Ch.49[Episode 49] Patch Hearing

The man who introduced himself as Big Muscleman was an incredibly muscular fellow.

This senator’s arms were as thick as an average man’s waist, and despite wearing a suit made of fairly thick material, the definition of his muscles was visible through the fabric.

“First, let me apologize. The hearing is actually scheduled to begin in an hour, but I had reasons to meet you secretly beforehand.”

Muscleman revealed his perfectly white teeth in a bright smile.

The light coming through the window reflected off his teeth, making them sparkle.

“Who are you, and why have you called for me?”

Sir Dominic asked warily.

The man before him wasn’t carrying any weapons, but his stone-like solid skin and scarred knuckles suggested his strength.

“I see. I know you, but you don’t know me.”

Muscleman struck a side chest pose to lighten the mood, but it had the opposite effect.

Sir Dominic became even more suspicious of this strange mass of muscle.

Looking slightly hurt, Muscleman smiled again and spoke.

As a senator, this level of psychological control was a skill anyone could master.

“Let me introduce myself again. I’m Big Muscleman. I’m the chairman of the Tanker Union and also a senator of the Tanker Party. I’ll be attending the hearing as well.”

The Tanker Union.

Sir Dominic remembered hearing that term somewhere before.

Was it from a rogue complaining during the SD event? Or perhaps an archer?

He’d heard that they worked for the authority and interests of tankers, as their numbers were few.

If someone from such an organization wanted to see me…

Sir Dominic had an inkling of what this might be about, but not being certain, he asked Muscleman.

“Did you call for me because I’m a tanker?”

“You catch on quickly.”

Muscleman picked up a cup from his desk.

The iron coffee cup had a chain attached to it, and at the end of the chain hung an enormous iron ball.

After drinking from the cup, Muscleman thought the conversation with Sir Dominic was going well.

“As I wrote in the letter I sent you, you’re scheduled for a nerf this time.”

Muscleman put down the cup.

Normally it would make a light sound, but his cup made a thud as it dented part of the wooden desk.

“And my purpose concerns your nerf.”

Sir Dominic sensed sincerity in Muscleman’s voice but found himself confused.

“Why are you trying to nerf me at the hearing, and why are you trying to help me?”

The pupil in Sir Dominic’s one remaining eye contracted as he glared fiercely at Muscleman.

“Surely there must be a reason behind it.”

“Indeed there is. What goes around comes around, nothing in this world is free, and especially for someone in a senatorial position, sensitivity to profit is paramount.”

Muscleman nodded as if it were obvious.

He nodded so vigorously that one might worry his thick neck would fold in half.

“The nerf issue is simple. It’s because you have too high performance compared to your position.”

“Is that a problem?”

“Of course it is.”

Sir Dominic still had a vague understanding of the concepts of tier and cost.

He simply thought that higher tier was better and lower cost was better, without grasping how important these factors were in Gachaland.

Noticing this after their brief conversation, Muscleman gave Sir Dominic a simple explanation about performance.

“Tier is an indicator that shows others how useful you are. To quote someone I know, one Star is alley-level, two Stars is village-level, three Stars is city-level, four Stars is nation-level, and five Stars is continent-level strength.”

Well, this evaluation is from hundreds of years ago, so it might differ from today’s standards, Muscleman added, raising one finger as he continued.

“And cost represents your price tag. A cost of 3 is considered very cheap.”

Sir Dominic nodded in understanding, though inwardly he didn’t quite get it.

Isn’t it good to be able to hire someone strong cheaply?

“If you’re thinking ‘Isn’t it good to be able to hire someone strong cheaply?’, that’s an extremely selfish thought. Gachaland is fundamentally based on capital. If you were the only person available for hire, it wouldn’t matter, but that’s not the case. If someone provides your value cheaper than your strength warrants, then those who are similar to you or weaker must sell their power at an even lower value.”

Muscleman scratched the itch as if he had read Sir Dominic’s doubts.

“Then isn’t it right to implement this nerf?”

Sir Dominic voiced a new question.

Why would this Muscleman person offer to help me against the nerf?

“You misunderstand.”

Muscleman smiled brightly as he struck a side triceps pose.

“I don’t intend to prevent your nerf.”

What does this mean? Sir Dominic became even more confused by Muscleman’s words.

Saying he would help with the nerf issue but not prevent it—what was he talking about?

Sir Dominic’s confusion showed on his face, and seeing this, Muscleman continued speaking while maintaining his smile.

“You’ll understand soon enough, but the nerf is inevitable. However, there are many different ways to implement a nerf.”

Muscleman spread all his fingers and began folding them one by one as he spoke.

“One, restrict your performance. Seal your power with restraints or cursed equipment. However, we firmly oppose this option.”

Muscleman’s second finger folded.

“Two, increase your cost. From our position, this is the best option. It’s called a nerf, but it actually increases your value.”

“Increases my value?”

Muscleman had more to say, but Sir Dominic interrupted him because his words seemed so strange.

“That’s right. From the perspective of the Stars above, it’s a nerf, but an increase in cost also means an increase in the settlement fee you’ll receive. In other words, your value actually goes up.”

Settlement fee.

Acquiring resources was essential to survive in Gachaland.

Does this mean I can earn more resources?

Sir Dominic, who was already quite satisfied with his current situation, tilted his head in confusion.

“Third, nerf your traits or special abilities. This is actually the most likely scenario. The worst-case scenario would be if the first and third options happen simultaneously. We want to help you prevent the worst-case scenario.”

“How strange.”

Sir Dominic felt something off while listening to Muscleman.

“Why haven’t you mentioned what you stand to gain from all this?”

It was clearly advantageous for him, but what benefit would Muscleman get from going to such lengths?

Muscleman momentarily looked stunned as if he’d been hit from behind, but then he laughed even more heartily at Sir Dominic’s words and revealed his true intentions.

“Did you know? The Tanker Union has a surprisingly short history.”

Muscleman picked up his cup again. The chain attached to the cup clinked as it moved with his hand.

“Even historically, using stones as weapons came first, and even if we narrow it down to Gachaland’s scale, tankers didn’t exist until the Aggro Patch. Priests became healers, buffers, and debuffers, while those wielding stone spears and stone swords became dealers.”

Muscleman gulped down the contents of his cup as if his throat was parched.

“Above all, it was a problem even right after the Aggro Patch. Which is more threatening—a slow person wrapped in metal, or someone wielding the same weight of metal and swinging it around?”

Obviously the latter, Muscleman said bitterly.

“As tankers failed to fulfill their role, their reputation worsened day by day, and the number of people willing to be tankers decreased. And when tankers could no longer back down, the Tanker Union was formed.”

His cup was now empty. Just like the perception of tankers and the number of people who could tank that he had mentioned.

“The union didn’t exist to revitalize tankers. It was merely a desperate struggle to survive. That desperate struggle must have looked good because people’s perception improved a bit, and most importantly, the number of people willing to be tankers increased slightly. This year, it’s just over 2%, I believe. When the Tanker Union was first established, it was only 0.2%.”

Muscleman refilled his cup.

After filling it halfway with water, he began adding protein powder.

“The number of tankers is gradually increasing, but it’s still not a significant figure. Yes, absolutely. Why are there so few tankers? Why is the perception of tankers improving, but the number of people willing to be tankers remains woefully inadequate?”

After adding the last spoonful of protein, he gulped down the cup and slammed it hard on the desk.

Another crack formed in the desk.

“It’s the absence of stars. Until now, dealers have attracted people with the lure of glamour. Damage output that anyone can clearly recognize. The satisfaction of defeating strong enemies with flashy effects. But what about tankers? How many people care about how spectacularly you take hits, how well you block, or how much damage reduction you have? Maybe some do. But that number is extremely small.”

Muscleman looked at Sir Dominic after putting down his cup.

The steel cup on the desk fell to the floor.

“But we’ve finally found someone with star quality. That’s you.”

Sir Dominic saw his muscles twitch.

However, Sir Dominic instinctively realized that this was merely a reaction from heightened emotions, not a hostile action toward him.

Because Muscleman’s eyes were honest and straightforward.

“Please, will you help us revitalize tankers?”

Muscleman extended his hand.

Sir Dominic stared at that hand for a moment.

And then—