Artifact-Devouring Player - Chapter 66

Chapter 66: Tory - (2)

'Security door. I purposely left it slightly open so that the alarm wouldn't go off, but it's tightly shut.'

The first sign of an anomaly appeared.

Sanghyun had a habit of setting up his surroundings in a way he envisioned whenever he went out or returned home.

Rather than being an act of paranoia, it was a pattern ingrained into his life due to the necessity of preparing for danger.

Near the end of his past life, frequent crimes such as attacks and kidnappings occurred due to social instability.

It was essential to predict not only security measures but also situations where those systems were breached.

Even after his regression, Sanghyun never let his guard down. Crime always occurred without warning.

Today was no exception.

His usual routine included leaving the security door slightly ajar and placing a single strand of black hair in front of the elevator.

However, when he arrived, the security door was completely shut, and the black hair had moved far from its original position.

Since he only received deliveries at the security office and had no neighbors on the same floor, this could only mean an outsider had entered.

Sanghyun used the Breath of Gaia to scan his surroundings.

Immediately, he noticed a single footprint glowing faintly like a dot in the narrow space next to the security door. An intruder.

The figure held their breath, silently waiting for the right moment.

Not even a hint of presence could be felt. It was a complete silence, without the slightest sound of breathing.

At this level, the person was likely a highly skilled assassin player.

Moreover, when he glanced at the CCTV reflecting the stairway, its abnormal red signal flickered unnaturally.

'A fake video feed.'

It was a decoy.

Instead of a real-time feed, it was looping recorded footage from when no one was present.

This was a trick Sanghyun had encountered numerous times in his past, allowing him to see through it immediately.

Tang!

Sanghyun set down his greatsword onto the cold hallway floor and positioned himself.

The stage was incredibly narrow.

A determined leap could cross the entire hallway within two to three strides.

Would this space, too cramped to evade and distance oneself, be advantageous to him or the intruder?

"Come out. Stop hiding like a rat."

"..."

The intruder did not respond to Sanghyun's words. Perhaps he was testing the waters one more time.

"If you were bold enough to come before I even arrived and set the stage, shouldn’t you at least show your face?"

Sanghyun pointed his greatsword precisely at the spot where the intruder was hiding.

At that, the man shook his head and finally revealed himself.

His nickname on the Predator Network was Tory.

His real name was unknown, not just to Sanghyun but to everyone.

Tory spoke.

"Impressive, Shin Sanghyun."

"I doubt this is a date invitation."

At Sanghyun’s remark, Tory nodded. One of his eyes shone an eerie red, making him appear all the more bizarre.

"You actually saw me?"

"I sensed you."

"You see, building security usually focuses on people going up. But security is surprisingly weak when someone descends. Did you know that?"

"That's why I always prepare for people like you."

"Exactly! You surprised me. Did I leave a trace somewhere I didn't notice...?"

Tory clicked his tongue in admiration.

He had taken down several players before, but he had never encountered one as cautious and thoroughly prepared as Sanghyun.

Most players placed absolute trust in their security systems.

As a result, once their weak points were exposed, they often fell without resistance. Tory's traps had been effective countless times.

But Sanghyun, whom he thought would be the least wary, had instead set up meticulous precautions like a named player.

In this regard, Sanghyun had completely outmaneuvered him.

An assassination where the target becomes aware of the assassin is a failed assassination.

A perfect assassination is when the target only realizes the assassin’s existence after they're already dead.

"You didn’t come all this way just to see my face. How about we introduce ourselves?"

Sanghyun grinned. He meant it.

This confrontation could only end with one of them dead.

Especially for Tory, the intruder, if Sanghyun remained alive, he would most certainly be caught before escaping town.

"Spare me the pleasantries. I'll tell you the reason before you die. I want your Constellation."

"A Constellation Devourer."

"Oh? You know about us?"

"Well, you could say I know a little."

Sanghyun was aware that there was more than one Constellation Devourer.

However, he hadn’t expected one to be living so close by, bold enough to target him directly.

Even as a Constellation Devourer, one could not infinitely steal Constellations.

Unless they were a unique case like Luca Viole, the maximum limit was said to be five.

Compared to Sanghyun’s limitless artifact absorption ability, the Devourers had a clear restriction.

However, if the Devourer’s contracted Constellations were powerful enough, even just five would be immensely strong.

If the Constellation Devourers learned about Sanghyun’s artifact ability, 『Endless Feast』, they would be in utter shock.

His power was structured to constantly grow stronger over time.

On the other hand, Constellation Devourers would stop growing once they reached their maximum limit.

Having detected the presence of a Constellation Devourer, the Constellations voiced their opinions.

They were extremely reluctant to have their contracts forcibly transferred to an undesired player.

Especially the Goddess of Luck, who was bombarding Sanghyun with so many messages that he could barely keep track.

"Whether you know or not, you need to die. Your Constellation seems quite valuable."

"Fine. If you can kill me, take them all. But killing me is the condition."

"I've finished analyzing you, Shin Sanghyun."

"Then stop flapping your mouth and attack already. Are we fighting with words now?"

Fwoosh!

Before the words had even fully left his mouth, Tory propelled himself down the hallway, charging toward Sanghyun like a bolt of lightning.

With the combat zone being this cramped, judgment and reaction speed had to be sharper than ever.

Sanghyun activated Defensive Sword.

Due to the narrow space, Defensive Sword could cover a significant portion of the area in front of him.

Clang!

"Tch!"

Tory's dagger, which approached with a roar while creating a red tail, was blocked by the barrier.

Action always calls for reaction.

Seeing Tory's balance falter as he was pushed back, Sanghyun immediately executed a short Full Charge.

After a brief delay, the greatsword slid forward, aiming precisely at Tory's heart.

Clang!

"......!"

But at that moment, something happened that Sanghyun hadn't anticipated.

Tory, who had dodged the greatsword attack with an in-place jump, was now stuck to the ceiling like an adhesive man.

'I've never seen this ability before.'

It was an ability reminiscent of a spider-man from a movie.

Even in his past life, he had never encountered such a unique case. Though he had heard of it, this was his first time seeing it with his own eyes.

"Haap!"

From his position on the ceiling, Tory leaped forward, bulldozing straight toward Sanghyun.

The angle was too good. Defending again with a defensive maneuver didn't seem like the right move.

'If I use a backstep, my lower guard will weaken, exposing another opening.'

In a battle on such a narrow stage, quick judgment was crucial.

A moment's hesitation could lead to a fatal wound. There was no room for second thoughts.

So the method he chose was strategic evasion and counterattack.

As Sanghyun performed a backstep, Tory's gaze immediately locked onto Sanghyun’s abdomen.

At the current diagonal angle he was shooting down from the ceiling, it was the easiest target to strike.

To Tory, the abdomen seemed like a weak point Sanghyun had exposed, but to Sanghyun, it was merely bait.

Thud!

'Got him!'

As Sanghyun's outer garment was torn and the dagger pierced into his abdomen, Tory was certain of his success.

At this close range, if the dagger penetrated the peritoneum, at least a serious injury was guaranteed.

Moreover, his dagger was specialized for murder and pain, with an uneven, jagged edge.

What if the hooked blade at the tip pierced an organ?

As the dagger was pulled out, intestines would spill out like a string of beads, creating a gruesome spectacle.

The victim would have to watch their own guts spill out as they died miserably.

"Ah?"

But his plan had failed.

He had succeeded, yet he hadn’t. He had struck accurately, but the dagger couldn’t penetrate further, as if it had hit a solid iron plate.

Tory had not anticipated the existence or nature of the Sacrifice skill.

Smash!

"Ughk!"

What came next was Sanghyun's fist striking directly under Tory’s chin at close range.

Rather than relying on the long motion of the greatsword, he had opted for an immediate strike.

It was a pure punch fueled solely by brute strength, but Tory could immediately feel several of his teeth scattering inside his mouth.

Sanghyun swiftly readjusted his grip on the greatsword and aimed for Tory's heart as he was pushed back.

Since Tory was a Predator of Constellations, supported by multiple Constellations, there was always a chance he could turn the situation around.

If a Constellation's contracted Player was in mortal danger, they could sometimes intervene beyond the bounds of time and space.

There was no guarantee Tory would be an exception.

"Hoo!"

But Tory wasn’t going down easily.

Even though Sanghyun executed a high-speed forward dash by linking two skills, Tory dodged cleanly with two consecutive backflips.

Whoosh! Clang!

He even launched a surprise attack, pulling a small dagger from his coat and throwing it at Sanghyun's side.

Had he not instinctively blocked it with his greatsword held vertically, he might have sustained an injury.

'He's good at improvisation.'

Tory was proving to be a formidable opponent.

Each of Tory’s attacks carried enough power to kill instantly if they landed.

And he never aimed for areas where a mere scratch or bearable pain would result—he went for lethal spots.

'No need to hesitate anymore.'

Sanghyun activated the Psychedelic skill, which had undergone significant changes due to the skill enhancement he gained upon reaching level 100.

'Is this... an awakening?'

For a moment, Tory sensed a drastic shift in Sanghyun’s eyes and movements, realizing the significant change within him.

The very fact that a swordsman possessed such an awakening skill was unexpected, but there was no time to dwell on that thought.

"Hmph!"

Not to be outdone, Tory immediately activated a skill similar to an awakening—his Rampage skill.

There was no time for a careful, measured approach against an opponent who was going all in.

It was a strategy of mutual destruction.

Tory was confident.

Until now, no Player had ever survived after he activated his Rampage skill.

A 100% win rate!

Tory believed Sanghyun would be just another unfortunate addition to his list of victims.

At least, that’s what he thought—until that moment.