Chapter 84

Chapter 84: Ham Jiyeon - (4)

The secret to easily subduing countless monsters that had invaded his domain until now.

Nekas had seen quite a bit of success using grab-type magic to seize and drag his opponents, but it didn’t work on Sanghyun.

Nekas, who had intended to create variables and open the battle, changed his approach.

He decided to take the straightforward approach.

Fwoooosh!

At that moment, an intense blaze, reminiscent of a flamethrower, erupted from both of Nekas’s hands.

It was an inferno so intense that it felt like hoses spewing flames had been placed in his hands.

『Defensive Sword』

Sanghyun advanced and blocked the flames.

He reinforced his barrier with additional mana, but its durability was decreasing faster than expected.

‘As expected, it’s a powerful spell.’

Sanghyun nodded.

To respond more effectively to magic, he needed to increase his resistance to elemental attributes.

Magicians almost always used magic based on elemental properties.

To build resistance, one had to expose themselves repeatedly to the relevant magic through training.

In other words, adapting to and countering attributes through training while acquiring related defensive skills.

It wasn’t easy.

That’s why many players found magicians troublesome, whether they were players or monsters.

At that moment.

"Sanghyun, push forward a bit more!"

Ham Jiyeon’s voice rang out, and soon, the front of Sanghyun’s defensive barrier began to freeze.

"Oh?"

"It’s attribute infusion! I can link it to your skill!"

"Wow, this is—"

Even Sanghyun hadn’t expected it.

The defensive barrier itself had been imbued with an ice attribute, causing it to freeze automatically.

Creak. Crack.

The barrier froze, then melted under Nekas’s flames, repeating the cycle, but it endured much better than before.

In the meantime, Sanghyun closed the distance to Nekas by casting Brave Charge twice in succession.

‘If you give a magician space, they’ll turn it into a suppression hell.’

Magicians were almost inevitably forced into close combat.

That’s why one of the first things magician players learned in the Player Academy was ‘distance control.’

Finding ways to maintain a certain distance while continuously harassing the opponent with skills.

An experienced magician like Nekas, who had been through countless battles, would undoubtedly know this.

Sanghyun moved in earnest.

Once he mixed in the acceleration skill, his movement speed increased dramatically, and he could see Nekas flinching.

"I’ll support you!"

"Don’t get too close!"

"Got it!"

Sanghyun made sure to leave a warning for Ham Jiyeon, who was enthusiastically assisting him.

At Nekas’s attack level, Ham Jiyeon could be in immediate danger. Her combat style was rough.

Kwaaaah…

The flames continued to engulf Sanghyun, but the combination of Defensive Sword and the freezing effect prevented Nekas from gaining an advantage.

Seeing his flames scatter helplessly against the barrier, Nekas clicked his tongue.

If the mild approach wasn’t working, it was time to show them something spicier.

Fwoosh!

Nekas immediately conjured another fire spell, this time with a massive core the size of a human head.

If the previous spell had a power level of 10, this one had at least 30—more than three times the damage.

『Rising Airflow』

"Kuh!"

But his concentration was disrupted.

As a result, the fire magic being cast over Nekas’s hands weakened.

His time had been stolen.

Fizz…

Nekas swiftly retreated, putting more distance between himself and Sanghyun.

He moved as if gliding over the ground, like someone skating backward at high speed.

‘I’m not the only one with acceleration skills. He must have an acceleration spell too.’

This was what made magicians so tricky.

Sanghyun thought he had closed the gap, but Nekas’s response had widened it again.

However, one thing had changed—Nekas, who had initially looked down on him, now had a serious expression.

The arrogant face that had once been tossing out snide remarks had now stiffened.

‘The worst-case scenario is if this cycle keeps repeating.’

This was the situation Sanghyun wanted to avoid most—getting dragged into a prolonged battle against a magician.

A situation perfectly described by the phrase, ‘Like a dog chasing a chicken and watching it escape onto a roof.’

‘I need to control his movement and force him into close range. Fortunately, the terrain isn’t bad.’

Sanghyun checked the surroundings and formulated a plan.

A hunting strategy!

That’s how you catch a magician.

As Sanghyun charged toward Nekas again, his Over Psychedelic skill activated. This was an awakened skill specialized for battles against magicians.

Sanghyun was convinced that Nekas wouldn’t simply keep dodging. He was confident in his own skills.

Even if Nekas chose to evade, that was fine. There was enough natural terrain to corner him.

Swoosh! Whoosh! Boom!

Countless magic attacks poured from Nekas’s hands, raining down on Sanghyun like a storm.

Ham Jiyeon had given up on tracking the trajectory at some point, as various forms of magic poured down.

Paaat! Papat! Tatat!

Sanghyun did not lose his rhythm and calmly evaded the incoming magic using his skills.

Bravet Charge, Backstep, and strategically utilized Full Charge.

By combining these three skills, Sanghyun protected his body amidst the torrent of magical 'weapons.'

'Is he dodging that just by looking at it?'

Watching everything unfold in real time from behind, Ham Jiyeon could not hide her astonishment.

If Sanghyun were an assassin-type player adept at mobility, such an agile response would have been understandable.

However, even considering that he was special compared to others, Sanghyun's foundation was ultimately that of a swordsman.

To analyze and judge amidst such a barrage of magic, finding the proper evasion points each time—

That was something absolutely impossible without rigorous training or extensive battlefield experience.

Given what Ham Jiyeon knew about Sanghyun’s career, this should have been unthinkable.

Right at that moment—

Kwaaaah!

The fire magic that Nekas had attempted to cast earlier, which had been interrupted, erupted once again.

This time, Sanghyun, focused on evasion, missed the timing to interrupt it—an unavoidable attack.

"Damn it, I'm too far!"

Due to the rapid pace of the battle between Nekas and Sanghyun, Ham Jiyeon found no opportunity to assist.

Moreover, the distance between Nekas and Sanghyun was too close; if she interfered improperly, she might team-kill.

At that moment—

Ham Jiyeon witnessed it again.

This time, Sanghyun suddenly dashed forward about 4 meters—

Chaaang!

"Wow!"

With a single swing of his greatsword, he shattered the core of the raging fire magic.

A phenomenon where the core of a spell was split had occurred!

"……!"

Not only was Ham Jiyeon, who was watching, shocked, but even Nekas, the one who cast the spell, was equally astounded.

Deflecting magic while dodging or blocking it head-on was common in battle.

However, cutting magic in half was unheard of.

To achieve that, one needed a precise balance of accuracy to strike the exact center of the magic sphere and sufficient power.

It was akin to threading a needle with one's eyes closed—an act requiring near-instantaneous perception.

Caught off guard by Sanghyun’s unexpected offensive, Nekas ultimately allowed him to close the distance.

In his Over Psychedelic state, Sanghyun, quite literally, saw nothing else.

His heightened senses made the entire dungeon appear like a melting mirage—

Yet every spell unfolding from Nekas was vividly clear, almost as if they were moving in slow motion.

Paaang!

Struck by the skill, Nekas’ body was sent soaring into the air.

Having deliberately swung his greatsword in an uppercut motion, Nekas' body traced an ascending diagonal arc.

'Mages naturally have low skill resistance. Their evasion and defense stats are bound to be lacking.'

Opening with Knockback Burst was a strategic choice.

Like a scrap of paper blown away by the wind, Nekas helplessly floated upward, completely losing sight of Sanghyun.

//s_win

//win_h ◎ Weakness Enhancement

◎ First Strike

The Weakness Enhancement skill activated automatically. Knockback Burst was recognized as the first attack.

//e_win

Puuuk!

"Krrgh!"

The mighty greatsword of determination flew through the air and lodged itself squarely into Nekas' left shoulder.

Second strike confirmed.

At that moment, Sanghyun used Telekinesis, pulling Nekas—who was midair—directly toward the embedded greatsword.

Nekas’ face turned ashen.

He had never imagined he would be forcibly summoned back and dragged right up to his opponent’s face.

Sanghyun smirked and mercilessly wrenched the greatsword from Nekas’ shoulder.

Puuhaak!

"Kuaaaaah!"

Intentionally pressing downward as he extracted the blade, Sanghyun left a deep wound inside Nekas’ shoulder.

Shweeek! Shweeeek!

He then lightly followed up with two additional strikes.

//s_win

//win_h ◎ Silence

◎ 0.45 seconds.

//e_win

Is the sky helping him?

With two swift basic attacks, Sanghyun silenced Nekas.

Defensive magic, rear-movement magic.

At a moment when he needed to use something, silence completely blocked all possibilities.

Final 5th strike!

Sanghyun chose his ultimate move, which had more devastating damage than any other option.

Seeing the final damage value displayed on the system window, Sanghyun let out a hollow laugh.

Critical damage that was guaranteed to activate, thanks to the Goddess of Luck.

On top of that, he hit near the highest expected value, and with Weakness Enhancement activated, the destructive power became monstrous.

“Haaaah!”

Amidst the chaos, Nekas instinctively sensed the danger and deployed a shield spell in front of him.

Silence was lifted just in time, and he used every ounce of strength he had left to cast this desperate shield.

However, in front of 『Crushing Blade』—a finishing move that had been amplified to 13.5 times its normal damage—

Ka-chii-ching!

Fwoosh!

The layers upon layers of desperately built defenses shattered like broken glass.

Enduring it was impossible when Sanghyun had linked 『Crushing Blade』 with Weakness Enhancement, creating unimaginable destructive power.

Thud!

“Kyaaah!”

The offbeat shockwave created an explosive sound so loud that Ham Jiyeon let out a scream.

“Gkk.”

Nekas stared blankly at the gaping hole in his chest.

His heart had been pierced?

That was only part of the problem.

All the internal organs that should have been inside were completely obliterated by 『Crushing Blade』.

Shattered and incinerated by the impact and heat, they had disappeared without a trace.

“I told you, I have no respect for elders.”

Swoosh!

Sanghyun immediately sent Nekas’s head flying.

Only then would Nekas, treated as a monster, truly die, and the system would properly register his defeat.

A cold and ruthless yet decisively efficient finish from Sanghyun, who never wavered from his objective.

And then—

Drop.

An artifact fell right in front of Sanghyun’s feet.

A Diamond-grade artifact!

//s_win

//win_h ■ Special Skill - Sage’s Whisper

//e_win

“What is this?”

And with it, the sudden appearance of a special skill with a name that piqued his curiosity.