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The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 102

102fury. 

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“……Wow, what experience is this? It's awesome?”

After defeating the level 62 monster ‘Incarnation of Eldjotun’, Sehee Kim was amazed as she looked at the level up message that appeared before her eyes..

She just reached level 50. Considering that she was level 34 when she was discharged from the military, her growth was truly incredible..

"Team Leader Kim, do you get that much experience??”

Park Jun-mo, who was standing next to her, asked.

"Ah, now that I think about it, you don’t even know about this thrilling taste.?”

That was fun that couldn't be felt with growth characteristics other than level..

"I am… … I only know the taste of being struck by lightning..”

"Well, that might be exciting in a different way.?”

Park Jun-mo nodded with a somewhat despondent expression..

"So, I think this is exactly what's going on. You get experience points just by touching what our boss Lee is wiping out from behind.?”

Damn, that kind of slang is still often used..

At those words, Lee Hyun-wook chuckled..

"That's right, that's why I brought him here. I'm trying to do it right..”

"Iknow, right. I guess I didn't understand the big picture, again.……."

In fact, when she told me she was going to the Okinawa Unlucky event, she secretly complained that I was taking her to places that were too dangerous..

Of course, it was true that this was a dangerous place..

‘If I had come in without knowing the strategy, I would have been defeated too..’

Thump—thud—

"Uh, I think there are still a few more.?”

"Iknow, right. It's not time to relax yet..”

5Minutes later, a total of 16, they were lying on the side of the road..

Meanwhile, other players took refuge in a building, took off their thick winter clothing, and surrounded themselves with all kinds of freezing magic..

but…….

"Ugh, I'm out of mana now..”

Cooling the surrounding temperature with freezing magic was only a temporary solution, and it was not possible to cool all of this boiling air..

Because I was only prepared for the cold, I was defenseless against the heat..

“Ugh, I'm suffocating... … Exhaustion is getting worse.”

"I'm already in stage 2. Pfft—”

At least the priest-type ‘protection’ magic was effective.…….

"Please give me some protection magic too..”

"ah… … sorry. Because it's cooldown time now..”

Like this, even that had its limits..

This ‘hell heat wave’ wasn’t just about high temperatures. It was quite difficult to endure as all kinds of ‘debuffs’ were systematically given..

Kim Se-hee looked at the scene of their suffering..

On the other hand, these three people were in no different condition than usual..

The reason is that…….

- ‘‘Effectiveness of Twilight Clover’ is now in effect.. (00:13:11)

It was thanks to an item prepared by Lee Hyun-wook..

“……But by any chance, did you expect a situation like this??”

Lee Hyun-wook shook his head in response to Kim Se-hee’s question..

"Well, it's not anticipation, it's preparation.?”

"Wow, sometimes I really wonder if there is something magical about it.?”

She said it as a joke, but it was actually something more.

At that time, Tai Nagano approached..

She stumbled, drenched in sweat..

Lee Hyun-wook supported her..

"How did this happen? How on earth do you……."

Lee Hyun-wook held out a small bottle of potion to her..

[Item information]

- Name: Essence of Twilight Clover (small)

- Effect: When taken, you become immune to heat-related conditions for 30 minutes. (However, fire attacks only have a 30% attenuation effect..)

This was also a special item delivered by Emilia Müller..

This time it wasn't the World Tree, but it was a potion made by brewing 'Twilight Clover', a rare magical herb that grows around the World Tree..

This was such a rare item that I had to ask where I got it, and it was one of the items whose export is controlled by the Republic of Chad..

"ah… … I'm sure this will stop this terrible heat..”

"Yes, but not many so not everyone can use it.”

She drank the potion and gradually felt better..

"Me, Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, by the way.—”

“—I'm asking how did you expect this to happen??”

A question in the same context as the one Kim Se-hee just asked came in..

She nodded blankly..

"As I said twice before, preparations are thorough..”

At those words, she looked down at the potion she had received from Lee Hyun-wook..

Does it make sense to carry something like this around on a daily basis as a precaution??

"Rather than just saying it was a preparation, I feel like I already knew it. Before entering, he said he would not wear this winter clothing........"

She began to reasonably suspect something..

Lee Hyun-wook smiled at this..

"just… … You guessed it. Of course, I did not predict heat, which is the exact opposite of cold. If even S-rank players suffered in the beginning, they were afraid that something would happen as soon as they entered, so they avoided wearing thick winter clothes. It seems like it interferes with movement..”

"ah……."

"When I conquered my first dungeon, as soon as I crossed the gate, I had to take down a barrage of arrows from above my head. It's all experience.”

As expected, this time it was plausible..

"Well, if you have that opinion, please at least present it to us.……."

"well. Was there a mood to listen to me??”

"......."

"I'm sorry, but I don't tend to use unnecessary energy..”

She blushed. Yes, even if she thought to herself... … The situation right before I came here wasn't the right atmosphere..

"ah……."

While she was speechless, Lee Hyun-wook turned around..

And then the body of ‘Eldjotun Avatar’… … started to dissect.

Creep – Creep—

"uh? What are you doing now?……."

He boldly cut open the hot chest and pulled out something..

- 'Obtained 'Sparking Heart'.

The heart of this giant was shaped like a red jewel..

Cheeeeee——!

And it was extremely hot. If it weren't for the rigidity, she would have been burned even if she had taken the blessing of the twilight clover.

‘This is a pretty good material item.?’

Although it is not as good as the 'Agni Crystal' mounted on the Shotgun and Black Rhino, it seems to have a considerable heat output, so it would be useful..

‘Since this has the ability to explode, if we cover it with metal and add a stabilizer... … Maybe we could make some kind of guided bomb..’

Maybe it's because the dedicated blacksmiths create such amazing items, but when I see these material items, I start thinking about how to use them..

‘And as alchemy advances, we might be able to replicate this.?’

Furthermore, we are thinking about how to utilize alchemy in future investments..

Tai Nagano, who was watching this, could not bear it anymore and asked:.

"Hey, now... … Why do you collect it??”

"Well, this is a material item. It's farming..”

Lee Hyun-wook said it as if it were obvious..

"No, that's not it... … That item contains heat. If you keep it on your body, the debuff will actually get worse..”

"Yes, I guess so..”

"yes? Uh, well, and I don't have time to do this right now.!”

Creep – Creep—

"No, I really don't understand, why are you collecting it??”

Lee Hyun-wook lifted his head and pulled out another heart..

"That's it... … Contrast. This is the fourth time I'm saying this..”

"No, what on earth are you preparing for with that?……."

Soon she realized that it was pointless to keep asking..

What mattered now was not understanding that person..

‘What’s important now is… … Survive.’

That's why she suppressed her doubts and pride and opened her mouth..

“……So what should we do next??”

No matter how deep the emotional rift between Korea and Japan is, I did not feel foolish for not being able to rely on Koreans in this situation..

***

Lee Hyun-wook distributed the 'Essence of Twilight Clover' only to warrior players and decided to move on with the rest..

At first, I thought about summoning and using 'Friedwen', but I gave up that idea the moment I saw a swarm of wen bugs passing by, decorating the sky..

Why-ae-ae-ang——

Those weren't just swarms of insects. It was a hellish creature that spewed hot plasma from its tail and melted everything it touched..

‘And there are villains, so it's not good to burn them carelessly..’

Jeopuk- Jeobuk—

Soon it entered Urasoe City, Okinawa..

The blood-red sky and the gray heat rising from the ground... … The silent city center glowed as if it were boiling..

“……Our destination was originally ‘Urasoe 2nd Shelter’.”

At the entrance to the city center, the rescue team leader, Nagano Tai, said so..

Before the operation, I heard an explanation from Koga Shizuoka, an escapee from the first rescue team, who said that the first rescuers took refuge in that very shelter..

However, she shook her head as if denying what he said..

“……But now that I think about it, I can't believe it.”

Then everyone looked at her with a puzzled expression..

"Look at this situation now. It's the exact opposite of the man's explanation. We just believed what the man said and prepared for the cold… … He almost got wiped out..”

"......."

"And I thought about what ‘Rocky’s prank’ was. Loki is a trickster and a master of shapeshifting, right? perhaps……."

Lee Hyun-wook nodded..

"That sounds plausible. Doppelgangers are a phenomenon that appears often..”

But in fact, it wasn't plausible, it was the correct answer..

1Shizuoko Koga, who was the only one of the rescue team to escape and testified about the situation inside the dome while crying, was not actually a player..

'……The real Shizuoko Koga died inside..’

And Shizuoka, who went out, was a ‘doppelganger’.

Here, ‘doppelgangers’ imitate the dead. It absorbs the memories of the dead's life and uses them to deceive the player..

However, since it is an empty can that cannot wear items or use skills, experienced players will quickly notice its existence..

'But just a moment of deception can put you at risk..’

Just like this second rescue team..

Perhaps as soon as the second rescue team entered, it would have turned into black smoke and disappeared, causing quite a stir outside..

In this way, the system presented trials in various ways..

"But now we have no choice but to move to a shelter..”

Tai Nagano nodded at Lee Hyun-wook’s words..

It was true that there was no other choice right now..

Still, if it were a shelter, it would offset the hell binge drinking to some extent.,

It was a place where rescuers suffering from debuffs could recover their stamina..

Thump—thud—

At that time, the earth shook.

"Oh shit—”

Nagano Taiga muttered that and took out his staff..

It seemed like the incarnation of Eldjotun was lurking everywhere in the city. They crawled out of the alley, uprooting streetlights and trees..

"I'll handle it, everyone stay back..”

"Huh, since the Korean team worked hard earlier, I will help them too..”

Cold energy flowed from the tip of her wand..

However, Lee Hyun-wook blocked her path..

"Nagano, no. Save your freeze magic.”

One AD-1 hovering over Lee Hyun-wook’s head moved..

Something slowly flowed from the subspace at the bottom of there..

yes——

The giant sword Moglei, it came down in front of Lee Hyun-wook..

He lightly stretched out his left hand, and the Mowglei flew across the ground, hitting the black giants roughly on their ankles..

Burr-burr-burr-burr-burr——!

With that single blow, seven Eldjotun self-defense fell down all at once..

"—going!”

After that, Park Jun-mo ran..

Phage support——!

A spiderweb-like current traveled across the floor and crushed them. They were supposed to wake up by regenerating their ankles through an incredible recovery speed, but they had no choice but to stop for a moment due to being electrocuted, and then Kim Se-hee's wind swords were shot and stabbed them in the eyes..

That's it——!

They were confused and confused by that combined attack..

"Well, let's hit them one by one! Let's finish it!”

Then, Mogulay turns around and returns.—

Burr-burr-burr-burr-burr——!

This time, the attack was aimed at the head, not the legs, and the cut surface—red lava gushing out from the throat melted the asphalt..

Chi-i-i-i——!

Seeing that sight, Nagano Tai stuck out his tongue again..

‘What, I could have killed him in one go... … We shared our experience?’

In other words, it was not a battle for survival, but a literal hunt..

‘Hyunwook Lee… … In reality, it's stronger than you think.’

This overwhelming feeling... … I realized once again that seeing a phenomenon on video and actually seeing it in person feels quite different..

And when I heard that Lee Hyun-wook wanted to participate in this operation, I remembered a short conversation I had with a colleague about him..

"Oh my, doesn’t that guy, Lee Hyun-wook, seem crazy about pretending to be a hero??”

"I know? I can't seem to tell when I'm excited and when I'm not wearing it..”

"And even though it looks great on video, it probably doesn't look that great in real life, right? S-class is trapped inside, but he appears like a hero.?”

"Tsk tsk, anyway, I think the kids in that country are very exaggerated..”

……She felt embarrassed for some reason.

‘Yeah, I just wanted to ignore it without realizing it.…….'

Lee Hyun-wook started removing their hearts again..

It was a scene that other players could not understand..

“……But why does that person keep collecting those things??”

"Iknow, right. Ugh, I wish I could get to the shelter quickly.……."

But no one objected.

Because I knew full well that I could survive because of him..

But that was then.

"uh? Look over there!”

Not a giant appeared in the distance, but an ordinary human being..

“……uh? Who are you there??”

"Is it really the 2nd rescue team??”

1Survivor of car rescue team, encountered Shinichi Kato.

***

1The car rescue team said they are currently staying at a shelter. However, that doesn't mean they have given up on the attack, and they say they are sending out 'search parties' every hour in shifts to find a way to attack..

‘As they believe, a solution exists somewhere on this map..’

And Shinichi Kato also came out of the shelter on a search mission, but was attacked by a monster and became separated from the group..

"under......."

He took a sip of water and looked around anxiously..

"There are a lot of Eldjotun incarnations around here..”

"Oh, it's okay. That guy just took care of it all..”

He looked at the person Tai Nagano pointed to..

A black metal box hovered above his head..

"ah?”

He realized who the item symbolized..

"Is that person Hyeonwook Lee??”

"yes that's right.”

"No, why is that person here?……."

"We all survived thanks to that guy..”

At that time, Lee Hyun-wook approached..

“……I said Mr. Kato.?”

"Yes, Hyunwook Lee, it is an honor to meet you..”

He bowed his head politely..

"Now, eat this..”

Lee Hyun-wook held out something to him..

“This is it……."

"Yes, it will survive the heat waves of hell..”

It was 'Twilight Clover's Blessing Potion'.

"I heard you don't have many of these, can you give them to me like this?……."

"That's right, Mr. Kato must guide us..”

The group headed to the shelter under the guidance of Shinichi Kato..

"By the way, Kato, is it Koga Shizuoka?……."

Tai Nagano mentioned the name of the 'escaper'. They were trying to confirm that he was really a messenger sent out by the first rescue team..

However, a completely unexpected question arose..

"That friend... … He died as soon as he entered..”

"yes? Are you sure you saw him dead??”

"Yes, his body is in the shelter. Why are you doing that??”

At those words, she turned to Lee Hyun-wook..

"Well, as expected……."

It was the moment when it was confirmed that Shizuoka Koga was a fake..

"huh? Nagano, why are you doing this??”

"Ah, Gato, I mean.……."

She explained that the man testified that he had come out of the dome alone and that it was covered in 'cold air'..

Then Kato Shinichi's eyes widened..

"yes? Oh no, is that really true? Oh, it's a doppelganger.?”

"Yes, is that what Loki's prank means??”

"If that's true, it's a really nasty trap. crazy……."

It is said that the god 'Loki' of Norse mythology enjoyed torturing others using transformation techniques. The field name that appeared when entering also matched the current situation to some extent..

'But as far as I know, Loki doesn't actually appear..’

However, pitfalls related to it appear one after another.,

A doppelganger that steals another person's appearance was a representative example..

"and… … Really, what kind of situation is this??”

Shinichi Kato muttered angrily. He seemed somewhat shocked at having been toyed with by his doppelgänger..

As such, in raids, not only do you have to face puzzles at times, but you also have to face traps of quite malicious difficulty..

‘This game that has invaded our world is not kind at all..’

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook looked at the guild members from time to time..

“eww.......”

"Damn, I feel like Texas barbecue.”

No matter how much of a villain he was, he didn't even know the environment inside this place..

That's why they suffered equally and almost died the same way..

Lee Hyun-wook did not miss the moment when they were begging like that..

He secretly planted ‘Fly Eye’ in their bags.

Then, a fork in the road appeared..

"But isn’t the shelter in this direction closer and bigger? It says that there is a level 2 shelter just 1km straight along the road.?”

Taiga Nagano asked while looking at the map..

“……Oh, that shelter was hit..”

"yes? So what happened to the refugees??”

"That's it... … Write, let’s go..”

Shinichi Kato made a bitter expression and walked to the right..

At that time, Lee Hyun-wook suddenly asked:.

"But Gato, isn’t it a bit hot??”

“……yes?”

Shinichi Kato looked somewhat puzzled at this..

"I asked if you needed any more potions. It seems like there is a bit of distance to the shelter, but the condition of Mr. Kato, the guide, is important.."

"Ah, thank you, but the effect of the potion you gave me earlier still has about 10 minutes left. It would be better to save it and use it later..”

He bowed his head, thanking me for caring..

"ah… … That's it?”

Lee Hyun-wook’s feet slowly stopped..

"That's just... … It was water.”

At that one word, everyone stopped..

“……Water??”

Nagano Tai asked.

"What was in the bottle I gave you was not a potion..”

"Well, if you really gave it to me, there's no way you wouldn't know.?”

Lee Hyun-wook nodded..

"Yes, but if you're not a player, you can't tell..”

NPCs and monsters cannot see ‘system messages’. That meant that the ingredients of the potion could not be ‘intuitively’ distinguished..

"Gato, you endure this hellish heat wave even after drinking plain water.?”

Shinichi Kato, he slowly turned his head..

And suddenly, an airship appeared behind Lee Hyun-wook's back..

Wooooow——!

And from there, 30 AD-1s began to pour out and spread out, covering the sky in the area with fog.,

Their shadows fell over Lee Hyun-wook’s head..

Lee Hyun-wook looked at Kato Shinichi and asked briefly..

"......Body snatcher, are you the boss monster??”