Chapter 163

“It’s a blazing elixir.”

“A blazing elixir…”

My skin felt like it was burning hot, but there wasn’t any actual heat applied to me. This phenomenon occurred because my activated psionic energy sensed the destructive power contained within the small sphere. Before receiving the Dimensional Spire Heart surgery, I would’ve just thought of it as a red gemstone.

“N-Now read its description.”

I listened to his words and carefully examined the burning gemstone. However, no item window popped up.

”…There is no window appearing.”

“That means this isn’t an item. It implies that something other than items can enter the inner world.”

I had a guess about what he was saying. Wasn’t Zerosum on my left arm also similar?

“Do you mean transcendental weapons?”

It wasn’t an item or consumable? Merlin replied to my incredulous question, “Exactly, it means possessing one of Absolute, Mutable, or Divine attributes. This spear embodies both Mutable and Divine attributes. To be precise, Geralt has been added to this object.”

Geralt, the universal currency of the universe. In fact, it wasn’t a unit of credit but the name of a rare metal. The so-called universal currency ‘Geralt’ meant that the macrocosm operated somewhat like a gold standard system.

‘Ah, then my Zerosum must contain Geralt… Indeed, it is a necessary material for transcendental weapons.’

Suddenly, I became curious. “Then how many gerals is this worth?”

“It isn’t accurate due to multiple processing steps but… approximately 220 billion gerals.”

I briefly calculated based on his words. Currently, 1 gerald was equal to 3,000 won. In other words, 220 billion gerals were…

”…”

My brain momentarily froze. Something seemed off about these numbers. It was absurdly high, reaching national budget levels—approximately 660 trillion won.

Merlin nodded at my stunned reaction. “Geralts are indeed expensive due to their rarity. There have been inventions for self-production facilities, but they require excessive labor costs.”

“Expensive, you say…”

I laughed in disbelief. No matter how I looked at it, did this make sense? Would they really exchange seven legendary cards, which were just nuisances, for something like this?

‘Well, thank you very much.’

With that thought, I cautiously asked, “Um… Can’t you sell it instead of consuming and get money?”

”…”

Merlin stared at me with incredulity, but I steadfastly endured their gaze. It was obvious. This elixir must be incredibly valuable.

‘No, it should definitely be amazing.’

There was no reason for a 660 trillion won elixir not to be extraordinary. In fact, it would surpass being impressive; it would be utterly mind-blowing. However… With a charging power of 660 trillion won, its potential could’ve been even more astounding. Embarrassed yet determined, I protested:

“But it is worth 660 trillion won! You can buy an entire game company with that amount?”

My words surprised Merlin.

“What, only 660 trillion?! No, wait… then your Geralt costs 3,000 won?” He calculated quickly.

“Ah, yes roughly around that.”

“No way, considering how much the value of Geralt has risen lately, it’s only 3,000 won? How much does one meal cost you? 100 won? 120 won?”

His questions sounded like those from a spoiled heir, but I responded nonetheless.

“For a set of Jajangmyeon and Tangsuyuk, it would be about 10,000 won?”

”…Nope. The food prices might be strange here. What is the minimum hourly wage?”

“About 12,000 won…”

“Wow, insane! You can earn four Geralt per hour at minimum wage? Is this some kind of paradise I’ve heard about? Wow, even though there were rumors, I didn’t expect it to be like this.” The bewildered Merlin shook his head vigorously.

“Waah. Now I understand why you focus on charging power rather than box office appeal. You have landed in a fortunate world. Even the game is absolutely amazing.”

“A-amazing game?” As someone who cursed daily about its predatory monetization, I was utterly taken aback by his words.

However, Merlin seemed annoyed with my reaction.

“You don’t appreciate your luck. Ah, if only I could enter that game, I’d already be soaring with intermediate divine sparks… Oh! Why did it have to be a card game? Oh! Why did I create something like this…” He muttered briefly before explaining further.

“I have box office appeal, you have charging power, and he has ranking power… But actually, their fundamentals are all the same.”

“The fundamentals are the same…”

“Yes. It’s all karma (Karma). Making the game popular so many people play it. Winning against opponents in battles. And…”

“Earning money to spend…”

“Then why not continue doing that?”

“Do you think I can get unlimited charging power like this? This is my game after all.”

“Oh.”

It made sense when he said it. Dark Star was the game he created and provided service for. If he spent large amounts on microtransactions, the money would go into his pocket. Then if he charged again with that money, it would once more enter his pocket…

“It ended at five million won. The total amount of charging power obtained through microtransactions within the game is limited. In other words, it cannot surpass the box office appeal. Instead of increasing charging power by circulating money internally, it reduces the box office appeal.”

His words gave me pause.

‘Huh? Isn’t this…’

Suddenly, I realized something.

‘Isn’t this advertisement just such a case?’

The 30 billion won advertisement that I received from Nemesis was what he meant by ‘internal circulation’. It would immediately increase my charging power but reduce overall box office appeal.

‘I have to be careful going forward.’

Until now, Revenge had so much box office appeal that repeatedly using such advertisements could render any additional spending pointless.

“In other words, for a god game…”

“My unit of box office appeal is Geralt, but…your unit of charging power is likely dollars?”

“Ah, yes.”

“What is the ratio between the cash you spent and your charging power?”

“It’s roughly one-to-one.”

“What does that mean?”

”…?”

Seeing my confusion, Merlin explained, “It means that Nemesis reinvests more than 90% of the money earned from Revenge.”

”…”

This revelation was astonishing. Despite being criticized as a cash-grabbing game… it implied they weren’t pocketing most of their earnings, right? Come to think of it, I heard implementing the current level-1 depth required an enormous investment.

Then, Merlin brought up another point. “Furthermore, Nemesis only focuses on Revenge. Imagine if they used the profits from Revenge to create a new game. What do you think would happen?”

“Would its box office appeal decrease?”

“To the extent of the company’s investment.”

”…!”

“Now do you understand? It is a god game, a god game. The company worked hard to make an enormous amount of money and even reinvested all that money into development… If there were someone who could run my game like this, I would carry them on my back every day.”

“Revenge as a god game…”

It was unbelievable. Was this really reality?

Watching my shocked appearance, Merlin shook his head and moved onto another topic. “And this elixir can’t be sold to others. No matter how much box office appeal a card has, it isn’t worth exchanging for seven legendary cards or even seven mythical cards.”

There was no way to refute these words because they were too true. Merlin explained, “This elixir… In terms of games, it is a bug item. Not only can’t it be sold, but once it enters the physical world, it causes a freeze.”

”…Freeze?”

“Yes. And what is freeze in the physical world? It is death.”

I couldn’t understand these words and tilted my head automatically.

‘No, games might have bugs but where do you find bugs in reality?’

Furthermore, causing a freeze… In real life, something capable of such…

“Wait a minute.” As I became bewildered by this hypothesis, Merlin spoke up.

“Yes, exactly. This item attracts attention like setting off a ‘Setting Collapse Bomb’. Even if it’s copied, distribution is impossible. Currently, only the two of you can possess it while being unseen by ‘Him.’ However, it cannot be used as equipment; consumption is the only option.”

“Item duplication in reality…” I was amazed when Crushed Handle raised his hand, unable to participate in our conversation until now.

“M-Myself? Me too! Me too, I like awesome elixirs.”

His words made Merlin laugh.

“Oh really? Then what will you give me?”

“W-What can I offer…”

Flash!

A sword appeared in Crushed Handle’s hand.

[Shine’s Sword (Level 3)]

Physical Coefficient: 0.7

[Magic Sword (Ordinary)]

Both Merlin and I shook our heads simultaneously.

“A trinket.”

“It doesn’t even have box office appeal.”

The cold reaction made Crushed Handle look miserable.

“I-I don’t have anything right now but I will repay your kindness somehow!”

His attitude was bold but it didn’t work at all.

“Even if there are only two of you to pass it on, isn’t it rude to just ask first?”

“But Sir Killian gave me the class card! I reached Bronze 5 with that power!”

“No, can you compare this with some class?” Merlin laughed bitterly and raised his right hand. “Can I take out my deck?”

I became suddenly curious at his words. “Excuse me, do you have to get permission for that?”

“No, it is the courtesy of a Duelist… Ah damn. It got passed onto them.” Grumbling, he grabbed one of the seven decks floating in the air, causing the others to disappear. Five cards were arranged in front of him while the deck was fixed to the left side.

Vroom!

In one second, he created a mana sphere by injecting mana. However, unlike before, this time he made a second and third mana sphere. It showed that turns didn’t matter since there were no enemies present. Each time he created a mana sphere, a card was automatically drawn from his deck.

I raised my hand with a question, “Wait a minute. If you gather mana for 10 turns without anyone around, can’t you use a spell requiring 10 turns right at the start?”

“It isn’t so easy to make mana spheres. Moreover, if there is no enemy, the mana sphere will reset after 30 seconds. The problem is that some people use tricks.”

“A trick?”

“Ha, if monsters start playing like that, it’ll drive everyone crazy. Mana Growth! Dwyn’s Operating Table! Rain of Mana Recovery!”

In no time, ten mana spheres materialized, and an elaborate operating table appeared before him. With a wave of Merlin’s hand, the crushed handle was moved onto the table.

“Sir Merlin?”

“Bestowal! Astral Body!”

Whooooosh!

The ten mana spheres vanished as a divine energy infused the crushed handle’s body. Then…

“Rain of Mana Recovery!”

After fully recovering his mana:

“Bestowal! Rebirth Transformation!”

Flash!

“Ku…ack!”

A bright light emerged as the crushed handle’s face twisted with pain. Merlin said, “Hold on until the spell is complete. Your body condition is very messy right now but this alone will make a difference.”

“Grrr…! T-Thank you…boss! I-I’ll b-bash your head…”

I was surprised.

‘Speaking while undergoing Transformation? Is the application delayed?’

However, even Merlin seemed astonished. ”…Still quite sturdy. Normally, I use him for attack skills when it is urgent.”

“Huh huh. My toughness has been tested and enjoyed…”

Merlin watched his rambling for a moment before smiling faintly. “Such a strange accent… Well, never mind that. Don’t pass out. The spell will be interrupted if you do.”

Pop!

The crushed handle disappeared from the inner world.

Merlin looked at the spot where the crushed handle had disappeared and said quietly, “He was from the Pharaoh System of the Milky Way Galaxy. It is a low-level civilization where dwarves hold power over all other races, making them slaves.”

“Have you already found him?”

“It wasn’t difficult to find him. I can’t interfere with Civilizations 1 or 2 but…it isn’t worth fighting Sungyong for this.”

I realized that Merlin’s words were referring not only to the crushed handle but also my own world. Perhaps even myself as an individual. In fact, he had revealed much information during our conversation. Of course, it didn’t matter.

‘On Earth, there is a game master far more terrifying than Sungyong. Moreover, I won’t be defeated so easily.’

Anyway, that wasn’t important.

“If I can’t sell it then I will consume it. Can I just eat it?”

It was time to take the elixir.