Artifact-Devouring Player

Chapter 191: Twisted Future - (2)

At that moment.

“This is a type of fissure I’ve never seen before.”

Sanghyun’s expression gradually darkened as he went deeper into the fissure.

It was the kind of look he usually made when he had a lot on his mind. His lips pressed together, and his brow slightly furrowed.

Ordinary fissures always had a specific historical background.

For instance, they evoked modern times, or the early modern period, or perhaps the medieval or ancient era.

There might be elements that felt out of place in reality.

But there was always some backdrop that one had heard of or seen before. That was always the case.

But this fissure was different.

It felt like he was standing in the middle of some distant planet in the universe. The skies above looked that way.

It was a scene like something out of a space documentary or film, filled with various planets, stars, and satellites.

It was unfamiliar, as though he had suddenly teleported somewhere in the cosmos, yet incredibly beautiful.

“They’re fast.”

When Sanghyun looked down, he saw a clearly imprinted set of footprints.

The footprints were fresh, and faint traces of mana still lingered.

It meant that a player had already entered after receiving clearance from the Union agents before Sanghyun arrived.

A suddenly appeared fissure was dangerous due to the lack of internal intel.

But at the same time, it was a land of opportunity.

Until the Union took direct control of a fissure, all loot obtained inside belonged to the player.

Moreover, if someone swiftly cleared or even conquered the fissure.

They were recognized for rescuing civilians and helping stabilize the fissure quickly.

Usually, this came with commendations, medals, and special treatment in various future approvals by the Union.

Of course, all of this was essentially a carrot to encourage quick player participation when a fissure occurred.

“……”

Judging by how the weight distribution of the footprints leaned increasingly forward, it looked like they had started running from this point.

What could it be? There must have been a reason for the sudden speed burst.

Sanghyun’s gaze naturally followed the direction.

“Hmm?”

The reason was soon revealed.

Like a relic thrust in front of an ancient ruin. A sharp spear was stabbed diagonally into the ground.

Its color had faded somewhat, but the energy it emitted was intensely fierce.

He could instinctively tell.

It was a high-value Artifact. A treasure that absolutely shouldn’t be passed up.

It was placed conspicuously in a very visible spot.

Was it really a stroke of luck?

It could be. Like stumbling upon money while walking down the street.

‘Too easy.’

But with Sanghyun’s cautious nature, he saw beyond what was visible—he noticed what was hidden behind it.

Fwoosh!

Then, using his Illusion Arbitration skill, he quickly sent his illusion dashing forward.

He could switch places with his illusion at will whenever he activated arbitration.

Even outside combat, it could be used for recon in this way.

Not restricting the skill’s use within a set framework.

That was Sanghyun’s first principle and strength in how he used his skills.

His illusion, having already reached top speed, arrived in front of the spear.

If he activated arbitration and switched positions now, all he had to do was grab the spear and it would be his.

But Sanghyun held back once more and only made the illusion pretend to grab the spear.

At that moment.

KWA-GAGAGANG!

The weapon that had just looked like a spear suddenly transformed into something completely different.

Its volume expanded rapidly, and it morphed into a shape resembling a hedgehog.

It had spikes protruding in every direction, to the point it could be called a walking weapon.

CHOMP!

The creature, sensing its moment, bit down on Sanghyun’s illusion with a mouth big enough to easily fit a grown adult.

But, of course, it was in vain, and its enraged eyes darted wildly before locking onto Sanghyun.

“So that’s why there was no blood.”

The owner of the previous footprints likely vanished without a trace inside that mouth.

They would’ve been swallowed whole before they even had a chance to be cut apart, leaving nothing behind but footprints.

Its eyes glowed red.

Its four legs were adapted for quadrupedal movement, and its entire body was covered with countless spikes.

It was a monster completely different from anything Sanghyun had faced until now.

That wasn’t all.

The creature’s body continuously flickered between red and blue light.

He had a hunch.

Visual effects like that usually occurred when a monster had some sort of resistance.

But for two colors to alternate meant it would be a troublesome scenario no matter what.

“It could be resistance to basic attacks and skill attacks. Or maybe resistance to physical and magical attacks.”

If the resistance was 100%, it would nullify all attacks.

Definitely seemed like a tricky one.

But he didn’t want to just walk away.

This fissure clearly had some connection to the future he had changed.

“Let’s see what you’ve got!”

Without needing to think too long, Sanghyun began charging in.

As he approached with a brave rush and closed the distance, the name marked with a question mark changed.

[Pioneer of Destruction, Marlos]

Even the name didn’t feel ordinary.

A monster encountered in a fissure being called a “pioneer”? What exactly was it pioneering? Earth?

‘Let’s just beat it first.’

Letting his imagination run wild would only lead to delusion. First, subdue the thing—worry later.

At the same time.

“Hm.”

Lee Siyeon opened her eyes with difficulty.

The human body was indeed fragile, filled with incomprehensible limitations.

In her case, it was even worse—the body she inhabited had once been terminally ill.

Naturally, her stamina was terrible.

Of course, she had borrowed this body with consent, and she wasn’t resentful of the difficulties it brought.

It was just that she could feel how hard life must have been for the body’s original owner, and that brought a heavy feeling to her heart.

Still groggy, Siyeon got up and looked for Sanghyun, but he was nowhere in sight.

It was still deep into the night—around 3 a.m.—far too early for Sanghyun to be out. Something was off.

Right then—

Zzzzt! Zzzzt!

A sharp pressure pressed down on her head, and Siyeon frowned deeply as she moved toward the window.

But it wasn’t pain that Lee Siyeon would feel.

It was a reaction felt by the one who possessed her—Marynette, Goddess of Luck.

‘Why here, of all places?’

She was sensing a special aura that should only exist in the Dimensional Realm.

Strictly speaking, this should’ve been impossible.

The Dimensional Realm existed far, far away from Earth.

While a Constellation or Divinity’s influence or messages might reach this world, their energy should not.

There was only one possible explanation—it could happen if a space connected to the Dimensional Realm had opened.

“No way…”

She pulled the curtain wide open and looked outside.

There, clearly visible from Player Town, was a massive fissure that had opened around Jamsil Station.

That exact spot.

A powerful dimensional aura was erupting from within it.

“...Why?”

She couldn’t understand.

The dungeons, gates, and fissures that players challenged were all trials created by the Absolute Beings.

In other words, they were deliberately constructed and meticulously designed training grounds.

Yes, many players died in them. Some grew stronger.

But in the eyes of the Constellations and Divinities, they were still training spaces.

This time was different.

This mysterious fissure connected to the Dimensional Realm was linked to somewhere inside it.

In other words, there might be a Warden of the Dimensional Realm within.

Or it might be connected to one of its lifeforms—those with destructive power.

“This is...”

Siyeon’s eyes trembled.

There was no way Sanghyun wouldn’t have known about the fissure. Which meant, of course, he had gone there.

She always trusted Sanghyun, but this time she couldn’t help but worry.

The creatures of the Dimensional Realm were incomparably stronger than monsters created by the Absolute Beings.

Of course, there was still a silver lining.

For example, one could obtain special traits, blood, or buffs that could only be taken from those creatures.

She pressed her lips tightly together.

Something unexpected had occurred.

This situation didn’t seem like something carefully orchestrated by the Absolute Beings.

In other words—

“An accident.”

Exactly that.

She believed an unintentional situation had happened.

Or perhaps, it was the result of a relentless pursuit—a byproduct created by the Constellation “Late Bloomer Model Student.”

Her thoughts grew tangled.

‘Isn’t this totally broken?’

Meanwhile, Sanghyun was having an unusual experience while facing Marlos.

He wasn’t even killing it—just slashing or dodging its attacks—yet his experience bar was climbing fast.

Every single action seemed to hold some kind of meaning, all feeding into experience gain.

Just five minutes of fighting had been enough to fill a whole level.

Because of that, at some point, he could’ve gone in more aggressively, but chose not to.

Not that it was easy.

Just as he had predicted before the fight, the flickering lights indicated resistance, and those were to physical and magical attacks respectively.

Most of Sanghyun’s swordsmanship skills dealt a mix of both types of damage, preventing them from reaching full effectiveness.

‘I’ve been thinking about elemental power for a while now… I really need to solidify something. This is tough.’

He had previously considered elemental weapons or skills, like Flame Sword or Ice Flame Blade.

The reason was precisely because of monsters like Marlos—ones that appeared more frequently in higher-tier dungeons.

But since it hadn’t been urgently needed before, he’d pushed the priority down.

After fighting Marlos, though, his thirst for elemental power surged rapidly.

Even as sweat dripped heavily from him due to his focus in combat—

Marlos was still in almost perfect condition, aside from a slightly deep gash on its side.

‘From earlier…’

But Sanghyun couldn’t ignore the killing intent he kept sensing from behind him.

He couldn’t openly retreat to check—he was already engaged in battle with Marlos.

The creature moved so swiftly, it was difficult to pull the front line back.

And it seemed to have observed and learned from the Illusion Arbitration once—no longer falling for the same trick.

‘Mana and bloodlust that feel closer to a player than a monster… What is this?’

If it had been an ally, they would’ve already jumped in to help against Marlos.

But this one was hiding, holding its breath.

Even concealing its very presence while watching the battle unfold—it clearly had its sights set on Sanghyun.

‘So the twisted future isn’t just limited to the fissure.’

Sanghyun bit his lip hard.

Someone was targeting his life amidst this chaos.

This too was something that hadn’t existed in his past life.