Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 130

130
“I wasn’t even thinking about quests. If it’s a quest with a low success rate, it’s worth doing.”

It feels like I have one more option.

Up until now, I haven’t really felt the merit of the quest. It’s because the rewards are so stingy.

However, this is limited to quests that have many strategies like a skeleton and have established standard strategies.

Quests with many victims, like Blood Tower, have a system that steadily increases rewards. It’s an incentive.

So, while most players recognize the system as something they absolutely need… … .

At the same time, I saw a dark side to trying to keep the overall number of people appropriate, as in the case of quests.

Sang-Hyeon also agreed with that idea.

Player system.

Whoever created this system and applied it to humanity did not do it out of 100% goodwill.

“Training starts tomorrow… … .”

Sang-Hyeon closed his increasingly heavy eyelids and thought about tomorrow’s schedule once again.

Now it’s time to meet Ham Ji-yeon and train her on the freezing attribute.

It was also a training that absolutely had to come before a large-scale attack with Do Kyung-soo.

Cool-. Cool-.

Sang-Hyeon quickly fell asleep.

It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone I’ve missed in a dream. And we had a lot to talk about.

Also, I realized.

Now that I’ve regressed.

What if we continue to live well and do well like this?

I said that I might meet that person again someday. But paradoxically, I hoped that would not happen.

“… … .”

A tear flowed down Sang-Hyeon’s eye as he fell into a deep sleep.

They were tears filled with feelings that could not be expressed in words, and only Sang-Hyeon could understand their meaning.

* * *

The next day, morning.

As soon as Sang-Hyeon visited Ham Ji-Yeon’s daycare center, she ran towards him, waving both hands vigorously.

“Mr. Sang-Hyeon!”

“It was a surprise gift for the kids. How was it? Was it okay?”

“You should have told me in advance and sent it! I almost thought it was the wrong thing and sent it back!”

“I think kids will like it too.”

“Of course they love it! But everyone was surprised when a truck like this suddenly came to the daycare.”

“ha ha ha.”

“Anyway, thank you so much. The kids have been singing a song about how Uncle Sang-Hyeon is the best since this morning!”

“I’m so proud, really.”

Thanks to the food truck that Sang-Hyeon sent in the morning, the kids were eating as much food as they wanted.

Even the director, Jiyeon Ham, was holding an entire pizza in her left hand and eating it diligently.

Her explosive appetite was now a familiar sight, for she knew it was a sign of her zodiac sign.

On the one hand, it was cute to see a squirrel with a mouth full of food, like a plump squirrel.

Right then.

Jeong Mi-hye, the vice-principal and Ham Ji-yeon’s close friend, also ran to Sang-hyeon and bowed down.

“Thank you so much. I am sure that your pure heart for children will be rewarded one day.”

“I don’t do it for the price. Like you two, I feel good when I see children happy. That’s all.”

“Wow! It’s my uncle! My uncle!”

The children who recognized Sang-Hyeon ran towards him and grabbed his thighs and legs and hung on to him.

When I saw the children calling me uncle with innocent faces, I couldn’t help but smile.

I think I know why Ham Ji-yeon is happy whenever she thinks of her children and why she thinks she did a good job.

It is said that children are living angels.

I don’t know who left the words, but I thought that there were no words that were more true to the truth than these.

“Go ahead and eat whatever you want. If you want some to-go, just ask the uncle there.”

“Hehe, yes! Oh right! Uncle! I’m talking about our Jiyeon! She ate three pizzas before you came!”

“ha ha ha!”

“Hehehe!”

The child’s acting skills, which humorously imitated Ham Ji-yeon’s actions of stuffing pizza, were top-notch.

Then, Ham Ji-yeon’s face, who was watching, turned red.

“Youngtae! There’s no need to go into detail about how much you ate!”

“Sister, you idiot! Pig! Hehehe!”

“omg…….”

Young-tae, a young child who unilaterally inflicted damage on Ham Ji-yeon(?) and then leisurely left the scene.

Ham Ji-yeon clutched her throbbing forehead and made an awkward expression.

“Well, I did eat a lot.”

“Jiyeon, take care of Sanghyun. I’ll take care of the kids.”

“Are you okay?”

“Then! Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden? We already talked about it yesterday.”

“hey…….”

“Hoho! You two, have fun now! Kids, let’s go to the playground! Hey, hey! Hey!”

Jeong Mi-hye took the children and left the place. It was more of a training session than a fun time.

“Here. Americano with an extra shot.”

“Oh my. How did you know I had to add a shot?”

“I remember something you mentioned before. It’s like a useless memory, you know?”

“Oh my, even your sense. Thank you so much. I feel like I’m always indebted to you, Sang-Hyeon.”

“There is no such thing as debt between us. So there is no need to think about it seriously.”

Sang-Hyeon and Ji-Yeon Ham enjoyed their morning tea time while walking at a close distance.

Both of them came dressed in comfortable clothes for training.

So the scene was created that looked natural and comfortable, like a couple going for a morning exercise.

Sang-Hyeon, who had been walking in silence for a while, asked her first.

“Isn’t working at a daycare center hard?”

“Not at all. When I see my children, all the hardships melt away. It’s something I’ve never regretted.”

“You are truly amazing. I want to tell you that I truly respect you. It is not easy to take care of so many children.”

“Haha, thank you. Of course… … there are many things I regret.”

“for example?”

“There are more and more children to care for, and the budget needed is also growing.”

“Are you having a hard time making money right now?”

“Oh, I forgot to tell you. This is the only daycare center I run… … .”

“no way?”

The reason Sang-Hyeon said no way was because he thought she might be donating or providing operational support to other orphanages.

I wondered if anyone could live such an altruistic life. That’s why I added the word “no way” at the end.

“There are three other places where I am providing full operating support: Sudan, Haiti, and the Philippines.”

“At this rate, even if I work hard and earn money as a player, it’ll still be tight.”

“That’s the biggest worry I have these days. I’ve taken on a lot of work that doesn’t fit my abilities, but my bowl is… … .”

Sang-hyeon was also startled by Ham Ji-yeon’s heavy expression, which was unusual for her usual appearance.

The corners of the mouth of a person who always seemed like he was smiling are now downturned.

Ham Ji-yeon is a magician specializing in ice.

There are many dungeons and gates where one can earn hundreds of millions of won per level with her skills.

However, since she only works as a player with a very limited network of connections, things are getting tighter and tighter.

‘For my own good, I need to find a dungeon or gate where I can put her to good use.’

Rather than leaving him to play around like a freeloader.

I thought that I should take her with me if I could use her in team play due to Sang-Hyeon’s needs.

The freezing ability is used quite a bit in dungeons. It’s just that Ham Ji-yeon isn’t known to the players.

“Should we start training now? This isn’t something that can be solved in a short period of time. We need to train earnestly and consistently.”

“Yes, I’m ready! Mi-hye will be suffering for a while, so I have to cherish that time and train hard.”

“Are you mentally prepared?”

“Of course! I’m worried that I might be bothering Sang-Hyeon instead.”

“I will also bother Mr. Jiyeon. There is a lot to do to increase resistance to the ice attribute.”

“Let’s make it a win-win for both of us!”

That’s how the training began, in which both men would engage actively and combatively.

The scheduled period was until the day before Sang-hyun participated in Do Kyung-soo’s large-scale attack. It would be about five days from now.

According to the report sent by Do Kyung-soo in advance, there were many ice-inducing monsters inside, so resistance was important.

It seemed like Do Kyung-soo’s Sword Ghost-Sword God team had a plan to break through with artifacts rather than separate resistance training.

‘I will choose a consistent and sure method.’

Sang-Hyeon’s decision was firm.

Resistance based on artifacts makes it impossible to respond organically when an emergency occurs.

However, if you have a body with strong resistance from the beginning, you will be able to respond more flexibly.

In this way, Ham Ji-yeon trains to find a way to deal more skillfully with the inspection players.

Sang-Hyeon began training to gain strong resistance to the ice attribute.

It was a hellish forced march where every moment except for meal times was devoted to training.

* * *

Time passed by in the blink of an eye.

Both Sang-Hyeon Do and Ji-Yeon Ham were so absorbed in the training that they didn’t even realize how much time had passed.

Sang-hyeon accepted Ham Ji-yeon’s offer of giving him his own room, and went to sleep in the small room.

Even though it was a small room, it felt as comfortable as a spacious room to Sang-Hyeon. This might be because of the contrast with his previous life.

The year was 2045, and everything was in ruins. At that time, even just being able to close your eyes for a few hours was heaven.

Bed? Room? It didn’t matter.

A place where you can lay down is a bed.

It didn’t matter if it was a shabby stable or a graveyard full of corpses.

“… … .”

Ham Ji-yeon looked at Sang-hyeon, who was sleeping inside the closed room door, from outside.

Of course, I couldn’t see anything because the door was blocked, but I was naturally thinking of Sang-Hyeon inside.

‘In the past, I was really afraid of swords even when I saw inspector-type monsters in dungeons… … But now I have gained confidence.’

5 days of training.

It may be short, but it was a very long time for Ham Ji-yeon. Moreover, it was also meaningful.

During her training with Sang-Hyeon, she was able to shake off all the fear and trauma she had about the ‘sword’.

It was thanks to Sang-Hyeon’s guidance that he taught from start to finish at his own level.

Advice? Suggestions? No.

It was guidance and teaching.

It was clearly a hierarchical relationship.

Sang-Hyeon had a deep understanding and experience that Ham Ji-Yeon could not have easily predicted or foreseen.

That’s why, even when Ham Ji-yeon asked difficult questions, he continued to give her the ‘correct answers’. Without leaving out a single one.

‘I think you know my heart.’

Ham Ji-yeon thought so.

Because they have a lot of experience and are deep, they have the ability to see through the other person’s mind and response.

And there was more to the harvest.

Sang-Hyeon taught her how to ‘think’.

Minimize unpredictable variables as much as possible, and be able to respond calmly even if variables arise.

Ham Ji-yeon has been receiving such training in her thinking over the past five days. It’s so much so that it’s a shame to have to part ways.

‘He’s not just a player with good skills and abilities. He’s also someone who can teach someone deeply and understand their feelings… ‘

After five days had passed.

Ham Ji-yeon no longer simply envies Sang-hyeon, but now looks upon him with awe.

That you are at a higher level than that?

I thought it didn’t mean anything.

Even though her level may be ahead of her.

It could be said with certainty that Sang-Hyeon had several times the insight, experience, and sophistication to see into the future.

Maybe that’s why.

“I don’t want to break up.”

Ham Ji-yeon couldn’t help but resent the coming morning, the time when she would have to part ways with Sang-hyeon.