Bone Dragon (2)
Hyun-soo's restoration of the Saint's Sword stemmed from an operational error on the staff's part.
Half-convinced of its existence, Hyun-soo had anticipated that if the restoration succeeded brilliantly, they would roll out a patch.
But without negotiation, a patch was inevitable.
I'm the biggest issue user right now.
Hyun-soo had actually taken screenshots and saved everything.
Yet when he logged back in, a patch had been applied at their whim?
If the world found out, they'd be disillusioned with the virtual reality game Ares, and countless users would abandon it.
Who would play a game where the operators could repeat patches and updates whenever they pleased?
Anyway, he'd mapped out a plan in his head because of it.
And every part of that plan had come to fruition in the negotiation terms.
First, Asnium.
Hyun-soo hadn't used the mineral Asnium at all until now.
Why?
Asnium was an absurd mineral that automatically restored your HP if it dropped below 10%, just by possessing it.
Plus, it might never be obtainable again.
What exactly is Asnium?
In Hyun-soo's mind, it was the ultimate mineral infused with the highest holy power in existence.
The amount he already had was enough to craft two artifacts.
Plenty, if you thought of it that way—or scarce, if you thought otherwise.
But through this negotiation, he'd secured twice the amount used in the Saint's Sword.
With that double quantity, Hyun-soo could craft about two more artifacts.
In other words...
Mixed well with other minerals, that's enough for around four artifacts.
Four held great significance.
Crafting four artifacts from the same mineral allowed for the ultimate efficiency of a set artifact.
Just like the Calamity artifacts!
Thrilling—it's always so fresh!
Quite a few rankers had separate armor sets: one for general hunting and another for hunting evil.
Artifacts infused with holy power protected far better against evil.
I'll use the new Asnium to craft the ultimate anti-evil armor set!
There was one more amusing fact.
Hyun-soo now owned the Saint's Sword.
And the material used in this Saint's Sword was Asnium.
Can I apply a set of four or more artifacts?
Half yes, half no.
Dropped artifacts couldn't have four or more set effects.
But if Hyun-soo infused his desired effects and slapped on a five-piece set applicability...
Virtual reality game Ares recognizes what users achieve!
Set artifacts grew stronger with more pieces.
Hyun-soo would assemble an absolute set artifact for battling evil.
Returning from the negotiation, Hyun-soo grinned contentedly.
The Saint's Sword is in my hands now.
Even excluding the absurd functions of the Saint's Blessing, the Saint's Sword he'd gained was a insane artifact.
Base sword attack power of 501!
On top of that, physical and magical attack power against evil increased by 60%.
That means 800 attack power against evil. With a set effect, it could exceed that.
In other words, against evil, this Saint's Sword alone outpowered even the Supreme Sword or Twin Dragon Swords.
And Hyun-soo had negotiated with Team Leader Wang to patch the Saint's Blessing so he could use it.
Not applied yet, but the negotiated Saint's Blessing held this power.
(Saint's Blessing)
Active Skill
Mana Cost: None
Effects:
· Recovers 25% of HP and MP.
· Usable once every 30 minutes.
The original Saint's Blessing had arisen from someone's mistake, but it was still an overwhelming skill.
This power is embedded in a single artifact.
Not just HP, but MP recovered by 25% too.
No mana cost at all.
No skill book could buy something this potent.
If one existed, its value would be incalculable.
And during the negotiation with Team Leader Wang, one thought had flashed through Hyun-soo's mind.
It's almost 11 p.m. already—we're sorry for the inconvenience.
The time then was around 10:30.
Team Leader Wang said the patch was scheduled for midnight.
Following typical game patch timings.
Team Leader Wang, wary of Hyun-soo leaving with the sword, added:
As one of the contract terms, you cannot leave within 1 km of Atlas while holding the Saint's Sword until the patch.
Hyun-soo inwardly cheered at that.
The thought that crossed his mind?
The Dragon's Graveyard, located within 700 meters of Atlas.
Hyun-soo knew.
Why they rushed to negotiate over the Saint's Sword.
They feared him taking it out of Atlas Territory.
But Hyun-soo, having a conscience(?), didn't go outside—instead, he dashed to the Dragon's Graveyard.
I planned to hunt the Bone Dragon after hitting level 100 more.
Even weakened by nearly 50%, it surpassed the Teens Legends by far, per the description.
But with the Saint's Sword, it was possible.
You have entered the Dragon's Graveyard.
You are the first entrant.
Hunting the Bone Dragon will double EXP and drop rates.
You have gained 100 Fame.
"Kyahaha!"
Plus, he had 1 hour and 30 minutes until the patch.
Could Hyun-soo pull off 450 regenerations in that time?
Impossible by common sense.
But spamming it endlessly made it effectively infinite regeneration.
Entering the Dragon's Graveyard, Hyun-soo felt a twinge of regret.
No mobs at all?
Only the Bone Dragon dwelled here, it seemed.
Deeper in, Hyun-soo marveled.
Even on the Korean server, the Asgan Continent, legendary monsters existed.
Their average levels were in the 440s to 460s, as far as he knew.
The Bone Dragon must be a new legendary monster introduced with server integration.
You are the first user to encounter a dragon.
The Bone Dragon belongs to the lowest subspecies of dragons.
Hyun-soo tilted his head. The notification was stating facts he already knew.
Usually, first encounters with major named monsters granted one reward.
This is the reward...?
Then.
A complete dragon is Transcendent grade.
"...!?"
Hyun-soo grasped two things from the notification.
First: Even if you slay this dragon, don't get arrogant thinking you've hunted a real one.
True dragons are far stronger than you imagine—untouchable Transcendent beings.
Second: As the first to meet the lowest dragon subspecies, here's the grade of a true dragon.
Crazy... That means Transcendent-grade monsters—Transcendent species—will eventually be released.
Knowing the future was a greater power than he'd thought.
But what thrilled Hyun-soo more was something else.
He coveted the rewards from hunting the Bone Dragon.
Insane EXP and drops.
And secondarily, he anticipated something else.
Gathering doesn't apply to all monsters.
Some could be gathered from, others not.
For gatherable monsters, a black glow visible only to Hyun-soo appeared.
Black glow meant harvestable.
Soon, he saw it.
Whoosh—
An indescribable torrent of vast black light poured from the Bone Dragon.
And for confirmed harvest targets, possible materials appeared.
First time Gathering activated.
And even a fool could see one fact.
Legend grade will be the hardest to gather, and in the smallest quantities.
Of course, Epic would yield far more than Legend.
Unique too.
Suddenly, a thought struck.
Epic for soldiers.
Unique for knights.
Legend for me.
For crafting, the Bone Dragon had nothing to discard!
"—A puny being dares tread this land? Die."
The Bone Dragon stood nearly 12 meters tall.
Its ferocious glare instinctively made one shrink.
No, I would've shrunk if it were normal.
Breath
Vast energy gathered in the Bone Dragon's maw.
The massive breath that annihilated anything blasted toward Hyun-soo.
Kuwhaaaa—
-HP drops below 13%.
And Hyun-soo marveled.
In one hit...?
Even degraded, a dragon was a dragon.
If it were a Transcendent-grade dragon...
Even top Legends would instant-die to that breath.
But Hyun-soo smiled.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored to 100%.
"—You wield paltry tricks."
And as lords of magic, dragons were no joke.
An explosion beyond reason erupted.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
The Bone Dragon whipped its tail at Hyun-soo.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
This time, it bit Hyun-soo with its teeth.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
Next, a massive foreclaw crushed him.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
It unleashed extreme magic again.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
"Recovery."
HP and MP fully restored.
Hyun-soo had an experiment in mind.
1 hour and 18 minutes left.
Could he fell the Bone Dragon with basic attacks in that time?
As an undead, it was evil.
He struck it several times with the Saint's Sword, which dealt 60% bonus damage.
Of course, the Bone Dragon struck back relentlessly, but he recovered every time.
Rubbing his chin after testing, Hyun-soo mused.
"About an hour with basic attacks should do it?"
Undead weakness: no regeneration or recovery.
He'd confirmed it with basics due to Gathering's drawback.
Gathering had a 3% success rate.
Even skill strikes were just 3% chance.
So, more hits over longer time meant more yields.
Suddenly, a 20-year-old KakaoTalk emoticon meme popped into his head.
It was the pink character Rapey laughing wickedly with "Drooling."
Hyun-soo grinned just like that.
Drooling.
"...?"
Hyun-soo's one-sided(?) harvesting began.
"Hand over the bones!"
Kwakwakwakwa—!
"—Krrgh, you dare mock me?!"
"Hand over the teeth!"
"—I won't let you off. I will surely...!"
"Kuhahaha!"
Undeterred, Hyun-soo kept slashing with basic attacks, relentlessly.
The mighty, grand Bone Dragon reduced to a mere material farm.
With his Legend stat Willpower, Hyun-soo didn't tire, his strike speed unwavering.
Kwakwakwakwakwa—!
About 1 hour and 5 minutes.
Hyun-soo had struck over 5,000 times, and the Bone Dragon's HP had dropped below 8%, as expected.
"Uhhehehehe!"
He'd harvested every bone type by then.
Then.
Uh...?
Hyun-soo panicked.
He had an old title.
A supreme evolution of Taming, letting him subordinate nearby beings.
That title now glowed.
Lord's Grace activates.
Target: Bone Dragon