Chapter 148

Chapter 148: Acknowledgment from the Sword Demon - (4)

“Buying two Epic-grade Artifacts shouldn't be a problem. Even if they have top-tier options, it’ll be fine.”

The current amount of money in his bank account was 47.2 billion won.  

The Magic Stones acquired from Phases 1 and 2 of the raid were worth 15 billion won.  

And when adding the sales revenue from the Legendary-grade Magic Stone obtained from Saiz—  

“262.2 billion won.”  

It was now an era where even units like billions or tens of billions failed to impress.  

To ordinary people or low-level Players, it was a world they couldn’t even dream of looking into.  

However, money no longer seemed to be an issue for Sanghyun.  

It meant he didn’t need to worry about food, clothing, or shelter.  

But as a Player, the world looked different.  

Countless expensive Artifacts were out there, waiting for a master—each tagged with a ridiculous price.  

In his previous life, no one had known his name deeply—he had just been a Player with sheer perseverance.  

But in this life, the one after regression, Sanghyun wanted to become the very best.  

A realm where the only things left to look up to were the Constellations and the Thrones!  

He wished to reach that very position.  

‘Beyond that… I’ll definitely find out why I had to return to the past in the first place.’  

Another goal surfaced in his mind.  

It was something that had never left his thoughts since his regression.  

Why.  

Why had the Constellation "Late Bloomer Model Student" sent him back to the past?  

Of course, there was no solid proof that he had caused the regression.  

But all circumstantial evidence and suspicions pointed to him.  

The past of that Constellation, which Sanghyun did not know.  

Currently, that Constellation was being pursued by the sheriffs of the Dimensional Corps.  

He had apparently touched a reverse scale that must never have been provoked.  

Perhaps that reverse scale had something to do with the regression.  

Sanghyun believed so.  

In the future, even the Constellations and Thrones would be split into good and evil and wage a long war.  

It was possible that, at this point in time, the Constellation "Late Bloomer Model Student" had discovered something important.  

If that were the case—  

If some kind of turning point were to emerge—  

Then maybe, compared to the utterly hopeless future 20 years from now, a new dream could be envisioned.  

“For now, the money is settled.”  

Sanghyun brushed the Magic Stones aside.  

He planned to sell them after sleeping.  

There was no other use for them anyway.  

“Now, it’s time to look at this guy.”  

His gaze turned to the armor, neatly displayed using a special hanger that kept its shape.  

Its name: Saiz Armor.  

It was the special bio-fused armor that Saiz had been wearing.  

Its grade was also Epic.  

In addition to that—  

He had also obtained a pair of Epic-grade boots and an Epic-grade talisman.  

In terms of value, the total was close to 400 billion won.  

If you weren’t a Player, you wouldn’t be able to buy these items even if you had the money.  

They were that rare.  

“It’s a shame the sword disintegrated, but I can’t have everything.”  

Sanghyun lightly clicked his tongue.  

The memory of Saiz’s demon sword disintegrating was still vivid.  

Usually, when a boss monster died, some of the Artifacts it was wearing would drop.  

But in unlucky cases, they disintegrated and couldn’t be obtained.  

This had been one of those cases.  

First, the confirmation of the first loot.  

When equipped, it synchronizes with the body and fits comfortably like a light vest.  

On the synchronized areas, a thick shield is immediately activated.  

The amount of defense the Saiz Armor can withstand is displayed through a special system window,  

and the lost shield can be recharged using Mana.  

Additionally, damaged armor can self-repair using Magic Stones.  

However, the number of Magic Stones required may increase exponentially depending on the degree of damage.  

“Hmm…”  

Sanghyun gazed at the Saiz Armor for a moment, then immediately picked up the Frenzied Demon Blade lying next to it.  

And then—  

Stab!  

He stabbed the armor with the Sword of Destruction.  

It was a finishing combo that linked together both the Whisper of the Sage and the Rage of the Mortal.  

Silence filled the room.  

Had it been a lower-grade armor, it surely would have been more than half-destroyed by that devastating damage.  

But the Saiz Armor remained intact, aside from a slight whiff of smoke.  

‘I got lucky.’  

Sanghyun recalled the battle with Saiz that suddenly came to mind.  

Looking back, aside from the final blow,  

he had never targeted the protected areas of the armor.  

Unintentionally, he had only aimed around the shoulders and arms where the armor hadn’t been influenced.  

That’s why he hadn’t realized the armor’s true power.  

Sanghyun carefully checked the Saiz Armor’s system window, which had withstood the finishing combo.  

“It took the finishing combo, but only lost 33% of its durability?  

That means it could withstand that same attack two more times?”  

Sanghyun’s jaw dropped.

He had thought it was natural for Epic-grade armor to have different options.

Still, he had felt a bit disappointed that the armor itself didn’t come with additional stat bonuses.

But once he experienced how durable the shield was, that thought vanished instantly.

With this level of toughness—  

At least for the protected areas of the armor, it could withstand a named Player’s ultimate move once.

In any case, the Saiz Armor, shaped like a vest, perfectly protected the chest, abdomen, and back.

Though he greedily wished it was full-body armor, its practical value was outstanding!

“There’s nothing more reassuring than having certain areas protected without needing to think about it.”

The main concern for most swordsman-type Players was defense.

The more they focused on offense, the weaker their defense became. But that didn’t mean they could forgo a sword.

The Saiz Armor would become a reliable protector, guarding his vital organs from now on.

“Oh, these shoes have a pretty name.”

Sanghyun shifted his gaze to the next item he had acquired—a pair of shoes that gave off a light, airy vibe just from their material.

“These are pretty good. For shoes, the stat boost is solid. I’ll have to consume the ones I was wearing.”

Sanghyun checked the boots he had been wearing.  

They had no additional stats—just a special movement-based option.

He had grown attached to them.  

But they couldn’t compare to the new pair, so he had to consume them.  

Besides, duplicate equipment wasn't allowed.

He soon proceeded with the Consumption.

“Ah, what is this now…”

Sanghyun sighed in exasperation.

Normally, an Artifact’s Consumption would take the form of a food the user enjoyed or found memorable.

But that wasn’t always the case—sometimes it appeared as a completely unrelated food.

This was one of those times.

And of all things—  

“Why is it mint chocolate soju? Why that of all things? Just because I glanced at it at the convenience store?”

Was it something that had been etched into his subconscious?  

Now he had to drink a bottle of soju reeking of synthetic mint flavor.

A whole bottle, at that.

“Mint taste, mint scent, mint, mint, mint…! Who the hell came up with mint and chocolate?”

Sanghyun started chugging the bottle, invisible tears flowing.

There was something he had resolved in his past life.  

As long as an Artifact was edible, no matter what form it manifested in, he would eat it.

Back then, he had discovered his ability too late and had struggled to find edible Artifacts.

But now he lived in abundance!  

Just that fact alone was reason enough to be grateful and keep eating.

The soju entered his mouth.

The first thing it did was remind him of toothpaste—cool, refreshing, just after brushing his teeth.

Then the soju ran over his tongue toward his uvula, releasing a strong chocolate scent and stimulating his nose.

Finally, as it slid down his throat, it spread a fiery sensation through the passageway.

This terrible soju, which assaulted the senses with three different tastes at once, was an “enemy” he never wanted to face again.

“Yeah, I’m a Player who eats Artifacts.”

Sanghyun reaffirmed his identity and started chugging the rest of the bottle.

Mint was still the worst.

If anyone dared disagree with that thought—

Sanghyun would have no hesitation in treating them as an enemy.

* * *

To cleanse his taste buds, now tainted(?) by mint, Sanghyun chose a dolce latte loaded with syrup.

Swishing it around like mouthwash, he washed out his mouth with the latte before checking one more remaining Artifact.

It was also Epic-grade—this time, a talisman.

A charm that, believe it or not, is said to bring good fortune.

“What’s with the ‘believe it or not’ part after that nice explanation?”

Sanghyun chuckled.

The number of talismans in his possession was steadily increasing.  

While there was no limit to how many could be held, wearing too many at once could cause mental instability.

He had seen plenty of such side effects in his previous life, so Sanghyun considered seven talismans his safe limit.

Including Sunny Day, he now had four.  

That meant three slots remained.

“My Luck stat is almost at 1,000 now. I’ve been steadily raising it because I know a solid title recipe exists.”

His Luck stat had already passed 900.

Every time he leveled up, Sanghyun had poured all of his bonus points into Luck.

Because it was one of the hardest stats to increase through Artifacts alone, the path to 1,000 was long and difficult.

It increased maximum critical damage and raised drop rates for Artifacts and Magic Stones—

But since there was no way to quantify the stat precisely, Players didn’t value it highly.

The world of Players was ultimately ruled by “luck,” or so they believed—and it was a natural way of thinking.

But Sanghyun had stubbornly focused on Luck until now, not just for destructive damage output—

But also to earn the long-awaited title: ‘777’.

‘Artifact drops from dungeons will always be at least Gold-grade. That’s the baseline.’

That was the first perk.

No matter what Artifact dropped, the lowest it could be was Gold-grade.

In terms of value, it meant a guaranteed minimum of 200 million won.

“And once you hit 777 Gold-grade drops… what comes next is even crazier.”

Sanghyun recalled from memory.

A title known as Luck Incarnate.

There were more hidden perks in ‘777’.

“The 7th Artifact will always be Epic-grade.”

It meant he could “snipe” the grade of an Artifact.

At the 77th drop, the grade became Legendary. And at the 777th—

“Almighty.”

It would reach the pinnacle of Artifact tiers. A title he didn’t want to hand over to anyone.