The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 13
13. Unconventional offers and vacations - 1
===========================
Lee Hyun-wook checked again the item sticking out from the kobold's body..
- ‘Obtained ‘Devil’s Medal (Inferno)’.
It looked like a small jewel..
‘This is ridiculous. This is where it came from······.’
Daemon Medal)
As the name suggests, it was an item containing the power of the demonic race ‘Demon’..
‘Among the high-ranking race medal series, Inferno is one of the most useful..’
Inferno often means ‘hell fire’..
‘At first, Inferno, the savior of Busan, had this.······.’
Inferno is an incredibly strong player at this point, but by obtaining this item that fits his nickname, he will be able to unleash even more powerful fire powers..
The sight of magma rising and sweeping away everything like ocean waves... Lee Hyun-wook remembered that red-hot disaster and swallowed dry saliva without realizing it..
However, even such an Inferno was no match for the ‘Necromancer’..
The savior of Busan single-handedly blocks the undead army that covers the sea off Busan, and eventually escapes.······.
‘······I ended up becoming an undead.’
After that, this medal also falls into the hands of the necromancer..
‘After that, I heard that they used this to create the brimstone corpse golem, that terrible biological weapon..’
Haeundae Marine City, Busan, a tens-meter-tall corpse golem that destroyed the skyscraper... A concrete forest that was brutally ravaged by green fire.······.
Lee Hyun-wook vividly remembered that scene and stuck out his tongue without realizing it..
The necromancer was truly the worst enemy..
“······This puts me one step, no, two steps ahead of him..”
gulp-
He swallowed the item straight away, wondering if anyone would see it..
There was kobold blood on it, but I couldn't afford to worry about that..
- caution! There is already ‘metal’ being absorbed. There is a delay in absorption.
“Huh... Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, are you done now??”
Ahn Min-tae approached and asked..
“Don't let your guard down yet.”
At one word from Lee Hyun-wook, the entire squad began to be alert to the surroundings..
But there were no living kobolds..
In Lee Hyun-wook’s senses, there was no metal moving other than his squad members..
“Deputy commander. I think it's all over.”
“ah······.”
Choi Seon-ah nodded with a dumbfounded expression..
Lee Hyun-wook looked back at his squad members. They also had a similar expression to Choi Seon-ah..
‘I need to sort out my complicated emotions..’
Lee Hyun-wook thought it was a moment when praise was needed for the future. Since he would have to lead them and fight several times in the future, he needed to instill confidence for himself..
“Well done everyone.”
With those words, all eyes focused on Lee Hyun-wook..
“Everyone handled it well without making a single mistake. As I asked yesterday.”
Only then did they realize that Lee Hyun-wook's advice that he would not be able to protect his own life if he neglected training had actually come to pass, like a prophecy..
Lee Hyun-wook then made eye contact with Park Jun-mo..
“Especially Park Jun-mo. You played a decisive role in clearing out the remnants of the gang..”
“······ah! Go, thank you!”
Park Jun-mo was surprised and nodded..
When a gate opened in the compound and he encountered a goblin, he looked foolish and became discouraged after hearing a shout..
But this time, I received tremendous praise. Even a decisive role... Park Jun-mo lowered his head as his eyes seemed to be getting very red..
“Ahn Min-tae, you were as reliable as a corporal..”
“Well, that's a given. haha······.”
Even though he said that, he couldn't hide his gummy smile..
“And the deputy commander.”
“huh?”
“It's funny that I even dare to say this, but the suppression fire command at the end was very appropriate. If I had hesitated for a split second, I would have missed a few, but I'm really glad..”
“······ah!”
In fact, when she gave the order, the squad members hesitated and looked at Lee Hyun-wook, and only when Lee Hyun-wook raised the muzzle did they follow the command..
anyway,
Only then did Choi Seon-ah regain her vitality and smile..
“thank you! I'm glad no one got hurt, really.······.”
Then, tears welled up in my eyes.?
It was because the tension was momentarily relieved..
As expected... Looking at him like this, it looks like he still hasn't completely taken off his high school clothes..
It was then.
Ku-goong-
A heavy vibration rang from somewhere. Everyone lowered their posture and raised their guns..
Something had landed on the brown brick wall behind me..
“Oh, that person······.”
It was a knight wearing black ‘full plate armor’..
‘Eunha Seo.’
100,000,000!
She threw herself lightly toward the floor and landed heavily..
‘Tsk, I thought it was going to be a noisy time, but it's serious..’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at her disapprovingly without realizing it..
Long in the future, Lee Hyun-wook told her over and over again to tread carefully, no matter how heavy the knight..
It wasn't some kind of 'superhero landing', it was about whether there was a need to land in such a spectacular way..
‘This was also one of the things I whined about when I was drunk, I guess..’
For a moment, Lee Hyun-wook wondered if he, like 2nd Platoon Leader Lee Hee-min, had caught the pod without realizing it..
But no matter how much you think about it, what he gave was advice that became your bones and flesh..
‘No problem, of course..’
Cheol-kkeok!
At that time, Seo Eun-ha's face covering, 'Visor' went up..
Then her completely embarrassed expression was revealed..
“······.”
“Thank you for your hard work. An unexpected situation occurred, but it was successfully suppressed..”
Lee Hyun-wook gave her a salute..
But her eyes were full of unknown hostility..
The next moment, she raised her great sword and pointed the tip at Lee Hyun-wook..
“······Hey you.”
“please say yes.”
“······What on earth are you??”
Something similar to this happened a while ago.
A sudden accident, a situation where she rushed to the scene but it was already over, and even that soldier standing unharmed in the middle of it all.······.
One of Seo Eunha’s eyebrows twitched. Even though there was no makeup, a blush spread across her pure white skin. It was because of a strong question.
“yes? what are you saying?”
“Just like last time, how did you do it??”
“······I still don't know what you're talking about.”
It was then.
“······everyone!”
A loud noise began to be heard from the alley inside..
“I'm ready for battle!”
2It was the voice of the platoon leader, Lee Hee-min..
He returned in a hurry, leading the 3rd and 4th squads..
But like Seo Eun-ha, it was one step too late..
“······Uh, uh?”
He looked around with an expression full of confusion, then looked at Seo Eun-ha..
“Seo Eun-ha! what? Why are you here? No way, you took care of everything.?”
Seo Eun-ha shook her head without answering..
“what? no? So what, what, what happened??”
Lee Hee-min looked even more embarrassed than Seo Eun-ha, and was drenched in cold sweat..
It had to be that way..
He was the person in charge of the intermediate base, and since a very serious problem had occurred, he would not be able to avoid censure..
His embarrassment turned into irritation and he naturally turned to Vice Squad Leader Choi Seon-ah..
“this! this! Choi Seon-ah! What happened! Shit, I told you to take care of it so you don't get into trouble.!”
“Ah, platoon leader, that······.”
He huffed and approached Choi Seon-ah with the intention of striking her, but Choi Seon-ah unknowingly took a step back..
I could see my shoulders instinctively shriveling, no matter how much I was usually hurt..
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook blocked his path..
“Platoon commander, I will report to you..”
“what? What are you? I told you, fuck, to figure out the topic.?”
Lee Hee-min couldn't control his anger and, like a pissed off goat, he banged his bulletproof helmet against Lee Hyun-wook's bulletproof helmet..
“······All right. Then, I will report it directly to the battalion commander..”
“what? How dare this F-class bastard bring up the battalion commander?!”
However, Lee Hyun-wook was looking somewhere other than Lee Hee-min..
“huh? Where is this guy looking?······.”
Next, a scene was produced that made Lee Hee-min's heart pound even more violently..
Woo-woo-ung-
The sound of an engine was heard from behind..
1It was a ho car.
The battalion commander's car passed through the alley and stopped in front of the intermediate base..
chin-
Soon the passenger door opened, and the druid of Namsan, Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok, stood tall..
Lee Hee-min took a deep breath as he looked up at the large figure..
“Chu, loyalty! Battalion commander, a situation of unknown cause occurred, and we have now finished sorting out the situation, but ah, we still don't have the exact information! I will report back after investigating a little more.!”
As he saluted, his right hand trembled like an aspen tree..
Kim Kang-seok's thick hand rested on his shoulder..
“2Platoon leader.”
“······omg! 2nd Platoon Commander, Lee Hee-min!”
“2The platoon leader is out of the way..”
“uh, yeah?”
“Are you trying to force me to report what you know when you just came in from outside the intermediate base? Don't let me waste your time. Don't you know that I hate formality??”
“······Sorry, sorry!”
Kim Kang-seok passed by Lee Hee-min without answering..
Lee Hee-min trembled, rolled his eyes, and looked at the back of the battalion commander. He stopped in front of Lee Hyun-wook..
“5Squad leader.”
“Corporal, Lee Hyun-wook!”
“you report.”
Unlike Lee Hee-min, who was shaking his head, Lee Hyun-wook nodded with a calm expression, and looking at the scene, Lee Hee-min couldn't help but make an expression as if he had chewed shit..
“Yes, I will report it to you. During intermediate base installation and guard operations, black magic type wide-area abnormal status magic occurred in the sewers, and we responded with MOPP level 3. Afterwards, a group of kobolds attempted a surprise attack and were overpowered after a battle. It is assumed that they are the remnants that hid from surveillance during the first eruption..”
“······.”
“Battalion commander, could you please give me a detailed report? About how I, an F-level person, responded..”
Kim Kang-seok shook his head..
“I'll listen to that later, and since we're still in operation, I'll give you the next order..”
The battalion commander began to scan the traces of battle scattered throughout the intermediate base..
Dozens of corpses, M9 bayonets stuck in them... Lee Hyun-wook saw Kim Kang-seok's eyebrow twitch once..
“······Now, from now on, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha will command the intermediate base here..”
Kim Kang-seok said that and looked at Seo Eun-ha..
She seemed a little embarrassed, but immediately saluted..
“Yes, I will..”
Lee Hyun-wook waited for the next words..
“And Lee Hyun-wook, you will perform the duties of the 1st squad leader as I mentioned earlier. Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha and other members of the attack platoon are waiting nearby, so you won't endanger the two squads like you were worried... no, like you pretended to be worried. Is there a valid reason to reject this order??”
“······doesn't exist.”
“Move immediately. And prove to me that you are the best you can be.”
Lee Hyun-wook saluted and looked at Ahn Min-tae and nodded..
5It meant asking for a squad..
When I turned towards the gate, I made eye contact with Myungho Cheon, who was sitting in the back seat of car number 1..
“······.”
Lee Hyun-wook saluted him and quickly passed by..
Cheon Myeong-ho looked at his back with an expressionless expression..
“under······.”
He let out a low sigh without realizing it and looked at the scenery he had created..
“What on earth is that?······.”
he shook his head.
“Even if I saw it wrong, I definitely saw it wrong.”
Now I even felt a little annoyed..
“······It's not a leopard, it's just a tiger?”
In his eyes, Lee Hyun-wook's back appeared even larger..
***
That day, the gate was closed around 7 PM and all operations were completed..
and the next day,
1In the counseling room of the company barracks, three privates were sitting on the sofa..
“······and! crazy! So, what happened next??”
The person who asked this with an excited face was Seong-min Ko, a private from the 1st squad..
Since he was on vacation during the last Itaewon operation, he was unaware of the numerous events that occurred before and after, but he was hearing about these amazing events from two of his colleagues..
“I don't know what happened, but Corporal Lee Hyun-wook suddenly came in front of us.······.”
He frowned and started imitating Lee Hyun-wook..
“······I direct you. Yes, you will be dissatisfied. I know. It doesn't matter if you show off like you do now, but if you don't follow orders, you will be summarily executed. This is real combat, and my words are orders as a leader..”
“what? Does that make sense? don't lie!”
“It's real! anyway! When I said that, a few people responded with a small yes, but hmm... the atmosphere was really strange. Especially the expression on Corporal Kim Geun-ho's face, who was the temporary squad leader, was really...······.”
Hyunwook Lee performed the duties of the 1st squad leader according to the battalion commander's orders..
That was pretty successful too.
“What was more shocking was the third eruption..”
“······Why what??”
The story that followed was actually close to a heroic tale..
3When the car erupted, the elite monster ‘Kobold Bomber’ appeared..
He was a quite difficult opponent, carrying explosives on his body and either throwing them or detonating himself..
It was even difficult to accurately select and dispose of kobolds because they were mixed in with a large number of miscellaneous kobolds..
However, Corporal Lee Hyun-wook selected their locations and ordered a wide-area 'freezing' magic attack around them, tying their feet and directing sniping, and successfully captured them..
“······On the other hand, the 2nd squad led by the platoon leader had 3 tankers injured. Well, it's definitely a very successful result, but Corporal Lee Hyun-wook was perfect..”
“Wow... Then I made a more accurate decision than the 1st platoon leader.?”
“In fact, that's it..”
“No, wait! The 1st platoon leader is an elite in his own right! I heard that he will soon become the 3rd Battalion's attack platoon leader? Grade F was better than that person.?”
Gu Seong-min still had an expression of disbelief..
It was then.
Squeak-
They say even a tiger will come if you tell it to, and the door to the counseling room opened and Lee Hyun-wook came in..
“······uh?”
“ah! Corporal Lee Hyun-wook······.”
“Wed, thank you for your hard work.!”
The three people bowed their heads, hiding their surprised expressions..
Hyunwook Lee nodded lightly and opened the shared refrigerator..
“I... Corporal Lee Hyun-wook.”
“huh?”
“Congratulations!”
“······what?”
“that! Aren't you going to receive a commendation from the battalion commander today? I heard that the battalion commander who was meeting for dinner in the afternoon will visit in person..”
“Oh, that? yes, thank you.”
Hyunwook Lee said that and took out a drink..
“I am Corporal Lee Hyun-wook.!”
As he was about to leave, a private stopped Lee Hyun-wook..
The guy hesitated, smiled shyly, and then opened his mouth..
“I think it was truly perfect command during the last battle. I also had a dissatisfied expression on my face at the time... and I'm sorry even now. I will be careful in the future.”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled and nodded..
“Yes, thank you for following along then..”
“yes! rest in peace!”
So let Hyunwook Lee go out.······
“after······.”
The privates then let out a trembling breath..
“Hey, was it this nerve-wracking to talk to Corporal Lee Hyun-wook??”
“That's why I got nervous without even realizing it. after······.”
And only then did Gu Seong-min nod his head again and again..
“and! Everything I said so far is true?”
“That's right, kid!”
“Wow Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, even the look in his eyes is quite different. You seem like a completely different person?”
“Oh, that's right······.”
Now, not only Lee Hyun-wook has changed..
The company members’ perspectives on Lee Hyun-wook also changed..
In this way, if you make an overwhelming contribution, your position will change..
The most important factor in evaluating people is their skills..
***
“Pfft!”
Lee Hyun-wook drank a drink from the public refrigerator and then ran to the bathroom..
Tongue!
He grabbed the toilet and groaned..
It was because of the pain that felt like my insides were burning..
The reason is that······.
- Metal absorption is complete. : Devil's Medal (Inferno)
* Steerable metal weight increased. : 499g
by this······.
- A 'breath room' is forming in the stomach. (2%)
* May be accompanied by extreme pain!
It was because of this.
It was a process of absorbing the Devil's Medal and gaining new skills..
The so-called Breath Room, simply put, refers to a special organ in the body of a monster that uses a 'breath' attack like a dragon to emit something..
At this moment, such an organ was being created in Lee Hyun-wook’s body..
‘I've experienced it once, but my body is still weak and it's much more painful..’
My whole body was boiling and my stomach felt like it was melting..
The breath room is a kind of 'furnace' and also a 'combustion engine' like a jet engine..
It was a terrible thing, as it is not easy to understand that something like that could happen to a fragile human body..
“Big, ugh······.”
While he was sitting on the floor and moaning, he heard Park Jun-mo's voice from outside..
“······Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! are you here?”
Lee Hyun-wook suppressed his voice and slowly took a breath..
“Huh... Uh, okay. It's a bathroom.”
“ah! sorry! It is said that the award ceremony will begin soon. This is the company commander's order to stand by for rehearsals..”
I felt even more pain than in my previous life. I could tolerate this much..
“Yeah, it's coming out soon..”
He got up and leaned against the wall..
*** *
“Corporal! Hyunwook Lee! thank you!”
With all members of the company gathered, Lee Hyun-wook received a commendation..
Unlike usual, the battalion commander came out and delivered it in person..
Clap-clap-clap-clap-clap-
‘I'm going crazy.’
My whole body felt like it was on fire, but I didn't show it as much as I could..
Perhaps because his face was a little red, people around him could hear that Corporal Lee Hyun-wook seemed quite impressed, but that was all he got..
The battalion commander opened his mouth..
“Since you have made a much bigger contribution than the last time the gate occurred in the compound, you will be given a considerable reward. If there's anything you want, you can tell me directly..”
Two achievements in a few days, resulting in a considerable amount of reward points accumulated..
‘Even if I make enough for a vacation, I can still go shopping..’
I thought I could get some good stuff at a military item store..
First of all, I thought I should buy a pain-reducing potion or something to suppress the burning pain..
“Oh, and. Let’s eat dinner together tonight. I have something to say.”
“Yes, I understand.”
‘······shit.’
Unfortunately, I didn't have time to buy the potion..
Hyunwook Lee followed the battalion commander to the officers’ cafeteria..
The staff were sitting around a round table that looked like something you would find in a Chinese restaurant, and glass cutlery was set up..
The atmosphere was quite upscale, unbecoming of the military, but the food was prepared at an average level, only slightly better than the soldiers' cafeteria..
“Yesterday, you remember what I said about testing you..”
“Yes that's right.”
Kim Kang-seok raised his coffee cup and looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
He paused, taking a sip of coffee, then slowly opened his mouth..
“······Commission as an AMT officer, Lee Hyeon-wook..”
This time, an unconventional offer came in again..
Comments