Chapter 171: Naless - (2)
As Sanghyun switched to an all-out offensive that could be called extre, Naless began to struggle greatly.
It felt like facing a completely different style of enemy.
It was entirely different from the patterns or tendencies that had been studied earlier.
The mont ca when what was believed to be a complete read on Sanghyun beca useless.
It was unfamiliar to Naless.
But for Sanghyun, this was actually one of his own swordsmanship styles.
Extre offense and defense.
This bipolar style was a swordsmanship technique that Sanghyun had studied and mastered for quite a long ti in his past life.
Sanghyun had lived a life solely dedicated to swordsmanship for thirty years.
Wouldn't it have been too boring to study just one form throughout that long ti?
That was why Sanghyun always had confidence—at least in swordsmanship, even if not in other fields.
Because he had tried everything he could. He lived a life with no regrets, at least when it ca to the sword.
At that mont—
Papap. Pat. Pat.
Thinking the battle was turning against him, Naless used a technique—Clone Technique.
‘Oh ho.’
There was sothing unusual.
Normally, clones adopt almost identical or similar postures, showing uniformity.
Naless's clones were a bit different.
They acted as if they each had their own personality, behaving in entirely different ways.
So bent and stretched their knees to loosen up. Others scratched their heads. So crossed their arms.
‘They’re not complete illusions but clones with physical forms. That ans each one can trigger the Grasp of Vampirism.’
Sanghyun quickly calculated.
As long as they had so physical form—
If he took one out, the Grasp of Vampirism would activate. That ant he could use them as a ans to recover stamina.
“……”
Naless and his five clones surrounded Sanghyun in a circle at an appropriate distance. It was an encirclent.
But since only the original body was the core, Sanghyun didn’t care much about being surrounded.
Instead, he closely observed each of the clones.
Because there were telltale signs.
This was a matter of the details and abilities of the clones—illusions or clones always had awkward parts compared to the real body.
There’s a subtle difference between moving oneself directly and giving orders for movent.
So responded half a beat late, or others unnaturally fast, creating a sense of discord—those elents definitely existed.
That’s why players who used illusions or clones studied how to make them seem more natural.
Sanghyun didn’t particularly care since he used illusions as ans of evasion or counterattack.
But for an assassin player like Shin Taeri, those aspects were crucial, so she put in a lot of effort into refining her clones.
‘This won’t be easy.’
Naless’s clones seed to be individually endowed with so degree of vitality and strength.
In other words, the clones' attacks weren’t just illusions—they could deal real damage.
Sanghyun decided to offer his body strategically.
Thanks to Sage’s Armor, his vital organs and key areas were protected to a primary degree.
So he decided to allow hits to his limbs.
Trying to block 100% of the attacks from both the clones and the original would be arrogance and recklessness. That would be more dangerous.
‘All I have to do is find the real body.’
Sanghyun swallowed dryly, refocusing his attention and regaining his concentration that had scattered from the prolonged engagent.
‘Naless, you probably think you just need to create an opening in , sohow.’
From his opponent’s perspective, Sanghyun thought about what strategy Naless might be forming.
And then, the second round began.
Naless was certainly different.
If a clone attacked alone, the weakness in power would reveal that it was fake.
Perhaps because of that, Naless always coordinated attacks with the clone, causing great confusion in judgnt.
Moreover, by diversifying the clones’ movents, he made it difficult to spot any sense of discord within the uniformity.
‘He’s at least level 400. That’s why players below level 200 are dying off one after another.’
It was questionable from the beginning whether the Blood Tower Quest was even designed for the challenger's level.
On the other hand, the high difficulty might have ant that the quest’s designer was trying to separate the wheat from the chaff.
‘Valentin, who cleared this quest alone in my past life, was really amazing. And he did beco an incredible guy.’
Of course, Valentin had that bizarre skill called “Soul Seizure.”
Naless was probably taken down by that skill.
A skill that made you lose control of your body in an instant. With it, one could force soone to commit suicide or tornt them in various ways.
‘Anyway, I’ve figured it out.’
Sanghyun nodded as he confird his stamina was dangerously hovering around 9%.
The state of No-Mind No-Thought that allowed him to maintain constant awakening.
On top of that, once his stamina dropped below 10%, Frenzy activated—Sanghyun was practically invincible.
Naless was definitely a powerful and threatening enemy.
But more than that, Sanghyun was stronger—even to a degree that surprised himself.
With No-Mind No-Thought and Frenzy, all his senses were maximized to 100% as he entered battle. A single mont felt as long as eternity.
The flow and texture of Naless’s swordsmanship were so clearly visible, it felt like watching slow-motion video.
Of course, entering Frenzy ant that his stamina had dropped to a dangerous level, so it wasn't exactly safe.
But if it ca down to it, he could use the Undying skill, or recover stamina with Over Psychedelic.
Sanghyun wasn’t worried at all. That gave him more confidence in his attacks and allowed him to be more aggressive.
‘Frenzy applied on top of No-Mind No-Thought. If I add Over Psychedelic to that, I could probably hit the level 500 range at minimum.’
In his fight against Naless, Sanghyun also confird his own maximum combat strength.
Because in his past life, he had faced so many players and monsters and accumulated data—
Sanghyun was able to back-calculate his objective combat power through battle.
‘I can finish this now.’
The all-out assault began.
Sanghyun imdiately activated the Over Psychedelic he had been saving and fiercely drove Naless back.
The clones tried to scatter his focus and draw his attention, but he didn’t even glance at them.
Thanks to Over Psychedelic, his stamina had recovered instantly, and he paid no mind to minor injuries.
“……!”
Having entered a double Over Psychedelic state, Sanghyun was like a runaway train.
Even as small and large wounds appeared all over his body, he charged straight at Naless’s real body.
Kang!
He crushed Naless’s sword, which had been hurriedly raised for defense, with sheer force and pressed in fast.
‘In flamboyance, there is fear.’
Sanghyun’s attacks, cold and composed as they dug into Naless’s weaknesses, were sharper than ever.
The sparks that had once burst from their clashing blades disappeared at so point—
Slice.
The sound of flesh being cut rang out.
It was the mont when Naless’s previously calm face, which had maintained a peaceful expression, began to tremble.
But—
Swaaak!
“As expected.”
Sanghyun was hit, too.
Did Naless also expect to get struck?
As blood began to pour from the wound inflicted by the True Demon Sword on Naless’s side—
A stream of blood also burst from Sanghyun’s upper right thigh.
They had clashed not with offense and defense, but with offense against offense.
Not backing down—
Pook!
Sanghyun stabbed Naless once more.
And then—
Chwaaak!
The counterattack followed.
Blood splattered without pause.
They slashed each other like people who believed that stepping back now would an everything was over.
It was a situation that could have easily struck terror, but Sanghyun calmly suppressed Naless.
It hurt. It was painful.
His own flesh was being carved away endlessly, blood spurting from the wounds—who could endure that unscathed?
But he knew Naless was suffering even more than he was.
In other words, he knew he was gaining the upper hand in this situation, so he endured it in silence.
And at the end of that ti of pain, it was Naless who started to fall first.
“Keugh.”
Good news ca sooner than Sanghyun, who had debated several tis whether to use the Undying skill or his regeneration skill, had expected.
Depending on the situation, Sanghyun had been ready to sacrifice an arm, a leg, or any part—but now there was no need to push further.
Naless, with a deep and fatal wound in his abdon, could no longer properly grip his sword.
Because his internal organs began spilling out from the deeply carved wound. It was the sign of death.
“Hah… Hah… Hah…”
Sanghyun was breathing heavily as well.
Though he looked better than Naless, Sanghyun too had taken serious injuries.
If he hadn’t used Grasp of Vampirism to recover stamina by cutting down clones mid-battle—
He wouldn’t just be breathing hard right now—he might have been dead. It was truly a razor-thin margin.
Because he had his own ans of stamina recovery—that is, sustain—he managed to hold out by a slight edge!
“Throughout this whole fight, you’re the first opponent who really tested my endurance. It felt like you knew most of my secrets.”
“……”
Naless’s complexion was rapidly turning pale.
It was massive blood loss.
If he had looked fine, that would have been stranger. Naless’s condition was severe.
But—
He looked up at Sanghyun and smiled. A clear, bright smile that repressed the pain.
“Any last words?”
At Sanghyun’s question, Naless shook his head exactly twice. A subtle but definite refusal.
His eyes clearly held sothing he wanted to say, but it seed he didn’t want to express it outwardly.
“In that case.”
Sanghyun raised his True Demon Sword.
And just as he always had, he prepared to deliver the final blow to his enemy.
The Blood Tower—a death quest built on the sacrifices of countless players and the rewards stained in their blood.
Technically, it wasn’t a quest about climbing a tower, but the aning behind its nickna was significant.
If he killed Naless—
All the rewards that had built up would be entirely Sanghyun’s. Even the ones in reserve.
‘I will take everything and build a better future. If this is my destiny, I’ll accept it.’
Sohow, it felt like this very mont would beco a turning point that would change his fate completely.
No one told him so, nor did anything suggest it would happen—he simply felt it.
Especially now, as he was considering advancing overseas—
This spec upgrade felt like the beginning of a transformation that would set him apart from the Sanghyun of the past.
Swaaak!
Without hesitation, he struck Naless’s neck in a single blow.
Without even giving ti for a cursed execution to trigger, Sanghyun’s final strike ended everything cleanly.
It was a show of respect toward a brilliant adversary who made him reflect and improve through battle.
And then—
“Huh?”
Sanghyun’s gaze was drawn to the greatsword resting gently where Naless’s body had scattered into ashes.
A greatsword—undoubtedly a spoil of battle!
Though simple in appearance, the greatsword left behind by Naless radiated a graceful brilliance and had a dignified presence.
“No way.”
A thought crossed his mind.
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