novelraw Chapter 178 : Predator Hunt - (3)
Chapter 178 : Predator Hunt - (3)
Chapter 178: Predator Hunt - (3)
The cleanup progressed slowly.
Following the unwritten rule of “winner takes all,” Sanghyun claimed the usable Artifacts.
Neither Sanghyun nor Lee Yeon felt any particular sympathy for the three Players, who were criminals to begin with for illegally entering the country.
Whether their corpses rotted or decayed in the rain, it was none of their concern. They didn’t care if it meant desecrating the dead.
“Aren’t you going?”
“Sorry?”
“The situation’s over. I’m safe, the guy who tried to backstab me is dead, and the Association people will be here soon.”
“Ah, right.”
Sanghyun was right.
It was just that Lee Yeon had unconsciously kept staring and thinking about him, as if bewitched by something.
The skill demonstrations and combat videos of Sanghyun circulated on the internet and YouTube were just the tip of the iceberg.
No, it was fair to say they were barely even a shard of the iceberg, considering Sanghyun’s real power was overwhelming.
The shock and fear from watching him utterly crush the three Players still lingered vividly.
“I’m totally fine, so you can go. You can tell the Master there’s really no issue at all.”
“Understood.”
“You’ve worked hard. I’m sure you’ve had a lot to worry about while quietly keeping an eye on things.”
“I just did what I had to.”
“Let’s see each other again.”
Sanghyun said with a smile.
The time to enjoy the rewards of victory from the duel was sufficient with this.
Before his words even ended, Lee Yeon disappeared into the darkness.
The rain was gradually letting up, and the Association’s Players, who had been notified, were about to arrive.
Do Kyunghye, who was to join Sanghyun for the Gate raid, was probably just waking up and rubbing her sleepy eyes.
“I feel totally fine—don’t even feel like resting.”
Sanghyun shook the water off his clothes, soaked from the rain.
It seemed difficult to dry his clothes with the current humidity.
Since he had spare clothes packed in his car, it made more sense to wash up and change into fresh ones.
Even though Sanghyun was a free-spirited soul, unbound by formality or preconceptions…
He didn’t want to greet Do Kyunghye reeking of sweat and rainwater. He himself found it unpleasant.
Some time later.
Sanghyun thoroughly explained the situation to the Association employees dispatched to the scene and completed his statement.
Then, he found a nearby village bathhouse and immersed himself in the hot waters of the bath.
“Whew……”
Though the situation had wrapped up cleanly…
He didn’t feel completely refreshed.
Sure, he had clearly taken out the trio, claimed their Artifacts, and further increased his specs…
But it felt like this battle wasn’t the end—rather, it was just the beginning.
Just like how Do Kyungsoo had been engaged in a long war with the Constellation Predators.
Of course, Sanghyun had no family he needed to protect. It was enough if he could protect himself.
Still, the thought that he now had a tail that might persistently follow him was annoying.
Gurgle—
Sinking deep to the bottom of the hot bath, Sanghyun sifted through the tangled strands of his memories.
He had completed nearly everything that absolutely needed doing within the country.
The remaining schedules were all shaped by personal connections, and nothing bound Sanghyun down.
There were matters like the suppression in North Korea or domestic Artifact-related issues, but those had time gaps.
For now, they were about dungeons, Gates, or Rifts he couldn’t yet access—or that hadn’t even formed yet.
“I should deal with the invitation before heading out.”
Sanghyun’s eyes deepened.
Through Park Jungmin, he had already heard that Mystery would soon send him an invitation.
He had no intention of avoiding it.
If he could use this opportunity to clearly prove his strength, it would even help with launching overseas.
Players who went global were constantly subjected to verification requests and forced to prove themselves.
In that regard, an invitation that established the domestic ranking of powerful Players had great significance on its own.
Of course, he couldn’t deny the sense of being played by Mystery’s twisted hobbies and subtle schemes.
But in a situation like this, it was a game he was willing to play knowingly. Only one thing remained uncertain.
Who his opponent would be.
The only uncertainty was about the matchup.
He had more than enough motivation and necessity for it. He was even hoping the invitation would come soon.
[The Goddess of Luck says she’ll soon be able to support you from even closer, and asks you to endure just a little longer.]
[The God of Storms applauds you with satisfaction for your changed self.]
[The Ancient Swordmaster says he’s lost interest in the domestic stage, which now feels endlessly small to you.]
[The God of Study emphasizes that the chances of you gaining significant benefits domestically are only 12.4%, very low.]
The Constellations chimed in.
Seeing the message from the Goddess of Luck made him look forward to the possibility of her joining him in some form.
Indeed, using large amounts of divine power to send restricted messages was inefficient—this would be better.
At the same time, his heart was pounding.
What would it feel like to have a Constellation alongside him—not from a distant dimension, but here on Earth?
It was something he had neither heard of in his previous life nor ever experienced, so he was filled with excitement.
[To you, who has eliminated many Players backed by evil-aligned Constellations, the ‘Eye of Calamity’ now shows greater hostility.]
[‘Eye of Calamity’ begins preparing special measures to pinpoint your location and existence.]
More matters to worry about had surfaced.
It was an expected result.
Having chosen the God of Storms…
It was inevitable that the being on the opposite end would grow increasingly hostile.
“Phewww.”
Ending his deep dive, Sanghyun lifted his face from the water and let out a long-held breath.
Once this raid with Do Kyunghye ended…
It wouldn’t be long before the invitation arrived, and that would serve as the period marking the end of his domestic agenda.
After that, starting with Japan—
Sanghyun planned to focus on overseas activities.
Of course, he had no intention of cutting ties with his connections in Korea.
People like Do Kyungsoo and Han Hyunjeong were still important, and his relationships with them had to continue.
“Did something happen?”
“Not really. Nothing significant.”
“I saw quite a few Association staff nearby, so I thought something might’ve happened.”
“Well, it’s not that unusual for Association staff to be busy and moving around, right?”
Two hours later, Sanghyun, having returned to the front of the Gate, greeted the just-arrived Do Kyunghye and chatted.
Do Kyunghye, unaware of the events that had transpired, did not know that Sanghyun had just fought a battle against the Predators.
The Association seemed to have already begun restricting information, since this matter was to be investigated in strict secrecy.
In fact, every staff member dispatched to the scene had been assigned a secret code.
In other words, they were highly trusted covert agents, even within the Association.
Of course, Sanghyun didn’t place absolute trust in them either.
In any case, the deaths of the three Predators would be revealed to the Predator network in some form.
If the three Constellation Predators, who entered Korea to target him, suddenly disappeared from their community activities—
Nine times out of ten, the only explanation was death, wasn’t it? Unless the Predators were fools, they would know the reason clearly.
“It looks like the Sword Demon–Sword God team has completed their independent analysis of this Gate.”
“Is that the latest info?”
“Yes. It’s data I received early this morning. The energy amplification inside the Gate is worse than I expected.”
“Oh-ho.”
An intense energy amplification meant that the rewards obtainable inside would be greater.
In other words, it also meant that the monsters would have higher levels and durability, making the raid far more difficult.
“But… the sword?”
Do Kyunghye tilted her head as she noticed Sanghyun’s newly changed greatsword.
The previous sword, the Frenzied Slayer Sword, gave off a spine-chilling aura with just a glance.
But the current Nameless Sword exuded a soft radiance that instead brought a sense of calm.
“I upgraded it. Got a better one.”
Sanghyun said while brushing his fingers along the blade.
Most likely, unless he got another Almighty-grade greatsword of equivalent quality, the Nameless Sword would be his lifetime weapon.
“I spent a bit of the money I’d saved up too. I didn’t want to suffer from mana shortages anymore, so I went all in.”
Do Kyunghye proudly showed her left hand clad in a white glove.
‘Wow. Ibinas’s Gloves? Even though it’s only Epic-grade, the price can go as high as someone’s willing to pay—it must’ve cost around 300 billion won.’
Her determination was clear.
For a buffer to invest in mana equipment meant she was serious about combat.
The most frequently heard phrase from buffers in dungeons was, “Please wait a bit, I’m out of mana!”
It was so common that no one complained.
But trying to eliminate the situation in which those words might even be said—it showed how much the buffer trusted her partner, in other words, the attacker’s offensive capabilities.
If she could constantly provide buffs, the calculation was that combat power would skyrocket.
It was a clear sign of how much Do Kyunghye trusted Sanghyun and expected from his combat capabilities.
“If I want to recover my investment, I’ll need to grind my soul to dust. Hahaha.”
Sanghyun joked.
Expensive Artifacts were worth their cost. A Gate with high energy amplification would surely make it worthwhile.
“Let’s head in.”
Preparations were complete.
They turned toward the Gate immediately.
As if nothing had happened, the pouring rain stopped, and it was turning into a sunny morning.
And thus, Sanghyun and Do Kyunghye’s Gate raid began.
It was the first and likely the last time, for a while, that they would team up.
One hour later.
‘Something’s off.’
Do Kyunghye, having fully entered into the Gate raid, tilted her head at the dissonance she felt.
She had long known that Sanghyun was strong, so it wasn’t a new revelation.
Like all the people who had formed ties with him—
It was no longer surprising or shocking to see someone display extraordinary or outstanding abilities.
She had reached the point of accepting even that kind of awe as natural.
But the Sanghyun she saw during this Gate raid surpassed even that natural sense of amazement!
He showed a transcendence that went beyond even that. It was as if he had become a completely different person.
What stood out most was his lavish use of mana-intensive skills.
Even Do Kyunghye, who was known for her mana recovery capabilities, had suffered from chronic mana shortages—so much so that she purchased a specialized Artifact.
But Sanghyun? He was hurling out all kinds of skills like he had an endless well of mana.
Using a lot of mana meant the skills were either extremely powerful and destructive—or outright broken.
And yet he was using those kinds of skills as if there were no limits. It was only natural that Do Kyunghye was full of question marks.
Even her older brother, Do Kyungsoo, armed with over five mana recovery Artifacts, wasn’t this unrestrained in his skill usage.
That’s how critical mana consumption was as a constant concern.
‘What’s changed? Is that sword even greater than I thought?’
The only visible change she could deduce was Sanghyun’s switch to a different greatsword.
But unless he’d obtained a Legendary or Almighty-grade Artifact, that alone couldn’t explain it.
Naturally, Do Kyunghye didn’t even consider the possibility that Sanghyun’s Artifact was of Almighty grade.
That was something impossible.
Not even worth considering.
At least, up until that moment, that’s what she believed.