Chapter 26

Ding.

[Skill activated.]

[Would you like to repeat?]

“...Huh?”

About three seconds.

That was the time it took for me to understand the situation after seeing Carpe's notification.

Of course, it took no more than a second to understand that the 'Repeat' skill had been activated, and the rest of the time was just to recover from the brain freeze.

“Ah, no. This.”

If I had opened a card pack and gotten an 8-star skill, I would have shouted, “Wow, this is unbelievable! Crazy!”

I realized that when you're faced with a completely unexpected situation, you can't even speak properly.

-...Sigh.

Carpe glanced at Chima.

He had an indescribable expression on his face.

Distrust, anger, despair, resignation, hope... all of these emotions were mixed together, creating an expression that should not exist in this world.

No doubt, that short sigh contained a level of frustration that no one could even imagine.

-Once upon a time, I thought there was no better game than Raseman. I thought it was the only game that perfectly balanced luck and gameplay.

“Erm...”

-But it was all nonsense. There's no worse game than this. Balance? Everyone, whether rich or poor, has equal luck? No, that's not true. If you get something bad, you can just repeat it until you get something good... I really want to cry.

“Why are you crying over something like that, an adult...”

-It's because I feel sorry for myself, being in this situation with my life tied to this trash game!

Giyun was terrifyingly relentless.

In fact, from the moment Chima, a 10-year Raseman veteran, was drawn, it was expected that a barrage of complaints would follow. However, even Chima couldn't have predicted the nuclear-level complaints that followed, making it difficult to control the situation.

“At this point, I'm really scared. I feel like the admin will come and delete my character for being irregular.”

-Raseman doesn't have admins. Well, there might be some monitoring staff, but there's no admin with the authority to intervene in the game.

“That's amazing. So the game still runs smoothly?”

-It's been 10 years without any bugs or admin issues, so it must be running well. Anyway, we don't need to worry about Raseman.

Chima pointed to the still floating cards.

-You're not going to draw? Surely you're not going to stick with a 2-star skill?

“No way.”

Carpe touched the cards again.

[Would you like to repeat?]

“I'll repeat.”

[0-star skill - Repeat activated.]

As the skill activated, the 2-star skill card 'Charge Arrow' that Carpe had drawn had a '?' symbol re-engraved on it and returned to its original position.

“Wow. I thought it might not work, but it really does.”

-But does using Repeat shuffle all the skill cards, or does it just let you choose again with the same card setup? And can you only use Repeat once...?

“You're really enthusiastic about new things, aren't you, for someone who's not a veteran.”

Carpe cut off Chima's long-winded explanation. Those minor questions could be confirmed later!

“I'll try again.”

The disappointment he felt when he drew a 2-star skill was gone, and his chest was filled with anticipation.

“This time, the second card from the right.”

Ding.

[You have obtained a 3-star skill card - ‘Basic Mana Recovery’!]

“Hmm. 3-star.”

-At least it's one star higher. Let's see if it works again.

“Will it work?”

‘If it could be repeated infinitely, wouldn't that be too overpowered?’ But...

Ding.

[Would you like to repeat?]

But it actually worked.

“It works!”

-Sigh, this damn game has no limits.

At this point, Carpe decided to conduct an experiment.

He chose the same second card from the left as he did the first time.

[You have obtained a 2-star skill card - ‘Charge Arrow’.]

And the same skill card appeared as before.

“It seems that using the Repeat skill doesn't change the card setup or the card order.”

-If the card setup changed every time you repeated, you could just repeat until you got the card you wanted. That wouldn't make sense.

“True.”

Now that he had the information he needed, he continued drawing without any hesitation.

On the fourth draw, a new 3-star skill appeared along with the Basic Mana Recovery.

Without hesitation, he repeated!

After repeating the fourth draw and selecting a card, an effect he had never seen before appeared.

Boom!

A brilliant golden light burst out as he selected the card!

“Huh?!”

-Holy crap.

Just like with the Background Order draw, the skill draw also has different effects based on the grade.

The golden effect means...

[You have obtained a 7-star skill card - ‘Holy Sacrifice’.]

“Wow!”

-What, it actually appeared? For real?

Getting a 7-star skill when a 5-star would be a blessing!

As Carpe was overwhelmed with emotion, Chima spoke up.

-Hey.

“Yes?”

Chima's face had a bright smile that Carpe had never seen before.

Wasn't that the look of a gambler who was about to be wiped out but then made a comeback with one last all-in?

-If you change your Background Order, the Special Skill will be deleted.

Also, if your affection with the Background Order drops below a certain level, it will be deactivated.

Special Skills are powerful compared to skills of the same level, but they come with various restrictions.

-It's sad. I taught you this and that, and raised you, but now you're talking about changing your Background Order just because you got a bad job and skill... Oh, you want to change your Background Order?

“...No way. I was just joking. It was just a playful expression of affection. Of course, my brother is the best.”

-It's okay. I'll change it for you. I understand. Our Jung-hun should walk the path of flowers with a 9-star Background Order.

“What kind of hurtful words are those? High Priest. Chima Shin-gyo's No. 1 striker, Carpe. I will serve the Shin-gyo and do my best as a vanguard.”

“Quack!”

“See, even the Young High Priest recognizes it.”

-...You guys are really something. Anyway, let's stop joking around. Holy Sacrifice.

“Is it a good one?”

-Of course, it's a good skill. It wouldn't be a 7-star for nothing.

Holy Sacrifice.

Also known as 'Holy Grenade,' it's the strongest damage-dealing skill in the holy attribute category.

-The damage is incredible. The more MP you have, the more damage it deals, but it's conditional. If it hits a dark or magic attribute monster, the damage is in a different league compared to other skills. Even among 9-star skills, there are few that are stronger.

However, the reason it's only a 7-star despite its immense damage is due to the severe penalties.

-First, using it leaves you with 10,000 HP and MP, and all your stats are reduced by 300%. You can't use any skills.

“Hmm. So it's basically telling you to just die after using it.”

-That's why it's a skill you should only use when you're sure it will be the final blow.

“Even with the penalties, it seems like an amazing skill.”

A skill that can deal immense damage as a final blow. It has a lot of potential.

-If that's all, it should be at least an 8-star, but there's one more penalty.

“What is it?”

-It's a one-time use skill.

“Huh?”

-Once you use the skill, it's deleted.

“...Ugh. That's terrible.”

Skill points are extremely valuable. There are very few ways to obtain them other than leveling up, and you only get one point per level.

The problem is that, unlike when you change jobs, using a skill card to learn a skill consumes one skill point.

-Even if we ignore the other penalties, using a skill point on a one-time use skill is a bit much.

“You're right.”

-Still, there's demand for it. In some quests, if you die, the quest itself disappears, so it might be better to invest a skill point. It would sell well on the auction house.

“Would it sell? For how much?”

-It will be cheaper later when there are more on the market, but at this point... around 5 million, I think.

“What?!”

5 million?!

Carpe's mouth dropped open. It was a huge amount for a 20-something college dropout.

“I have to sell it! Wow, how many chickens could I buy with this?”

-Let's check first. It might be a non-tradable card.

“Oh, right.”

Carpe hurriedly checked the information on Holy Sacrifice.

At the bottom of the card description, the word 'Tradable' was clearly marked.

“Lord Chima! Thank you so much.”

This is what a country is.

This is what a game is.

This is what a 0-star Background Order is!

“Where is the auction house?”

-It's in most major cities. Of course, it's in Luana.

“I can register it on the way to get quest materials.”

It felt like things were falling into place, and the signs were