Episode 215 Status Ailments (4)
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“I can’t believe it. Well, I did believe it, but I never thought it would become reality this easily…”
“This place is practically a gate made just for me. You would have struggled anywhere else.”
“No, the way I see it, Sanghyun, you would do well anywhere, too. Your ability to adapt is excellent.”
“Wow, that’s high praise?”
“I’m not good at empty words.”
At that moment, Sanghyun and Sophia had already arrived at the end of the gate—that is, the boss monster section.
They had encountered a monster they had no prior information about along the way, but that did not become a major variable. This
was because Sanghyun had so many status ailments at his disposal.
It was a structure where the answer would eventually emerge if they just kept applying status ailments one by one to find the solution.
The boss monster’s name was Beikal.
Like the ghost they had faced earlier, it was an ethereal being. Therefore, Sophia’s link was essential, and it was already connected. Since it was
a monster Sophia had never seen before, there was absolutely no set strategy. It was a situation where they had to figure it out from scratch.
Meanwhile, the Stone Killer was completely useless in this fight, so it was discarded.
This is because if mana is not supplied, the minions revived by Undead Revive will lose their power and vanish.
After completing battle preparations like that.
“Maintain your distance. Even if you are worried, do not come close. You never know what variables might arise.”
“Understood.”
“Here I go!”
Sanghyeon immediately charged at Beikal.
Beikal, taking the form of a human mage, emitted a blue light and stared with an expressionless face.
Full Bash followed by a frontal charge combo.
He began with the most basic attack pattern.
A battle with a boss monster was unlikely to end quickly. He intended to conserve his skills during the reconnaissance phase.
Ten minutes later.
“This is bullshit…”
Sanghyeon distanced himself from Beikal and took a deep breath to normalize his ragged breathing as much as possible.
He had thought it would be easy to push forward with an aggressive offensive since Beikal was a magic-type monster, but he was mistaken.
For one thing, Beikal effectively absorbed Sanghyeon’s attacks in close combat by combining various martial arts techniques with shields.
Furthermore, there was one variable that Sanghyeon had not anticipated.
Beikal possessed a skill called 'Spirit Energy Absorption.'
It involved having one's mental power and thoughts absorbed, and this began the moment he made contact with Beikal.
Just as if subjected to the Star Absorption Technique, something inside his head was relentlessly sucked out along the point of contact.
With just a brief touch, Sanghyeon lost most of his memories from before the age of five.
Had the situation dragged on even a little longer, it seemed he would have lost every single happy memory he had shared with his parents.
Was it a blessing in disguise that the lost memories were mostly bad ones?
He was lucky.
Otherwise, he would have lost his good, happy memories.
In that case, he would not have even been aware of the fact that such memories existed.
The problem was that Sophia had also taken a hit in this process.
Turning around, he saw Sophia's face covered in cold sweat. Her pale complexion was also alarming.
Sanghyeon asked Sophia,
"Are you okay?"
"…I think I can hold out for about five more minutes."
"I'll try my best."
"No, Sanghyeon, if you go into battle with such a heavy burden…"
“It’s not a burden. It’s just that I’m heated up.”
Sanghyun continued to catch his breath.
He was close to half-exhausted, if not completely worn out. The battle with Beikal had drained his stamina more than expected.
Of course, Beikal’s movements were sluggish compared to the beginning as well.
That is why he wasn’t attacking even though Sanghyun was intentionally resting. It
was because he needed rest just as much. It was essentially a brief truce born of mutual necessity.
However, Sanghyun was concerned about Sophia, whose expression was getting worse and worse. She was being overworked right now.
'At least having the title of "Phantom Regulator" made me completely immune to Beikal’s Silence was a stroke of genius.'
During the battle, Sanghyun realized that Silence was applied to all of Beikal’s attacks.
If an ordinary player had been there, they would have had all their skills sealed and been robbed blind. Since
Sanghyun was completely immune, he was unaffected, and that is why Beikal was struck by Sanghyun’s counterattacks several times.
According to his predictions, Sanghyun shouldn’t have been able to use any skills at all, yet he was using them as if nothing were wrong.
Beikal, too, was unable to use a single skill due to Sanghyeon's control ability.
The only reason he could use the shield was because it was a skill that could be realized through the artifact he was wearing.
From Beikal's perspective, wearing the artifact was actually a relief. It became the foundation that allowed him to endure.
'It's a battle of endurance… … I see an angle to activate Frenzy for now. Even Overdrive and Over Psychedelic.'
Sanghyeon was intentionally delaying his stamina recovery. He
reasoned that since Beikal’s reactions were agile for a mage, landing a single blow would be difficult with his current attack speed.
Ultimately, he needed super-fast movements that surpassed his current speed, and this was the realm of awakening.
"Kaaah!"
Beikal roared as he charged toward Sanghyeon.
He was a unique martial arts-type mage who fought in close combat despite being a wizard.
Sanghyeon thought he needed to thoroughly memorize Beikal's combat information. Just
as Sanghyeon didn't engage only in close combat simply because he was a swordsman, Beikal didn't engage only in ranged combat just because he was a mage.
In other words, he felt the need to break preconceptions. He might encounter such a mage player in the future.
"Kwagwagwa!
" Dark red energy spread out in all directions from Beikal's body.
It felt like he was entering his own signature ultimate pattern, displaying a different appearance from before.
Judging that he could no longer hold back his timing, Sanghyeon deliberately dodged Beikal's attack.
It was a method that led to a minor injury while simultaneously naturally dragging his HP down to below 10%.
And then.
『Frenzy』
■ Skill Level: Stage 2 (3.9%)
■ Skill Description: When HP drops below 10%, you enter a Frenzy state.
The effects of all Awakening and Buff skills are enhanced by more than 3.5 times… … (omitted)
The Frenzy state activated.
Only then did Sanghyeon use the Over Psychedelic skill he had been saving.
The reason was simple.
Using the Over Psychedelic skill instantly restores HP to 100%, but it has no effect if Frenzy is active beforehand.
In other words, even if HP is fully restored, the Frenzy state persists for a portion of time.
It wasn't very long, lasting only about 30 seconds, but in fact, that was enough.
This method, which Sanghyeon dubbed the 'Frenzy Trick,' was a kind of loophole that could not be found in skill tooltips or the system. In a game, it was a bug.
Since this method was also discovered through countless hours of practice and trial and error, its value was undeniable.
Ugh!
Beikal was flustered. This was because
Sanghyeon, who had looked just as exhausted as himself just seconds ago, had completely changed his appearance.
He also felt a sense of relative deprivation.
He was in a situation where he couldn't even attempt to recover his stamina because his skills were sealed.
However, Sanghyeon was unilaterally boosting his stamina and pouring down skill attacks.
Only then did he realize how terrifying the control skill Sanghyeon had cast on him was.
It felt like having one's fists tightly bound while unilaterally extending a fist wearing a stone glove.
An excessive injustice. While it might symbolize a disadvantage for him, it would be an extreme advantage for Sanghyeon.
And so.
Kugagagagaga!
He unleashed his inner power even more.
Extreme awakening rapidly drains life force, but there was no reason to think about the future right now. If
he lost here, he would die. But why would he worry about his lifespan being shortened later? Absolutely not.
'He's amazing, too. Even with his skills blocked, he is somehow managing to continue his offensive against me.'
While admiring Beikal's abilities, Sanghyeon wondered what it would be like if Beikal were a melee damage dealer.
If that were the case, the battle would have been extremely difficult. He might have even been defeated and forced to retreat.
That was because Beikal's proficiency in martial arts was that exceptional. However,
he was only half-baked because he could not use magic skills to counterattack when the opportunity arose.
Hwaaaap!
Beikal, with his physical abilities maximized, launched a fierce assault on Sanghyeon.
The black energy filling his hands had hardened and become powerful, as if they had turned into steel gloves. As
he pressed on in that state, Sanghyeon had no choice but to block with his sword.
Since the guy also possessed resistance to status effects, most skills were useless.
"Phew."
Sanghyeon endured patiently.
Although the frenzied battle was slipping away regrettably amidst extreme defense, he held no regrets.
Instead, he analyzed Beikal's movements in minute detail.
He wouldn't just mindlessly unleash predictable attacks. There must surely be a finishing move at play.
Sure enough. No sooner
had Sanghyeon had such a thought than both of Beikal's hands began to burn red.
*Waaah! *
With a deafening roar, Beikal closed in on Sanghyeon. It felt like if he were caught like this, his arms or whatever else would fall off!
The next moment.
*Back Step*
*Full Bash – Frontal Charge*.
He backped away to deflect an attack, then immediately charged forward to close the distance.
He had dodged only the troublesome attack and launched a counterattack right away. It was Sanghyeon's delayed counterattack.
*Boom!
* Sanghyeon rammed directly into Beikal.
Whether skilled in martial arts or technical techniques, a mage is ultimately just a mage. Their basic resilience is bound to be weak.
*Cough!*
Baykal tumbled to the ground from Sanghyeon's monstrous strength as he rammed into him head-on, while Baykal was already exhausted.
Facing an enemy at close range, and while lying on the ground unable to stand?
The implications were simple. Death, or the beginning of a hell akin to death.
Then, Sanghyeon's voice was heard—chillingly calm yet brimming with confidence.
"It's my turn now."
After that, Baykal's memories were completely erased.
It wasn't that he had lost his memory, nor that it had been stolen away somewhere. He had been beaten to death, so there was nothing left to remember.
At the tail end of a one-sided attack,
Baykal, reduced to rags by the ceaseless barrage of sword strikes, gasped for breath and brought his hands together.
It was a posture that looked as if he were praying, and at that moment, Sanghyeon sensed a change occurring within Baykal.
'Self-destruction.'
It was a phenomenon where he suddenly began to run wild, explosively releasing mana from his body.
Nine times out of ten, it was nothing but self-destruction. It involves using oneself as a medium to trigger a massive mana explosion.
It is a pattern frequently seen in high-level dungeons.
Monsters, sensing their impending death, are determined to inflict damage on the enemy at all costs, even if it means sacrificing their own bodies.
“Still acting like a jerk to the very end.”
Sanghyun bit his lip.
He had no intention of stopping a guy who was going to die. Nor did he intend to just let himself
be taken advantage of. The annoying thing about self-destruction was that the aftermath was so filthy that it made the onlookers feel disgusted.
If they were going to die, they should have died gracefully; why burn themselves out completely just to see the end? He couldn't understand it.
Sanghyun quickly maneuvered backward with a backstep and immediately placed his hand on Sophia's shoulder.
She looked to have expended so much mental energy that she staggered just from the slight touch of his hand.
Having fought with all her might on the front lines, she must have had to endure all kinds of pressure in a linked state from the rear.
Sanghyun was grateful for Sophia's silent sacrifice. She neither boasted about it nor showed it.
Kuaaaah!
Eventually, Beikal began to swell like a balloon, entering the final stage of self-destruction.
“Phew.”
Sanghyun took a deep breath. Matching the explosion of Beikal in
the 『Another World』,
he isolated himself and Sophia’s bodies in a subspace entirely different from their current location.
The next moment,
the two could see it.
In a world that shared their vision but was now entirely different, they saw Beikal’s spirit falling into hundreds of fragments.
It was a dizzying situation where, had it not been for the spatial isolation skill, they would have all perished in a mutual destruction at the end.
