Chapter 108: The Blood-Drinking Sword - (3)
"If you think about it differently, was Dokgo Yoon amazing for planning to continue the raid after passing through this swamp?"
The sight of the swamp was horrifying.
The surface was filled with rotting monster corpses, floating aimlessly.
Every single one of them was bloated like a balloon, likely due to the gases generated within their bodies.
Normally, whether it was a dungeon or a gate, everything would reset shortly after the boss monster was defeated.
In other words, everything inside would be restored to its original state, as if nothing had happened.
That was why, if a player’s body wasn’t retrieved after a dungeon raid, it would be impossible to find it again.
Once the reset occurred, all traces vanished completely.
But there were exceptions.
One of the most notable exceptions was when something was submerged in a swamp like this one or trapped in a frozen state.
That was why the monster corpses remained.
It was impossible to tell when they had died, but it was clear that they had been preserved through multiple resets.
"For now."
Sanghyun took off his clothes completely.
There was no one watching—well, technically, the constellations were watching—but there was no reason to care about that.
Wearing clothes while crossing the swamp was a luxury he couldn't afford.
Fortunately, beyond the swamp, he could vaguely see a small stream.
If he crossed the swamp naked and washed himself there, he could get rid of most of the filth.
Whoosh!
He bundled up his clothes and shoes and threw them across to the other side.
The clothes easily cleared the swamp, but his own heavy body was a different matter.
It was too far to reach with Back Step or any other skill, which was disappointing.
He took a deep breath.
Splash!
Then, without hesitation, Sanghyun leaped into the swamp.
Using Back Step, he managed to move about six meters forward!
"Ugh."
The viscosity was worse than he expected.
He had left all his belongings behind, except for one item—the greatsword.
From the start, he had positioned the greatsword horizontally before entering, intending to use it as a support.
"Urgh."
He endured the stench that assaulted his nose and began pulling his legs free.
This was going to be a war of endurance.
In a swamp like this, it could take nearly an hour just to move four meters.
And that was while exerting full effort.
A speed of four meters per hour—could you even imagine it?
"A player without decent strength or stamina would die here."
Sanghyun clicked his tongue at the swamp’s unexpectedly severe resistance.
He had never thought it would be easy, but the conditions were worse than anticipated.
If Kim Miso were to fall in here, she’d probably die of exhaustion even if she knew how to escape.
Gurgle…
Unsettling noises echoed around him.
Sanghyun pressed the greatsword down and used it as leverage, steadily lifting his lower body.
He had to get his legs onto the swamp’s surface—only then could he move forward while lying flat.
Otherwise, any attempt to move forward would only drag him deeper, as if demon hands were pulling him down.
"Ugh, what the—"
He nearly got a rotting rat corpse in his mouth.
He didn't even want to imagine what horrors lay beneath the surface.
Slowly, carefully, he raised his leg.
The weight pressing down on his body was too great to simply thrash his way out.
One centimeter per second.
That was his pace, inching his way up with sheer determination.
How much time had passed?
By the time Sanghyun’s stamina dropped below half and sweat poured from his forehead like rain—
Splosh!
"Got it!"
He successfully pulled both legs up.
Now, he just had to move forward little by little, using the greatsword to support himself.
"After the swamp comes a cave filled with scorpions, venomous snakes, and poisonous spiders. Then, finally, the Lake of Blood. No wonder no one could find the sword."
Experiencing it firsthand, he understood why it had taken so long to obtain the Blood-Drinking Sword in his past life.
Dokgo Yoon hadn’t come here intentionally to find it. He must have barely survived and stumbled upon it by chance.
Back then, he had bragged about receiving a divine revelation and sensing an auspicious energy—but that had all been nonsense.
After another hour of struggling with all his might, exhaustion weighed on Sanghyun’s body.
Just as he reached the final stretch, something felt off.
At the tip of his submerged right foot—he felt the touch of a human hand.
There was a corpse!
If there was a corpse in a dungeon, there was no doubt—it had to be a player's.
Or possibly a humanoid monster.
Luckily, he was near the edge of the swamp, so he could tie some vines together to pull it out.
If it was a player’s body…
There might be an artifact worth taking.
And he could retrieve the remains as well.
Sanghyun got to work immediately.
Of course, first, he needed to wash the stench and filth off his body and sword.
* * *
Two hours later.
Gritting his teeth, he exerted his strength and finally pulled the corpse out.
"……."
It was the body of a man.
Judging by his outfit, he was definitely a player, and he appeared to be in his twenties, not much older or younger than Sanghyun.
Since he had been submerged in the swamp the whole time, his body was in surprisingly good condition, as if he had just recently died.
The artifacts retrieved from him were two in total.
Both were Unique-grade—a necklace and a pair of boots.
But they overlapped with what Sanghyun was already wearing: the Necklace of Flexibility and the Boots of Swift Movement.
"Well, I’ll take them anyway."
He activated Mana Synchronization and prepared to consume both artifacts.
They were too damaged to wear, so he intended to absorb them while they still retained their original form.
"Hmm."
Sanghyun hesitated for a moment.
Was it really okay to take artifacts—essentially, keepsakes—from the dead?
"I brought him back to the world instead of leaving him trapped here forever. That’s enough."
He didn’t dwell on it for long.
Retrieving the body was already a sufficient act of respect for the deceased.
Before long, the materialization was complete.
One was soju with jokbal.
The other was bibim-myeon topped with freshly grilled chadolbagi—chadolbagi bibim-myeon!
"He must have been someone who was used to being alone. If he had come to the gate with someone, they would have retrieved his body..."
Sanghyun looked back at the man's corpse with a pitying expression as he enjoyed the food that had materialized from him.
It was a rare delicacy.
"I'll make sure the valuable artifacts I got from you reach their full potential. I'll give it my all!"
Did his feelings reach the dead man?
Or was it just an illusion?
One of the stars in the sky twinkled brightly. And then, the absorption was completed.
His evasion and defense stats rose rapidly.
The necklace increased evasion by 60 and defense by 40. The boots increased evasion by 60, defense by 20, and agility by 20.
Thanks to that, his evasion stat immediately surpassed 500, triggering an unexpected title.
//s_win
//win_h [A-rank Title, 【Fundamentals of Evasion】 has been granted.]
■ Title Description: Guarantees a minimum evasion rate of 17.5% against all attacks.
//e_win
It was quite a useful title.
Even with a high evasion stat, evasion rates were applied differently each time, with a high chance of being low.
But with this title fixing the minimum evasion rate, things became more predictable.
If a thousand arrows were fired at him, 175 of them would mathematically miss completely. A system correction.
"Most players don't invest in evasion stats on purpose, so I guess this title was still available."
It felt like hitting the jackpot.
Titles were limited-edition, meaning only a set number existed, making it feel great to obtain one.
And the jackpot was just beginning.
Since he had consumed Unique-grade artifacts, he was guaranteed to obtain a hidden stat or skill.
And the two artifacts activated two hidden skills for him.
For Sanghyun, who always craved new skills more than stats, this was the best possible outcome.
//s_win
//win_h 『Wrath of the Mortal』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: For five seconds, 25% of the total accumulated damage inflicted on the target will be added as extra damage.
//e_win
Consumes 5% of total mana instantly. Cooldown: 1 minute.
"A bonus damage skill? This will amplify my fatal combo even more!"
Sanghyun clicked his tongue in amazement.
He already had Weakness Amplification, Sage’s Whisper, and Crushing Blade—a lethal chain of attacks.
Now, with Wrath of the Mortal added to the mix, another 25% of the damage would be applied again.
His finishing move was evolving into an ultimate finisher. The synergy was incredible.
The second skill was—
//s_win
//win_h 『Song of the Sword』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: Upon activation, the caster becomes completely immobile but enters an invincible state.
//e_win
To maintain it, the first second consumes 1 mana, and after that, the mana cost doubles every second.
After the skill ends, it cannot be used again for 1 minute, and movement speed increases by 100% for 2 seconds.
A conditional invincibility skill.
At first glance, it seemed powerful, but if the timing was off, the place where he stopped could become his grave.
However, one thing was certain.
It was specialized for mob hunting.
If he gathered monsters around him and then used Song of the Sword—
A mage-type player like Lee Sehwa could easily swoop in and finish them off with a massive spell.
He had obtained both a bonus damage skill and a complete invincibility skill.
It felt like he had scratched an itch that had been bothering him for a long time.
"Thank you. I will use them well."
Sanghyun respectfully bowed his head to the neatly laid-out corpse of the man.
Now that he had crossed the swamp, all that remained was to pass through the cave zone before reaching the location where he would summon the ‘Special Boss.’
Once he fought and defeated the boss—
He planned to return here and retrieve the man’s corpse before leaving.
Even after defeating the Special Boss, the gate would recognize it as a cleared raid. Dokgo Yoon had already confirmed this fact.
"It won't be long now before I offer the blood of the living."
Sanghyun stared at his calloused left hand.
The rightful owner of the Blood-Drinking Sword.
It was almost time to meet the special being that only appeared when one discovered this dungeon’s hidden element.
For the sake of obtaining the artifact.
And for the sake of a man who had died alone under unknown circumstances, only to finally be returned to the world.
He had to win.
Thus, Sanghyun's journey toward his second Epic-grade artifact had begun.
His opponent was a humanoid boss monster skilled in swordsmanship.
The Marquis of the Blood Blade.