Chapter 111

Chapter 111: The Blood-Drinking Sword - (6)

Mana synchronization was achieved.

The materialization of food was complete.

"Kugh."

Sanghyun chuckled.

The cup rice he often enjoyed eating had appeared on the table before him.

How could he not eat this delicious meal?

For Sanghyun, who had no particular interest in cooking and didn’t attach much meaning to eating, cup rice was a revolution.

All he had to do was throw whatever side dishes he had into the rice and mix it up adequately.

The excessive sodium and calories were a concern, but with enough exercise and training, they were easily burned away.

"Delicious."

Sanghyun emptied a bowl of cup rice in one go.

At that moment, the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit disappeared as it was absorbed.

Absorption rate: 100%!

Thanks to that, his Strength 150 and Agility 50 were inherited as they were.

Now, the void left by that sword would be well-filled by the Blood-Drinking Sword. He was already looking forward to his synergy with the new one.

"My Strength is over 1,000 now. I can finally call myself a first-tier swordsman."

Seeing his four-digit stats felt quite strange.

Even more so when compared to his level.

A typical Level 130 swordsman would barely have Strength over 600.

Clearly, he wasn’t lacking in any stats.

Though ideally, his Stamina should be in a 2:1 ratio with Strength, it was a little lacking. But with his regeneration ability, it wasn’t a major issue.

"Since no additional stats increased, it seems the hidden options were all inherited as skills."

Sanghyun turned his gaze to the skill window, which happened to be glowing.

Two highly appealing skills stood out immediately. Predation and Fighting Spirit.

However, if the affected monster is killed, Predation activates, resetting the cooldown.

"So, as long as a monster is affected by a status effect, I can dash within 7 meters of it?"

The skill’s description was intriguing.

"Instant approach movement" usually meant teleporting to about 1 meter in front of the target.

Weaker monsters were naturally more prone to status effects.

That meant Predation would function exactly as its name suggested.

"If I use it well, I can rampage on the battlefield without much effort. Like a grasshopper."

Pleased with the mental picture, Sanghyun smiled. He had already formulated a plan for its use.

Fighting Spirit stacks at a rate of 1 per second, up to a maximum of 100, with each stack generating a shield worth 1% of your HP.

If hit, the accumulation stops.

"Not useful in close-range brawls, but great for travel or standby situations."

Fighting Spirit was also an attractive skill.

If he could avoid damage for 160 seconds, he would have a shield equal to his total HP.

This would buy him time against unexpected snipers or surprise attacks.

"The jackpot is this, though."

He slung the Blood-Drinking Sword over his back.

Having finished checking his skills, Sanghyun noticed something rising over Blood’s corpse.

Half of a Legendary Mana Stone.

A perfectly split Mana Stone.

Its market value? At least 50 billion won.

"How much did this guy eat, exactly?"

If he also considered the Epic-grade artifact, the Blood-Drinking Sword, he had made a total of 175 billion won!

It couldn’t have been more perfect.

Now, it was time to retrieve the corpse of the man waiting for him outside.

The gate raid was over.

He felt his energy drain, as if his soul were leaving his body.

"Phew!"

Sanghyun exhaled deeply, his body trembling slightly.

It was always like walking on thin ice—thrilling but nerve-wracking.

But this was the thrill that brought players into dungeons!

That night.

A man performing push-ups using only his left thumb, index, and middle fingers halted his movements.

He had been skimming through a condensed player news update when he spotted a familiar location.

The Beast Gate at Geomdan Station was a dungeon he had planned to tackle soon.

His name was Dokgo Yoon.

If you had to name the top 5 swordsman players in Korea, his name would undoubtedly be among them.

His clean-shaven head, without a single strand of hair, glistened under the TV’s light.

Thanks to his perfectly egg-shaped head, he suited a shaved look better than anyone else.

"That bastard was here."

Dokgo Yoon scowled as he saw Sanghyun’s face on the news.

No matter how he thought about it, the kid wasn’t even worth a meal, yet the media was hyping him up.

Dokgo Yoon couldn’t understand it.

Frankly, it was nauseating.

Every time he saw a provocative headline suggesting that someone like Sanghyun might challenge his reign, he couldn't help but think, "Is the sword a joke?"

Even a non-existent sense of hostility began to stir within him.

"F*cking hell."

Dokgo Yoon immediately grabbed his smartphone and made a call.

It was to his personal secretary.

<Yes, this is Lee Min-ah.>

"Cancel my Beast Gate raid application. I’m not going."

<Your schedule is already set. Are you sure you want to cancel? May I ask the reason?>

"I don’t want to share the spotlight with a greenhorn like Shin Sanghyun. I don’t want to look like an afterthought. Cancel it."

<Understood.>

"Damn it."

Dokgo Yoon swore under his breath as he ended the call.

And yet, he couldn’t shake a lingering thought.

‘Just once, let him slip up.’

An arrogant, lowly, and ill-mannered brat.

If only he had the justification!

He wanted to personally teach Sanghyun the true path of the sword through his own strength.

To show that a novice's crude swordsmanship was no match for his refined technique.

Meanwhile, Sanghyun had returned home, but unlike usual, he was not alone.

His visitor was Ham Jiyeon.

While returning from her work in Seoul, she had managed to get in touch with Sanghyun.

There was an overwhelming amount to discuss, from construction companies for the pizza shop to which businesses to form partnerships with.

Even while Sanghyun was away at the Gate, she had been busy with her own work.

Before heading back to the orphanage, she wanted to meet briefly to express her gratitude, so Sanghyun invited her over.

In truth, he was quite exhausted from clearing the Gate, and he desperately needed a shower at home.

As soon as he got home, Sanghyun made a cup of coffee for Ham Jiyeon and immediately headed to the bathroom.

And a little while later—

As he stepped out, feeling refreshed, a savory yet sweet aroma filled his nose.

“What’s that smell?”

“Ah! I couldn't just sit here sipping coffee, so I decided to make some fried rice! Do you like fried rice?”

“I do like fried rice, but why the sudden dinner?”

“You just got back from a Gate, so I figured you probably haven’t had a proper meal.”

“That’s true.”

Come to think of it, he hadn't eaten much today.

All he had was three chocolate bars, just enough to replenish some calories.

Although high in energy, they weren’t exactly filling.

“Just wait a bit! It feels wrong to just say thanks, and I can’t exactly pay you back physically, so…”

“Pay me back physically? What are you even talking about?”

Ham Jiyeon clearly wanted to express her gratitude for his support of the orphanage.

However, her choice of words seemed like they could be misinterpreted, so Sanghyun corrected her.

“Anyway! I just want to do something for you. No hidden motives, so just enjoy it!”

“You sound like you have plenty of motives.”

“Well, does it really matter? Just stay still! Oh no, I forgot the salt!”

“Alright, I’ll wait.”

The sounds of bustling activity in the kitchen felt strangely foreign to Sanghyun.

To him, the kitchen was merely a place where the microwave hummed when heating food.

If he ever felt like cooking, he might fry an egg—nothing more.

But with Ham Jiyeon there, the kitchen smelled of life, and the sounds of cooking made his stomach growl.

It felt awkward, yet he enjoyed the awkwardness.

Thinking of it as a special event in his daily life, Sanghyun closed his eyes.

‘Come to think of it, since Ham Jiyeon specializes in ice abilities, maybe I can train my resistance against that attribute.’

As expected of a born player, Sanghyun's thoughts immediately shifted to training.

Elemental resistance training.

It was essential.

Repeating this kind of training could eventually lead to skills that resist or defend against specific elements.

For now, he hadn’t faced any monsters heavily specialized in particular attributes.

However, as he tackled higher-level dungeons and Gates, such enemies would become increasingly common.

Flame-wielding Death Knights, ice-specialized Ice Mages—there were many types.

“How is it?”

“Delicious. I really like lightly seasoned food, and this is perfect.”

“I always make it a bit mild to suit the kids’ tastes. I did add a bit more salt just in case.”

“It’s perfect. Seriously, it’s so good.”

Sanghyun quickly emptied his bowl and served himself another portion of fried rice.

Maybe it was because this was his first proper meal of the day, but it tasted even better.

And having someone to eat with made the meal even more enjoyable.

“Jiyeon.”

“Yes?”

“How about we set aside a day for some intense training? I want to build resistance against ice attributes.”

“Training? Sounds great! What do I have to do?”

“I’ll explain once we start.”

“I’m always up for it! Training is a must for any player.”

“Are you actually keeping up with it?”

“Ahem! Let’s not dig too deep into that.”

Despite her words, Sanghyun knew very well that Ham Jiyeon trained diligently.

She had more than proven herself during the orphanage Gate raid.

“You can learn swordplay countermeasures from me.”

“Sounds like a perfect match. Hehe.”

She glanced at Sanghyun with a smile, clearly pleased with having a solid excuse to meet him more often.

A brief silence followed.

As Ham Jiyeon finished eating, she suddenly threw out a question that had been on her mind.

“Sanghyun.”

“Yeah?”

“Do you have any dating experience?”

Strictly speaking, none since his regression. In this body, he had yet to experience any romance.

If he included his past life, the answer would be different, but in his current life, Shin Sanghyun had none.

So, he answered honestly based on his present self.

“Not yet.”

“Then, are you a lifelong single? Like, someone who's never even held a girl’s hand?”

“Cough!”

Ham Jiyeon’s unexpected jab nearly made Sanghyun choke on his fried rice.