Artifact-Devouring Player

Chapter 192: Twisted Future - (3)

At the same time.

‘As expected. I wasn’t wrong.’

In a completely different world that Sanghyun couldn't even imagine, an urgent situation was unfolding.

It was the very existence that had provided the cause and effect which had made Sanghyun inevitably regress.

The situation involved the Late Bloomer Model Student Constellation being chased by a sheriff of the Dimensional Corps.

The official title as a Constellation was, as everyone knew, “Late Bloomer Model Student.”

But that was merely a kind of alias or descriptor he used as a Constellation, and he had a separate name.

Karon.

A simple and memorable name, yet ironically, one that had rarely been called until now.

The life of a Constellation.

It was undoubtedly a life filled with all kinds of amusement and joy.

Watching humans struggling to live in a faraway world beyond the Dimensional Corps was always fascinating.

Moreover, becoming their sponsor and watching them grow.

Even contributing a portion of his holy power to help them grow, or guiding them in a specific direction.

It was fun and rewarding, like raising a flower or tending fish in an aquarium.

Cautious Karon never gave his heart to someone easily from the beginning.

However, since every Constellation had a different personality, other Constellations easily formed contracts with humans.

And often, they would suffer great losses of holy power due to the empty deaths of those humans.

Despite this, Constellations who lived monotonous lives found joy in these definite amusements—in other words, sources of entertainment.

But what Karon found strange was the fact that Constellations who lost their contractors were disappearing one by one.

Since there were so many Constellations in the Dimensional Corps, others didn’t seem to think much of it.

But Karon thought differently.

Why was it only the Constellations who had lost their contractors that were vanishing silently and without a trace?

When he raised this question to his peers, they responded like this.

—Guess they just lost interest. You think the Dimensional Corps is small or something? Stop poking your nose in and go pick a contractor already.

—When the contractor grows, we grow too. The longer you wait, the more you lose out, you know?

No one was curious about the whereabouts of the missing Constellations.

It was strange.

One could not become a Constellation or a Divine Seat just by being anyone.

Only those worthy of being guardians gathered in the Dimensional Corps from each dimension.

In other words, they were heroes with legitimate reasons, and there was no way they’d leave just because they lost interest.

So, he began investigating.

He looked into the being that no one paid attention to—the one who created this world made up of Constellations and Divine Seats.

Why had ‘he’ connected the lives of humans from faraway dimensions to the Dimensional Corps?

What did he make the Constellations and Divine Seats gain—or lose—by becoming contractors?

For this investigation, Karon began erasing all traces of his past over a long period.

He cut ties with his peers.

He lived a dissipated life and made himself poor, driving himself to the edge.

It was for that reason he entered the Void Seat Village. Because he had truly lost everything.

Only then did the watchful gazes that seemed to be monitoring him from afar start to disappear one by one.

He began investigating, and Karon rapidly drew closer to the hidden secrets.

In the process, for reasons unknown, Karon began to recall one existence on Earth repeatedly.

That was Sanghyun.

Around that time, the Goddess of Luck, the Constellation sponsoring Sanghyun, began searching for Karon.

Was it instinct?

Or some animalistic sense or guess connected to an unknown future—or past?

Karon didn’t want the Goddess of Luck or Sanghyun to be affected by his unfinished investigation.

So, he disappeared deeper and farther away.

Then one day.

Karon saw it with his own eyes.

Constellations who had lost their contractors and suffered major holy power losses were imprisoned on the outskirts of the Dimensional Corps.

And they were being robbed of all remaining power, their minds and reason stripped away.

By the absolute being operating this massive amusement called the Dimensional Corps.

The rift that had now appeared on Earth was created by Karon.

He had linked one of the sources of power created by the absolute being to Earth.

In other words.

It meant he could wield a power on a completely different level than what he had ever obtained as a Player—if he won.

Since he had struck the reverse scale of the Absolute One, all that remained was endless pursuit and threat to his life.

He had no place left to go, yet strangely, Karon felt more at ease than ever before.

Because there were still more secrets he hadn’t uncovered than those he had.

Because the depths of the hidden conspiracy ran even deeper!

Karon had no intention of giving up. He also hoped—truly—that one day he and Sanghyun would cross paths.

Though he didn’t know the reason, Karon found Sanghyun not the least bit unfamiliar, as if he had known him well for a very long time.

* * *

“Talk about impeccable timing.”

“Shin Sanghyun. I’ve been watching you for a long time. You’re truly an admirable and enviable Player. Definitely.”

“Aren’t you embarrassed?”

“Ambushes are a strategy too.”

“Well, it’s not wrong to use whatever means necessary. I was the one who underestimated things.”

Sanghyun wore a bitter expression, just as expected, at the sudden appearance of the unwelcome guest.

He had thought he saw through more than most.

But he had clearly overestimated himself. He hadn’t noticed the enemy who had been hiding the closest.

It was none other than reporter Park Jungmin.

He was a Constellation Devourer.

The sole weakness of the necklace Do Kyunghye had given him was that it couldn’t detect evil-aligned powers that weren’t perfect—and Park Jungmin fit that exact condition.

It was probably not something he had hidden intentionally, but rather because the Constellation he had contracted with happened to possess such a trait.

Kuhu. Kuhu. Kuhuhu.

Meanwhile, Marlos, who had taken a blow from Sanghyun, was gasping heavily behind them.

However, a red aura continued to swirl around him, and vitality was visibly returning to his body.

It was a recovery pattern.

In such cases, the normal course of action would be to strike without giving time to recover and end their life.

But with Park Jungmin's sudden appearance, Sanghyun couldn't attack Marlos freely.

That was why Sanghyun had commented on the impeccable timing. Park Jungmin had aimed for the most difficult moment.

He guessed Marlos would be able to resume combat in about one minute.

It could take longer, but Sanghyun deliberately predicted a shorter timeframe.

It was more advantageous for calculations to make a pessimistic estimate rather than a generous one.

Avoiding optimism in any form had long been one of Sanghyun’s firm creeds.

However.

[Control]

[For a certain duration, all skills of the target are sealed. This control cannot be lifted by any means.]

What had truly unsettled Sanghyun was this debuff that had been active ever since encountering Park Jungmin.

Control.

It was a debuff he had never experienced in his past life.

He had theorized that a status effect like this could exist, but he had never gone through it himself.

At the same time, a thought crossed his mind.

【The One Who Sees Through】

■ Title Rank: SS-grade

■ Title Description: You can copy up to three core skills from a specific Player or monster.

The copied skills can be renamed and customized to fit your own preferences.

However, the target must be in a mentally unresisting state.

You can aim for an ambush or catch them off-guard, and it’s also possible before post-death stiffness sets in.

Using the title of “The One Who Sees Through,” he might be able to acquire Park Jungmin’s Control ability.

Wasn’t it said that crisis is also an opportunity?

This could turn out to be an unexpected gift. Park Jungmin’s power was just that enticing.

‘The problem is, I have to fight while bound hand and foot.’

Sanghyun glared at Park Jungmin.

Park Jungmin’s cautious personality seemed to make him hesitate, despite having a clear upper hand.

That was likely the reason why Park Jungmin had come to possess more abilities than other Constellation Devourers.

But for Sanghyun, it only meant he was given a moment to think of various possibilities—not a good outcome.

Fwoosh!

Sanghyun kicked off the ground and began running toward Park Jungmin.

Since his skills were sealed, he couldn’t use helpful ones like Brave Charge or Illusory Arbitration.

‘Either way, this is something I would have encountered eventually. It’s bound to happen in higher-tier dungeons.’

Restrictions on actions, movements, or skill usage become more common the higher up you go in dungeon ranks.

He decided to treat it as an early experience.

After clearing his mind—

Sanghyun began his battle, relying purely on swordsmanship built up through perfect fundamentals.

It didn’t seem like it would be an easy fight.

If he endured, he would win.

Park Jungmin’s battle strategy had been simple and clear from the beginning.

Sanghyun’s skills had been sealed.

Considering his own mana, he could maintain the skill-sealing state for up to ten minutes. A very long time in combat.

Moreover, Park Jungmin had a hidden card.

Marlos, who was steadily recovering in the rear. Once that recovery ended, he would target Sanghyun again.

‘How could this be happening?’

But the calculations began to fail.

Sanghyun’s sudden and ferocious assault closed the distance much faster than Park Jungmin expected.

The restraining magic skills Park Jungmin had launched were all deflected by the nameless sword in Sanghyun’s hand.

Repelling enemy skills without using a defense skill was no easy task.

It required countless repetitions of experience to strike precisely at the core point of incoming skills.

To use a baseball analogy, it was like hitting a home run off a tough breaking ball by swinging at the exact sweet spot.

Tactics were important, but intricate precision was absolutely necessary to make it succeed.

The problem was that Sanghyun currently couldn’t use any skills.

It was like holding a baseball bat upside down—yet hitting a home run with it anyway.

With one ridiculous situation happening after another, even Park Jungmin couldn’t help but be flustered.

He had expected several variables since the opponent was Sanghyun—but this was beyond imagination, outside the norm.

‘Could it be an Almighty-grade Artifact?’

Park Jungmin realized something was seriously off the moment the “Path of Anti-Magic” of the nameless sword activated.

The first attack had used over 200 mana, so Sanghyun had countered it manually.

But the magic skills Park Jungmin had followed up with for tight control were all under 100 mana, so they were automatically blocked.

The moment he saw his spells curve away, like similar magnetic poles repelling each other—

Park Jungmin realized that Sanghyun’s strength didn’t rely solely on skills.

The power of an Artifact!

Park Jungmin had never even considered the overwhelming power that could come from an Artifact, stronger than any skill.

An Almighty-grade Artifact—something even Named Players could only dream of.

How could he have known Sanghyun possessed one? Every part of his calculation was wrong from start to finish.

“Sh*t.”

All that came out was a curse.