novelraw Chapter 207 : Berserk Charm - (1)
Chapter 207 : Berserk Charm - (1)
Chapter 207: Berserk Charm - (1)
First, an option to recover 2% of maximum mana was added to the original option that recovered 2% of maximum health.
Additionally, the out-of-combat option also changed so that both health and mana would recover together.
Moreover, the maximum limit at which recovery could be suppressed by any debuff was fixed at 50%.
In other words, even in a dungeon where recovery was completely suppressed, a 50% recovery effect would still activate.
For Sanghyun, who had desperately wanted to improve his survival ability, it was the perfect answer to his need.
“This is definitely the right choice.”
Sanghyun selected the skill enhancement.
Then it immediately changed into Grasp of Restraint, and the detailed tooltip updated just as he had seen before.
Because it was a passive skill, he didn’t need to worry about using it separately, which made it all the more appealing.
He no longer had to worry about being in a dungeon where recovery might not work at all.
It was the exact scenario Sanghyun had envisioned.
Completely fixing a mechanic that usually depended on probability.
That was also why he had resolved to increase the number of status effect skills that worked on the premise of being absolute.
In the world of high and top-tier players, status effects that operated on probability rarely landed.
The reason was simple.
Just as he had gained stats and skills, the opponent had as well—possibly even more than he imagined.
With higher defense and evasion, skill evasion rates also rose, so it was only natural for status effects not to land.
The cleanest way to counter that was through a 100% probability option.
“I must’ve been running around like crazy. I didn’t even name the skill I copied from Park Jungmin.”
『Please set a name』
Sanghyun let out a dry laugh as he saw one skill in the list with an embarrassingly blank name.
The more intuitive a skill name was, the better. Since it activated a control-type debuff, he decided to call it “Control.”
『Control』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: Consumes 10 mana per second to block all skill usage of the designated target.
The designated target will be permanently afflicted with the ‘Control’ debuff, which cannot be removed in any way.
It can only be broken through the caster’s interruption or loss of focus.
It was a deadly skill, especially against ranged players like mages rather than close-range types like swordsmen.
If one was caught in Control, it was practically the same as being limited to basic attacks only.
Sanghyun had never once used a skill he obtained in vain.
The Control skill would surely be used effectively in conjunction with Grasp of Restraint. It might even be a game-changing variable.
“I’m close to getting the Versatile title, too.”
If he increased his Agility to 263 and Evasion to 234, he would hit the milestone of all stats at 1,000.
There was a high possibility that the Berserk Charm he would purchase through Han Hyunjeong would also have individual stat options.
He calculated that he could obtain the Versatile title at the same time he bought the charm.
Though the Versatile title didn’t strengthen his body, it was excellent for imprinting his presence among the Constellations.
While he was indulging in the joy of growth, Sanghyun received a call.
When he checked the caller, it was a name he hadn’t expected.
He had saved the contact just in case, but he had almost never thought he’d receive a call from this person first.
It was none other than the master of the Nobility Guild, Frederick Villain.
* * *
When Sanghyun stepped out of the training hall, Frederick had come personally, driving a sports car.
Even Sanghyun, who knew nothing about cars, could tell that this limited-edition car was worth several billions of won at the very least.
He never imagined he would be sitting in the passenger seat of such a car beside another man.
However, it seemed Frederick preferred enjoying the city scenery through the window over the bleakness of a confined space.
Unlike the usual practice of moving around with multiple escort vehicles, Frederick was alone.
As Sanghyun got in the car and glanced around, Frederick, reading his thoughts, spoke up.
“When I go out for a drive, I don’t bring a tail. I like going around alone.”
“Is that safe?”
“The days of nervously looking over my shoulder, fearing death, are long gone.”
Frederick’s confidence was palpable.
Given his capabilities, that confidence wasn’t baseless.
One of the things Sanghyun remembered about Frederick was that he was completely immune to status effects.
He had a trait that allowed him to ‘completely ignore’ all status effects.
Because it was a concept superior to the absolute options that always inflicted status effects, a rock-paper-scissors dynamic couldn’t even form.
From the perspective of being an enemy, Frederick was virtually Sanghyun’s natural nemesis.
It was because he directly clashed with Sanghyun’s identity. Frankly, Sanghyun didn’t want to make him an enemy.
For several minutes, the two of them drove in silence.
Sanghyun, enjoying the cityscape outside the window, looked at the people and refreshed his mood.
How much time had passed?
Just as the silence started to feel more natural than awkward, Frederick spoke again.
“If I bring up recruitment in this kind of situation, you’d probably think it’s just another predictable pitch, wouldn’t you?”
“Even if it’s predictable, I can’t deny it’s the kind of talk that makes you feel good.”
Sanghyun replied with a smile.
Frederick’s voice and tone were gentler than expected.
And his Korean was quite fluent. If Sanghyun had closed his eyes, he wouldn’t have guessed Frederick was American.
“I used to get tons of offers too. Just as you said, it felt pretty good. But I never joined any guild.”
“Is that so?”
“I hope we can continue working together like this with you as a mercenary. What do you think?”
Sanghyun didn’t take Frederick’s words at face value.
From a guild master’s perspective, a full-time guild member was obviously easier to manage than a mercenary.
Mercenaries, by nature, had lines that couldn’t be crossed and clear limits on what could be demanded.
“For me, it’s great. I get to establish ties with the Nobility Guild and operate in a position that allows me to use its infrastructure.”
The current player ecosystem was thoroughly skewed in favor of mercenaries.
Of course, it came with the condition of being highly skilled, but in other words, as long as you had the skill, you would be treated well.
It was just that many mercenaries talked big without backing it up, which often led to misunderstandings.
Frederick’s offer was likely not about an eternal mercenary contract.
He probably wanted Sanghyun to enjoy the benefits of the Nobility Guild as a mercenary and eventually choose to join of his own accord.
It was a good strategy.
The Nobility Guild was well-prepared for such situations. In fact, there were quite a few guild members who had started as mercenaries.
Then, Frederick brought up something unexpected.
“Our guild owns a gate. It’s one of 47 gates that have yet to be cleared……”
At the mention of 47 gates, Sanghyun was briefly taken aback.
That meant the guild owned that many gates at an organizational level.
And if 47 were still uncleared, the total number they owned must be dozens of times more than that.
Sanghyun asked,
“Am I even allowed to go?”
“This gate has some unusual conditions. There’s a level cap of under 350 and a limit of two participants.”
“It should be possible to clear with that, so there must be a reason this has reached me.”
“You’re right. The gate requires many types of status effects to clear. But the party size is limited to two.”
“Ah……”
If it had been a gate that could simply be overpowered with damage, it would’ve been cleared long ago.
Not only cleared—it would’ve been farmed like clockwork every time it reset, providing tons of rewards.
The fact that it hadn’t meant that even with the Nobility Guild’s player lineup, there were tricky parts to it.
With just two people, it was too few to apply multiple status effects effectively. It was natural they hadn’t found a way through.
Of course, there probably wasn’t a player more suited to this gate than himself. In a way, it was practically a tailor-made gate.
‘I don’t have any prior intel though.’
Even when Sanghyun combed through memories of his past life, he didn’t recall anything about this gate.
It might have remained uncleared for a long time back then too. The conditions were just that tricky.
It might have remained uncleared for a long time back then too. The conditions were no joke, after all.
He planned to accept the offer.
But he intended to make his move only after purchasing the Berserk Charm through Han Hyunjeong.
Since entering a gate without any prior intel was a challenge, it was best to be fully geared up.
As Sanghyun fell into a brief silence while organizing his thoughts, Frederick added more detail to his earlier proposal.
“If you succeed in the raid, we guarantee full ownership of all by-products obtained inside and offer a share of the gate.”
“A share of the gate, you say?”
“It means that with every future raid, you’ll receive a continuous share of the by-products earned.”
It was a tempting offer.
From Frederick’s perspective, it wasn’t a losing deal either.
Once a strategy was established, they could clear the gate endlessly since it was their property.
The fact that he was guaranteeing a share—a promise rarely made to outsiders—meant a lot to Sanghyun.
It was proof that even within the guild, they had concluded that clearing the gate was difficult.
“Hm……”
It was a bit disappointing.
Sanghyun calculated that he could ask for an even better reward than a share of the gate.
One thing Sanghyun greatly admired about the Nobility Guild was its ownership of the Endless Dungeon.
A rare tower-type dungeon that existed only twice in the entire world, requiring players to climb endlessly.
The rewards were incredible, and many so-called “named” players had experienced massive growth within it.
Its owners were Jerron Decay of the UK and Frederick Villain of the US. One of them was sitting beside Sanghyun right now.
“If you have any other proposals, please let me know. My ears are always open.”
He thought that if Frederick was open-minded, the conversation could go somewhere.
Sanghyun didn’t hesitate to go for it. Even if the deal fell through, it was a proposal with nothing to lose.
“Would you be willing to give me a chance to enter the Endless Dungeon?”
A brief silence followed.
It wasn’t that the suggestion was absurd—Frederick simply hadn’t expected it to come from Sanghyun.
The Endless Dungeon offered immense rewards, but its risks increased exponentially.
Since outcomes were entirely based on a player’s skill, no one could guarantee success.
Because of that.
It was actually easier for Frederick to give an answer.
“Sure. The Endless Dungeon is a place where the rewards are exactly equal to the effort and ability put in—it’s objective.”
“I’d like to have that in writing.”
“Of course. But you do understand that clearing the gate comes first, right?”
“Obviously!”
He received an answer far more easily than he had expected.
It was Frederick’s personal dungeon, and there was a risk of giving away benefits to others—Sanghyun thought he might refuse, but he didn’t.
Frederick added an explanation about the rules of the Endless Dungeon.
“You should know that if you abandon a challenge once, you won’t be able to try again for an entire year.”
“I’m aware.”
That meant only one attempt per year.
He had secured a chance that might never come again, and at the same time, the fact it was a one-shot challenge made him tense.
Still, he was overjoyed.
Before coming to America, he had thought of the Endless Dungeon as nothing more than a dream.
But because he had demonstrated his skills properly, he caught Frederick’s attention and secured an opportunity immediately.
Luck? Absolutely not.
It was the moment when the skills and specs Sanghyun had steadily built finally shone.