entered the code I heard in the ad.
[You have entered a special VIP code.
You have received permanent VIP benefits... Confirmed as an existing benefit holder and promoted to SVIP!
You have acquired 200 million limited Jewels!
(Limited Jewels can only be used in the VIP Special Shop.)
Guaranteed Legendary Weapon Summon... Confirmed as an existing benefit and changed to a Guaranteed Legendary Armor Summon Ticket.]
Uh... hmm... is this good?
200 million Jewels and a guaranteed legendary armor summon ticket were all nice, but it wasn't quite what I had expected.
First, the 200 million Jewels. I had already received 100 million Jewels before, but I rarely spent them since there wasn't much I needed.
Besides, the ones I got this time could only be used in a "Special Shop," meaning I couldn't even use them to buy an Orb of Wishes later.
As for the legendary armor summon ticket, I already had a cloak, and I was sure I could get more through farming in the future.
Most importantly, this time there was no wing or mount summon, and no 1,000 free summon tickets.
They said they'd give everything away.
At this rate, it might have been better to just enhance Path of the Sword King as Bio suggested...
Of course, it was too early to be disappointed.
“Check SVIP benefits.”
[SVIP Benefits
Daily login rewards for 10 days (Day 1: 10,000 Gold + 1,000 Jewels, Day 10: 20,000 Gold + 10,000 Jewels). One Lucky Roulette Ticket provided daily.
Receive a roulette ticket that can be used to win bountiful gifts such as wings, mounts, equipment, Jewels, and more.]
Oh, as expected, the login rewards increased.
Previously, the Jewels increased with consecutive logins, but the gold was always fixed at ten thousand.
But looking at the Day 10 reward, it seemed that from SVIP onwards, the gold would also increase by 1,000 each day, just like the Jewels.
This was pretty good, but what was even better was that the login reward period had been extended from 7 to 10 days.
Once you enter the Kramis Labyrinth, you have to spend 10 days there.
I couldn't use the Summoner's Shop while in the labyrinth, so I always lost out on three days' worth of rewards. That problem was now solved.
But the only new addition was the Lucky Roulette Ticket.
Well, I'd know once I got it.
“Receive SVIP login rewards.”
[SVIP Day 1 Login Rewards: You have acquired 10,000 Gold, 1,000 Jewels, and a Lucky Roulette Ticket.]
I was about to take the ticket out of my inventory when my companions approached me.
“Hyeon-ung, are you done with your business?”
“It looks like Bio has already left.”
“Hyeon-ung, you didn't forget about us, did you?”
“Mister, you said you missed us like crazy earlier. Was that a lie?”
All my companions looked hurt.
Haha, I got so absorbed in enhancing my trait that I ended up ignoring them.
“Sorry, sorry. Let me just check this one thing, and then we can move to the next floor.”
I apologized to the members and took out the Lucky Roulette Ticket.
[Lucky Roulette Ticket
A summon ticket imbued with a mysterious power.
Can be used by tearing it in half, which will summon a lucky roulette wheel to spin.]
Thinking the description was quite simple, I tore it without hesitation.
With a golden flash, a roulette wheel larger than myself appeared.
Let's see...
There were spaces with pictures of gems, presumably Jewels; spaces with money bags, presumably gold; and also pictures of weapons, equipment, mounts, and wings.
There were also a few very thin, colored spaces, probably indicating low probabilities.
“Hyeon-ung?”
“What is this?”
“I can feel a formidable energy coming from it.”
“Mister, do you spin it with this handle?”
“Yeah.”
“Can I try?”
It seemed Rina's interest was piqued.
“Uh...”
“I can't?”
I hesitated for a moment, but since I'd be getting one every day, I figured once would be fine.
I nodded, and Rina grabbed the handle on the side of the wheel and pulled with all her might.
*Whirrrrrr—*
Wow, the pictures on the wheel were a complete blur.
You had to hand it to our Rina, she was incredibly strong.
It looked like it would take a while for it to stop.
“As expected of our Rina, strong as an ox!”
“An ox? I thought you said Rina was a priestess?”
I pretended not to hear Elaine's nonsense and focused on the wheel.
After waiting for about three minutes, the wheel slowly decelerated and came to a stop.
[Congratulations! You have won the Labyrinth Emergency Escape Ticket with a 0.02% chance!]
A notification appeared, and the roulette wheel vanished immediately.
“Mister, if it landed on this, it must be something amazing, right?”
Rina's face was full of anticipation.
“Hyeon-ung, hurry up and check it.”
“We're curious too.”
The other companions were the same.
“Well, the probability is low, at least...”
I had a good guess what it was, and when I took it out of my inventory, my guess was confirmed.
It was a return scroll-type item that would send you back to the city even if the labyrinth's closing time hadn't been reached.
It was a useful item, but for me, who always stayed for the full duration of the labyrinth, it was honestly useless.
It would have been much better if it were an entry ticket that let me enter the labyrinth when it wasn't open.
“...Is it not good?”
My reaction was so bland that Rina’s expression turned glum.
“Hmm? Not good? You mean 'the star of my heart' not good?”
“Huh? What does that mean...? That you don't like it?”
It was supposed to be a joke, but I guess it was a stretch.
“It means it's a great item.”
“You're lying... I can tell that much.”
“I'm not. I was just surprised. It's an emergency escape item that lets me run away anytime I'm in danger. Thanks, Rina.”
She didn't answer, but my lip service seemed to have cheered her up a bit.
“Hyeon-ung, can I spin it next time?”
“I want to try spinning it too.”
“Me too!”
“...I get one a day, so I'll let you all take turns.”
It wasn't like this was the only ticket I'd ever get. I'd be getting one every day, and my companions were more important to me.
“Kkyu!”
“Goldie, you want to do it too? You can wait your turn.”
“Kkyuiiing...”
Once my companions have all had a turn, I should let Bio have a go too.
****
Kramis Labyrinth, 52nd Floor.
This time, since I had spent three days in a secret dungeon, I only had a week left. I considered going to the 45th floor, but I chose the 52nd.
In fact, from now on, unless Tae-soo specifically asked for help, I had no intention of visiting any floor below the 50th.
I had been alternating between low and high floors to maximize the effect of my Lucky Pioneer class, but from experience, the higher floors were much more efficient.
Even if I split my time hunting five days each, the Blessing of Miter only lasted for seven days, so it was a structure where I was guaranteed to lose two days.
The 52nd floor was a vast, dense forest.
The monsters that appeared were quite diverse, mostly in the form of giant animals.
What was a little unusual was that the floor bosses...
“Hyeon-ung, I think the floor bosses have spawned over there.”
I looked where Hanna was pointing and saw trees continuously falling.
We quickly made our way there and arrived to find a giant tiger that easily exceeded 10 meters and a slightly larger black gorilla.
“A Saber Tiger and a Dark Gorilla King.”
“Humans?”
“It's humans!”
They had been fighting each other, but upon spotting us, they stopped and charged in our direction.
“I'll take the Saber Tiger.”
As soon as I chose my opponent, a barrage of White Flame Orbs poured down on the gorilla before my words even finished.
*Boom—! Boom—!*
“Then the gorilla is mine.”
Timi grinned and shrugged, seeming to have prepared her magic in advance.
“Gyaaaaaaah!”
The gorilla let out a scream mixed with pain and rolled on the ground, but the white flames wouldn't go out.
“Then I shall deliver the finishing blow.”
Milli nocked an arrow to her bowstring.
*BOOM—!*
With a massive explosion, the gorilla vanished without a trace.
“How... how can humans be this strong...”
The Saber Tiger looked as if it had completely lost its will to fight.
It slowly began to back away before turning to flee, but it was pointless.
I immediately drew my sword and threw it at the beast.
It must have sensed my killing intent, as it tried to evade by running in a zigzag pattern, but it was futile.
My sword also curved in a zigzag, embedding itself in the Saber Tiger's neck.
*Thud—*
It collapsed without even a single scream, seemingly killed instantly.
“As expected, Hyeon-ung. That technique is amazing every time I see it.”
“The sword looks like it's alive.”
“Hanna keeps failing at it, though...”
“I... I at least managed to make it move yesterday.”
“That's right. Hanna, you'll be able to do it soon.”
It was a technique Arpeus had used against me, but when I tried to imitate it, it wasn't very difficult.
Getting stronger was good, and it brought a sense of stability, but with no real challenge, a feeling of boredom was starting to creep in.
Ah, of course, sparring with my companions still provided some stimulation, but honestly, because it was just sparring, it felt a little lacking.
Take Hanna, for example. In terms of pure swordsmanship, she was still a step—no, five steps—ahead of me, but if we were to fight with all our strength, I didn't think I would lose.
My decision not to go to floors below 50 was partly due to efficiency, but this feeling also played a role.
According to Bio, at my current level, I should probably be heading to the 60th floor or higher...
[You have acquired Kallepiota's Sorrow.]
[The Golden Dragon has consumed Kallepiota's Sorrow.]
It's good to see our Goldie eating well.
“Alright, everyone, that’s enough hunting for today.”
“Huh?”
“Are you going down to the 51st floor already?”
“We still have a day left, don't we?”
They all looked confused.
“We'll go to the 51st floor tomorrow. Before that, there's something I want to talk to all of you about. Let's move for a bit, shall we?”
I summoned Red Hare and we moved to our base camp, which we had set up on the outskirts of the 52nd floor.
A small cabin located in the forest.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Are you thinking of taking a break from the labyrinth next time?”
“Well, you have been coming every single week without fail. You must be tired...”
“I have a rest period, so it's not that I'm tired. It's not that.”
“Then what is it?”
Rina, Hanna, Timi, Milli, Alpen, and Elaine—all of them had their eyes sparkling with curiosity.
“What would you think if you could be with me outside the labyrinth too?”