After Shin-hyeok occupied the area around the gate in the center of the map, everything proceeded smoothly.
“Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style—Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist.”
The moment Elves emerged from the gate, Shin-hyeok’s Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist swept over them and destroyed their formation.
“Elf undead. Fire.”
FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET!
The Elves who had lost their Spirit Magic upon becoming undead still retained their archery and unleashed a rain of arrows.
“Kasa, Undine, Sylph, Gnome. Wipe them all out.”
The Elves who had barely survived were met by Shin-hyeok’s spirits, which were brimming with the Mana around them.
They were not powerful due to being low-grade spirits, but their attacks, supported by immense Mana, could not be ignored.
Of course, the Elves did not simply take it.
KABOOM! BANG! KABOOM! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET! FWEET!
The spirits of the Elves who had survived Shin-hyeok’s offensive unleashed attacks until they were forcibly dismissed, while the Elves showered Shin-hyeok with arrows like mad.
But despite the attacks aimed at him, Shin-hyeok began an unrivaled rampage in the center of the enemy ranks.
“Shield. Choi Shin-hyeok Style, Eighth Form—Weapon Shield.”
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Using the basic Shield spell and his personal technique, Weapon Shield, Shin-hyeok created two layers of shields. Most attacks could not reach him.
TING!
Even the attacks that barely passed through the two layers of shields and reached Shin-hyeok could not penetrate the Armor of Absorption, exhausting their power instead.
After slaughtering Elves and more Elves like a wolf among sheep, Shin-hyeok safely endured for one hour.
[You have cleared the Hidden Stage.]
A message appeared the moment one hour ended.
At the same time, the black gate that had endlessly spewed Elves disappeared.
Once the gate vanished, the viewers knew that Shin-hyeok had truly cleared the Hidden Stage and immediately began making a commotion.
-Khh, clearing the Hidden Stage too means he is truly incredible.
-Is South Korea finally becoming a player superpower?
-Seriously. After watching only people who park in Diamond Tier and coast on easy rewards, watching this makes me cry.
[JumoOOO has donated 1,000 D.C.]
Considering that one Dimension Coin was worth one dollar, the donation was nearly one thousand dollars.
Leaving the excited viewers behind, Shin-hyeok checked the rewards he had earned from completing the Hidden Stage.
[You have excellently defended all waves.]
[You have gained Strength 21, Vitality 15, Intelligence 18, Mana 23, and Holy Power 31.]
“Clearing even the Hidden Stage certainly gives a substantial amount of stats.”
The first reward was stats.
On average, players received single-digit stat increases.
Even then, they received one stat, or at most two, rather than Strength, Vitality, Intelligence, and Mana all together.
But Shin-hyeok had not only gained increases in all four core stats; every increase was in double digits.
It was the reward for clearing Wave 5, something an ordinary Silver Tier player could not dare reach.
And for perfectly clearing the Hidden Stage on top of that.
[You have obtained Ink Steel.]
“Ink Steel. It is a Rare+ Grade material…… Well, it will do as food.”
The second reward was Ink Steel.
It was a material famous for giving weapons and armor an inky sheen when made into equipment.
But Shin-hyeok tossed that material at the Armor of Absorption without hesitation.
CRUNCH!
The Armor of Absorption swallowed the Ink Steel the moment it entered its mouth, almost as though it were alive, and trembled lightly.
Smiling faintly at the reaction, like that of a child who had eaten something delicious, Shin-hyeok gently stroked the Armor of Absorption and checked the final reward.
[You have acquired a Growth-Type Pet Draw Ticket.]
“……A Growth-Type Pet Draw Ticket? Does this really come from here?”
-?! A Growth-Type Pet Draw Ticket?
-Is that good?
-Yeah. There is a player who raised a pet to Legendary Grade with one of those. You know him too, right?
-Ah, Harley David? The guy who tamed a Wyvern?
The final reward was none other than a Growth-Type Pet Draw Ticket.
And the moment Shin-hyeok’s reward was revealed, requests began flooding in.
[American Heroes has donated 10,000 D.C.]
-Mr. Choi! American Heroes would like to buy the Draw Ticket.
[Trinity Party has donated 10,000 D.C.]
-We believe that outstanding items should come to a great power like ours. We have sent you a message.
[Orochi has donated 10,000 D.C.]
-Mr. Choi! How about selling it to Orochi, your Japanese neighbors in the country next door? We will reward you handsomely!
At the purchase requests from representatives of prominent guilds around the world, accompanied by donations of at least ten thousand D.C., the chat window laughed.
-Yeah, he has more money than you~
-Do you really think a third-generation heir of Shinhwa Group would sell it for money? Hahaha.
-It will be a relief if he does not ask them to sell him their artifacts or equipment instead, haha.
-Seriously, haha.
Everyone knew about Shin-hyeok’s wealth.
Since he was still only Silver Tier, not every scout and representative from guilds around the world knew him.
Even if they did, few knew that he was a third-generation heir of Shinhwa Group, one of South Korea’s leading conglomerates.
That was why this farce had occurred.
As the viewers said, Shin-hyeok naturally had no intention of selling it, so he immediately used the Pet Draw Ticket.
“Thank you for the donations, but I have no intention of selling it.”
After ending the conversation with an apology, Shin-hyeok looked at the egg that appeared before him.
I never used a Draw Ticket before my regression. Is this how it works?
The egg containing the pet trembled slightly, then slowly began to crack. Shin-hyeok could not hide his excitement.
-Oh, oh! It is cracking! It is cracking!
-What will come out?
-Maybe a Dragon or a Griffin?
-How about Jang Deok-pil?
-What is that?
-I, Jang Deok-pil, the eighteenth-generation descendant of Hamhung, will give you the chance to possess me.
-I would not take you even if you gave yourself away;;
As Shin-hyeok smiled at the viewers, who were eagerly anticipating it as though it were their own pet—
CRACK!
The egg, already covered in cracks, split apart with one final large crack, and the creature inside emerged.
-Caw?
A fledgling Rook with black feathers mixed among its brownish plumage.
At the sight, neither Shin-hyeok nor the viewers could hide their bewilderment.
“……A crow?”
-It is rigged, is it? It is rigged?
-No, I could swear I saw a Dragon!!!
-But it is not, right? It is a crow, right?
-You should have sold it instead!!!
It was not an ordinary crow, but a Rook with more brown feathers.
Still, everyone was dumbfounded by the sight of a fledgling Rook that had not even properly grown yet.
[The Pinnacle of All Evil grants a reward.]
[You have obtained Demonic Iron.]
“Ah, thank you.”
The Pinnacle of All Evil, which had given Shin-hyeok the quest, handed over its reward.
Shin-hyeok expressed his gratitude and received the reward.
“So this is Demonic Iron.”
-Wow, so this is what Demonic Iron looks like…….
-It looks incredibly sinister.
-This is the first time I have felt chills just from looking at something.
-I wonder whether anyone could even use a weapon made from that.
Demonic Iron was an extremely rare material.
It was Unique Grade, the same rank as Consecrated Steel. But because it was steel imbued with Demonic Energy, few blacksmiths knew how to handle it, and even if they made something from it, few players could use it.
In particular, Villain players who committed various crimes mainly used Demonic Energy, causing Demonic Iron to be avoided more than other materials.
This will be of great help in using that. Not bad.
But Shin-hyeok also knew how to handle Demonic Energy.
It was an ability more than worthy of being called among the highest-tier methods of handling Demonic Energy, making Shin-hyeok very happy.
After storing the Demonic Iron in his Inventory, Shin-hyeok received the true final reward.
[The Martial God wishes to grant you a reward.]
[Would you like to receive it?]
“……!”
It was the reward concerning the First Form, Second Section of the Martial God’s Shattering, Heaven-Destroying Style.
At that, Shin-hyeok stared intently at the message window with a surprised expression before nodding.
“I accept.”
FLASH!
The moment Shin-hyeok finished speaking, he vanished from the center of the Defense map.
[The broadcast has ended.]
-Yeah???
-Where did the streamer go?!
-Open the door! Open the door! Open the door!
-If you are going to end the stream, you should at least say you are ending it first!!!
Naturally, Shin-hyeok’s stream had ended as well, leaving only viewers who had been suddenly hit with a stream-ending attack to stare at the black screen and flood the chat with angry messages.
***
“……This is.”
A mountain made of strange rock formations, with pure-white clouds spread beneath it.
Standing atop that mountain, Shin-hyeok instinctively realized where he was.
The Martial God’s Domain.
It was the domain of the Martial God, the Constellation that had given him the quest.
Including the time I visited before my regression, this is my second time here.
Shin-hyeok had visited the Martial God’s Domain in exactly the same way when he learned Heaven-Annihilating Roc Fist, so he was not particularly surprised.
An old but powerful voice spoke to the utterly calm Shin-hyeok.
An elderly man appeared, his white hair neatly tied up and his long beard giving him the air of an immortal sage.
“You are not surprised.”
“……I was surprised. I simply did not show it outwardly. Are you perhaps the Martial God?”
“Why do you think so?”
“The moment I said I would accept the reward from the quest you offered, I was moved here.”
“Heh heh heh. Not only are your talent and skill in martial arts impressive, but your perception is not bad either.”
The old man who had appeared.
No, the Martial God nodded at Shin-hyeok’s words and introduced himself.
“As you said, I am called the Martial God. It is difficult to tell you my name, but…… You may comfortably call me Elder Cheok.”
“Understood, Elder Cheok.”
“Now then, I should give you the reward. But before that, there is one thing I must confirm.”
“I have been waiting.”
Seeing Shin-hyeok answer as though he already knew what he wished to confirm, Elder Cheok smiled with interest and stroked his beard.
“Hoho, are you saying that you already knew what I would confirm?”
“If you brought me here, Martial God, there is only one thing you could wish to confirm.”
“Tell me what it is.”
“You wish to confirm my martial arts, do you not?”
“……Ha ha ha ha! Correct. It is only an old man’s pastime, so do not worry. Even if you do not satisfy me, I will still pass on the First Form, Second Section of Heaven-Shattering, World-Destroying Style.”
“However, there will be nothing afterward. I have no confidence.”
“Is that so…….”
Shin-hyeok immediately noticed the hidden blade within Elder Cheok’s reassurance and revealed that he lacked confidence, making Elder Cheok unable to hide his disappointment.
“I meant that I have no confidence that I will fail to gain your approval, Elder Cheok.”
“What? Ha ha ha ha! You are an amusing fellow. Very well, let us see whether those words are true.”
Realizing that it was Shin-hyeok’s own joke, Elder Cheok let out booming laughter loud enough to shake the mountain of strange rock formations, then took his stance.
One hand was held behind his back, while the other was held in a middle guard.
Seeing Elder Cheok’s relaxed posture, Shin-hyeok heightened his tension.
My opponent is Elder Cheok, a Constellation called the Martial God. He is a being who can knock me down with a single finger or breath. I have no intention of lowering my guard simply because his stance looks relaxed.
Shin-hyeok had known Elder Cheok’s strength to the point of exhaustion even before his regression. Without a hint of carelessness, he gathered his tension into fighting spirit and spoke.
“I am coming.”
“Come.”
BOOM!
At the same time, Shin-hyeok charged like a cannonball toward Elder Cheok, who signaled the start of the battle with a flick of his finger.