Chapter 139

Chapter 139: Friendly Rival – (1)

Ghouls, who carry memories of fratricide, can no longer muster the will to resist you.

This applies to all ghoul-type monsters, including mid-boss and boss monsters.

They fall into a permanent state of despair in the presence of you, the butcher.

‘It’s basically the undead version of Fearless Newborn Pup.’

It was quite an effective title.

It applied to all ghoul monsters, from the lowest-ranked ghouls to Armor Ghouls, Mad Ghouls, and even Ghoul Kings.

They would not be able to perform any hostile actions even upon seeing Sanghyun.

Even if a Frozen Mage issued a command to fight, the effect of the Ghoul Slayer title would take precedence.

Even if the command was to kill them if they didn’t fight, they absolutely could not become hostile.

‘If there’s a ghoul-type boss monster, it’d be nothing more than a scarecrow. I wonder if I’ll get a chance?’

It made for a fun thought.

Anyway, a title that could perfectly neutralize a specific type of monster wasn’t common.

And it wasn’t like ghouls only existed in this dungeon—there would be countless encounters with such creatures.

At that moment.

‘Guide of the Holy Spirit? Do Kyungsoo never mentioned a title like this?’

Another new title had appeared.

Up until now, Sanghyun had only barely obtained one SS-grade title — Conductor of Illusions — a rare title.

Even for named players, there were many cases where they would never acquire an SS-grade title in their lifetime.

So the appearance rate was very low, and suddenly, a new title had been granted to Sanghyun.

Judging by the name, it was clearly related to the Lighthouse of the Holy Spirit.

The title is provided by the Constellation ‘Bringer of Light’. They are also a prospective seat of the Dimensional Pantheon.

‘A prospective seat. There are 100 total Constellation seats, and those ranked 101 to 105 are held in reserve in case the main ones fall.’

It was a title provided by a Constellation with considerable presence. In other words, it wasn’t an ordinary title.

First, Holy Crusade.

Deals 200% additional damage to undead at all times.

Second, Relentless Inquisitor.

Deals 200% additional damage to contractors affiliated with evil-aligned or non-neutral Constellations.

However, damage received from them is also increased by 100%. It can be a double-edged sword depending on the situation.

Third, Divine Protection.

Grants complete and permanent immunity to neurotoxins and paralysis poisons typically caused by undead monsters.

‘Ah, so this was the perk. No wonder Do Kyungsoo in my past life often tackled undead dungeons. It makes sense now.’

He had preferred undead dungeons so much that in his past life, Do Kyungsoo was sometimes called ‘Undead Ghost’ instead of ‘Sword Demon’.

Judging by the first and third passive skills, this title was practically a gift for smashing undead monsters.

It significantly increased his damage output and gave complete immunity to troublesome status ailments.

Judging by how Lee Gah Hee and Jung Junhyuk didn’t react at all,

It seemed the title perks were granted only to Sanghyun, who directly activated the Lighthouse of the Holy Spirit.

‘Relentless Inquisitor is pretty good too. My damage taken doubles, but theirs triples. That’s a favorable trade.’

He liked the second skill as well.

Of course, Relentless Inquisitor would likely be more useful against players than monsters.

Especially against Constellation Predators who commit evil acts. Their contracted Constellations were probably all evil-aligned.

‘It’s a passive skill I can turn on and off as needed. No mana cost either, that’s perfect.’

He had acquired a truly great title.

Just like Do Kyungsoo in his past life, Sanghyun now also felt the urge to tackle dungeons with undead as the main theme.

Those dungeons would practically be like picking fruit lying on the ground. It was like having the fruit peeled and handed to you.

‘To think the butterfly effect of regression would reach this extent.’

The more he looked back on recent events, the more amazed he became.

In the end, even obtaining two rare titles today in succession was a butterfly effect caused by his connection with Do Kyungsoo.

If he had lived the exact same life as before, he never would have met him, and today’s raid would not have happened.

The start of all this was ultimately due to the Constellation ‘Late Bloomer Model Student’ sending him back in time.

Yet, he still hadn’t heard anything from the one responsible. Of course, that person wouldn’t know his past life either.

Five minutes later.

Having reached a spot where the main force came into view, Sanghyun spoke to Lee Gah Hee and Jung Junhyuk.

“Alright, let’s go our separate ways now. We’re just chasing down stragglers, so strategy and tactics don’t really matter.”

In short, he was saying, let’s have some fun. Killing monsters fleeing in disarray was easy.

“Okay, then I’ll head that way. I want to see how the main force fights up close.”

“I’ll also keep heading toward the main force.”

Lee Gah Hee and Jung Junhyuk shared the same thought.

Since they were participating as mercenaries, it was important to leave an impression on Do Kyungsoo. Their decision was wise.

Sanghyun gave a brief farewell.

“See you later.”

But Sanghyun’s thinking was different.

There was no need, nor reason, to go out of his way to impress Do Kyungsoo.

Activating the Lighthouse of the Holy Spirit alone would have already changed how Do Kyungsoo viewed him.

Even if he thought Sanghyun was strange—so what? Sanghyun had never once lived while worrying about others’ opinions.

“Alright, time to go farming for mid-bosses! I’ve already got a solid method to take down Frozen Mages!”

Sanghyun began sprinting lightly toward the center of the battlefield.

Several fearless Ghouls, Mummies, and Wights tried to block his path, but it was a pointless effort.

Even the mere brush of his True Demon Sword caused heads to fly, proving their deaths.

Pop! Pap! Pap!

By alternating between Downward Current and Survival of the Fittest, Sanghyun quickly pierced through the undead legion's outskirts and moved toward the center.

From the start, Sanghyun’s eyes were not on trivial monsters but solely on mid-boss-level monsters.

Each one of them was a living, unique-grade Artifact. There was no way he could let them go.

* * *

Thanks to the massive blow Sanghyun delivered, the tide of battle turned dramatically, and momentum picked up.

With a 100% chance of victory, the Sword Demon–Sword God team didn’t hesitate to push forward.

It was the same for Sanghyun and his two companions—they cut down a truly uncountable number of monsters.

The rapid level-ups were a bonus.

After that, Sanghyun went on to take down four more Frozen Mages.

Not even a single player in Do Kyungsoo’s team had taken down five Frozen Mages solo in total.

Even Do Kyungsoo only had three.

While it was simply a kill count, Sanghyun’s kill volume surpassed all others. It was something that had never happened before.

And when the battle ended,

Do Kyungsoo and Choi Sihoo could only be shocked as they confirmed the time it took and surveyed the site again.

When Sanghyun wasn’t around, it had taken nearly a full week to clear Phase 1 and 2.  

Now, that same progress had been reduced to just a single day.  

Was it because the Sword Demon–Sword God team had performed well?  

No.  

They had always performed well, and that was a constant, not something that could be counted as a variable.  

The key difference in this raid was that ‘Sanghyun’ had participated.  

He had activated the Lighthouse of the Holy Spirit and furthermore, secured the momentum right from the early stage of the battle.  

That was the true variable.  

Do Kyungsoo watched Sanghyun’s back as he calmly cleaned his True Demon Sword, which was covered in blood and flesh.  

He was cheerfully greeting passersby while diligently tending to his beloved weapon.  

After such overwhelming solo performance, one might expect him to be exhausted, but there was not a trace of fatigue on his face.  

Even Do Kyungsoo, who was feeling soreness in his upper body and rotating his shoulders, felt ashamed in comparison.  

Choi Sihoo confirmed that not a trace of the undead remained all the way to the royal palace in the distance and spoke.  

“It’s a complete annihilation, Master.”  

“We didn’t just save time. We managed to conserve a considerable amount of the potions we brought. Everyone’s in good condition too.”  

“Agreed. The positive effects can’t even be summarized in just one or two points. Our condition for Phase 3 should be excellent.”  

“Up to now, we’ve always challenged Phase 3 while carrying accumulated fatigue. I know I did.”  

“That’s right. But with our current state, it’s as if we’re taking on Phase 3 right from the moment we entered the dungeon.”  

“We really owe Shin Sanghyun a debt that can’t be measured in money. How did he manage all this alone?”  

Do Kyungsoo couldn’t understand it.  

This wasn’t what he had meant earlier, when he told the others to keep an eye on Sanghyun during the start of the raid.  

Back then, he simply meant not to judge Sanghyun as an ordinary swordsman and to observe his unique skills.  

But what had happened today wasn’t that—it was a full-on paradigm shift that changed the very structure of the dungeon raid.  

It didn’t just reduce the phase clear time to one-seventh; it altered the entire course of the battle.  

If someone were to ask Do Kyungsoo whether he could have done the same, he could confidently say no without hesitation.  

For the first time since becoming a Player—  

“……”  

Do Kyungsoo trembled silently. Did Sanghyun possess some kind of absurd foresight of the future?  

He knew how ridiculous it sounded, but today’s shock was enough to make such a thought cross his mind.  

This wasn’t just a lucky break. It was a thoroughly planned and predicted outcome.  

“Shin Sanghyun, Shin Sanghyun……”  

When his thoughts became so full of someone that their name kept slipping out unconsciously—this was Do Kyungsoo’s old habit.  

A habit that hadn’t shown itself in a long time had returned. His gaze toward Sanghyun had changed as well.  

From one of fondly watching a promising junior chasing from behind, to the sharp stare of a rival.  

A sense of competition that had never existed before had begun to take shape.  

* * *

At the same time.  

Sanghyun was carefully tending to his True Demon Sword while slowly checking over his updated condition.  

His level was now 172.  

Thanks to diligently cutting down monsters by himself, he had monopolized a fair amount of experience points. He had gained 6 levels.  

On top of that, he had also collected no less than 15 high-grade Magic Stones. In cash value, that was 15 billion won.  

‘The Unique Artifacts are three rings and a belt. The rings are worth equipping, but I’ll have to eat the belt.’  

Sanghyun licked his lips as he examined the belt that radiated the signature glow of a Unique-grade item.  

Since the Rising Current Belt he currently wore was Epic-grade, the Unique one was superior in raw stats.  

However, its options were awkwardly structured for resale, so it was likely to sell below market value.  

‘Is it real that a Unique-grade item has only 80 defense?’  

Clicking his tongue at the disappointing stat, Sanghyun immediately initiated mana synchronization.  

According to the 60% absorption formula, his defense would increase by 48, and in the process, a hidden effect would be unlocked.  

So far, it had almost always been a skill, but there was still a chance it might just be a stat boost.  

‘Still, I’d prefer a skill if possible. Hoping for a rare skill with more value than usual is probably greedy though. Heh.’  

Indulging in a rare moment of vain hope, Sanghyun began his Artifact meal.  

A mundane meal. So dull it wasn’t even worth commenting on its taste.  

And then—  

“Huh?”  

As the stat inheritance completed, just like always, a new hidden skill emerged, and Sanghyun’s expression changed.  

“Counter Veil?”  

A new skill with a completely different concept from anything he had used before had appeared.