novelraw Chapter 170 : Nameless (1)
Chapter 170 : Nameless (1)
Chapter 170: Nameless (1)
The value of 300 mana was incredibly significant.
That was because skills worthy of being called ultimate moves or trump cards often consumed that much mana.
In Sanghyun’s case, when a condition like Full Summon, his ultimate form, was involved, it consumed 500 mana.
The fact that a single bracelet alone could cover 300 mana was undeniably meaningful.
“The embedded skill is interesting too.”
When he checked the skill window linked to the Artifact, there was one passive and one active skill.
『No Thought, No Form』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: A passive skill that allows the user to maintain a constant awakened state.
You can designate one of your existing awakened skills to remain active at all times.
There is no separate mana consumption.
“If it’s one of my awakened skills, then it’s Over Psychedelic, right? And this keeps it active at all times?”
Surprised, Sanghyun checked the detailed tooltip further.
First of all, one of the core features of Over Psychedelic—the HP recovery when activated and upon ending—was not included.
If it had been, it would’ve been not just broken but close to being the choice of a god.
Excluding the complete HP recovery, all the other options were fully inherited by No Thought, No Form.
And within the No Thought, No Form state, Over Psychedelic could still be used at any time.
In other words, it meant he could maintain an awakened state that was more than twice as powerful as before.
“So that’s why people always said Valentin had such strong concentration in battle. There was a reason.”
Sanghyun nodded in understanding.
He didn’t know what grade bracelet Valentin had obtained back then, but the effect must’ve been similar.
Being able to keep an awakened effect constantly active meant being able to maintain unwavering focus as well.
“And now, it’s mine.”
That was what mattered.
Valentin would never get a chance to meet the Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara again, nor would he ever earn such a reward.
The predetermined future had been altered.
The reward that would have gone to a villain had been blocked—taken by Sanghyun himself.
Next up.
『Spatial Rift』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
“As expected. I figured I would inherit one of the core abilities of the Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara. My heart’s racing.”
The moment he saw the skill name, Sanghyun let out a heavy breath. It felt like a whole new form of potential was opening up.
■ Skill Description: A ‘line’ of space, starting from your weapon, creates a dense distortion on both sides.
Within the twisted and tangled distorted space, no form of defense or evasion mechanism works.
Your opponent will have no choice but to focus solely on figuring out how to avoid the rift you create.
“Oh, so it uses my sword as the medium to cause spatial distortion. That sounds a bit tricky.”
He clearly understood the form.
A single line extending from Sanghyun’s sword would shoot toward the target.
This would form an imaginary line connecting Sanghyun to the target, along which the distortion occurred.
Because the distortion affected not only the targeted enemy but also all enemies caught in between,
it wasn’t just suitable for one-on-one, but also specialized in massacre.
Sanghyun tried the skill.
As he activated Spatial Rift, a single line immediately extended from his sword toward the intended target point.
“It’s a bit slower than I thought.”
It wasn’t dramatically fast.
If it had been that kind of skill, it would’ve appeared not in this dungeon but in dungeons of level 500 or 600.
“At this pace, Shin Taeri would definitely dodge it. If I use it openly, that is.”
It wasn’t ideal to use against top-tier players. The flow was easy enough to predict.
“But it’s a different story for me.”
Of course, there were variables.
Sanghyun was a player specialized in inducing abnormal status effects.
The speed of the spatial distortion line was something Sanghyun’s eyes could follow.
Of course, for lower-level players, it would be a nightmare. Only with a much higher standard of perception could one even hope to track it.
“If I apply a status effect and then chain it with Spatial Rift, the enemy will die even if they see it coming. Especially if they’re afflicted with stiffness.”
A convincing strategy came to mind.
How to use it perfectly would be something to rigorously figure out from now on.
Because skills always showed more power when linked together, rather than used alone.
Meanwhile, before moving to Zone 3—
Sanghyun deliberately took a long rest.
Since it wasn’t a timed quest to begin with, there was no need to push himself.
More than anything, it was because he had gone into overdrive during the battle with the Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara.
It felt like his lifespan had been shaved off.
He constantly felt like he was pushing his body to its absolute limits. That much was clear.
“Even so, I want to grow stronger.”
Sanghyun’s resolve had never wavered once since returning.
As the only person who knew the future, he didn’t want to ease off the reins of growth.
If there were a way to remain fine without sleeping, he would’ve paid billions to obtain it.
“Because this kind of special privilege—just for me—will likely be the first and last.”
Sanghyun clenched his fist.
The word “fate” was truly fitting at a moment like this.
It was as if someone had designed this new life just for him.
But he couldn't afford to waste time idly. Every single second was precious.
Truthfully, if his body could endure it, he would have already been on the move.
“So tired.”
But his body was sending out warning signals.
Thunk!
Sanghyun roughly leveled out the flat dirt ground with his hand and laid down on it.
Hugging his greatsword and using a small stone as a pillow was something he had done endlessly in his past life.
As long as he could get some shut-eye—
Anywhere was paradise.
That’s what Sanghyun believed.
After a full rest—
His pace in clearing the dungeon picked up speed.
The path toward the end of Zone 3 was by no means easy. Naturally, it was harder than before.
However, Sanghyun had all the countermeasures ready, so rather than improvising, he could respond by the book—it made things easier.
There were quite a few monsters whose innate defense buffs vanished under status effects, turning them into fragile targets.
For monsters with resistance to physical attacks, he used the “magic damage” aspect of his skills to take them down.
With tailored strategies like these, there was nothing to fear, and nothing that posed a problem.
“Nice haul.”
At a spot just before the boss monster’s area, Sanghyun checked the preliminary rewards.
Assuming he completed the final stage, the buff included a +200 increase to Stamina as a pre-clear bonus.
On top of that, there were five Full Recovery Potions available as well.
Each one was a rare item worth over 25 billion won!
They couldn’t be crafted and could only be obtained in dungeons, and even then, at extremely low probability—a truly unique item.
They were practically resurrection potions, with the following effects:
[Full Recovery Potion: Restores all health, completely heals injured areas, and regenerates lost body parts within 10 seconds.]
As long as you didn’t die, it could practically return your body to its original state. And there were five of them.
“So that’s why Valentin was so hard to kill in my previous life. The heavy losses during the Predator Purge make sense now.”
He understood it now.
To take down Valentin, thirty agents from the World Player Union had been mobilized.
Fifteen of them had been over level 400—and they still died. That showed just how fiercely the guy had resisted.
“That won’t happen anymore.”
Sanghyun looked over the potion list in the reward preview with satisfaction.
This time, it was his. No one else’s. And he’d likely have countless opportunities to use them well.
Official name: No Name.
But in Korea, the monster was referred to as “무명 (Nameless).” There was good reason for that.
First, from appearance alone, he resembled a martial artist straight out of a wuxia film.
If someone had added a title like “First Sword of Mount Hua,” it would’ve sounded convincing.
Nameless wasn’t arrogant like the Thousand-Handed Avalokitesvara, nor was he a trickster like Sgald.
He was an opponent who had to be faced head-on, with real skill and orthodox methods—so one had to take the long view in battle.
‘Let’s keep it low-risk, low-return at first.’
Sanghyun decided on his approach.
He would engage defensively and carefully, aiming to fully analyze Nameless’s combat tendencies.
Until now, Sanghyun had often won by overwhelming force and clever predictions.
This time, he planned to study the opponent thoroughly and only then devise a precise strategy to break him down.
That was how it had to be.
If this boss monster was guarding the final chapter of a notoriously difficult quest, he deserved thorough analysis.
The battle unfolded smoothly.
Not meaning it was dull—but that no one was getting hurt or pushed to collapse.
Sanghyun stuck to clean, methodical, and stable attacks without overextending.
Nameless, in turn, used his dazzling, elegant swordsmanship in an attempt to break through Sanghyun’s solid defenses.
Spear and shield.
The phrase fit perfectly—their combat styles were clearly polar opposites.
Throughout the fight—
Nameless never said a word.
He wore a serene smile as he attacked. Sanghyun’s provocations, whether through movement or words, had no effect.
When Sanghyun perfectly blocked one of his attacks, Nameless would nod or even applaud.
He was still an enemy, but somehow, his reactions made Sanghyun feel good. It was a form of admiration, after all.
‘Stagnant water decays, and exposed patterns dull defense.’
Sanghyun realized he needed to revise his initial confident strategy.
That was because of Nameless’s learning ability. He had begun reading Sanghyun’s counterattacks and defensive patterns.
What was once a perfect block became narrowly successful—or dangerously close calls.
Sanghyun was quietly shocked at how Nameless kept upgrading himself almost in real-time.
It wasn’t just that he was learning patterns.
The problem was, he was also formulating counterstrategies based on what he learned.
He possessed an intellect far beyond what one would expect from a mere monster.
Rather than a boss monster, it was more accurate to say he was a martial artist brought from another dimension.
Sanghyun asked several times whether they could talk, but Nameless only smiled in response.
‘Might as well break this equilibrium completely and switch to a full-scale offensive, relying on my Undying skill.’
Sanghyun abandoned his original plan and made a hard pivot.
Having a reliable trump card gave him immense mental strength and courage.
He still had two charges left on his Undying skill—and that fact alone was enough to justify his new approach.
If needed, he had a buff that would absolutely prevent death. What could be more reassuring than that?
‘Nameless. I know I won’t die. What about you?’
Sanghyun loosened his previously stiff defensive posture and pointed his Spirit-Destroying Sword at Nameless in a more relaxed stance.
He had scouted enough.
They had both learned each other’s patterns.
All that remained was to pit their strategies and hidden cards against each other—with no holding back—to settle things.
‘Legendary.’
And Sanghyun was already thinking about one particular reward he was likely to obtain from Nameless.
A legendary-grade Artifact.
From someone like that, the odds of getting one were more than high enough.