Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 3

3
“What the hell are you talking about?”

“Hey, Shin Sang-hyun! I doubt you’ll be able to catch it, but even if you do, why is that artifact yours?”

Greedy colleagues raised their voices over artifacts that had not even been released.

Then Yoon Dae-kyung continued speaking.

“This guy won’t even stiffen up. He’s not an easy guy to begin with!”

“If I catch it.”

“That won’t happen, Inma! If we can’t catch it, then you can catch it yourself and take it. What do you think? Does that seem reasonable?”

“Then I’m left out of the Demon Orc raid?”

“We have to do this this time to avoid a mud fight over distribution and unnecessary talk about shares later.”

Although Yoon Dae-kyung spoke rationally, he actually meant that he would monopolize whatever came out.

In reality, Yoon Dae-kyung’s team completely revolved around him.

It is true that Sang-Hyeon was active, but to them, he was still an outsider who came from a porter background.

“Then, if you and your brothers can’t catch it, I will.”

“Oh, well then. Of course that will never happen! Everyone, start hunting demon orcs!”

Yoon Dae-kyung snickered and led the other team members out to hunt demon orcs.

After a while.

Sang-Hyeon was watching the battle between Yoon Dae-Kyung and the five others with his arms crossed.

The Demon Orc’s biceps and triceps were big enough to fit two basketballs, and his presence was truly immense.

Every time the Demon Orc swung his axe heavily, players would fall and fly away with a roar.

They weren’t a match from the start.

Yoon Dae-kyung and his team didn’t even think about finding out the Demon Oak’s weaknesses, and just pushed forward with brute force.

In a situation where it was unclear whether a careful attempt to exploit an opening would work, a reckless charge was simply not going to work.

Since 2019, it has only been two years since the era of players began.

At this time, there is no systematized strategy, so the strategy of pushing through with force is still the trend. It is a shame.

“Eww!”

“How can someone like this be a mid-boss? Is there any opening? What are the six of you doing?”

A scream erupts.

Yoon Dae-kyung took a step back with a pale expression.

The fight could not be won through a fight of brute force.

It was completely incomprehensible to Sang-Hyeon that he was so greedy for the spoils of war that he could catch such a guy.

With Sang-Hyeon’s skills, his head would be blown off during the fight.

He was confident that it wouldn’t end with him getting slightly hurt or stepping down like his other teammates.

Yoon Dae-kyung waved his hands and shouted.

“That’s enough! Everyone retreat to the safe zone! There’s no need to kill the mid-boss anyway!”

“The power is no joke! There’s no answer. Oh my… … . It seems normal for us not to be able to catch this guy.”

“There are many cases where the mid-bosses are harder than the final boss. Let’s not get too attached!”

The team members who had lost their fighting spirit were delighted by Yoon Dae-kyung’s words, and quickly retreated to the safe zone, shaking their heads.

They didn’t forget to exchange their own mental victory comments.

From Sang-Hyeon’s perspective, who was watching, it was a horrifying sight.

Losers should keep their mouths shut, but these people are actually trying hard to justify their defeat.

Sang-Hyeon stepped forward, unbuckling both feet. Up until now, everything had been going as he remembered, but not anymore.

“Am I going?”

“No, you can’t do it alone. Your movements are too agile. The problem is not that it’s dangerous, but that you could die.”

“What if you don’t mind dying?”

“Go. How can you stop a madman? Don’t hold a grudge even if you die. I clearly stopped you.”

Yoon Dae-kyung waved his hands and fell to the dirt floor, gasping for breath.

How can one player finish off a guy that six people couldn’t even kneel down to?

But the person in question didn’t seem to be worried at all, as he was running briskly.

Khoooo!

The Demon Orc swung the large axe in his hand menacingly, his red eyes glaring fiercely.

‘Infinite rigidity! I will definitely catch you today for the start of the fantastic connection I dream of.’

Sang-Hyeon’s will was set ablaze.

If you eat a red gallstone, you will be able to take not only the delay ability, but also the stat attached to it.

My heart was pounding.

Quaaa!

The Demon Oak let out a roar and launched a powerful first attack towards Sang-Hyeon.

It was a blow that was intended to split Sang-Hyeon’s head in half without any consideration of the consequences.

“Shin Sang-hyun! It’s dangerous!”

Although he heard Yoon Dae-kyung’s worried cries from behind, Sang-hyun didn’t care. He was confident.

‘This guy was originally ignorant.’

As a prosecutor, the easiest enemy to deal with is one that believes only in its own strength and pushes ahead stubbornly.

When an attack is blocked, it exposes a potentially fatal weakness.

Kyaang!

Sang-Hyeon moved his body slightly to the side and swung his greatsword sensually.

Then, just in time, the Demon Oak’s axe passed by Sang-Hyeon’s greatsword, creating a large spark.

A tingling shock was transmitted to the tips of my fingers, but I was able to endure it. At the same time, I could see the Demon Oak’s center of gravity shifting sharply forward.

‘Is this why it’s easy for ignorant monsters who are only strong?’

Without further ado, the Demon Oak’s weakness was clearly revealed. It was visible to Sang-Hyeon.

Of course, this is a loophole that will not be visible to low-level players who will just blankly watch from behind.

『Demon Bash』

He immediately showed off his skills.

Now that you’ve found the weakness, it’s time to persistently exploit it.

Phew!

Kuweek!

Sang-Hyeon’s Demon Bash struck the Demon Orc’s flank, its fatal weak point.

“The mid-boss Demon Orc is also stunned? This isn’t some kind of cheat, is it?”

“… … No, this is too much of a scam.”

“It stopped!”

“Axe! The axe the Demon Orc was holding fell!”

All the team members watching were astonished.

The Demon Orc, which kept on rampaging even when six people rushed at it, was immediately neutralized.

Kkeugkeug. Kkeugkeug.

The one who was surprised was also the Demon Orc who suddenly became a target.

A feeling of oppression that weighs down my entire body!

The sight of Sang-Hyeon suddenly appearing and easily subduing him truly resembled that of a grim reaper.

However, the Demon Orc soon regained physical activity and released the remaining stiffness.

The so-called self-healing ability.

It’s a variable that prevents the battle from going as planned. That’s why it’s also a mid-boss monster.

“The stiffness has been relieved!”

Someone shouted.

“Tch, that’s pretty good.”

Sang-Hyeon fixed his grip on the greatsword.

Once you experience stiffness, there is a temporary period when you do not experience the same stiffness.

The interval was about 15 seconds. Until then, an honest fight was needed without any other variables.

‘This is why delay is necessary!’

The delayed effect of red gallstones can prolong the same condition before the stiffness ends.

This is also the reason why you absolutely must catch Demon Orc. It has such good synergy with Demon Bash.

‘The guy is the type that always attacks by throwing his center of gravity forward. In other words, you just have to pull him in and hit him.’

We’ve already figured out the Demon Orcs’ tendencies. It’s thanks to the six advance teams that dug through the groundwork earlier.

Kaoo!

The Demon Orc rushed forward with a fighting spirit, perhaps because his pride was hurt by the fact that he could have been killed by Sang-Hyeon.

Phew!

“Ahh!”

Shhhh!

“Ahhh!”

With each successive axe-swing that seemed to split the world in half, the players watching let out gasps.

Because I thought it was an attack that would have killed me without a doubt.

The movements were much faster than before when the six of them were fighting.

However, Sang-Hyeon barely managed to avoid the attack, not allowing a proper hit.

At first I thought it was just luck, but when the same evasion was repeated, I had no choice but to admit it was skill.

Even if you’re lucky, you won’t be able to avoid it ten or twenty times without any problems.

Just then, when the Demon Orc’s offensive was about to intensify.

‘Now is the time!’

The Demon Oak’s weakness was finally revealed to Sang-Hyeon, who had been waiting for an opportunity while enduring and holding on.

Phew!

Without another second thought, Sang-Hyeon swung his greatsword with all his might, piercing the heart of the immobile Demon Orc.

It was only one attack, but it was a sharp blow that hit exactly at the gap.

At that moment, everyone was surprised.

Red blood was pouring out of the once impregnable Demon Orc.

It was hot blood that symbolized the shortcut to death.

Wow!

The demon orc fell to the ground, his breath cut off before he could even close his eyes. It was an obvious instant death.

“What the heck is this… … .”

“Killing the Demon Orc alone… …?”

Yoon Dae-kyung and his group, who had to run away despite giving their all in the previous battle, ended up becoming a screen.

Something strange has happened.

[Level up.]

[Level up.]

[You will be granted the E-rank title, [Demon Hunter].]

‘Is this the power of solo play?’

The corners of Sang-Hyeon’s mouth went up at the sudden jump in level two and the feast of titles that appeared again.

In my previous life, I lived a life with no real affinity for titles.

Even after becoming a player, my growth was slow because I didn’t have any special skills or techniques.

A title can never be obtained by having skills similar to the average of others. It is like a special reward given to those who excel.

If we look at the statistics, which show that on average, a player only gets one title per 100 levels.

Sang-Hyeon had already acquired the number of titles that a level 200 player would have.

Let’s invest all the bonus points into the luck stat, and the stat value becomes 14.

Although there may not be any dramatic changes right away, I could feel the shift toward a more probable future.

【Demon Hunter】

■ Title Grade: E-Class

■ Title Introduction: When fighting enemies at the mid-boss level or higher, health recovery increases by 5 times conditionally.

‘It’s a title reserved for high-ranking officials. Is it a title that allows you to fight more like a villain?’

Physical recovery is very important.

This is because when you engage in combat, your stamina will drop rapidly, and your concentration and patience will often collapse as well.

The Demon Hunter title was a good auxiliary tool to prevent such burnout.

Toouk!

Soon, red gallstones rose from the body of the defunct Demon Orc and fell to the ground.

It was a crystal with such a beautiful, splendid light that one would not have guessed it was a gallstone.

“Ahem.”

When Sang-Hyeon turned around, Yoon Dae-Kyung scratched the back of his head and coughed in vain.

Since I made a bold promise earlier, I cannot claim ownership of the red gallstones.

In fact, I was half-astonished by the elegant swordsmanship skills that Sang-Hyeon displayed.

The evasion, counterattack, and stun-inducing abilities that Sang-Hyeon displayed against the Demon Oak were truly top-notch.

If you only look at the battle without any prior information, it would be safe to say that the player was at least level 150.

“Everyone, if you’ve rested, get ready to hunt the boss monster! Don’t dwell on the past! The porters will retrieve the demon orc corpses without a hitch!”

Yoon Dae-kyung shouted.

In fact, he was the one who had the regret, but he seemed embarrassed to say it out loud.

“Huh.”

Sang-Hyeon went straight to checking the red gallstones he had obtained from the Demon Oak with a shallow laugh.

“Red Gallstones”

■ Artifact Grade: Silver

■ Artifact Introduction: This is a rare stone that can be obtained from Demon Oak and is a crystal that contains great strength, tenacity, and fighting spirit.

■ Strength +10

■ Stamina +10

■ Special Effects – Delay

‘If it’s silver grade, the absorption rate will be a bit higher. Since it’s an artifact that just came out, there won’t be any additional absorption rate.’

Sang-Hyeon nodded and quickly checked the absorption rate.

[The basic stat absorption rate for Silver grade is 20%.]

20%.

This means that you can permanently inherit the strength and stamina stats by 2.

The special effect of Delay, which I was determined to link to Demon Bash, will definitely be inherited.

I started eating right away.

Just like when I ate the dagger of Venamos, the red gallstones also appeared in the form of a dish of their own.

It was a spicy cold noodle dish with a sweet and sour aroma. It was one of Sang-hyeon’s favorite foods.

‘It looks like things are going well.’

Sang-Hyeon’s hand, which had picked up the chopsticks on the table, began to move diligently.