Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 47: Destruction - (4)

[Chapter 47]

The battle with Roblus turned into a melee the moment it began.

In truth, if one only considered Roblus's durability, its low stamina made it vulnerable to concentrated attacks.

The problem was its astonishing mobility. Moreover, the intent behind its high-speed maneuvers was always the same.

Unless it was a solo strategy, it would always target the weakest-looking member first.

As expected, Roblus aimed for Kim Miso.

It knew that an archer, unfamiliar with close combat, was inherently weaker than a swordsman.

Of course, Sanghyun had carefully devised a strategy to counter this. He had trained with this scenario in mind.

Thus, the moment Roblus approached, Kim Miso unleashed a barrage of arrows to prevent it from closing in.

No matter how swift a leopard was, its low stamina forced it to exercise caution.

If Kim Miso could buy even a little time, Sanghyun would swiftly close the distance using acceleration and backstep.

Sanghyun's goal was to keep Roblus within his range of influence, and it was working well.

Krurrr.

Roblus didn't seem pleased with Sanghyun blocking its path, his greatsword brimming with killing intent.

The main issue was that Sanghyun didn't show any openings for it to exploit.

In Roblus's eyes, an archer was prey that could be torn apart like paper in mere seconds.

But Sanghyun was different.

He felt like a solid, immovable pillar, making it impossible to find an opening to strike.

Roblus persistently tried to target Kim Miso, but there were no gaps in their coordination.

Kim Miso bought time with all her might, and Sanghyun seamlessly filled any void left behind.

Krrr!

Roblus, keeping a cautious distance from Sanghyun, bared its fangs and slashed its front claws.

Paaang!

A deafening roar erupted as a violent gust swept toward Sanghyun and Kim Miso.

Kuuuoo!

At the same time, a thunderous roar burst forth. A stun roar—a nuisance that made it difficult for players to handle boss monsters.

"Not a chance! This won't work on me!"

Kim Miso, equipped with an artifact that negated all status effects, was completely unaffected.

The wind wasn't close enough to reach her, so only her long hair fluttered in the turbulence.

"..."

However, Sanghyun, who blocked the gust with his Defensive Sword, had a different reaction. He had been stunned.

Thanks to the Flexibility Necklace he had obtained earlier, the stun only lasted 0.2 seconds, but it still triggered.

0.2 seconds.

For some, it might seem like an insignificant moment, but for Roblus, it was more than enough time.

It could close the distance in an instant and sink its fangs into its prey.

The stun duration on Sanghyun was shorter than Roblus had expected.

But it had identified a potential weakness. Roblus decided to target Sanghyun instead.

'I need to conserve Recovery as much as possible.'

Sanghyun had remained still despite being stunned because he was assessing the situation.

Recovery had a 30-second cooldown.

If he used it immediately and Roblus roared again, he would have no means to break free the second time.

A surefire card was best saved for the right moment! This was a strategy Sanghyun had refined over his past life.

Krrrr...

"Fine, come for me."

Seeing Roblus lose interest in Kim Miso, a smile formed on Sanghyun's lips.

Everything was going as planned.

Compared to Kim Miso, who wasn't affected by stuns at all, Sanghyun appeared to be the easier target.

Sanghyun shouted.

"Ignore me and keep up your rapid fire! I'll handle the rest!"

Kiiriririk! Ping!

Before his words even finished, Kim Miso drew her bowstring and fired an arrow without hesitation.

Following his instructions, she switched to rapid-fire mode, dramatically increasing her rate of fire.

Considering Roblus's low stamina, Sanghyun had determined that increasing its damage exposure was the most effective approach.

Krr!

Roblus tensed its legs as it locked eyes with Sanghyun.

'Charge.'

A skill used to close the distance with an enemy, much like Full Charge. Sanghyun knew Roblus's patterns well.

『Defensive Sword』

He immediately deployed a frontal barrier.

The best way to counter a charge was not to evade. Roblus had excellent direction-changing abilities.

Instead, the ideal approach was to confront it head-on.

Kwaao!

With a roar, Roblus lunged like a runaway train toward Sanghyun's barrier.

Puhhkk!

"Ugh!"

Krrr!

Both the defender and the attacker felt the brunt of the impact.

Fsssss!

Sanghyun was pushed back several meters.

"Wow."

Kim Miso was in awe. She once again realized how skilled Sanghyun was, managing to hold his own against such a powerful opponent.

Kuuuu!

'Fast.'

Sanghyun refocused.

Roblus immediately prepared for another charge, lunging at him before he had even finished sliding back.

But Sanghyun, too, had a contingency plan—just like Roblus.

『Acceleration』

『Back Step』

He linked Acceleration and Back Step, allowing him to escape his previous position even faster than usual.

Even Roblus, known for its unparalleled speed, was momentarily startled by the lightning-fast maneuver.

By the time Roblus's claws slashed through empty space, Sanghyun had already positioned himself beside it.

『Full Charge』

『Knockback Burst』

A counterattack designed to induce both freezing and knockback simultaneously.

With Acceleration active, the distance covered by Full Charge was much greater than usual.

Naturally, its power was also amplified. This was the terrifying advantage of Acceleration.

Swoooosh! Boom!

Kruuuar!

Sanghyun's Greatsword of Fighting Spirit struck Roblus square in the abdomen, sending its massive body flying backward.

The freezing effect of Full Charge did not apply, but the knockback from Knockback Burst landed properly.

Like someone who had stepped on a banana peel, Roblus lost its balance, flailing its front paws as it was pushed backward.

The knockback was so powerful that even its animal instincts couldn't help it regain balance easily.

Pshk! Pshk! Puk!

Meanwhile, Kim Miso's rapid-fire arrows, which had been steadily targeting Roblus, began to show their true power.

As Roblus lost focus due to Sanghyun's attacks, it failed to track the arrows it had been consciously dodging.

This was the most terrifying aspect of well-coordinated teamwork.

For the opponent, there was not even a single moment to catch their breath. The attacks just kept coming.

In a one-on-one fight, there is always an unspoken allowance for both sides to adjust their movements to each other.

However, in a one-on-two battle, especially one that was meticulously planned instead of chaotic, there was no such room for adjustment.

Unfortunately, Roblus had encountered two individuals who worked together flawlessly.

For Roblus, this was a tragedy.

Thwack!

"Grrrooooaaar!"

Then, an unexpected turning point arrived sooner than expected.

One of Kim Miso's sharp arrows pierced Roblus' left eye, creating an unforeseen variable.

Being able to adapt to the ever-changing flow of battle! Sanghyun had that kind of flexibility.

『Psychedelic』

'We win in terms of stamina. The only thing we're lacking is mobility, so it's better to play our trump card now.'

Thwack! Thwack!

Two more arrows flew in and lodged themselves into Roblus' side.

This time, even at a glance, they were clearly expensive arrows.

Special arrows that easily cost over ten million won each.

The moment they hit the target, countless poison needles erupted from within, scattering like buckshot.

'No one stands a chance against money.'

Unless someone possessed future knowledge like him, the most significant factor influencing a player's growth was undoubtedly money.

A player equipped with artifacts worth trillions could display strength far beyond their level, even if they were just level 1.

The power of money was unbeatable. And Kim Miso clearly had that advantage.

Shwaaak! Shwaaak! Shwaaaak!

Meanwhile, immersed in the mesmerizing hypnosis of Psychedelic, Sanghyun continued slashing at Roblus without hesitation.

Had Roblus been in perfect condition, it would have focused on dodging or escaping Sanghyun's attacks as much as possible.

But Kim Miso's timely strikes had significantly hampered its mobility.

Slash. Slash. And slash again.

Silence triggered intermittently.

As a result, Roblus' preparatory movements for its Paralyzing Roar were repeatedly interrupted.

Moreover, it lacked defensive options like Defender King, which could drastically reduce status effect durations.

Thus, after an endless flurry of Demon Bash strikes, Sanghyun finally managed to inflict stiffness on Roblus.

At that moment, Roblus experienced hell.

'Once you're hit, even a boss monster has no way out.'

Sanghyun gleefully slashed at the immobilized Roblus, which couldn't even twitch like a taxidermied leopard.

"Do you feel the difference in power? Huh?"

Kim Miso was just as excited.

She had already closed the distance and was raining arrows down at rapid speed.

Her hands moved so fast that it was impossible to see her drawing arrows from the quiver on her back.

"Groan... Grooaan... Grrroooaannn..."

Staggering from the relentless onslaught, Roblus was completely disoriented.

『Crushing Blade』

Sanghyun prepared for the finale.

Slaaash!

A single diagonal slash tore from Roblus' left shoulder to its right side, leaving a long, deep wound.

At that moment.

"GRAAAARRGH!"

Roblus' eyes began to glow a deep red.

This was a self-destruct trigger, activated moments before death.

'Kang Boah nearly died because of this, didn't she? But that won't happen to me.'

Sanghyun calmly activated Defensive Mode.

Kim Miso's eyes flickered with momentary alarm, but she soon settled down at Sanghyun's composed reaction.

"KUWAAAAAAAAH!"

Roblus let out a deafening roar, pounding its chest as if to shake the heavens.

And then.

BOOOOOOM!

It unleashed a massive explosion.

Blood and flesh, charged with violent energy, flew in all directions, but they couldn't penetrate Sanghyun's Defensive Mode.

However, he noticed that the trees and grass splattered with Roblus' remains were quickly withering away.

It seemed that acidity had been added to the explosion.

'Level 85!'

His level instantly shot up by three tiers.

Gaining just one level was already cause for celebration, but this was three times the joy.

'This is why conquering high-level Rifts, Gates, and Dungeons comes with such massive perks.'

He couldn't help but whistle.

Of course, as his level increased, the amount of experience required for the next level would grow exponentially.

If he wanted to keep experiencing the same exhilarating growth, he would have to challenge even more difficult dungeons.

But that didn't matter.

In fact, he welcomed the hardships and trials, knowing they would serve as stepping stones for his growth.

Moreover, he had the knowledge and confidence to overcome them.

There was no hesitation or fear.

Follow current novels on ƒreewebηoveℓ.com.

Shaaah.

As part of the first-clear rewards, each participant could select an artifact specialized for their class.

Sanghyun firmly grasped the special light source.

It was the same process he had followed at the Chunui Station Gate.

[Player 'Shin Sanghyun' is awarded an Epic-grade artifact.]

[You may select one from the following list of artifacts.]

"At last..."

An Epic-grade artifact!

A treasure so valuable that it made a trillion won seem trivial was about to be welcomed into his hands.

His heart pounded in anticipation.