Chapter 133: Large-Scale Raid - (2)
‘Even if you kill undead for a hundred days, it’s useless since they just revive. In the end, the battle only ends when you blow up the main body.’
The target Sanghyun was charging at through the cold was not the horde of undead, but the being behind them.
Frozen Mage.
An undead mage specialized in freezing magic.
‘This bastard’s the reason I trained so hard with Ham Jiyeon.’
If he didn’t want all the suffering and effort he’d endured with Ham Jiyeon over the past five days to be in vain, he had to kill that thing.
Not just because it was a mage.
But because it acted as the control tower, commanding all the undead within its area of influence.
Like an air traffic control tower at an airport.
Of course, true to its name, the Frozen Mage was not an easy opponent. That was why Sanghyun was in a hurry.
『Crushing Airflow』
Boom!
First, he cast Crushing Airflow on the undead loitering in front.
Since there had been no word from the God of Storms after the last incident, he had worried the skill might have been taken back.
Fortunately, that wasn’t the case.
Crushing Airflow activated normally and inflicted a gravity-enhancing debuff on the mushy ghouls.
Grrrk!
As if crushed by a press, many ghouls were flattened into half-squashed forms.
Those with lower durability were crushed completely in that state and died instantly.
Were the ghouls just weak? No.
It was proof that the Crushing Airflow Sanghyun had manifested was just that powerful.
Meanwhile, the moment the gravity enhancement hit the ghouls, the Predation skill window lit up in red.
It meant it was available for use.
『Predation』
Fwshht!
The moment the skill activated, Sanghyun's body instantly moved 7 meters forward, closing in on a ghoul.
Slash!
He used a basic attack—deeming even skill usage a waste—to cleanly decapitate the ghoul.
Predation immediately reset.
『Predation』
Sanghyun then switched targets to another ghoul that had also been hit by the Crushing Airflow.
It was a repeated pattern.
He inflicted debuffs on ghouls positioned along his path, then used Predation to quickly close the distance.
“……”
The Frozen Mage’s gaze deepened as it watched Sanghyun’s shadow shorten by 7 meters every time he moved.
Was he reckless, or confident?
Seeing Sanghyun advance relentlessly despite the countless undead behind him, it felt a sense of dissonance.
At that moment.
Sanghyun, having closed the distance to some extent, extended one hand toward the Frozen Mage.
『Death Touch』
It was none other than Death Touch.
And he used 500 mana to fully summon the target—guaranteeing its pull!
Grahk!
The Frozen Mage was instantly dragged toward Sanghyun before it could even defend itself. A perfect blind spot.
It never imagined a swordsman would have a grab-type skill like this.
It wasn’t even listed among the possible unexpected variables—it was a completely blindsiding preemptive strike.
* * *
At the same time.
“Igah Hee, the one Sanghyun’s fighting now, that’s a mage, right? I’m seeing that right, aren’t I?”
“That’s right…”
Jung Junhyuk and Igah Hee were staring in astonishment at Sanghyun’s back as he entered battle.
Sanghyun had skillfully weaved through the undead horde and was now directly confronting the Frozen Mage.
And he’d done it by forcibly summoning the Frozen Mage—who had been quite a distance away—right in front of him using a skill!
“Wait, if a swordsman has a grab-type skill, that just means the opponent’s supposed to die quietly, huh.”
Whether it’s a mage player or a monster—
Their advantage against a swordsman lies in long-range combat. Usually, distance control works.
That’s why swordsman players say they get PTSD just from seeing mage monsters.
Because they keep a consistent distance and bombard them with relentless attacks.
Which meant you either had to retreat, or take the risk of recklessly charging in.
But Sanghyun did the opposite.
He gave them no room to create distance, and forcibly pulled them in. For a mage, that’s the worst scenario.
Their bodies aren’t made of steel—they can’t tank that brutal greatsword with their flesh.
But right then—
Clang! Clank! Clang!
The forcibly pulled Frozen Mage blocked Sanghyun’s rapid sword strikes with an ice barrier.
Boom!
Then launched the ice barrier forward, forcing Sanghyun to retreat. It was a stalling tactic.
“Sanghyun! A spear! An ice spear!”
Jung Junhyuk, realizing the Frozen Mage’s plan, shouted.
In an instant, an ice spear formed in the Frozen Mage’s right hand, honed to a terrifying sharpness.
At this range, Sanghyun was so close that a hit could result in serious injury.
And it wasn’t just Igah Hee and Jung Junhyuk who were focused on the scene.
Choi Sihu, who was supporting Do Kyungsoo in his battle with some room to spare, was also watching Sanghyun.
‘Is this suicide by creativity?’
That’s what Choi Sihu thought.
What made the Frozen Mage troublesome was its exceptional improvisation ability in critical moments.
Just like now.
An ice spear created in a surprise attack!
It was the Frozen Mage’s signature move—something that couldn’t be blocked by most defensive skills.
Even Do Kyungsoo, who used the defense-specialized skill ‘Sword Aura Shield,’ had once been pierced by it.
That’s why pushing the Frozen Mage hard from the start was considered dangerous.
This had been explained to Sanghyun in advance through briefing materials, but he had charged in regardless.
Of course, since he was responsible for his own challenge, Choi Sihu didn’t plan to fault him for it.
At that moment—
Crackling!
“Huh?”
Choi Sihu doubted his eyes.
The ice spear that launched from the Frozen Mage’s hand definitely pierced through Sanghyun.
It was a clean hit—no room for doubt. The distance was too close to dodge.
But Sanghyun was fine.
There was a difference, though.
Sanghyun’s figure, which had momentarily appeared blurry, became clear again.
It was a definite change from just a moment ago.
“Spatial distortion?”
Choi Sihu had no way of knowing that Sanghyun had used the 1.5-second spatial isolation skill, ‘Another Level.’
His mind was filled with question marks.
No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t figure out how Sanghyun had dodged the attack.
“Damn. Don’t tell me that’s spatial isolation?”
He had heard of it before.
He hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, but a Chinese player named Heo Yoongang was known to have such an ability.
A state where, although visible to the eyes, one is actually isolated in a different space temporarily.
But Heo Yoongang was a well-known spatial ability user in China.
It made sense for him to have a specialized skill like that.
But Sanghyun was different.
A swordsman with spatial isolation skill?
Even linking those two terms together created an immense sense of incongruity.
But Sanghyun had it.
“What the hell is that bastard?”
So shocked by the truth, a curse slipped out from Choi Sihu’s mouth.
In the words of Do Kyungsoo, who had observed him for a long time, it was the highest praise Choi Sihu could offer.
* * *
‘My instincts weren’t wrong.’
The moment he dodged the ice spear, Sanghyun once again realized the value of his skill.
He was certain he had gained a great skill from the battle with Ivan. He could feel it in his bones!
The Frozen Mage had entered a moment of opening.
It was time to strike back.
『Acceleration』
『Full Bash』
Along with skill usage, Sanghyun rapidly closed the distance via the activation of a frontal charge.
Since he had triggered instant acceleration as well, the destructive power of Full Bash was beyond imagination.
Thud!
“Kugh!”
The Frozen Mage groaned in agony as his abdomen was struck.
Having lost his turn to Sanghyun, this time he couldn’t defend in any way.
He really had to take the hit with his body.
On top of that, he was afflicted with Stiffness.
◎ Stiffness
◎ 1.7 seconds
‘So he has a status resistance ability. The effect duration is halved, huh.’
He had expected it.
Low and lowest-tier monsters with virtually no skill resistance would suffer the full status effect duration.
But a monster like the Frozen Mage was a different story.
He clearly looked like a mid-boss monster.
Encountering a mid-boss at the start?
That was possible in a large-scale raid.
That’s what made it so difficult—and why there were usually many casualties.
Sanghyun slashed away excitedly.
For Sanghyun, 1.7 seconds was more than enough time to land countless strikes.
However, he saved his finishing combo:
the Sword of Ruin, Weakness Amplification, Sage’s Whisper, and the Mortal’s Wrath.
His calculations showed that a single use wouldn’t be enough to finish it.
‘He used the power of the undead to reinforce his body—especially around the abdomen and chest. Clever.’
Having seasoned himself in many dungeons, gates, and rifts in his previous life, Sanghyun could tell.
A few attacks were all it took to understand which parts the enemy had reinforced.
Those areas were where the sword didn’t sink in easily, and the enemy’s expressions and reactions were dull—because they could endure it.
Then—
Clang!
Sanghyun deliberately angled his Madness Slayer Blade to create a spark that flew toward the Frozen Mage’s shoulder.
It struck the cuirass hidden beneath his robes, producing a meaningful spark.
“Grr…”
When the spark slipped into the area near his shoulder, the Frozen Mage’s expression changed briefly.
‘Between the shoulder and neck—in other words, the collarbone—is his Achilles' heel.’
Sanghyun had found the weak point.
Though it was hidden by the cuirass, it was reachable with a diagonal stab.
‘Not yet.’
Sanghyun held back strategically.
Since the weak point had just been exposed, the Frozen Mage would be on alert.
He might suspect it had been discovered.
While it was true that the Frozen Mage had a weakness in close combat, his base endurance was very high.
So, if he aimed for the weak spot when both he and the Frozen Mage were conscious of it, the chances of failure would increase.
‘Come on, go for it. Target me.’
Sanghyun’s plan was simple.
He would lure the Frozen Mage into launching an attack.
Typically, people lost focus and exposed gaps when they were attacking.
It was only natural.
To attack a target, one must concentrate on the attack itself, making them vulnerable to other variables.
At that moment—
The Frozen Mage, who had seemed to be getting beat down helplessly while stiffened, suddenly showed a strange expression.
‘Good. Take the bait!’
Sanghyun hid his smile.
He had read the enemy’s intention.
“Haaaap!”
Sanghyun exaggerated his motion and prepared to strike down the Frozen Mage’s head with a sweeping blow.
Just then—
Shaaah…
The status effect of Stiffness affecting the Frozen Mage dissipated.
The follow-up Freeze effect also disappeared instantly.
Just like Sanghyun had Recovery or Swift Cleanse, the Frozen Mage had a trick of his own.
And at that exact timing—
『Pure White』
Sanghyun activated the Pure White option.
It granted an additional 50% resistance and immunity to all mental attacks—a solid iron wall of defense.
Then—
Fssss!
An eye formed in the center of the Frozen Mage’s forehead glowed dark red and glared at Sanghyun.
A hypnosis skill—The Third Eye!
The Frozen Mage’s trump card.
A checkmate move!
The Frozen Mage was convinced of victory.
He intended to command the hypnotized Sanghyun to commit ‘honorable suicide.’
Kukuku…
A cunning smile crept across the Frozen Mage’s lips, certain of his win.
But something was wrong.
“Hmph.”
Sanghyun, who should have fallen under hypnosis, charged at the Frozen Mage without even a flicker of confusion!
The prediction had been off.
No—it was completely wrong.