Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 41: Breathing - (1)

[Chapter 41]

"Oh! Taeseok oppa and Juhee are training intensely, just waiting for the day they can meet you!"

"The day they meet me? There are plenty of players out there who are more skilled than me. They should be lining up for them instead."

"A skilled person recognizes another skilled person! They've already tried working with others a few times, but I guess it didn't go well. Hehe."

Kim Miso laughed as if she found it amusing. To her, Sanghyun was quite a humble person. That was certain.

"For me, if I can sync up with them like last time, it would be an honor."

"I think we'll be able to set up a decent dungeon raid schedule soon. There's a dungeon in Yeoncheon County."

"We're not going any further north?"

"Actually, we've been continuously checking with the Union about participating in dungeons and gates in North Korea."

"They don't grant permission easily, do they?"

"You can pretty much assume it's almost impossible. Since there are so many dungeons and gates that haven't been properly raided yet, there are plenty of places where we could get first-clear rewards."

Kim Miso nodded at Sanghyun's question.

North Korea had become a desolate land where hardly anyone lived.

This was partly due to its unique political system.

After the era of players began, every country desperately sought ways to professionally train players.

It was only natural, as the power of players equated to national strength.

However, North Korea saw players as a threat to their regime and made the worst possible choice.

Extermination.

Of course, the North Korean players didn't just obediently accept death.

As a result, a civil war broke out.

For two years, without a single day of ceasefire, countless people died, were injured, or fled North Korea.

Naturally, during the civil war, the leadership and their factions were all wiped out. A significant number of players also perished.

Thus, North Korea was now under South Korea's jurisdiction, though actual governance was being implemented gradually and cautiously.

"Now, except for you and me, no one will know what happened inside. Neat, right?"

"Really neat."

Sanghyun laughed.

Looking around inside, he saw luxurious equipment and devices filling the space.

There were also many humanoid figures made of shape-memory alloy, resembling human bodies. Virtual targets.

"First, let's sync our breathing."

"Can you be more specific?"

"Coordinating our strikes on the same target at the same time. Rather than dispersing damage, it's better to deal it all at once."

"I agree."

The first training objective Sanghyun set was to concentrate damage in a short period.

His plan was to create a wound with his sword, allowing Kim Miso's arrow to immediately pierce the same spot.

There was a crucial reason for this at the start of their Black Gate raid. Their breathing had to be perfectly synchronized.

"It won't be easy. Our instincts and perspectives could be completely different."

"If I thought it would be easy, I wouldn't have cleared my entire schedule for this week. I'm fully prepared."

"That much?"

"We have to be thorough."

Hearing Kim Miso's determined voice, Sanghyun nodded.

They needed to move as one, synchronizing perfectly. This was by no means an easy task.

Sanghyun didn't expect it to come together in just a few hours, but he trusted her skills.

"Let's begin."

With the training room's clock turned off and their smartphones tossed far away.

The two of them began their intense training, losing track of time. It was a relentless drill.

Twelve hours later.

'Just like before, Sanghyun oppa is incredibly quick at analyzing his teammates' tendencies and styles.'

As she trained with Sanghyun, drenched in sweat, Kim Miso could feel it clearly.

The twelve hours they had spent weren't about her adjusting to Sanghyun's breathing.

Instead, Sanghyun was blending into her rhythm like a chameleon. She could feel it.

Every player had their own unique tendencies and habits. Preferred patterns were evident as well.

These were naturally developed through the process of adapting to a player's life, making them difficult to change.

Kim Miso's habit of losing sight of everything except her target in battle was no exception.

Since she was used to focusing solely on a single target, her peripheral vision was narrow.

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Even when she tried to fix it, it was difficult.

Completely abandoning oneself to perfectly sync with a teammate? That was never easy. In fact, it was practically impossible.

But as time passed, Sanghyun specialized more and more in her combat style, which focused on a single target.

He made deliberate choices and focused on them, giving Kim Miso clear instructions tailored to her fighting style.

'When I fight alongside Sanghyun oppa, I know that even if I just do my part, he'll handle the rest beyond expectations.'

She had faith in Sanghyun.

At the same time, it was also an acknowledgment of Sanghyun's skills.

She had wondered several times whether her personal feelings were involved, but that wasn't the case.

Sanghyun was a swordsman with solid fundamentals, and his skill application was sharper than anyone else's.

It was to the point where it almost felt like he was attacking while measuring time with a stopwatch.

'I've seen it with my own eyes and felt it with my own body. So why is Dad so opposed to this?'

She could fully understand Kim Yooncheol's opposition. If someone asked whether there was absolutely no personal bias, she wouldn't be able to say no.

But that wasn't the reason she had developed feelings for Sanghyun. It was simply because his skills were truly exceptional.

At that moment, as if satisfied with his perfect adaptation, Sanghyun changed the subject of the training.

"Shall we practice using blind spots now?"

"Aren't you tired?"

"I am. But learning to maintain focus even in this state is what makes it beneficial."

"True. You can't always be in top condition in dungeons, gates, or rifts."

"Exactly. That's why you can't stop training until you're completely exhausted."

"Should we drink a bottle of water first?"

"Just half a sip. There's no polite monster in battle that'll wait for you to drink a whole bottle. Even half a sip is honestly a lot."

"...I wasn't thinking."

"This is one of those things that can't be compromised. Even if I sound harsh, I hope you understand."

"No, you're absolutely right. I shouldn't think of training and dungeons as separate things."

Sanghyun's words jolted Kim Miso awake.

Until now, she had never fully treated training as identical to real combat.

Even though she had always gone all out when attacking designated targets made to resemble enemies.

But just as Sanghyun pointed out, when it came to drinking water or taking breaks, she had been too lax.

"If I hold up two fingers behind my back, that means you can shoot an arrow at me as a sacrifice."

"By blind spots, do you mean the ones where you're blocking the enemy's view?"

"Yeah. I steal the monster's rear vision, and then you shoot an arrow from behind me to target it. There's no attack more effective than this."

"But on the other hand, that also increases the chance of you getting hit by my arrow."

"That's why, when we synchronize for this, we'll focus on mobility-based combat instead of brute force."

"You mean dodging?"

"Exactly."

"That's dangerous."

"The whole point of this training is to reduce that danger to a manageable level."

"...."

Kim Miso clicked her tongue in disbelief.

The mere fact that he came up with this kind of training was astonishing, but even more surprising was how Sanghyun firmly believed it was possible.

For this to become reality, Sanghyun would have to understand her arrow's trajectory in advance and evade accordingly.

He would have to dodge while ensuring that only the monster got hit by her arrows. His attack path had to be meticulously calculated.

"You don't have to decide it's impossible before even trying."

"It's really dangerous."

"Just trust me and follow my lead."

For a moment, Kim Miso nearly got swept away by those words.

It felt like everything would work out as long as she simply believed in him! A feeling that could never exist without trust.

"I'll do it."

"When I start attacking the target, assume I'm aiming 50 centimeters to the left or right of either my shoulders or sides."

"Got it."

"If you hesitate, I'll end up getting hit. So trust me and shoot. I'll take responsibility."

"I will!"

Kim Miso bit her lip.

Then, Sanghyun immediately dashed forward. Several virtual targets stood in various directions ahead.

Woong. Woong. Woong.

Each time Sanghyun swung his greatsword, an alert rang, indicating that the virtual targets had been inflicted with status effects.

'Stiffness, intimidation, freezing, knockback, and even silence. If we're just talking about the number of status effects, even Jinho Oppa wouldn't stand a chance.'

She had seen this throughout training, but taking a closer look now made Sanghyun's abilities seem even more remarkable.

Stopping his opponents, driving them into despair, freezing them, pushing them back, and even sealing their skills!

He couldn't simply be called an unusual person. He was far beyond that.

"What are you doing?"

"Got it!"

Kim Miso, who had been mesmerized by Sanghyun's performance, quickly pulled back her bowstring.

For a brief second, the thought crossed her mind that Sanghyun might get hit. But she quickly brushed it aside and released the arrow.

Didn't he say hesitation was not an option? She didn't want to be a contrarian.

Swoosh!

The arrow sliced through the wind, flying exactly toward the designated spot Sanghyun had asked for.

Hearing the sound from behind, Sanghyun instantly positioned himself at that exact location.

"Oppa!"

Regardless of the fact that there was a plan, Kim Miso's worried cry burst from her lips.

If the arrow continued flying straight like this, it would pierce through the back of Sanghyun's head.

Since it was a training arrow, it wouldn't cause a serious injury, but in real combat, it would have definitely been a fatal piercing strike.

However, just before Kim Miso's arrow could pierce through the back of Sanghyun's head—

Fsss!

Sanghyun smoothly retreated from his position using a backstep skill.

As if he had never been there in the first place, he effortlessly moved more than five meters away.

Thud!

The arrow struck precisely in the forehead of the virtual target. In real combat, it would have been an instant kill.

"Keep going, immediately!"

Before Kim Miso could even admire Sanghyun's incredible evasion, his sharp command followed.

The situation that felt so special to her seemed to hold no excitement for Sanghyun at all.

From that point on, the same pattern of attacks, blind spot positioning, and evasions continued effortlessly. Even after switching from training arrows to real ones, nothing changed.

Once she was fully convinced that Sanghyun could dodge, Kim Miso's arrow attacks became even more powerful.

Under the firm foundation of trust, no challenge or attempt felt intimidating. Instead, she felt confident.

And so, on the first day of training, they pushed through for 18 hours.

After a short six-hour rest, they continued with another 12 hours of intense training.

Except for brief meals, quick showers before sleep, and changing clothes,

They dedicated every remaining moment solely to training. The passion of the two, fully immersed in their practice, showed no signs of fading.

And when the brutal training finally reached its final stage—

『Crushing Blade』

Sanghyun was able to confirm the new skill he had diligently honed and refined throughout the training period.

It was the appearance of the ultimate move he had worked tirelessly to forge into a skill.