The Highest Place

Clang—!

"Ah…"

I'd be lying if I said I hadn't hoped for anything at all. Everyone dreams of living out a scene from a movie or a drama at least once in their life. Maybe, I'd thought, Lucy's attempt would be that kind of moment.

But there's no helping it. Life just isn't that easy.

Statistically speaking, succeeding on the first try was never realistic. Even Rim-ani had needed four attempts before she earned the nickname "Hand of God."

"It's okay, it's okay! We've still got plenty of chances ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠left."

"Mayo told you to take it slow from the start, she did. The harder something is to get, the more precious it becomes, she says."

"Pfft! So if you hit the pity ceiling, that makes it the most precious gear of all, huh?"

"Uncle Yeong-jun. Shall we step somewhere quiet for a little chat?"

"Ah—okay, okay. I'll shut up."

This guy was supposed to be a spectator. Why did he keep launching mental attacks?

Of course, I knew that staging a WWE-style beatdown right then would have made for great content. But when it came to anything involving Lucy, that kind of response just didn't come easily. She was already under enough pressure as it was.

I'd been a beat late because of silencing Oh Yeong-jun, but I still poured everything I had into a genuine cheer.

"I'm done."

"Huh? D-don't tell me you just ran through all five attempts in a row?"

While I'd been bickering with Oh Yeong-jun, she'd burned through every last essence?

I flinched in spite of myself.

Hoo. Calm down.

We still had at least six more chances left, and swapping the leftover alphabet pieces would net us roughly three more attempts on top of that. I'd known from the start that the odds weren't generous. The expected cost the admin had quoted was fifty million Rena—getting my hopes up this early was a mistake.

"Not five in a row… I think I succeeded on the second try? It turns into a Witherite Ingot when it works, right?"

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Whaaat?"

What had I just heard?

Without a second thought, pure instinct drove me to check the item Lucy was showing in her inventory.

"F-for real!?"

No way. Something this dramatic was actually possible?

"Pfft! Everyone's acting skills are top-notch today. Trying to pull a hidden-camera prank on me? Not falling for it, not falling for it. You think I spent years in this industry for nothing? There's no way it already—"

Oh Yeong-jun's smirking laugh died the instant he looked at Lucy's stream. He froze solid. Then he dropped to his knees on the floor and howled.

"Th-this is a scam! Why only me?! Why only meeeee?!"

Tsk tsk. That's what you get for having an ugly heart.

All day long, the community was dominated by hot posts featuring the clip of Lucy clearing Mythic-grade gear in two tries.

Ahh. Was my little streamer Lucy finally spreading her wings?

Her viewer count had already surpassed mine — 7,258 people, a new personal record.

And that wasn't all. Her massive contribution to the company had sent her hardcore fans flooding in, absolutely burying her in Candy donations.

Before the regression, Lucy would have stammered through an "uh-uh-uh," panicked, and shut the stream down on the spot. A flicker of fluster still showed on her face now, but she was carrying the broadcast just fine — and that was genuinely impressive.

Ahh. Was this what parents felt watching their child grow?

"That expression is extremely suspicious, it is. Completely different from how you look at Mayo. Mayo does not like it, she says."

"…"

I was trying to have a moment here. Read the room.

I ignored Mayo bouncing in front of me, demanding to know if she was being snubbed, and sorted through my thoughts.

Thanks to Lucy's spectacular performance, we still had 135 million Rena in cash and twelve units of essence remaining. Hoping for that kind of luck a second time would be pure greed. As long as we didn't hit the pity ceiling, we'd be fine. At least close to a hundred million Rena would still be left over.

If we can put that money down in a clean bet at tomorrow's Arena and take the championship, our company's assets will balloon massively.

Then we'd use that fortune to build an overwhelming gear advantage. That would set us up for meaningful results at the second Arena as well. And by then, the crop and cooking price patches would have gone through, so money worries would be a thing of the past.

Which means our company members' work hours will drop dramatically.

Right now, V-Live Company was notorious for the worst working conditions in the server. But when that day came, it would transform into the company everyone wanted to join — the one with the best benefits around.

That was the big picture I was painting.

But the plan had one absolute prerequisite: we had to win this Arena, no exceptions. Most people would write us off as underdogs and bet on the other side. To hit the reverse odds, we needed a dramatic victory.

In the end, everything rides on the future knowledge I have.

Trusting Mythic-grade gear specs alone was still risky — the balance adjustments hadn't come through yet, and there were too many unknowns. So I'd prepared a secret weapon of my own, thoroughly. For the past three days, I'd been training with it in a private room.

Still, I'd love a favorable bracket if possible. A secret weapon is most effective when its identity stays hidden. If we run into the wrong opponent in the semis and have to use it early, I won't be able to guarantee a win while holding it in reserve…

My head was spinning with every possible scenario. And right beside me, with zero situational awareness, Oh Yeong-jun kept grumbling.

"Some people can't even stack fifty Unknown Energy charges after spending forty million Rena. Other people succeed in two tries. Ha! What a pure luck-based garbage game."

"Uncle Yeong-jun. Could you please take your self-pity somewhere else? We're about to get busy planning tomorrow's Arena strategy."

"Kh! J-just you wait. You think you can look down on me just because you got some Mythic gear? You saw Oh-ha beat Tu-nyang-i, right? Mythic gear has better stats, sure, but it's still a level you can overcome with pure control. Be ready tomorrow. I'll show you what Akatsuki is really made of."

"…"

He spat out a line straight out of a B-movie villain's script and bolted. But I couldn't just laugh him off — in my previous life, there had been a round where Akatsuki actually won the Arena.

Even now, thinking about it was strange. Surrounded by powerhouses like Mu-yang Group and O-Wang Company, how had Akatsuki managed to take the championship?

To be fair, pure game skill-wise, Oh Yeong-jun isn't someone you can dismiss. The man hit Challenger on four accounts.

Either way, complacency was forbidden. Seoni Moon's PvP power had climbed considerably since Blackfoot — the so-called Prime Minister of the PUBG scene — joined their roster. Aside from Lethal Company, there wasn't a single opponent we could afford to take lightly.

Hmm? Why exclude Lethal Company?

Those guys were basically ARAM one-tricks. They couldn't even dream of Mythic gear, and their members were barely scraping by in diamond armor — forget full Netherite sets. With Kim Hak-do running Rena World like a casual second season, the company leaned more toward healing vibes than hardcore grinding.

Anyway. Tomorrow's the day.

I poured out another round of praise for Lucy and steeled myself. From the day Rena World opened until now, ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠every company member had given everything they had and done their part.

Now it was my turn to lead them to the highest place of all.

Tomorrow… without fail.