Artifact Devouring Player-Chapter 8: Luck - (4)

[Chapter 8]

A Constellation was considered a steadfast pillar of support that could influence the entirety of a Player's life.

This was because it had a significant impact on the direction in which a Player developed their stats and the areas where they would be strengthened.

In his past life, Sanghyun had formed a contract with a peculiar Constellation called the Late Bloomer Model Student.

It was an embarrassing story, but the truth was, his first encounter with a Constellation hadn't happened until his tenth year as a Player.

The Late Bloomer Model Student was a researcher settled in some dimensional realm and had granted Sanghyun this perk.

■ Constellation: Late Bloomer Model Student

■ Effect: After reaching level 850, the stat effects of all possessed Artifacts and Titles are doubled.

After level 900, the effects in the same field are tripled. After level 950... (omitted)

He had thought it was the best arrangement for the future when he chose this Constellation. But the result?

The very day he reached level 850, he regressed.

He hadn't benefitted from the Constellation even once until that moment.

"Given the circumstances, it's highly likely the Late Bloomer Model Student sent me back. Should I be grateful for that?"

Thinking about something he would never get an answer to, Sanghyun checked the notification blinking before him about the Constellation.

It wasn't necessary to choose a Constellation immediately, but if he wanted to enjoy its effects for as long as possible, the sooner the decision, the better.

Besides, the Constellation Sanghyun wanted had appeared.

The Goddess of Luck.

"Surprised by my little performance with my eyes closed, were you?"

[The Goddess of Luck is amazed, saying she has never seen such a lucky swordsman before.]

The Goddess of Luck didn't believe that Sanghyun cutting down Goblins with his eyes closed was due to skill.

Just like when he received the Lucky Day title, she thought it was just a stroke of luck that his sword strikes had aligned so perfectly.

It wasn't for nothing that he had previously labeled her as a Constellation with some perverse activation condition.

She only appeared as a patron in cases exactly like this.

It was something he had heard from Hashimoto, a Japanese Player once known as the Miracle Marksman. He had been her contractor.

'That guy was a Player with terrible character and no basic skills. Just full of vanity.'

Sanghyun smirked wickedly, justifying his actions today.

Good food always tastes better when served on a nice plate! And Sanghyun was confident he was that plate.

"Suddenly having three Constellations appear at once... I'm at a loss for words."

It was a rare occurrence.

Normally, one Constellation would show interest first, and then others would appear one by one.

Of course, there was a reason for this.

The Goddess of Luck.

Even among the dimensional realm where Constellations existed, she was quite the social butterfly.

She wandered everywhere, mingling without regard for hostility, neutrality, or friendliness, forming connections with many Constellations.

The Constellations that appeared with her must have been drawn in by her influence.

[The Goddess of Luck emphasizes that since she has no possessiveness, even if you contract with her, you can still form contracts with other Constellations.]

'Right. That's the advantage Hashimoto mentioned about the Goddess of Luck. You don't need an exclusive one-on-one contract with her.'

Sanghyun had no interest in the two other Constellations who appeared with her.

The Pilgrim Wandering the Vast Cosmos was too saintly for someone like him, who was constantly drenched in blood, and the Corrupted Custodian of a Fallen Dimension was just trash—a mad Constellation with clear psychopathic tendencies.

'First, I'll contract with the Goddess of Luck. She might be noisy, but thanks to that, my ears won't be bored.'

Without hesitation, Sanghyun clicked on the sky-blue link connected to the Goddess of Luck.

[Would you like to form a contract with the Constellation Goddess of Luck?]

[Once formed, the contract will not disappear for 30 years, even if the Player dies.]

"I'll contract with her."

He chose her immediately.

The influence of the Luck stat would be greater than ever as he consumed Artifacts from now on!

He didn't want to give that up.

Besides, even if he chose her now, he could still contract with another Constellation later. There was nothing to lose.

If it was a risk-free gamble, why not take the chance?

[The contract with the Goddess of Luck has been established.]

[A being from the dimensional realm closely observes the contract formed between Player Shin Sanghyun and the Goddess of Luck.]

[Fifteen friendly Constellations sincerely congratulate you and wish for your success.]

[Three hostile Constellations vow to hinder your growth through their patron Players.]

'Constellations really are full of loudmouths.'

The threatening messages didn't bother Sanghyun at all as he examined the finalized contract.

■ Constellation: Goddess of Luck

■ Effect: [Make a Wish]

First. Every attack action will always trigger a Critical Hit.

Second. When consuming a Unique-grade Artifact or higher, a Hidden Effect will be unlocked and inherited.

Third. When eliminating a mid-boss or boss monster, you will acquire an Artifact with a 100% drop rate, even if the monster's grade is low.

Fourth. When investing level-up points into Luck, 1 point will increase the stat by 2.

This also applies retroactively to any previously invested bonus points.

"This is it!"

Sanghyun cheered.

In his past life, hadn't he never met even one Constellation, let alone three at once?

It felt incredible.

And he was ecstatic that he had successfully summoned and contracted with the Constellation he had desired.

Was this how it felt when someone you liked confessed to you first, all shy? It was electrifying.

Triggering a Critical Hit with every attack meant that double the expected damage output would always be realized.

It was an incredible effect for Sanghyun, a swordsman specialized in close combat and relentless assault.

And starting from the Unique grade—the rank following Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum, and Diamond—

Gaining a guaranteed Hidden Effect when consuming an Artifact was an extraordinary benefit.

At that level, the hidden effects of Artifacts possessed destructive power and scalability beyond imagination.

'The guaranteed Artifact drop is also incredibly appealing. Even a Bronze-grade Artifact costs at least 10 million won.'

Sanghyun inwardly cheered at the flawless effects of this Constellation.

If he showed too much excitement outwardly, that nosy Goddess of Luck might get smug for no reason.

[The Goddess of Luck asks if she can introduce you to another Constellation.]

"Not yet. I need some time to think about who else would suit me best."

[The Goddess of Luck applauds your strong sense of independence, saying it's quite attractive.]

"Applause, really?"

Sanghyun chuckled as he gripped his greatsword.

The blindfold was no longer necessary.

His goal was accomplished, and the only thing left was to hunt the Goblin Lord waiting like an uninvited guest in the boss zone.

[The Pilgrim Wandering the Vast Cosmos draws a ticket, promising a future meeting.]

[The Corrupted Custodian of a Fallen Dimension warns you to stay tense, vowing to take your head someday.]

"I'll see the Pilgrim again soon. As for you, Custodian, stop barking and try doing something for once."

Sanghyun didn't pay the Custodian any mind—he knew that Constellation had always been like that.

* * *

The long-awaited boss fight.

KROOOO!

The Goblin Lord roared fiercely, swinging his dual axes with vigor, his crimson eyes glowing with ferocity.

Among the various status effects, this was a roar that triggered the Intimidation effect.

If Stiffness froze the body and Stun temporarily caused a loss of consciousness, Intimidation made one lose their fighting spirit.

It forced the body or mind to react defensively when it should've been pressing forward with confidence.

The terrifying aspect of Intimidation was that it seeped into both body and mind without the person even realizing it.

『Recovery』

The moment Sanghyun was affected by Intimidation, he cast Recovery immediately, clearing the status before the emotion could overwhelm him.

For the Goblin Lord facing him, it was a nightmare.

His entire strategy relied on suppressing his prey's will with Intimidation, then relentlessly pushing them to the brink of death.

But that wasn't working now.

With Sanghyun's Recovery cooldown perfectly matching the Goblin Lord's roar interval, the monster had no chance of winning this battle of timing.

"Not going the way you wanted, huh?"

Sanghyun remained calm and composed.

To the point where he set his own challenge—not allowing even a single hit from the Goblin Lord.

'I'm getting the hang of this.'

Sanghyun meticulously assessed his combat capabilities.

It was necessary to choose the most optimized dungeon that suited his level of strength.

With his current abilities, the Goblin Dungeon, meant for Players under level 50, was a complete waste of talent.

He could easily double the difficulty—a dungeon recommended for Players at least level 100.

Huff... Huff... Haa...

The exhausted Goblin Lord staggered left and right, drooling and panting heavily.

Caught in Sanghyun's relentless evasion patterns, the monster had nearly drained all of its stamina.

"Let's test my luck, shall we?"

『Demon Bash』

Thud!

The first Demon Bash landed cleanly.

The greatsword pierced the Goblin Lord's weak point—its lower abdomen—and immediately, the monster's movements ceased.

Groan!

A small circular icon representing the Goblin Lord appeared, with a blue border rapidly spinning around it.

'Two seconds.'

Sanghyun quickly calculated the remaining time.

Judging by the speed of the blue border's rotation, it wasn't difficult to estimate the effect's duration.

GRAAH!

For those two seconds, the Goblin Lord was nothing more than a slab of meat under Sanghyun's relentless slashes, carved up like butchered flesh.

Even as it watched its body being torn apart in real-time, there was nothing it could do.

'If I extend it now, it'll be perfect.'

Just as the blue border dwindled down to about the width of a fingernail and the effect was about to end—

『Demon Bash』

『The first Delay effect has been applied, forcibly extending the Stiffness state.』

Sanghyun extended the delay.

GRRK?!

The Goblin Lord was horrified.

Just when it thought the shackles would release, the immobilization was extended before it could even react.

The most terrifying kind of death was the one you experienced fully—aware every step of the way.

And that's exactly what the Goblin Lord was facing.

Slash! Slash! Stab! Stab!

GRAAAHH!

Every time the greatsword cleaved through its chest, blood spurted in all directions, leaving deep, gaping wounds.

Soon, its pectoral muscles were shredded, followed by the sharp pain of its ribs being severed.

"One more time!"

『Demon Bash』

『The second Delay effect has been applied, extending the Stiffness state again.』

Sanghyun extended the effect just as it was about to end again. The chance was 90%, and the result followed exactly as expected.

GRAAAHHHH!

The Goblin Lord screamed in agony.

But only briefly.

Thud!

Sanghyun drove the greatsword with all his strength, piercing straight through the monster's heart.

The Goblin Lord couldn't even land a single hit on Sanghyun before collapsing in death.

At that moment—

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A shield dropped from the Goblin Lord, and unexpectedly, a new title appeared as well.

[Your level has increased.]

[You have acquired a D-rank Title: [Don't Touch Me].]

"This one's a jackpot! It boosts luck, dodge stats, and even strengthens skills?"

A happy smile spread across Sanghyun's lips as he read the name of the title displayed in the message.

It seemed the Goddess of Luck was truly smiling upon him.