Gi-Gyu asked in disbelief, “Are you sure the machine isn’t broken?”

“I’m sure. It’s old, so I checked it earlier, and everything worked like a charm then. If you think you can’t trust the machine, I can go in myself.” Then, Sung-Hoon quickly began undressing, so Gi-Gyu had to wave his hand in surprise. “N-no! That’s not what I meant. I was just shocked to hear my result.”

“I can certainly understand why you would feel skeptical in this situation,” replied Sung-Hoon. But it was Tae-Shik who put Gi-Gyu’s doubt to rest. 

“It’s simple, Gi-Gyu: You drank the elixir. The number of people who have done that can be counted on one hand. When one obtains the elixir, they do one of the three things. First, sell it to the richest person they can find. Second, feed it to their sick non-player family member. Or third, they hide it away for later use,” explained Tae-Shik, providing the most logical reasoning. 

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu contemplated what Tae-Shik was trying to say. 

Tae-Shik continued, “As for those who actually drink the elixir…”

“They’re probably all high rankers, right?” Gi-Gyu finished the sentence for him. 

“That’s right. Usually, they are high-level players even before consuming the elixir. This is probably why the elixir’s effects are still unknown to the public.” When Tae-Shik suggested, Gi-Gyu nodded and murmured, “Or…”

“Yes?” asked Tae-Shik. 

“Maybe...