novelraw Chapter 176 : Predator Hunt (1)
Chapter 176 : Predator Hunt (1)
Chapter 176: Predator Hunt (1)
At the same time.
[The title ‘Demon Hunter’ remains active.]
[A total of seven evil-aligned Constellations have been detected by ‘Demon Hunter’.]
[You deal double damage to targets detected by ‘Demon Hunter’.]
Sanghyun kept checking the title Demon Hunter, which he had maintained in an active state.
Until now, there had been no opportunity to face evil-aligned Constellations, so the title had been practically idle.
But after running into the trio—Kay, Jay, and Roel—it began to shine brighter than ever.
‘And Demon Hunter doesn’t even have a penalty. It just boosts my damage one-sidedly.’
The effects of the titles he had diligently collected were now coming into the spotlight.
True Duelist was also active.
Because no allies were within a 5-meter radius. Being alone was a disadvantage—at least, it usually was.
Furthermore, with Kay’s defense reaching as high as 1,500, the Lotus Flame title automatically kicked in.
Thanks to Lotus Flame’s whopping 40% defense reduction, Kay’s defense dropped down to the 900s. Now it was on par with Sanghyun’s!
‘Now I can fully savor the power boost from the SS-grade title, Guide of the Holy Spirit.’
[Second, Relentless Judge]
[Deals 200% additional damage to contractors bound to evil or non-neutral Constellations.]
[However, damage received from them also increases by 100%. Depending on the situation, this may be a double-edged sword.]
This was it.
It was the second perk of the SS-grade title Guide of the Holy Spirit.
Each strike would now become a highly destructive blow.
Even Sanghyun himself could hardly gauge the level of destruction it would bring.
Because critical hits were also factored in, making the damage even more explosive.
One thing was certain.
Even if he couldn’t predict it, the result would exceed whatever he imagined.
‘I've been thinking too long.’
Sanghyun immediately charged toward Kay.
Kay, whose magic had been nullified due to the Path of Anti-Magic, wore an expression like he’d chewed on something vile.
He had thrown a decisive strike with careful intent, but it was blocked far too easily by Sanghyun.
“I don’t know what kind of bullshit this is!”
Kay gritted his teeth and counterattacked.
Although his first strike failed, he considered it a natural variable in battle.
After all, he was regarded as a promising player with high expectations.
Surely he had prepared at least some kind of self-defense. His current response must be one of them.
“Haaah!”
“Hah!”
Clang!
Sanghyun’s nameless sword and Kay’s greatsword clashed at a single point.
It was a rainy night, but sparks flew at the point of contact, brighter than any light.
The two clashed using basic attacks.
The reason was simple.
Basic attacks had slightly faster reaction and execution times than skill-based sword techniques.
Though the difference was slight, in the world of experts, that gap was significant.
The next moment.
Sanghyun deliberately made a wide move, giving Kay the initiative in basic attacks.
Making large movements at such a close range was nearly taboo—it was a dangerous gamble.
But Sanghyun had a trump card. It was the unique effect of his nameless sword.
He had full confidence that Kay’s next attack wouldn’t land on him.
A binary choice.
Since Kay’s first basic attack had succeeded by clashing with Sanghyun’s blade, the tooltip said the second one must fail. He trusted that the system wouldn’t lie.
“You cocky bastard!”
‘You should’ve been suspicious.’
Here is where their instincts diverged.
When it seemed like Sanghyun had made an unreasonably risky move—
Rather than seeing it as an opening, Kay should have considered it a trap.
But Kay assumed Sanghyun had become intoxicated with his own offense and was recklessly going for a kill.
He thought Sanghyun was trying to change the tide with aggressive tactics due to being outmatched. A critical miscalculation.
Whoosh!
“Huh?”
Kay’s basic attack unmistakably missed. The binary-choice effect activated perfectly.
And then—
Thud!
In an instant, Sanghyun activated Blade of Ruin on his nameless sword and stabbed it carelessly into Kay’s right shoulder.
Boom!
Before blood could even spurt from Kay’s shoulder, Sanghyun had already moved to a completely different position.
With the strike, he had simultaneously activated Phantom Arbitration and Acceleration.
It was Sanghyun’s signature move.
He exploited the moment of the opponent’s confusion or the gap created after a successful hit to aim for their back.
The reason was simple.
Players with decent skill never allow follow-up or combo attacks.
So, if a skilled player like Kay received an unexpected shoulder wound—
A lesser player would panic and stand dazed, getting hit again without resistance.
But someone of Kay’s caliber would immediately prepare for the next move.
Even while wounded, they would push through the pain to block any follow-up.
If they managed to block, the fight would continue—but if they allowed the next hit, everything could end right there.
“……?”
Kay had underestimated Sanghyun.
As Kay stared forward to counterattack—Sanghyun had already moved behind him.
Jay and Roel flinched.
With Kay completely blindsided, it wasn’t a good time to try helping.
Whether they used magic or rushed toward Sanghyun, it would only happen after the moment had already passed.
Sure enough—
『Silver Moon』
Sanghyun openly activated Silver Moon aimed right at Kay’s exposed nape.
Even though the close range would lessen its full effect, it was still enough to inflict serious damage.
“……”
In that moment, Kay instinctively realized.
Something had gone very, very wrong. It was the killing intent chilling his back that told him.
Smack!
“Gaaah!”
Before he could even react, the blade aura of Silver Moon struck the back of Kay’s head.
The short distance ironically saved his life—if it had been longer, it might’ve killed him outright.
But the nightmare was only just beginning.
『Back Step』
『Silver Moon』
Sanghyun, who had widened the distance with Back Step, immediately chained another Silver Moon.
It was a calculated move possible because Kay had lost his balance and fallen forward after being struck on the back of the head.
And by the time the aura of Silver Moon flew forward, Sanghyun had already begun repeating the same chain.
“Intervene!”
“This is no time to just watch!”
As expected.
Once Kay was pushed into a defensive position, the two observing allies joined the fight.
『Wind Concealment』
At that moment, Sanghyun leisurely disappeared into the shadows, riding the tailwind. It was a conditional stealth skill in action.
Meanwhile—
Slash!
The second wave of Silver Moon’s aura inflicted an even deeper wound on Kay than the first.
If the first strike had just grazed the edge of the blade, the second one dug in deep and hollowed out his insides.
And that wasn’t all.
Boom!
After disengaging using Wind Concealment and widening the distance again, Sanghyun cast Silver Moon for the third time.
This time, he converted all his mana into offensive power, leaving only 100, turning it into a de facto finishing move.
It was a calculated move possible because of the nameless sword’s unique effect, Unending Spring.
If his mana dropped below 10, it would automatically refill to max up to ten times a day.
Rumble!
The aura of this Silver Moon was on a completely different level from the previous two.
Kay, who had already been struck on the back of the head twice, still hadn’t recovered his senses.
Even as the energy of death closed in on him, Kay remained unaware of the fate rushing toward him.
And then—
“……”
Kay reflexively turned his head at the booming sound from behind and saw it clearly.
Even through the pouring rain, he saw the X-shaped, murderous aura flying at him with terrifying clarity.
He raised his sword.
Bzzzt!
And blocked it!
It was a deliberate reaction, using a defensive skill every swordsman should possess.
Kay, Jay, and Roel—
None of them doubted it.
Though Kay had taken a deep wound to his back, this alone wouldn’t be enough to bring him down.
He had enough backup potions. As long as he stepped away from the battlefield momentarily, he’d recover quickly.
But—
Screeech!
The aura of Silver Moon shredded Kay’s greatsword in an instant.
Caught within the X-shaped blade aura, the sword was sliced apart in the same shape.
The blade that had so cleanly severed the greatsword also passed across Kay’s still-blank expression.
In that fleeting moment—
As if time had stopped, Kay stood frozen in place, no expression on his face, unmoving.
Though the sword had been cut, his body appeared untouched, as if nothing had happened.
‘This is…’
But he knew.
It was over.
Something terribly wrong had occurred inside his body, and it was a path of no return—toward death.
He couldn’t believe it.
The damage was seven—no, eight times greater than what he had expected.
Even if you called it a finisher or a critical blow, this level of destruction made no sense.
How?
That was what Kay wanted to know.
No matter how strong Sanghyun might be, he was still just a player barely past level 200, wasn’t he?
Even Jerron Decay, mighty as he was, wouldn’t have stood a chance against Kay at that level.
Kay had believed that with certainty.
Yet the destructive power Sanghyun showed with that last critical blow felt like level 400—or higher.
Sanghyun had countless titles.
And Kay, who had formed a contract with an evil-aligned Constellation just like himself, had no idea that Sanghyun could deal such devastating damage specifically to someone like him. It was the lonely, pitiful end of a Constellation Predator who lacked proper intel.
Splatter.
Kay’s face, neatly cleaved in an X-shape, fell apart with chunks of flesh scattering in different directions.
‘That was a perfect counter.’
Sanghyun nodded after confirming without a doubt that Kay’s breath had ceased.
Perhaps among players backed by evil-aligned Constellations, there were those with powers opposite to his.
Just as he had power that conditionally amplified against those aligned with good Constellations like the Goddess of Luck…
He couldn’t allow himself to be happy carelessly. The existence of opposites meant there was always a reason behind it.
Such beings constantly sharpened their spears against each other, always thinking of ways to strike.
That, Sanghyun thought, would now be the relationship between him and the three—those under the banner of the Constellation Predator.
“Aaaaah!”
“Kay!”
Jay and Roel’s faces turned pale.
Until now, there hadn’t been a single case where Kay had stepped forward and failed.
He only showed confidence in fights he could win, and things always went according to plan.
But in front of Sanghyun—
His perfect win rate, his near-arrogant confidence, and his top-tier skill—none of it mattered.
30 seconds!
It took just 30 seconds for the morale of the once-proud Constellation Predators to shatter.
And for all their emotions to be consumed by fear and dread.
Just 30 seconds.