novelraw Chapter 182 : One-Sided Slaughter - (4)
Chapter 182 : One-Sided Slaughter - (4)
Chapter 182: One-Sided Slaughter - (4)
‘Versatile.’
This charmingly named title came with a special benefit related to Constellations who had a favorable impression of 0 or higher toward the bearer.
It granted the advantage of being listed among the recommended players in the network of Constellations within the Dimensional Group.
For example, it was like having a huge banner plastered across the main title screen of a serialized novel platform.
It was also something Jerron Decay had revealed during a broadcast in his past life.
Because it appeared on a screen that no Constellation who frequently accessed the network could ignore.
From that point on, many Constellations would enter the linked channel and continue to observe.
Of course, for the average player, one-on-one contracts were the norm, so the title might not hold much appeal.
In fact, most players who obtained the Versatile title treated it like a trophy.
It was satisfying and joyful.
But not particularly practical.
If one had the skills to earn the Versatile title, they were likely already under contract with a Constellation or Divine Throne.
Therefore, even if other Constellations or Divine Thrones showed interest, additional contracts wouldn’t be made.
But Sanghyun was different.
The Goddess of Luck and the God of Storms had recognized and accepted from the start that Sanghyun could form additional contracts.
In other words, for Sanghyun, this title was a good opportunity to meet a new partner who could become a supporter.
‘Will we meet again?’
That thought suddenly came to him.
According to the Goddess of Luck, he wondered if he might encounter the Late Bloomer Model Student Constellation, now a fugitive.
He wondered if that person might see his name somewhere in the Dimensional Group and initiate contact.
If a point of contact formed in a different way from his past life, would another contract be established?
‘Let’s get it first and think later.’
Thinking more wouldn’t bring an answer. Sanghyun shook his head, brushing off the complicated thoughts.
The raid wasn’t over yet.
Eventually, the boss monster that Sanghyun’s party encountered was different from the enemies they had faced so far.
The boss’s name was Gatullis.
Gatullis, resembling a bipedal buffalo walking like a human, was like a living biological weapon made entirely of muscle.
There was something reminiscent of a bull in a bullring about it. Its basic attack pattern was a charge.
Do Kyunghye initiated the fight.
The “reverse buff” method used earlier also worked on Gatullis.
In the initial process of chipping away its health with this method, Sanghyun played the role of diverting its attention appropriately.
In other words, Sanghyun played the role of a matador, while Do Kyunghye secretly stabbed it from behind.
The constant debuffs from the reverse buff weakened Gatullis’s formerly sturdy muscles.
More precisely, its defense didn’t drop, but its resistance to external damage was reduced.
On top of that, the Lotus Flame title, which Sanghyun could activate anytime using himself as the base, added power.
【Lotus Flame】
■ Title Grade: A-rank
■ Title Description: (…Omitted)
However, this weakening applies only to you and cannot be shared with others.
This title weakens players, monsters, and structures that meet the following conditions as follows.
■ Based on defense stats
(…Omitted)
Over 3,001: 60% weakening.
‘I’ve always thought this, but the Lotus Flame title deserves an SSS-rank rating, not just A-rank.’
That’s what Sanghyun believed.
The higher the opponent’s defense stat, the greater the debuff, making Lotus Flame honestly broken.
And it was the same now.
Gatullis’s estimated defense of nearly 3,500 was likely reduced by over 2,000 due to the Lotus Flame title.
“Shall we begin!”
Sanghyun charged toward the imported beef that Do Kyunghye had thoroughly seasoned.
Since this was the end of the gate, he didn’t forget to activate both Over Psychedelic and Acceleration from the start.
For monsters that engaged in melee combat, an all-out brawl from the start was better than trying to conserve stamina.
『Pitch Black』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: Converts the ongoing effect of a status ailment on an enemy into “blindness.”
Consuming 300 mana for the Pitch Black effect conversion, with no separate cooldown.
ex) If a stun lasts for 2 seconds, the stun is removed and 2 seconds of blindness is applied instead.
‘It might be a meaningless skill for players who can’t maintain status effects long, but I’m not like that.’
Sanghyun grinned.
A single cycle of Full Bash could inflict 3 seconds of stun and 1 second of freeze.
If extended to a maximum of four cycles, that meant 16 seconds of stun and freeze, plus 2 seconds of silence—for a total of 18 seconds!
If all that time could be converted into total blindness?
A rampaging buffalo that couldn't see would do nothing but charge blindly forward.
“Kwaaaa!”
“So what!”
Gatullis’s roar and Sanghyun’s shout collided at a single point.
He didn’t back down.
With all five senses heightened, Sanghyun didn’t find the charging Gatullis particularly threatening.
What was before his eyes was certainly the boss monster. But he didn’t feel its characteristic sense of intimidation.
Do Kyunghye noticed it too.
There wasn’t even a hint of hesitation or fear in Sanghyun as he faced the boss monster.
A skilled player would know.
Whether someone’s movements carried fear, terror, or anxiety.
And from Do Kyunghye’s observant perspective, Sanghyun displayed none of those emotions.
Eventually, the moment the two figures charging toward each other collided on a single line and point!
SPLAAAASH!
A fountain of blood burst forth.
So vivid.
It sprayed long and far to one side, making it easy to guess that the one hit had taken a critical blow.
And indeed.
“Kuwooooh!”
Gatullis groaned.
Unlike its confident roar from the beginning, this cry was laced with unmistakable pain.
And then.
“Ggggh. Ggggh.”
“Stupidity has no cure, huh.”
Gatullis was struck with Stiffness from Full Bash right away.
Sometimes, when things go well, they go really well.
Boss monsters usually had high skill resistance.
But Gatullis had already handed the advantage to Sanghyun right from the start.
If it had been an ordinary player, there would’ve been no need to say the opportunity had passed hands.
Even if they took a hit, it wouldn’t have necessarily led to a critical turning point.
But Sanghyun was different.
“Time extension, please!”
He immediately went into extension mode.
He had to instantly lengthen the delay time of Stiffness and Freeze to prolong the Blindness duration.
Slash! Slice! Shhk! Swish!
The extension combo, which had a 100%, 90%, and 70% chance of succeeding respectively, was flawlessly executed without a single failure.
[Full Bash’s 4th extension succeeded, granting an additional 2 seconds of Silence to the struck target!]
‘Perfect.’
The time it took to link the combo was about one second. As a result, Gatullis was afflicted with status effects for a total of 17 seconds.
Was that even possible?
Sanghyun let out a scoff.
Even Jerron Decay, currently standing at the top of the player world, likely wouldn’t be able to apply status effects for this long.
What made him terrifying was his destructive power and his silence-inflicting attacks—not his extensions.
『Pitch Black』
Sanghyun immediately activated Pitch Black.
If the monster were inherently less dependent on sight, then losing vision wouldn’t have been a major issue.
But for a creature like Gatullis, which chased opponents using its overwhelming physical abilities by tracking their movements, it was different.
Taking away its sight left it with nothing but blind aggression and reckless charges.
Ssssss!
“Uwooooh!”
Black smoke rapidly enveloped Gatullis’s eyes, completely robbing it of vision.
The 17-second Blindness duration began to count down.
“Uwooh! Uwooh!”
Gatullis, unable to see anything, thrashed its arms wildly through the air, expressing its fury toward Sanghyun.
Meanwhile.
Sanghyun, who had already stepped far back using a backstep, followed through with his first calculated move.
『Silver Moon』
The farther the distance, the more exponentially the damage increased—Silver Moon!
To maximize its power, Sanghyun spent 500 mana at once.
Boom-boom-boom!
Silver Moon, infused with tremendous force, tore through the air with a sonic boom.
Gatullis sensed that something was flying toward it, but had no idea what it was.
It simply trusted in the hardness and resilience of its own body and shielded its face and upper body with both arms.
Despite being afflicted with Stiffness and Freeze, it responded using its innate skill—“Super Strength.”
If Sanghyun had used this during a critical moment, it might’ve been a game-changer. But this time, the situation was reversed.
Still, it was a reasonably rational choice during a moment of crisis. No doubt about that.
Flash!
But at that moment, Sanghyun had already used Illusory Mediation to move behind Gatullis.
In truth, the sword aura created by Silver Moon had been a decoy—a trap to pull Gatullis’s focus forward.
『Thunderblade』
This was the real centerpiece.
Thunderblade.
Clang!
A blade of sword aura shot out from the tip of the Nameless Sword, slicing swiftly through the wind.
Boom!
Even with reduced defense due to Lotus Flame, Gatullis managed to block Silver Moon’s aura quite impressively.
But that was all.
Gatullis, completely unprepared for a rear attack, was struck on the back by Thunderblade’s aura!
“Guguguh!”
The Thunderblade’s status effect—Electrocution—took hold immediately.
Since Gatullis hadn’t perceived the situation at all, not even its innate skill resistance could activate in time.
‘Perfect conditions.’
Sanghyun’s eyes gleamed.
It was time to use a skill he had been waiting to unleash ever since obtaining it from the Thousand-Armed Avalokitesvara.
『Spatial Rift』
He focused his mind right away.
Skills that manipulate time and space require an unparalleled level of concentration to match their devastating power.
If the caster failed to control it properly, it would be nothing more than a flashy dud.
The next moment.
Pssssss.
A thin line emerged from the tip of the Nameless Sword, slithering forward like a swiftly moving serpent.
Crack-crack-crack!
“……!”
As expected, the power was tremendous.
Wherever the line of the Spatial Rift passed, the space itself distorted mercilessly, pulled by its influence.
The distortion was so intense that even the visible surroundings warped along with it.
Kuwaaaa!
The line soon picked up speed.
Like a rocket entering full thrust, the sound and acceleration changed dramatically.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
With a deafening roar, the line of Spatial Rift instantly closed the distance with Gatullis.
To be honest, if one had been able to see it—
If one had sensed the danger—
A boss monster of Gatullis’s caliber would’ve had no trouble dodging it at that speed.
But unfortunately, Gatullis—blinded—had no way to recognize what the roar even was.
There was no supporter nearby to inform him of the skill’s presence, either.
Of course, that might have been due to overconfidence—the belief that he needed no such assistance—but in a situation like this, having no substitute for vision was fatal.
And then—
“……?”
Gatullis tilted his head, sensing an unexpected warm breeze approaching.
A soft and gentle current of air had just brushed past him.
That was all.
The moment the line of the Rift lightly curled around Gatullis’s waist—there was a single distortion.
Crack.
And then, Gatullis’s physical core, caught in the inevitable twist of space, was cleanly severed in two.
So cleanly cut—
That for a while, no one even realized Gatullis’s body had been sliced in half. It was the perfect strike.
Before Sanghyun, even a boss monster was no exception to the parade of slaughter.
A single blow was enough.