Chapter 68: The Trial of the Divine Throne - (1)
Delicious rosé tteokbokki.
Unlike Tory’s initial impression, where he sneakily hid and waited for an ambush, the food he materialized was clean and well-presented.
It was rosé tteokbokki customized to his taste, with far more bacon and sausage than noodle rice cakes.
It was delicious.
As long as it wasn’t a full-on insect diet with dubious nutritional value or a dish reeking of mint, this was more than welcome.
“Is it just my imagination, or does the aftertaste have a slight hint of blood?”
Sanghyun mumbled as he chewed on the strange aftertaste lingering at the end.
Perhaps it was because of Tory’s corpse lying in front of him, bleeding out, lifeless.
Regardless, following the 60% absorption rate formula, his Strength increased by 48, Stamina by 42, and Agility by 30.
Watching his stats rise steadily made him feel almost full, as if he had eaten a satisfying meal.
Since the airborne duration of Rising Current was proportional to Strength, the Strength boost was particularly good news.
[The contract of the Constellation exerts its binding force, causing a special change in the artifact.]
[You have acquired the Hidden Skill "Brave Charge."]
“Finally.”
Sanghyun smiled as he gazed at the newly acquired Hidden Skill, which gleamed as if boasting its own presence.
Even the name alone was enough to stir excitement in his chest.
//s_win
//win_h 『Brave Charge』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: Upon activation, you can charge 5 meters forward.
//e_win
Consumes 25 mana and has no usage limit.
From the moment the charge begins until it ends, an intangible shield is activated at the front and sides of the player.
The shield's durability is always half of the player’s Stamina.
“Oh. So, it’s a movement-type skill that can also be applied defensively. This covers a major weakness.”
Sanghyun nodded in understanding.
The advantage of a charge skill was rapid repositioning. However, its drawback was vulnerability to external impact during the process.
Brave Charge effectively compensated for that weakness, making it an excellent skill.
After examining the detailed tooltip, it became apparent that leveling up the skill wouldn’t increase the charge distance but would instead enhance the shield’s durability.
“Full Charge can extend the distance, but it comes with an unavoidable cooldown. Back Step requires turning my body to move forward. This skill, on the other hand, perfectly scratches that itch.”
It seemed that Brave Charge would prove to be incredibly useful moving forward.
Especially for Sanghyun, who enjoyed hit-and-run tactics, it had the potential to become one of his favorite and most cherished skills.
It was the best loot he had obtained.
After that.
He obtained about four more artifacts from Tory, but they didn’t match his concept, so he decided to sell them.
They were penalty-type artifacts that sacrificed Strength and Stamina to boost Agility, so he had no desire to use them.
However, they had appealing options for Assassin players, and their rating was quite high—Platinum.
After sorting things out himself, he reported the incident to the Player Association. Within five minutes, an official arrived.
Sanghyun had overlooked the possibility of a resident appearing. It was none other than Igah Hee, a Player Association employee he was already familiar with.
She seemed to have been resting at home when she received the report and immediately rushed over, wearing a boxy T-shirt, cropped pants, and her hair tied in an apple bun.
The only noticeable difference from before was her lack of eye makeup.
Compared to the last time he saw her, her eyes appeared half their usual size, almost making her seem like a completely different person.
Igah Hee ignored Sanghyun’s slightly surprised gaze and surveyed the scene as she spoke.
“A gruesome incident like this… in Player Town. It’s truly appalling. The Association will hold the administrators accountable.”
“That’s unnecessary. If someone interferes with the main circuit while entering from the rooftop, the management office can’t do much about it.”
“What do you mean, unnecessary? One of the reasons rent is so high in Player Town is because of its security. The Association will address this matter.”
“Well, do as you see fit.”
Even as he said this, Sanghyun knew the Association would thoroughly crack down on the management company.
He was simply pushing the blame onto someone else, avoiding the need to personally visit and cause a scene. The Association was perfect for such tasks.
“Were you injured?”
“Just some scratches.”
Sanghyun checked the wounds scattered across his clothing.
Just moments ago, some of them had been quite deep, but thanks to his recovery skills, they had already improved significantly.
A few healing potions from his stash at home would take care of the remaining abrasions quickly.
“Hold still for a moment.”
Suddenly, Igah Hee approached Sanghyun. Just as he flinched, wondering what she was doing, she reached out her hand.
Ssssshhh.
A pleasant warmth, coupled with a slight tickling sensation, wrapped around Sanghyun in an ivory-colored aura.
“A healing skill?”
“Yes. Just a minor trick.”
“For a minor trick, the healing amount is quite impressive.”
“Hoho, thanks for the compliment.”
Since she was part of the Association’s scouting team, Sanghyun had assumed her player abilities might be lacking.
But at this level, she could easily pass as a healer player in the late level 200s.
She was quite overqualified to be a mere low-ranking Association employee.
‘There must be a reason for that.’
It didn’t seem like she was hiding her abilities.
He could only make vague guesses about her backstory.
“For now, this person… is a Black Player. All related data has been completely erased.”
“Then that means even the Association’s internal database was affected?”
“Either they never registered as a player, or their death was officially recorded, and later, their data was erased entirely.”
“So, they planned to commit crimes from the very beginning?”
“Hardcore criminals often erase all traces of their existence like this.”
“Hm. As expected, Black Players seem like quite a troublesome group.”
“The Association refers to these individuals as ‘Ghosts.’ They’re like phantoms—tracking and capturing them isn’t easy.”
“Either way, please handle the follow-up investigation on this guy. Do you need any further statements from me?”
“No, just cooperate with a brief formal inquiry later. Once again, I sincerely apologize, Mr. Shin Sanghyun.”
“Well, it’s a happy ending, so it’s fine.”
Sanghyun waved his hand dismissively.
[The door opens.]
It seemed Association staff were arriving one by one. The scene investigation was about to begin, which meant things would get noisy.
“Then.”
Sanghyun opened the door and stepped into his home.
It was probably time to consider moving soon.
Bleeding as I fought and even taking the life of a criminal, I didn’t want to stay in that place any longer.
That night.
While checking the Player News, Nietzsche read an article about the incident that took place in Player Town and cursed.
"That idiot."
To summarize the article, someone had attempted to ambush Shin Sanghyun and died in the process.
There was only one person who would be bold and reckless enough to target Sanghyun’s life at a time like this—Tory.
Just in case, Nietzsche accessed the Predation Network, and as expected, there were quite a few reactions from the predators who had seen the same news.
Most of the comments were left on the last post Tory had made.
▶ Spartacus: Let’s give a pitiful blessing to that foolish dead man. You are the shame of the predators.
▶ Susanoo: If Shin Sanghyun was able to take down Tory, it means that brat’s skills aren’t to be underestimated.
▶ Napoleon: This is another reminder of the importance of preliminary research. Everyone, be cautious.
Most of the comments ridiculed the deceased Tory and expressed surprise at Sanghyun’s ability to kill someone as skilled as him.
Nietzsche was also surprised.
Of course, as a cautious person, he never thought Sanghyun would be an easy target.
However, Tory wasn’t a fool either, and at the very least, Nietzsche believed he would escape with his life.
But he had died.
According to classified information obtained through the association, Tory was found dead with a deep horizontal slash across his chest.
In simple terms, he had been cut across the torso with a greatsword and died instantly—a humiliating death.
"……It seems like it would be faster to become his friend instead."
Nietzsche took a deep sip of coffee, his killing intent hidden behind the frost forming on his glasses.
It seemed necessary to reevaluate Sanghyun’s skills by at least two or three levels higher than before.
He had conducted considerable research on Sanghyun and thought he knew a lot, but it still wasn’t enough.
"As long as he doesn’t know who I am."
It didn’t matter.
As long as he never revealed that he was Nietzsche, he believed Sanghyun would have no reason to suspect him.
They could become great friends—just like a sly wolf wearing the skin of a gentle lamb.
"There’s still some time before I head to the Gapyeong Station Rift. Let’s try to create a Mastery Skill."
Besides the passive Agility Mastery that already existed, Sanghyun was considering Strength and Stamina Mastery.
If he obtained Strength Mastery, his overall physical power would increase, enhancing the destructive force of his attacks.
If he obtained Stamina Mastery, his body would develop endurance and resilience to withstand external damage.
To achieve this, Sanghyun planned to use the newly acquired training wooden dummy before heading to the Rift.
The training method was quite ‘brutal’—continuously striking his arms, legs, and body against the wooden dummy.
However, the results were effective enough to justify the method, and it was a shortcut to skill acquisition.
As with all Mastery Skills, just acquiring them wouldn’t bring an immediate, dramatic change.
But once obtained and consistently trained, the benefits would accumulate over time.
Deep in training.
As he lost himself in the flow of time, dripping with sweat, Sanghyun found himself reminiscing about the past.
"There are so many skills I can create, skills I need to refine, and training I need to complete. Why did my past self ever think there was nothing to do?"
He had never related more to the saying that the world appears larger the more you live and learn.
Back when he only had one or two skills, he hadn’t even realized the value of training.
But now, with countless skills at his disposal, he found joy in dividing his time for training.
He even had to consider how to allocate his training time and which skills to prioritize.
The direction and quality of his life and thoughts had changed drastically—there was no comparison. The present was undoubtedly better.
"Divine Throne…… Divine Throne. Divine Throne."
Sanghyun muttered the words that had been lingering in his mind.
Only one hundred players in the world were chosen to form contracts with a Divine Throne.
The upcoming Gapyeong Station Rift would be a crucial turning point in his life, a chance to establish a connection with a Divine Throne.
What if he failed?
Then this encounter with a Divine Throne might be the first and last opportunity of his life.
He didn’t want to miss this chance.
This was the perfect stage to showcase what kind of player he was to the Divine Thrones!
Sanghyun wanted to prove his true worth—that he was an investment-worthy, high-value stock.