Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 36

The 36th
Battle was a series of precarious attacks and evasions. It was also a constant battle of rock-paper-scissors.

The sight of Archlich rising into the air and raining down magic like a bombardment on the ground was truly spectacular.

A volley of fireballs rained down from behind Archer, like flaming basketballs falling.

That wasn’t all.

Archlich would always create a swamp of silence over a large area before casting his spell.

It was five times larger in area than the Silent Swamp that the Death Knight had previously utilized.

That’s why it was impossible to dodge with the right timing like when dealing with a Death Knight.

You had to use the skill before the Silent Swamp was created. In some form or another.

『Defensive Sword』

‘It’s definitely hard for a swordsman to beat a magician.’

Kookung! Kookung! Thump!

Sang-Hyeon blocked the fireballs pouring down from the sky while maintaining the defensive sword he had prepared in advance.

Archer Rich wasn’t stupid.

He pushed Sang-Hyeon away like a hawk, knowing that if he got close, he would be at a disadvantage.

No matter how confident Sang-Hyeon was in his aggressive concept, he was not invincible with a body made of steel.

The magical firepower that Archlich was pouring out had to be blocked or avoided with certainty.

But if you avoid it, the distance between you and Archlich will increase, so it’s better to make a better choice.

≪He has great talent. The sword’s defensive barrier resembles a shield, and the movement of retreating backwards looks like space magic that moves a short distance.≫

“And you even gave me compliments? I’m so embarrassed by this, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

Sang-Hyeon snorted.

Archer Richie was also quite impressed by Sang-Hyeon’s various skills.

In the early stages of the war of attrition that unfolded as a brawl, Arch Lich waited for Sang-Hyeon’s stamina to run out.

I thought it was time to roughly push Sang-Hyeon, who was getting tired of waiting for quite some time.

It was a mistake.

Sang-Hyeon intentionally exposed his abdomen to the magic blown by Archlich, and recovered his health with Sacrifice.

Although he continued to stimulate and provoke Sang-Hyeon’s emotions, Sang-Hyeon did not easily give in to Pace.

So, Arkrich stopped making clumsy provocations and focused on a determined and fierce attack.

That was it now.

When Archrich decided to step up his offensive against Sang-Hyeon.

‘It shows the habit.’

Sang-Hyeon was analyzing Arkrich’s habits while focusing on defense, half voluntarily and half involuntarily.

Every player and monster has their own habits.

The same goes for the silent wizard Jaron Dekay, who is considered a world-class name player.

Sang-Hyeon also had a habit of showing a stereotypical appearance before displaying any skill or action.

A typical example was Sang-Hyeon’s habit of firmly gripping his sword before using his swordsmanship skills.

You might say it’s just a trivial habit, but it’s a different story if you have a discerning partner.

This is because when you grip the sword tightly, the muscles throughout your arm, including your forearm, undergo subtle changes.

You can see this as a precursor to a report skill, and then your response will be half a beat faster.

In the case of Jeron Dekay, he also had a habit of consciously raising both eyes when using the silence skill.

The dominant analysis was that it was a habit for concentrating the mind, and that’s what it was anyway.

So in the Great British Rift incident that occurred in 2045 in the previous life, Jeron died in battle.

Ironically, the one who killed Jeron was a black knight from another dimension who had emerged from the world through the Great Rift.

The black knight later said that he couldn’t help but find a loophole because the habit was so obvious.

‘When creating a swamp of silence, there is a habit of stretching out the little finger of the hand that makes the magic seal.’

It was Sang-Hyeon’s reading habit.

To cross-validate this, we went through several hurdles.

The blood flowing down the corner of his mouth was proof of that.

I tried to figure out the correlation between silence skills and habits, but I ended up getting stuck in a swamp of silence.

A fireball hit him directly in the chest, and his injured body immediately started spitting out red blood.

It was fortunate that he was hit while leaning back, otherwise the attack would have broken four or five ribs.

‘When using current magic, you slightly extend your hind legs. You must be unconsciously aware of the recoil of the magic.’

Other findings have also been completed.

In addition, there were strange differences in movement when using fire magic or ice magic.

This was a part that was proven to be a clear causal relationship, not a coincidence. It took time for the process to happen, so Sang-Hyeon was consistent in his defense.

Trying to know your enemy better than you know yourself. To do that, observe even the smallest movements.

Even though Sang-Hyeon wasn’t called a named person in his previous life, this was the secret to his longevity.

I have always made decisions and played based on data and reality, not on chance or intuition, and this was an extension of that now.

The know-how and understanding accumulated over 30 years of life as a player were being applied in their entirety even now.

‘let’s go!’

『Psychedelic』

Sang-Hyeon opened the counterattack with Psychedelic.

This is already the second psychedelic song I’ve written since entering the Silent Ground dungeon.

The first one had quite an aftershock, and after the effects wore off, I felt like I was really going to collapse.

≪I still haven’t felt it.≫

I ignored the voice of Arch Richie that I could hear. It had a corner that secretly stimulated the other person’s emotions.

At that moment.

‘Pinkie!’

It was seen.

As Arkrich begins to form a water seal, he extends his little finger.

It was clear that the color of the water circle was a red magic circle reminiscent of flame magic, but Sang-Hyeon was not fooled.

『Back Step』

『Back Step』

Even though I knew it would overload my body, I used Backstep twice in a row, consuming 20 mana.

Go, go, go, go.

A swamp of silence formed over a period of time, but this time I didn’t get sucked into it even a single step.

≪Ah… … ?≫

Arkrich, whose expectations were off, let out an exclamation without realizing it. Sang-Hyeon’s response was too quick.

However, the distance between Arkrich and Sang-hyeon was 15m. It was still a distance that was disadvantageous to Sang-hyeon.

Although he desperately wanted to close the distance in one go with a full charge, Sang-Hyeon held back.

This is because Ark Reach also knew about Sang-Hyeon’s method of linking by first utilizing full charging.

A smart enemy will not be fooled by similar tactics. Sang-Hyeon never underestimates Ark Lich.

Phew!

Sang-Hyeon grabbed the greatsword with all his might and threw it at Arch Lich. It was an attack that even aimed for a knockback burst effect.

The reason he swung his greatsword before seeing Arkrich’s response was clear.

This was because he had figured out that he would focus on other attack magic to restrain himself as he approached.

When a greatsword with a knockback effect flies in, you must deploy a shield, dodge, or focus your magic.

Forced choice! Sang-Hyeon intentionally reduced the number of cases in which Arkrich could take it.

≪Damn it!≫

The power of the wind that could already be felt was no joke, making it difficult to ignore the flying greatsword.

Arkrich made a hasty seal.

‘It’s wind magic. I bent the front of my index finger.’

It was a wise choice from Arkrich’s point of view. All he had to do was create a strong wind to push away the Great Sword and the Shang Xuan.

‘Give flesh and take bones.’

Sang-Hyeon didn’t slow down.

Pain is always an unpleasant experience, but it is nonetheless an inevitable fate for the examiner.

Since I knew my opponent would counter with wind magic, at least I wouldn’t have to be hit without knowing.

If we lose even a little bit of momentum here, the plan we have built up so far will collapse in an instant.

8m.

Really close distance.

Kwaaang!

Archlich’s wind magic was released forward.

Quiing!

The greatsword, which collided with the magic directly, lost momentum and soared into the sky.

However, the collision itself triggered a knockback burst effect, temporarily pushing back the condensed air.

≪Ugh!≫

At that moment, Arch Richie, caught in the whirlwind, groaned. It was an inevitable reaction.

Pfft!

The wind magic that had been pushed away began to fly again, using the remaining propulsion.

4m.

A closer distance.

So it was a distance where he couldn’t avoid the wind magic. Sang-Hyeon bit his lips tightly and opened his left shoulder.

Pfft!

“Ugh!”

A heavy feeling came over my left shoulder. It felt like my shoulder had been hit by a car.

However, it wasn’t severe enough to cause a fracture because the strength was wasted in the process of being pushed back once by the knockback burst.

1m.

I gave him my shoulder.

In return, Sang-Hyeon gained distance.

When he finally opened his eyes, which were caught in the storm, Arkrich was startled by the sight of Sang-Hyeon right in front of him.

Not only did he neutralize the swamp of silence that had been carefully calculated and deployed, he also read and responded to the wind magic.

It was an overly daring gamble, even sacrificing his own body to close the distance.

Of course, it only felt like a gamble to Arkrich, but to Sanghyun, it was a calculated result from the beginning.

『Full charging』

At this close range, there was no need to hold a full charge for a long time. It was enough to take a breather.

and.

Crunch… … !

Sang-Hyeon cut off Arch-Rich’s head in one breath with the longsword he was holding.

No matter how much enlightenment a wise man may have gained, it does not mean that he has gained many lives.

Shhh! Thud! Thud! Thud!

Archer’s neck, which had been flying away like a champagne cork, rolled around on the dirt floor.

Then, he fell into a steep slope and disappeared far away without Sang-Hyeon having a chance to track his location.

“Haa. Haa. This is so fu*king hard. I shouldn’t get too drunk on this psychedelic drug. Haa.”

Sang-Hyeon sat down right there, gasping for breath.

Kuung!

At the same time, the headless body of Archlich staggered around on its own and fell in front of Sang-Hyeon.

[Level up.]

Messages indicating level up were continuously output. Level 68 jumped to 75 in an instant.

He single-handedly defeated a monster that was more than twice as high in level, so it seemed he had definitely enjoyed the perk of monopolization.

If there had been two, it would have been at best a 71 or 72. If there had been three or four, it would have barely gone up by 1.

‘I think I know why the players who are doing well only play in a small number of elite groups.’

When I actually experienced it, I could definitely feel it. Monopolization was the answer.

Or, like Do Kyung-soo, you can form a large team and go to a high-level dungeon.

If that weren’t the case, it would seem that growth would be very slow if average players ran average dungeons.

[You are granted the B-class title, [End of Twisted Desire].]

“at las……!”

Sang-Hyeon looked shabby, covered in sweat, blood, dirt, and dust, but he had a bright smile on his face.

The new title that appeared in the title window was the first B-rank title that Sang-Hyeon had obtained after his return.

To have a chance at obtaining this level of title, you had to be over level 200, but that wasn’t the case for Sang-Hyeon.

Shaaaa.

Then, an artifact ring formed around the neck of the fallen Archlich. It was an artifact drop.

My heart was already pounding with excitement at the thought that I had definitely accomplished the plan I had so desperately wanted.

And Sang-Hyeon, who picked up the ring as if he were worshiping a deity, checked the information written in the artifact introduction.

■ Special Effects – Silence

“Silence, you are mine now!”

Sang-Hyeon held the ring tightly with an expression full of emotion.

It was the moment when he added a fourth status effect to his abilities, following pressure, freezing, and knockback.