Chapter 119

Chapter 119: Do Kyunghye - (3)

"Kuhak!"

The thief, caught by the summoning of Death Touch, bounced off the motorcycle like a spring and flew toward Sang-hyun.

"Kyunghye, get back!"

Sanghyun cautiously pushed Do Kyunghye backward.

A pure buffer player like her was completely incapable of one-on-one combat.

"Ah..."

Do Kyunghye clutched her chest in shock as she recalled the situation that had just flashed by.

What that thief had attempted was to use a summoning skill to steal Do Kyunghye’s white fan.

Had Sanghyun not reacted with Recovery, she would have lost her precious white fan right in front of her eyes.

'He was incredibly fast.'

Sanghyun's reaction speed was beyond what Do Kyunghye had imagined.

Not only that, but he also used an unexpected skill to pull the thief toward him.

A summoning skill.

It was a skill that seemed completely unrelated to a swordsman player.

Such skills were meant for wizards. A certainty of 99.99% could be applied to that statement.

"Haaat!"

Clang!

"Damn it!"

In an instant, Sang-hyun’s Pimakum and the thief’s dagger clashed.

The thief wore a skull-shaped mask over his mouth, and his eyes gleamed with murderous intent.

Rather than fearing Sanghyun, his expression was filled with frustration over his failed theft.

"What the hell are you doing in the middle of Seoul in the morning?"

"Damn it, my plan got ruined because of you. Get lost if you don’t want to die before I get angrier."

"Hey, are you out of your mind?"

Sanghyun let out a hollow laugh.

Not only did the thief attempt robbery, but after failing and being caught, he was now making threats instead.

He had seen many reckless people, but this level of brazenness was a first.

Curious about the reason, Sanghyun looked around.

"Ah-ha. You tampered with the CCTV."

The surveillance cameras installed everywhere had been disabled. The player had used their abilities in the wrong way.

A two-person robbery team.

The player who had been driving the motorcycle was watching the situation from afar.

That player had likely interfered with the CCTV, causing distortion and disruption.

"You’ve played the white knight long enough, so just leave."

"No, I’m not leaving. I saw everything with my own eyes, so I can’t just walk away. Scum like you belong behind bars."

"Prisons don’t serve rice and beans anymore."

"Wow, how informative. But you do know that a player’s theft crime is punished more severely than a normal person’s, right?"

"You have to get caught first to be punished."

"You really live for today, don’t you?"

"Screw you, bastard. Just come at me."

Srrng.

The thief pulled out another dagger from his coat, preparing for dual-wielding combat.

Both daggers emitted a golden glow, suggesting they were valuable artifacts.

Shaaa.

At the same time, a white aura surrounded Sanghyun, while a black aura enveloped the thief.

It was a strange standoff.

From the rear, Do Kyunghye was pouring buffs into Sang-hyun.

Several buffs had been applied, but these three stood out the most.

'As expected of Do Kyunghye.'

There was no need to enter a dungeon to witness her true value. This unexpected encounter provided the opportunity instead.

"Krrh."

Meanwhile, the thief also seemed to have a buffer supporting him from the rear, as he was undergoing his own enhancements.

"If you kill me, you won’t get caught, but otherwise, you’ll be adding attempted murder to your charges. Understand?"

"Screw off!"

"Tsk, such a foul mouth."

Paah!

Enraged, the thief lunged at Sang-hyun.

The moment he moved, his figure vanished—just like any typical assassin player’s stealth.

『Gaia’s Breath』

Detecting stealth was easy.

As soon as the skill was activated, the thief’s movement path became clearly visible.

If he had been able to hide his mana presence, Gaia’s Breath wouldn’t have detected him.

Unfortunately, he was not an assassin of that caliber.

Sang-hyun remained in place.

Even knowing the thief was approaching, he did not move.

Instead, he made the necessary preparations.

He had designed a specialized counterattack to overwhelm the opponent after a single defense.

And then—

"Haaap!"

Seeing Sanghyun seemingly exposing himself too much, the thief thrust his dagger toward Sanghyun’s abdomen.

It was a cruel attack intended to rip open the peritoneum and mutilate the internal organs in one go.

But at that very moment—

『Sacrifice』

Thud!

"......?"

The thief heard an entirely unexpected sound the moment his dual daggers touched Sang-hyun’s stomach.

Instead of the sound of flesh being pierced, it was the sound of hitting a solid wall.

That was not a sound that could come from stabbing a human abdomen!

'How did my vital strike get blocked like this?'

His mind went blank.

This was not just an ordinary attack but a semi-finisher-level strike.

The outcome should have been clear.

Blocked? That made no sense.

Such a ridiculous result should not have happened.

As he was caught in his shock—

Shwaak! Shwaak! Shwaak! Shwaak!

Sanghyun landed four clean strikes.

Layering it with the Sage’s Whisper as a foundation, his power-infused Crushing Blade aimed straight for the thief's chest.

The next moment!

Puh-uhhk! Ppajijik!

The Crushing Blade pierced through the thief’s artifact armor while simultaneously triggering Thunderbolt.

Thanks to the buff 'Judgment Day' cast by Do Kyunghye, the maximum damage of a critical hit was realized.

"Wow...!"

As a bolt of lightning struck down from the clear sky, directly hitting the thief, Do Kyunghye gasped in amazement.

It was truly a lightning strike.

Even among mage players skilled in controlling electricity, such as 'Perfect Storm' Jung Junhyuk, it was doubtful they could reproduce this.

"Kugh!"

The thief froze in place.

White smoke rose from his entire body, making him look like someone who had been burned.

"He's still breathing because he's a player. If he were an ordinary person, he'd be dead instantly."

"Kggk..."

The thief couldn't utter another word.

He had thought the battle had just begun, but it ended as soon as it started.

The first and only attack Sanghyun received was the opening strike, which was completely blocked by Sacrifice.

Buuuuung!

His accomplice—until moments ago, at least—confirmed his fallen comrade's condition, then quickly rode off on a motorcycle, disappearing into the distance.

It was a swift 'cutting of losses' after realizing his ally’s fate was sealed.

"Just lie down and rest for a bit."

Tuk!

"Kuh!"

Thunk!

Sanghyun lightly pushed the thief with the tip of his Blood-Drinking Sword, causing the stiffened man to topple backward like a wooden log.

The sheer force of the Thunderbolt seemed to have left the thief's body completely rigid, preventing him from moving properly.

"Let's see your face."

Sanghyun removed the skull mask from the thief’s face, revealing a familiar visage.

'Utopia Guild's Park Juntae.'

The very same Utopia Guild that had been entangled with Choi Youngcheol in a previous incident.

Within the guild, he ranked among the top seven, yet he had been taken down in a single strike.

Of course, Utopia Guild was full of scum, and there were no real elites among them, to begin with.

"First, let's report this. And just in case, I'll put him to sleep for a while longer."

"Kggk! Ugh! Please!"

"They say prison food is decent these days. Enjoy your rice meals inside."

Thwack!

"Ggehk."

Sanghyun casually swung his blade, striking Park Juntae hard under the chin, knocking him out cold.

His jaw was probably broken (?) and he was properly restrained, ensuring he would remain incapacitated until the association staff arrived.

The cleanup was swift and seamless.

After a brief debriefing session,

Sanghyun handed Park Juntae over to the association and, along with Do Kyunghye, headed back to Player Town.

Do Kyunghye, on the way home, expressed her gratitude to Sanghyun multiple times.

Thanks to him, she had not only protected her valuable Epic-grade fan but also avoided any harm.

"Thank you so much. I was able to keep Baekseondo and escape a dangerous situation thanks to you."

"It was nothing. I just helped because I was there."

"Buffers are always vulnerable in unpredictable situations or one-on-one battles, so it's a constant source of stress."

"I understand. I would feel the same way. But thanks to your buffs, the battle ended early."

"It was nothing special."

"Without the buffs, I would have had to fight for several more exchanges. Your buffs had a huge impact."

At first glance, it seemed like Do Kyunghye had contributed significantly.

But from her perspective, it was entirely different.

No matter how strong a buff was, if the base foundation was weak, its effectiveness would be limited.

However, Sanghyun had numerous means to maximize the destructive power of the buffs.

The Crushing Blade that completely crumpled Park Juntae’s armor.

The Thunderbolt skill that followed in perfect sync.

Seeing this, Do Kyunghye felt genuine awe toward Sanghyun.

Unlike her older brother Do Kyungsoo, Sanghyun had his own unique style and overwhelming destructive power.

Moreover, it was evident that Sanghyun possessed skills similar to Do Kyungsoo’s Awakening Skills.

‘His skill composition is bizarre.’

Although she used the word ‘bizarre,’ it was meant as a high compliment to Sanghyun’s versatility.

What kind of swordsman could summon allies and strike their opponent with lightning in a single attack?

It was something only Sanghyun could achieve.

If it weren’t him, such a scenario wouldn’t even be conceivable. Even Do Kyungsoo lacked such skills.

"Thank you again. If my brother hears about what happened today, he’ll be furious..."

"How about keeping it a secret between us?"

"My brother and I made a promise—to always be honest with each other and never hide anything."

Sanghyun nodded.

Having grown up relying on each other since childhood, their close bond was something to be admired.

"Now I understand why my brother was so interested in you and kept praising you. It all makes sense now."

"It’s really not a big deal."

"No, at your level, my brother has every reason to be on guard. He should be."

Do Kyunghye gave him a thumbs-up, her eyes shining with sincerity.

It felt good.

Receiving recognition from someone was always rewarding—especially from a future big-name figure.

"Next time, I should at least fill in my half-missing eyebrows and put on some BB cream. Look at my face."

Seeing her disheveled reflection in a store window, Do Kyunghye blushed.

Her growing connection with Sanghyun felt like it would only deepen from here.

Naturally, she wanted to show him a better version of herself.

A little while later.

After parting ways with Do Kyunghye and returning home, Sanghyun received a phone call.

The moment he saw the caller ID, he answered without hesitation.

It was none other than Han Hyunjung.

<Sanghyun, I've found an Epic-grade artifact that you can purchase immediately or within the next day or two. Do you have time today?>

It looked like today wasn’t going to be a day off—it was going to be another hectic one.