Chapter 55: Displaying Skills - (5)
Of course, the group of ten didn’t just stand there and take the hits.
There was someone targeting Sanghyun’s back.
“Hiyaaaah!”
It was an Assassin Player.
He judged that Sanghyun had a weak point, but of course, the person in question didn’t think so.
The Assassin Player leaped high, and the dagger in his right hand gleamed.
The dagger, infused with mana, glowed red and carried a murderous intent that seemed capable of piercing anything.
The terrifying thing about the Assassin class was that, if they landed a single strike, they could kill their opponent.
That’s why, even as the situation turned against them, the remaining enemies still had hopes for the Assassin’s move.
However—
Puuuk!
“Keurgh.”
Sanghyun, who hadn’t turned around even once until now, suddenly spun and struck.
There was no need to exert much force—just a simple, indifferent thrust.
“Kkkeugguhk…”
Unlike Sanghyun’s utterly indifferent expression, the Assassin’s face twisted in agony.
Sanghyun’s greatsword had torn through his lips, shattered his teeth, passed through his throat, and exited the back of his neck.
Despite having a dagger in his right hand, the Assassin, now skewered like a kebab, couldn’t move properly.
“Uwaaaah!”
“F***, what the hell is this bastard?!”
“Ten of us can’t even take down one guy?”
The group’s expressions all twisted in unison, as if by some unspoken agreement.
It was an unacceptable situation, no matter the reason.
“Kkheuh.”
Thud!
With the Assassin’s death, the number of surviving members dropped from ten to six.
And among them, two swordsmen had both lost an arm, making them, in a crude sense, half-crippled.
“We need to kill him first before we can get any rewards, you dumbasses! Just take him down somehow!”
The two swordsmen shouted.
Their anger wasn’t directed at Sanghyun, who had humiliated them, but at the two Debuffers.
‘So they still have offensive options left.’
Sanghyun realized that the Debuffers had likely been saving attack-type skills as a contingency.
If they had held back, it meant they had a trump card capable of flipping the situation.
Just as Sanghyun reserved his Crushing Sword skill for decisive moments, they must have a skill reserved as a secret weapon.
『Rising Airflow』
Sanghyun sent a Rising Airflow toward the two Debuffers, who had just begun soaring into the sky.
They tilted their heads in confusion, unable to predict what would happen just from Sanghyun swinging his sword.
But the moment they felt the air currents drawing close, their faces turned ashen.
“Damn it.”
“We’re screwed.”
Their realization came far too late.
The situation was even worse because they were in the middle of using a skill to ascend.
If they had already reached their peak, they might have had a chance to maneuver out of the way, but not now.
Their mistake was failing to imagine that Sanghyun had a ranged control-type attack method.
Kugugugugu!
“Kraaaah!”
“Waaagh!”
The two Debuffers lost control and plummeted.
Sanghyun charged.
Debuffers, who could become a persistent nuisance, had to be eliminated the moment their weaknesses were exposed.
“Block him!”
“Damn it!”
Despite the blood gushing from their missing arms, the two swordsmen aggressively rushed at Sanghyun.
‘Injured ones should back off.’
Sanghyun foresaw their fate.
If their opponent lacked combat experience, fighting despite injuries might not be the worst choice.
With enough resilience, they could last long enough for a counterattack opportunity.
However, if their opponent was a seasoned veteran who had seen all kinds of battles, it was a different story.
Injured fighters were nothing more than easy prey—glaringly obvious weaknesses that couldn’t be ignored.
‘The one on the left… you’re lucky.’
Sanghyun targeted the swordsman on the right, as his trajectory didn’t allow him to behead both at once.
Though they were channeling mana for a decisive strike, it did nothing to cover their openings.
Pseuk!
In the end, one of the swordsmen, now prey, had his head severed before he could even think about blocking Sanghyun’s attack.
For Sanghyun, still fully immersed in his Psychedelic state, this level of speed difference was inevitable.
“Haaah!”
Sanghyun used the falling swordsman’s body as a foothold and forcefully leaped forward.
『Full Charge』
While airborne, he connected into Full Charging. Since his body was already in motion, his posture remained fixed.
Full Charge required maintaining a fixed posture, but in this aerial movement, that wasn’t a problem at all.
“Buff! Activate the defense buff!”
A Debuffer shouted at the two Buffers after estimating the distance between them and Sanghyun.
If they could just activate a defense buff in time, they could block Sanghyun’s approach.
‘They’re reading the battlefield too much in their favor.’
However, a smirk had already appeared on Sanghyun’s lips.
That line should never have been spoken.
To prevent disaster, the buff should have already been in place. That was the correct timing.
In other words—
Puuuk!
“Urgh.”
A Debuffer lost his life, having missed the crucial moment.
Sanghyun’s Greatsword of Fighting Spirit pierced straight through the center of his heart, killing him instantly.
The fatal mistake was failing to predict the sudden dash distance granted by Full Charge.
And the fate of the remaining Debuffer, who had landed unsteadily after being caught in the Rising Airflowt, was no different.
Kwajik!
A shattering sound rang out.
The moment he looked up upon landing, the center of his forehead split open.
Sanghyun’s downward cleave, striking as if splitting the earth itself, carried terrifying destructive power.
It was a moment where the Strength stat he had diligently built up truly shone.
The sheer force Sanghyun could generate in an instant far surpassed what any of the players here could fathom.
“F***kkkkkkkkk!”
In the blink of an eye, the swordsman who had lost all his trusted allies cursed and charged at Sanghyun.
His momentum was strong, but that was all.
An opponent who had lost his reason and was consumed by emotion was the easiest prey to handle.
Chwaaaak!
"Keurgh!"
Sanghyun boldly slashed the swordsman's exposed side, which had become difficult to defend due to the loss of his left arm.
The pain caused the swordsman to lean excessively, and Sanghyun smoothly thrust his greatsword into the exposed throat.
It was a fatal strike that pierced an obvious weak point—so clear that it was impossible to miss.
"Uaaaaah!"
With only two survivors left out of the once-proud group of ten, there was no way for their morale to recover.
"Damn it!"
The two Buffers threw smoke grenades from their pouches and sprinted madly toward the warehouse entrance.
Caught in the smoke, Sanghyun gripped his greatsword and started to give chase, but they were faster than expected.
His Psychedelic state was still active, but the cooldown for his acceleration skill had not yet reset, creating a distance gap.
"Not that it matters."
Sanghyun pursued them.
The cooldown for his acceleration skill was only one minute, and it was about to end.
He just needed a few more seconds.
Just then—
Kkiiiiik!
Unexpectedly, before the two Buffers even reached the entrance, the door opened first. Was it reinforcements?
Feeling a sudden unease, Sanghyun prepared to increase his speed, but the situation unfolded differently than he expected.
The person who appeared as the iron door swung open was Park Jungmin, whom Sanghyun had contacted as a precaution.
"Kugh!"
"Urgh!"
Using the dagger in his hand, Park Jungmin swiftly and cleanly stabbed the two Buffers in the heart.
Just two strikes, and both Buffers died instantly on the spot.
"Was he a player?"
This was an unexpected development.
Sanghyun had never paid much attention to Park Jungmin in his past life, but to think that the journalist was actually a player?
And not just any player—one who could dispatch two players with such speed and power.
"That wasn't just random stabbing. He targeted their vital points precisely."
Even in that brief moment, Sanghyun assessed Park Jungmin’s skill.
To take down players with some degree of defense so efficiently required at least level 200.
Park Jungmin, having pushed aside the lifeless Buffers, looked at Sanghyun with concern.
"Are you alright?"
"I’m fine. You arrived quicker than expected. I was wondering how I’d clean up after this."
"Man… These bastards were infamous for constantly changing their hideouts while pulling off these kinds of schemes. Did you already know about this?"
"Of course not. I just figured that their approach to scamming me suggested they were shady, so I called it in."
"I happened to be nearby for work anyway. I guess when justice is about to win, opportunities just seem to align like this!"
Park Jungmin clicked his tongue while glancing at the bodies scattered throughout the warehouse.
He had always known Sanghyun wasn’t an ordinary player.
But he hadn’t imagined that Sanghyun could completely dominate a ten-on-one fight like this.
"Thank you for coming."
"If my information is correct, these guys should all be at least level 100."
"They weren’t completely incompetent."
"They were trained to some degree, but they just met the wrong opponent."
"So, there are no survivors."
"On my way here, I noticed they had taken a route with no CCTV coverage. Even renting this location seems illegal. And looking at these artifacts… they’re all fakes, right?"
"That’s right."
"They’re probably at least third- or fourth-degree wanted criminals by the Player Union. This case is going to be a huge scoop."
The way Park Jungmin’s eyes glimmered revealed his instinctive nose for newsworthy events.
"By the way, I didn’t know you were a player too, Mr. Jungmin."
"Ah, me? Well, I have some minor abilities, but I prefer my job as a journalist. Meeting promising talents like you and building connections is much more rewarding."
"I see."
"Why don’t you start collecting the artifacts? I’ll record some footage and think about how to frame the follow-up report."
"Thank you."
"No need for thanks. I should be the one grateful to be invited to witness such a righteous act firsthand."
Perhaps because the right people had died, Park Jungmin’s face was full of satisfaction.
Sanghyun felt the same.
He had no regrets about killing in order to survive. Any lingering hesitation had vanished long ago.
Click. Click. Click.
Park Jungmin alternated between taking photos and videos of the crime scene, capturing the identities of the fallen players.
Each time, he compared them to the Player Union’s wanted database and let out astonished gasps.
Except for two, all of them were registered criminals. They had simply avoided capture until now.
Meanwhile, Sanghyun, following the unwritten rule of "winner takes all," began stripping the dead players of their artifacts.
He would consume them later. For now, he ensured nothing was left behind.
"I had a ‘State of No Mind’, didn’t I?"
Shimmer.
A new title acquisition message flashed before his eyes, brightening even Sanghyun’s usually stoic expression.
An A-rank title!
The beginning and end of the driving force behind this battle, where the Owner of Torn Lips had fought with all his might!
Sanghyun grew curious about the details of the title. Just what kind of advantage would "State of No Mind" bring?