The Enhancement Broadcast
Lucky break, or something like that.
That day, there were no more attacks from Kairon users. Thanks to that, Rune Crafter Bandal was able to enter the small city without any danger.
"It's been forever! Ah, well, I've seen you on TV from time to time, of course."
"Yeah?"
"Yep. On Illusion's World, you were seriously the absolute best, the best."
Bandal flashed a thumbs-up.
"Thanks."
Mu-hyuk greeted him with a genuine smile.
They headed to the temporary lodging together.
"By the way, tomorrow's a broadcast day too, right?"
"Ah, yeah. It is."
"You gonna be on it? Looks like you're filming right now..."
"I will."
"Whoa, can't wait to watch!"
He seemed a lot brighter than before.
Soon, they entered the lodging.
"Alright then..."
Both pulled out their items. Mu-hyuk handed over a pouch containing gold and the runes from his existing skeletons, while Bandal passed over a large batch of newly crafted runes.
"Thanks for the trade today!"
"No big deal. I'm always the one getting them cheap."
"Nah. Actually, these new runes have level restrictions. If it weren't for you, Mu-hyuk, there aren't many users who could even use them anyway."
"Ah, yeah, that's true."
Mu-hyuk eyed the new runes with satisfaction.
◈ Summon Strength +15
◈ Summon Stamina +15
And that wasn't all.
◈ Summon Strength +28
◈ Summon Stamina +28
◈ Summon Knowledge +28
Runes that maxed out strength, stamina, and knowledge for summons, respectively.
Well, it had cleaned him out.
He'd spent a fortune, and his pouch was empty.
Time to make some money soon.
Mu-hyuk was still keeping his Artisan's Enhancement under wraps. The moment he revealed it, he'd rake in massive cash. It was the only one of its kind, after all.
He hadn't meant to hide it—he'd planned to enhance his summons first—but now even material costs were an issue, so he had no choice but to go public with it.
"I'll head out then."
"Already?"
"Yeah. Gotta sell the runes you gave me and craft even better ones ASAP."
"Hmm. Alright."
He left the small city with a smile.
"See you next time!"
"Ah, yeah."
Mu-hyuk saw him off at the entrance, then equipped the runes on his summons.
After that, he headed to the restaurant.
"Oh, you're here."
"Yeah."
They were eating food Kim Ji-yeon had made to fill their hunger gauges. Her cooking level was high, so it tasted great.
"Just a light snack."
"That looks light...?"
Whole roasted pig, assorted grilled fish. And beyond that, the table was packed with various dishes.
"This is light, come on."
"Oppa, come sit. Eat with us!"
"Ahem. Sure."
Illusion food was so delicious that even Mu-hyuk loved eating. That's why he'd picked up cooking himself.
Though these days, he was too busy to cook personally.
"How is it? Good?"
"Delicious."
"Right? The roast pig is the best."
"This is good too."
"Try this one."
Ye-rin fed him a piece of fish.
"Mm!"
"Hehe."
Sung Min-woo's sides hurt from laughing at the two.
"At it again, huh? Gross, get a room!"
Kim Ji-yeon, sitting beside him, slyly smeared some fish flesh and placed it on Sung Min-woo's plate.
"H-Here, eat, oppa."
"Huh? Oh, uh, th-thanks."
Actually, things between Sung Min-woo and Kim Ji-yeon had been heating up lately too.
"Y-You eat too."
"Mm."
This time, Sung Min-woo gave Ye-rin a piece of meat on her plate.
"Idiots. Just feed each other already."
Ye-rin clicked her tongue from the side.
"What? It's still cute to watch."
"Yeah, kinda wholesome."
Sung Min-woo and Kim Ji-yeon both flushed red.
"A-Ahem."
"......"
They just needed a little courage.
Hmm, should I say something this time?
Maybe give some advice while watching Illusion's World together.
"Thanks for the meal. Gonna go do some enhancements."
"Okay!"
These were for selling.
He rummaged through his inventory urgently.
Any decent weapons?
After digging around, he found a spear with excellent sub-options. Attack power wasn't great, but the extras were top-notch.
Nice.
He smiled in satisfaction and set up his spot.
First, lay the groundwork.
Private or public auction would work, but this time he had to use the game system for sales. He couldn't leave the small city if he wanted that zombie sorcerer.
But if he played his cards right, he could sell for more than auctions.
Of course, that meant unleashing his hidden aces.
Gonna be a hassle?
He shook his head.
Already rank 2.
Plus a top Illusion TV BJ.
Countless videos had spread.
Mu-hyuk was a known quantity now.
Popularity came with it.
But it wasn't as annoying as expected. A slight item change made him unrecognizable in-game. In reality, even more so.
The gap between game and real life made the call easy.
Getting more famous here... whatever.
It's all the same.
Mu-hyuk entered the settings, turning on Illusion TV small in the top right.
"Hey everyone. Been a while since we chatted."
The chat exploded at his words.
Mu-hyuk gave a wry smile.
Streaming still feels awkward.
Talking to fans who watched because they liked him made his shoulders tense, but it also felt burdensome.
Maybe that's why he hesitated to engage.
Well, today he'd made up his mind.
Mu-hyuk raised his hammer.
"Today, I'm showing you something different: enhancements."
Until now, he'd hidden it.
Artisan's Enhancement.
He always turned off Illusion TV during related work.
Mu-hyuk grinned.
"Better to show you. Turning on system sharing now."
A setting he hadn't used in ages.
System Sharing.
Viewers could now see everything he saw.
Mu-hyuk checked the spear's options.
"You see it?"
He placed it on the ground.
"Starting a new type of enhancement now."
He activated the skill.
Artisan's Enhancement.
A burst of red and blue spectacle rose.
Focus on sub-options over attack power.
This spear was worth it.
Not balancing both—just maxing one: the extras.
The first rebellion of sub-options, perhaps.
This spear would shake up the users.
And bring in the gold.
Mu-hyuk's focus sharpened.
Clang, claaang!
Enhancement progress rises.
Enhancement: 7%
Zero enhancement weapon, so it rose fast.
+1 in a flash.
Claang, clang!
+2 work began right away.
Easy again.
Direct success. Mu-hyuk, focus unbroken, pushed to +3, +4, +5 before pausing.
"Hoo."
Attack barely up, but sub-options skyrocketed.
Perfect.
Resuming—
Insufficient materials.
He flinched at the message.
"Ah, damn. Out of materials. Be right back—grabbing some."
Dumped his remaining gold into enhancement mats.
About five tries' worth.
No need to rush.
Rest first.
Regain focus.
"Gonna take a short break."
Instead, chat with viewers.
Mu-hyuk laughed.
"Showing at the end. Meanwhile, ask away—I'll answer what I can."
Questions flooded in.
"Uh, that... ah? Ye-rin? Ahem, secret. Steel Fist? Oh, Min-woo? Hmm. Min-woo's..."
Answering one by one, a smile crept on his face.
Hmm, less burdensome than I thought...
The weight slipped away.
Fun peeked out.
Chatting with viewers now and then isn't bad.
He recharged his focus.
Moments later.
Back to enhancements.
Clang, claaang!
+7 without a single fail—joy mixed with unease.
Too lucky?
Someone helping?
Enhancement progress rises.
Enhancement: 100%
Title effect increases enhancement success rate.
Enhancement success!
Even +8 direct success.
"Hmm...?"
Dilemma hit.
Push for +9?
Or sell at +8?
Mats for about three tries.
Bad luck: fail x3.
But success possible—especially today.
Safe or bold?
At the crossroads.
Screw it!
Chose bold.
Strike while the iron's hot.Or just gambling?
Swinging the hammer amid stray thoughts.
*
Mu-hyuk set down the hammer.
"Today's really my day."
The gamble paid off.
Straight to +9.
Plus, Artisan's Enhancement leveled up on +9.
Cracks formed in his satisfaction.
Greed, desire's dark face reared up.
"+9 success. Tempted to go +10, but that's pushing it, right?"
Chat overflowed.
Mu-hyuk pondered seriously.
Yeah, White Horse Army's red dagger was +9 too.
Time for +10.
Not impossible.
Tough, but doable.
But skipping this luck? He'd waste tons of time later.
Pondering deeply.
3 minutes, 5, then 10.
"Hoo, alright!"
Viewers' cheers.
His own will.
Decision made.
"+10, let's try! Worst case, drops to +8."
Fail? Stop.
Success? ...!
Hammer up before doubt hit.
Artisan's Enhancement.
Skill on, hammer the blue dot.
Clang, claaang!
Endless hammering.
Claaaang!
Ambition and tension infused.
"Hup...!"
Long work invested—progress to 100%.
And.
The rising hologram froze Mu-hyuk's body.