Moving - (4)
[Chapter 16]
『Psychedelic』
■ Skill Level: Stage 1 (0.0%)
■ Skill Description: The moment this skill is activated, all stamina is instantly recovered, and you enter an awakened state for 100 seconds.
It generates output that surpasses the limits of the body and mind, pushing you into a state close to frenzy.
In the awakened state, decision-making, actions, and information processing become significantly faster than usual.
When the psychedelic effect ends, you fall into an extreme state of exhaustion due to accumulated damage for 10 minutes. The cooldown time is 1 hour.
"I've seen Do Kyungsoo use the Psychedelic skill before. He really looked like a Sword Demon. He fought like a madman, taking on a hundred enemies alone."
The memory came back vividly.
According to what Do Kyungsoo had told me before, entering the awakened state boosts physical and mental abilities up to five times.
Of course, the aftereffects are tremendous, but it's worth enduring them.
Even if only temporarily, if Sanghyun used Psychedelic, he might even be able to take on a level 200 player.
"So, did Do Kyungsoo also get a hidden skill like me? Or maybe he bought an expensive skill book."
If Sanghyun remembered correctly, the last time he saw the price of the Psychedelic skill book before his regression, it was 50 billion won.
By inheriting the hidden skill, he had effectively saved that future cost. Sanghyun's lips couldn't help but twitch several times.
[The Goddess of Luck complains that if things are going so well, you should at least show her some gratitude.]
"Thank you, my goddess. It's such an honor for someone as humble as me to have your company!"
Sanghyun buried his face on the table and gave a respectful bow. Of course, there was genuine sincerity in it.
[The Goddess of Luck advises that you should be grateful for even the smallest things. She says nothing in this world comes for free.]
"I feel just as responsible. Thank you."
Sanghyun bowed his head again.
He had never once thought that all of this was something to be taken for granted. Not even the regression.
He firmly believed there had to be a reason. A reason why he had no choice but to return thirty years into the past.
Deep down, he wanted to meet the Constellation of his previous life, the Late Bloomer Model Student, but he had no idea how to do that.
"My goddess, do you by any chance know of a Constellation with the title Late Bloomer Model Student?"
[She says she neither knows nor wants to know a Constellation with such an embarrassing title.]
"So, you don't know?"
[The Goddess of Luck says there are truly many eccentrics across the vast dimensions. But if you wish, she can look into it.]
"Please look into it. That Constellation holds meaning for me."
The short conversation with the Goddess of Luck ended.
As much as Sanghyun was steadily preparing for the future, he also wanted to resolve the mysteries tied to his past.
He didn't want to live by merely shouting rosy prospects. There had to be a reason behind his regression.
"Now that the devouring is done, let's check things out."
Sanghyun began reviewing the stats he had steadily built up through leveling up and consuming Artifacts.
//win_h
■ Level: 27
■ Titles: 7
■ Constellation: Goddess of Luck
■ Stat Overview
[Strength 77 / Stamina 90 / Agility 28 / Mana 60 / Luck 167 / Evasion 30 / Defense 49]
[Undistributed Points: 0]
"Just by the number of titles, this is another level altogether. People envy you if you have even one title before reaching level 100."
Seeing the steadily increasing number of titles filled him with pride.
If only the number of titles were made public, he'd undoubtedly be in the spotlight.
Titles were the most crucial element that created a significant skill gap even among players of the same level.
They weren't called achievements for nothing. The number of titles was proof that you had accomplished something special, unlike others.
That's why when famous named players formed teams, they often set a cutoff based on title count. Only those with at least five C-grade titles by level 300 could apply.
The status window could be disclosed to others with the player's consent, so verification was always possible.
"If I could raise my luck stat a little faster, that would be great. Once it goes over 200, the probabilities shoot up even more."
The direction of his growth remained the same as from the beginning—focus everything on the Luck stat. Other stats would naturally increase by consuming Artifacts.
"Evasion or defense, I should focus on one of them soon. It's not exactly fun taking all the hits head-on."
Since it was time to start paying attention to defense, he decided on the next secondary stat after luck.
At this point, it made sense to focus on defense.
Higher defense and evasion stats increased skill resistance, but defense played a bigger role in boosting resistance.
"Still a long way to go."
Even though it felt like just the beginning, that made him even more excited.
At level 27, his potential was already exploding.
What would it be like when he reached level 270, ten times this? Honestly, he couldn't even imagine it.
* * *
"This is insane."
Driving into the Player Town, Sanghyun saw countless car dealerships lined up near the entrance.
His shabby used car looked pitiful compared to the sheer number of luxury cars on display.
Cars costing hundreds of millions were just the basics—there were plenty of cars that easily exceeded a billion won.
Among them was a sports car with a base price of 7 billion won, even without any added options, due to its limited production.
Although he had spent all the money he earned from quests on buying Artifacts, he could probably earn more quickly and buy a decent, expensive car.
However, Sanghyun preferred something durable and fuel-efficient, like an RV.
That was because the dungeons and gates he planned to tackle soon were scattered all over the country.
A luxurious, fuel-inefficient car or sports car might look good, but they were nothing but burdens on long drives.
"What's this?"
As Sanghyun approached the entrance to the Bronze District, two men suddenly blocked the road.
They stood there for quite a while, clearly intending to block the way without any intention of moving.
Honk!
He pressed the car horn.
But the two men just wagged their fingers at Sanghyun's car and clicked their tongues repeatedly.
He considered just ramming through them, but that wasn't a good solution. Instead, Sanghyun rolled down the window and stuck his head out.
"Could you move aside, please?"
"You want us to move for a trashy car like that? Don't you know anything about class? If that junk heap drives around our complex, the dignity of everyone living here drops, you punk!"
The response to his polite request was incredibly hostile.
Speaking informally on a first encounter was like a passive skill for them. Courtesy seemed like something they had tossed away long ago.
"This is my car, not yours."
"That's exactly the problem. Do we really need to hear that a beggar like you is living in Jamsil Station Player Town?"
"Hey, why's that guy speaking informally?"
"You guys started it first, didn't you?"
It was clear from the start that this wouldn't end with words. Sanghyun quietly reached for the greatsword lying in the backseat.
And then, Sanghyun observed the two men outside the window. At first, he didn't recognize them, but upon closer inspection, their faces seemed familiar.
'Jo Seongho. Choi Youngcheol.'
They were two of the notorious "T4" from the Utopia Guild, infamous for their terrible personalities.
The "T" in T4 stood for Trash, meaning they were human garbage with rotten personalities.
'If I can remember them instantly, even with my poor memory, it speaks volumes about how much of a villain they were.'
Sanghyun sifted through his memories.
At this point in time, both of them were probably around the same level as Kim Miso or possibly even lower.
'Of course, even if their level had been higher, my reaction wouldn't have changed.'
Click.
Sanghyun opened the door and stepped outside. He had expected that pests like these would show up eventually, but it was sooner than he thought.
"Get that junk car out of here right now. You're lowering the dignity of this place. I won't tolerate the stench of trash in Player Town."
"Is that your dignity or mine? Why do you care so much?"
"Hey, do you even know who this man is?"
"Of course I do. I know too well—that's the problem. You're the guy who drags around a suck-up because everyone hates you so much. Acting like some playground bully, huh?"
Bullseye.
Their faces, Jo Seongho's and Choi Youngcheol's, crumpled like crushed cans after being hit squarely with the brutal truth.
Fwoosh.
Before the words had even finished leaving Sanghyun's mouth, Choi Youngcheol conjured a massive magical sphere with malicious intent.
A deadly magic skill, ready to strike Sanghyun at the slightest flick of a finger.
"So, reacting impulsively to a single comment is considered dignified?"
"You're the one who provoked me first!"
"Short-term memory loss, huh?"
Sanghyun shrugged.
Anyone could see that they were the ones who had picked a fight with him when all he was doing was quietly heading home.
Maybe they just needed someone to take their anger out on. Unlucky for them, it seemed they had picked the wrong time and person.
"What's going on over there?"
"Did a fight break out?"
"Hey, isn't that Jo Seongho and Choi Youngcheol? Those bastards are at it again, throwing their guild's weight around."
"Poor guy—looks like another unfortunate player got tangled up with them."
"Should we help?"
"Help? Are you insane? You wanna get dragged into that mess too?"
Players heading into the complex cautiously watched from a distance.
Intervening in a fight between players could mean risking your life since one wrong move could result in death from a single skill.
"If you apologize to me now, scrap that junk heap, and come back with a proper car, I might forgive you."
"Seems like the ones that need to be scrapped are the two of you. Especially you, big bro."
Sanghyun pointed directly at Choi Youngcheol.
The finger he pointed with? His middle finger. A perfect provocation.
"You bastard! A disrespectful prick like you needs a good beating. I'll teach you what shame really is. Let's fight!"
"Proper fight? Or should we go with training mode?"
Sanghyun accepted the challenge without hesitation, as if he had been expecting it all along. This made both Choi Youngcheol and Jo Seongho flinch in surprise.
Training Mode.
A system feature that significantly reduces combat power to prevent fatal injuries during player-versus-player fights.
It automatically activates protection when health drops into a dangerous state, preventing death.
That's why many players used it for sparring or training.
Of course, it didn't activate against monsters or inside dungeons.
"Training mode."
Even while fuming, Choi Youngcheol seemed to want a bit of insurance, muttering those words quietly.
Sanghyun also thought it was a good choice. If he let his emotions get the better of him and accidentally took the guy's head off, things could get messy.
Besides, the guy's crimes weren't severe enough to deserve a beheading—he was just a petty thug stirring up trouble.
"Good. So, what are we betting on? You're not planning to just sweat a little and walk away, are you?"
Sanghyun's voice was laced with subtle provocation.
Choi Youngcheol, caught in the heat of the moment, blurted out impulsively.
"Five hundred million won and both hands on the line. Loser gets their hands crushed to dust."
"Turn you into a cripple?"
"Yeah."
"Deal. That's settled then. The players are watching—if you try to back out later, you'll be a laughingstock."
"Fuck off, you bastard."
The stage was set.
Jo Seongho had already positioned himself behind them, pulling out his smartphone to start live-streaming on Youtube.
Sanghyun looked straight into Jo Seongho's camera and formed a circle with his thumb and index finger.
Now, either Choi Youngcheol or Sanghyun would have their disgrace immortalized in real-time on Youtube.
Of course, Sanghyun had no intention of losing.