Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 20

20
Of course I had no intention of winning. It was not a matter of will, but of possibility and probability.

Sang-Hyeon knew that what Shin Tae-Ri had said was not a bloodbath, but a test to see the transition between offense and defense.

‘Five suras… … .’

It’s not easy. No, it’s very difficult.

Not only was the level difference as much as 15 times a problem, but their professional compatibility was also bad.

An assassin with wind-like, unpredictable movements was the most difficult opponent for a swordsman to chase down.

“Let’s give it a try.”

Sang-Hyeon responded.

Kim Mi-so looked embarrassed.

There was also a look of bewilderment as the place that was meant to be just a greeting suddenly became a testing ground.

“Sister. Isn’t that too sudden?”

“Mr. Sang-Hyeon is okay.”

“But even when we first met, what was it…?”

“Are you burdened?”

“No. I’m looking forward to it because I think I can learn something.”

Despite Kim Mi-so’s dissuasion, sparks were already flying between Sang-hyeon and Shin Tae-ri.

For Sang-Hyeon, it was a deal where he had nothing to lose. If she attacked him, he would learn something from the attack, and if she responded, he would learn something from the response.

The opportunity to receive such thorough tutoring from a great teacher does not come easily.

“This is really… … .”

As soon as Kim Mi-so stepped back, clutching her throbbing forehead, Sang-hyeon and Shin Tae-ri stood facing each other.

A squeaking sound was heard from Shin Tae-ri’s dagger, which was imbued with a unique murderous spirit. It was like the screams of the dead.

“Phew.”

Sang-Hyeon took a deep breath and immediately used his psychedelic skill. He needed maximum combat power.

Phew!

At that moment, Shin Tae-ri, who had been watching from the front, suddenly disappeared.

If you think, “Where did he go?” it’s too late. The body should have already been moving at the moment he disappeared.

‘i get it.’

As Sang-Hyeon made his decision, he simultaneously pushed the greatsword towards the right side of his back.

Kyaang!

At that moment, a pleasant metallic sound was heard. There was one reason why it felt good. It meant that my prediction was correct.

When Sang-Hyeon turned his head, he saw Shin Tae-Ri’s dagger blocking the great sword’s path.

“… … I knew it.”

“I guess I was lucky.”

As Shin Tae-ri said, he knew what he was going for, but Sang-hyeon humbly changed the subject. He had no intention of being arrogant.

In Sang-Hyeon’s view, Shin Tae-Ri didn’t use her full power in the first move. Her movements were much slower than Sang-Hyeon had expected.

“There are still four moves left.”

“I know.”

Pfft!

Shin Tae-ri has disappeared again.

It was a hideout that left no traces, enough to make one realize what the word ‘assassin’ meant.

In fact, it was closer to super-fast movement that could not be tracked visually rather than stealth.

So when dealing with assassin players, we had to reduce our reliance on visual information.

If possible, it would be better to make it 0%, because it is too late to report and respond.

If you were to face a high-level assassin player in real life, by the time you finally catch a glimpse of him, his head would have already been blown off.

‘This time it’s the front.’

Although it was impossible to see the rear, Sang-Hyeon could read the flow of air.

Shin Tae-ri’s killing intent, which was intentionally left behind in the rear, had already returned to the front.

So, Sang-Hyeon looked as if he was going to look back, but then he immediately stabbed him straight in the face with his sword.

Taang!

This time too, sparks flew pleasantly from the greatsword that clashed with Shin Tae-ri’s dagger.

“… … .”

Shin Tae-ri’s gaze at Sang-hyeon wavered. Sang-hyeon’s reaction was much faster than expected.

It wasn’t just a matter of luck. Of course, you could have chosen one of the four cardinal directions. Then, you could have gotten lucky and gotten your bearings right.

But now, I stretched out my sword, anticipating exactly where and in what form it would stand.

This was something that Shin Tae-ri could feel as she received the great sword of Sang-hyeon herself. It was not a coincidence.

‘You read with your senses.’

Shin Tae-ri was confident.

The realm of sense is a higher realm than the realm of vision. Not everyone can awaken to it.

Moreover, Shin Tae-ri had also reached this state through harsh training. He lived under the ‘master’ who was considered the best at the time, and he considered death to be his friend.

However, Sang-Hyeon’s sensational response, which had not been much of a history until recently, was unexpected.

Wheeee!

This time, Shin Tae-ri’s appearance was split into several branches instead of just one. The afterimages increased.

“… … .”

Sang-Hyeon followed Shin Tae-Ri’s movements with narrowed eyes.

Although the afterimage is a very subtle difference, there is a part that reflects the original appearance of the body later.

So if you concentrate and look closely, you can find the original body with a slightly different expression.

The difference was an extremely short time, like 0.1 or 0.2 seconds, but Sang-Hyeon was able to follow it with his eyes.

And Sang-Hyeon, who sensed her location, immediately lowered his head. This was because a dagger was coming from behind.

“ah.”

A short exclamation from Shin Tae-ri was heard.

Of course, I had no intention of attacking Sang-Hyeon. I just wanted to signal that the rear had been breached… … .

As Sang-Hyeon lowered his head to avoid it, his movements were also read.

“It wasn’t bad, was it?”

“It was very good.”

Shin Tae-ri returned Sang-hyeon’s humble response with enthusiastic praise.

‘If it’s enough to elicit the expression ‘very’ from the picky Taeri, then it means it was really neat.’

Kim Mi-so looked surprised.

Shin Tae-ri, whom I have seen from the side, is a person who has a very high standard for giving compliments.

I didn’t use the expression ‘great’ to describe just a little bit of satisfaction and surprise. The same goes for the expression ‘good’.

At that moment, Kim Mi-so felt a shiver run down her spine.

That’s exactly what I felt when I saw the early days of the named characters that have now firmly established themselves as the center of the player world.

As the saying goes, a tree that will grow well is different from its cotyledon, and I felt the same way about Sang-Hyeon.

After that, Shin Tae-ri tried to attack Sang-hyeon with even more upgraded techniques, but all of them were in vain.

It was proven on the spot that he could block at least five attacks against Shin Tae-ri.

Even for Kim Mi-so, who prides herself on being an expert in maneuver and evasion, this was a truly astonishing result considering that her best record was four moves.

This is because Sang-Hyeon is not a player who has surpassed level 100 like Kim Mi-So, but rather a beginner still in his 30s.

Shin Tae-ri said this while looking at Sang-hyeon, who was slightly sweating.

“I hope we can have a formal conversation later.”

“You are most welcome. It was a great learning experience. It made me realize my shortcomings.”

This time, Sang-Hyeon spoke with sincerity rather than humility.

I realized while defending five moves against Shin Tae-ri that my body lacks flexibility.

It was because of the psychedelic effect that I was able to respond, otherwise the situation would have been over at the first move.

The gap in level and solid skills was not easily overcome.

Sang-Hyeon decided to be satisfied with just confirming the possibility of not dying against a powerful person.

Actually, that was a great thing too.

“Let’s keep a tight lid on today’s events.”

“Whatever you want, haha.”

“Sister!”

“Please keep today’s story to yourself and don’t tell the reporter.”

Shin Tae-ri tapped Kim Mi-so on the shoulder. Then she gave a slight nod to Sang-hyeon and left.

There happened to be two people walking from the direction of Chunui Station.

It was the addition of a player companion to explore the Chunui Station Gate together with Sang-Hyeon and Kim Mi-So.

‘I know someone whose smile is funny.’

Shin Tae-ri, who had been moving further and further away, turned her head again to look at Sang-hyeon. It was a short but memorable meeting. She wanted to meet again soon.

* * *

While waiting for the arrival of the two new team members, Sang-Hyeon checked the gate once more.

▶ 120

▶ 4

On the side of the entrance to the gate, there were two numbers written like a nameplate.

Maximum level 120, 4 players limit.

This was the basic characteristic of this gate.

As soon as four people entered, the entrance was sealed, making it impossible to send in additional personnel.

Additionally, if the level is higher than the limit, a repulsive force occurs at the entrance, pushing the player away.

If you ignore this and force yourself in, you will be treated as a ‘foreign substance’ and forcibly disassembled by the system. It is an instant death without a trace.

“hello?”

“Nice to meet you!”

The two men and women who arrived at the same time greeted Sang-Hyeon and Kim Mi-So.

These two people did not have any knowledge of Sang-Hyeon. Perhaps they were not that famous in the past, or they were players with little external activity.

However, seeing that Kim Mi-so was there with her, it seemed like her skills were not ordinary. This is because she is picky about what she does.

“I’m Shin Sang-hyun. It’s an honor to be with such great people.”

“Nice to hear! I just finished reading the article about Mr. Shin Sang-hyun. A prosecutor who can create abnormal conditions on his own! I’m really jealous.”

“I think it’s already been verified in the level 100 quest solo play. I trust the team leader’s vision.”

As the two men and women turned their gazes toward Kim Mi-so, she smiled and continued her introduction.

“This person is Mr. Park Tae-seok. He has the ability to fire. He is classified as a magic player and his specialty is… … .”

“Ignite.”

“That’s right. The ability to speak.”

Sang-hyeon read all the documents that Kim Mi-so had given him in advance without leaving a single word out and memorized them in his head.

So, the team members’ backgrounds, special skills, strengths and weaknesses had already been analyzed.

This is because team play begins with studying your teammates, not the dungeon.

Understanding your teammates perfectly to work together is what Sang-Hyeon considers most important.

“It’s not enough, but I ask for your help.”

“It’s me.”

I shook hands with Park Tae-seok. Contrary to my worries as an old man, he was a very polite man.

Kim Mi-so then introduced the next team member.

“This is Kang Joo-hee. She is a spatial ability user. She is classified as a magic player and her specialty is spatial connection.”

“You said that you can use your spatial ability to snipe distant enemies as if they were close by?”

“That’s right. It has excellent variable creation capabilities. However, if you don’t know how to use it, you might have a hard time!”

Kang Joo-hee’s ability was to create spatial passages that physically brought long distances closer together.

Let’s say there is a 1km straight line.

Her ability is to create an entrance at a point 100m away and an exit at a point 900m away.

Then, we could make it reach the end of the straight line by making it move only 200 meters.

The ability to save energy and use the skill to send that amount of energy, and also save mana that goes into firepower.

I’ve had some experience working with people with this kind of spatial ability before.

There may be differences in fighting style and space creation process, but the basic conclusion seems similar.

“Please take good care of me. I will try to quickly adapt to Kang Joo-hee’s pace and tactics.”

“No. I have to adjust this. I want to repel the enemy’s attacks as far away as possible, and connect Sang-Hyeon’s attacks as close as possible.”

“thank you.”

That’s how the greeting ended.

The combination was also good.

Sang-Hyeon, who handles swords at close range, and Kim Mi-So, who can snipe difficult elements in advance from a distance.

Here, there is Kang Joo-hee who can use space to create a variety of variables, and Park Tae-seok who is good at using fire.

This seemed like the most stable composition for a 4-person team, except for the lack of a healer.

It was a pretty satisfying combination.