Chapter 113

Chapter 113: Yeoncheon County Dungeon - (2)

"......What the heck is that now."

As soon as the battle started, Kim Miso, who was pulling her bowstring, stopped moving at the sight of Sanghyun's spectacular technique.

At first, when he froze the trolls by linking Cold Blast with Wind Mastery, she thought nothing of it.

By now, Sanghyun's various status-inflicting abilities were nothing surprising.

The problem started after that.

Sanghyun had instantly approached the frozen troll.

He hadn't moved quickly, nor had he used a skill like Back Step to reach his target in an unpredictable manner.

It was as if a powerful magnet had been activated, suddenly pulling him forward with a rush of wind.

It was a new kind of skill Kim Miso had never seen Sanghyun use before.

'Yes, this is it.'

Meanwhile, Sanghyun was satisfied, having grasped how Predation worked.

The moment he killed a monster affected by the skill, any remaining cooldown time was completely reset.

Which meant?

He only needed to find another monster within a 7-meter radius that was still suffering from a status effect.

Fortunately, among the trolls that had been hit by Cold Blast earlier, there was one that had yet to break free from its frozen state.

Sanghyun immediately activated Predation.

Whoosh!

With the sound of the wind cutting through the air, Sanghyun's body was instantly moved to a spot just one meter in front of the troll.

It was the perfect position to strike a fatal blow with his Blood-Drinking Sword.

Slash!

Gwaaaargh!

This pattern repeated itself.

Since the 7-meter dash was instantaneous, as long as the conditions were met, there was no need to use any other movement skill.

"Oppa, are you some kind of Hong Gil-dong?"

From Kim Miso's perspective, watching from the sidelines, this was the only reaction she could have.

Every time she blinked, Sanghyun's position changed.

Despite her words, Sanghyun, who was already completely immersed in battle, continued to weave through the trolls.

Each time he appeared in a new spot, another troll let out a pitiful scream before collapsing.

"Ugh, damn it!"

Kim Miso shouted in frustration.

She hadn't brought a legendary-grade bow just to be a spectator.

She had prepared a secret weapon to take the lead in the battle, but now she was stuck watching again.

Ping! Piping! Ping! Ping!

Kim Miso started firing rapidly.

As long as she had enough mana, her bow allowed for continuous rapid fire with no delay.

Not only that, but the mana arrows automatically carried all elemental attributes.

This meant that any enemy hit by them would experience the full force of every elemental attack.

It was an All-Master-type attack, rendering any single-element resistance or immunity useless.

Gwaaak! Guhuk!

The trolls fell one by one under Kim Miso's heated, concentrated fire.

Even Sanghyun, who had been enjoying the thrill of his Predation skill like a grasshopper, was finally forced to acknowledge Kim Miso’s firepower.

When Sanghyun turned around, he saw Kim Miso biting her lip, pulling her bowstring with intense focus.

Each time an arrow left her fingers, golden radiance surged into the sky.

"That’s incredible."

It was worth the money.

The wounds caused by the mana arrows smoked and melted the trolls' skin.

The attack was designed to disrupt their regeneration mechanisms, making it lethal to them.

The trolls were wiped out in an instant.

With Kim Miso's relentless barrage and Sanghyun’s teleporting slaughter, they fell like autumn leaves.

Sanghyun wiped away his sweat and gave Kim Miso a thumbs-up.

"That artifact found the right owner. Your firepower is insane today."

"Don't talk about me! Not only did you get your hands on some amazing greatsword, but you also have a new skill now?"

"You noticed?"

"With the way you're swinging your sword so dramatically, it's impossible not to notice! Hmph!"

"You’re really aggressive today."

"This is our last mission together for a while, right? I don't want to just sit back and admire you all day again."

"You're already doing more than enough."

"Say that again, and I’ll make sure you regret it."

Kim Miso pouted angrily, but Sanghyun knew better than anyone that she wasn’t truly mad.

Perhaps worried about the mood becoming awkward, Kim Miso quickly changed the subject.

"Sanghyun oppa."

"Hm?"

"I recently gained a new wide-area finishing move, a holy skill. It’s the result of all my hard training..."

"Oh? Really?"

Creating a new skill was no easy feat. It required endless training and refinement.

Even with dedicated practice, it often took a long time if the player's compatibility with the skill wasn’t perfect.

That was why players treasured every skill they developed—it was that difficult to obtain them.

So every time Kim Miso saw Sanghyun casually showing up with a new skill, she couldn’t help but sigh.

"I want to use it properly today. I’m not sure if the right situation will present itself, though."

"Want me to set the table for you?"

"How?"

"I have a way. I’ll create the perfect situation for your skill demonstration."

Sanghyun's eyes gleamed.

Even as he spoke, he was amazed at how naturally the perfect solution came to mind.

He continued.

"Wasn’t there a colony of Swift Self-Destructing Kobolds around here?"

"Yes. Northwest of here. In our original strategy, we planned to avoid that area entirely."

"Let’s go there."

"Oppa! Self-Destructing Kobolds are reckless! No matter how strong you are, if they swarm and explode, it's over!"

"Trust me."

"Even if Joo-hee were here, we were planning to avoid them. It's really dangerous. I’m not the one in danger—you are!"

Kim Miso shook her head firmly.

At that moment.

"Unnie, don't you trust me?"

Sanghyun threw his ultimate move.

A little later.

In the end, Kim Miso followed Sanghyun and arrived at the cluster of self-destructing Kobolds.

The entire colony was exuding an eerie pale green aura, which was unsettling.

The terrifying aspect of the self-destructing Kobolds was their ability to convert the blood flowing in their bodies into highly acidic liquid at any time.

It was practically the same as carrying a detonator that could explode at any moment.

Like moths drawn to a flame, self-destructing Kobolds were programmed to react unconditionally to the scent of humans.

This was exactly why Kim Miso was worried.

Once a self-destructing Kobold locked onto a target, it would relentlessly chase them down until either it died or the target perished.

'I came here to see Kim Miso's skill in action. Also, I have a feeling there's a possible title recipe.'

Sanghyun had his own reasons for coming here.

Based on what he had heard from other players in his past life, if multiple self-destructing monsters were induced to commit suicide-explosions—

It was said that a title related to this could be unlocked.

Though it sounded like a questionable rumor, he had not dismissed it outright.

"What's the attack range of your skill?"

"I can cover up to a 100-meter radius from where I stand. The actual impact range is 15 meters from the center point."

"Is it like a meteor attack? That's insane."

"I also think this skill might redefine my identity. Since it's a mass-killing ability."

"So instead of being an archer specialized in physical attacks, you might lean towards becoming a magic-based archer."

"Exactly."

'A discrepancy in memory.'

Sanghyun tilted his head slightly, making sure Kim Miso wouldn't notice.

Godly Archer of Massacre, Kim Miso.

In his past life, she had been a purely physical attack-focused archer.

The wide-area attack skill she was about to use had never existed before. If it had been something like rapid-fire or multi-shot, maybe.

If things had changed from his past life, there was only one reason. It had to be because of their connection.

Perhaps he had become a different kind of motivation or stimulus for her, altering her course.

'No matter what she chooses, Kim Miso will succeed.'

Of that, he had no doubt.

It was merely a matter of choice, not one of success or failure.

"Then I'll gather the Kobolds at that spot. Do you see it? The statue near the colony entrance."

"It looks like a Kobold statue?"

"That's right. Target that location."

"Oppa, are you really sure you can get out safely?"

"Why would I need to get out? Just shoot. I'll handle myself in the midst of them."

"You're absolutely sure?"

"I don't joke about my life. Anyway, once I fire the dungeon flare, you shoot immediately. Got it?"

"Got it."

"If you hesitate at the last moment wondering if it's okay or not and don't shoot, then I’ll actually die."

After firmly setting the timing, Sanghyun immediately set off toward the Kobold colony.

Even from above, it was clear there were at least a thousand of them living together.

This was a four-player restricted dungeon.

There was no way any player could boldly charge through this area alone.

Unless they had an option that allowed them to remain completely ‘invincible’!

Of course, Sanghyun had an option no one else did.

The gathering was quickly accomplished.

Thanks to his prior experience of working with Lee Sehwa during the Beast Subjugation Battle, he had already mastered the art of mob-herding.

The highly aggressive self-destructing Kobolds chased after him just from a few skill activations.

Drinking a vitality potion—

Activating Over Psychedelic—

With his movements enhanced, he could now feel himself moving far faster than the self-destructing Kobolds.

Those that got too close were either lifted away by an Rising Airflow or were blocked using Defensive Sword.

"......"

Meanwhile, Kim Miso, who was watching and waiting for the perfect moment, was left in shock at the unfolding scene.

Despite being chased by nearly the entire colony of Kobolds, Sanghyun was not in any danger!

He weaved through the Kobolds as if toying with them, expertly gathering them into one spot.

There were a few close calls, but he cleverly avoided them with his unique skill reactions.

"Was I a fool to doubt Oppa's success?"

Her previous doubts now felt embarrassing, given how perfectly everything was going.

It was impossible to herd the monsters more beautifully than this.

Screeeeech.

She pulled back her bowstring and began pouring all her mana into it, preparing for a single decisive strike.

Crackle!

A mana-infused arrow, charged with an overwhelming amount of explosive power, emitted a high-voltage current as it readied to be fired at any moment.

Just then—

Swish!

A flare fired by Sanghyun shot up into the sky.

At the same time, Kim Miso saw Sanghyun stop moving entirely, standing still amidst the thousand self-destructing Kobolds.

"......What the?"

How was he planning to survive that?

Confused, Kim Miso enhanced her vision using a skill to get a clearer look.

"Ah."

Finally, she saw it.

Sanghyun was kneeling on one knee, his greatsword planted firmly into the ground, completely still amidst the horde of Kobolds.

He remained motionless, as if he had turned into a statue.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The self-destructing Kobolds continuously exploded around him, but their attacks didn’t affect him in the slightest.

In other words—

"He's invincible?"

Absolute invincibility!

This was an outcome Kim Miso had never anticipated.

How in the world did Sanghyun possess such a skill? It was beyond comprehension.

Meanwhile—

Sanghyun cast aside all distractions and immersed himself in the tranquility provided by the Song of the Sword, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, bark all you want. I have no interest in engaging with you."

Kwoo! Kwooo! Uwooo!

The Kobolds howled in frustration right next to him, exploding one after another in rage.

But as for Sanghyun, his expression was calmer than ever.

He looked as though he had attained complete enlightenment.