Unique - (4)

[Chapter 25]

Everyone was too busy checking their Artifact rewards to notice Sanghyun's shout.

「Greatsword of Fighting Spirit」

■ Artifact Grade: Unique

■ Artifact Description: This greatsword, symbolizing the warrior's fighting spirit, holds immense power and an unseen blessing of wind hidden within it.

Within the aura created by the blessing of the God of Fighting Spirit and the wind's grace, the wielder can experience a 10% increase in recovery power.

■ Strength +150

■ Agility +50

■ Special Effect - Knockback Burst

'These stats are insane.'

It focused exactly on the stats he needed.

Strength, the symbol of power, was an essential stat for a swordsman, and agility was also important to Sanghyun.

Not only for using movement skills like Full Charge but also because Sanghyun's combat style involved a lot of movement.

For Sanghyun, who enjoyed swift evasive maneuvers and counterattacks, an increase in agility was like scratching an itch in just the right spot.

Sanghyun took a closer look at the hidden effect, Knockback Burst.

■ Special Effect - Knockback Burst

■ Effect Description - Uses 27 mana to push the opponent backward.

The success rate and knockback distance depend on the target's skill resistance.

Up to 108 mana can be used, increasing the chance of success and knockback distance accordingly.

'There are monsters that use techniques similar to Full Charge, and some require concentration. Knockback would be useful in those situations.'

It was one of the status effects Sanghyun had wanted to acquire.

Knockback! It could push back even an immovable mountain-like foe at times.

[Strength 250]

'This is just...'

His jaw dropped when he saw the significantly boosted strength stat just from holding the greatsword.

Now at level 50, even for wealthy players at this level range, having 130 strength was considered high.

But Sanghyun was already surpassing that by a staggering 100 points.

In terms of level, it was comparable to being around level 120.

The massive gap between his stats and level signified just how explosively Sanghyun was growing.

And until now, all the bonus points from leveling up had been invested solely into his Luck stat.

The fact that his stats were this high purely from acquiring Artifacts made it even more meaningful.

On top of that, when he dumped all his unallocated points into his Luck stat, something even more astonishing happened.

[Luck 213]

'This should increase the chances of acquiring higher-grade Artifacts or even finding Artifacts themselves.'

Compared to players who didn't invest in Luck at all, he had about a 20% advantage.

As time passed, the gap between him and others would only widen further.

■ Critical Hit Range

■ Minimum 120% to Maximum 600%

The previous range of 100% to 500% had increased as well.

If a critical hit landed at the maximum value? A single attack could be a death blow for his opponent.

"How am I even supposed to express my gratitude for this?"

"Wow. This reward feels way too much for me."

Everyone looked dumbfounded.

Sanghyun didn't feel any greed toward their Artifacts since the rewards were earned together with his teammates.

If he had come alone, defeating Grizzly Big Bear, let alone Cerberus of Hell, would've been impossible.

And if he had waited until he could solo it, someone else would've cleared the gate first.

In fact, in his previous life, the first clear of Chunui Station Gate happened just about two weeks from now.

"I want to hand over all the loot from Big Bear's corpse, the magic stones, and the byproducts to you, Sanghyun."

"Shouldn't we at least pay for the Artifact? I never even dreamed of getting a Platinum-grade Artifact..."

Kim Miso and Kang Juhee each shared their thoughts.

Sanghyun decided to graciously accept everything except the Artifacts themselves.

It wasn't a small amount of wealth.

But when it came to Artifacts specialized for each person's class, he decided to let them keep theirs.

There was already a team distribution rule in place, and honestly, Sanghyun wanted to leave them with a sense of indebtedness.

It might sound calculating, but human relationships often relied on such feelings.

Besides, while Sanghyun gained a Unique-grade Artifact, the others received Platinum-grade Artifacts.

Though Platinum-grade Artifacts typically traded for over 1 billion won on average, they weren't ridiculously expensive.

Most of the valuable loot from clearing the Chunui Station Gate had gone to Sanghyun anyway.

Roughly estimating, the final earnings would amount to at least 1.5 billion won.

Just selling the corpses of Cerberus of Hell or Grizzly Big Bear would fetch at least 600 million won.

So, he decided it was best to firmly secure the goodwill of the three.

Their connections would be valuable for a long time—at least until he surpassed their level.

In that sense, this was actually a cheap investment.

"I'll gladly accept the rest of the loot. But leave the Artifact from Big Bear for yourselves."

Sanghyun spoke with a bright smile, wearing an exceptionally kind expression.

Though disputes over loot distribution often caused headaches for player teams, there were no such issues with Sanghyun's team.

"Shall we take a break?"

"Yes. I'm just so glad to feel the cool air outside after being covered in so much blood."

"You worked hard. Sanghyun, I'll contact you as soon as a good gate opportunity comes up. Everyone agrees, right?"

"If Sanghyun says he'll join, I'd run over even during a guild raid! Promise!"

"I'll just keep my schedule clear all the time!"

Following Kim Miso's words, Park Taeseok and Kang Juhee also made their enthusiastic pledges to Sanghyun.

The porters had finished collecting, appraising, selling, and distributing all the loot.

The total amount was 1.6 billion won.

That was the sum Sanghyun received.

On top of that, considering he had secured a Unique-grade greatsword, the total value amounted to a staggering 27 billion won.

"I'll contact you soon!"

As Kim Miso waved both hands energetically, Sanghyun suddenly remembered something and quickly spoke up.

"Next time we meet, let's all drop the formal speech. It's hard to maintain honorifics in urgent situations anyway."

"Yeah! Or just drop them now! Oppa, hyung, hey—just go with what fits our ages!"

"Alright, Miso. Take care. See you next time, Taeseok hyung."

"Huh? Uh, yeah. See you!"

"Okay, Sanghyun oppa! Just call me Juhee comfortably!"

With Sanghyun's casual suggestion, the mood instantly lightened.

Indeed, using formal speech during emergencies or brief communications was unnecessary.

"Oppa can call me casually! But since I've been in guild life for so long, I've tried to drop honorifics before, but it's tough. So, please understand if I still use them sometimes!"

"Sure. But try to give it a shot."

"Got it. Oppa, you really worked hard!"

However, Kim Miso ended up speaking informally under certain conditions.

It didn't really matter.

To be honest, as long as Sanghyun was comfortable, that was all that mattered.

In any case, after receiving heartfelt farewells from his teammates, who were grateful for their time together, Sanghyun took a break in front of the gate.

Once everyone had left and the place quieted down, Sanghyun opened the message that had been blinking for a while.

Since it concerned a Constellation, he wanted to check it while alone.

[The Lion King has developed a deep interest in your swordsmanship. He is amazed by your presence, which provokes an uncontrollable desire for possession.]

[The Dark Hunter questions your existence, which seems out of place in this world. He doubts your origins.]

[The Owner of Grace passionately cheers for your fighting spirit as you challenge a colossal wall.]

[The Goddess of Luck says this time some pretty decent Constellations have shown up and jokes that Sanghyun's coin is skyrocketing.]

"Where the hell did she pick up slang like 'skyrocketing'...?"

Sanghyun let out a chuckle at the unexpected real-world reference from the Goddess of Luck.

The Lion King and the Owner of Grace were Constellations based on figures who had once existed on Earth.

Naturally, they were of high rank.

These two Constellations mainly approached martial artists, showing interest only in those who met their high standards.

In other words, it meant those two saw great potential in Sanghyun, regardless of his short period of activity or low level.

'The Dark Hunter. That bastard's the problem.'

Constellation, the Dark Hunter.

He was a bounty hunter who tracked down players receiving unfair privileges due to system errors or those illegally contracted with other Constellations.

Sanghyun didn't know the details, but there was supposedly an internal investigation system within the player system.

That's why it was uncomfortable that the Dark Hunter was paying attention to him, someone who was essentially a regressor—a type of anomaly.

To be honest, it was unsettling.

'At this rate, more Constellations will start paying attention to me. Eventually, even a Divine Throne will appear.'

The target Sanghyun aimed for wasn't just a Constellation—it was the higher being known as a Divine Throne.

A Divine Throne was an existence with whom only 100 players in the entire world could form a contract.

Sanghyun was aiming even higher. Or perhaps, another Constellation might appear that allowed overlapping contracts like the Goddess of Luck.

[The Goddess of Luck asks if she should take a number and wait in line.]

"Tell her that right now, I'm more interested in the Divine Thrones than Constellations."

[The Lion King roars, demanding to know who you think you are to desire a Divine Throne.]

[The Owner of Grace evaluates that with such boldness, you deserve the right to challenge a meeting with a Divine Throne.]

[The Dark Hunter suspects that your arrogance in seeking a Divine Throne must hide some secret.]

"So annoying, seriously."

It would be nice if the Dark Hunter didn't keep sticking around like an annoyance, but it didn't seem like things would go that smoothly.

On his way back home.

While driving, Sanghyun pondered what kind of Artifact he should buy with the money he earned today.

If it was a cheap Artifact, it was better to consume it, but if it was high-grade like the Greatsword of Fighting Spirit, equipping it was the best answer.

Many candidates came to mind. The problem was money. If he had enough, he could easily fill an entire A4 sheet with a list of things he wanted.

To reduce his reliance on a team and boost his effectiveness in team play, status effect skills were ideal.

Of course, Artifacts with status effect options cost a fortune—basically a money pit.

At that moment.

A news report came on the radio, which had been playing for background noise.

Here's a brief news update. At 4 p.m. today, a severe stench of unknown origin emerged from

Cheonggyecheon, prompting an investigation by the authorities.

It would have been easy to ignore if it were just an ordinary piece of news.

But this report triggered a memory. Cheonggyecheon and stench—two keywords tied to a major event that happened today.

"Now that I think about it, today's the Bupyeong Station Rift."

It was a Rift.

A Rift referred to a phenomenon where a previously stable space suddenly cracked open, allowing monsters to emerge.

Afterward, the area where the Rift occurred would transform into a dungeon, which, as long as no lives were lost, was something players welcomed.

It meant one more stage to challenge and grow stronger.

"The monsters that came out during the Rift were Kobolds. Starting from normal Kobolds to the Kobold King—perfectly suited to my level."

The first monsters that appeared during a Rift weren't system-generated copies; they were actual creatures.

Thus, they granted higher experience points than usual, and players could even seize the tools the monsters carried.

In other words, everything they possessed could become an Artifact! Of course, the grade would depend on what they held.

"If I can take down the Kobold King..."

The Kobold King was a boss monster specialized in the status effect 'Intimidation,' similar to the Goblin Lord Sanghyun had fought before.

If so, the necklace or other tools the monster wore might have an Intimidation effect.

If Sanghyun could obtain that, consuming it to integrate the skill or connect it to his body wouldn't be a problem.

Screeech!

Sanghyun turned his car toward Bupyeong Station instead of heading home.

The future known only to him!

He couldn't just let it pass by. Wasn't monopolization the privilege of those who knew the future?

If he knew about it, then it had to be his—no matter what.

Absolutely. Without exception.