Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 29: Do Kyungsoo, the Sword Demon - (1)

[Chapter 29]

[The owner of Mieom boasts that back in the day, they used to sever their enemy's head before their drink even cooled.]

"Of course. I know that well. I always strive to become a player like that."

[The owner of Mieom feels a deep interest in you but says they won't offer a contract because they recognize your grand ambition.]

[Instead, they will objectively assess whether you are worth introducing to the god they serve.]

"I'd be honored. Please examine me thoroughly, from start to finish. I welcome meticulous scrutiny."

Seeing the newly added title brought a fresh wave of emotion.

Updat𝓮d from freewēbnoveℓ.com.

Buffs, regardless of reason, are a form most players favor.

That's because they add extra factors that enhance one's abilities.

The strength lies in the fact that there's no risk of loss.

Effects that induce lasting emotional changes, like Intimidation, appear in dungeons more frequently than one might think.

Even mid-boss monsters or elite minions often possess intimidation roars.

Just having the title [Before the Drink Cools] alone was calculated to be a huge help to the team.

"Alright, let's strip it down first."

A line easy to misunderstand if overheard. But it was necessary.

Unlike system monsters that naturally drop artifacts upon death—rising up from the body—a "real" monster caught in a rift required direct retrieval of artifacts.

You had to remove anything it was wearing or equipped with.

Even if it was underwear, you had to strip that off too.

"Mm. Staff incoming."

Sanghyun glanced at the two figures approaching from a distance.

The same staff members who had locked eyes with him at the rift entrance earlier and had been entrusted with the rear guard.

They seemed to be coming over to assess the situation, rather than attacking from behind.

Of course, the situation was already over.

Sanghyun inspected the artifact taken from the Kobold King.

「Amulet of Despair」

■ Artifact Grade: Gold

■ Artifact Description: The cries of the Akatus Kobold Tribe carry their deep-seated resentment. Enemies exposed to their desperate screams quickly lose their will to fight as they become consumed by that bitterness.

■ Special Effect - Intimidation

The amulet of despair was a small, rectangular stone.

Intimidation wasn't a skill designed for dramatic, instant effects.

It continuously gnawed away at the opponent's mind without needing time intervals.

While Stiffness grants complete immunity for 15 seconds after breaking free, Intimidation has no such cooldown.

Though it couldn't deliver an immediate, overwhelming blow, it could accumulate effects over time.

"Let's fuse this with Demon Bash."

Sanghyun immediately began absorbing the Amulet of Despair.

The skill to combine it with was Demon Bash.

Once the mana synchronization was complete, the Amulet of Despair transformed into a creamy mushroom soup sitting on the table.

A soup that tasted incredible when paired with freshly baked bread!

Sanghyun happily ate the mushroom soup.

He had feared the Kobold King's artifact might taste like a foul insect feast, but his worries were unfounded.

『Demon Bash』

■ Skill Level: Stage 2 (41.6%)

■ Skill Description: Induces 2.2 seconds of Stiffness on monsters or players exposed to the attack.

Also increases the Intimidation level by 17.2%. When the Intimidation reaches 100%, the target falls into a state of Despair for 10 seconds.

"Nice!"

Sanghyun let out a cheer.

The longer the skill description, the better.

It meant more diverse negative effects could be inflicted on the opponent.

Upon reviewing the skill, he realized the Intimidation level inflicted with each attack was higher than expected.

Even if Demon Bash didn't trigger Stiffness, landing six valid hits would be enough.

Falling into Despair would reduce all abilities by more than half and delay skill activation speed.

From the opponent's perspective, they'd become nothing more than a perfect punching bag.

Next, Sanghyun quickly removed the Kobold King's necklace.

//s_win

//win_h 「Necklace of Detection」

■ Artifact Grade: Gold

■ Artifact Description: The Kobold King, who needed to identify hostile forces swiftly, crafted a necklace that could sense killing intent.

This necklace visualizes enemies within a 100-meter radius as red light sources.

"A detection device, huh."

Sanghyun immediately put on the necklace.

Until a better necklace came along, there was no need to absorb this one yet.

Pop. Pop.

Just as expected, the approaching figures of Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun, who had just entered the 100-meter radius, appeared as red light sources.

Since Sanghyun didn't completely trust them yet, the necklace had detected their presence as killing intent.

It didn't matter if they saw him looking, but crouching down and eating artifacts wasn't exactly a dignified sight.

Sanghyun then grabbed the last remaining artifact and stood up—it was the Kobold King's boots.

「Boots of Evasion」

■ Artifact Grade: Gold

■ Artifact Description: Boots specialized for swift evasion. They are more accustomed to moving backward than forward.

■ Special Skill - Backstep

"These aren't bad either."

Throughout his battle with the Kobold King, Sanghyun had struggled against the monster's springy, backward leaps.

He had a feeling there might be a skill attached, and sure enough, the boots had one embedded within the artifact.

He planned to quickly consume these boots and internalize the skill, just like with Sacrifice.

Heart pounding, he completed the mana synchronization!

Sanghyun looked at the food manifestation on the table.

A delicacy the Kobold King enjoyed.

Wriggling larvae of orange moths, likely grown only on rotted wood from damp, dark places.

They were plump, as thick as his thumb, and longer than it.

"...Damn it."

[The Goddess of Luck offers you heartfelt consolation, saying that not everything in the world can bring happiness.]

It seemed the Goddess of Luck wasn't always looking out for him.

Falling into deep despair, Sanghyun began his meal with a dark expression.

The texture was horrific.

It felt like chewing on a rubber hose stuffed with congealed mucus.

The revolting taste of the larvae left Sanghyun's entire tongue numb for a while.

"Truly impressive. Honestly, while tracking you from behind, I considered the possibility of your death, Mr. Shin Sanghyun."

"This rift's Kobold King was estimated to be around level 150. With such a level gap, weren't you afraid?"

"Well... Ugh. One moment, please."

Just as Sanghyun was about to answer Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun, who had approached him, a wave of nausea forced him to cover his mouth.

"We understand. When I'm excessively drained, nausea also hits me hard."

"That just shows how much you endured."

Unaware of Sanghyun's true struggle, the two nodded understandingly, making reasonable assumptions about his condition.

Of course, stamina depletion wasn't entirely irrelevant.

After all, he had used the Psychedelic skill toward the end of his battle with the Kobold King.

Accumulated damage from the fight had also taken its toll, leaving his body sluggish from the aftermath.

Time passed as Sanghyun calmed himself.

He forced himself to erase any memory of what had entered his stomach and took a deep breath.

"Whew. I'm fine now."

"You're truly a righteous man! The era of players began with the Great Rift just two years ago. Since then, this is the only rift in the country without any casualties in those two years!"

"There was evidence of a prior report from you. How did you know? The reason wasn't the rift itself but the artifact issue. Yet you were already waiting in front of the rift, weren't you?"

It was a question he had anticipated.

In the metropolitan area, CCTV cameras were densely installed near stations, so it was impossible for the association staff to have missed him.

Sanghyun gave the answer he had prepared from the start.

"I was passing by this area and felt something strange. But I couldn't report it based on just a feeling, so I gave a plausible reason."

"Ah, I see."

"I knew it could be considered a false report. If that happened, I was prepared to accept the consequences. You could call it a gamble, perhaps?"

"So you were thinking of a way to ensure the association would definitely send staff?"

"In the end, yes."

Sanghyun nodded.

He was saying that no one would believe him if he claimed a rift was happening without any precursors, so he told a well-meaning lie.

Now that it had been confirmed Sanghyun had prevented casualties and even cleared the inside of the rift,

Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun's trust in Sanghyun was at 100%, if not higher. They would believe him even if he claimed he made soybean paste from red beans.

"You're truly remarkable! Even your recent battle was so clean and impressive. Stiffness, knockback, awakening skills, and evasive maneuvers."

"It was flawless."

The two gave Sanghyun a thumbs-up.

Despite being of a lower level than them, Sanghyun had demonstrated a superior level of combat skill.

If they hadn't known his level beforehand, they would've easily thought he was at least a level 250 player.

His moves were that clean and precise—there wasn't a single flaw to nitpick.

"I'll donate the corpses of all the monsters I took down on my way here. Including the Kobold King as well."

Sanghyun pretended to be generous.

In truth, it was mainly because they had no monetary value, but depending on how he framed it, the meaning of the words could change.

"Thank you so much! Truly, thank you!"

"Thanks to you, Mr. Sanghyun, not a single person was harmed. Many citizens will be grateful."

"The association will issue an official letter of appreciation, and you'll likely receive contact from higher-ups soon. Please wait just a bit longer!"

"Understood. I was merely doing my duty as a player, but I won't refuse such recognition."

Sanghyun replied with a smile.

Earning the favor of the Player Union was always beneficial.

For example, it could help when obtaining dungeon or gate raid permissions owned by the association.

Today's events would surely reach the ears of the so-called "higher-ups," whether Sanghyun wanted it or not.

His words had taken that into consideration as well.

"Shall we head out now?"

Sanghyun changed the subject.

He had gathered everything he needed.

Securing the Intimidation effect, which he had anticipated and hoped for from the start, was the most satisfying outcome.

Some time later.

Sanghyun emerged from the rift with Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun, only to unexpectedly lock eyes with someone he hadn't anticipated seeing.

"Player Shin Sanghyun! It hasn't been long since that big scoop, and you're already making headlines again?"

Reporter Park Jungmin.

He was the one who had written the exclusive interview that catapulted Sanghyun into stardom.

The fact that he showed up at the scene without any prior contact suggested he had some solid connections within the association.

As Sanghyun scratched the back of his head awkwardly, Park Jungmin stepped forward with the officials who had been standing behind him.

Along with a cameraman, they had already set up lighting and other equipment to brighten the night scene.

'No way...'

"How about a live interview right now? It'll be a breaking news segment on our channel, The Player, on PlTube!"

His guess had been right.