Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 27: Rapid Intervention - (2)

[Chapter 27]

"What is that...?"

"Is that really a rift? Not a single monster seems to have come out yet."

"Is that someone from the Association?"

As time passed, a few players who had received the emergency disaster alert arrived at Exit 1 of Bupyeong Station.

They were players who had happened to be nearby and rushed over in a hurry.

Two management staff from the Player Union, dispatched after receiving the report, also arrived on-site.

Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun, the two brothers who worked for the Union, clicked their tongues at the massacre unfolding before the rift.

Ordinary creatures simply called Kobolds had already formed a tower of corpses around the area.

Wakuu! Waku!

However, what caught Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun's eyes upon arrival was a bulky creature known as a 'Kobold Attacker.'

In a simple comparison, this massive being looked at least 15 cm taller than Sanghyun, who stood at 187 cm, making it seem like a tough opponent.

But it was just a misconception.

『Knockback Burst』

Sanghyun immediately hit the Kobold Attacker with a knockback.

A basic Knockback Burst using 27 mana.

The Kobold Attacker, whose skill resistance was significantly low, was helpless against the

Knockback Burst.

Kuwou!

Struck by Sanghyun's greatsword attack combined with the Knockback Burst, the Kobold

Attacker was forcefully pushed backward.

It slid uncontrollably as if it were gliding on ice, moving against its will.

That was where the real problem began.

Chiiik! Chiik! Fwoosh!

Kuwaaargh!

Unexpectedly knocked back in a strange direction, the Kobold Attacker was instantly engulfed in green flames and incinerated.

This was a phenomenon where its entire body was consumed by a bio-combustion reaction upon contact with the portal's light green glow.

Once the blazing portal energy enveloped its whole body, it was instantly incinerated.

'This is why knockback is so good.'

His strategy had worked.

Knockback forces back even those foes who can't be pushed by sheer physical power.

Even if the opponent were as massive as a mountain, as long as the skill succeeded, it would forcibly push them back.

"Hey, isn't that a knockback?"

"Wait, more importantly, that guy... doesn't he look familiar? The Player's Journal, ah! Shin Sanghyun!"

Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun both recognized the skill's effect and Sanghyun's face, exclaiming in surprise.

Lee Jeong, who had expected a tough battle against the Kobold Attacker, wore an embarrassed expression as his prediction shattered.

Lee Hyun was shocked that Sanghyun, whose level wasn't particularly high, had burned away such a difficult opponent so swiftly.

He could tell that this was all part of a calculated strategy from the start.

At that moment, Sanghyun, who had been scanning the area near the portal, noticed the two with the Association badges and called out.

"I've dealt with all the vanguard! I think I got their leader too! I'll leave the rest to you!"

Seeing reliable Union personnel arrive to handle the aftermath was reassuring.

Unless they suddenly decided to run away, there wouldn't be any civilian casualties from the

Bupyeong Station rift.

Whack!

Sanghyun dragged in a limp, lifeless Kobold corpse and entered the rift immediately.

The reason for dragging the random corpse was simple—he was trying to anticipate the internal environment.

Kkirik! Kkirik! Kkirik!

As expected, the moment he entered, Sanghyun encountered Kobold Archers preparing for a second wave of defense.

The ones who had just loaded their arrows immediately fired toward Sanghyun.

Pupuk! Puk! Puk! Puk!

However, Sanghyun skillfully used the Kobold corpse as a shield, perfectly blocking the rain of arrows.

"You guys are way too easy."

The Kobold Archers panicked when their supposedly powerful attack ended up being completely useless.

Sanghyun hurled the dagger he was holding toward the nearest Kobold Archer.

Whirr! Puk!

Kiek!

The dagger struck dead center in the Kobold's forehead, killing it instantly.

At the same time, Sanghyun quickly gathered a brief surge of Full Charge energy and targeted the nearby, confused archers.

Shwaaaak!

With rapid movement and a powerful swing of his greatsword, the heavy force tore through the thick flesh of the archers.

Even with their considerable size and muscular build, all the Kobold Archers met the same equal fate under Sanghyun's blade.

Kuit! Ukuit! Kuit!

One archer hastily tried to reload as he watched its comrades fall like straw.

Though this one had the most time, given how its kin had died one after another—

Cheok.

Just as it barely managed to knock an arrow to the string, Sanghyun was already standing right in front of it.

Pwahk!

There was no future for it.

The Kobold Archer was split in two from the crown of its head down to his stomach by

Sanghyun's greatsword, dying instantly.

"Hm?"

Sanghyun's eyes sparkled as he noticed something different about this particular Kobold's footwear.

Even monsters, before getting trapped in a rift, were once beings that lived somewhere.

That meant they might possess special items obtained from humans or others.

These items would all turn into Artifacts the moment they connected with Earth—likely due to the system's influence.

Sanghyun removed the shoes from the dead Kobold Archer. The design wasn't impressive, but it wasn't worth discarding either.

「Boots of Swift Movement」

■ Artifact Grade: Platinum

■ Artifact Description: Boots imbued with the determination of an assassin who longed for speed.

Blessed by an Earth Spirit, movement speed triples on unpaved, earthen ground.

Under normal circumstances, movement speed doubles compared to the usual rate.

"Not bad."

Mobility was just as important for a swordsman.

Some players might say that sheer toughness and strength were enough, but that was naive talk.

Even an intelligent monster mage could completely dominate a sluggish swordsman.

Sanghyun had learned this truth firsthand through trial and error in his past life.

"Jackpot. Usually, small fry like this don't carry anything valuable."

With the joy of hitting the jackpot, Sanghyun confidently pushed deeper into the rift.

From now on, it was a speed battle.

Most of the Kobolds would likely follow the open exit and head toward the outside world.

Those would be dealt with by the Union staff and players arriving on the scene.

Sanghyun decided to ignore anything that wasn't a commander-level Kobold or higher.

Dragging it out would only risk losing his rewards to those who came later.

"Hope this guy didn't have athlete's foot."

Sanghyun kicked off his old Converse sneakers and immediately slipped on the Boots of Swift Movement.

With a sharp swoosh, he quickly vanished beyond the horizon.

The Kobold King.

Sanghyun's wild sprint toward his singular target was relentless.

One hour later.

"What the hell? Why are there piles of corpses stacked all along the main route?"

"Jeongah. Are the level estimates for Shin Sanghyun accurate? Even with the highest projection, it's supposed to cap around 40, right?"

"There's also that interview from The Player's Journal. Considering when he awakened, that should be his maximum level."

The Player Union's calculations, derived from various predictive methods, had completely missed the mark.

Currently, Sanghyun's level, including the increase after intervening in the rift, was 52.

Lee Hyun described it as extreme, but Sanghyun's existence surpassed even extremes, making this outcome inevitable.

Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun, who had left the outer cleanup of the rift to the Association that arrived later, entered the rift themselves.

Judging by the level of the Kobold group they had encountered earlier, players entering this place needed to be at least level 50.

This was because the Kobolds here didn't have the combat power and defense of mere low-grade monsters—they were on par with Demon Orcs.

Yet, Sanghyun, who hadn't even reached that level, was defeating all of them effortlessly, leaving them speechless.

"This is way too fast."

"We're cutting down only the necessary ones while following him, but we can't even catch sight of his back."

Lee Hyun clicked his tongue.

All they could see were the footprints Sanghyun left behind, the bloodstains from the dead

Kobolds, and their corpses.

Even at the edge of the horizon, Sanghyun was nowhere to be seen.

He was a player wielding a greatsword, yet he showed no signs of fatigue despite moving at such high speeds.

"If he pushes himself too hard, he might die. Will he be okay?"

"He's a player who predicted this rift in advance. Of course, he'd be greedy for loot."

"But if it's the Kobold tribe's king, it must be the Kobold King. Can someone with his level handle a one-on-one against a level 150 Kobold King?"

"I don't know. I won't jump to conclusions. Let's focus on tracking him. We need to prevent a hero's sacrifice."

"I'll take the lead, hyung!"

The younger brother, Lee Jeong, who was level 90, and the older brother, Lee Hyun, who was level 110, chased after Sanghyun.

Hadn't Sanghyun practically handled everything from the initial rift response to reporting it?

If Sanghyun were to die here, they wouldn't be able to handle the aftermath.

Until now, countless rifts had occurred in South Korea, and each time there were casualties.

This could be the chance to break that vicious cycle—if Sanghyun didn't die a meaningless death while sprinting toward the end.

"Two silver-grade daggers and five silver-grade artifacts total. Add in four gold-grade artifacts—that's worth 1 billion won altogether?"

While the brothers Lee Jeong and Lee Hyun diligently chased after Sanghyun, Sanghyun was assessing the spoils from his earlier battles.

Artifacts valued at 600 million won.

He hadn't even faced the Kobold King yet, and this didn't include the value of the boots either, yet his profit had already reached 1 billion won.

Simply knowing in advance that a rift would open and acting preemptively had allowed him to secure such a massive haul.

He could finally see it approaching.

Ignoring the small fry and decapitating anything that blocked his path.

The Kobold King, who had reigned supreme within the rift until now, was calmly staring at

Sanghyun from its position.

"Of all things..."

Depending on its disposition, the Kobold King could wield different weapons, and this one happened to be holding a bow.

For Sanghyun, who didn't favor fast, evasive monsters, this was an unwelcome opponent.

'If I remember correctly, this thing's Intimidation Roar should have a shorter cooldown than Recovery.'

The Kobold King's intimidation skill had a faster cooldown than the versatile Recovery ability.

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Therefore, a specific strategy was needed, and Sanghyun already had the method in mind.

The problem was the sharp gaze of the Kobold King, who had already secured a tactical advantage from the beginning.

It was a response only possible for a monster with high intelligence—ensuring strategic dominance from the very start.

'I'll need faster movement than ever before. If I let my guard down, there's no reason an arrow couldn't pierce right through my forehead.'

Sanghyun unconsciously rubbed his still-intact forehead while glaring at the Kobold King.

Defeating that creature would open the shortcut to becoming a more complete swordsman.

This was the reason he had entered this dungeon—not to fear it but to face it head-on.

On the contrary, this became a clear source of motivation.