Awakened as a Money-Spending Genius Enhancer - Chapter 1
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Episode 1
Chapter 1. I’ll Do Better Than You! Enhancement!
A dimly lit Partitioned Cafe.
A place where the smell of dust is thicker than the aroma of coffee.
As a cafe that guarantees privacy, its main customers are lovers.
Right next to the menu board on a pillar—
『Sexual acts detected = BLACKLIST!! Strict ejection measures!!』
A warning notice is boldly posted.
Customers don’t want to see the shop owner’s face.
The shop owner doesn’t want to see the customers either—a strange sanctuary of forbidden affairs.
In this private sanctuary of forbidden love,
two men who completely didn’t fit the atmosphere sat awkwardly.
“….”
In the secretive partitioned seats, facing each other.
“The item?”
Despite the already dark interior,
a man wearing pitch-black sunglasses asks.
His desire to hide his face as much as possible was palpable.
“Here it is.”
Meanwhile,
his counterpart in ordinary attire responds.
As if he had no shame under heaven, even his voice was calm.
An ordinary-faced man with an ordinary build.
If there was one unique feature,
it would be that his eyes sparkled particularly clear.
As if to match his counterpart’s tone, the man slides an item across the table.
Swoosh—!
A small black box.
Sunglasses Man catches the box with trembling hands and takes a deep breath.
“The item is fine, right?”
The clear-eyed young man responds to those words.
“Thank you for using our market today, customer. Please feel free to inspect it.”
Click.
Sunglasses Man finally opens the box.
The reason for today’s meeting.
A secret transaction.
The merchandise was something you might find being sold for 6,000 won in some corner of Tapgol Park.
A ‘Germanium Jade Bracelet.’
“?!”
‘Made in China’ was stamped largely on the back, but that wasn’t particularly important.
Even though it was such a shabby bracelet that just looking at it would make you laugh,
both the man and Sunglasses Man were utterly serious.
“….”
More important was the Red Knot carefully tied to the jade bracelet.
That was far more significant.
The seal embedded there and even the signature of an appraiser guaranteeing its quality.
“Oh!”
Sunglasses Man purses his lips into a gizzard shape.
He proceeds to read the red name tag.
[Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet +2]
: A mid-boss level of pseudoscience! Known to have effects of blood circulation, pain relief, immunity enhancement, and fatigue recovery, but has absolutely no scientific basis. However, this [Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet] has truly gained virility enhancement effects through Enhancement!
* [Virility Status +10]
* [When worn by a user without Virility Status, Virility Status is created and Basic Virility Status +5]
“…Does this legendary bracelet really exist? When I first heard about it, I thought it was just an urban legend.”
Sunglasses Man brings his fingers to his brow and wipes away tears.
“All this time, neither Western nor Eastern medicine worked for me….”
The clear-eyed young man just stares blankly at him
as he suddenly begins to sob.
Right.
There are people in this world who cry just from the fact that their virility might return.
“….”
How much time passed as he waited like that?
“Will you make the deal?”
“Of course!! Just shut up and take my money!!”
He failed to calm Sunglasses Man’s excitement, but it didn’t matter.
Right now, to that Sunglasses Man, the clear-eyed man was a messiah.
A man who makes the lame walk and opens the eyes of the blind.
The clear-eyed man opens the envelope with a calm expression.
Inside, bright yellow 50,000 won bills resembling autumn ginkgo leaves were stacked thick as bricks!
“You’ve accomplished what no doctors could cure. Compared to what you’ve done for me, boss… this is just pocket change.”
“Oh, ah. Thank you.”
He didn’t expect to receive such praise.
And he didn’t know there were people who would pay this much money for just virility.
A world ordinary people couldn’t even imagine!
The clear-eyed man pockets the envelope and offers his farewell.
“Thank you for the transaction. Please continue to patronize us.”
However,
as if he couldn’t even hear those words, Sunglasses Man was busy putting the [Virility Enhancement Germanium Jade Bracelet +2] on his wrist.
And then,
“Oh! Ohhhhh!”
He exclaimed repeatedly and became even more excited.
No, in a somewhat different manner than before.
…Anyway, he was excited.
“Then let’s call it here.”
“W-wait. I have something to ask…!”
However, the clear-eyed young man left without looking back.
* * *
Coming outside, the sunlight is still blazing bright.
‘Around 1 o’clock, I guess?’
The time when everyone else is working their asses off at their jobs.
It’s time to burn through stamina, betting everything on the caffeine from an iced americano.
‘Being like this makes me feel like an unemployed bum.’
But,
Today. I earned in one shot what would normally take a year to make.
Income earned from selling just one bracelet!
“Phew, making money is really easy. This is ridiculous. Was it always this simple?”
The young man’s name is Park Kang-hoon.
His profession is what you’d call an illustrator who doesn’t sell well.
He works drawing web novel covers, and he was one of the countless unknown artists in the world.
And today is different.
Because he’s become an ‘Enhancement Specialist’ who makes insane money!
* * *
Three months ago.
Park Kang-hoon was living in a small studio apartment, paying monthly rent.
In the past, he used to organize his room well and live neatly.
But life isn’t easy.
After finishing the daily assigned work, there’s no energy left to clean.
If you leave it for a day or two, your surroundings inevitably become a pigsty at some point.
That’s true not just for office workers but for freelancers as well.
Ding!
『Please add a beauty mark, illustrator! It should have been included in the instructions beforehand, but we accidentally missed it. It’s our mistake, but we need to hand it over to the company by 5 o’clock – can you modify it right away?!』
“Yes, yes! I can modify it right away!”
That’s right.
Park Kang-hoon’s job is illustrator.
Web novel covers, game illustrations, character design.
Drawing whatever comes his way is his work.
Popular illustrators might not lose work even if they’re late with deadlines─
‘That’s impossible for me.’
What they commonly call a ‘bottom-tier illustrator’ would lose work if they pulled that kind of stunt.
On top of that, his hands are on the slow side.
Even drawing until dawn every day, he barely makes progress.
“Ugh…”
He stretches while rubbing his chin, rough from not shaving.
“It would’ve been nice if my hands were just a bit faster.”
He realized early on that he lacked talent.
Back in middle and high school, the kids who were known for drawing well were already gathered at academies preparing for entrance exams.
Among them, only a very few become professionals.
And among those professionals, the ones who become notable stars are an even smaller minority.
Park Kang-hoon.
If he had to describe it, he had the talent to be part of the ‘very few’ but not the ‘even smaller minority.’
In other words.
What you’d call ‘mediocre talent.’
The most cruel case in the arts and physical education fields.
If you have no talent, at least you give up early.
But when you come to your senses, you’ve come too far to turn back.
“Still, drawing is fun.”
Others might call him a fool for thinking that.
But Kang Hoon was the type of person who could spend an entire hour drawing clothing wrinkles and just find it enjoyable.
Hour after hour, hour after hour, hour after hour, hour after hour accumulated.
After drawing all night to meet the deadline.
Ironically, an additional revision request came in!
“Aaaah, let’s do this!”
The old LCD tablet rattles.
Even though everyone’s moving to iPad these days.
Park Kang-hoon somehow can’t bring himself to throw away his old tablet.
Similarly, it’s a piece of junk held together with scotch tape stuck all over it.
‘Just put me out of my misery now…’
He moves the mouse and keyboard that seem to be pleading.
Plus a pen with a completely worn-down tip.
Tap! Tack! Tappity-tap-tap!
“Where should I draw the dot to make it look handsome?”
Even though it’s just a 1-dot difference, he stares until his eyes feel like they’ll pop out.
Even without talent, he’s never drawn carelessly.
Not even once.
“…”
How much time had passed?
“This should be just right.”
Finally, Park Kang-hoon put down his pen.
He let out the breath he’d been holding with a “Phew!” and immediately sent the email.
Ding!
The reply came quickly, but it was a rather lukewarm response.
They seemed unable to understand why it took so long to add just one beauty mark.
‘I’d like to get it right in one shot too.’
Then he stretched long and hard.
Even at this very moment, talented new artists are being posted on SNS.
Especially these days, teenagers draw frighteningly well.
Seeing those sparkling talents makes him envious and, honestly, jealous too.
‘Those kids would probably handle revisions much more quickly and efficiently, right?’
“…”
Thinking about that made him feel depressed.
“Ah, I finished the deadline, so let me rest a bit!”
Park Kang-hoon’s stress relief method is simple and singular.
No need to go outside to see the sky.
No need to train for hunting.
No need to make an effort to talk to people!
That kind of world.
Where else could it be?
It’s the world of online games.
“Hmm hmm hmm~!”
The game Kang Hoon has been into lately is a brand new release.
It’s ‘NoGiMaBi,’ released under the healing game category.
The hands that were too tired to even twitch while working.
It moves like dancing on the Gaming Mouse.
Looking at the blue grasslands of the Nogimabi world.
Even my bloodshot eyes seem to heal.
As soon as I logged into the game.
What Kang Hoon started was yet another form of labor.
[Daily Quest]
[Goat Wool Shearing. 12/100]
It’s truly strange.
‘Just because it’s a game, this kind of labor feels fun.’
After checking the durability of the in-game equipment ‘Low-grade Scissors’,
he immediately started working.
“Even this simple labor becomes healing when it’s a game…”
Starting with collecting 100 goat wool.
Kang Hoon diligently filled his Inventory with all sorts of materials.
As time flowed by like that.
【 You have been connected to ‘Nogimabi’ for 3 hours. Excessive game use may interfere with normal daily life. 】
Along with the system’s kind warning message.
“Ah! Finally collected everything!”
Kang Hoon achieved today’s target quota.
“Good, I’m ready!”
There was only one reason for burning those precious 3 hours.
The best weapon obtainable on the current Nogimabi server!
To enhance the ‘Octopus Selfie Stick’.
It took three hours just to gather the basic materials needed for Enhancement.
“I don’t know why Monkey Tail is needed to enhance a selfie stick, but…”
He returned from the Tropical Rainforest Map to the ‘Village’.
And immediately rushed toward the Blacksmith Shop.
Standing before Ferguson, the game’s only blacksmith NPC with a beard.
[【Ferguson】 : You’re here! Young friend! You must have prepared the materials I asked for?! Come, let me see!!]
Along with the automatic response, ‘Ferguson’s Inventory’ window appeared.
Without any hesitation, Kang Hoon transferred all the Enhancement Materials from his Inventory to Ferguson’s bag.
[【Ferguson】 : Oh ho! You’ve put in some effort! Thank you so much! The Monkey Tail from Jelly Rainforest tastes like jelly! It’s my favorite snack, hahaha!]
“…Wasn’t it needed for Enhancement?”
[【Ferguson】 : Now, shall we roll up our sleeves and start working!]
There’s no time to be bewildered.
The game screen moves swiftly forward.
Kang Hoon took his hands off the mouse and rubbed his face.
With a tense expression, he watched Ferguson vigorously hammering on the monitor.
Clang!
“Once!”
Clang!
“Twice!!”
Just one more hit until Enhancement!
The third strike was all that remained,
at that very moment!
Poof!!
[【Ferguson】 : Oops! My hand slipped!]
Without a chance to respond to that line, the game screen changed.
Kang Hoon’s character stood in front of the Blacksmith Shop.
with an empty Inventory open.
NPC Ferguson was back in his default pose with his thick arms crossed.
“…”
Kang Hoon’s hand slowly returned to the mouse.
And hesitantly.
He looked into his empty Inventory.
Click. Click. Click.
He flipped through to the last page.
But the contents were zero.
“…”
With a faint hope, he carefully opened the Character Equipment Window.
Even there, the ‘One-Handed Weapon’ slot was completely empty.
It was gone, the Octopus Selfie Stick.
Destroyed and vanished in one blow.
…Because Ferguson failed the Enhancement with a 10% probability.
“Ferguson, you son of a bitch!”
Shouting in rage, Kang Hoon frantically clicked on the smiling Ferguson.
But each time, as if nothing had happened.
Only the same automatic response returned.
[【Ferguson】 : You’re here! Young friend! You must have prepared the materials I asked for?! Come, let me see!!]
[【Ferguson】 : You’re here! Young friend! You must have prepared the materials I asked for?! Come, let me see!!]
[【Ferguson】 : You’re here! Young friend! You must have prepared the materials I asked for?! Come, let me see!!]
“Aaahhh! What kind of bullshit is this?! You said 90% success rate!!”
Grabbing his hair with both hands, Kang Hoon screamed.
“I could do better than you! ‘Enhancement‘!!”
It was right then.
【 Awakening Complete Notice. 】 【 We inform you that your awakening procedure has been successfully completed. 】
A new system message entered Kang Hoon’s vision.
“…Huh?”
But this time, the system message wasn’t inside the monitor like a ‘usage time warning’.
The unfamiliar system window was in Kang Hoon’s room.
Before his eyes.
It existed in reality.
【 Latent ability, ‘Enhancement’ unlocked! 】 【 Congratulations Park Kang-hoon. You have awakened as an ‘Enhancer’. 】
“Huh?”
【 Title: ‘Enhancer Who Excels at Enhancement’. 】
“Huuuuuuh?!!”
He rubbed his bloodshot eyes again and again.
And repeatedly checked the system message floating in the air.
When he reached out to try touching the letters, his fingers passed right through them.
Even as Kang Hoon’s hand passed through, right there in that spot.
The system window still existed.
“Is this… real?”
Park Kang-hoon.
An ordinary male freelancer from South Korea.
At an age much later than others, he had awakened.
While cursing at the blacksmith NPC in Nogimabi, he became a real-world Enhancer.
“But what the hell kind of job is this supposed to be?”
Being dazed was only natural.
“Enhancer?”
…It was a profession he had never heard of before.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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