Chapter 121

Chapter 121: Legendary - (2)

Before examining other aspects, Sanghyun first checked the fluctuation in his stats.

After all, high-tier artifacts, as rare as they are, grant an enormous increase in stats.

"Compared to before, Strength has increased by 300, and Stamina by 400."

The first thing that stood out was Strength and Stamina, which are fundamental for a swordsman player.

A massive jump in two stats at once!

If Strength increases by just 4 more points, theoretically, the airborne effect of Rising Airflow could be extended to 9 seconds.

Against monsters with weak skill resistance, they would end up helplessly staring at the sky until their death.

"This is seriously insane."

His main stats had skyrocketed.

A total of 700 stat points.

This amount was so overwhelming that converting it into levels was meaningless.

For someone like Sanghyun, who was only at level 150, this was an unimaginable leap in stats.

Such growth was something only players like Do Kyungsoo or Han Hyunjung, who had surpassed level 500, could expect to achieve.

"On top of that, an additional 150 to all other stats. It's like they're stuffing me so full I might burst."

The stat boost didn’t stop there.

Agility, Mana, Luck, Evasion, and Defense had all increased by 150.

In other words, just by upgrading to the Madness Slayer Blade, his total stats had increased by 1,450 compared to the previous Blood-Drinking Sword.

Considering the astronomical valuation, it was only natural for him to be left speechless.

"Mana is now over 500? That means I can finally use a full summon of Death Touch. Before, the 500 mana cost made it nothing more than a pipe dream."

His skill versatility had expanded.

Lately, the number of skills consuming massive amounts of mana had been increasing, making it a growing burden.

Moreover, with Luck surpassing 700, both the minimum and maximum critical damage expectations had increased significantly.

The minimum was now 170%, and the maximum 850%. His already powerful strikes had gained an even more terrifying destructive force.

"These stats are just..."

Sanghyun stared blankly at his updated stat window for a long time.

It was hard to believe.

With this level of Strength and Stamina, he felt like he could even take on Jinho Cho in a duel.

Judging by Stamina alone, he had likely surpassed Shin Taeri's level.

"The weight reduction and knockback burst have been successfully inherited, just as I checked earlier."

He meticulously reviewed everything.

There was no room for missing any options during the fusion process. Fortunately, no errors had occurred.

Instead, two major enhancements had emerged!

"Not only has the health restoration increased by 2 points, but Cursed Execution has also jumped from 2.5% to 3%?"

It was a shocking improvement.

Was this the power of a Legendary artifact? Or the effect of a synthesis blessed by the Goddess of Luck?

"Thank you all for the congratulations. Dark Hunter, I think that’s enough from you now."

Sanghyun furrowed his brow.

Why did the Dark Hunter keep complaining?

If he truly suspected something, he had plenty of ways to take action.

For instance, he could contract another player and have them keep Sanghyun in check.

Yet, despite having numerous options, he had not made a contract with anyone and was merely watching Sanghyun with hostility.

Meanwhile...

"As expected, I got a hidden skill."

Sanghyun smiled with satisfaction as he checked the two new skills added to the Madness Slayer Blade.

Not only had Blood Infusion and Cursed Execution been inherited, but two completely new skills had appeared.

"Ha. Should I take a break?"

As he was about to shift his focus to skills, Sanghyun stood up.

A flood of emotions washed over him. Had he ever experienced such happiness in his past life?

Never.

Back then, he would simply envy those who owned Epic or Legendary artifacts.

He used to wield a greatsword so worn down by time that even its shine had faded, constantly lamenting his poverty.

But now, at this very moment...

He stood before an artifact so valuable that selling just one could buy an entire apartment complex in Seoul.

Was this a dream or reality?

Even though he knew it was cliché, he pinched his cheek—because this moment was just that blissful.

"Thank you."

Sanghyun bowed toward the Constellation he had yet to meet, the Late-Blooming Model Student.

Of course, the Constellation who had helped him the most was undoubtedly the Goddess of Luck.

However, the defining moment that set this success in motion—his regression—was brought about by the Late-Blooming Model Student.

Even though the Constellation had never admitted it, Sanghyun was certain. The Late-Blooming Model Student had sent him back in time.

Calming his pounding heart, Sanghyun returned his attention to the tooltips.

Simply looking at his increased stats was satisfying enough, and seeing his upgraded skills filled him with joy.

But there was still more excitement to uncover—he wasn't about to ignore it now.

Even if it made him faint from happiness.

"I've gained another status effect skill."

A satisfied smile spread across his face.

Taunt was one of the many status effects.

It forced targets to move toward the caster against their will.

They could still think and make decisions, but their bodies wouldn't listen, compelling them forward like magnets.

Since additional mana could be used to make the taunt more widespread, its scalability was excellent.

Lately, the addition of status effect options had been rare.

It felt like scratching an itch, making him feel good.

“The last one, too.”

Sanghyun's gaze finally turned to the last reward, the second new hidden skill.

“Extend or erase. Whether it’s extended or immunity is removed, it’s a problem either way. It’s a forced dilemma, but both sides are hell.”

A no-win scenario.

He had obtained an utterly insane skill.

The terrifying part about Machiavellian Schemes was that it could extend any status effect without exception.

For Sanghyun, it was particularly advantageous for extending the airborne duration of Rising Airflow or the stiffness effect of Demon Bash.

If the opponent didn’t use an appropriate cleansing skill—like Recovery—they would be trapped indefinitely unless they died.

“Truly, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer.”

In the world of players, this logic applied perfectly.

Had he only possessed two Epic-grade artifacts, he never would have obtained these two new skills.

But because they were Legendary-grade, they came with fitting prestige, and the impact would be significant moving forward!

“On top of that, there’s even the sword’s buff.”

He noticed another thing he had overlooked.

The artifact buff inherent to the Madness Slayer Blade.

“This is almost overkill.”

Sanghyun clicked his tongue.

An endless parade of exceptional abilities.

Temptation of Madness was the pinnacle of them all.

The frightening thing about percentage-based buffs was that the stronger the recipient, the greater the effect.

For instance, in Sanghyun’s case.

Thanks to this buff alone, his health skyrocketed from 930 to 1,023.

Of course, the stat window would still display 930, but the actual health he experienced would be 1.1 times that.

That was his current state.

As he continued to grow, the increase wouldn’t be just by tens but by hundreds.

“Next, should I combine two Unique-grade items to create an Epic one? That’d be a great move.”

His greed naturally flared up.

The goddess of fortune truly was a blessing.

After taking a full day of rest,

Sanghyun boarded a flight straight to Haneda Airport in Japan.

Before his departure, he received a preliminary report on the large-scale raid from Do Kyungsoo, and it was more extensive than he had expected.

‘Perfect. I was looking for a movie to kill time on the way, but I can just study instead.’

Since it was a long-awaited document, Sanghyun checked the file with satisfaction before proceeding with his departure formalities.

Throughout his journey to the Dotonbori River, he wouldn’t have to worry about being bored.

The dark hours before dawn.

A rainstorm that had started in the evening engulfed the entire city of Seoul, pouring down in an unprecedented deluge.

Click. Click.

A man was meticulously reviewing a collection of organized data on Sanghyun.

Inside a dimly lit room.

Each flicker of the monitor reflected eerily off his glasses, casting an ominous blue glow.

“Shin Sanghyun has grown even more in such a short time. This completely disrupts my plan.”

The man pushed his glasses up his nose.

He was known as "Nietzsche" within the Predator Network.

His plan to consume Sanghyun’s constellation after securing more information had crumbled.

Even as he gathered and analyzed information, Sanghyun continued to grow at an absurd rate.

So much so that even Nietzsche, known for his intelligence network, struggled to keep up.

“How can I create a scenario where I can devour him convincingly?”

Nietzsche let out a deep sigh.

While he waited for the perfect opportunity,

The cub he had marked as prey had already turned into a full-fledged beast.

“Who’s backing him?”

That was Nietzsche’s biggest question.

Who exactly was supporting Shin Sanghyun,

allowing him to grow at such an alarming rate?

Not just Nietzsche, but every predator in the Predator Network had the same question.

Of course, they all reached the same conclusion—they wouldn’t know until they killed him.

So all they could do was strategize ways to consume him.

“It’s time to establish more contact points.”

Having made up his mind, Nietzsche rose from his seat.