Episode 201 Ashutaros – (1)
Every time a man blinks, countless pieces of information are imprinted and stored in his mind.
His glasses, which he wears specifically only when looking at monitors, continuously reflected the distinctive light of the screens.
Because of this, the attendant, tasked with observing his mood, was extremely tense, unable to gauge his feelings.
“He’s an interesting fellow.”
The man adjusted his glasses.
There were more than ten monitors in front of him, playing videos of various death matches.
The footage was primarily organized around South America, such as Mexico, Chile, Brazil, and Argentina.
However, among them was footage filmed in Korea. It was the most recent death match.
The death match between Shin Sang-hyun and Ma Dong-ho.
Even as he arranged it, he expected it to be a scene of one-sided slaughter rather than a thrilling battle. This
was because the objective difference in power was clear, and the weight of their names was too different.
But an upset occurred.
The one who should have died did not, and the one who should not have died died futilely.
Was complacency the problem? Or did the opponent pull a stunt? Or drugs?
Questioning the unbelievable result, he watched the video to find a flaw in Sang-hyun's victory.
That was how it started, but his thoughts were completely different now.
There was no reason to doubt. It was a fight Ma Dong-ho was bound to lose from the very beginning.
“The weapon looks crude, but it is by no means a low-grade weapon. The crudeness is actually a disguise.”
The man’s eyebrows twitched.
His gaze, brimming with curiosity, was meticulously scrutinizing every aspect of Sang-hyun.
He recognized the special nature of the Nameless Sword, the weapon artifact Sang-hyun possessed.
It was confirmed that a subtle aura emanated from the sword itself during the use of its skills.
In other words, it meant the sword was of a high enough grade to emit its own aura.
Of course, this was a change he could observe because he was capable of detecting even the slightest variations.
Ordinary people or average players would likely not even know what the difference was.
“On top of that, a skill that utilizes illusions. As if forcing a choice wasn't enough, the billing is unilateral.”
The skill that caught his attention was Illusion Mediation.
There is only one way to perfectly counter this skill: to regard both forms as the actual substance.
The moment one decides to deal with only one, they fall into the opponent's trap of a 50/50 choice.
“Increased skill damage. Use of clones. Self-protection. A high-tension weapon at a relatively low known level. It’s a terrible hybrid.” He
was frowning, yet the corners of his mouth were curling up.
He felt that Sanghyeon possessed annoying traits, yet a sense of intrigue coexisted with that thought.
Even a tree that branches out heavily from a single branch eventually becomes a sturdy tree if its saplings are robust.
However, Sanghyeon was currently branching out in multiple directions, and the saplings on those branches were all substantial.
What would become of a tree like this once it grew? It would become a giant that grew by sucking in countless rays of sunlight like a black hole.
He saw the potential for Sanghyeon to become just that. Ma Dong-ho had been used as good fertilizer.
The man called for his attendant.
“Red.”
“Yes, Mr. Mystery.”
Red. It was a pseudonym chosen to suit the attendant’s own preference.
The same was true for the man. Mystery. That guy the world calls Mystery—yes, he was.
He was the very person who drove Sang-hyun into a death match. He was
also a figure whose identity, despite countless organizations and agencies trying to pinpoint him, could never be revealed.
“I’d like to add more detail to the data on Shin Sang-hyun. There are a lot of things to add, aren’t there?”
“Yes. For now, I have compiled and uploaded only the Level 4 intelligence that is publicly well-known.”
“Can you verify Level 1 intelligence as well?”
Level 1 intelligence.
It refers to thoroughly examining an opponent’s entire set of skills or artifact composition, as if dissecting them.
Typically, this involves gathering information from their closest aides or recruiting one of their dungeon-traveling companions.
At Mystery’s words, Red looked hesitant.
“That would be a bit difficult. Whether it is a coincidence or not, he seems to work mainly with people who keep their mouths shut.”
“For example?”
“There is Do Kyung-soo and Han Hyun-jung.”
“So you are friends with men and women who walk around with their mouths locked?”
“That is correct.”
“What about the others?”
“There are many minor connections, but since they were formed before full-scale growth, it would be difficult to obtain top-tier information.”
“Still, find a way. No matter how I think about it, this guy’s skill set just doesn’t make sense.”
The red light emanating from the mysterious red eyes intensified.
Even considering the influence of skill books or artifacts, the composition is too diverse and extensive.
To put it nicely, he possessed high scalability; to put it negatively, he had every conceivable skill imaginable.
According to the data accumulated so far, such cases only occur when one possesses innate abilities that are exceptional.
Mystery’s gaze remained fixed on the death match video featuring Sanghyeon for quite some time.
It was an uncharacteristic reaction for him, given his usual tendency to lose interest easily.
* * *
Around that time, Sanghyeon was putting even more effort into conquering the Ashtaros Dungeon.
It was a rather tricky dungeon where one HP was lost every second and mana recovery was completely suppressed.
Kyle, Sarah, and Raphelen did not expect Sanghyeon to clear the dungeon cleanly, either. This was
because they themselves were struggling considerably due to the challenging conditions of the dungeon.
It was a dungeon where the only way to recover mana was to kill monsters.
Therefore, they had no choice but to be extremely cautious with their skill usage. This was especially true when monsters appeared in small numbers.
In fact, that was exactly the case with the current section.
The section with a small number of elite monsters.
The kind of section where the total number of monsters is small, but each one is so powerful that it is tricky.
However, for some reason, Sanghyeon was pouring out skills as if there were no tomorrow.
Even if he possessed a passive skill that restored mana on its own, it was an absurd barrage.
'Over Psychedelic. Sacrifice. Recovery. Backstep. Acceleration. Sword of Destruction… … My mouth hurts.'
Sanghyeon was enjoying the surprised reactions of the three people watching him put on a one-man skill power show.
They probably didn't know.
That among the skills he possessed, there were quite a few that consumed absolutely no mana.
While there were many powerful mana-consuming skills, his absence wouldn't cause any problems in combat.
In particular, there was the 'Grasp of Vampirism' skill, which provided 1 HP recovery per second if he remained out of combat for more than 100 seconds.
This skill was the very reason Sanghyeon considered the Ashtaros Dungeon to be not difficult at all.
As long as there was no combat, maintaining a steady HP was not a problem at all.
There was no need to rely on a healer, nor was there any need to feel anxious watching his HP drop.
The Extreme Magic skill was the finishing touch. Just
as mana was running low,
the magic skills occasionally unleashed with great force by elite monsters served as an excellent source of mana.
Unaware of Sanghyeon's mana recovery mechanism, the monsters would thus contribute to his survivability.
Furthermore, self-healing skills like *Lonely Recovery* were also very useful here.
『Lonely Recovery』
■ Skill Level: Tier 1 (23.2%)
■ Skill Description: Allows the player to recover HP to their maximum while in stealth mode.
Stealth is automatically released after recovery, and a protective shield is activated during the recovery process.
'Full Stealth' is applied, and the shield withstands damage equal to the player's HP. Cooldown: 6 hours.
'I'm finally getting to use a skill that had been dormant for so long. As expected, the more skills, the better.'
Sanghyeon was very satisfied with his skill set.
He had been told that the Ashtaros Dungeon relied on healers more than anyone else.
However, he was now completely self-reliant. He had never once asked Sarah for even a minor stamina recovery. Before he
knew it, his level was 295. Level
300, which grants the opportunity for skill enhancement, was just around the corner.
Furthermore, the condition for the "Multifaceted" title—achieving 1,000 in all stats, a goal he had set for a while—was now within sight.
If he raised his Agility to 263 and his Evasion to 134, he would achieve over 1,000 in every category.
With so many exciting developments, his tension never dropped throughout the dungeon run.
Just then,
among the three who had joined by following Sanghyun, who had gone ahead, Raphelen spoke up.
"I think we're almost at the Red Line! I feel a bit embarrassed because I feel like I just marveled throughout the entire run."
"Ah, is it the Red Line already?"
Sanghyun asked back.
The Red Line was the limit for clearing the Ashtaros Dungeon, arbitrarily established by the Nobility Guild.
It was also the maximum point agreed upon in advance. This is because the difficulty changes completely beyond that point.
For starters, the monster composition changed to an elite lineup consisting of one or two monsters.
Consequently, it was a living hell for those who needed to kill monsters to replenish mana.
Since neither mana potions nor any other mana supply methods worked, even a clever strategy was meaningless in this place.
The atmosphere was one of closing out.
Given the considerable distance traveled to get here, the return trip also had to be considered. This was because
the dungeon's debuffs would remain active during the return journey, requiring repeated attempts at healing.
But right then.
Kyle suddenly reacted.
“I think there is something behind us.”
As a mage, he was inevitably sensitive to the flow of surrounding mana.
Moreover, just in case, it seemed he had scattered mana suitable for detection at intervals along the way.
However, an uninvited guest had been detected by that mana.
The four members of the party were here, and they had wiped out every monster they encountered on the way.
Therefore, what was caught in this detection could only be an external entity that had quietly joined them from elsewhere.
Tightening the threads of suspicion a bit more, the possibility that it was a monster chasing Sanghyeon’s party could not be ruled out either.
Just then.
“I’ll be right back.”
*Snap!*
“Huh?”
“Sir Sanghyeon?”
With a single word, Sanghyeon vanished from the sight of the three.
What Sanghyeon had used was Safe Teleport. It was a skill he had naturally acquired upon obtaining the Nameless Sword.
Just like Kyle, Sanghyeon had been continuously updating his teleportation point at regular intervals while moving.
This was because the pre-briefing had mentioned that monsters could appear from the rear at any moment.
So, without panicking or acting frantically, he completed his movement to the rear immediately.
Sure enough.
A dark mage clad in a black robe was following the footprints imprinted on the ground, tracking the traces of the party that had gone ahead.
“Kuhahaha…”
Upon noticing Sanghyeon’s presence, the dark mage formed a hand seal on both hands without hesitation.
Whoosh!
A massive fireball, resembling the very embodiment of a hellish inferno, was created upon his hands.
A vivid skull shape formed within the rising black smoke.
It was a spell so menacing at a glance that one couldn't help but feel tense.
'What would be best? Counterattack Barrier? Or an easy Extreme Magic?' However, far from being nervous, Sanghyeon was contemplating
how to use that magic skill to screw over the dark mage! The true intention hidden behind his deeply furrowed brow was entirely different. The expression of emotion he showed the dark mage was fake. Yes, it was perfect deception.
