Chapter 204:

I found something refreshing in his words.

Come to think of it, this is my first encounter with drop item disputes.

I had been mentally prepared for this, but I hadn’t expected to experience it in another civilization. Looking back now, it seemed more normal here.

It explained why I’d started summoning the shadowy, sneaky creatures secretly, to avoid drawing attention.

In retrospect, it’s remarkable that there haven’t been more issues so far,’ I mused.

Of course, there were several reasons for this. First, my contributions to expeditions were overwhelmingly significant. Second, the value of items dropped by monsters wasn’t particularly high.

For most people, the items’ effectiveness is reduced by almost half.

As items originally born from a game, their performance is largely based on ‘game elements’.

Attack power, defense, physical attack, magical attack.

Strength, agility, stamina, intelligence, wisdom.

Experience points, charm, hit rate, evasion, critical hit chance.

To be honest, even I don’t receive the full effect of all game elements.

No matter how high the hit rate, attacks will still miss, and no matter how high the critical hit chance, hitting limbs is still just a regular hit.

Considering my identity as both the [world] and [character] of the game, it’s clear that most people can’t fully enjoy the effects of these items.

Weren’t items useless for the people of Ardenia until they obtained their “class”?

This made items less valuable than I thought.

Of course, magic items are still important… But I worked on Earth-34, where magic items were commonplace.

We didn’t live in a world where you’d fight with a Transcendent just to get your hands on common magic items.

I could hear pilots arguing inside the Power Force.

I began taking items out of my inventory.

“Well, this is certainly a surprise. I didn’t expect to find these unusual items here.”

Shinggg!

The items pouring out of my inventory stunned the Power Force.

I addressed the murmuring Power Force.

“It’s a belated introduction, but… I am Han Jaeyeon, High Priest of the Divine Game Master.”

My words momentarily silenced the Power Force before they erupted in commotion again.

Once again, they started whispering among themselves.

Wow, these guys are chattering like a bunch of magpies.

In the end, I had no choice but to interrupt their conversation.

“The important thing is that I have the ability to adjust the drop rate. Without it, far fewer items would’ve spawned.”

“Oh, the drop rate. That’s quite a fitting ability for a gamer.”

“Come to think of it, I heard those skills existed. The Fate Magic Tower supposedly succeeded a few times.”

“Well, no wonder. The number of items we obtained was on a completely different level compared to when we defeated her.”

And then, it happened.

Psshk!

The chest of the Power Force suddenly opened, and something small leaped out in front of me.

”…A squirrel?”

Indeed, it was a squirrel. A squirrel slightly larger than my palm stood ramrod straight in front of me, its head bowed respectfully.

“I’m Fire, sir. I mean, sir, I’m Fire. Apologies for my brusque demeanor earlier. I had hoped to discuss things calmly with you, but you made off with the loot so quickly…”

“Ah, um. No, no. I may have been too hasty myself.”

I had indeed been caught off guard by how quickly they snatched up the items we’d looted.

“I’ll relinquish ownership of all the items. You did most of the heavy lifting anyway. Unless you’re willing to… allow me to choose just one for myself?”

His tone was now the exact opposite of his earlier rudeness, full of respect.

Instead of answering hastily, I scrutinized the items.

“Oh.”

And soon I grasped the situation.

After completing our mission, we attended a banquet hosted by Lute’s integrated government. There were eight hours until the next train. It wasn’t enough time to sleep, but plenty for a leisurely meal.

“Thank you, heroes!”

“It was just our job.”

“Thank you so much for your help!”

“Uwah… these are too cute…”

The seniors were all smiles receiving the Lutiens’ hospitality. It was a feast with adorable dogs, cats, foxes, sheep - even I, uninterested in animals, enjoyed it.

And while I was enjoying the food, among the small animals, some even smaller ones approached me.

“Hello, Mr. Han Jaeyeon.”

“Nice to see you again, Fire.”

They were all chipmunks. All five pilots, including Fire, manipulated not just fire but Power Force. Yet their personalities varied greatly.

Fire, this guy… you could say he’s a little squirrel?

Of course, he wasn’t an ordinary squirrel; a red aura emanated from his body. From him, I could sense a powerful elemental spirit of flame.

Tip tap, tip tap, tip tap.

The five chipmunks nimbly climbed up the legs of chairs adjusted to human size and jumped onto the table. They bristled upon seeing Cheddar already seated there.

“Whoa? Wait, who are you?”

“It’s not Lutian. He said it’s a smart pet, like a cellphone.”

“Oh… I remember hearing about such things in other civilizations.”

“What a gorgeous feline… dust off your antenna.”

“My heavens, what a fright. Is that your type?”

They whispered among themselves for a moment, but soon gathered their composure and lined up before me. Then, as their representative, Striped Squirrel politely bowed.

“I’m truly sorry for the rudeness yesterday. I am Thunder, leader of the Power Force.”

I waved my hand dismissively.

“It was my fault as well. I could have explained it properly.”

No matter how high their contribution, it was undoubtedly wrong to take the item without a word.

I’ll have to make sure to specify this in the contract conditions from now on.

Until now, I had been lenient, but as a Transcendent, I couldn’t continue like this. If they were taking it, they should do so with pride.

“Ah, but there is one thing,” he added.

“Yes, I know. Is this what you meant?”

I retrieved an item from my inventory.

Naturally, the item description window popped up.

“Ah!”

“Finally…”

The squirrels were moved. Unlike me, others couldn’t directly read item descriptions, but they could still obtain information. No magic or supernatural abilities were necessary. All one had to do was check the game’s homepage.

Thunder smiled wryly. “I knew it. You anticipated this all along.”

“Yes. Among the dropped items, this is the only thing you desperately wanted.”

There were 15 legendary items dropped, but most of them were not widely useful, making the situation easy to guess.

Thunder took out a piece of paper and handed it to me.

“I’ve received an oracle from the Golden Ram God. Despite fighting for so long, our contribution was only 17%. Originally, there should have been one or two legendary items, so I was told that we can’t demand an elixir based on our contribution.”

“So I’ll pay for it. I may not look like one, but I’m a Giant Master! I’ve got quite a bit of money…” The squirrel made a desperate expression.

This guy can’t negotiate at all.

My mouth opened in spite of myself. When you meet a demon, aren’t these people who get ripped off?

However, seeing the two squirrels clasping their hands together, I couldn’t bring myself to play hard-to-get. Perhaps this was simply their way of doing things.

“Just give it to them.”

“Pardon?”

“Oh no, Mr. Jaeyeon. It’s just…” The squirrels stumbled over their words, clearly flustered by my offer.

I smiled at their confusion. “Well, let’s just say it’s a gesture of goodwill. This is a trying time for you all… But if you insist on giving something in exchange, how about this? Collect some items you consider worthless and give them to me next time I visit.”

“Worthless… items?” they echoed, clearly perplexed.

“Yes, that’s right. Not everything is as valuable as elixirs.”

”…”

My words caused the squirrels to exchange glances. Then, in perfect unison, they bowed their heads in gratitude.

“Thank you very much.”

“Thank you!”

“A kind human like you. We are truly grateful.”

“Thank you all.”

”…Grateful.”

With this, our mission on Planet Lute came to an end. We were able to catch the return train without delay.

“Well done, everyone!”

“Heh, truth be told, the rookie did all the work. A transcendent is truly transcendent, as expected.”

“Isn’t it remarkable that his body remains unharmed despite being defeated by the eye monster twice?”

“It’s thanks to the guidance of our esteemed elders. I am truly grateful.”

As I basked in the praise from the older generation, I contemplated:

Ah, those items.

Game items rarely justified their value based on performance alone. Reality wasn’t a game, and people weren’t mere players. However, not all items were like that. Some possessed extraordinary effects, completely devoid of arbitrary numbers or game mechanics. After all, these transcendent beings were, well… transcendent.

The elixir was just like that…

And above all else…

There was the Mask of the Pioneer, which had resurrected me.

Resurrection.

An incredibly powerful effect. Even on Earth-34, where medical technology had advanced so much that a miracle potion like the elixir was unnecessary, it couldn’t be replicated—a truly unrealistic phenomenon.

Of course, there were penalties to match such power… Even so, the value of the Mask of the Pioneer, granting a second life itself, could only ever increase, never decrease.

Droper, huh? The big lump. Understood.

The mere rumor of its appearance would be enough to make me rush forth.

With these thoughts, I returned to Earth-34 and reported to the Luminous Sword: Knights Union.

Upon returning to Dragon Star, I was greeted by the F-D squad members waiting eagerly at my door.

“Come in, Jaeyeon!”

“Ughh! We missed you so much!”

“You’re not injured anywhere, are you?”

I embraced them all, engaging in a whirlwind of conversation as we shared a meal. To be honest, something on my mind kept me from fully engaging with their chatter.

“Cheddar.”

“Meow!”

Back in my room, my first instinct was to check my bank account.

“Holy crap! 300 million won for a single day!”

My enthusiastic yell echoed. Unlike a fleeting ad-like promotion ending soon, this was money I could earn every time I worked! Moreover, the 60 hours spent traveling could have been used simultaneously for automated hunting and desperate survival measures!

“Purr!”

Cheddar meowed. I checked the alarm.

Even falling stocks couldn’t dampen my spirits. Though still declining, the graph’s downward trend was relatively gentle.

This time, I knew, was the true moment to buy at the bottom.

“I’m buying so much that I’ll become a major shareholder!”