Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 12: Interest (4)

[Chapter 12]

Swish! Swish! Swaaaash!

Sanghyun relentlessly drove the Wolf Lord into a corner.

The strategy of deliberately exposing his abdomen to lure in an attack had worked perfectly.

The Wolf Lord's full-force assault had instead become a source of healing power.

■ [Sacrifice]: Cooldown time 23 seconds.

When [Sacrifice] was activated, any damage received during that moment was entirely converted into healing power.

It went without saying that Sanghyun, who had been growing exhausted, instantly regained his stamina. The attack had been that fierce.

On the other hand, the Wolf Lord, who thought the clash would be an equal trade, suffered a huge loss.

Its skill resistance wasn't high enough to completely nullify the effect, so this time, it was struck by stiffness.

Just as Sanghyun had said, he wasn't a fool. The real fool was the Wolf Lord, who had believed the visible weakness was genuine.

The Wolf Lord's self-blame turned into rage.

But even more miserable was the fact that, during all this, it couldn't move its body even a single centimeter.

Slash! Slash!

Like a swordsman tirelessly cutting bamboo, Sanghyun slashed at the immobilized Wolf Lord.

And annoyingly enough, just as the stiffness was about to wear off, he immediately extended it. Against the certainty of a state extension, no matter who it was, they wouldn't be able to withstand it.

'Should I trust our Constellation Goddess just this once?'

『Demon Bash』

『The second delay effect has been applied, extending the stiffness duration.』

'Nice!'

The stiffness effect, which was supposed to end after 4.4 seconds, was extended to 6.6 seconds. The 90% chance hit smoothly.

Swish! Slash! Whooosh!

In the face of Sanghyun's ferocious assault, cutting his greatsword in an X-shape, the Wolf Lord quickly began to fall apart.

It was a clear demonstration of what it meant to be shredded and torn apart repeatedly until nothing remained but tatters.

The Wolf Lord tried to endure with his innate regeneration and powerful body, but being mercilessly slashed for 6.6 seconds left him far from intact.

『Demon Bash』

『The third delay effect has been applied, extending the stiffness duration.』

"This actually works?"

The Goddess of Luck smiled upon Sanghyun again. The delay extended to a staggering 8.8 seconds. It was the moment the Wolf Lord surpassed its limit.

"..."

Kim Miso, who had been watching, shuddered. She didn't know how, but Sanghyun was definitely prolonging the stiffness effect.

If she were facing Sanghyun as an enemy and was hit by that kind of attack? Death would've been knocking right at her doorstep.

The boss monster of a level 100 quest dungeon couldn't move for 8.8 seconds against a single player.

If someone didn't have an Artifact that offered resistance or exceptionally high defense, they'd be completely helpless.

"Haah!"

Even though it was just a simple gamble with probabilities, the streak of positive outcomes put Sanghyun in an even better mood as he slashed the Wolf Lord again.

And when the fourth [Demon Bash] unfortunately failed to trigger the delay effect, missing the 30% chance—

Grrrrrghhhh.

Boom!

The Wolf Lord, with his chest and abdomen utterly shredded like a rag, trembled and fell to his knees.

An attack that guaranteed a critical hit was terrifying in itself.

It was manageable when the minimum multiplier of 100% triggered, but the real problem was when it reached 500%.

At that point, every spot the greatsword touched—bone, flesh, muscle—was reduced to a complete wreck.

The deep cuts didn't heal easily, and before the Wolf Lord's regeneration could piece its flesh back together, the blade dug in even deeper.

Huff. Huff. Huff.

The Wolf Lord, its eyes half-glazed over, weakly looked up at Sanghyun.

At some point, Kim Miso, who had been nervously clenching her hands, found herself standing right behind Sanghyun.

With the sharp blade of his greatsword aimed precisely at the Wolf Lord's neck, Sanghyun spoke to Kim Miso.

"It's over."

"...I saw it with my own eyes, but I still can't believe it."

"Feels good to have a happy ending."

Sanghyun smiled.

If it was her words, people would believe even the most unbelievable things. That's how much credibility her voice carried in the media.

If Kim Miso gave even a single favorable comment about him, his reputation would undoubtedly skyrocket.

Grrroooar!

"Guess it won't quiet down until it's finished."

With a final, careless swing, Sanghyun severed the screaming Wolf Lord's neck.

Thud. Thud. Thuuud.

As the Wolf Lord's head rolled across the cold dirt floor, its eyes seemed to shimmer with unshed tears.

[Your level has increased.]

[Your level has increased.]

He had instantly reached level 27.

This was just the beginning.

[C-grade Title, [True Duelist] has been granted.]

"Got a new title, huh?"

At the same moment Sanghyun checked his new title, Kim Miso's voice came through.

"You knew already? Did you beat the Wolf Lord solo before?"

"Yeah. Though I mostly relied on Artifacts back then, it's surprising because I know everything Sanghyun did was pure skill."

Kim Miso examined Sanghyun once more.

The greatsword he wielded wasn't expensive—it was just a standard model sold for general use. It wasn't even an Artifact.

And he wasn't wearing any noticeable Artifacts either. There was nothing visible.

It was as if he was fighting bare-handed with just a greatsword—and yet, the Wolf Lord had been utterly annihilated.

This was a stark contrast to Kim Miso, who was equipped with Artifacts valued at a total of 200 billion won.

Yet Sanghyun had successfully defended alone and protected the defense tower. He had also slain the Wolf Lord without anyone's help.

[True Duelist]

■ Title Grade: C-grade

■ Title Description: When in a [Isolation] state with no allies within a 5-meter radius of the attack target, the True Duelist instinct activates, temporarily increasing all abilities by 20%.

The effect disappears immediately if the isolated state is broken.

'It's specialized for one-on-one battles, huh?'

For Sanghyun, who preferred one-on-one duels and specialized in setting up fights that way, this was excellent news.

In his previous life, it was a rare title he had never even come close to obtaining.

"Congratulations, Sanghyun."

"No, it was only natural."

"I was rude when we first met. I judged you by your level, thinking you were just another boastful, reckless player. I sincerely apologize."

"I understand. If I were in your position, I'd have reacted the same way."

"The title—it's really good, isn't it?"

"It's better than I expected."

"Don't attack me! Haha!"

Kim Miso playfully raised both hands and backed away. At that moment, the title's effect activated.

[Isolation: Player Kim Miso. There are no allies within a 5-meter radius aside from yourself. The True Duelist instinct is activated.]

"Let's put the greatsword away for now."

Clank!

Sanghyun sheathed the long greatsword on his back.

"You can handle that massive sword so easily with one hand?"

"If you work hard enough, anything's possible. Eventually, even a heavy greatsword will feel as light as a pair of chopsticks."

Sanghyun joked.

It was a secret only he knew that the sword's weight had been reduced to just 1 gram thanks to the weight reduction effect.

"I'll head out of the quest dungeon first and bring in the porters. As you know..."

"I understand. The reward for completing the quest already includes the value of by-products. And if we fail, there's no payment."

"I just wanted to mention it in advance to avoid any misunderstandings."

"Thank you for your consideration. Then, I'll just take a quick look at this guy's Artifact and head out."

"Sure. I was about to leave anyway—I didn't want to get in your way. I enjoyed the show, by the way. Oh, and I'll even give up 5%."

"Pardon?"

"I had such a great time watching that I should pay an entrance fee, don't you think? Really, it's fine. Just think of it as a deposit."

"Hmm, alright. I won't refuse, then."

Sanghyun nodded.

She seemed satisfied, didn't she?

Considering the show's quality, 25 million won was actually cheap.

"See you outside!"

Kim Miso exited the dungeon first.

Left alone inside, the dungeon reeked of the metallic scent of dead wolves' blood.

Sanghyun picked up a gemstone roughly the size of two thumbs pressed together from the fallen Wolf Lord's corpse.

It resembled the Crimson Stone he had obtained from the Orc Dungeon before, but this one was closer to a sapphire-colored gem.

「Blue Moonstone」

■ Artifact Grade: Platinum

■ Artifact Description: A rare gem infused with the faith of the Silver Wolf tribe, who worship the blue moon.

■ Mana +100

■ Stamina +100

■ Luck +50

■ Special Effect - Hour of the Dog and Wolf

"Pl-Platinum?!"

Sanghyun was shocked by the unfamiliar four-letter grade indicated on the artifact.

He was used to two- or three-letter grades like Bronze, Silver, or Gold.

A Platinum-grade Artifact would easily sell for over 1 billion won on average.

This gem, which seemed like a condensed blue moon, was practically worth an entire house.

[The Goddess of Luck asks if you trust her thrilling touch once again and requests a joyful dance if you do.]

"Why would that be the goddess's 'touch'? That's my luck at work."

Sanghyun snorted and didn't even flinch.

[The Owner of Torn Lips strongly objects to your biased fortune and suggests expelling the Goddess of Luck from the Player System.]

[The Goddess of Luck suddenly proposes a vote to the Constellations connected to the Player System's dimensional hub.

The motion is to expel the Owner of Torn Lips from the Player System. The minimum consent threshold has been met, and the motion has been registered for a vote.

The motion passed unanimously. The Owner of Torn Lips has been banned from acting as a Constellation.]

"They're having a real party."

Sanghyun chuckled as he watched the rapid-fire messages flash before his eyes.

One Constellation had become so jealous of him—it confirmed that this time, his luck had been better than expected.

Of course, he also considered that this might not be just luck, but the system's reward for his hard work defending alone.

"With a Platinum-grade Artifact, the absorption rate should be 40%. That means I can gain 40 mana, 40 stamina, and 20 luck."

Given the high Artifact grade, the stats gained from absorbing it would be incomparable to those from a Bronze-grade Artifact.

But what intrigued him most was the special effect described within the Artifact.

■ Special Effect - Hour of the Dog and Wolf

■ Effect Description - While the moon is visible within the dungeon, stamina recovery speed and regeneration rate increase fivefold.

Additionally, regardless of the moon's presence, dog- or wolf-type monsters will remain under continuous Intimidation when facing a player who possesses the Blue Moonstone.

Furthermore, if the moon is visible, dog- or wolf-type monsters will never attack the player carrying the Blue Moonstone.

"So under the full moon, I basically become scarier than a rabid dog?"

Follow current novels on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

Sanghyun summed up the Artifact's effect in simple terms.

With the right conditions and environment, this was an optimal choice that could make him invincible.

Now, instead of praying for rain before entering a dungeon, he'd have to start holding moon rituals.