Episode 236: Life or Death (3)
Pow!
“Cough!”
Luca, having taken a solid hit from the knockback burst, spewed thick saliva and was pushed back far.
It seemed he wasn't even prepared, as his body was bent into a C shape.
However, even in that moment, Sanghyeon erected a wall in the path where he was likely to charge straight at him.
Knowing he would obviously be targeted in his most vulnerable state, he blocked the path even while taking a hit.
As a result, Sanghyeon, who had been about to charge in while following closely behind, stepped back for the time being.
He would have liked to smash through the wall if he could, but he had no idea what kind of thing this wall was.
Among the walls wielded by mages, there were some that caused an explosion the moment they collided. A truly wretched form.
“You bastard!”
Spitting saliva mixed with blood, Luca immediately formed a hand seal on both hands.
Simultaneously, with a crackling sound, numerous spheres of electric current converged around Luca’s hands.
The time taken from casting to execution was just over one second.
It wasn't a short time, but neither was it long enough to prepare.
Crack!
Electric current flew in!
『Defensive Sword』
Sanghyeon unleashed the Defensive Sword.
The most basic defensive mechanism.
However, while deploying the Defensive Sword, he was already preparing for the next move.
This is because there is no such thing as 'unconditional' in combat. There is no guarantee that the Defensive Sword will unconditionally block the electric current.
Sure enough.
BANG! Crack! Crack!
Cracks instantly appeared across the entire shield of the Defensive Sword as it collided head-on with the electric sphere.
Just like watching a crack in a glass, the lines of the cracks spread outward.
Cracking!
The shield shattered instantly.
『Perfect Sword』
Sanghyeon blocked the follow-up strike that followed by the Perfect Sword, a skill linked to the Defensive Sword.
One second of complete invincibility.
Let's assume there was a swordsman in the same situation as Sanghyeon. But what if the Perfect Sword hadn't existed?
At this very moment, he would have been exposed to the residual current that had penetrated the shield and would have been electrocuted on the spot.
Since an electrocuted body becomes nearly immobile, it effectively becomes easy prey for a mage.
It is safe to say it is practically a death sentence.
However, thanks to the Perfect Sword, the subsequent attacks were cleanly neutralized, and the battle returned to square one.
No, seeing blood come from Luca's mouth, one could call it a small victory, at least for now.
“Wow. What kind of swordsman has skills popping out from everywhere? That’s amazing.”
Luca wiped the blood from his mouth and clapped.
Whether he was trying to hide his fear or genuinely impressed, he didn't know, but he certainly seemed surprised.
'That is my characteristic and my strength. It is also a unique perk gained from regressing with the ability to consume artifacts.'
Sanghyun laughed to himself.
All of this is the result of regression.
If his previous life had ended there, he would have been just one of many mediocre players.
“…….”
Sanghyun did not let his guard down.
It was true that he had dealt a spectacular blow to Luca, but this was only the beginning.
Battle is a place where even if you hold the upper hand by 99%, you can be counterattacked by a 1% weakness and lose your life.
He intended never to let his guard down until he had clearly seen Luca's death with his own eyes. He
could not let his guard down for even a moment. After all,
Luca was a skilled fighter at a much higher level than himself.
And if one were to twist the logic, Luca might be deliberately exposing a vulnerability right now.
After all, there is no psychological warfare more effective in combat than inducing the enemy to let their guard down.
Sang-hyun intended to consider every possible scenario.
He didn't care if he was called cautious or a coward. After all, the chance between life and death comes only once.
The world remembers those who survive no matter what. It does not remember those who die fighting heroically.
* * *
Around that time,
Lee Si-yeon had left the lodgings and moved to a location further away.
This was because, just in case—and just in case—the sparks of the battle flew here, the innocent Lee Si-yeon could get caught up in it.
However, since she had moved locations without telling Sang-hyun, she didn't forget to send her location via smartphone.
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I was able to have an enjoyable outing. I hope you live a long and healthy life.”
Lee Si-yeon said to her ‘inner Lee Si-yeon.’ She was the original owner of this body.
Currently, she was in a position to quietly observe everything. She was someone who found many things fascinating. Nevertheless
, during the possession process, the power of the constellations eliminated all the illnesses that the original owner had suffered from.
I’m sure that unless she deliberately harms her physical body, living to at least a hundred years old will be no problem.
Now, as soon as the possession was 'released,' she intended to return swiftly to the Dimensional Order and somehow make the news known.
First, she planned to persuade the Constellations who were with her as Upper Hyun’s contractors and patrons to take action.
Furthermore, she intended to actively request help from the God of Storms, who was also the greatest being.
Right now, the power of the Divine Throne, which possesses a level of strength one step higher than the Constellations, was desperately needed.
Moreover, considering that the culprit behind this incident was the Eye of Calamity, the enemy of the God of Storms…
the God of Storms had to step forward with all his might. Only then would there be room for change, coupled with Upper Hyun’s efforts.
“…….”
Lee Si-yeon scanned somewhere in the distant open field visible through the window of where she was staying.
She saw a barrier, and silhouettes entangled in battle within it. It must be Upper Hyun.
A short but enjoyable excursion into the human world. Now, she had to return to the place where she gazed intently from afar.
“It was fun.”
Lee Si-yeon waved her hand toward where Upper Hyun was.
And without a second thought.
Whoosh!
She returned to the Dimensional Order.
Now, the Dimensional Order would be busy, too.
* * *
During the back-and-forth battle with Luka,
Upper Rank drastically saved several skills, despite facing several critical situations along the way.
A prime example was the Sword of Destruction. He never used it, nor did he show any signs of using it.
For Upper Rank, it was a hidden card capable of instantly turning the tide of battle and a deadly one-hit kill.
A low-level player might not notice or prepare for it even if the strategy was exposed,
but a skilled player like Luka recognizes its characteristics and prepares simply by seeing the skill's pre-motion animation.
In fact, Upper Rank was constantly aware of the Oxidation skill, which had previously nearly caused him to fall victim to Luka's strategy.
It was a very threatening ultimate skill of Luka's, almost instantaneous.
Upper Rank survived because he instinctively threw himself; otherwise, he would have been pierced through the center of his chest.
『Updraft』
“Eek! Damn it!”
Meanwhile, Upper Rank was unexpectedly having fun with the Updraft skill.
Considering Luca's level and skill to begin with, it was clear that he lacked nothing in terms of stats.
Since his Magic Resistance was undoubtedly high, I assumed that even if he used Updraft, he wouldn't see much of an airborne effect.
So, I didn't even consider using it, but I tried it just in case.
Although there was no airborne effect, it had a significant impact in disrupting Luca's mental concentration needed to form the Magic Seal.
Airborne, as a status ailment, is actually uncommon among players.
Consequently, it is rarely used, and players rarely experience it on the receiving end.
Perhaps that is why Luca appeared to lose focus on magic whenever the Upper Moon used Updraft.
Therefore, I actively used Updraft whenever the flow of the battle turned against the Upper Moon.
While this might not counter instant or rapid-casting skills,
it allowed me to block the preliminary movements and concentration absolutely necessary for executing powerful, destructive skills.
Meanwhile.
Luca kept quiet, but his mind was becoming increasingly conflicted by the growing sense of alienation he felt from Sanghyeon.
At first, he had been confident of an easy victory.
His investigation had clearly confirmed that Sanghyeon had been a truly insignificant player until recently.
He believed that no matter how rapidly Sanghyeon had grown, he was no match for himself, who was over level 570.
It wasn't a case of overconfidence.
When there is a level difference of over 100, it is virtually impossible to overturn the advantage in skill.
That gap widens as one moves toward higher levels. It was not a scenario where a battle with Sanghyeon should have gone evenly like this.
Yet, he was struggling.
Due to the Super Inferno skill manifested by Sanghyeon, Luca was engulfed in a massive pillar of fire, burning his hair and clothes.
He had often seen players wielding swords imbued with fire attributes.
However, this was the first time he had seen a swordsman swinging a flame several times longer than the blade itself.
Even the so-called "named" swordsmen from around the world had never possessed such a skill.
Not only was he being defeated by Sanghyeon's skill, but there were also skills that were blocked and seen through.
For instance, the 'Silence' related skills, intended to seal Upper Rank's abilities and unleash a fierce assault, did not work.
A secret Luca did
not know. ■ Special Effect – Ecstasy
■ Skill resistance to skills related to one designated status ailment category increases by 75%.
■ Designate the status ailment to enter the Ecstasy state.
The designated status ailment is 'Silence'.
It was because of Upper Rank's Ecstasy.
Since it was a 75% probability, silence might have been applied if he had kept trying. However,
after failing to induce silence about three times in a row, Luca concluded that Upper Rank was immune.
He had given up prematurely.
Thus, for Luca, the Upper Rank had become a being against whom silence was 'impossible.'
Furthermore, the Invisibility spell—often called the main specialty of high-level mage players—had also
been thoroughly seen through by the Upper Rank .
『Breath of Gaia』
■ Skill Level: Stage 5 (83.4%)
■ Skill Description: Visible to the movement path of a mana-using entity in a stealth state.
(…… omitted)
It was precisely because of Breath of Gaia. Since
even his stealth had been detected, Luca, who had tried to create a variable in the battle, ended up being defeated instead.
Nothing was working.
It felt like a game of rock-paper-scissors where I was using one hand while the Upper Rank was using two. No
matter what I played, the opponent responded, and conversely, it felt like the opponent had many options to bring out, so the pressure was intense.
Especially when he was briefly blinded by the skill the Upper Rank unleashed, 'Whispers of Darkness.'
A chilling shiver ran through his entire body. It was because a skill he thought could never come from a swordsman had appeared.
As a result, the fear of Sanghyeon began to escalate and multiply. It
was the worst.
As status effect skills that I thought Sanghyeon wouldn't possess started rearing their heads one by one, I began
to hesitate in attacking, fearing that he might have every possible status effect.
A single wrong move could lead to a counterattack and even death. I couldn't afford to be complacent.
'Fuck…'
It was a situation where cursing came out of my mouth automatically.
