As a veteran gamer, he knew exactly how ruthless the enhancement system could be.

Right now, his weapon was at +5 enhancement. At one point, he had pushed it to +11.

But greed had cost him. One failed attempt later, the enhancement level dropped, and he never managed to bring it back above ten.

He had poured at least a hundred gold into enhancing this weapon alone.

For a solo player to afford that much in the early stages, it spoke volumes about his deep pockets.

If he could push it to +30? Forget a hundred gold, he'd pay a thousand without hesitation.

"Boss, name your price. As long as you can get it to +30 and it's within reason, I'll pay up!" Meatball declared.

He was a gaming fanatic, the kind of player who threw money at the best gear without a second thought.

Hearing Meatball's words, a thought sparked in Ethan's mind.

With the Wishbound Relic, could he create an elite squad?

Why hadn't he considered this before? Instead of just focusing on himself, he could equip his closest allies, people he trusted, with high-tier, enhanced gear.

While he was lost in thought, Lyla fired off a Double Shot, followed by a Rapidfire Barrage. Eighteen arrows slammed directly into the Flame Draconian's head.

The creature let out a final roar before collapsing.

Ethan bent down and picked up three copper coins from the loot.

"What a loss. One life and a Medium Instant Health Potion, and all we get is three coppers?" Ethan muttered in the party chat.

"Yeah, and it was the weakest one who died too!" SeraphWarrior chimed in.

"Then why don't you tank next time if you're so good?" Skyblade shot back.

"Alright, when we get back, stock up on Reinforcement Stones. I'll enhance your gear for free," Ethan announced.

Meatball's eyes lit up instantly.

"Boss, have you figured out some secret enhancement method? What's the success rate?" he asked eagerly.

Having spent a fortune on enhancements in past games, he was no stranger to the process. He had always relied on experts to enhance his gear.

"Uh… let's call it a trick. It's a hundred percent success rate. You believe me?" Ethan smirked.

"Nope!" Meatball blurted out, then added, "Boss, I've got a hundred Reinforcement Stones here. See how far you can push this weapon. How much gold do you need?"

Ethan took the stones, studying Meatball in silence.

Meatball stared right back at him. A few seconds passed before Ethan finally spoke.

"Give it to me."

"Huh?"

"The weapon. You expect me to enhance air?"

"You need it now? I thought we'd do this back in town. If I give it to you now, I'll be unarmed!" Meatball groaned.

Still, he handed over his weapon.

By now, the rest of the group had gathered around, curiosity piqued.

Ethan hesitated. If he used the Wishbound Relic in front of them, could he trust these people?

He weighed his options carefully. He hadn't known them for long, but he had heard enough about them.

Skyblade was a given, Ethan already trusted him in his past life.

Slashblade, from what Skyblade had told him, was a retired soldier, loyal and honorable.

SeraphWarrior and Skyblade had both served under Slashblade in real life. If Skyblade trusted them, Ethan had no reason to doubt them either.

Meatball was the only uncertain one. But Ethan knew one thing, this guy had money to burn.

And more importantly, he wasn't the competitive type. He was a casual, solo player, someone who played for fun rather than rankings.

People like that rarely got jealous of others' success.

With that in mind, Ethan finally pulled out the Wishbound Relic. His teammates watched in confusion as he placed Meatball's Golden Warstaff inside.

Ethan glanced at the weapon's stats, Gold-tier, worth at least fifty gold.

Yeah, Meatball really was loaded.

Ethan tossed the Reinforcement Stones into the Wishbound Relic, one by one.

He didn't stop until he had used twenty-five of them.

This time, his luck was absurd, every single attempt had succeeded.

Under the stunned gazes of his teammates, Ethan pulled the weapon from the relic and handed it to Meatball.

"This… this…" Meatball stammered, his hands trembling as he held the weapon. "It's really at +30? Boss, this thing…?"

His eyes flicked to the relic in Ethan's hands.

"This is my biggest secret," Ethan said seriously, locking eyes with everyone. "I trust you to keep it."

Meatball froze for a moment before his expression shifted. It wasn't the heated look of envy or greed, it was something else entirely.

Trust.

For the first time, someone wasn't trying to take something from him. Instead, Ethan was giving him something and asking for nothing but discretion in return.

"Boss, you have my word," Meatball said, his voice firm.

Despite how carefree he seemed, Meatball wasn't from this region originally. He had grown up in the Capital, but tired of its endless noise and chaos, he moved to the coast, to a city known for its romance and laid-back lifestyle.

As for his wealth? Even he didn't know how much he had. All he knew was that he owned a ridiculous number of properties.

The exact count? No clue. They were all managed by real estate firms, and his phone buzzed with transaction alerts every single day.

He was an ultimate landlord.

Where did all those properties come from? Inheritance. In other words, he was a real estate heir.

But unlike most, he had no interest in high society. He only cared about games, living the life of a shut-in.

The few people who stuck around were always after something. This was the first time he had met someone who wanted nothing from him, who simply asked for his trust.

And that filled a part of him he never knew was empty.

"Meatball, show us the stats!" SeraphWarrior urged.

"What are you guys talking about?" Skyblade grumbled. He was still running back after Revival and had no idea what was happening.

"Alright," Meatball replied, posting the weapon's details in the chat. A moment of silence followed.

Then…

"Holy—"

Everyone inhaled sharply at the absurd stats on display.

SeraphWarrior and Slashblade turned to Ethan, their expressions a mix of shock and something else, something eager.

Without a word, SeraphWarrior unsheathed the Greatsword on his back and strode toward Ethan.

"What are you doing?" Ethan asked warily. He knew exactly what was coming, but the way SeraphWarrior was approaching… it looked like he was about to start swinging.

"Boss, do mine too!"

"Boss, same for me!"

Both Slashblade and SeraphWarrior thrust their weapons toward him, their eyes practically burning.

A quick inventory check revealed they barely had a dozen Reinforcement Stones between them.

"Boss, use my extras for them!" Meatball said, still buzzing with excitement as he held his now radiant, golden warstaff.

A few dozen stones weren't worth much to him. And considering he had spent over a hundred gold just to get his weapon to +5, this was practically nothing.

Moments later, Slashblade and SeraphWarrior retrieved their newly enhanced weapons.

The power boost was immediate.

"Boss, any stones left? Enhance my shield too!" Skyblade had finally caught up, having pieced together what was happening through the chat.

Now, he was practically howling.