The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 108
108fury.
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This land, the Korean Peninsula, is cursed.
Such a story was circulating on the Internet..
4This was because, after capturing the worst event, the Cha Wave, not only misfortune, but disaster-like events continued throughout the Korean Peninsula..
The summoning ritual of the demon Abaddon, the satanic cult of the Alchemy Factory, and the declaration of war on the Black Orc Kingdom... … And two meteorites just collided.......
This land is clearly cursed. Otherwise it can't be explained.
But on the other hand, there was also this saying.
"Yes, cursed! But the savior also came down with us!”
The name of the savior who appeared with that curse was... … It was Lee Hyun-wook..
Since he was the one who solved all those cases, it was only natural that he was considered that way..
In this atmosphere, another disaster began in Jeju Island, and it was perhaps natural that Lee Hyun-wook reflexively came to mind..
"……Maybe Lee Hyun-wook will show up this time too??”
As if living up to the expectations, ‘Friedwen’ rose in the Seoul sky..
Wooooow——
"that… … Hyunwook Lee’s airship, that’s right?”
“……Are you talking about Friedwen? uh? That's right!”
But this time it wasn't the end.
"however… … Hey, what are those things??”
After that, 12 airships were lined up..
Wooooow——
The steel body and silver-white fuselage reflected the sunlight and shined elegantly. And the sight of it quickly traversing the Seoul sky with only a low vibration and no loud noise was like watching a pod of whales swimming..
Yes, it was definitely a scene worthy of being called ‘fleet’..
"and… … This is my first time seeing something like that..”
"That's natural. There's never been anything like that before..”
The strange and majestic march of a total of 13 airship fleets leading Fridwen, photos and videos of it were spread all over the Internet..
- [Breaking News] Jung-gu, Seoul, appearance of an airship fleet of unknown affiliation (1 report))
- [Breaking News] 13 airships appeared in the sky of Seoul, source is Laputa?
Reporters were scrambling to find out where the fleet belonged..
But I couldn't get any information like this..
"Senior, I just contacted the Seoul AMT Air Defense Command and they said it is an approved aircraft. However, the affiliation is confidential.……."
"No, are these kids crazy? It makes sense that something like that is floating in the sky over Seoul and people are feeling anxious, but they are still ignoring it.?”
Since they came from Laputa, they must be related to the government, but when I inquired with the relevant department, the answer was that there was nothing they could tell me yet..
However, there was only one piece of certain information for them..
“Okay, hey! Come to think of it, there's a Fridwen in that fleet.?”
“ah? Then this means that Lee Hyun-wook is definitely in that fleet.?”
"Right, and you're even leading the pack? This is awesome!”
In the end, the title of the article created based on speculation alone was…….
- Airship fleet of unknown affiliation, presumed to be led by Lee Hyun-wook (1 report))
“……Oh, as expected, the number of views is exploding.?”
Like this, just mentioning Lee Hyun-wook in the title of the article becomes provocative..
"Okay, it would be nice to insert a more provocative keyword here..”
"yes? What keywords should I include??”
"So, just one word that will definitely grab attention..”
After predictions were made that Lee Hyun-wook was a member of the fleet, reporters poured out all kinds of speculation, and some even started giving him nicknames..
- Is this Hyunwook Lee’s sortie to Jeju Island??
***
- The so-called 'Steel Fleet', which left the metropolitan area, has stopped moving at Gyeryongdae in Gyeryong-si, Chungcheongnam-do, and its flagship, Friedwen, has landed.……
Inside the Fridwen, news was playing on the radio..
"Wow, a steel fleet... … Do you like it??”
Sehee Kim asked with a grin..
“……Is that possible?.”
Starting with the Steel Company, it could not have been a too one-dimensional naming..
Honestly, if you look at it objectively, it was a really bad naming..
'Still, I endured being called the Steel Emperor.…….'
It seemed that nicknames given by the public were bound to be childish..
"Team Leader Kim, let’s see how cool of a nickname you will get when you become famous later..”
"I'm sorry, but I don't have confidence in becoming that famous..”
At that time, I saw people approaching from afar. Among them were Director Woo Seong-moon and CEO Kang Seo-yoon. They were to join this fleet..
However, Kang Seo-yoon, whom I met after a long time, had a frown on her face..
And instead of greeting Lee Hyun-wook, he suddenly asked a question..
"No, how did this happen??”
"yes? what……."
"What is it all about? A fleet suddenly came out of nowhere.?”
She glanced at Lee Hyun-wook and Woo Seong-moon and looked around..
"Yes, it was just the two of us, right? But I'll also do the same in the 4th wave, right? Still, I thought we had strengthened our friendship as a team. And Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, you are our guild sub.?”
“haha… … Maintaining confidentiality is difficult to maintain loyalty..”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled shyly..
‘Kang Seo-yoon is a trustworthy person, but... … It's a guardian.’
She was a Guardian after all, and the current Guardian was not safe. Anything that got into her eyes and ears had a high chance of getting into the hands of a villain..
'……Gordon Price is dangerous until we get rid of him..’
It was a time when he was trusted more than anyone else within the Guardian..
This was because the Guardian's mission was being supported with that much money..
"It seems that Laputa has been making something like this in secret.?”
"Haha— yeah, whatever.……."
"Well, anyway… … That's a good thing. It's so amazing.”
She mumbled and looked around at the fleet, including Friedwen..
"But the airship pilots received proper training in that short period of time, right? Flying that thing wouldn't be the same as flying an airplane or a helicopter.."
"what… … It's all the result of hard research. No need to worry.”
It was premature to reveal the existence of ‘Grey Dwarves’ here..
Therefore, the entrance to the cockpit of each airship was tightly blocked..
"Hmm, anyway, thanks to these secret weapons, the bloodstream of the operation was opened, but wouldn't it be better to also borrow an airship??”
Woo Seong-moon responded lukewarmly to her recommendation..
"……For now, we will try to do the initial operation on our own..”
“No, why are you so conservative? I'll help you there..”
"It's not good to bring in more power than necessary from abroad..”
Having heard from Lee Hyun-wook that the meteorite impact point was caused by some 'guided item', Woo Seong-moon decided that this incident was also highly likely to be a 'terrorist attack' and was sharply alert to external approaches..
Otherwise he would have been favored by Gordon Price..
That's how strong Gordon Price's global reputation was..
‘That's why you can't just casually reveal that he's a villain..’
Gordon Price's greatest weapon was his false image..
"Then, we will depart for Haenam, where the base camp is located..”
Yeo Sang-min, who was in charge of controlling Friedwen, said.
At first glance, you might think that the airship would not be very fast due to its heavy appearance, but it was clear that it was an aerodynamically inefficient structure..
However, not only was the output of the dwarven mana engine powerful, but the mana shield was formed in a streamlined shape to minimize air resistance..
Wooooow——
So the fleet headed south, maintaining a speed of 600 km/h..
***
In Haenam-si, Jeollanam-do, an AMT gathering center was formed in a large field..
That was the base camp for attacking Jeju Island..
“—Move quickly! There is news that the steel fleet has passed.!”
Now, AMT soldiers were working to level the airship landing pad..
After a while, the steel fleet arrived there..
"and......."
The troops of the AMT 7th Anti-horse Brigade looked up blankly at the sight..
13 magic aircraft approaching from the northern sky…….
“Something about that, doesn’t it feel completely different from a helicopter squadron??”
“Yes, definitely. For some reason, it's much grander..”
If I were to define that feeling, it would be ‘mystery.’ A mysterious mixture of repulsion and curiosity felt when encountering an unfamiliar being.…….
"hey! Don't lose your mind and finish the work quickly.!”
Next, eight regional magic control officers from AMT gathered together and began preparing to deploy a ‘two-way portal’. Players would soon flock from all over the country..
"Group 2, did you receive the ‘link pattern’ from Gyeongsang Province??”
“Yes, I got it!”
"There's only going to be 12 people there, so don't make it too big..”
"Yes, I will.!”
Soon, multiple two-way portals were deployed simultaneously..
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook was sitting on the lamp door of Friedwen..
‘We must check each and every person involved in this operation..’
I had roughly heard the list of participants in this attack, but I needed to check to see if an unexpected person, i.e. a villain, was involved..
Soon, the first two-way portal was opened..
“—A two-way portal departing from Anyang has been launched.!”
14 players walked out from there..
“……No, really, you didn't apply the defense buff at that time.?”
The woman in front holding the kite shield was so annoyed..
After that, the man wearing glasses laughed as if he was dumbfounded..
"Hey, I'm not an amateur... … Wonjun said he saw it correctly..”
"I got that ogre hammer, I know best!”
"huh? What do you get? It didn't bounce like a golf ball after being hit.?”
"Ha, this dog is really… … You know there won't be any dedicated cover in the future!”
The man and woman were the so-called ‘Anyang Duo’, ranked 18th and 19th in the player rankings..
They were the only ones other than the Steel Company to eliminate the erosion factor during the 4th wave, and they were unable to meet in the end due to their late joining during the final battle..
‘19Lee Hye-min (above) and Kang Jun-seong (18th) are both wizard players..’
However, strangely, Lee Hye-min is in the tank position and Kang Jun-seong is in the gunner position, so they are both equipped with extreme 'variation weapons' and are working together as a duo..
The reason it was possible was because they were both buff and enchantment masters..
‘Each weapon is equipped with defense and attack options to achieve efficiency..’
His specialty was magic, but he realized early on that his natural talents were close combat and shooting, and developed his abilities in those areas..
Subsequently, a two-way portal from Gyeongsang Province was opened..
A total of 21 players walked out of it..
‘A guild called the Witches of the Nakdong River?’
Do Hee-seon, ranked 22nd, was a player specialized in water attribute magic..
And the remaining 11, her students, were also magicians specializing in water..
Since the boss monster of this operation, 'Phaeton the Flame Giant', has fire as his attribute, it seems that a large number of wizards who control the opposite attribute, water, have been summoned..
Subsequently, paladins and priests were summoned from all over the country..
"There are 21 Paladins and 31 Priests mobilized so far.!”
On the outside, Phaethon had a fire attribute, but his roots were 'undead'. If you rush into a strategy without knowing that, you will end up in trouble..
But fortunately, Kang Seo-yoon seemed to have figured out that fact early on..
A total of 149 players responded to the government's summons request..
It was a significant number as they had originally summoned B grade or higher players..
In addition, two brigades of AMT troops will be mobilized as combat support..
"Team Leader Park! Everyone who came has come.?”
Kang Seo-yoon's voice rings out from afar..
She served as the ‘Jeju Operation Field Commander’ in this operation..
"Well, one person from Seoul hasn't arrived yet..”
“Huh? The gate departing from Seoul was closed earlier..”
"Yes, but he said it was a little late..”
"I beg your pardon? who… … Oh, it's Hantaesan, that's it?”
A man called Team Leader Park nodded to her question..
At that time, the gates departing from Seoul began to open again..
“……No, that kid is really!”
From there, a large man leisurely walked out..
It was Han Taesan, a man called King Gwon (奉王) or Taho (情虎)..
He had long hair tied up in a braid and was wearing green sportswear..
And as always, he was carrying a duffel bag over his right shoulder..
“—hey!”
Kang Seo-yoon screamed at him..
"huh?"
"How much mana do I have to eat up just because of you! Do you know how much the mana and labor costs used to open a two-way portal are converted to money??”
Han Tae-san, who checked her face, showed a bothered expression..
"under… … Why does the lady start screaming as soon as we meet after a long time??”
"what? Ah, lady……."
"No, honestly, if you want to mobilize as much as I do, you can use that much mana.?”
As expected, it was an idiotic statement from the first word..
"Honestly, do you know how much it costs to hire an S-rank player like me as a mercenary? If you run as a mercenary in Chad at a time like this, I will buy an airship.!”
"You kid, you should know that it’s thanks to this country that you grew up like that.!”
"No, I got this ability by my own luck, so what does the country have to do with it??”
On the outside, he seemed like the type of person who would give people headaches, but as the best force in the country, he tended to step up when needed..
'……However, the problem is that he complains to the point of being annoying..’
Lee Hyun-wook also once collaborated with Han Tae-san in a duo concept..
In his past life, before Seo Eun-ha, Han Tae-san was Lee Hyun-wook's dedicated tank..
but… … Lee Hyun-wook died before he could grow up properly..
"Oh, is that the Iron Fleet? Hey……."
At that time, Han Taesan approached the airships as if he was interested..
“Hmm, what is it? When I looked at it up close, it looked like it would shatter if I hit it.?”
that… … Based on Hantaesan, it may have been true to some extent..
"oh… … This one is missing a bit, but it looks fine.?”
It was Friedwen who received such an evaluation. He hit the Frydwen's body with his palm and whistled. Then he discovered Lee Hyun-wook..
"Hmm, it's embarrassing to look at the owner because he's just sitting there..”
“……Taesan Han, it’s been a while..”
He grinned and approached with strides..
"Seoul’s best guy, Lee Hyun-wook… … We've seen each other before?”
"Yes, it happened a while ago during the Seoul Station Unlucky event..”
"I didn't know at the time, but I found out later. How many times did you ignore my words to get out of the way and I almost hit the savior of Seoul?.”
He swore and held out his hand..
'There is only one case where this rude bastard asks for a handshake..’
Lee Hyun-wook concentrated all his strength on his gloved hand, and Han Tae-san's clumsy hand grabbed his hand like a crocodile's mouth..
chin—snap—
The sound of shaking hands…….
"Oh, you're stronger than I thought.?”
Lee Hyun-wook's eyebrows twitched as if his grip was stronger than expected. However, if Han Taesan had applied his strength properly, Lee Hyun-wook's hand might have been crushed. This monster was at least the best in the world in terms of strength..
‘But picking on this guy was my specialty..’
Lee Hyun-wook grinned and demonstrated his control over the metal..
OK.......
"—Ugh!"
Taesan Han groaned and grabbed his head..
"……why are you like this?”
"Ah, why is my head suddenly hurting?.”
He shook his head curiously..
‘Hantaesan's bones are made of metal, so I can hold and shake them..’
It was one of Han Taesan's passive skills, so-called 'steel skeleton'..
Of course, since it was a unique body containing energy, it could not be broken or deformed like ordinary metal, and at best the body could be lifted into the air..
‘That's probably allowed for the sake of player-to-player summation..’
However, even that could have been easily restricted if Han Tae-san himself noticed and tried to reject it... … This guy didn't even notice in his past life..
Considering that, it was a style that was surprisingly dull..
"Anyway, you… … Last time you stole my first place?”
This was a story during the Seoul Station Unlucky event..
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook obtained ‘Mananan Mak Rir’s Secret Armor’..
"At that time, when I went home and thought about it, I remembered how you stuck some kind of needle into the boss monster's heart like a rat.?”
“Haha—you noticed it too.?”
"But this time, don’t even dream. Even if you pile up contributions by pouring in thousands of steel rain or something, you will catch up with just one punch from me.."
He made such a childish threat with a triumphant expression.,
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and slowly exerted control over the metal..
"evil! Ah, sir! Why am I feeling like this today??”
He was about to say something else but seemed to have forgotten, scratched his cheek and turned away..
"......Ugh!"
***
And the next day, as soon as dawn broke, preparations for the sortie began. Hundreds of players boarded 13 airships, moving in unison..
- ……Steel fleet takes off!
A sortie signal was issued from the base camp command center. Since there was no such thing as a 'call sign', the nickname was adopted as the call sign..
Just like that, 13 airships took off towards the South Sea..
As the altitude gradually increased, the archipelago of the South Sea spread out beneath our feet..
"Ah, this is Fridwen, the operations commander informs the entire fleet..”
Sitting next to Lee Hyun-wook, Kang Seo-yoon caught the Mana messenger..
"As briefed yesterday, our operational goal is not yet an attack. First, after landing at Jeju International Airport, the area is made sacred and the approach of evil spirit monsters is blocked to create a 'base' connected to the mainland..”
The biggest problem with this strategy was that the target area was an island..
Therefore, infiltration, supply, and escape were all difficult situations..
And above all, even the way for the islanders to escape was blocked..
“……In this way, the primary goal is to be able to evacuate the island residents inland and secure a route to transport troops and supplies in the future..”
The number of civilians stranded on Jeju Island alone was 700,000..
If they establish a base at Jeju International Airport and sanctify the area,,
It would be able to block the approach of the troublesome evil spirit ‘Red Wisp’..
Once that happens, sea routes and air routes will regain their proper function..
And how long did it take before gray smoke began to appear in the distance?.
"hmm… … Originally, you should see Jeju Island from here..”
But now, the sky over Jeju Island is shrouded in gray smoke, so even satellites can't see what's going on there..
However, a red light began to spread from within..
that…….
"A large group of red wisps are approaching ahead, about 10 km away.!”
"after! It's finally starting... … Sound an air raid alarm across the entire fleet..”
Kang Seo-yoon gritted her teeth and grabbed the bow wrapped around her..
whiz-! whiz-! whiz-! whiz—!
Red Wisps: They fly in groups, and when they find a moving object, they cling to it and emit ultra-high heat. Just yesterday alone, there were dozens of downed planes and sunken ships..
They were running furiously now..
Soon, red lights filled the area..
"—It crashes!”
t—the—the—the—the—the——!
They rushed to the magic shield and made a loud noise..
gulp—
Everyone looked out the window with nervous expressions..
It was red everywhere, as if I had jumped into a fire..
but… … that was the end.
"uh?”
"Wow, what… … It's really amazing how airborne it is.?”
Looking at that scene, the players could not help but be amazed. Thousands of red wisps swept through, but no damage was done..
"And by the way, this airship is full of divine power.?”
One priest player who can feel divine power added:.
it was true.
Lee Hyun-wook took great care in advance and had the fuselage repaired with metal enchanted with divine power. Those demons would never pursue the Iron Fleet again..
But I heard Han Tae-san's snort from inside..
"Ha, what's so scary about a cigarette like that??”
Then he sat back in his chair and started dozing off..
'……Even looking at it again, I really hate it..’
When the proud Han Tae-san took on the role of Lee Hyun-wook's 'dedicated tanker', Lee Hyun-wook was just emerging as the best dealer..
‘I had a hard time with that guy's nasty temper back then.…….'
Anyway, after breaking through the Red Wisp, we reached the sea off Jeju..
It would soon reach the coast of Jeju..
……It was then.
- Chic—
"uh? It seems like a mana communication is coming from somewhere..”
- Chijiji——
A harsh noise flowed from the mana messenger mounted on the Pridwen..
- This is the Jeju International Airport shelter! can you hear the steel fleet?
A radio message came from their destination... … It was a very urgent voice..
"This is the Iron Fleet, what's going on??”
- Turn around now!
“……Please explain clearly what that means..”
- You must never, ever come this way— Chijiji— here, suddenly— huge— Chijiji— … … You should not try to land here!
What was contained in the radio cut off here and there was a clear warning message..
“……huh? Please resend!”
- Chijiji——
"Jeju International Airport, please resend! Jeju International Airport, please respond!”
I tried communicating several times after that, but the connection never worked..
And it was already at that point that Jeju International Airport began to come into view..
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