novelraw Chapter 157 : The Labyrinth of Tranquility - (5)
Chapter 157 : The Labyrinth of Tranquility - (5)
Chapter 157: The Labyrinth of Tranquility - (5)
‘So you were serious too?’
The Blade Spider launched its attack while injuring itself in the process.
Because of the absurd trajectory of the blade, Sanghyun had only one immediate option to dodge.
『Song of the Sword』
There was hardly any room to maneuver.
It was impossible to backstep or move sideways due to the Blade Spider's remaining seven intact legs.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The Blade Spider relentlessly struck Sanghyun’s body, which had turned a golden hue.
However, since he was in an invincible state, none of the attacks landed, and the spider let out a unique screech in frustration.
“Had enough venting?”
Sanghyun grinned.
『Flame』
Flames quickly engulfed the Demonic Sword.
When Han Hyunjeong added the Wrath of the Scorching King buff, the flames turned crimson.
It looked so threatening it felt like molten lava had been coated onto the blade.
Fwoooosh!
With Sanghyun’s charge, one of the Blade Spider’s legs was severed.
It was the very leg that had targeted Sanghyun, even breaking itself in the process.
Screeeeeeech!
The scream was louder than nails on a chalkboard. It seemed its pain receptors were quite developed.
Click. Click. Click.
At the same time, the Blade Spider’s many eyes blinked in succession.
It was trying to immediately locate Sanghyun the moment any part of his body slipped out of sight.
『Step of Darkness』
He instantly concealed his footsteps.
Spider-type monsters mainly tracked their prey with vision, so their auditory detection was weak.
Using that knowledge, he hid his presence. There was no need to use full stealth.
“……”
Sanghyun held his breath.
This was the moment when the Blade Spider’s senses were at their sharpest.
Shhhhhh.
Just then.
Crimson smoke began to leak from the underside of the Blade Spider, clouding the vision.
[Resisted Silence!]
[Resisted Silence!]
‘So it was silence smoke.’
As the Selfless State title activated, he repeatedly resisted the silence effect.
With a 75% resistance rate against silence, the Selfless State title truly shone in moments like this.
The fact that titles and skills were a case of the more, the better, was an unchanging truth.
The next moment.
Rrrrrrrr…
Perhaps it relaxed.
Or maybe it believed the silence smoke had taken full effect on Sanghyun beneath its abdomen.
The Blade Spider loosened the tension from its bulging belly.
It was a fleeting instant, like when the uvula moves while swallowing.
Squelch!
It was more than enough time for Sanghyun to strike.
The deadly combo he chained together in that extremely brief moment ripped through the Blade Spider’s thick exoskeleton.
Screeeeech!
“Guess you're practicing high notes all day.”
Sanghyun chuckled at the shrieking coming from above. After all, the enemy’s pain was his delight.
And then.
Flash!
Without a second thought, he leaped into the wound that had opened on the Blade Spider’s body.
Naturally, entering a giant monster’s body was not a pleasant experience.
But there was no more certain way to end it for good.
It was the same as digging into a human’s body and shredding their organs and veins from within.
Whether by shock or suffocation, the result could only be death.
At the same time.
“……”
Han Hyunjeong witnessed the Blade Spider’s body swell and contract.
Though only a silhouette could be seen, it was clear someone was inside.
And every time the Blade Spider's body bulged—
Splat! Slash!
Sanghyun’s Demonic Sword ripped mercilessly through the spider’s body from within.
It was practically a dissection.
How many slashes did he deliver like that?
Squelch!
Eventually, Sanghyun burst through the spot where the Blade Spider’s brain had been and severed its lifeline.
“Huff. Huff. Huff.”
Sanghyun panted heavily, his body covered in the monster’s bodily fluids.
It didn’t particularly smell bad, but it was sticky and unpleasant.
[……Level Up!]
‘Level 190. Perfect. Just ten more and I’ll get another skill enhancement chance, right?’
Thanks to diligently collected experience, his level progression continued upward.
When he had first regressed—
He had only vaguely wondered when he would ever hit level 100 or 200, but now it was becoming reality.
The barrier that had seemed so insurmountable before regression now felt manageable.
While shaking off the sticky fluids from his body, Sanghyun turned to Han Hyunjeong.
“If you don’t mind, may I wash off at the stream down there?”
“Of course. But…”
Han Hyunjeong started to say something to Sanghyun, who was striding toward the stream, but stopped herself.
It was because her feelings toward him, which had once been casual and friendly, were now changing.
Back when they signed the sponsorship contract—
Although she had acknowledged Sanghyun’s skill, she still thought of him as beneath her.
But after tackling this labyrinth together, her perspective changed.
Sanghyun had a level of experience that couldn’t exist in someone who had grown so quickly in such a short time.
Since the era of players began two years ago—
That kind of expertise was something only top-tier players, known as “named” or “rankers,” possessed.
Sanghyun clearly wasn’t one of those veteran early players who had been through thick and thin, and yet he radiated seasoned confidence.
Just calling him a promising rookie with low level didn’t do justice—his potential and capabilities were simply too immense.
The vague speculation had now taken complete form after clearing the labyrinth together. It wasn’t unrealistic either.
“Hm.”
Han Hyunjeong checked the Artifact reward that had dropped beside the dead Blade Spider’s corpse.
It was a pair of Unique-grade boots.
‘This much of a concession isn’t even an investment.’
Han Hyunjeong picked up the Artifact.
Not because she intended to keep it, but to wipe off the filth and hand it over to Sanghyun.
Suddenly, a thought occurred to her.
To maintain the sponsorship contract even after three months, the most important thing would be to treat Sanghyun with care.
Giving up a single Unique-grade Artifact was nothing. It’s not like she lacked money anyway.
Besides, she felt a sense of moral debt to Sanghyun after all he’d done in clearing the labyrinth.
‘Maybe…’
Han Hyunjeong thought to herself.
In the life of a businessperson, there always comes a time to invest in a plan that could become a vital turning point.
That investment might fail and plunge one into ruin forever.
Or it might bring massive success, becoming a shortcut to wealth.
She had only felt such turning points twice before in the process of growing Hyunjeong Corporation.
Each time, she had trusted her intuition and judgment and had always succeeded, bringing her to where she stood today.
Right now.
Han Hyunjeong was witnessing the third turning point in Sanghyun.
She would either lose him forever—or hold on to him permanently!
She had a strong conviction that this would determine not only her future but also the fate of Hyunjeong Corporation.
‘I have to secure him no matter what.’
And that conviction pointed toward building a lasting and sustained relationship with Sanghyun.
Her evaluation of Sanghyun’s rising value was now complete. This labyrinth clear had provided a definite answer.
The Unique-grade boots dropped from the Blade Spider.
Sanghyun, happy with Han Hyunjeong’s concession, accepted the Artifact without hesitation.
The meal was prepared immediately after.
Because the boots didn’t have any options worthy of replacing his current footwear.
‘That Blade Spider bastard. I can’t believe it ate its freshly laid eggs so deliciously.’
The food Sanghyun had to consume—the visualized meal—was the freshly laid eggs of the Blade Spider.
They felt like konjac rice in the mouth, but tasted sour like grapes.
‘I’ll just pretend it’s lemon jelly.’
Chomp. Munch.
Sanghyun diligently ate the eggs.
Eventually, as he got used to it, the flavor became somewhat bearable. It started to taste like biting into lemon.
‘Is this because of a skill? Or a stat?’
Thinking back, hidden stats had almost never appeared until now.
Of course, he had gained useful skills, so he didn’t have much to complain about, but there was still some regret.
Once the meal was over—
As usual, following the formula for Unique-grade 60% absorption rate, Strength rose by 60 and Stamina by 30.
The stats from the boots were decent, so the inherited values were quite satisfactory.
But what was more surprising—
[A hidden rift has opened during absorption, allowing inheritance of a Hidden Stat!]
[Your Luck stat increases by 100.]
“Oh?”
He had gained Luck as a Hidden Stat. It was just what he had been hoping for.
[You have fulfilled a hidden condition by achieving over 1,000 Luck. A special title will be granted.]
[The S-rank title ‘777’ is now activated.]
【777】
■ Title Grade: S-rank
■ Title Description: Good things will keep happening to you on days that just feel good.
When an Artifact drops during a strategy you contributed to, the following drop table is activated:
7th drop: 100% Epic grade.
77th drop: 100% Legendary grade.
777th drop: 100% Almighty grade.
‘There’s no way I’m not pushing until I see the 777th drop.’
Seeing the title he’d long awaited actually appear nearly made his eyes roll back in excitement.
Just obtaining an Almighty-grade Artifact could link to countless other titles and skills.
A single Artifact of that grade was a concentration of destructive power, becoming a threat just by existing.
Like a nuclear weapon held by developed nations—it becomes something that cannot be casually touched or approached.
[The Great Lord of the Northern Snowfields eagerly wishes for your unrelenting consumption of Artifacts.]
[The God of Study estimates an 89.9% chance that you will reach 777 within two months at your current pace.]
[The Ancient Swordmaster offers a reverent round of applause for your unceasing passion in acquiring titles.]
‘At the earliest in this strategy, and at the latest in the next one—I’m definitely getting an Epic-grade.’
It was powerful motivation.
The guarantee of acquiring an Artifact worth nearly 125 billion won on average wasn’t something anyone could obtain.
“Hoo!”
He exhaled a satisfied, heated breath. The breath still held remnants of the intense battle with the Blade Spider.
With that, the fourth section was complete.
All that remained was the labyrinth’s end.
That is—the final, fifth section, which held the master of the labyrinth and simultaneously the so-called boss monster.
‘What kind of gift will the labyrinth give me this time?’
He was already excited.
His body naturally tensed. The boss monster would certainly not be as easy to deal with as the Blade Spider.
By his senses, the recommended level for this dungeon felt to be at least level 400—at the very least.
Was this reckless after all?
“……”
A fatigue he had never felt before now engulfed his entire body.
It was a heavy exhaustion that would not be relieved by just a brief rest.
‘Let’s end this properly, and take a real break.’
He gripped the Demonic Sword once more.
The more fatigued he became, the more paradoxically his body loosened up. Now it was time to finish it all with a flourish.