Artifact-Devouring Player Chapter 46

46
“Haa. Haa. Haa.”

Kim Mi-so continued to fire arrows without giving herself a chance to catch her breath.

It couldn’t be helped. As Sang-Hyeon said, Defender King’s status effects last a short time even when they are inflicted.

Originally, when Sang-Hyeon’s stiffness entered, the player was supposed to be in a frozen state for at least 2.8 seconds, but Defender King only had an effect of 10%.

So, of course, I had to increase the number of attacks, and I had to put all my strength into each attack.

This is because you have to strike at the gap in the status effect that occurs in a split second, in a short period of time.

It was a war of wits in a special sense.

Because we had to increase the number of attacks to create a large number of samples and then look for opportunities that arise from their intersection.

“Ugh! Ugh!”

Meanwhile, Defender King was continually pushed back by Sang-Hyeon’s concentrated attacks as he rushed forward with the determination to risk his life.

Even though they were clearly focused on defense, they continued to expose vulnerabilities. They had lost their solidity.

It was because of Sang-Hyeon’s attack that could spread all the links even with just one stiffness.

Once the stiffness is induced by Demon Bash, it is immediately extended.

The short duration of 0.28 seconds was no problem at all for Sang-Hyeon.

During the 3rd and 4th extensions that occurred by chance, all kinds of abnormal status effects poured out as gifts.

The freezing effect of full charge, the silence of basic attacks, the knockback of knockback bursts, and even the despair caused by accumulated pressure.

I couldn’t come to my senses.

If it had been a one-on-one match with Sang-Hyeon, I could have bought time to counterattack or regroup… … .

The problem was that the arrows kept flying in like snipers.

Defender King couldn’t take his eyes off Sang-Hyeon for even a moment in order to block his maddening attacks.

That’s why Kim Mi-so’s attacks were so subtle that she had no time to even think about them, and was helpless.

Defender King has walked the path of a knight for a long time. However, this is the first time he has been as persistent as Sang-Hyeon.

There seemed to be no hesitation or consideration for what would happen next in Sang-Hyeon’s attack, which rushed at him as if he was going to devour him.

He poured everything into it as if each attack was the last blow of his life, and it was so powerful.

In addition, the skill cycle of Psychedelic and Acceleration that unconditionally returns whenever the cooldown ends was the highlight.

From this point on, even Defender King could not chase Sang-Hyeon.

Rather, they were armed with plate mail and had to thoroughly exploit the gap in their reaction speed, which was bound to be relatively low.

‘Just as all sports in the world end in a draw if you only play defense, it’s the same with combat. If you just block, that’s the end of it.’

Sang-Hyeon thought so.

Ultimately, it is the attack that ends the battle.

Sure, Defender King was a capable knight specializing in defense, but that was all.

In the midst of the storm-like attacks, it was impossible to be perfect and eventually revealed its weaknesses.

The triple-layered defenses had long since become nothing more than a rag. The plate mail wasn’t in good condition either.

“Haaak. Haaak.”

“Phew. Phew.”

However, both Sang-Hyeon and Defender King were equally tired.

Although it was a monster I met as an enemy, it was a guy with a solid basic skill.

His defensive stability was so outstanding that I would ask him to be my training partner if I could.

Swish.

‘The guard is down.’

Even as he grew tired, the Defender King’s posture, which never lost its balance, suddenly collapsed.

It may have been a measure to ease the burden of his rapidly declining physical strength, but Sang-Hyeon was not one to miss that opportunity.

Taat!

Sang-Hyeon leapt forward, using the dug-in dirt as a stepping stone. Defender King tried to get into position again, but his reaction was half a beat late.

『Sword of Crushing』

The declaration of the Sword of Crushing skill!

The Greatsword of Fighting Spirit was dyed red. It felt like looking at a sword that had just been taken out of the blacksmith’s furnace.

Ninety percent of mana was lost.

I really felt that this was a skill that should never be used unless you are confident in your attack.

This is because mana, the most important resource in skill expression, is consumed in large quantities.

Oh my!

Although the Defender King managed to take a defensive stance, it lacked its former sturdiness and stability.

However, the great sword that had been raging like a sword of destruction fell upon Defender King in an instant, as if he was looking at a giant fire dragon.

Phew!

“… … !”

The Sword of Crushing, which had been pushing back the Defender King’s greatsword that was trying to block the attack path with pure force, accurately struck its target.

It was in the middle of the left chest, still wrapped in plate mail.

Clearly, the plate mail still had enough durability to be used in combat.

But not in front of the Sword of Crushing, which was close to a finishing move.

The great sword that melted the plate in an instant shattered his heart.

A powerful blow that blocks, but turns out not to have blocked!

Defender King looked at Sang-Hyeon’s face once more in his fading consciousness.

There has been an age-old debate going on since Defender King was a child.

The debate was about which was greater: a spear that pierces everything, or a shield that blocks everything.

Defender King always thought it was the latter, but now it seems he may have to change his mind.

Defense cannot ultimately defeat offense. The proof is in yourself. The spark of life is quickly fading away.

Kuung!

Defender King, whose breath had stopped within a moment, never opened his eyes again.

After a while.

“… … Even the monster that seemed like an impregnable fortress eventually fell like this.”

“That’s why the breath of fantasy is so good.”

“Honestly, I don’t know if I have any stake in the strategy.”

“I can’t do it alone.”

“You really can’t do it?”

“I don’t say empty words.”

“Ugh! If I get used to this kind of strategy, it’ll be hard to coordinate with other players later on!”

“We’ll think about that when we get there.”

First, Sang-Hyeon checked the four highest-grade magic stones from the fallen Defender King.

A total value of 4 billion won.

Even if the money were distributed, it would be worth at least 2 billion won, a huge amount of loot. It seemed as if the sound of the balance being filled could already be heard.

I checked the greatsword just in case, but it was a basic greatsword of poor quality for use as an artifact.

However, she was able to pick out two decent artifacts: a necklace and a ring, and she first struck out at Sang-Hyeon.

“My brother chooses first. I’m a sword first. I take care of the person with the sword first.”

“Is this an excessive priority?”

“I want to tell you that you can take both, but I know you won’t accept them, so that’s why I’m saying that.”

“I tell you again, I can’t conquer this place alone.”

It was definitely not an empty promise.

In any case, the attack was carried out quickly because Kim Mi-so struck at the right time and place.

I was sure that if I hadn’t been able to use the neurotoxin arrows, Sang-Hyeon wouldn’t have been able to get this far smoothly.

With Kim Mi-so’s concession, Sang-hyun immediately confirmed the artifact that he had been eyeing.

The remaining artifact was one that had such bad compatibility with Sang-Hyeon that I didn’t even care about it.

“Necklace of Flexibility”

■ Artifact Grade: Platinum

■ Artifact Introduction: A necklace with excellent resistance to stiffness, one of the abnormal status effects.

When stiffness occurs, the duration of stiffness is shortened to 90% of the original level.

■ Evasion +50

Sang-Hyeon threw the ring he had next to him to Kim Mi-So and immediately took off the necklace of exploration he was wearing.

I was planning on wearing it until a replacement necklace for the Necklace of Exploration came out, but now an alternative has come out.

‘The reason why the elite strategy team led by Do Kyung-soo, the Sword Ghost and Sword God, are scary is because of the abnormal status effects.’

Sang-Hyeon was the one who knew best how much of a ‘bullshit’ it was to be in an abnormal state.

This is because the numerous monsters and players who have been hit by it express their emotions with various facial expressions and anger.

That’s why I was so happy to find a necklace like this that could drastically reduce the duration of abnormal status.

Especially considering that the roars of most mid-bosses and boss monsters cause stiffness… … .

It is said to be platinum grade, but it is safe to say that its actual value is several hundred times more.

It would be natural to wonder about the options for the artifact she had obtained, but Kim Mi-so seemed completely oblivious.

Perhaps it was because he didn’t want to feel burdened, even if it was just a small feeling. That’s what Sang-Hyeon thought.

The artifact meal was over quickly.

Since it was the necklace of exploration that Sang-Hyeon had been wearing, the food was shaped just as he wanted.

A glass of Dolce Latte with lots of syrup. It was the perfect drink to cool down. Since it was a meal that took place in the world of the unconscious, Kim Mi-so couldn’t notice anything.

And then the skill came right away.

“quest”

■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)

■ Skill Introduction: Shows the presence of enemies within a 100m radius by visualizing them as red light sources. Passive Skill.

It was a passive skill like Agility Mastery. As long as exploration exists, you won’t be caught in a clumsy ambush.

‘Of course, it’s not like it can detect hiding. We’ll have to fill in that gap in another way.’

As evasion increases, expectations for skill resistance also increase, and the burden of stiffness also decreases.

‘That’s why I have no choice but to raise my standards.’

It seemed that getting some upper air early was also a great help to growth, as long as one could drink it for sure.

Before I knew it, I was at level 82!

It’s an explosive growth considering my old life where I had to work hard and put in a lot of time just to get to the next level.

“Let’s go right now. We still have a long way to go.”

“Are you in good physical condition?”

“As long as you’re okay with it.”

“Let’s go right now!”

It seems like the previous training session was helpful, as Sang-Hyeon and Kim Mi-So both walked without any sign of fatigue.

It was finally time to climb over a big mountain. It was a tough journey to get to where the boss monster was.

* * *

8 hours later.

“The path that seems the easiest to anyone is actually the most dangerous. Is this also the result of the analysis?”

“It’s closer to absurd. It starts with the basic question of whether the being who designed this space will really make it easy for people to go their own way.”

“It’s hell over there.”

Kim Mi-so pointed to the flat land overlooking the mountain.

At the location she pointed to, all kinds of pits were forming and wild animals passing by were falling down.

If Sang-Hyeon hadn’t reset the route, it would have been the path the two of them were walking a few hours ago.

It wasn’t just a trap where the ground suddenly collapsed.

Once the ground collapsed, all kinds of monsters would rush in and slaughter the prey trapped inside.

It was a truly horrific scene, with people chewing, biting, cutting, and eating without any regard for screams.

“I think we’re almost there.”

Sang-Hyeon looked at the end of the moving route, which only had a downhill slope.

Then, a monster that was still vaguely visible, but still felt alive even from afar, was looking up at me.

Iclus.

It was a bipedal leopard-like monster nicknamed the Assassin Leopard.

He was also the first one to promise Sang-Hyeon an ‘Epic’ grade artifact reward since his return.

Epic grade artifact.

The average transaction price is 125 billion won!

That was motivation enough.