Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 107

107
But isn’t there something better than the constellations waiting for you? It’s the Divine Seat.

Of course, he couldn’t be sure yet that the God of Storms, the God of the Throne, would make a contract with him.

Although I was able to temporarily gain the Downdraft skill by his favor, I can’t be fooled by that alone.

[The goddess of fortune emphasizes that a player like you is worthy of making a contract with such a snobbish constellation.]

“Oh my, there is no one but our goddess. Thank you for always cheering me on. Sincerely.”

Sang-Hyeon still considers it a stroke of luck to have met the goddess of fortune.

The benefits she provides herself as a constellation are beyond imagination.

It seems like I understand why Hashimoto, the Japanese player who had contracted with her in her previous life, grew so quickly.

[The Goddess of Luck has opened a private channel. It costs a considerable amount of divine power, but she can maintain it.]

“huh?”

At that time, a private channel was opened.

A channel opened when a secret conversation is needed that cannot be overheard by other constellations or deities.

However, it did not open well because it consumed a tremendous amount of divine power to maintain it.

In his previous life, he was a model student who had only opened two channels in several decades.

The unique thing about personal channels is that they are not messages that are transmitted through the system every time.

That is, you can hear the voices of the constellations or deities directly.

[Um, suddenly the channel?]

Even the conversations that Sang-Hyeon has temporarily are implemented as mental conversations closer to consciousness rather than spoken words.

[nice to meet you.]

[Ah, this is your voice… … .]

Sang-Hyeon flinched.

Looking at her actions so far, she has a certain bubbly, tomboyish goddess-like feel to her.

When we actually talked, I felt that his voice was proud, yet calm and restrained.

It seemed that there was a difference between seeing something in text and hearing it in voice.

[To put it simply, if the Goddess casts aside her pride and is considerate of the players, she can make additional contracts with other constellations or Goddesses.]

[Oh, is that so?]

[Don’t limit your thinking. A capable player like you deserves the support of many constellations and deities.]

[I had no idea about that.]

[Heh. No one originally knew.]

The private channel that had opened briefly with meaningful laughter closed.

But even though it was a short conversation, the content was rich and had great meaning.

‘Maybe the named people like Jeron DeKay knew this and signed the contract accordingly.’

Suddenly, that thought occurred to me.

However, this important and heavy truth was probably not shared with the public. It was kept a complete secret.

‘I must not spare my strength.’

In this situation, it became more important to appeal to the Storm God, the deity that was interested in him.

If you can just steal his heart, he too, like goddess luck, will give you another seat.

‘The more I learn about the world of constellations, the more I realize… ‘

Sang-Hyeon shook his head. He thought he knew a lot, but it seemed like there was more to learn.

* * *

Sang-Hyeon woke up from a deep sleep and headed to Ham Ji-Yeon’s daycare center as planned.

6 a.m.

It was quite early, but when we arrived, Ham Ji-yeon had already finished her full makeup and was out.

It was a very combat-oriented outfit that would make anyone who saw it think they were going on a blind date.

“Where are you going?”

“Where are you going?”

“Where?”

“I’m going to see Sang-Hyeon.”

“I didn’t come here to talk for that long.”

“I’m joking! After talking to Sang-hyun, I have a meeting with the relevant people. I also have something to do in Seoul!”

Even though she always paid attention to wearing comfortable clothes, she only used basic makeup.

But seeing it properly and with such effort, it felt new in its own way.

Her thick eyeliner looked quite striking, perhaps because of her particularly attractively thick double eyelids.

“I’ll just get to the point. And I think of this as a notification, not a request. Just be sure to keep that in mind.”

“… … What is it, it’s scary.”

Sang-Hyeon spoke about his plans and support for a pizza place to be built next to the daycare center, like a machine gun.

It was a notice that calculated not only the expected budget but also the maintenance costs necessary for future maintenance.

“Thank you, Sang-Hyeon.”

“I’m writing this in the hopes that it will be of help to Jiyeon, who is dedicated to her children.”

“One billion won is not a small amount of money. And it’s money that I said I wouldn’t take.”

“That’s why I ‘donate’ like this. It’s just a one-sided donation that you don’t have the right to refuse, haha.”

Sang-Hyeon smiled awkwardly.

Some people make a big deal out of doing small good deeds and pretend to have everything.

Sang-Hyeon didn’t suit my personality.

Even if I did a great deed, I wanted it to pass quietly, not with a loud thank you.

“I think Sang-Hyeon has it all. He’s handsome, kind-hearted, and on top of that, he’s a perfect player.”

“Ms. Jiyeon, praise is a passive skill.”

“I admit that! But if it’s a compliment I don’t mean, I don’t say it at all. I don’t do it on purpose.”

“Anyway, let’s proceed like that. Think carefully with the vice-president about what to name the pizza place.”

“Haha, I see! Thank you!”

“… … ?”

Before the words were even finished.

Ham Ji-yeon naturally hugged Sang-hyeon tightly.

Rather than a romantic hug, it felt like a genuine, innocent(?) hug filled with gratitude.

“I don’t think a warm handshake or greeting will do the trick. My kids really like to be hugged.”

Thanks to Ham Ji-yeon giving a plausible reason, the awkward atmosphere of the hug was eased.

Sang-Hyeon also hugged her tightly for a moment.

And he only cautiously hoped that some of his warmth could reach the children.

* * *

That day, at noon.

Sang-Hyeon took a deep breath as he arrived at the gate.

“You really came alone?”

“I envy you. How dare you think of going into the gate alone. I’m scared.”

The association staff guarding the gate each made a curious expression as they looked at Sang-Hyeon.

Solo play was definitely not common.

That is because, regardless of whether it is a dungeon, gate, or crack, the inside is a ‘battlefield’ where variables can occur at any time.

A place where you may come face to face with death at any time.

Being alone there means that when you are in danger, there is no one to help you.

A minimum of two people must be present to be able to receive rescue or assistance in case of emergency.

“It’s Shin Sang-hyun. He must have an idea.”

“I’m jealous. Over a trillion won in three months… … How much was my three-month salary?”

“Are you like Shin Sang-hyun? If you swing that greatsword once, your head will fly away like a straw.”

“Don’t hit the bone with facts. It really hurts.”

“You’re being beaten because you’re sick, Inma.”

Although he could hear their conversation clearly, Sang-Hyeon pretended not to notice and headed straight to the dungeon.

In the future, it will become common to receive envious or jealous looks from someone like this.

If you get excited or react to something like this, it will only lead to tiring things.

‘The sword that drinks blood, I must eat it.’

Sang-Hyeon once again strengthened his resolve and entered the gate.

It is time for him to secure his future in a place that has not yet been reached by the hands of Dokgo Yoon the Swordsman.

As soon as he entered, what came into Sang-Hyeon’s sight was a flat road that looked like the main route to anyone.

No matter how positively I thought about it, it was a road that seemed to be swarming with all sorts of traps, bugs, and poisonous snakes.

Of course, some players intentionally choose the rough path.

Because he believes that there is a reward for the route he has avoided. Sang-Hyeon’s thoughts were similar.

However, there is absolutely no such thing as a route where you can only get honey. Trials are inevitable.

“I have to go to Dotonbori River in Japan too… … If I keep going like this, I might even travel around the world.”

As Sang-Hyeon walked forward with brisk strides, a thought suddenly occurred to him and he burst out laughing.

I thought that if I could go back in time knowing everything, wouldn’t I be happier than anything in the world?

When I actually experienced it, it wasn’t like that.

Because there are so many rewards that I don’t want to give up to others, I keep getting greedy.

There is only one body, but special issues of time and space occur simultaneously, so you have to choose and focus.

The Break Spot Dungeon located under the surface of the Dotonbori River was one of the elements that could never be compromised.

Since this is a dungeon where experience gain is maximized, you can experience a dramatic level-up here.

Going beyond level 10?

It’s not even work in that dungeon.

Of course, this is subject to the premise that there are first-time privileges.

“It was a smooth engagement for now.”

Sang-Hyeon continued to swing his greatsword of fighting spirit, releasing the remaining tension in his upper body.

I could sense the presence of monsters, slowly using the bushes and trees as cover to target Sang-Hyeon.

The exploration skill showed the location of monsters caught by the presence by visualizing them with a red light source.

However, since the number was not that large, it seemed feasible even if it was a head-on fight or guerrilla warfare.

“I don’t care about the leftovers.”

Pfft!

With the courageous charge skill, Sang-Hyeon started to run.

At best, the monsters at the entrance were armed orcs and ogres. They weren’t even worth a snack.

2 hours later.

“Level 132. You’ve already leveled up by 2.”

Sang-Hyeon smiled with satisfaction as he watched the experience bar rise.

A situation where you think it’s worth a try even if a large group of monsters appear.

However, since only small units of four or five appeared each time, it was easy for Sang-Hyeon to deal with them.

This is because you can concentrate your firepower and destroy it early on.

“Thanks to you, I was able to make a lot of skill work. These are skills that I really wanted to get to level 5. Did I use them too much as a sandbag?”

At some point, it seemed like he was practicing to raise his skill level rather than fighting.

Although it was clearly a gate for the recommended level 200, it did not feel at all like a normal monster would.

『Two-handed sword training』

■ Skill Level: 5 (0.4%)

■ Skill Introduction: Perfect adaptability to all swords except daggers and one-handed longswords.

For all attacks, gain 10% additional damage.

As the two-handed sword training reaches level 5, an option to add additional damage to all attacks is added.

It was the best option for Sang-Hyeon, who could deal critical damage as easily as breathing thanks to the goddess of luck.

『Back Step』

■ Skill Level: 5 (0.3%)

■ Skill Introduction – Instantly moves backwards 6m, and while moving, becomes temporarily completely immune to absolute summoning status abnormalities.

As Backstep reaches level 5, the first skill creation is completed and new options are added.

Even though it was only a very brief, fleeting moment of complete immunity, the very existence of this option was of great value.

The possibility is 0%.

And because if you get the timing right, it makes a world of difference to get it to 100%.

“A pleasantly completed upgrade before reaching the Lake of Blood.”

I felt good after looking at the various skills that had changed.

Level, artifact, or skill.

There is nothing more enjoyable than growing continuously and without stopping in any way!

“The problem starts now… … .”

Sang-Hyeon frowned as he looked at the swamp spread out before his eyes.

The Lake of Blood, the destination you must reach in order to obtain the Blood-Drinking Sword.

Before that, the swamp, which was the mountain that had to be overcome and the biggest obstacle, was waiting for Sang-Hyeon with its stench.