The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 10
10. Itaewon 2-dong, gate blockade operation - 2
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“5Squad, listen up..”
Inside the transport truck heading to the operation site, Lee Hyun-wook concentrated his squad members..
Among the troops on board the train here, Lee Hyun-wook was the most senior. This was because the deputy platoon commander, who was a superior commander than Lee Hyun-wook, was in the passenger seat..
“As you may have already heard, the target of today's operation is the Kobold Dungeon..”
Kobold).
A small monster that lives in groups. In many ways, it was a monster similar to a goblin. But if you look closely, you can see that they are a much more difficult species..
“If you encounter a kobold, you should not let down your guard just by its appearance. Because they are quite clever..”
In fact, there were more casualties in the anti-Kobold war than in the anti-orc war..
Of course, if you look at the death rate alone, the former would be overwhelming..
“They use all kinds of poisonous needles, especially paralyzing ones. So, lower the arms of your combat uniform and raise the neck collar to minimize the amount of exposed skin. Park Jun-mo, you are talking about. You don't want to get your eyes ripped out alive.?”
“omg!”
Park Jun-mo hastily pulled up his combat uniform collar..
“And since kobolds are naturally denizens, they use sewers to move about. So he doesn't know when and where he will suddenly pop out..”
“So you're saying that the rear where we are isn't that safe either..”
“Yes, today we need to be more vigilant about the foreshadowing than ever before..”
9Two squad members looked into Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes and nodded..
5The squad, I could feel a different tension and spirit from them than usual. It was a completely different atmosphere than usual. And they all felt the difference.
To be precise, I was feeling it centered around the character Lee Hyun-wook..
‘Since yesterday, you've been speaking like a real squad leader. It's even very detailed. Looks like an expert.’
Maybe it was just a very minor change. The leader has changed into a trustworthy person. However, that alone clearly changed the atmosphere of the organization..
‘If you are Corporal Lee Hyun-wook now, I think I can trust you and fight..’
Ahn Min-tae, who thought he was a good older brother but could not be trusted with his back, now looked at Lee Hyun-wook with a completely different perspective..
Soon the transport truck stopped. It had arrived at the operation site..
Empty! Tongue!
Someone pounded on the body of the car. It was a signal to get off..
“Come on, let's get off..”
When I got off the truck, the residential area of Itaewon 2-dong spread out..
Ooh-uh-
Military vehicles filled small vacant lots and parking lots in residential areas, and more than a dozen drones were floating in the sky..
This was the temporary station of the 2nd Battalion..
“move fast!”
Shouts were heard here and there, and troops were moving in a line..
“1It looks like the platoon is already preparing to enter..”
As Ahn Min-tae said, the 1st platoon arrived first. The 1st and 2nd squads stood at the entrance to the alley..
In fact, they were the core force of this operation. And it's always been like that.
On the other hand, the support squad······.
“5squad! What are you doing? Quickly unload your luggage!”
I was always just a bridesmaid.
“1The platoon has to go into action within 5 minutes, so supply the detox potion kit as quickly as possible.!”
the lieutenant shouted as he approached..
Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, was the platoon leader of the 2nd platoon..
Following the command, the 5th squad members began unloading the truck..
It was then.
“······Hyunwook Lee!”
Someone found Lee Hyun-wook.
“Lee Hyun-wook, where are you??”
It was the company commander, Captain Kwak Yong-jun, and he was running in a panic, wondering what was going on..
“Here it is! what's going on?”
“Hyunwook Lee! The battalion commander is calling! Go to the temporary command center immediately.!”
“Are you talking about the battalion commander??”
“Yes, he says he has an order to give you before the operation. hurry!”
Kwak Yongjun shouted and pointed to the center of the garrison..
‘Why is the battalion commander looking for me? And at this moment?’
A call right before the operation begins..
Even Lee Hyun-wook, who had experienced the future, had no guess. Perhaps a new direction for the future had begun after the last encounter..
It was unexpected, but there was no need to worry. From the beginning, his purpose was to change the future to benefit himself..
‘I guess this is also part of that process..’
“Mintae Ahn.”
“yes?”
“You lead the squad and finish the supplies until I return..”
“All right. Please come back.”
1A military tent was erected near where the car was parked, and the battalion commander was right there. He was looking at a map with his staff.
But then I saw a familiar face next to him..
‘The Black Tiger unit officer is Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho..’
I didn't know why he was accompanying this operation, but right now, he was looking at Lee Hyun-wook, not the operation map..
“Loyalty! Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, I have been summoned..”
Kim Kang-seok looked at the operation map and then looked up at Lee Hyun-wook..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook.”
“Corporal, Lee Hyun-wook!”
“You have a different mission today..”
It was such a sudden notice..
However, Lee Hyun-wook nodded and looked at Kim Kang-seok's mouth without any change in his expression..
“From now on, you will command the 1st squad in place of the currently absent 1st squad leader, block the gate, and perform the mission of blocking the 2nd and 3rd eruptions..”
The staff also looked surprised by Kim Kang-seok’s words..
“Battalion commander, what is that?······.”
“Regional Magic Controller, please remain still. I have thoughts on everything.”
“Ah, yes!”
It could not have been an extremely unconventional change of mission. Commanding the first division of the 1st Company, the 1st division, which is considered the core force... and that too from the F class.?
Even the absent first squad leader who asked Lee Hyun-wook to replace him was none other than Sergeant Choi Young-jun..
“Please receive detailed information through the 1st platoon commander. If you are reciting an AMT tactical manual in front of a battalion commander, you probably know the outline of the gate blockade operation.?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded confidently..
“Of course I know. By the way, battalion commander. I have one question..”
“okay.”
“I don't understand why I suddenly have to carry out that mission..”
Kim Kang-seok placed his clasped hands on his chin and nodded..
“I'm going to evaluate you one more time.”
Lee Hyun-wook understood Kim Kang-seok’s meaning with that one word..
‘Since our last encounter, you think of me more highly than I thought..’
Even though he had the limitations of an F grade, he thought highly of Lee Hyun-wook enough to have high hopes for him..
It was worth it.
I understood Kim Kang-seok's taste exactly and recited a line that targeted that point.······.
‘And the man standing next to him, Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho.······.’
The two people must have had a conversation about Lee Hyun-wook. And as we exchanged what we witnessed, our expectations about Lee Hyun-wook doubled..
It was unprecedented at this point for an F-grade to receive the expectations of such big names..
But this situation wasn't all that good..
Lee Hyun-wook looked directly into Kim Kang-seok’s eyes and opened his mouth..
“······Battalion Commander, may I make a statement as the current commander of the 5th squad??”
“Uh, try it..”
Kim Kang-seok nodded as if he had been waiting, and there was a strange look in his eyes..
it was an expectation.
Having experienced Lee Hyun-wook's retort once, I knew that his words contained quite serious judgment. He was evaluating Lee Hyun-wook even at this moment..
“From deployment to the present, I have been part of the 5th squad and have learned and performed 'support operations'. And I currently have the most important role in that mission. This is the role of the squad leader and squad leader..”
Lee Hyun-wook tapped the green epaulet on his right shoulder with his left index finger..
“Um, so?”
“I believe that Squad 5 will carry out its mission flawlessly even without me. However, in a real combat situation rather than training, I am vacating my role and taking responsibility for the lives of other squad members without being tested.······.”
Lee Hyun-wook paused for a moment and shook his head..
“······I don't want to seize this moment as an opportunity and endanger both squads and the entire operation..”
“······.”
Kim Kang-seok did not show any change in expression..
There was no answer.
He was just staring at Lee Hyun-wook..
Lee Hyun-wook continued speaking..
“······I believe that soldiers are not individuals. And I believe that proving one's abilities as a soldier is not necessarily possible through personal achievements..”
“······.”
“Battalion Commander, thank you for looking at me favorably. But I dare say, I don’t want to be judged right now. Kobolds are cunning monsters with an intelligence value of 0.68 and use a tricky weapon called poison. If it's not perfect, someone will get hurt..”
Even the knowledge about monsters that was subtly added at the end, this time was a remark that thoroughly targeted the tastes of Kim Kang-seok, a true soldier..
“······.”
Kim Kang-seok took a deep breath and leaned back against the back of his field chair..
“That's right······.”
“Yes that's right.”
1The role of the squad leader, i.e. the 1st squad leader.
It was clearly an incredible opportunity to fill the vacant position of Sergeant Choi Young-jun. Now that everyone's eyes are on him, if he properly fulfills his role as the first squad leader, the center of the company, his stock price will soar..
But I didn't want to do that.
‘In fact, today's key event will start from the back, not the front..’
What I already know from experience is that today's 'big catch' will appear in the rear..
I couldn't miss that..
“······5Squad leader.”
Kim Kang-seok did not call Lee Hyun-wook by his name, but by his title..
“Corporal, Lee Hyun-wook!”
“Yes, carry out your original mission as you said. This is real life, so do what you do best perfectly. Let’s postpone the evaluation.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Okay, go for it..”
Lee Hyun-wook saluted and turned around..
As soon as he turned his back, Kim Kang-seok smiled. Then he looked at Cheon Myeong-ho..
“······Have you seen?”
“Yes, I enjoyed it. Not only are you good at moving your body, but your speaking skills are also good. Anyway, I'm surprised that the battalion commander listened to my friend's stubbornness. Didn't you put a lot of effort into ensuring the safety of this test??”
It was not an attempt to blindly deploy Class F to the front line. Just in case, the 'Strategy Platoon', a platoon directly under the battalion commander, was kept on standby..
“What if I tell you the correct answer? You can't say it's wrong..”
A happy smile spread across Kim Kang-seok's face..
“Lee Hyun-wook, after all, he is more of a soldier than a warrior. A faithful and smart sheepdog..”
Kim Kang-seok pushed forward his feelings about Lee Hyun-wook..
But Cheon Myeong-ho also did not give up. He slowly shook his head and smiled..
“But if you see him fight in person, you will feel that he is closer to a warrior. It's a shepherd dog... That friend is not a dog, but a leopard. He is a skilled hunter who thoroughly investigates the weaknesses of his prey..”
“Hahaha... I covet either one..”
The eyes of the two people were focused on Lee Hyun-wook’s back..
***
- Chi-ik! This is the 1st Platoon, entering the Red Ground. more.
The voice of the 1st platoon leader came from Lee Hyun-wook’s walkie-talkie..
Along with him, the 1st Platoon, 1st and 2nd Squads entered different alleys in a single file. It was a typical 'raid position' with 'tankers' at the front and rear, and 'dealers' and 'healers' in the middle..
And 'Red Ground' refers to the area where the gate was opened and an evacuation order was issued..
There was little chance that there would be monsters inside right now. This was because players from the private guild ‘Blue Fire’ guarded the gate entrance after blocking the first eruption..
But there are always exceptions, so I couldn't let down my guard..
‘Today is the exception..’
1It was reported by the 'Cheonghwa Guild', which first responded, that 32 kobolds appeared along with the eruption of the car and all were subdued, but they also only responded as quickly as possible after the gate occurred..
‘After processing everything that caught my eye, I guess there were 32..’
In other words, if you hid somewhere or dispersed far away at the time of the eruption, you had no choice but to miss it..
“Tsk-cha!”
Mintae Ahn opened the drain cover..
“Ugh!”
A foul odor came up..
“The smell... Do kobolds really like splashing around in places like this??”
“Depending on the situation, you may need to go in there..”
“Ah... I hope that doesn't happen..”
“Install the sensor quickly.”
“yes!”
The squad members began installing 'motion sensors' in the sewers around their temporary camp. This was one of the kobold response manuals..
At that time, military trucks lined up inside the temporary station..
It was a follow-up medical history..
“2It's serious!”
Someone said, and Ahn Min-tae, who was installing a sensor by putting a cow into the sewer, turned his head in that direction..
“oh! Then did that goddess also come to the 2nd squad of the 2nd company? Was it Sergeant Lee Se-hee??”
2The company was all female..
As a player of Korean nationality, serving in the AMT according to the ‘mandatory duty period’ also applies to female players..
“Everyone is wearing a mask so you can't see them..”
Anyway, the members of the all-male 1st Company rolled their eyes like high school boys encountering female high school students on a field trip, and the female soldiers of the 2nd Company also glanced in this direction..
“Ahn Min-tae, what did I say before the operation??”
“yes? ah! That's right! Guys, what are you doing? Roll your eyes only when you are alert.!”
“Mintae Ahn. You turned your head first.”
“Ah, I caught movement and checked it at the border level. haha······.”
Meanwhile, the female soldiers of the 2nd Company began to disperse to the periphery to create a blocking line..
“2Platoon, we are moving too! Hyunwook Lee! Is the sensor installation complete??”
2The platoon leader was Lieutenant Lee Hee-min..
“Yes, just install one and you are done. Everything is working normally.”
He opened his eyes and glanced at the 5th squad at work..
‘No matter how you look at that, it looks like it wants to catch you..’
Lee Hee-min was originally that kind of person. An executive with the so-called 'main enemy' style who does not leave subordinates alone even for a moment..
Moreover, as he was close to the high-ranking soldiers who led the absurdity, such as Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol, he would have thought highly of the current Lee Hyun-wook..
But I couldn't find any problem to fix, so I just lost my appetite..
“Hmm, yes... Immediately, move to the intermediate base..”
“yes.”
- Chic - 2nd Platoon, we will move to the middle base. more.
After finishing the radio call, Lee Hee-min raised his hand..
5The 2nd platoon, including the squad, focused their attention on him..
“2Platoon, moving!”
1About 5 minutes after the platoon entered the red ground.,
2The 3rd, 4th, and 5th squads of the platoon entered the alley of a residential area and moved in a line along the road that the 1st platoon had confirmed was safe..
5The squad entered the second row with Lee Hyeon-wook at the back..
“Mintae Ahn.”
“yes.”
“Pay attention to what the kids say.”
“All right.”
Lee Hyun-wook walked forward and closed his eyes..
‘······There definitely is. and you can find.’
With his eyes closed, he used his ability to read metal in the area..
It is no exaggeration to say that the human world is made of metal..
Their weight, mass, and shape were pictured in Lee Hyun-wook’s mind. Therefore, even with his eyes closed, he could clearly perceive the geography of the area as if he was reading a map..
‘Not on the ground. Under the ground, deep down.’
I moved my senses beneath the ground..
Pipes, wires, various trash,
I went through them.
‘A little further down, into the sewer.’
And at that very moment, it was captured. Metals moving together in a tangle.
‘It's a kobold. Total 14.’
Yes.
1Remaining monsters that were not captured during the car eruption were moving underfoot..
“Junmo Park.”
“yes.”
“Lightning skill, up to how many shots can be fired?”
Park Jun-mo used the lightning skill as a weapon..
However, the method was very different from that of general wizards, as it stored electricity in the body and then released it. And since it was class F, the capacity was very small..
“Oh, that's only number 4······.”
Park Jun-mo answered despondently. As is typical for F-level students, their confidence was bound to drop when questions related to their abilities were asked..
“But if you squeeze hard enough, I think you can do it 5 times..”
He scratched his head and looked at Hyunwook Lee..
and saw.
Clap-
Just like when I was working at the guard post a few days ago,
Hyunwook Lee changing the control stick of the K2C1 rifle from ‘Safe’ to ‘Single Shot’.
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