Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 34: Silence - (3)

[Chapter 34]

The source of this c𝐨ntent is freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

"My swordsmanship will be thoroughly tested."

I stared at the Death Knight.

True to the name of Death Knight, its eyes carried a chill deeper than the abyss.

In my past life, many close-range players had died trying to defeat it because of the Swamp of Silence.

Even if anticipated, the sudden inability to use any skills was a disorienting situation that was hard to get used to.

In the worst-case scenario, I had to at least pull out a card that could match my opponent, but I hadn't made enough preparations.

That's why the standard strategy for the Silent Ground Dungeon was to clear it only up to the Death Knight.

In fact, since only players under level 120 could enter, everyone stuck to this conventional approach.

Of course, if a dungeon remained unconquered for a long time, the player system would lower the hurdle.

The level cap for entry would gradually increase as a form of automatic difficulty adjustment, but that hadn't happened yet.

"Huuh."

Perhaps because I realized I was facing a tough opponent, my grip tightened on the greatsword.

I consciously shook my shoulders and relaxed again.

For a swordsman, there's a paradox of strength.

The more power you put into your sword to kill your opponent, the less effective your strikes become.

It was similar to the logic of hitting in baseball—adding force made it harder to cut through the opponent or land a solid hit.

'Once the Swamp of Silence activates, the Death Knight's attacks become twice as aggressive as usual, so I need to be cautious.'

I reminded myself of this crucial fact.

The skill wasn't called Swamp of Silence for nothing. If I fell into it by mistake, I'd die.

Tutatatat!

I broke into a full sprint.

Like it or not, I couldn't win without fighting.

Krruuuh!

The Death Knight, seeing me charge forward, aimed the sharp tip of its elongated one-handed sword at me.

'Not yet.'

I wondered if it would start with an unconventional move, but no—it was a head-on duel.

Kang!

Our swords collided without hesitation, sending out rough sparks.

"...!"

...!

The timing was almost simultaneous, and both the Death Knight and I wore expressions of surprise.

I was shocked that, despite landing a maximum critical hit—600% damage—he wasn't pushed back.

The Death Knight, on the other hand, was startled by the unexpected weight behind my strike.

It was a power far beyond that of the countless intruders it had faced while guarding this dungeon.

But the surprise was brief, and I pressed on with a fierce offensive.

Kang! Kang! Kang! Kang!

I harassed the Death Knight with a speed assault based on the Demon Bash skill. I held back the Knockback Burst.

I couldn't use Full Charge yet.

If I tried to prepare Full Charge, which required significant time, I'd end up as a headless corpse before the Death Knight.

Krrh.

A shallow groan escaped the Death Knight's mouth as it withstood my relentless attacks.

Although it was confident in sword-to-sword combat, my strikes carried a heavy force that seemed to crush it.

Its hands, gripping its sword to block my attacks, felt numb with every blow.

Thanks to the contract with the Goddess of Luck, every attack landed a critical hit.

Unaware of this, the Death Knight could only conclude that my basic attack damage was overwhelming.

'Damn, this guy's a fortress.'

I frowned at the Death Knight's defense, which was stronger than I had anticipated.

If this dragged on and drained my stamina, it wouldn't be in my favor.

'I should give it a little room to bait it in.'

I needed to provoke an offensive.

Since I was holding back my attacks with restraint, the Death Knight didn't seem eager to counterattack.

In a fight, pulling punches while raising your guard is predictable; but getting messy, like pulling hair in a brawl, introduces more variables.

I broke the golden balance of my body's weight distribution, creating deliberate instability.

Krhuh!

At that moment, the Death Knight took the bait.

It loosened his defense and launched an aggressive attack.

'A swordsman who relies on passive offensive instincts couldn't resist such a temptation!'

True to his aggressive nature, the Death Knight lunged forward and swung his sword fiercely.

Skkang!

"Argh!"

A heavy impact hit me.

At the same time, the Death Knight's eyes began to blaze with a fiery red glow, burning like the sun.

This was the brief prelude signaling the activation of the Swamp of Silence—a warning sign.

The terrifying part about this skill was that it sealed the opponent's abilities and allowed the

Death Knight to charge in with a dash.

It was almost impossible to defend against a sudden close-range assault, like my Full Charge, while being unable to use any skills.

Wuuuuuung.

The Swamp of Silence manifested as a dark shadow, like a sinkhole opening beneath me.

By the time the swamp formed, the Death Knight's body was already leaning forward, preparing to dash.

『Back Step』

I quickly retreated.

Pulling away just before touching the swamp's shadow was a narrow escape, even by my own standards.

『Full Charge』

As I withdrew with Back Step, I was already preparing my next skill.

Shwaaak!

The Death Knight's thrusting sword sliced through the air above the Swamp of Silence.

It was aimed at the spot where I should have been—an attack I wouldn't have been able to dodge if my skills had been sealed.

But my preemptive movements changed the outcome.

Instead, I found an opportunity to strike back.

"How about this?"

Shwiiik! Swack!

Krrrgh!

My plan worked.

I anticipated his dash, dodged early, and used a charging skill to counterattack while drawing it in.

In an unexpected turn of events, my creative maneuver cost the Death Knight its left arm.

Had its instincts not made it twist its body to the side just in time, its head would've been severed.

Kkududuk.

Due to Full Charge's effect, the Death Knight was inflicted with freezing.

Caught off guard, its skill resistance didn't activate properly.

『Psychedelic』

I immediately played my trump card.

The stronger and more complete an enemy was, the rarer the chances for a counterattack.

I knew this might be my first and last opportunity.

Complacency, thinking another chance might come, was fatal in the heat of battle.

Urgh...

While the frozen Death Knight was completely immobilized, I aimed for the most certain method to end it.

『Knockback Burst』

Using the greatsword imbued with fighting spirit, I unleashed Knockback Burst, fueled by 54 mana—doubling its base power.

It was a complete success.

Puh-uhk!

Krrh!

The knockback landed perfectly.

The force was so strong that the Death Knight's body arched like a bow as it was thrown into the air.

Tatata-tat!

I didn't just stand there and watch.

The moment the Knockback Burst succeeded, I was already following up.

Thud! Boom! Boom!

As the Death Knight rolled across the ground in a pitiful state, trying to grab its sword and rise—

『Demon Bash』

I launched consecutive Demon Bash attacks aimed directly at the Death Knight.

The stiffness was a secondary aim; what I truly targeted was the despair effect that accumulated through sheer pressure.

Krrgh! Ugh! Urgh!

Even while being ruthlessly slashed by me, the Death Knight attempted to activate the Swamp of Silence again.

This was exactly why he was so tricky to deal with.

Even while overwhelmed by attacks, he subtly created variables to turn the tide.

Once silence took hold, the Death Knight wouldn't hesitate to risk everything in a final attempt to cut down his opponent.

"Not happening."

『Back Step』

I quickly retreated.

Even though just one more Demon Bash would have inflicted despair, I didn't take the risk.

If I got caught by the Swamp of Silence right before activating Demon Bash, my skill would be interrupted.

That would reduce all the effort I'd built up so far into nothing more than a crumbling sandcastle.

"Damn it."

I managed to back away using Back Step, but at the very end, the tip of my foot unfortunately brushed the edge of the swamp.

My plan to counterattack with Full Charge fell apart.

Still, although I couldn't use skills, that didn't mean I couldn't wield my sword at all.

I used a small rock protruding from the ground as a foothold and hurled my body with all my strength.

The stats I had steadily raised were meant for situations like this, where my body needed to perform without relying on skills.

'Not good.'

The leap itself was fine, but there wasn't a proper opening to strike.

The Death Knight's sword position and attack trajectory overlapped with mine.

If I forced the attack, it would likely be futile and immediately give the Death Knight a chance to counterattack.

So instead—

Thunk!

While my body floated mid-air, I drove my greatsword downward into the ground.

Using it as support, I twisted my body mid-spin and extended my leg.

A back kick.

This was a move I used often in the past, a lethal strike aimed right beneath the chin.

Puh-uhk! Crack!

A clear sound of bones breaking rang out.

If I heard a breaking sound after an upward kick to the jaw, it was obvious what had been damaged.

A regular person's kick wouldn't have even chipped the bone, but the problem was that my strength stat was 250.

At this level, my power could be compared to that of a giant bear or some other fierce beast.

On top of that, using the Psychedelic skill ensured a perfect 100% attack accuracy.

Rattle. Clatter.

The area beneath the Death Knight's nose was crushed into powder, and the lower half of its face dangled grotesquely.

Its head was violently thrown backward, causing him to miss his chance to counter, and during that time, the Swamp of Silence dissipated.

With its jaw shattered, the area around his neck was left exposed, and I didn't miss the opportunity.

『Knockback Burst』

I scraped together every bit of mana for a Knockback Burst aimed directly at the Death Knight's face.

Kwa-duk!

In that instant, the Death Knight could see it.

Its clear front view suddenly shifted to the back.

Even the ground and sky seemed to have swapped places.

Its broken neck, barely connected by a few strands of muscle, flopped backward, leaving his head dangling.

Krruuuuu...

From the start, I knew this wasn't going to be easy—but this power was overwhelming.

The Death Knight felt pathetic, having been relentlessly driven back without managing to seize a single proper opportunity.

It was a regret that came too late.

And the more it admitted it, the more pitiful the difference between our power and strategy became.

"Hoo. That was really close."

I let out a relieved sigh.

Neutralizing the Swamp of Silence and countering his dash had worked.

It was a strategy that had to succeed within a few attempts.

If I had failed in the beginning, the Death Knight would have learned my counter patterns and never given me the same chance again.

Thud.

Soon, an artifact ring dropped from the now-lifeless Death Knight.

The moment I picked it up, a pleasant notification revealed its platinum-grade rarity and a special effect.

"Mana Circulation?"