Chapter 110

Chapter 110: The Blood-Drinking Sword - (5)

Blood's mouth opened.

It all happened in a fleeting moment.

From the moment he decided to summon Sanghyun, failure was never an option in Blood's mind.

Even if the process of linking an attack immediately after summoning wasn't perfectly smooth!

He had never considered that the summoning itself would fail.

A chilling sensation ran down his spine.

He thought he had accounted for all possible scenarios in his head, but not against this human.

A situation he deemed too unlikely to consider had unfolded before him.

'Is this exhilaration?'

Meanwhile, Sanghyun marveled at himself, amazed by the perfect evasion he executed in that fleeting moment.

Was it a coincidence? Perhaps.

But one thing was certain.

Because he had a variety of skills to choose from, he was able to respond to unexpected situations like this.

Had he not synthesized or obtained a skill like Back Step, this wouldn't have been possible at all.

He felt that all the time he had spent diligently accumulating skills was finally paying off, and that made him even prouder.

'I was moments away from certain death.'

The shiver running down his spine wasn't something only Blood felt. Sanghyun felt it too.

If it had been his past self, he would have been dragged away, brutally torn apart, and left as nothing more than a lump of flesh.

But the current him, with a completely different approach and growth potential, was on an entirely different level.

Perhaps that was why.

As he entered Phase 2, the once-mountainous presence of Blood now seemed much smaller.

—Fwoosh!

With a bold charge, Sanghyun immediately closed the distance to Blood and launched a relentless assault.

Now that he had a countermeasure for the full summoning, he had no hesitation in his movements.

Moreover, the prolonged battle had allowed him to analyze Blood's habits and openings.

Blood's attacks were undoubtedly powerful due to their large motions, but that also meant they had significant gaps.

At that moment—

//s_win

//win_h ◎ Silence

◎ Duration: 0.45 seconds

//e_win

'It landed!'

Silence, an option that was always attached to his basic attacks, had activated.

It was rare for Silence to trigger against Blood, but as expected, increasing the number of attacks had yielded results.

His follow-up was seamless.

Silence, followed by Knockback.

This was one of Sanghyun’s favorite combo routes, as it was excellent for disrupting an opponent's timing when they couldn't use skills.

He immediately played his trump card.

Intelligent boss monsters like Blood had learning abilities, meaning they wouldn't fall for the same opening twice.

Therefore, when an opportunity arose, he had to end things decisively, or risk facing a brutal counterattack later.

A reinforced weak spot attack followed by a four-hit combo.

With one more hit remaining, he linked the Sage’s Whisper with the Crushing Blade for a fatal combo, just like before.

Since Knockback Burst had sent Blood reeling backward, his defenses were at their weakest.

—Stab!

"Grrraaah!"

Blood clenched his teeth and let out a groan filled with agony as Sanghyun's blade pierced him right in the center of his abdomen.

This wasn’t just a stab.

The blade tore through his navel, undoubtedly inflicting severe internal damage.

The pain surging from below was so intense that he didn’t even want to look down to confirm the wound.

"It’s not over yet."

With an emotionless expression, Sanghyun continued his combo.

The attack was a finishing blow that would deal additional critical damage to Blood, who had already suffered an abdominal wound.

—Slash!

"Aaargh!"

A strike that ripped through his peritoneum and abdominal muscles alike. Blood let out a shriek akin to a pig being slaughtered.

Even if he wanted to scream properly, he couldn't, as his core muscles refused to engage, forcing him to swallow his cries.

Blood couldn't comprehend the situation.

'Even this isn’t enough to kill him?'

Sanghyun felt the same way. Blood’s durability exceeded his expectations.

Of course, there was a weakness.

Unless he absorbed blood from the Blood Lake, his natural regeneration and healing abilities were abysmal.

Moreover, with the deep abdominal wound he had just sustained, his ability to use swordsmanship would be severely limited.

Adding to that, the injury he had taken to his left lower back earlier would surely restrict his movement range.

'A slugfest would work, too.'

Confidence surged within him.

Even in a head-to-head brawl, he was certain he could overpower Blood.

He established a key strategy.

Since Blood's trait allowed him to recover HP based on the number of successful attacks, he wouldn’t allow any light strikes.

Instead, he would permit only heavy blows that he strategically deemed acceptable. After all, each one would only restore 2 HP.

From that moment on—

A slugfest between someone for whom hell had been an everyday reality and someone who had never experienced it began.

Of course, the situation heavily favored the one who now carried the weight of two grievous wounds.

And that was Blood.

After the long eight-minute duration of Over Psychedelic came to an end.

And as the second activation of Over Psychedelic reached the two-minute mark, the slugfest continued until—

"Huff… Huff…"

"Ugh… Krrgh…"

Both Sanghyun and Blood, their stamina nearly depleted, barely managed to exhale the burning breaths they had been holding in.

Blood’s half-glazed eyes were filled with exhaustion.

He was losing more blood than he was absorbing from the Blood Lake, putting him on the verge of shock.

Yet, befitting his title as a boss monster, he was clinging on with sheer superhuman willpower.

Sanghyun, too, was in a dire state, his HP having dropped all the way to 11%.

'I had a feeling my body wasn’t responding properly. At this rate, I’ll collapse from exhaustion.'

His condition wasn’t great.

Blood’s level was higher than he had anticipated, which had dragged the battle out longer than expected.

In reality, a one-on-one duel like this should have been impossible!

But Sanghyun had made the impossible a reality through his own strength, and now, the end was in sight.

'Whoever exhausts their strength first will lose.'

Sanghyun did not let his guard down.

The most dangerous moment in battle was exactly this kind of situation. When both sides were exhausted.

At times like this, a single missed attack or defense could immediately lead to death.

"Haap!"

Sanghyun gathered his breath, which was about to loosen, and charged at Blood once more.

This time, he consciously made his movements larger. It was to burn through his stamina rapidly.

Normally, such reckless moves would be avoided. But now, he had a compelling reason.

//s_win

//win_h ◎ Overdrive

◎ 3 seconds of invincibility

◎ Frenzy

◎ Awakening, Buff Effect x3

◎ Complete Immunity to All Status Effects

//e_win

He had activated Overdrive and triggered the conditional skill, Frenzy.

Both of these states required his health to be below 10%. That condition had just been met.

There was nothing to fear.

Now in perfect invincibility, Sanghyun clung to Blood and swung his greatsword.

Tung! Teong!

Blood tried to fend off the approaching Sanghyun with the Blood-Drinking Sword, but in the face of invincibility, it was useless.

Puk! Puk! Puk!

With no reason to dodge anymore, Sanghyun relentlessly stabbed at Blood's wounded abdomen.

He was determined, digging his greatsword deep inside. Blood had no way to resist.

"Kuaaaak!"

Blood screamed as burning pain spread from his entire abdomen.

He forcefully pushed forward to shove Sanghyun away, but in his Frenzy state, even knockback was ineffective.

"Zenjaaaang!"

"Die, you bastard!"

Blood's wails and Sanghyun's roar overlapped.

And under the west sky, now dyed red by the setting sun—

Puwaaaak!

A fountain of blood erupted from Blood's abdomen, scattering like a spray of water.

"I... this Blood..."

Blood's eyes, staring at Sanghyun with a vacant expression, flickered with countless emotions.

As long as he was in the lake of blood,

He believed he was an immortal being who would never die.

That arrogance and overconfidence had now become his downfall.

"Nothing lasts forever. Your life is no exception. Farewell. Thanks to you, I learned what I was lacking."

Sanghyun drove his greatsword deeper into Blood's fatal wound.

A powerful shockwave erupted inside Blood's body.

It aimed to tear apart his internal organs, ensuring his death.

Kuung!

In the end, Blood collapsed forward, eyes wide open. He was dead.

"The Rapid Growth title is truly amazing."

His level had jumped by seven at once.

Blood had been an exceptionally difficult boss monster, granting a large amount of experience points.

On top of that, the Rapid Growth title had tripled the experience gained, resulting in an absurd level-up.

Without the title, the increase would have been, at best, three levels. The title had saved him an incredible amount of time.

"Finally."

Sanghyun picked up the sword from Blood's fallen body.

The Blood-Drinking Sword.

An epic-grade weapon artifact!

If his previous greatsword, the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit, had a rugged and heavy feel,

then the Bloodsucking Blade was sleek and agile, like a sports car.

The finely crafted details throughout its structure gave it the appearance of a masterpiece forged by a master artisan.

//s_win

//win_h 「Blood-Drinking Sword」

■ Artifact Grade: Epic

■ Artifact Description: The Blood-Drinking Sword was the favored sword of Marquis Blood Blade.

//e_win

This blade, which delights in absorbing the blood of the weak, steals 2 health points whenever it kills a monster.

The stolen life energy is immediately transferred to the sword's wielder as a sweet essence of vitality.

//s_win

//win_h ■ Strength +300

■ Health +100

//e_win

"This definitely feels like a swordsman-exclusive artifact. It massively boosts strength and health."

The amount of strength it granted was more than he had expected. The same went for health.

Additionally, when paired with the Clever Hunter title, it restored 3 health every time he killed a monster.

With this, he no longer needed a healer in the dungeon. He could sustain himself entirely.

A healer would be pointless. His self-recovery was more than enough.

"It's finally time to part with you."

Sanghyun looked at the Spirit Blade, still stained with Blood’s blood, with a slightly sorrowful expression.

It had been his trusted companion through many battles. A weapon that had always fit perfectly in his hands.

However, he couldn't use both the Blood-Drinking Sword and the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit at the same time.

The greatsword was simply too large for easy weapon switching.

"I'll just remove the Lightweight Enchantment from the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit and apply it to the Blood-Drinking Sword."

There would be a minor penalty, but reapplying the enchantment wouldn’t be a problem.

The Knockback Burst skill, which was conditional on the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit, could also be transferred.

"Let’s absorb it. Since I’ve used it for so long, the absorption rate should be high, and since it’s unique-grade, it might even have a hidden inheritance bonus."

Sanghyun took his position.

He needed to finish absorbing it quickly before retrieving the body of the man he had left behind.

The longer the body was exposed, the faster its time would resume flowing.

Sanghyun grasped the Spirit Blade.

Before consuming it, he checked the absorption rate. How many stats would it grant him?

//s_win

//win_h [Calculating absorption rate.]

[The base absorption rate for a unique-grade artifact is 60%.]

[Due to the artifact’s extended use, the final absorption rate has been determined as 100%.]

//e_win

"……."

The Greatsword of Fighting Spirit.

Even in its final moment, as they parted ways forever, it wanted to be a tree that gave without reservation.

An unexpected 100% absorption rate. Not a single stat would be lost in the process.