Chapter 104

Chapter 104: Lee Yeon - (1)

Lee Yeon's actions were not entirely incomprehensible.

'It's a characteristic of someone who is loyal to only one person.'

It was more common than one might think.

This happens when someone equates the person they serve with a value beyond just a protector—something greater.

For example, regarding them as equal to a god or a unique, omnipotent being.

A noble existence that must never be touched! When someone reaches that level of value, reactions like Lee Yeon's become inevitable.

'Jung Heeseon was the same.'

Suddenly, an old memory surfaced.

The Sword Saint, Jung Heeseon, always had a young man named Jung Yoon-hak, who was 20 years old, shadowing him.

An orphan raised and cared for by Jung Heeseon from a young age, Jung Yoon-hak had immense loyalty toward him.

Later, when his skills grew to a fearsome level, the Sword Demon, Dokgo Yoon, attempted an assassination to keep him in check.

It was Jung Yoon-hak who took Dokgo Yoon’s deadly strike in his place. He died instantly on the spot.

Sanghyun steadied his voice, which was on the verge of rising in agitation, and spoke.

"Loyalty to your master is admirable. However, I hope you won’t misunderstand. Also, I’d appreciate it if you didn't cross the line recklessly."

Lee Yeon responded.

"I have neither misunderstood nor crossed the line. I am merely telling you to prove your worth—to show that you deserve Master’s acknowledgment."

"Words alone won’t be enough proof."

"That’s true. But I’m not suggesting a life-or-death battle. There is plenty of sparring equipment available."

A sinister smile appeared on Lee Yeon's lips, partially hidden beneath strands of hair.

"Fine. Let’s prove it."

Sanghyun nodded.

He could have firmly refused.

But if he did, Han Hyunjung might also put her judgment of his worth on hold—or worse, see him in a lesser light.

He wanted to leave a strong impression on her. Han Hyunjung would be a solid connection in the future.

"Follow me."

Lee Yeon, with a face full of hostility, led Sanghyun.

"Let’s set a condition."

"What condition?"

"Accept it first. Otherwise, it would be disappointing if there were no consequences for such insolence."

"Alright. Let’s hear it."

"If I win, don’t loiter around whenever I meet Han Hyunjung."

Sanghyun’s condition was clear.

If he won, he didn’t want to see Lee Yeon anymore. He was telling her to get lost.

Lee Yeon was not one to back down.

"If I win, you stay away from Master. No more sneaky sponsorship requests either."

The provocative remark irritated Sanghyun for a moment, but he laughed it off.

Thus, the terms for their duel were set.

The conditions they had to accept would directly impact their pride, making it a significant wager.

This was no longer a casual test of skill.

Equipping the gear didn’t take long.

It was the same type of equipment he had worn when facing Song Gyujung at the Eden Guild.

‘I really need to get my hands on this gear later. It would make inviting skilled fighters possible.’

Sanghyun licked his lips.

Even without an opponent, the equipment seemed incredibly useful for training.

Besides protecting the body, it could also increase weight or restrict movement, allowing for intentional handicaps.

In other words, it was specialized equipment for independent training.

The rules were similar to when he fought Song Gyujung.

The durability, set at 1,000 points, would decrease, and the first to drop to 100 would lose.

To prevent any rule changes or unnecessary escalation, a double-layered safeguard had been implemented.

Neither of them had requested it explicitly, but it was a setting that ensured neither crossed the worst possible line.

Swoosh.

Lee Yeon assumed her stance.

Her left hand extended slightly forward while her body lowered by about two handspans.

In her right hand, she held a dagger, swinging it in a figure-eight motion as she regulated her breathing.

At that moment—

Crunch!

Lee Yeon clenched her left hand in midair. At first, it was unclear what she was doing.

"……!"

The next moment—

Sanghyun’s body floated into the air before he could react. It happened immediately after Lee Yeon’s motion.

‘She’s using a zero-gravity status effect?’

Zero-gravity and airborne status were different.

Airborne forced the target upward, but zero-gravity made the body naturally float.

Moreover, since it momentarily negated the effects of gravity, it was much harder to counter.

For humans, being in a zero-gravity state was an unfamiliar experience in itself.

Flash!

Lee Yeon shot forward, pushing off the ground. Her dagger was already glowing red.

It was almost certainly linked to a lethal skill. She intended to end the fight immediately.

Sanghyun immediately removed the status effect.

His body, which had been floating helplessly, quickly fell back to the ground and returned to its original position.

‘An assassin-type player who specializes in status effects, huh?’

A troublesome opponent.

There were many different ability combinations among players, but this was the first time he had encountered someone like Lee Yeon after his regression.

Without hesitation, Sanghyun entered an awakened state.

Since he had just used Recovery, he also gained five seconds of complete immunity.

The follow-up procedure was complete.

The skill forced a direct confrontation, making him stronger the more his opponent tried to escape.

"……?"

Lee Yeon was momentarily taken aback when Sanghyun neutralized the status effect so easily and immediately prepared to counterattack.

She had expected some resistance, but Sanghyun’s response was systematically beyond her expectations.

Most players panicked when hit with zero-gravity. It was a rare status effect.

Even Han Hyunjung had lost her sense of balance for a moment when she first experienced it in training with Lee Yeon.

However, Sanghyun handled it as if he had encountered it multiple times before, nullifying the effect and resetting the situation with ease.

At that moment—

Now, it was Sanghyun’s turn.

He targeted Lee Yeon with the Death Touch skill acquired from the artifact, Grabber.

"Ugh!"

She instinctively felt it.

The ominous energy heading toward Sanghyun was trying to pull her body in.

However, Death Touch arrived faster than she had expected, and Lee Yeon was swept forward.

"Ha!"

With a strong shout, she performed a back tumbling.

Just as Sanghyun had recovery skills, her back tumbling had the effect of instantly canceling abnormal statuses.

The drawback was that the timing had to be perfectly precise, but since it was a survival skill, she was adept at using it.

'Impressive.'

Sanghyun was impressed.

Of course, it was only a brief admiration.

By that time, Sanghyun had already reached right in front of her.

He had calculated in advance that Death Touch would fail and was already executing his next move.

"Ah."

Lee Yeon let out a short gasp.

She had thought that the Death Touch Sanghyun had executed was a high-investment attack skill.

But it wasn’t.

For Sanghyun, Death Touch was merely bait to disrupt her concentration.

Boom!

"Kuhk!"

Sanghyun, clad in the sturdy barrier of Brave Charge, collided directly with Lee Yeon.

『Knockback Burst』

At the very moment she was sent flying from the impact, Sanghyun followed up with a Knockback Burst.

The Knockback Burst, which struck accurately in her abdomen, made Lee Yeon feel an unbearable nausea.

Even with her equipment on, she felt as if her insides were being violently shaken.

Boom! Boom!

After slamming her back against the ground twice, Lee Yeon quickly regained her balance and got up.

Fssssss!

However, due to the force contained within the Knockback Burst, her feet slid backward for quite some distance.

"Cough."

She felt internal damage so severe that, if this were a real battle, she would have coughed up a bowl full of blood.

'How can he move faster than me? He’s heavy yet light, and even agile on top of that.'

Lee Yeon was bewildered.

Sanghyun embodied contradictory elements simultaneously.

Each sword strike was heavy, yet the motion of the attack was unnaturally light and smooth.

Moreover, despite wielding a visibly large greatsword, his offense-defense transitions were sharp and nimble. It made no sense.

'Level between 250 and 300.'

Meanwhile, Sanghyun was gauging Lee Yeon’s level in his own way. She was undoubtedly fast.

However, every part of her offensive and defensive transitions was rough. She especially seemed to lack talent in defense.

'It must be because she’s used to overpowering opponents with sheer force.'

He could guess the reason.

The number of players who had fallen victim to her gravity manipulation was likely not small.

For assassin players, getting dominated early in the fight usually led to an endless downward spiral.

Her specialty must have been overwhelming opponents caught in unexpected variables, leading to an attack-focused combat style.

However, since the dynamic of this battle had been reversed, it was natural for her to expose a series of vulnerabilities.

He increased the offensive pressure even further.

Deliberately, he revealed his illusion to Lee Yeon first.

It was obvious that it was an illusion, yet the quality was so high that it was indistinguishable from the real thing.

'What a trickster, Shin Sanghyun.'

Lee Yeon wiped the hot liquid trickling down her lips and prepared to leap forward again.

Sanghyun’s illusion grinned as it passed behind her, but she paid it no attention.

Rather, she found Sanghyun’s smug smile in front of her incredibly irritating.

Was he trying to brag about his illusion abilities? If so, what a pathetic guy.

'I only lost round one.'

That’s what she told herself.

Her armor’s durability was at 600.

She had plenty of leeway.

If she could just secure a single, solid opportunity to attack, she was confident she could completely crush Sanghyun!

Tap. Tap.

The unsettling sound of Sanghyun’s illusion footsteps echoed behind her, but she wasn’t swayed.

Such a shallow trick.

She was secretly envious, though.

Unlike typical assassin players, she had no stealth or clone abilities.

Of course, she possessed unique status-inflicting abilities instead, so she was more satisfied than regretful.

Tududududut!

Clang! Clang! Clang!

"Now I’m warmed up!"

Clang! Clang!

Lee Yeon, who had instantly closed the distance, attacked Sanghyun with fierce determination in her eyes.

Her daggers, glowing a fiery red as if they would melt at any moment, ferociously clashed against Sanghyun’s greatsword.

It was an unusual sight—a duel between a greatsword and a dagger—but the strength in her strikes was even greater than his.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Behind her, Sanghyun’s clone was constantly feigning attacks, but naturally, it dealt no damage.

Only the sound of cutting wind aimed to mislead her senses.

'He’s crumbling!'

Lee Yeon sensed it.

As she fully committed to her offense, Sanghyun finally began exposing weaknesses.

Although he had landed an unexpected hit on her, it seemed it was just a fluke. This brat’s skill was only at this level!

'Got him!'

Sanghyun’s shaky guard finally revealed a clear weak spot.

Without hesitation, Lee Yeon unleashed her trump card. It was a decisive move to end the match in one strike.

KWAH!

With a tearing sound, her dagger aimed directly at Sanghyun’s abdomen.

The distance was too close. There was absolutely no way to dodge this guaranteed fatal strike.

However—

Hwaaaeng!

Something was wrong.

Her attack, which should have heavily damaged his equipment and significantly reduced its durability, had merely cut through empty air.

Fssss.

"No way?"

It had been Sanghyun!

It should have been Sanghyun’s body!

Yet, his form was dissolving into a pale mist.

And then—

"Are we still fighting?"

Before she knew it, Sanghyun’s greatsword was wrapped around her neck from behind, as if embracing her in a back hug.

If this had been a real battle, just the slightest movement of the sword would have slit her throat.

It was the worst possible checkmate.