Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 140

140
『Counterattack Curtain』

■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)

■ Skill Introduction: Creates a barrier that perfectly reflects one of the opponent’s skills.

To create a counter-barrier, you must expend 100 stamina and it lasts for 0.4 seconds.

The Counter-Surface can only counter one skill projectile. Instead, if the counter-attack is successful, it takes no damage at all.

‘It’s a perfect counterattack. It’s a 100% counterattack. It doesn’t take any damage, it returns it all.’

Sang-Hyeon’s eyebrows furrowed.

It’s a very useful skill.

Of course, since the maintenance time is 0.4 seconds, it is impossible to spread the curtain in advance and wait.

You have to block it by spreading out a curtain, timing it appropriately to match the expression of counterattack.

‘You can respond to both close-range and long-range attacks. If you get the timing right, you can even counterattack with extreme attack skills like the Sword of Destruction that I use.’

Calculations were made for various situations, but there was one thing that was uncertain: proficiency.

It seemed like it would require a lot of practice.

I could probably try it out right now, but it seemed like it would take time to get the timing right.

‘When I realized the ability to eat artifacts too late in my past life, I wondered how great this ability would be… … .’

It’s beyond imagination these days.

Even though you already have enough skills, the number of skills keeps increasing.

Or, for various reasons, it is synthesized into a stronger skill, or it is reborn through skill creation.

What’s even scarier is…

In the future, whenever you eat an expensive artifact, you will receive the constellation’s special benefits and your skills will increase even more!

‘You made something like a lonely recovery skill, but you never got to use it properly, right?’

A smile came out that was filled with happy worries. It’s not that I’m worried because I don’t have skills, but because I have too many.

It’s a concern that’s close to a deception that’s perfect for getting hit with rocks if you say it out loud to the players.

Swish. Swish. Swish.

Sang-Hyeon put the ring on right away.

The name of the ring was very simple.

Frozen Blue, Frozen Red, and Frozen Green rings. Each is named after the color of the gem embedded in it.

Since it was an artifact obtained by killing a Frozen Mage, all the options were the same.

Each has the effect of increasing ice resistance by 5% and mana by 100.

In total, you get 15% ice resistance and 300 mana.

‘Mana 1,090. How come the inspector has more mana than stamina? Isn’t this crazy?’

It’s like watching a wizard (physics)? Something impossible is happening to the inspector player.

Even though my physical strength stat hasn’t even reached 1,000 yet, my mana has suddenly surpassed 1,000!

However, I didn’t think there were that many. This is because there are many skills that consume a lot of mana.

Conditional skills with the concept of ‘unconditional’ such as Absolute Summon and Absolute Freeze require 500 mana.

If you use Mana twice now, you will end up having to wait for Mana to recover.

‘Anyway, we finished phase 1 and 2 so quickly. Good. We made a lot of money.’

Sang-Hyeon headed to the room assigned to him with a proud expression on his face.

After driving out the undead army and taking over the palace, the rooms inside were made available for use.

Do Kyungsoo decided to get a good day of rest before starting the 3-phase attack, so he was heading to his room one by one.

Sure enough, after running around the battlefield all day, I was starting to feel tired. I wanted to close my eyes, even if it wasn’t deep.

* * *

The quiet palace.

Most of the players from the Swordsman-Swordsman team, who had fought a tough battle, fell asleep as soon as they entered the room.

However, thanks to Sang-Hyeon’s performance, Lee Ga-Hee and Jeong Jun-Hyeok were in good spirits because their stamina was well managed.

That’s why Lee Ga-hee was having tea time in Jeong Jun-hyeok’s room, mixing mixed coffee with boiled water.

The topic of conversation was not the two people who were the subjects of the conversation, but Sang-Hyeon, who was fast asleep.

Lee Ga-hee asked Jeong Jun-hyeok.

“What do you think about today’s battle?”

“Honestly, there were some parts that were a bit scary. Sang-Hyeon knew everything. I wondered how he knew.”

“I think the same. Judging from Do Kyung-soo’s reaction, it seems like a strategy that even the Sword God and Sword God team didn’t know about.”

“He knew too much in detail to be called foresight.”

“I think Mr. Sang-Hyeon has a pretty capable source of information.”

“It could be some advanced information we got from Hyunjung Corporation, with whom we recently signed a sponsorship contract.”

“That’s right. This isn’t information you can usually get from the information network. You know all about the dungeons.”

Lee Ga-hee’s sharp(?) reasoning ability was completely wrong.

It is difficult for anyone to think of regression. It was actually natural to think like Lee Ga-hee.

“Information is information, but I am deeply impressed by Mr. Sang-Hyeon’s fearless one-on-one combat ability.”

Jung Joon-hyuk clenched his fist as he recalled the endlessly cool appearance of Sang-hyeon.

As a magic player, I always admired the most ideal form of a swordsman player.

The dignity of a swordsman who is not afraid of one-on-many combat and moves around the middle of the battlefield!

Especially in the early stages of Phase 1, when you succeed in taking the initiative by killing the Frozen Mage from the start.

I was shivering from the thrill that ran from the tips of my toes.

In fact, it seemed that the Sword Ghost-Sword God team was greatly stimulated by that initiative.

Lee Ga-hee also added her opinion.

“I was amazed by Mr. Shin Sang-hyun’s extraordinary ability to recover stamina and his high stamina level. And his mental strength as well.”

“You said the heel didn’t go in?”

“Yes. It was obvious that he was exhausted, but he fully recovered after killing the ghouls.”

“Is it like vampiress?”

“I thought about that too… … . You didn’t suck the ghoul’s blood or anything, right?”

“That’s true, but.”

“It’s a bit mysterious. And the stamina stat is almost 1,000. It doesn’t match the level.”

“… … This is crazy.”

“If you judge it without any preconceptions about level, I would honestly believe it if you said it was a level 3, 400 inspector.”

“I think so too. It’s not the ability of a level 160 swordsman according to the general average.”

“I think so too. To be honest, I can’t help but think that Sang-Hyeon was the one laying the groundwork throughout the battle.”

“I think so too… … .”

Easy combat.

It was a combination of incongruous words, but it was also the situation that Lee Ga-hee and Jeong Jun-hyeok felt while together with Sang-hyeon.

It was virtually the first battle where one had to stick to one’s role.

The reason why Lee Ga-hee, who was a pure healer, switched to a combat healer was because it was difficult to just heal.

It was also because of this that Jeong Jun-hyeok began training in skills that tortured him, such as mana amplification and attribute amplification.

This was because in team battles, if you don’t demonstrate more than your fighting power, there are many cases where variables arise.

But not when I was with Sang-Hyeon. Rather, I had nothing to do.

So I just deliberately pushed myself to do something because I thought I had to. It wasn’t a forced situation.

“I want to try to get in sync with you a bit more, but it’s a shame that we have to leave from phase 3.”

“It won’t be our only chance today, so let’s make another opportunity next time. It seems like Gahee and I have good chemistry.”

“That’s right. But I don’t think the puzzle will fit together without Mr. Shin Sang-hyun.”

“I think so too. Let’s make room for the three of us. I’ll find a decent dungeon.”

“great!”

The conversation ended with only talk about Sang-Hyeon in Sang-Hyeon’s absence.

It was a heartbreaking ‘unrequited love’ of other powerful people who were completely enamored with Sang-Hyeon’s activities and abilities.

* * *

It’s 3am and almost everyone is asleep.

Sang-hyun and Do Kyung-soo, who woke up at the same time as if they had made a promise, brought forward the briefing they had planned to hold in the morning.

In fact, the briefing that was needed for the other team members had already been completed. It was discussed even before entering the dungeon.

However, the reason Do Kyung-soo called Sang-hyun was because in the end, only the two of them could see the end of this phase.

There are two of them, myself and Sang-Hyeon.

Just like when he met Han Hyun-jung before, Sang-hyun talked to Do Kyung-soo while being treated to Mana coffee.

“You probably know why our team failed in the 3rd phase attack.”

“It was a time-limited quest, and everyone was kicked out of the dungeon because they exceeded the time limit.”

“That’s right. The ‘Loser’s Altar’ that starts Phase 3 will apply a debuff the moment we cross the border.”

Debuff, Loser’s Contempt.

This is a debuff that occurs the moment you pass a snowy spot on your way to the snowy mountain where the Loser’s Altar is located.

You are given a time limit of 5 hours, and if you fail to defeat the boss monster within that time, you will all be kicked out.

This is a debuff that puts the attacker at a great disadvantage. It also makes them feel impatient.

“According to the information I received in advance, I heard that there won’t be any major problems until the beginning of Seolsan Mountain.”

“That’s right. The problem is the persistent checks that continue until you reach the loser’s altar at the top of Seol Mountain.”

“Could you please tell me your best record so far?”

“I only made it halfway up the mountain at the end of the time limit. That was just a case of luck.”

“So you’re saying that happened even though it was a fully optimized strategy?”

“Yeah. Shifu and I have concluded that we can’t optimize it any further than this.”

“This time, there is a way to make it less time-consuming.”

Sang-Hyeon said with a smile.

Since Do Kyung-soo is not invincible, he cannot help but struggle against persistent magic and arrow barrages.

But what if we could neutralize this check as much as possible, while still maintaining the momentum of the movement?

You will be able to secure plenty of more time.

The reason Do Kyung Soo failed to break the record so far is because he ‘killed’ all the magicians and archers who were trying to restrain him.

Without killing them.

If you can just ignore it and break through while leaving it behind? The time can be shortened by leaps and bounds.

“Is there a solution?”

“Yes, coincidentally.”

Sang-Hyeon nodded.

The counterattack barrier skill I just acquired was the most appropriate solution for the current situation.

Since he couldn’t explain it without mentioning this skill, Sang-Hyeon spoke honestly to Do Kyung-Soo.

“It takes some timing, but I have the skill to counter the opponent’s skill.”

“There’s no way you, a serious person, would lie in a place like this.”

“Haha. If I had time to joke, I would have done it a long time ago. It takes practice, but there is a way.”

“Can I see a skill demonstration?”

“I was just about to ask for your help with a skill demonstration.”

Sang-Hyeon stood up from his seat.

Do Kyung Soo also has a few skills that shoot out projectiles.

Among them, the most intuitive and definitely noticeable is the skill ‘Great Offensive’.

It was also a skill that allowed for long-distance control by continuously throwing sword energy at the opponent.

Do Kyung-soo got up from his seat and followed Sang-hyun and asked him.

“Wow… … That’s amazing. How is it that you have such a useful skill in every important situation?”

It was a question that not only Do Kyung-soo, but in fact all players who had a relationship with Sang-hyun had.

Nowadays, players are called skill-rich if they only have about 10 specialized skills.

Sang-Hyeon is like a well that never runs dry, always bubbling with skill. What on earth is the reason for this?

Do Kyungsoo wanted to know that.