Chapter 80

Chapter 80: An Unexpected Encounter - (3)

‘Should I buy a diamond-grade artifact? As long as the option is good, the absorption rate when consumed is 50%, which isn’t bad.’

Sanghyun glanced at the diamond-grade floor just above him while standing in front of the elevator.

Diamond-grade artifacts maintain a base transaction price of around 5 billion won.

With his current balance, he could easily buy two and still have money left over. He had that much financial leeway.

Of course, he had no intention of buying an artifact with ordinary options that lacked merit. That would be a waste of money.

Just like before, when he made his purchases, Sanghyun was looking for artifacts that sellers considered to have trash options.

Once he consumed the artifact, any components that required excessive cost to activate would disappear.

Of course, the system applied some adjustments in the process, but in the end, he gained significant benefits.

‘I wouldn’t ask for anything more if I could just get a single legendary-grade artifact.’

Sanghyun smacked his lips.

Legendary-grade artifacts had a base transaction price of about 625 billion won, five times the price of epic-grade artifacts.

Of course, compared to almighty-grade artifacts, which were valued at 3 trillion won, it was just a drop in the bucket.

"Let's take a look first."

Just as Sanghyun pressed the button to call the elevator,

his phone rang. He checked the caller ID and saw that it was Ham Jiyeon.

"Jiyeon?"

<Sanghyun, it's me, Ham Jiyeon!>

"I know. I even saved your number, so how could I not recognize you?"

<Can you talk for a moment?>

Ham Jiyeon’s sudden call.

He was actually glad to hear from her.

Her first impression had stuck with him because she had been quite different from others from the very beginning.

Since she had contracted with a Constellation related to gluttony, she was unintentionally forced to constantly eat.

It must have been exhausting, yet she never lost her smile.

She gave off a kind aura, and in reality, she was truly devoted to her work at the orphanage.

"Sure. What, did you get an artifact to sell?"

The only reason Sanghyun could think of for Jiyeon to call first was that.

She had mentioned before that many players who supported the orphanage would donate artifacts by converting them into cash.

<No, it’s not about that. Something came up, and the only face I could think of was yours!>

"What is it?"

<Do you know any skilled players? My connections are a total mess.>

"Tell me first."

<There’s a small mountain near our orphanage. I went there today to plant some lettuce, and I saw a Gate!>

"Did it just appear, or was it already there?"

<Of course, it suddenly appeared!>

"Hold on."

Sanghyun fell into thought.

A Gate. One of the three major sources of experience for players. The other two were dungeons and rifts.

Dungeons were artificially designed spaces specifically for player growth.

The monsters and structures inside were created by the system, making them closer to data in a strict sense.

But Gates were different.

According to the official definition by the Player Union, a Gate was described as follows:

This was why Gates offered far better first-clear rewards than dungeons.

Sanghyun had profited greatly from the Black Gate in the past.

Additionally, unlike rifts, which allowed bidirectional entry and exit, Gates only permitted one-way entry for players.

This meant that even if left unattended for a while, the chances of a disaster occurring were low.

Unlike rifts, which instantly spawned portals that could release hordes of monsters, Gates were more stable.

‘A newly formed Gate doesn’t need to be reported immediately.’

That was what Sanghyun thought.

Rifts had the potential to become large-scale catastrophes, so they needed to be reported to the Player Union as soon as they were discovered.

Solo incursions into rifts were only allowed under emergency circumstances, like what happened at the Bupyeong Station Rift.

However, Gates were different. The discoverer could explore inside first or even conquer it before reporting it, and it wouldn’t be an issue.

Once reported, ownership would transfer to the state, but there were no penalties for clearing it beforehand.

It was an unspoken rule that the first discoverer received a form of compensation.

<Jiyeon?>

"Wait for me. I know the orphanage’s address, so I’ll leave within thirty minutes."

<Then should just the two of us try to conquer it? The entry limit is exactly two people. More importantly, are you okay with this, Sanghyun?>

"How do you know the internal details?"

"Alright, let's go together! We can discuss the details when we meet. Now that I think about it, I don't even know what your specialty is, Jiyeon."

<That’s true. Message me when you’re on your way! I’ll get ready!>

The call ended.

Come to think of it, he didn’t know much about Ham Jiyeon.

He had bought a few artifacts from her and heard a bit about her Constellation, but that was it.

As she had said, the gaps in his knowledge needed to be filled by talking to her in person.

Just by exploring the entrance of the Gate, he could gauge its difficulty level.

If it turned out to be too tough to clear greedily, he could just withdraw. There was no pressure.

‘An unexpected opportunity just popped up.’

A newly discovered Gate always granted first-clear privileges.

Thanks to Jiyeon, an entirely new path had opened up for him.

However, since he had zero information on the Gate she found, he couldn’t help but feel a bit tense.

Blessings and curses always came together.

There was no such thing as a free reward without risk, so he needed to be careful.

Artifact shopping ended sooner than expected.

He hadn’t looked around much before finding an artifact with the exact option he wanted.

//s_win

//win_h 「Fatal Gambit」

■ Artifact Grade: Diamond

■ Artifact Description: An artifact that perceives an opponent's weakness. The 5th physical attack deals twice the critical damage.

The effect applies after the final critical damage calculation, doubling the final value.

■ Special Skill - Weakness Enhancement

//e_win

Currently, Sanghyun's luck stat was in the 300 range, giving him the following expected critical damage values:

A minimum of 130%, a maximum of 650%.

With Fatal Gambit's special skill, Weakness Enhancement, he could double this on every 5th hit.

That meant he could unleash a terrifying destruction power ranging from 260% to a maximum of 1,300%.

Of course, in reality, things were always implemented closer to the minimum rather than the maximum.

Even a 260% value was by no means small. It meant a whopping 3.6 times increase in damage.

The problem was that to activate this Weakness Enhancement skill, it consumed 100 mana per attack.

Players had no choice but to completely ignore it.

Right now, Sanghyun's mana stat was 277. Normally, he could only attack twice before running out.

The purchase was completed smoothly.

The negotiation went very well, and he bought it for 3.5 billion won. That was an incredibly cheap deal.

For players positioned in the absolute top tier, it was an option that would make them drool, so Sanghyun quickly finished the purchase.

As always, the artifact consumption took place, and he spent time experiencing the seller’s personal tastes.

The seller had a particular fondness for well-aged fermented skate with delicious kimchi. ...It was at least tolerable.

Except for the fact that the intense smell of the fermented skate lingered in his mind for quite some time.

//s_win

//win_h 『Weakness Enhancement』

■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)

■ Skill Description: The fifth physical attack deals damage calculated as twice the final critical damage.

//e_win

Although it was a passive skill that was always active, once Weakness Enhancement was triggered, it incurred a cooldown time of 10 minutes.

The skill transformation was complete.

The mana consumption option had disappeared, but instead, it had been adjusted to have a cooldown period.

'With Weakness Enhancement in play, the fifth strike in the first battle would be the most important.'

Sanghyun stroked his chin.

If he could set up a decisive move, using Crushing Blade on the fifth attack would be the most efficient choice.

And if all the critical damage hit at the maximum value?

'People would really understand what it means to explode and die.'

Such a terrifying calculation came to mind.

Of course, if the one exploding was a monster that absolutely had to be killed, it would even bring an exhilarating thrill.

"Let's head out immediately."

His business at Hyunjeong Market was done.

He had even managed to acquire a new skill before heading to the gate, making it a well-timed decision.

A while later.

Buuuuung.

Lee Yeon drew the curtain after confirming that Sanghyun's car had driven away from the market.

She then recalled the options of the artifact Sanghyun had purchased.

She was thoroughly familiar with all the artifact options for platinum-grade and above traded at Hyunjeong Market.

Gathering information was simple.

She only needed to wander around disguised as a buyer and touch the artifacts. Everything would be revealed in the information window.

Lee Yeon possessed the ability to memorize the details of hundreds, even thousands, of artifacts.

She was practically a master of memorization.

"So, he bought an artifact with an option he absolutely can't handle at his current specs."

Through the bangs covering her left eye, her gaze gleamed with a coldness as deep as an abyss.

Clearly, Sanghyun had just spent a fortune on an artifact that did not suit him at all.

No matter how fast he had been growing, an artifact that consumed 100 mana per attack was definitely a burden.

It was unlikely that he had bought it with the intention of reselling it to someone else, as the artifact itself wasn’t particularly appealing in that way.

"Maybe it's for a different purpose."

Lee Yeon's eyes narrowed deeply.

Her thoughts were starting to align with what Igah Hee had initially suspected when she first learned about Sanghyun.

However, unlike Igah Hee, Lee Yeon had solid evidence in her hands. Now, the tracking would begin.

On the way to the orphanage where Ham Jiyeon was.

Sanghyun took advantage of a long red light to check his status window.

Lately, he had been focusing solely on growth, so it had been quite a while since he last checked his detailed stats.

//s_win

//win_h < Player - Shin Sanghyun >

■ Level: 110

■ Titles: 16

■ Constellation: Goddess of Luck

■ Stats Overview

[ Strength 584 / Stamina 305 / Agility 319 / Mana 277 / Luck 343 / Evasion 375 / Defense 137 ]

[ Unallocated Points: 0 ]

//e_win

"If I increase my strength by 16 more, my airborne time with Rising Current will extend significantly. That would make it... 3.6 seconds?"

The most noticeable stat was, of course, his strength stat. It was the most essential attribute for a swordsman player.

"My luck stat has surpassed 300 purely through title bonuses and level-up points. The artifact acquisition rate has noticeably increased, so that’s great."

He was quite satisfied with his luck stat.

The significant increase in his evasion stat also made him feel proud.

The higher the evasion and defense stats, the better his skill resistance would remain at a high level.

Considering how difficult it was for swordsman players to raise their evasion and defense stats—

"I’m shaping up into a well-balanced hexagonal build."

Sanghyun was steadily growing into a rather well-rounded and formidable player.