The Rank War
A translucent system window floated in the air. Checking update notices always sent a thrill through me. Even as a guy from Korea who'd dabbled in games, I wasn't immune.
'Alright, let's see...' Was it a trash update or a god patch? I steadied my pounding heart and tapped the announcement tab. No sooner had I scrolled than an avalanche of update logs poured down. I started reading through them slowly. And then, I let out a shocked yelp all by myself.
"Holy shit!? This is insane!? It's a god patch!"
The community update was officially a god patch. Among the highlights that caught my eye, three stood out.
[1. Multi-party Video / Voice Conference Rooms]
Have you felt uneasy trading without seeing the other party's face? Now you can open chat rooms for direct face-to-face talks with users from other dimensions. (Points will be deducted upon use.)
Text has its limits. With nothing visible, you're stuck guessing emotions from words alone. But video chat? That'd be huge for trades. Phrenology is science, after all.
[2. Karma-Exclusive Shop Opening]
Spend your accumulated Karma (karma points) at a dedicated shop for special items unavailable with regular points. (Current Karma for ContemplativeRepairman: +22)
"Huh? Karma?" I blinked. That mysterious number that had trickled up bit by bit when I traded hair growth tonic and World Tree fruit with the Elf Forest Elder, and when I handed out water during the plague crisis. Users from other dimensions had argued endlessly about what it was for, and now its purpose was finally clear.
But the one that really set my heart racing was the third announcement.
[3. Direct Trade System Introduced]
No more frustrating mail trades! Reach the highest community rank to unlock 'Dimensional Visit' or 'Invite Other-Dimensional User.' Pay community points, get the other party's consent, and cross dimensions for direct trades. (Warning: All incidents or accidents from dimensional travel are the user's sole responsibility.)
"...This is insane!!" I sucked in a sharp breath without realizing it.
Dimensional visits. And inviting other-dimensional beings. This was a total game-changer, a true god patch unlike anything before. Hadn't Jermad hyung declared yesterday he'd spend 100 years carving a magic circle to punch through to this world from the spirit realm? Now he wouldn't have to. If I hit the top community rank, I could use the system to invite him straight here!
"Yes! This is it! Used trading is all about direct deals!!"
Until now, I'd planned to use the dimensional exchange only occasionally as a gateway for martial arts, magic, or power-ups, since I'd already profited big there. But everything had flipped. Community rank wasn't optional anymore—it was essential for survival.
"I have to grind through tons of trades and max out my rank!"
With excited fingers, I opened the new [My Info & Ranking] tab.
Community ranks spanned eight tiers based on trade count, credibility, and trade volume: [Sprout → Iron → Bronze → Silver → Gold → Platinum → Diamond → Master].
Current Rank for ContemplativeRepairman: Bronze
"Oh? Bronze?"
Trade count was low, but dealing in heavy hitters like the Dragon Heart and World Tree fruit had landed me straight in Bronze. Higher tiers, though? The requirements were ridiculous.
"Ah, damn it—trade count is the baseline?"
Iron: 1 trade. Bronze: 3. Silver: 10. Gold: 50. Platinum: 250. Diamond: 1,500. Master: a whopping...
"Five thousand?" Minimum requirement, no less. And grade EXP per trade varied, so you needed high-value deals to climb fast. Trading twigs 5,000 times wouldn't cut it.
A bit brutal, huh? Then a new tab caught my eye: 'Integrated Top 100 Ranking.' To boost activity across dimensions, they'd added rankings with perks for top spots.
Ooh, wonder who's on there. I scrolled through the list. It showed the top 100 most active traders across all dimensions by nickname and rank.
"Let's see... Number one is..."
The moment I checked the top rank, my rosy dreams shattered.
"...Huh?" I rubbed my eyes and looked again. Eight million four hundred ninety-two thousand trades. A fossil user who'd sold non-stop their whole life, minus eating and shitting.
And even that overwhelming number one wasn't Master—just Diamond?
"...This is bullshit! You're kidding, right?! If Diamond's 8 million, what the hell do I need for Master?!"
That's when the system's peak hit me like a truck—lofty, distant, bone-chilling.
'This won't be easy...'
But quitting wasn't an option. I had to make it happen. To erect a dragon-wall around this shaky Earth showing signs of doom. I took a deep breath and fired up the 1:1 chat with Jermad hyung to share the good news.
A moment later, after skimming the notices, Jermad fired off messages in a frenzy.
Then Jermad threw out a wild idea.
I couldn't just sit idle while Jermad checked. Time to gauge real user reactions—and maybe snag some trades.
'Alright, let's see the buzz.' The moment I hit the For Sale board, refreshed, my eyes bugged out.
[9,999+ New Posts Registered]
"...What the fuck. There are this many users?"
Right after update. Hyped by new trade methods and auctions, users across dimensions had flooded the board like clockwork. Sure, duplicates bloated the count—actual users fewer. Still, it was a warzone for ranks. My post would sink in 0.1 seconds.
'Damn, no visibility for no-names.'
Blind grinding was a waste. Business 101: regulars and word-of-mouth.
'Temporary hype. Back to normal in days.' Games always peak day one.
I pulled up the [My Friends List] tab. My solid fantasy quartet from day one: Tower Master and Royal Alchemist who bought the flask; Elf Forest Elder for the World Tree fruit; Old Priest for the 3,000 liters of water.
'Start with these four, obviously.'
Odd that saving Earth boiled down to grinding used trades, but whatever. When life's a grind, you grind.
Who first? I clicked the one I needed most now, least awkward for video chat: 'OldPriest.'