Deal with the Operator (2)
“Y-you're saying you want something in return?”
“Yeah. Have you ever seen anything come free? I was always worried the operators were lurking around, monitoring me, but looks like that wasn't the case. You guys don't know a damn thing about me.”
Give and take. When you're the one asking for a favor, wasn't it common sense to bring even a small gift?
Hellfire, standing beside me, looked a bit taken aback too, but it didn't matter. Whatever we got out of this would benefit him as well—he had no reason to stop me.
“Wow! You're as impressive as the rumors say. But even operators—no, developers—can't just hand out items, benefits, or info to players inside the game. It'd violate company policy, and if word got out, it'd deal irreparable damage to the company's reputation.”
“Come on, that's nonsense! If we leak this info and the stock rebounds, billions—hell, tens of billions—will be flying around... And you're just gonna swallow that with a few words? Besides, who asked for items? Just give us something convincing as compensation. We don't want much.”
When negotiating for something you really want, it was best to start high, even if it seemed unreasonable. Demand big first, then pretend to compromise, and the other side would think, Well, that's not so bad, and accept it without realizing.
It was battle-tested know-how from twenty years of gaming and countless item trades.
“If not items, then what do you want? Even operators can't do much.”
“EXP blessing. I got it during that big event last time, so I know you can pull it off. That seems like fair trade for Theosis's request. And Hellfire?”
“Yes. I'm listening, Sandro.”
“The Ma Shin Sword description says its titan is sealed, right? Assuming it's the same, you'll need to sacrifice 10 levels to unseal it. That'd drop you out of the rankings in a flash, but an EXP blessing could make up for it, yeah?”
“I didn't know that, but if it's true, it sounds like a perfect fit. Is it, Theosis?”
“Yes... A 10-level drop is the standard condition for unsealing the 7 Divine Weapons' titans. It was a penalty designed that way, expecting the owners to change hands often.”
With Theosis's confirmation, Hellfire nodded in agreement. And since Theosis didn't shoot it down right away, my proposal didn't seem outrageous to her either.
“You already know it's possible, so you can't say no... If we do it, how much do you want?”
“A 50% EXP gain buff for a month. That's the minimum, I think.”
“No way! Anyone would notice something fishy with that kind of level-up speed!”
Theosis jumped at my words. But this was another highball—I had to sweet-talk her down to maximize gains, so I kept adding spice.
“Nah, I doubt it. Hellfire's dropping 10 levels, so recovering his rank in a month won't be easy. And I've been leveling so fast already, people won't bat an eye. Even if I hit thief rankings, no one's gonna suspect in just a month, right?”
“...”
“It's just the two of us getting the buff—if we keep quiet, no one knows. No evidence like items left behind. Still no? You mentioned stocks earlier, so I'm guessing execs are pressuring you. You sure that's fine?”
I could sense her flinch, and finally, Theosis raised the white flag.
“25% for a month, or 50% for two weeks. Nothing else.”
“50% for two weeks—deal!”
“Ah... This is way beyond my authority, but... You're incredible, Sandro. I mean that sincerely.”
“Honestly, your original offer would've screwed us over. Don't take it personally.”
For me right now, gearing up was important, but leveling was the top priority. Titans would start popping up soon—before they stacked, I needed to become a one-man army to take on Taeseong in the field.
And with a few words, I'd slashed that timeline dramatically.
“And since we're going public anyway, how about setting the stage right? Could use your cooperation... Unlock the Colosseum's recording for broadcast?”
“Broadcast?”
“Sandro? What's that about?”
Screenshotting the info window and posting it online felt too lame. It was a sudden idea, but it seemed solid, so I pitched it to them.
“Rent the Colosseum for a one-on-one titan duel show. Invite tens of thousands of spectators and broadcasters.”
“Truth is, we've got a bit of history. Theosis and I.”
After wrapping up with Theosis, we descended to the surface for a private chat.
According to him, back in his early twenties when Hellfire was dominating Galaxy War, one of his die-hard fans who showed up at offline arenas was the current operator, Theosis.
“She was a high school girl at a science academy then. Said watching matches was more fun than playing... We crossed paths by chance, and she even talked about building an AI to beat me. Then she went off to a top U.S. engineering school, and we lost touch... Until about ten years later, at the Taitonic reveal I was invited to.”
“So she's barely in her early thirties? Damn, Theosis is the real deal. She seemed kinda naive in person...”
“Lifetime of study and research'll do that—even in-game, it shows. Anyway, we're in different places now, can't act like old pals, but I'm proud. The girl who was my fan is making the game I'm pouring my heart into.”
Both had chased dreams relentlessly in their fields, achieving real-world success and shining brightly.
But oddly, I wasn't that envious. Sure, I had nothing yet, but unlike before, I was grinding like mad toward my own goals.
“Anyway, thanks for the hard work, Hellfire. Agreeing to my solo deal and the broadcast.”
“If it's gotta happen, better get something out of it. And the broadcast? Smart idea—thanks to you.”
The massive arena in the imperial capital Ostarg: the Colosseum. Usually called the arena, where mock PvP instances spawned daily for rankings. I'd fought there in the Heavenly War, but it was famous for more.
Player-hosted events, tournaments, monster hunts. Pay gold, rent it out—happened often.
In short: 'Instance' and 'Physical' modes.
Physical let spectators sit in real seats—up to 30,000 capacity.
Invite crowds and broadcasters, duel titans, hunt big monsters, then reveal titan info last.
My off-the-cuff pitch to the operator.
Sure, it'd be a hassle, but two big wins over just leaking info:
- First, plant a positive image. Post-Holy Sword, image management was key. This'd boost it again.
- Self-disclosing titan info builds goodwill. Phoenix with 6 saints and titans? Jealousy magnet. But a public show dilutes that—might even draw recruits impressed by our boldness.
My rising presence tied to future safety once exposed—win-win.
- Second, no spectator fees for image, but broadcasters? Pure profit. Phoenix needed cash now.
Colosseum rentals allowed fees—free for events, charged for tourneys.
Five big channels linked to Taitonic: Taitonic TV, Allta TV, TTG, etc., would pay top dollar for first titan reveal, especially Ma Shin Sword's.
- Broadcast spreads farther than a homepage post—news coverage galore. Direct stock impact, most effective play.
With that, we got Theosis's firm yes on Colosseum broadcast support and headed down.
“Thanks to you, Sandro, we scored big. Here's some 7 Divine Weapons info in return.”
“Info?”
Why I liked this guy more each time: thorough give-and-taker from the start.
“Got a shocking achievement. Figured you hadn't, from the description.”
“What is it? Hm... Whoa!”
Liberator of the 7 Divine Weapons (S)
The greatest weapon in Titan Chronicles, granted to those who bring the 7 Divine Weapons into the world.
(All stats +30)
Achievement effect: Extreme resistance to focused attacks. (All physical and magic damage -20%)
This achievement can only be owned by 7 players.
“N-no way! Why do people dump cash on +1 armor enchants? If this is real, it's balance-breaking! S-grade or not, what kinda effect is this?!”
“Kinda is. But limited to 7 owners—makes sense. Divine weapons and Lord titans were broken anyway.”
Odd I'd gotten no achievement despite tough conditions and snagging the Holy Sword. Now clear: concentrate rewards on first claimants over spamming.
Theosis mentioned expecting frequent owner changes—fit perfectly.
“Looks like as long as the 7 Divine Weapons don't reset via destruction, owners keep it. So Darius still has it.”
“...”
This one achievement equaled three or four extra armor pieces. Cheat among cheats.
Mine, S-grade 'EXP Bonus,' paled—maybe less versatile, but this seemed superior overall.
Darius, you bastard... No wonder he wouldn't die dropping the Holy Sword. This why?
Already toughest rank 1 and top guild master—now impossibly harder.
Wondered why Hellfire shared; now obvious.
“Sandro. Let's team up, take Darius before he gets a titan. With one, killing him gets real hard.”
“Music to my ears.”
Common enemy Darius? Allies always welcome—with no betrayal clause, of course.