Artifact-Devouring Player

Chapter 196: Rapid Growth - (3)

Its appearance was similar to the previously fought Marlos, but each monster had a separate name assigned.

Normally, they would be collectively referred to as Red Trolls or Black Ogres, but that wasn’t the case here.

It was as if each monster had been given a distinct identity and sense of existence.

At first, monsters like Marlos had felt troublesome, but now they became manageable.

To put it bluntly, these creatures seemed to be facing a player like Sanghyun for the first time.

Normally, monsters from dungeons, gates, and rifts were innately equipped with avoidance mechanisms.

If a skill flew their way, they would try to block it, or dodge it without even looking back.

But these monsters just took the hit first. As if they had something to rely on.

And when Sanghyun landed a blow, they all showed surprised expressions and reactions.

It felt as though they had some unique, robust defense mechanism that was now being shattered.

“Is it some kind of type disadvantage?”

Since he hadn’t pinpointed the exact reason, Sanghyun still had many questions in his head.

But what was certain was—

Once a single layer of the monsters’ outer shell was peeled away, they took more damage than expected.

Damage that should have registered as 1 felt like it was hitting at 2 or 3.

But the reverse didn’t apply. In other words, their attacks didn’t hurt Sanghyun more.

‘What’s clear is—it’s an opportunity.’

Sanghyun instinctively sensed it.

Why this rift had opened in Jamsil Station, and why these monsters had appeared—he couldn’t answer that now.

But what was definite was that it was the foundation for growth. Sanghyun only focused on the visible facts.

One monster equaled one level.

If anyone heard this, they wouldn’t just be shocked—they’d faint from disbelief at the experience points.

This was the most explosive level-up Sanghyun had experienced so far.

It was enough to be called a mega explosion. His level was already approaching 250.

Inside this place, even with preferential treatment, a player of similar level would need at least two months to grow this much.

No wonder his eyes were spinning.

The monsters that had initially appeared arrogantly and threatened Sanghyun were now busy running away.

Because Sanghyun relentlessly chased them down.

The rewards given weren’t just the staggering amount of experience points.

Buffs, both big and small, kept piling up. And they were permanent.

Of course, most of the buffs only provided marginal growth.

For example, a 0.1% increase in strength or mana stats—based on fixed percentages.

But just like how dust gathered becomes a mountain, once these buffs began to stack, his body grew stronger.

Just the buffs added to his strength stat alone amounted to a 3% increase over his original value.

Since it was a permanent buff, it was nearly a 50-point rise. In other words, it was like equipping a diamond-grade artifact.

By this point, as Sanghyun entered deeper into the rift, he kept looking back.

Because of his desire to monopolize all the benefits. It was also the competitive instinct that made Sanghyun who he was now.

Every second counted.

Sanghyun was sure that Union agents had arrived and would be chasing after him.

It was only natural.

Minimizing the damage to players who entered was a long-held duty and goal of the Union.

But he had no intention of being caught easily now.

It was essential to enjoy the benefits of growth as long as the emergency situation allowed it.

* * *

Level 290 achieved!

That was the result Sanghyun gained after completing the internal subjugation of the Jamsil Rift. Buffs not included.

Considering his level was just over 200 before entering, this was an unbelievable feat.

Even counting generously, only 12 real hours had passed.

But as a player, he had shortened his growth time by more than six months.

Thanks to realizing the rift’s uniqueness and importance early and succeeding in the internal subjugation.

Of course, Sanghyun didn’t chalk it up to luck or call it “sipping honey,” as the saying goes.

Because out of all the players who entered before the Union agents arrived, Sanghyun was the only survivor.

There were even more casualties.

Unlike Lee Sehwa and Kim Mincheol who followed Sanghyun northward, agents who went in other directions died in droves.

Not just one or two—dozens had died.

Despite having some expectations about the monsters’ aggressiveness and destructive power, they were still slow to respond.

With the situation being what it was, once the on-site recovery was complete, everyone had no choice but to look at Sanghyun differently.

No—in fact, people had already been continuously analyzing and thinking about Sanghyun.

But now, they truly realized the impact that the player Shin Sanghyun had with their own eyes.

There had only been two cases nationwide where an unexpected rift was sealed without civilian casualties.

The first was the Bupyeong Station Rift, which Sanghyun resolved. The second was this Jamsil Station Rift.

The online community was ablaze.

Because this rift had appeared in the middle of downtown, the media had been focusing on it from the start.

It was a major scoop, needless to say, and with each new death inside, interest kept growing.

Sanghyun had returned as the sole survivor from literal hell.

And he brought back piles of monster corpses as loot.

- gu_sang_from_international_trade: When he beat Ma Dongho in a death match, I thought it was just luck. But now? He's the real deal. Shin Sanghyun is a living legend.

- tang_tang: Every guild is like a funeral home now with their top players dead. Only Hyunjung Corporation hit the jackpot, huh?

- Bulldog: Maybe the first rift clear was a coincidence. But two? Now he’s a hero.

- barking_at_heroes: Woof woof woof woof!

- math_teacher: I’m a math teacher from S University. My simulations show that thanks to Shin Sanghyun clearing the rift, 23,132 citizens of Seoul were saved.

- owl: What’s this guy talking about? Do you know how many people were in the nearby L Tower?

- bootscat: I was in L Tower. There were a LOT of people. If even one monster got out, we would’ve all died.

The media rushed to cover Sanghyun, who had subjugated the rift more successfully than anyone.

Interest grew even further after the Union released a report detailing how dangerous the rift had been.

The Union always evaluated rifts from Grade 1 to Grade 10 after investigation.

The closer to Grade 1, the more dangerous. The closer to Grade 10, the less threatening.

The previous Bupyeong Station Rift had been Grade 5. Had it not been cleared in time, they estimated a thousand casualties.

The Jamsil Station Rift was Grade 2. The prediction was at least 30,000 casualties.

And with good reason—because it wasn’t just one Marlos-like monster in there.

If even one had wandered around Jamsil Station, dozens of people could’ve died with every step it took.

Since he had prevented such a catastrophe in advance, people couldn’t help but go wild.

Normally, Sanghyun would delay interviews. But this time, he couldn’t avoid it.

There was also another issue—the body of Park Jungmin found inside the rift.

Before, Sanghyun might have relied on Park Jungmin to handle the interviews, but that option was gone.

Of course, the fact that they had just now discovered Park Jungmin’s true identity was quite a shock in itself.

* * *

“Are you okay? Are you really okay?”

“Of course. I’m fine.”

“The inside…?”

“It’s all cleaned up. Let’s talk in detail once we’re back. There are too many people here.”

Meanwhile, Lee Siyeon – the Goddess of Luck – who had arrived at the scene, was observing Sanghyun with a worried expression.

She was purely checking him out of concern, inspecting various parts of his body and gently tending to him.

But to the onlookers, the sight didn’t seem innocent in the least. It looked as though they were lovers.

“Who’s that? Who’s that woman?”

“Shin Sanghyun’s girlfriend?”

“Wasn’t it Kim Miso?”

“Hey, didn’t she get dumped ages ago?”

As people noticed Lee Siyeon’s presence, whispers began to spread.

Sanghyun didn’t particularly feel the need to explain or correct what they were saying.

But he didn’t want her, who knew little about the human world, to get caught up in unnecessary attention. It was tiresome.

Sanghyun firmly lifted her onto his back, then used his skill to quickly leave the scene.

The official interview could be handled after he returned. For now, her safety came first.

Fwhoooosh. Fwhoooosh.

A cool breeze blew past.

Even for a moment, being away from the crowd gave Sanghyun a sense of liberation.

He thought again that he was truly the solitary type. Without question, being alone was easier.

“Why did you go without saying anything?”

“I figured it’d actually be more dangerous if I did.”

“Did you… feel it?”

“Feel what all of a sudden?”

“The energy coming from the rift… It wasn’t ordinary.”

“Definitely. I felt it. It wasn’t anything like what I’d imagined.”

Sanghyun didn’t tell her that it differed from the regression knowledge he had.

She might already have some instinctive idea that Sanghyun was tied to a special fate.

But admitting and formalizing that he had regressed—he believed it would only bring loss, 100%.

At least until he heard some kind of explanation or reason from the Constellation, the Late Bloomer Model Student.

It was one of those secrets he absolutely had to keep.

That applied even if it were the God of Storms asking, not her.

“I still don’t understand why a space connected to the Dimensional Group opened in this world.”

Lee Siyeon’s eyes were filled with confusion. Her expression showed that something that should never have happened, had.

“There’s no result without cause. If it opened, it means someone made it happen.”

“But why?”

“Are you seriously asking me, the one who’s not a Constellation, something even a Constellation doesn’t know?”

Sanghyun replied with a smile.

And he wasn’t wrong.

If even a Constellation didn’t know, how could Sanghyun possibly know? He hadn’t even been to the Dimensional Group.

“Every dungeon, gate, and rift that exists in the human world is an artificial world.”

“Mhm.”

“They were like practice arenas built in advance. They served as brutal trials and challenges for humans.”

“But this time, the rift wasn’t a pre-constructed concept?”

“It was just a random ecological zone in the Dimensional Group that got linked to the human world. Do you know what that means?”

Instead of answering, Sanghyun silently looked at her with tightly shut lips. What followed was too important.

She let out a deep sigh.

It was a stark contrast to her usual self, who always infused Sanghyun with only positivity.

Sanghyun spoke calmly.

“Tell me. I need to know. I’d rather face it head-on than turn away.”

At that, Lee Siyeon sighed once more and cautiously opened her mouth.

“From now on, Constellations and Deities won’t just be watching the lives of their contractors and giving them support.”

More than just observers.

Closer than just sponsors.

She was carefully alluding to the emergence of a new order.