Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 2

2
In the battle with the orcs that began as soon as he entered the dungeon, Sang-Hyeon intentionally controlled his strength.

This is a measure of how much of a burden is placed on the body at present while gradually increasing the usability of the sword.

The conclusion came quickly.

‘Still very weak.’

With my current physical strength and stamina, it seemed like a long fight lasting more than a minute would be difficult.

The level of completion and expectations for the swordsmanship that can be used are high, but the physical condition is completely lacking.

The overall stats were not much different from the basic values ​​given for player level 1.

‘Of course, the level of monsters and players here is, to be honest, pathetic.’

In a team of seven players, the highest level player, Daekyung Yoon, was level 50.

Although he was at the level of walking around the Orc Dungeon with his shoulders braced, he was still a child in Sang-Hyeon’s eyes.

Considering that the level he had reached right before his regression was 850, what about level 50? It would be around the time when he was a tadpole, or before it was fixed.

“Hey, Shin Sang-hyun! If you’re going to fight like that, why did you bring that big sword that doesn’t even look good?”

As one of the team members frowned and scolded Sang-Hyeon, the rest nodded.

It was because they didn’t like the passive-looking attacks of Sang-Hyeon.

The prejudice that had prevented people from looking favorably on Sang-Hyeon from the beginning also played a big role.

“Can I come to the front?”

“Are you just going to talk about it? Don’t just open your mouth, show us your skills!”

I nodded, thinking that the exploration had been too long due to the sharp reaction.

And then I went right out.

Just then, a group of seven orcs approached us, proudly displaying their bravery.

To increase the success rate of Demon Bash, you must target the orc’s vital points or weaknesses.

I must have killed tens of thousands of orcs in my previous life. I have a wealth of experience.

It wasn’t something to worry about in the first place, as if they were going to repeat these guys’ weaknesses again.

『Demon Bash』

“Consumes 1 mana.”

Sang-Hyeon immediately deployed his skill.

Swish! Crunch!

And then the first blow landed, slicing deeply into the orc’s left shoulder!

Huh?

The orc, who was exposed to the attack but was trying to counterattack without paying attention, stopped moving using the axe in his right hand.

It was stiff.

It was as if time had stopped, and my body wouldn’t listen to me at all.

Shhhhhhhh!

Drunk… … !

The beheading took place in an instant.

The orc, momentarily paralyzed by the Demon Bash, lost his head and stood there unable to do anything.

From that very moment.

Cheek! Keek! Keueeeee!

The one-sided massacre has begun.

Every time Sang-Hyeon’s sword passed by absentmindedly, the orc’s movements stopped as if in a still frame.

“Inducing stiffness? That’s an advanced condition, but how does that guy… … create it?”

Yoon Dae-kyung, who had a keen eye for detail, muttered with a bewildered expression. Something unbelievable was happening.

The players, who were his teammates and younger siblings, immediately chimed in.

“Brother, not only that, but the duration seems to be incredibly long. It’s not the ultra-short-term stiffness of 0.1 or 0.2 seconds that we know!”

“Wow, 2 seconds! The orcs stopped for 2 whole seconds! Is this completely crazy? Is this skill real?”

There was no place where exclamations and cries of astonishment did not erupt.

The man in front of him was definitely not a level 1 beginner player who had awakened just three days ago.

“monster…….”

One of the team members muttered in admiration of Sang-Hyeon’s dazzling stiffness-inducing ability without realizing it.

Now, a monster that is completely out of sync with their level, barely passing the level 2 and 30 range, has appeared!

‘What on earth is that skill?’

Yoon Dae-kyung tilted his head.

We have seen the [Stun] state where the attacked monster temporarily loses consciousness or the [Rigidity] state where the body becomes frozen.

But the period was too long.

This is because it is a common phenomenon that only causes very brief abnormalities that are not noticeable.

Even for players who are called named, the maximum status effect duration was 1 to 1.5 seconds.

Even just to that extent, everyone would praise, glorify, and admire it.

But Sang-Hyeon was 2 seconds old.

This means that you can freely attack for a full 2 ​​seconds without worrying about counterattacks.

If Sang-Hyeon had been a high-level player, say, level 400 or 500, I would have thought that was possible and let it slide.

‘A level 1 player who woke up three days ago and entered the dungeon for the first time, not 100 or 10?’

In Yoon Dae-kyung’s eyes, Sang-hyun was now a level 1 baby. It didn’t make sense that he had skills.

It was like a young child who had just started learning baseball and had outstanding batting skills.

Shut up.

The orcs exposed to Sang-Hyeon’s attack were frozen in place, unable to move, and could only groan.

Naturally, the result was bad, because Sang-Hyeon foolishly cut off his head.

In front of the crude but sharp greatsword, the orc’s neck was no more than a steak that could be easily sliced.

‘Even the Orc Defenders… … .’

Yoon Dae-kyung looked dumbfounded when Sang-hyun crushed the Orc Defender, who specialized in defense.

Orc defenders have defense that is at least three to four times stronger than that of regular orcs, so they must be hunted in groups of at least two.

But Sang-Hyeon created stiffness in the guys equally and cut off their necks cleanly.

Thud. Thud. Thud.

The orcs’ necks rolled to the ground like pine needles falling in the autumn wind.

The faces of the dead orcs were filled with despair, unable to accept the reality of their deaths.

For Orcs, who are known for being aggressive monsters, a one-sided crushing would be a crushing blow to their pride.

“He must be crazy.”

“How is that a level 1 player… … . Isn’t that just a bunch of money crap on artifacts?”

“That’s bullshit! How could a guy who barely made a living as a porter have money? He could have just bought a sword or something.”

The team members’ reactions were nothing short of surprising. To be honest, I was even scared.

That’s because they didn’t think they could win a one-on-one fight with that level of skill. That’s how powerful they were.

It is also true that they looked down on Sang-hyeon, who had been doing all the dirty work as a porter, and treated him rudely. Because of his original sin, no one could look at Sang-hyeon and just turned their heads away.

“Phew.”

Sang-Hyeon exhaled hotly and looked at the scene where the battle had ended.

I was satisfied.

With a level 1, pathetic body, you finished a one-sided massacre without getting hit once?

My body felt heavy, perhaps because I had been overloaded in a short period of time, but my mind felt much lighter. I also felt relieved.

[Level up.]

[You are granted the F-rank title, [Fearless Puppy].]

‘Leveling up is natural, so let’s say that, but the title is a bit unexpected?’

Sang-Hyeon confirmed the title given to him with a pleasant look in his eyes.

It was an unexpected reward.

Titles are usually awarded to players when they have achieved special achievements.

Of course, not all players can obtain the same title indefinitely.

Because the quantity is limited.

For example, if there is a 3,000 person limit for title A, and 3,000 players around the world obtain the title?

You will never be able to obtain that title again.

So, the title was quite significant as an indicator of differentiation that clearly distinguished one’s skill from other players.

Because it means that you have created a special issue worthy of being given a title.

【The one-day puppy that lost its fear】

■ Title Grade: F

■ Title Introduction: Evasion +5

‘Is it good?’

A smile appeared on Sang-Hyeon’s lips.

Evasion stat is a stat that increases the chance that an opponent’s attack will miss.

It is an unconscious activation of the body’s avoidance mechanism. It is a picture that is avoided without one’s knowledge.

Considering that you get one bonus point for every level you gain, it was like getting a title with stats worth five levels.

‘From now on, all bonus points go to luck. This is unconditional.’

Sang-Hyeon invested the points he earned from leveling up into luck.

[Luck 11]

Luck stat increases the chance of critical damage occurring and increases the drop rate of artifacts.

And if you eat an artifact, the probability of inheriting hidden stats and skills also increases significantly.

As previously mentioned, there were many cases where you could obtain useful skills like Demon Bash, so raising the luck stat was not an option but a necessity.

Anyway, other stats can be sufficiently raised by eating artifacts.

However, it was better to directly increase the luck stat, which rarely appeared as an option on artifacts, because the stat acquisition route was very limited.

‘Now that I have a clear idea about raising a child, the burden is much less.’

Sang-Hyeon made a satisfied expression.

It was a regression for an unknown reason, but it seemed like it was a chance for me to fix my past life that was lacking.

The old self that would tremble at the mere sight of a goblin is long gone.

There is no one in this dungeon right now who can make you kneel. Not even the leader, Dae-kyung Yoon.

* * *

“I’ve never seen such a long-lasting stiffness induction! It seems to be related to the skill, but how did you get it?”

“They suddenly gave it to me when I awakened as a player?”

“Do you think that makes sense?”

“That makes sense. I’m using that skill right now, right?”

Throughout the campaign, Sang-Hyeon had to constantly answer Yoon Dae-Kyung’s annoying questions about the source of his skills.

Of course, I didn’t intend to tell you exactly. Even if I told you, I don’t think you’d believe me.

“You didn’t get lucky and obtain an artifact of diamond grade or higher?”

“Even if you’re lucky, how can you get an artifact worth over 5 billion won on average? Would you like to see the greatsword? You can see the information in the item window.”

Sang-Hyeon handed the greatsword to Yoon Dae-Kyung with a calm expression.

In addition to repeated training, there is also a way to acquire skills by using the ‘built-in skills’ embedded in the artifact itself.

Of course, it is conditional.

If you lose an artifact or no longer wear it, its built-in skills will become deactivated.

Yoon Dae-kyung thought that Sang-hyun was using the artifact’s built-in skill, but upon checking for himself, he found out that it wasn’t true.

“So you’re saying that this skill was really created by you?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

Sang-Hyeon nodded.

“No, I’ve only been doing dungeon crawling for two years, but I don’t have any great skills… … .”

“Brother. Isn’t life all about luck? That guy Sang-Hyeon is incredibly lucky.”

Sang-Hyeon ended up chuckling at his teammates’ reactions, who considered it a stroke of luck.

Relative deprivation is a completely understandable emotion.

In my past life, I used to think that way, seeing players who were much better than me. It wasn’t that I was bad, it was just that those guys got ahead because they were lucky.

“Finally, the mid-boss!”

“Did you say Demon Orc?”

I heard my teammates shouting.

The mid-boss monster that Sang-Hyeon had been looking forward to meeting has appeared.

Thanks to hunting orcs little by little while moving, I was level 3. My experience bar was also halfway filled.

‘Our team failed in our past life.’

I know the future that will unfold.

If things had gone as planned, Yoon Dae-kyung’s team would have failed in their attack and, of course, would not have been able to get any loot.

And the next team to come in succeeds in hunting the Demon Orcs.

I clearly remember the team leader bragging about his delaying abilities, saying he had red gallstones.

If things went as they did in the old picture, there was a high possibility that they would just do an exploration battle and give up on the strategy, so Sang-Hyeon quickly got the hang of it.

“Chief.”

“why?”

“If there’s an artifact that drops when you kill a Demon Orc, can I have it?”