Chapter 146

Chapter 146: Acknowledgment from the Sword Demon - (2)

‘Only two coins left for life. And each part of the body also costs one coin depending on the need.’

He understood the content well enough.

It wasn’t a copied skill obtained using the title of the One Who Sees Through, nor was it a skill granted as a perk.

There was nothing to regret.

Rather, he was already thinking about how he could ‘strategically’ sacrifice body parts in future difficult battles.

‘First, let’s check on Do Kyungsoo.’

He wanted to check the dropped Magic Stone and Artifact, but Do Kyungsoo looked weary from injuries, and that worried him.

He came first.

Do Kyungsoo had fought alongside him to the end, enduring the bloodbath together. He had to check his condition first.

At the same time.

Ssshhhh!

A warm breeze starting from the snowy mountain instantly melted all the snow piled up around.

Like a scene of winter turning to spring, a refreshing energy swept across the land.

At the same time, the "Scorn of the Defeated" debuff that had been applied to all players disappeared.

That was an intuitive sign that the dungeon had been completely cleared. The conquest was over.

“As expected, our master did it!”

“The Sword Demon–Sword God team made it!”

“Are we setting another record with this large-scale raid? Hahaha! Who can stop our team?”

The players of the Sword Demon–Sword God team all shouted in excitement.

It was a flawless clear, beyond any doubt, and they naturally believed the protagonist must have been Do Kyungsoo.

“No matter how amazing that rookie mercenary is, in the end, it’s always our master who finishes it off.”

“Exactly! Ah, this feels so good. Does failure even exist in our team? Hahaha!”

Everyone in the Sword Demon–Sword God team was smiling, except for Choi Sihu, whose expression wasn’t so bright.

He hadn’t seen anything directly, but a sense of unease instinctively gripped him.

‘No way.’

Choi Sihu shook his head, brushing off the unnecessary worry.

No matter how much Sanghyun stood out in this raid, he couldn't surpass Do Kyungsoo.

Besides, wasn’t this the final phase boss monster of a notoriously difficult large-scale raid?

The chances that Sanghyun had outperformed Do Kyungsoo here were nonexistent. Even thinking objectively, it was 0%.

Just then—

“…What the hell?”

In that moment—

Everyone who saw the system message displaying contribution—only shown during large-scale raids—was shocked.

As if time had stopped, no one could look away from the message window. Their expressions were frozen.

“Did it really say contribution…?”

“Did the names switch or something?”

“Is this a bug?”

“There are no bugs in the system, idiot.”

Even after rubbing their eyes and looking again, the difference in contribution was clear as day.

Contribution to a boss monster raid is calculated based on how much damage a player inflicted on the monster.

But the most crucial part of the final calculation is who dealt the decisive blow that led to the boss’s death.

In other words, you can’t just get a huge boost in contribution by sneakily landing the final hit.

Interpreting the system message—

It was true that Do Kyungsoo actively participated in the boss fight.

However, the one who dealt the decisive blow that led to Saze’s death—and all the setup leading to it—was Sanghyun.

Put positively, that’s what it meant.

Put bluntly, he was a sidekick. To say it harshly and without sugarcoating it.

Choi Sihu, who could count the number of times he’d been this shocked in 30 years on one hand, was utterly stunned.

Until now, Do Kyungsoo’s name had always been at the top of every large-scale raid contribution ranking.

But not today.

With nearly triple the contribution score, Sanghyun shattered the norm.

Even Lee Gah Hee and Jung Junhyuk, who were reviewing the contribution message together, were just as stunned.

“This is a major incident, isn’t it?”

“What the…?”

“To have this kind of contribution difference, near the end he must have done almost everything solo.”

Lee Gah Hee, who understood the dungeon system thoroughly, grasped the situation without even seeing it firsthand.

That’s because near the end of the Saze raid, during the intense combat phase, Do Kyungsoo had retreated due to injuries.

“Do Kyungsoo got pushed back.”

“If the details of this raid go public, the backlash is going to be massive.”

“Wow, I’m realizing all over again just what kind of ‘monster’ we’ve been teamed up with.”

“This contribution score… it’s seriously insane.”

No one could hide their shock.

An upset had occurred.

Some members of the Sword Demon–Sword God team cautiously approached Choi Sihu and spoke up.

“Hyung-nim, shouldn’t we try to keep this from leaking outside?”

“If this gets out, it could damage Master’s prestige.”

“Every word you just said is dragging down the Master’s dignity. You realize that, right?”

“Hyung-nim!”

“Master acknowledges things as they are. He’s not someone who covers it up with pretense or hypocrisy like others.”

“But still…”

“Cut the crap and get lost. If I have to say it again, you’re out of the team.”

“We’re sorry. We weren’t thinking.”

Choi Sihu didn’t necessarily disagree with their concerns, but he had no intention of siding with them.

Do Kyungsoo was a man of integrity.

If there was a contribution gap, there must have been a valid reason.

Whether it was a mistake on Do Kyungsoo’s part, or an extraordinary performance by Sanghyun—

Either way, there was no doubt it would be a reason worth accepting.

‘Was Shin Sanghyun trying to earn proper recognition through Master? Was it calculated? No, it couldn’t be.’

A crease formed between Choi Sihu’s brows. In any case, the undeniable protagonist of this dungeon raid was now Sanghyun.

Now it was time to face the reporters who had been eagerly waiting outside for the results of the raid.

Even if the one who made headlines this time wasn’t the Master he served.

He didn’t want to devalue or tarnish the meaning behind it.

Whatever the case, today’s protagonist was Sanghyun. That was an undeniable fact.

Unlike the atmosphere of shock and awe among the Sword Demon–Sword God team—

The actual people involved, Sanghyun and Do Kyungsoo, were smiling as they faced each other.

They were sitting and resting to recover their exhausted bodies, and Kyungsoo had just finished healing.

The traces of injury hadn’t disappeared completely, but he was able to move around freely enough.

After silently watching Sanghyun for a while, Do Kyungsoo was the first to speak.

“Shall we sort things out?”

“Yes, I think that would be best.”

Sanghyun hadn’t said much, out of consideration so that Do Kyungsoo could be the one to settle this ‘awkward’ situation.

There was no need to bring up how the loot should be divided, or who had earned the credit, and so on.

Do Kyungsoo wasn’t the type to get caught up in pride or honor. Sanghyun knew that well.

“To get straight to the point—our team owes you for clearing the dungeon. And I owe you my life. I’m just a debtor all around. Hahaha!”

Do Kyungsoo let out a hearty laugh.

It was a laugh that seemed to carry a mixture of many emotions. It probably wasn’t purely out of joy.

“We’ll proceed with loot distribution only up to Phase 2. I don’t need a share from Saze in Phase 3.”

“Hmm. I won’t refuse, then.”

“Smart choice. If you’d turned it down, I was seriously considering cursing you out for the first time in a while. Heh.”

Sanghyun didn’t bother with a polite refusal. In truth, he felt he had every right to accept.

Of course, it wasn’t like Do Kyungsoo hadn’t contributed. The system had acknowledged his 25%, after all.

But the fact remained that he had made one fatal mistake. Regardless of the reason, it had been enough to cost him his life.

So when Do Kyungsoo said he owed Sanghyun his life, it wasn’t flattery—it was sincerity. Sanghyun agreed.

“Thank you.”

“I despise shameless people who make demands after contributing nothing. That would’ve been me this time.”

This was reason enough.

It gave them both a clear, honorable ground to stand on.

That way, Do Kyungsoo came out as someone who handled things with grace, and Sanghyun had his efforts properly recognized.

A win-win for both.

“I won’t make any loot requests from now on either, but I do want to ask one favor.”

“Please go ahead.”

“When we attempt this dungeon again, I want to use your strategy. Would you be willing to share your tactics?”

“Of course. As much as you want.”

“I’ll pay a proper price for the info! I’m not like those scumbags at the Union who try to lowball everything, so don’t worry.”

“That’s great.”

On top of everything, he now had the opportunity to sell his strategy. The main key would likely be the “Lighthouse of the Holy Spirit.”

Since he had already monopolized the initial clear rewards, he had no lingering attachment to second or third clears.

There were still plenty of lands flowing with milk and honey waiting for Sanghyun—no need to revisit a drained dungeon.

“Gather everything up for now. Once we step outside, it’s going to be chaos with the interview and all.”

Do Kyungsoo gestured toward the scattered Magic Stones and Artifacts lying near Saze’s corpse.

Then he added,

“Check out what you got after you get home. If you look in front of me, I might just get sick with jealousy.”

Do Kyungsoo chuckled as he said it.

He was only human too. He’d offer congratulations, but jealousy was jealousy.

“Understood. I’ll do that.”

Sanghyun responded with a smile.

It was time to gather the spoils with discretion.

The actual contents could wait until he got home. There was no rush anyway.

An hour later.

In front of the exit to the ‘Forgotten Dead’s World’ dungeon, a swarm of reporters had gathered in a frenzy.

With Do Kyungsoo’s Sword Demon–Sword God team finishing the raid, all eyes were on them.

It was a large-scale raid dungeon that had given the team serious trouble, which only intensified the attention.

A press platform had been set up in advance, and countless live broadcasts were ongoing.

Click! Click!

Soon, under the pouring spotlight, Do Kyungsoo stepped onto the stage just like always.

“Kyungsoo Oppa, you’re amazing!”

“Do Kyungsoo, you’re the best!”

“Knew you’d pull it off!”

Members of Do Kyungsoo’s fan club who had gathered early were shouting his name, celebrating the success.

Riding that atmosphere, one of the reporters raised their hand aggressively.

The results hadn’t been announced yet, but he aimed to secure the first interview with Kyungsoo.

Do Kyungsoo, seeming to catch the reporter’s intent, gestured toward him.

The reporter spoke.

“Congratulations on the successful large-scale raid! As expected of Do Kyungsoo! What was the key to success in this raid?”

Instead of answering, Do Kyungsoo pointed at a man.

A man quietly standing among the Sword Demon–Sword God team, carrying the Frenzied Demon Sword across both shoulders.

It was Sanghyun.

In that moment—

“…Did he say Shin Sanghyun?”

Every single gaze in the crowd, and from every camera, shifted to Sanghyun without exception.

Unbelievable as it was, the person Do Kyungsoo had pointed to was undeniably him.