Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 46: Destruction - (3)

[Chapter 46]

"Haa. Haa. Haa."

Kim Miso kept shooting arrows without a moment to catch her breath.

She had no choice. As Sanghyun said, Defender King's status ailments had a short duration.

Normally, when Sanghyun's Stiffness effect landed, the enemy should remain frozen for at least 2.8 seconds, but Defender King only suffered 10% of that effect.

Because of that, not only did they have to increase the number of attacks, but they also had to put all their strength into each strike.

In the fleeting moment when the status effect took hold, they had to land a hit.

It was a battle of sheer volume, in a peculiar sense.

They had to increase the number of attacks to generate more instances, then take advantage of the overlapping opportunities that arose.

"Grrk! Ugh!"

Meanwhile, Defender King was continuously pushed back under the relentless assault of Sanghyun, who was attacking with the resolve to risk his life.

Even though it was entirely focused on defense, openings kept appearing. Its fortress was crumbling.

It was all because of Sanghyun, who capitalized on every single instance of Stiffness by pouring in consecutive attacks.

The moment Stiffness was triggered by Demon Bash, it was immediately extended.

Even the brief duration of 0.28 seconds was no issue for Sanghyun.

As the effect extended three, four times due to probability, a cascade of status effects rained down as if bestowed as gifts.

Freezing from Full Charge, Silence from basic attacks, Knockback from Knockback Burst, and even Despair from accumulated Intimidation.

There was no room to recover.

If this had been a one-on-one duel with Sanghyun, he might have had time to counterattack or regroup.

But the problem was that, on top of everything, arrows kept flying at him like sniper shots.

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Defender King had to keep his eyes locked on Sanghyun at all times just to withstand his frenzied onslaught.

Because of that, he had no room to react to Kim Miso's attacks, taking them head-on without resistance.

Defender King had walked the path of a knight for a long time, but he had never faced an opponent as relentless as Sanghyun.

Sanghyun's attacks, as if he intended to devour him whole, had no hesitation or concern for what came after.

It was as if each attack was his final, ultimate strike, poured out with everything he had, making them incredibly powerful.

Furthermore, the skill cycle of Psychedelic and Acceleration, activating the moment their cooldowns ended, was the finishing touch.

At this point, even Defender King could no longer keep up with Sanghyun.

Rather, it was being thoroughly exploited for the inherent sluggishness in reaction speed caused by its heavy plate mail.

'Just like in any sport, where defending alone only leads to a draw, the same applies to battle. If all you do is block, that's where it ends.'

That was what Sanghyun thought.

Ultimately, battles were decided by offense.

Defender King was undoubtedly a highly skilled knight specialized in defense, but that was all he had.

Within a storm of relentless attacks, it couldn't remain perfect, and eventually, gaps began to show.

Its triple-layered defense had long since been shredded to pieces. Its plate mail was also in bad shape.

"Huff. Huff."

"Phew. Phew."

But both Sanghyun and Defender King were equally exhausted.

Though he was a monster encountered as an enemy, its fundamental skills were solid.

If possible, Sanghyun would have wanted to ask it to be a sparring partner. Its defensive stability was more impressive than anyone else's.

Swoosh.

'Its guard dropped.'

Even while exhausted, Defender King had never lost its balance, but now, its stance collapsed completely.

It must have been an attempt to relieve the burden of its drastically depleted stamina, but Sanghyun wouldn't miss such an opening.

Ta-at!

Sanghyun kicked off the deeply dented dirt ground and propelled himself forward.

Defender King tried to regain its posture, but its reaction was half a beat too late.

『Crushing Blade』

A skill debut!

The Greatsword of Fighting Spirit was dyed crimson, as if it had just been pulled from the forge.

In an instant, 90% of his mana disappeared.

It was clear—this was a skill that should never be used without absolute certainty in its success.

Because it consumed a massive amount of mana, the most crucial resource for skill activation.

Clang!

Defender King barely managed to raise his sword in a defensive stance, but his former solidity and stability were gone.

However, the greatsword, ablaze with the rampage of Crushing Blade, surged forward like an enormous fire dragon and engulfed Defender King.

Thud!

"...!"

Defender King's greatsword, which had been positioned to block the attack path, was overpowered purely by force, and the Crushing Blade struck its target precisely.

Right at the center of its left chest, still wrapped in intact plate mail.

The durability of the plate mail was still sufficient for battle.

But not against Crushing Blade, which was akin to a finishing move.

In an instant, the greatsword melted through the armor and shattered its heart into pieces.

It had blocked it, yet it was as if he hadn't—such was the power of this strike!

As its consciousness faded, Defender King took one last look at Sanghyun's face.

A spear that pierced through everything. A shield that blocked everything. Which was greater?

Defender King had always believed it was the latter.

But now, he had to change his mind.

Defense can never truly overcome offense.

The proof was right here—itself.

The flame of life was rapidly fading away.

Thud!

Defender King, its breath cut off, never opened his eyes again.

A little while later.

"...Even a monster that seemed like an impregnable fortress eventually falls like this."

"That's why perfect teamwork is so great."

"I don't even know if I contributed anything to the strategy."

"I couldn't have done it alone."

"Really? Not at all?"

"I don't say things I don't mean."

"Ugh! If I get too used to this kind of teamwork, it's going to be tough working with other players in the future!"

"We'll worry about that when the time comes."

Sanghyun checked the four highest-grade Magic Stones from Defender King's corpse first.

A total value of 4 billion won.

Even after splitting, it was worth at least 2 billion won per person—a high-value loot that made his bank account feel heavier already.

He checked the greatsword just in case, but it was only a basic model, unfit to be used as an artifact.

However, he managed to pick out two decent artifacts—a necklace and a ring.

She spoke first.

"Oppa, you choose first. I'm a sword-first kind of person. I always prioritize the one holding a sword."

"That's quite a generous offer."

"I'd like to say you can take both, but I know you wouldn't accept them anyway."

"I'll say it again—I couldn't have cleared this alone."

It wasn't just empty words.

The strategy had gone smoothly thanks to Kim Miso landing her strikes at just the right moments.

If she hadn't been able to utilize the neurotoxin arrows, Sanghyun was sure things wouldn't have gone so smoothly for him either.

Accepting her offer, Sanghyun immediately examined the artifact he had been eyeing.

The other artifact wasn't a good match for him, so he didn't even bother with it.

「Necklace of Flexibility」

■ Artifact Grade: Platinum

■ Artifact Description: A necklace with excellent resistance to Stiffness, one of the status effects.

When afflicted by Stiffness, the duration is reduced to 90% of its original time.

■ Evasion +50

Sanghyun tossed the ring to Kim Miso and removed the Necklace of Detection he had been wearing.

He had intended to keep wearing it until he found a suitable replacement, but now he had one.

'The reason why Do Kyungsoo's elite strategy team, the Sword Demon-Sword God, is so terrifying is because they overwhelm their enemies with status effects.'

Sanghyun knew firsthand just how annoying status effects could be.

He had seen countless monsters and players react with all kinds of expressions and emotions when they were hit with them.

That was why he welcomed an accessory that could drastically shorten the duration of status effects.

Especially since most boss monsters had roars that inflicted Stiffness.

Calling it Platinum-grade was an understatement—its real value was easily hundreds of times higher.

One would expect Kim Miso to be curious about the options on the artifact he acquired, but she didn't seem to care at all.

It was probably because, even in the slightest sense, she didn't want him to feel burdened.

That was how Sanghyun saw it.

The artifact consumption ended quickly.

Since he had been wearing the Necklace of Detection for a long time, he could easily shape its form into food.

A tall glass of dolce latte, loaded with syrup. The perfect drink to gulp down refreshingly.

Since this process took place in his subconscious world, Kim Miso remained completely unaware.

And soon, a new skill emerged.

『Detection』

■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)

■ Skill Description: Detects the presence of enemies within a 100-meter radius and displays them as red light sources. A passive skill.

Like Agility Mastery, it was a passive skill.

As long as he had Detection, he wouldn't fall victim to amateur ambushes.

'Of course, it can't detect stealth... I'll have to cover that weakness in other ways.'

With his Evasion increasing, his expectations for Skill Resistance also grew, while his worries about Stiffness lessened.

'This is why my standards keep rising.'

Breathing in the air at the top really did accelerate growth.

Before he knew it, his level had reached 82!

Thinking back to how much effort it took to raise a single level in his past life, this was explosive growth.

"Let's go. We still have a long way ahead."

"You're okay on stamina, right?"

"As long as you are."

"Then let's go right away!"

Perhaps thanks to their rigorous training, both Sanghyun and Kim Miso moved forward without showing any signs of exhaustion.

It was finally time to cross a major hurdle.

A difficult journey awaited them toward the boss monster's domain.

Eight hours later.

"The path that looks the easiest is actually the most dangerous one. Is that part of your analysis too?"

"It's more like a bluff. Just a simple doubt—would the creator of this space really let you take an easy road without consequences?"

"That place... It's like hell."

Kim Miso pointed at the plains below the mountain.

In the area she indicated, pits had formed, causing wild animals passing overhead to fall in.

If Sanghyun hadn't adjusted their route, they would have been walking there a few hours ago.

But the problem wasn't just the sudden collapsing ground.

The moment the ground caved in, countless monsters swarmed in, slaughtering the trapped prey.

They ignored the screams entirely, tearing, biting, slashing, and devouring—it was a truly horrific scene.

"We're almost there."

Sanghyun observed the end of their downward path.

Though still faint in appearance, the monster watching them from afar was exuding enough killing intent to be felt even at this distance.

Lobulus.

A bipedal panther monster, also known by its nickname—Assassin Leopard.

Since his regression, this would be the first opponent that promised him an "Epic" grade artifact reward.

The average market price: 125 billion won!

That was motivation enough.