novelraw Chapter 199 : Toward a Broader Stage - (3)
Chapter 199 : Toward a Broader Stage - (3)
Chapter 199: Toward a Broader Stage - (3)
As soon as Sanghyun got off the private jet, everything progressed rapidly.
It was partly because Han Hyunjeong liked things done quickly, but also because Sanghyun shared the same disposition.
On top of that, the swift response from the Nobility Guild’s assigned escorts played a big role.
By the time Sanghyun got into the limousine provided by the Nobility Guild, all the items he had requested were already prepared.
He had asked for potions and equipment to refine his weapons just in case, and nothing was missing.
During the ride, Sanghyun was able to communicate with his teammates through the limo's built-in communication system.
The prospective teammates on the screen were clearly smiling, but Sanghyun could read the hidden intentions behind them.
"Hello. I'm Shin Sanghyun from Korea. I look forward to working with you."
Sanghyun introduced himself fluently in English.
Had it been the previous life, he would’ve been terrible at English, but things were different in this life.
Though he hadn’t made a name for himself in his past life, Sanghyun had been through every imaginable hardship.
Thanks to that, he had plenty of chances to study languages with determination.
Now, Sanghyun could speak fluent English, Japanese, Chinese, and French.
He could also hold basic and moderately technical conversations in Russian and German.
It was safe to say he’d rarely face communication issues overseas.
– Nice to meet you. I'm Sarah Ellis from the Nobility Guild. I've heard a lot about you, Mr. Sanghyun.
On the screen, a woman with striking blonde hair and red eyes greeted Sanghyun with a bright smile.
Sarah Ellis.
Sanghyun already knew well about her. She was a combat healer.
While healing allies was one of her abilities, she mainly used her holy healing power offensively.
She was a terrifying presence due to her overwhelming destructive power against evil or demonic monsters like the undead.
Her level exceeded 430.
She was one of the core forces of the guild, just before reaching the rank of a named character.
"Nice to meet you. I’ve studied a lot about you, Ms. Sarah. I’ll do my best."
Sanghyun bowed politely.
It wasn’t an empty formality.
Since the meeting with the Nobility Guild had been scheduled, Sanghyun had spent all his time researching his partners.
In particular, the top-tier information handed to him by Han Hyunjeong on the jet had been extremely helpful in understanding their personalities.
– I’m Laphern. As a fellow swordsman, I have high expectations.
Next, a bald man spoke. Laphern Frey. A towering figure, over 2 meters tall, and an impressive player.
While Sanghyun favored stylish swordplay, Laphern was the brute-force type who charged through with strength.
If he had to compare, Laphern was much like Ma Dongho, who had recently lost his life to Sanghyun.
"Nice to meet you, Mr. Laphern."
– Many promising players have fallen victim to that twisted Mystery. But you survived, Mr. Sanghyun.
"I gave it everything I had. Truly."
– Mystery… I will find and end that piece of trash someday. There’s no bigger scum than him.
Sanghyun shared the sentiment.
Although Ma Dongho’s death had brought Sanghyun a happy ending of sorts, the aftermath left a bitter taste.
Joo Eunhye was publicly showing hostility toward him. It was a tiring situation.
If Mystery hadn’t existed in the first place, Ma Dongho wouldn’t have come up with the ridiculous idea of trampling Sanghyun for some twisted justification.
Mystery was as much of a cancerous presence as the Predator Network, so Sanghyun strongly resonated with Laphern’s words.
– Hehe, I’m Kyle! Meeting someone so special from Korea makes my heart race! What is this emotion! Woohoo!
"…Nice to meet you, Mr. Kyle."
Lastly, the most eccentric member greeted him. He seemed to have a personality completely opposite to Sanghyun’s.
Kyle Raven was a named player specialized in all elemental magic.
Even compared to Lee Sehwa, the Flame of Madness who had crossed paths with Sanghyun, he was two—no, three steps above.
‘No matter how you look at it, this team is elite. And yet these three aren’t even in the Nobility Guild’s Top 15. Unbelievable.’
Sanghyun let out a silent chuckle. The world they lived in was just that different.
If these people came to Korea, they’d easily be top three in almost any guild.
But in the U.S., it was a different story. Likely because of the diverse talents from around the globe gathered there.
Still, it was a good thing.
If his skills couldn’t even earn recognition from these players, there was no hope to begin with.
‘I’ll make it clear that even you guys don’t meet my standards. I’ll prove just how different we are.’
A surge of fighting spirit rose within him.
He had already planned to give it his all, but now he was burning with even greater determination.
Two swordsmen, one combat healer, one all-rounder mage.
A team of four, yet perfectly balanced. With both melee and ranged combat covered, plus healing.
From here on, it was all about speed.
These were players specialized in relentless momentum, so he had to match their tempo precisely.
The assault on the Ashtaroth Dungeon had begun.
The briefing was concise, and nobody failed to understand it.
In truth, the original three members had already worked together, so only Sanghyun needed to understand the internal layout.
‘This is a breeze.’
Solving previously encountered problems was easy for someone who had solved them even once before.
The same applied to dungeon strategy.
Ashtaroth Dungeon was so famous that Sanghyun had come across information about it in many forms in his past life.
He had never directly conquered it, but he had long since grasped its internal traits.
"May I take a look at your sword?"
Laphern, as expected of a fellow swordsman, showed interest in the nameless sword Sanghyun carried.
Its appearance was so modest that one might think it was just a gold-grade sword.
That was why Sanghyun liked it.
No one would fall in love with it at first glance, and it often lulled others into a false sense of security.
Even monsters often underestimated the nameless sword, only to meet a swift end.
The best example was from the massive rift incident at Jamsil Station.
Those monsters seemed to believe a weapon meant for combat had to be flashy and radiant.
So when Sanghyun charged in swinging his rugged, plain sword, they tried to snatch or deflect it.
‘Dropped in one blow.’
There were countless cases of them turning into headless ghosts. That’s how scary prejudice could be.
"Go ahead."
Sanghyun handed it over with a smile.
He was curious about others’ reactions anyway. It wouldn’t hurt the sword to be held for a moment.
As soon as Laphern grabbed the nameless sword and checked its associated info window!
"This is insane."
"What? What’s wrong?"
"See for yourself…"
Laphern’s unfocused eyes stared into the air.
Though he was an elite player, he had never come across an Almighty-grade Artifact.
Artifacts of the Almighty-grade started with a base price of 2 to 3 trillion won.
No matter how famous a player was, no one could easily stand against such astronomical prices.
Sanghyun hadn’t paid for this weapon with his own money either.
Even though he had raked in a lot of cash, anything in the ‘trillion’ range was a wall too massive to climb.
Anyway, in turn, Sarah and Kyle also checked out the Nameless Sword.
“This is seriously making me feel inferior. I scraped and clawed to save money, and all I got was a single Legendary…”
“A finishing weapon. It’s the endgame.”
And then, they were all shocked.
In truth, no information about Sanghyun’s weapon had ever been made public.
Laphern had asked to see the Nameless Sword not because he knew it was of Almighty grade.
He had actually planned to subtly point out its low grade and suppress Sanghyun’s energy just a bit.
But what he got in return was such deep shame he could’ve dug a hole and buried himself in it.
Even if they combined the value of all three of their Artifacts, it still wouldn’t match the Nameless Sword.
In a world where pride, honor, and wealth were considered sacred, this difference was staggering.
Sanghyun hadn’t intended to establish dominance, but they had wilted on their own.
Well, the fact that the Nameless Sword was an Almighty-grade Artifact was just one of its many traits.
The more they got to know Sanghyun, the more things there were that would leave them shocked and amazed.
Knowing that all too well, Sanghyun responded with even more composure than usual.
“I was just lucky to get it. I have no money. I’m broke.”
Sanghyun answered with a smile.
And it wasn’t entirely a lie.
If not for the fortune of having a good Constellation and its accompanying perks, it would’ve been impossible.
“That sword… I’m really jealous. Its stats and configuration are exactly what I’ve always dreamed of. Wow…”
Laphern wiped away the drool that had trickled out. He was clearly smitten. Not that it mattered—the sword had a rightful owner.
“Well then, shall we head in? I’m all ready. Don’t need anything else.”
Sanghyun took the lead.
Now it was time to prove himself in the Ashtaroth Dungeon—and collect some decent rewards along the way.
‘First, I need to constantly change the designated location and be ready to move at any time.’
The first thing Sanghyun did upon entering the dungeon was prepare to use the Nameless Sword’s unique effect.
Safe Teleport.
He had used it once before and found it very useful, especially in a dungeon setting.
Once activated, it had a 24-hour cooldown until the next use.
But the location setting could be changed at any time.
Only usage was restricted—not updating the location, which could be done dozens of times a second.
There was one reason Sanghyun had prepared this.
In the Ashtaroth Dungeon, monsters frequently appeared from the rear.
The dungeon was shaped like a desert, so many enemies lurked beneath the sand.
It was a situation where one always had to consider surprise attacks from behind.
The problem was that the wind blew in one consistent direction, giving enemies the advantage of a tailwind in their ambushes.
For the defender, the opponent’s tailwind was essentially a headwind—an obstacle.
So Sanghyun deliberately kept the teleport location set behind him.
When enemies attacked from the rear, he would instead use it to ambush them from behind.
Whooosh.
On top of that, with the steady breeze, it created conditions to use Wind Stealth skills.
“Wait. Didn’t you say the gatekeeper takes longer to handle than expected?”
Sanghyun pointed toward the towering sandcastle-like structure and the monster guarding its entrance.
It looked like a statue made of mud, but despite its appearance, it was said to be extremely sturdy.
Its outer look was misleading—on the inside, it was like solid iron.
In fact, when Sarah, Kyle, and Laphern had come previously, they had lost quite a bit of energy just getting past the entrance.
“I’ll take care of it. Monsters like that tend to only be strong on the surface.”
But Sanghyun had a good idea.