The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 104
104fury.
================================
“……Huh, I think I'll buy it now.”
Players who suffered from the 'Hell Heat Wave' for a while were able to wash away all debuffs by visiting the 'Sanctuary' after returning to the shelter..
"So, now we have to start the operation again.?”
“Okay, during the raid tomorrow, I'll kill him..”
It was the guild members who were having this conversation..
They were a mid-sized guild active in the Texas region of the United States..
But their real job wasn't 'strategy'..
Specializing in player assassination under someone's contract.,
That was the actual main source of income for this team..
The reason I applied for this unlock event strategy was because of a ‘contractor’..
“To be honest, this operation is bound to succeed as long as you don't make any mistakes.?”
“Yes, that handsome guy from Seoul is as good as dead today..”
So far, the villain side has targeted Lee Hyun-wook several times..
However, it failed miserably every time..
But now—they were different, they thought..
"In the first place, he wouldn't even know our identity... … Hehehe—”
No one will know that they are targeting Lee Hyun-wook..
"So, you have to make sure you shoot him in the back at the right moment..”
Also, this conversation takes place within the ‘Silas’ skill..
In other words, their voices could not be heard outside the 3X3m range..
however… … There was someone listening to their voices..
- ……With this bullet, he won't be able to stop it..
'……Hmm, that's a shame in a way..’
Lee Hyun-wook, their voices were coming into his ears..
When they were unable to come to their senses due to the debuff, the eavesdropping function of the 'Fly Eye' installed in their equipment was activated..
also…….
- ‘Fly Eye (V1)’s ‘Cloaking’’
* Mana consumption per second : 50
And as a result of the upgrade, the 'cloaking' function was also installed..
In other words, there was almost no fear of being caught secretly storing it..
Of course, it takes a lot of mana to maintain cloaking, but,
Lee Hyun-wook's mana recovery was more than enough to handle it..
'I'll have to think of a way to cleanly dispose of them..’
Since there were so many eyes watching, it had to be handled carefully..
***
- All players, gather strategy!
As soon as the sun rose, the shelter's internal announcement rang..
1The first rescue team and the second rescue team gathered in the hall of the shelter..
"H—am—”
The first rescue team leader, Kojiro Kodo, appeared among them..
He yawned widely, as if he wasn't nervous at all..
Then he looked around at the players and slowly opened his mouth..
"Now, as you all know, in order to tear down this dome covering Okinawa, you must defeat the boss monster..”
His finger pointed out the window, toward a low mountain peak..
"Hey, I guess that’s where the final boss monster is… … We need to hit that road, we're going to surround that mountain.."
He then said that he would attack the mountain from four directions..
In other words, the plan was to divide into four teams and carry out a strategy..
“……If anyone has any objections?”
He even showed an attitude of trying to collect the opinions of others..
however…….
‘Mr. Kodo will take care of it from start to finish..’
‘Well, there's no way they'll listen to our opinion anyway.…….'
Most of them thought so.
In the first place, I wasn't in the mood to dare to object..
There was a huge gap between the second-ranked S-rank players and players below level 65 that could not be crossed. And it was a well-known fact that Kodo Koshiro's personality was nothing short of a maverick..
"Well, no one has any objections, right? great!”
Lee Hyun-wook also kept quiet, but inside he clicked his tongue..
‘It's a really stupid and shady strategy..’
The entire force is only 98 people... … It was ridiculous to surround a mountain with such a small number of players. If the boss monster decided to escape the siege, it could do so..
And if by chance the number of monsters is greater than expected,……
‘……Teams with weak strength may become dangerous..’
But the second ranked player is not an idiot, so why would he carry out such a strategy??
‘The idea is to somehow defeat the boss monster as quickly as possible..’
By diversifying attack routes, the number of miscellaneous mobs is dispersed as much as possible.,
Break through one point by using your firepower to the fullest—
The intention was to deal with the boss monster first before Hyunwook Lee..
“Oh, and……."
He grinned and opened his mouth..
“……Just because there's a great game at stake, don't get distracted..”
He laughed haha and laughter flowed from the players as well..
Now, those words subtly emphasized that there was a 'confrontation'..
In the future, when the world goes out, I hope this story spreads more widely.…….
‘You really see this as a show for yourself.?’
The more Hyunwook Lee saw that, the more pitiful he felt..
However, it was reported that after hearing the news of this match, the refugees in the shelter also gathered together and made bets on who would win..
‘Looking at things like this, what Kodo Kojiro said is correct..’
The world also enjoys this phenomenon as entertainment. that's true.
And the bet… … The overwhelming focus was towards Kodo Kojiro..
After a while, the players finished arming themselves and came out of the shelter..
"Now, it's about 30 minutes to the gate, which is our target area..”
They marched towards the gate, guarding their surroundings..
Soon, earth-shattering footsteps began to approach from all over the place..
Thump—thump—thump—thud—
“……Avatars of Eldjotun are approaching from all directions..”
Wizards reported observation results through ‘magic drones’.
But they didn't come at all.,
like… … It moved as if surrounding the player group..
“Uh, I guess he noticed our movements.?”
As we have already seen once, the boss monster here is intelligent..
It seemed like they had figured out that they were heading towards the gate and were trying to stop them. If things continue like this, the moment we reach the top of the mountain, the offensive will begin..
And it will attack from all directions simultaneously.—
'If you pull out this stupid plan, a lot of people will die.?’
Lee Hyun-wook wasn't the only one who felt that way..
“I… … Captain, can we split the team in this situation??”
Kodo Kojiro's subordinates also seemed to feel uneasy..
It was dangerous to carelessly distribute power in this state..
but…….
"Okay, let's move on..”
"however… … Then, the team becomes isolated due to lack of firepower.—”
"Hey — Shinji, what do you know about level 63 topics??”
“ah… … sorry!”
Shinjiro Kodo shook his head and punched the man on the shoulder..
"No, no. are you okay. You courageously voiced your opinion, right? If you really care about those things... … Can I sweep it away??”
“……yes?”
He raised his wand with a wry smile..
“Nisha, can you give me a skill enhancement buff??”
He said that to the woman standing next to him..
She was an S-rank player, a hired mercenary from India..
‘Nisha Kaif is the one and only S-grade buffer..’
Her buff was famous for strengthening ‘skills’ and raising their level by one or two levels. In other words, maximizing the potential of top-level players made a huge difference..
Therefore, when top-tier attack teams were attacking difficult gates, they would spend generously to hire her..
yes——
The red energy flowing from her hand touched Kodo Koshiro's heart. Then his body trembled as if he was feeling pleasure..
"Alright, Shinji—I'll erase your insecurities........"
Then his subordinates panicked as if there was an emergency..
"omg! Well, the captain is trying to create a ‘wind’.!”
"Everyone, prepare for a tornado right now.!”
Then, the moment Kodo Koshiro slammed his cane down on the floor.—
Qua—ah—ah—ah——!
A gust of wind suddenly arose around his body..
Immediately after, a tornado began winding down from the sky..
The closer it got to the ground, the thicker and louder it became - it looked majestic, as if a dragon had descended..
Qua—ah—ah—ah——!
“Ugh—!”
“Pfft, be careful.!”
Players around him had to lie down on the ground or hold on to something to avoid being sucked into the tornado..
The gray tornado thus born followed Kodo Kojiro's staff and wriggled as if it had become the tentacle of a giant octopus..
A scene where it looks like an alien monster is ravaging the Earth.…….
Qua—de—de—de—de——!
It crushed the ground.
Everything that exists above it, including monsters... … Everything was completely swept away, including buildings, street trees, telephone poles, and roads..
In just ten seconds, seven two-story residential buildings collapse..
omg! Oh, the whole building is blowing up.!”
"Ugh! Everyone watch your head!”
Those who watched it had a bewildered expression on their faces..
“Aren't you destroying everything too much?……."
As a player, it is of course important to catch monsters well..
However, unless it was an unavoidable situation, it was not right to attack and cause such great damage. Just with that one skill, hundreds of people lost their homes, which actually shook the lives of civilians..
‘No, this is not a strategy in the first place..’
The strategy is to find the optimal move and take the least amount of damage..
'There is no disaster more dangerous than a player obsessed with his own power.…….'
Lee Hyun-wook clicked his tongue once again..
Meanwhile, Kodo Koshiro has reduced the entire area to ruins.,
He looked back at the players with a triumphant expression..
And after making eye contact with Lee Hyun-wook, he smiled..
"Well, there's nothing to worry about now?”
“Since I've cleared the way, I'm moving forward again.”
Koda Kojiro left those words and moved forward again.,
The players followed him with mesmerized expressions..
"No, that... … can i win?”
Kim Se-hee asked again with an anxious expression..
To be honest, the firepower he just showed was several times that of Lee Hyun-wook..
***
At the beginning of the mountain, the players dispersed in four directions according to the plan..
"Well good luck everyone!”
"is it so! Live, let's go out and see.!
The Korean team headed to route 4, the southern face of the mountain..
And besides them, 19 other players accompanied them..
"Mr. Hyunwook Lee, please take care of me..”
“Yes, please take care of me too..”
Most of them were guild members.,
They actively volunteered to be on a team with Hyunwook Lee..
"Our sniper team is over there, on top of a building overlooking the mountains. We'll provide covering fire there, so trust us and pour down fire..”
That's what your team leader said.
They stuck around like this, claiming that since they have many gunnery players, they are suited to cover the firepower of Lee Hyun-wook..
“Yes, you do..”
"Oh, and aren't there flying boxes??”
"Yes, you mean air drop device..”
"That could block our snipers’ vision..”
"I'll take care of it, but my deal comes first..”
"ah! That's a fair statement. Yes, thank you!”
He said a few words to Lee Hyun-wook and then walked away..
Then I turned on Mana Messenger and whispered softly..
"......Of course, of course, he doesn't even know about it..”
His ears heard the voices of the sniper team in the rear..
- You probably won't even know it in your dreams when you die..
"Hehehe—I guess I'll wonder why I died in the afterlife.?”
At that time, I saw a tornado coming down from the distant sky..
The huge tornado was visible from the south side, on the other side of the mountain..
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga——!
It tore the mountain apart and whitish dust rose up..
“……Wow, I can't believe we've already gone there, that's really fast.!”
Here, on the 4th route, I had just entered the beginning of the mountain and had to deal with at most a dozen monsters, but on the 1st route of Kodo Kojiro, the speed of entry was similar to that of a tank corps pushing relentlessly..
“……It seems like you're really pouring in your mana without holding back.?”
"Well, since there is a ‘buffer’, mana supply will be fast..”
"And you also have two top-tier mana tanks..”
"Then, as much mana as possible... … Will you be 40,000??”
Hyunwook Lee listened to the conversation between Japanese players behind his back..
To be precise, it was hacking—eavesdropping—on their mana messengers..
Because, they were surveillance measures planted by Kodo Kojiro..
"This is a one-size-fits-all match anyway.?"
“So what was Lee Hyun-wook thinking when he received this??”
“No matter how you look at it, he's a good person.……."
Although they acknowledged Lee Hyeon-wook, they did not have any doubt that Kodo Kojiro was one level. And that was a pretty objective assessment..
"ah! i get it. In the end, isn’t it because of anti-Japanese sentiment??”
"Haha - I guess that's why I called you a guest.?”
"Well, how can you defeat Mr. Kodo with firepower in the first place? It's clear that the Korean kids' unique sense of rivalry toward us has gone out of fashion..”
Like this, everyone was talking about ‘firepower’..
The total amount of damage that a single player can inflict - Kodo Kojiro is considered the best in that regard, along with Inferno..
However, in addition to 'power', firepower required 'sustainability'. And 'sustainability' here didn't just mean having lots of ammo and firing it off non-stop..
'……In any situation, you must be able to keep attacking.’
In other words, a kind of all-weather capability is needed..
No matter how powerful a tank is equipped with a cannon, if it gets stuck in the mud or slips on snow, its firepower will ultimately be lost..
‘Kodo Kojiro, his firepower is the same..’
Hyunwook Lee looked at the tornado tearing the mountain apart..
‘That will soon stop.’
And soon, something started.
- The area's influence will be lifted.!
"uh? what? It's over?”
At the same time, the heat from the 'hell heat wave' still remaining in the air is sucked into a gate opened on another mountain in the distance..
"Oh, you haven't already caught the boss monster.?”
"Hey—it’s Kodo, after all.!”
however…….
The gate at the peak of the mountain they are heading towards is shaking..
From there, something comes out..
Woah-ah-ah-ah-ah——!
It was a blizzard.
And it was extremely cold.
It is a widespread disaster that could cause the entire world to suddenly freeze..
- caution! are exposed to the 'hell cold wave' of!
* ‘Status abnormalities’ and ‘status reduction’ begin rapidly.!
From the mountain peaks, the air freezes and frost forms on the leaves..
"—Ugh! what!”
"It's so cold, so cold!”
With this, Loki's final prank began..
'……Phase 2, Muspelheim is replaced by Niflheim.’
In other words, a strong heat wave turns into a terrible cold in an instant..
This was an incredible climate disaster. Even a brief period of abnormal weather in the Earth's ecosystem can kill many living things. But if things change from one extreme to another in an instant like this, there is nothing that can survive..
“Ugh! Damn, my fingers feel like they're going to break!”
- caution! Fall into ‘hypothermia (stage 1)’.
* All abilities are reduced. (-10%)
* All recovery abilities are greatly reduced.
* Physical function declines significantly and judgment becomes impaired..
- caution! Fall into ‘frostbite (level 1)’.
* All abilities are reduced. (-10%)
* The accuracy of all attacks decreases significantly..
* caution! Vitality continues to decline.
The debuff hell we barely endured has come in a new version..
"……Oh, no! That hell is repetitive!”
“Damn, what kind of ridiculous event is this?!”
Such screams were not only heard here..
4Direction: All routes—even where Kodo Kojiro was located, it rang out..
"Fuck, what happened all of a sudden?!”
Kodo Kojiro shouted like that..
All kinds of warning system messages were repeating in his eyes.,
Because of this, it became impossible to display proper firepower..
"Pfft! Nisha, do something! No skill to remove abnormal status?”
"No, you know I can't help this.!”
This was the same situation as when I first entered the dome..
"Fuck, do you know how much money you get from our guild??”
"under… … So I told you to move carefully! Why on earth are you acting like a child when you suddenly bet on some kind of match??”
When she got angry in return, Kojiro Kodo turned his head..
“2Car rescue leader, let’s go! Is it there??”
"yes Here it is!”
"You said you prepared for the cold and brought items.?”
"Ah yes! however… … I left it at the entrance to the dome..”
3-layer winter clothing made from Ice Troll leather…….
I never thought it would be useful.
"shit! Bring it back right away!”
“……yes? Ah, yes!”
She hurriedly led her team and turned around..
"Our honor depends on this! Go as quickly as possible!”
He shouted and looked at the frozen mountain peak..
No, I was thinking of Lee Hyun-wook beyond the mountain peak..
His heart became quite anxious. Somehow, he wanted to beat the guy.
‘But anyway, he's in the same situation..’
he ground his teeth.
"It's just a little bit delayed, so just wait a little bit.……."
***
All kinds of monsters pour out from the open gate on the mountain peak..
White wolves with a body like a polar bear,
Monster birds with huge wings, like pterodactyls,
They were all beasts that ruled the legendary snow mountain..
But what the players were afraid of was the cold more than that..
"Hehehe—it’s cold, so—mo, my body……."
And the same goes for the snipers on the rooftop in the distance..
- Shit—bo, boss! My fingers are stiff and my accuracy is dropping.!
Such a radio message came into the ears of the leader of the Iron Eagle Guild..
"......."
- I think we should get into action right away! Buy it here, if it gets worse you'll miss the shot!
If everything went according to plan, we had to aim for the moment when the battle started and we would be sure to let our guard down. But the situation changed suddenly and all plans went awry..
If not now, there might not be a chance to deal with Lee Hyun-wook..
“……Yes, I can't help it, but I do it..”
- That's it—
But that was then.
- Beep—Beep—Beep—Beep.—
"……huh? what is this sound?"
- uh? What is this... … Mac, your bag suddenly came out of nowhere.—
Kwa—ang——! Qua—ang——!
……I hear heavy drinking in succession from somewhere..
When I turned my head, I saw smoke rising from the roof of a building in the distance..
This was where the snipers of the Iron Eagle Guild were hiding..
“what! Will! vein! what's going on there!”
But no answer came back.
- Wow.......
Like this, there are only screams of pain.…….
But the real disaster began then..
Kuaaaa——!
Perhaps the 'aggro' was attracted by the heavy drinking, and the monster birds sitting on the mountain peak took off in droves. And flies to the explosion point.
Kuaaaa——!
That number... … There seemed to be about a hundred..
"omg! Damn it, the monsters are coming! Get out of there right now!”
But seeing as there was no answer, it seemed like he had no strength to escape..
Soon those monster birds would land on the rooftop..
Lee Hyun-wook watched the scene and showed no reaction..
"Hyunwook Lee! Please help my colleagues!”
But he shook his head.
“……Sorry, I'm late.”
"Oh no, how do I know it's too late?!”
He shouted, turned his back and ran towards his colleagues..
And there was a 'fly eye' in his bag too..
‘With this, the disruptor has disappeared..’
It couldn't have been such an easy process..
At that time, Kim Se-hee came to me, trembling..
“Shit, I think we'll all die at this rate, what's the deal this time??"
Now, even without saying anything, it seemed like he was looking forward to it first..
That was because Lee Hyun-wook's expression was the same as usual..
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo must have felt that, and both were quite calm..
"Well, it exists..”
"Hehehe—I thought so..”
Hyunwook Lee summoned several AD-1s and took something out of them..
It was a red, complementary material item called ‘Sparkling Heart’ that I kept without stopping every time I caught a monster in Muspelheim..
When I took it out, intense heat radiated out..
- The cold that seeps into the body is relieved..
"uh… … it's warm!”
[Item information]
- Name: Blazing Heart
- Effect: Releases intense heat in the area. (Caution! If a large impact is applied, it may explode and turn the area into a ‘magma field’..)
"I collected it because I knew it would be used like this.?”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head..
"These tricky traps and puzzles always have a solution. And the most basic thing is……."
“……These are items that can be obtained by killing monsters.?”
"yes that's right. So, you should not neglect rooting..”
Lee Hyun-wook then took out a bunch of iron beads..
“However, how this is used varies greatly..”
Blah blah blah——
An iron bead transformed into the shape of a cross and wrapped around the surface of the burning heart. It looked like a net used for packaging fruit..
I gave it metal control in that state, and it flew completely..
‘And, if you apply force to it, it explodes..’
In other words, it was possible to expect an effect as if a detonator had been planted..
In this way, a plausible bomb was created..
And just in time, the test subjects appeared..
Wow——
On the uphill slope of the mountain, huge wolves appeared.
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV) ： 75)
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV) ： 77)
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV) ： 78)
Lee Hyun-wook sent his ‘blazing heart’ towards those guys..
And on their heads, activate the detonator.
Pu—huh——!
Red-hot flames soared and red liquid poured out in all directions..
Wow! Wow! Wow! Wow!
That was magma.
The cold-attribute creatures covered in it were mortally wounded and fell down..
Bubble—bubble—
And at that point, a ‘magma field’ is formed, emitting heat..
“and… … It's a sure strategy.?”
As Kim Se-hee said, it was the most efficient strategy..
Lee Hyun-wook planted detonators in a total of 46 burning hearts..
And they were mounted in the subspace of AD-1..
‘Okay, it's over..’
Chic—
"Ah, this is route 4. Please listen carefully to the entire route..”
Chic—
"From now on, this mountain... … I'll blow it all up.”
Chic—
"……So, everyone please stay back..”
His last words were a sight to behold..
“……It might be a little hot.”
Talking about heat in this terrible cold…….
At those words, everyone could not help but wonder.
Wooooow——!
30The AD-1 advances under the cover of 175 adamant stars. That scene was like watching a ‘bomber squadron’..
Immediately after, monster birds fly in from the mountain peak and attempt to intercept them..
but—
30As if they were attack helicopters, dozens of AD-1s spewed out thousands of projectiles, formed a fire net, and penetrated their control..
And finally, we reached the top of the mountain,
30Of the three AD-1s, only two descend when lowered..
They were the ‘bombers’..
Soon, the lower part of them—subspace—opens and dozens of ‘flaming hearts’ fall down like a carpet bomb..
It is clearly visible from here too. That red-hot gunpowder wriggles—
At that time, he lifted the Mana Messenger and sent a short message..
“……explode.”
The world was dyed layer by layer in scarlet..
Comments