novelraw Chapter 235 : Life-or-Death Struggle (2)
Chapter 235 : Life-or-Death Struggle (2)
Chapter 235: Life-or-Death Struggle (2)
In the end, Sanghyun faced Luca in an open lot, where barely anything moved except the occasional car passing by.
From the scattered signs standing all around, it seemed to be a pre-development site set for construction soon.
Sanghyun stared at Luca.
Just by appearance alone, one might wonder if this guy was really the Constellation Devourer and the apex of the Devouring Network.
Of course, appearances don’t always follow the person, but judging by his face, he didn’t smell like a murderer.
But Sanghyun already knew every one of Luca’s evil deeds.
The atrocities committed in this life alone were considerable, not to mention those carried over from past memories.
Human garbage.
No need for fancy descriptors — that one word summed up everything about Luca.
Mana-based sparks shimmered from both of Luca’s hands.
Unlike Sanghyun, who held a sword, Luca’s hands held nothing else aside from that glow.
In other words, he was a mage.
Mage players and sword-wielding players tended to find each other annoying to deal with.
One side hated how hard it was to approach, and the other hated how quickly the enemy rushed in.
That sentiment applied to Sanghyun as well.
‘Even if I have many skills that can deal damage from range, I ultimately have to fight up close to maximize firepower.’
If he had faced a different, more average mage player, he might have thought differently.
But Luca was already a “named” and well-established mage at this moment.
Though nothing had been publicly revealed, the number of players he had killed to grow was considerable.
So, even after returning from the Endless Dungeon, Luca was still a high-level player in Sanghyun’s eyes.
Even at the lowest estimate, his current level was 570 — just a little below Jerron Decay.
For Sanghyun, who had surpassed level 450, that meant at least a 100-level gap between them.
The fact that he had returned from the Endless Dungeon was the only reason he could even calculate a fight against Luca. If not for that...
He could confidently say he would not have even considered changing the future like he was now.
Level wasn’t everything in the world of players, but the differences in stats and skills certainly mattered.
Even in a situation where they had to kill each other, Luca appeared completely relaxed.
As if the thought of losing didn’t exist in his mind, he kept grinning while looking at Sanghyun.
From a different perspective, it was understandable.
‘The fact that he came straight here means he knows I returned from the Endless Dungeon. And yet, he still believes I’m weaker than him. Annoyingly enough, that part is also correct.’
Sanghyun faced reality with a cold head.
He had prepared for this from the beginning, but facing Luca would be a completely different type of battle from anything up until now.
Luca was a much higher-level player, and to overcome him, Sanghyun would need a breakthrough beyond his limits.
“Shin Sanghyun.”
“Luca Viole.”
“Oh? How do you know my name?”
“Whether I know it or not.”
“Oh, did that fancy Constellation of yours whisper it to you? That almost surprised me.”
The name had slipped out from past life experience.
In fact, Luca wasn’t currently active in public, so it should’ve been impossible to know his name.
But it seemed Luca didn’t consider the possibility of regression in this situation, and interpreted it differently before losing interest.
Luca continued.
“I was just wondering how I could devour you.”
“I figured. Ever since those useless trash from the Devouring Network started gathering, I had a feeling. Who would’ve thought their leader would show up himself?”
“Huh. You know quite a bit about our organization, don’t you?”
“I don’t care about the rest, but the stinkiest piece of trash smell definitely comes from you.”
Sanghyun revealed his hostility.
It could’ve been a simple provocation or a genuine expression of his true feelings. Well… not that it mattered.
“You’re the biggest obstacle to the Constellation I serve. And I just happened to need some favor from him.”
“Talk about killing two birds with one stone, huh?”
“Exactly! No matter how you’ve been to the Endless Dungeon, you’re still just a newbie player, aren’t you? Am I wrong?”
“……”
“For me, this is the perfect opportunity for a glorious devouring. You’ve got some skill, so your Constellation must be decent, too, right?”
“You’re planning to kill me, take my Constellation, and soak up all the love from the one you suck up to so much.”
“That’s right! Dead on! How do you know me so well? For me, it’s not just two birds — it’s more like three or four!”
Luca was thrilled.
His train of thought was simple.
At first, he saw Sanghyun as just a promising piece of prey — someone worth devouring as a fellow player.
Then, he found out that Sanghyun was the biggest obstacle to the plan of his own Constellation, the “Eye of Calamity.”
And he was directly ordered by the Eye of Calamity — eliminate Sanghyun. Doing so would allow the Constellation’s grand plan to proceed unhindered.
Originally, just stealing Sanghyun’s Constellation would’ve been satisfying enough.
But now, a massive reward had been added on top. He would receive the full support of his Constellation.
It was no wonder he felt like a pumpkin had rolled into his lap.
Winning the lottery twice — would that be the right comparison? Even if the feeling wasn’t quite the same, the thrill was certainly on par.
Sanghyun replied.
“I was wondering which bastard was pulling the strings. You coming right to me like this saves me the trouble.”
“Saves you trouble?”
“Yeah. Once I kill you, I feel like I can finally focus on growing without looking back.”
“You planning to grow in the afterlife?”
“Cut the chatter and come at me. I don’t even feel like talking.”
Sanghyun flipped Luca the finger with confidence, flicking it back and forth.
He tried to respond as boldly as possible, but his mind was colder and more calculated than ever.
‘Me and Luca both — only one shot. One mistake means death. Find that one opening, and I win.’
He swallowed his dry spit quietly.
Right at that moment—
Whoooshhh!
Luca slammed his right hand down on the ground, and a semicircular barrier formed.
He didn’t explain what kind of barrier it was, but it was obvious at a glance that escaping it wouldn’t be possible.
It looked like Luca planned to fight completely isolated from the outside world, which was actually better for Sanghyun.
This way, at least no innocent bystanders or vehicles would get caught in the battle.
Of course, Luca’s intention was to block his own retreat early. Set the trap and catch the prey inside — that was the idea.
‘If my movement range is limited, defense is meaningless. The best defense is offense. Let’s go with that.’
He settled on his approach for the battle.
If the battlefield had been more open, he might have considered other tactics.
But now, sticking close and going all out was the right choice.
Luca probably narrowed the space with that exact thought in mind.
The smaller the area, the better it was for landing a direct magical blow.
Swooosh!
Sanghyun charged at Luca aggressively, activating Full Bash’s frontal charge option.
He didn’t know how powerful Luca was or what skills he possessed.
But one thing was clear: unless he fought, he would never find out.
Wham!
Thanks to the frontal charge, Sanghyun closed the distance in an instant and slammed Full Bash straight at Luca.
It was a basic skill, but precisely for that reason, it was perfect for gauging the opponent’s reaction.
Shiiiing!
‘As expected.’
It was blocked.
Luca’s hand had formed a circular blue seal, and it resembled a shield.
But since Sanghyun wasn’t pushed back and the shield didn’t even budge, its durability seemed extremely high.
The real twist came after.
“Ugh…?”
In that brief instant, a seal formed at Luca’s fingertips, and Sanghyun’s body froze. It was Stiffness.
He wasn’t shaken.
Status effects like Stiffness weren’t unique to Sanghyun — Luca could have them too.
Sanghyun had approached the battle with an open mind, so even if it was unexpected, he responded immediately.
He used Recovery.
The Stiffness Luca cast on him was lifted right away. As Sanghyun rushed forward again, Luca backed off.
But even then, Luca formed another seal. Judging by the same hue, it was clearly another Stiffness seal.
But this time, it didn’t work. Right after using Recovery, there’s a period of total immunity.
“Not bad.”
Luca reset his stance as he retreated and then launched a counterattack.
This time, Sanghyun held back a beat. Luca was faster than he expected.
If he rushed in at full speed like before, he felt he’d just walk into a counterattack.
And sure enough—
Crackkkk!
Out of nowhere, ice spikes formed in midair and lunged for Sanghyun’s abdomen.
Water vapor instantly froze, forming pillars aimed right at his belly — the whole process took less than half a second.
Thud!
Thankfully, Sanghyun had the near-instant-use skill, Sacrifice. If not for that, his stomach would have been pierced.
‘Hesitation only leads to losses.’
Sanghyun immediately activated Over Psychedelic, entering a berserk state.
This was Sanghyun’s judgment after just briefly facing Luca’s skills.
Each skill was powerful and highly efficient. They weren’t the kind of abilities used by just any average player.
Trying to probe a player like this could get him killed in one blow.
To prevent that, he had to go all-out from the start and eliminate any uncertainties.
For Sanghyun, Over Psychedelic was the best skill to raise his baseline combat power.
Swish! Swish! Swish!
In berserk mode, Sanghyun closed in while fiercely swinging his Nameless Sword. Speed-boosting skills were constantly active alongside.
Seeing this, Luca flinched and began retreating with speed magic.
It was a classic mage-player move.
When uncertain, create distance and buy time to assess the situation.
But giving time here would only allow the enemy to dictate the flow of battle.
『Back Step』
Sanghyun immediately used Back Step.
It was more immediate than acceleration skills and perfect for closing distance at once.
He suddenly flipped backward, then used Back Step to close in — surprising Luca.
And the follow-up didn’t end there.
Whoosh!
Sanghyun swung his Nameless Sword at full strength and chained it into another skill targeting Luca.
The blade, sharpened and deadly, was a decoy. What he had hidden in the sword was the real trick — a skill layered in.
『Knockback Burst』
That was it.