The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 16
16. Explosive growth and opportunity - 1
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Lee Hyun-wook stood facing the orc with a sword and shield..
“······Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! Oh, orcs are so dangerous!”
Choi Seon-ah's worried voice rang from behind..
She had watched Lee Hyun-wook's amazing performance from the sidelines, but she still thought it was impossible to deal with an orc..
And that was a natural decision..
“Oh, no! Hang in there on the bus······.”
However, Lee Hyun-wook did not respond and moved towards the large monster..
I couldn't avoid the fight since I had already faced it..
‘If you look away from this moment, your head will be blown off..’
All orcs were well-trained warriors, so even Lee Hyun-wook could never let down his guard..
‘Fortunately, he hasn't noticed my abilities yet..’
Otherwise, I wouldn't do something stupid like pull the throwing ax out of my shoulder and throw it behind my back..
Hyunwook Lee checked the location of the ax and then faced the orc..
The orcs moved first.
Ahhh!
It lunged, raising its battle ax above its head..
‘It is an attack that strikes with force.!’
He used his 'control' on the tip of the orc's raised battle ax and pulled it backwards..
Then his body seemed to flinch even slightly..
Ugh!
Even a large man like an orc would inevitably lose his balance momentarily if a 5kg weight was suddenly hung on the tip of his weapon..
At the same time, Lee Hyun-wook stepped to the right, out of the guy's field of vision, and naturally let go of the sword he was holding in his right hand..
I literally relaxed my grip and let it go in the air..
s-ruk-
Pommel escaped Lee Hyun-wook's grasp..
However, its eyes were still following Lee Hyun-wook's head and could not find the 'sword' moving close to the ground..
next moment,
deeply!
The 'sword' got stuck in his right thigh..
······Yeah?
The guy stumbled and made a puzzled expression..
It has to be that way.
‘It's now.’
Lee Hyun-wook rushed forward and hit the orc in the chin with the edge of his shield..
puck!
Next, he swung a 'hard body' fist at the guy who was taking a step back..
Wow!
Lee Hyun-wook's right hook was placed precisely on the back of the guy's head..
That's it······
No matter how Orc he was, he couldn't stand on his own two feet when the goal-scoring damage exploded three times in a row..
The guy stumbled and fell down..
Even though he was in such a groggy state, he showed the appearance of a seasoned warrior by raising his battle ax and trying to defend against follow-up attacks.······.
Ugh!
The sound of watermelon breaking,
A throwing ax was stuck in the back of the guy's head..
No matter how experienced a warrior he was, he couldn't block an attack coming from behind..
“So, if you leave a dangerous object anywhere, will it be used?.”
He slowly lowered his raised hand..
“uh······.”
“Wow, this is awesome······.”
“That guy, those rumors were all true.!”
A faint exclamation could be heard from inside the bus..
Until just a moment ago, they were soldiers from the headquarters company who had ignored Lee Hyun-wook, calling him F-class..
Pfung-
Lee Hyun-wook pulled the sword from the orc's thigh..
“no! Careful!”
I heard someone shouting.
I turned around and saw an orc running like a bull..
Thump-thump-thump-thump-
Just before colliding with the guy, Lee Hyun-wook put a hard body on both arms..
‘This can't be stopped with one hand!’
It's literally like a bull charging..
He dropped his sword and grabbed his shield with both hands..
I put my right foot back and put all my weight and control of the metal on my shield..
Immediately afterwards, a battle ax fell on the shield..
Kwa-ang!
metal on metal collision,
A huge shock flowed through my wrist, shaking my shoulders and knees..
“······Pfft!”
My intestines were shaking and I felt nauseous for a moment..
However, even at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook's senses did not miss the 'sword' freely falling under the shield..
‘-good!’
It lifted its head according to Lee Hyun-wook's will..
Cha-ak!
The sword fired vertically cut through the orc's crotch..
The tendon in his thigh must have been cut, and the orc slumped down..
Just like the guy I killed just before, a look of bewilderment is evident on his face..
He looked like he didn't know where that sword suddenly came from..
“Yeah, I understand how you feel..”
Hyun-wook Lee named this the 'Hidden Sword', which involves placing the sword outside the enemy's field of vision and then moving it with control to make a surprise attack..
‘No one considers a sword that has left the enemy's hand to be a threat. And that's why we push it out of awareness and focus only on the enemy in front of us..’
Hidden Sword was a move that delves into that prejudice..
Even now, the game is decided with just one hit from the hidden sword..
Lee Hyun-wook raised his shield and struck the orc in the face..
Sigh!
My nose gets crushed in one hit,
Sigh!
Teeth erupted in two chambers..
Kuk-kuk!
It ended with three rooms..
“Huh, these two······.”
Lee Hyun-wook picked up his sword and looked around..
Orc skirmishers move in groups of three. There must be one more somewhere.
however······.
“-Wow!”
A woman's scream was heard from somewhere. Lee Hyun-wook ran to the back of the bus..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! It's over there!”
Choi Seon-ah leaned out the window and pointed somewhere..
An orc was running over the guardrail and into the forest..
And there was a female soldier hanging on his shoulder..
He was so limp that he probably fainted..
Lee Hyun-wook used his ability to pull the metal battle ax strapped to the guy's back, but there was no way he could stop the guy..
“shit!”
This was also unexpected.
It was a good thing that Lee Hyun-wook stepped forward and saved two people, but that was why one orc changed his course and kidnapped the female soldier..
‘I can't face it with my eyes open.’
The most important thing in an emergency situation is cool-headed judgment.,
And the determination to put it into action..
Tongue!
Lee Hyeon-wook put his shield down on the floor and held his sword in reverse..
“after······.”
Then I take a breath and pull the sword behind my back.,
Hung-
I threw it with all my might..
In fact, here, throwing a weapon at the back of a running orc is really crazy..
Because the hostage hanging on your shoulder could be hit..
‘but i am different.’
The sword that left Hyunwook Lee's hand took on an unnatural flight..
Instead of falling in a parabola, it chased the orc's back like a guided missile..
It was so accurate.
Fu-wook-
The sword pierced the orc's neck..
The huge figure fell down onto the grass..
***
After dealing with the three orcs, I looked around the area, but there was no significant movement..
As expected, they were 'skirmishers' and seemed to be moving away from the main force..
‘The kidnapping attempt was probably done because he was a scout..’
Orcs are not a race that avoids battle, much less show their backs..
However, because he was a scout, he seemed to consider search and reconnaissance, and even reporting to the main unit, more important than combat..
Hyunwook Lee searched the orc corpses..
In addition to the 3 mana stones, one decent item was found..
- ‘Obtained ‘Earth Orb (Level 3)’.
It was a higher grade than the 'Orb' purchased at the PX military item store yesterday..
“If it's a level 3 Earth Orb... it's about 4 million won.?”
Typically, item ownership belongs to the organization with dungeon access authority..
Guild, AMT, etc..
However, if the item is obtained after counterattacking after being attacked by a monster outside the 'Red Ground' or the right to attack has not yet been determined, the first acquirer is given the right to own it..
In other words, this item belonged to Lee Hyun-wook. It was like making quite a bit of money through a short affair..
It was then.
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu-
Two black SUVs came up from the bottom of the mountain and stopped right next to the bus..
“what is this?”
Ensign Zentapja frowned and approached next to him..
“Who is there! This road is not an ordinary road, but a military road. You can't come up carelessly.!”
The back door of the first SUV opened and someone got out..
It was a woman.
But even at first glance, its appearance was unusual..
“What, what?······.”
Set of dreadlocks, sunglasses with purple lenses and gray striped suit.······.
If you just look at it that far, you'll think it's just an unusual style, but if you see a spider the size of your palm crawling around on her shoulder and nape,······
Kik-rit! Ki-rit!
It seemed like the sentiment would change drastically..
She ignored the ensign blocking her path and passed by..
“······uh?”
While the second lieutenant was hesitating, as if embarrassed, a man got off the passenger seat and handed out a business card..
“This is Cheonghwa Guild..”
“······Oh, is that so??”
Like this, the one who arrived before the 2nd Battalion's 5-minute standby team was the 'Raid Team' from the Cheonghwa Guild, which happened to be passing nearby..
If Lee Hyun-wook had not intervened, they would have arrived and ended the situation only after two people were dead..
The woman stopped in front of Lee Hyun-wook..
“there you.”
She took off her sunglasses while calling out to Lee Hyun-wook..
“yes?”
However, the moment Lee Hyun-wook checked her features, he couldn't stop his frown from frowning..
‘······What, why is this woman here?.’
Because it was a familiar face..
And it was also a face I didn't want to remember..
This woman, who seemed to be overflowing with narcissism at first glance, was Catherine Yu, the second daughter of Korea's strongest private guild and an A-level player..
‘Hae Hae-na······.’
It may be called that now, but not in the future..
‘After being pushed out in a succession battle within the Cheonghwa Guild, he joins the Blue Tree..’
is the world's leading company headed by villain leader Gordon Price. And he was also the core of the villain organization..
In other words, this woman is a player who will become a ‘villain’ in the future..
She raised her index finger toward Lee Hyun-wook’s chest..
It was to check the name periodic table of the combat uniform..
“My name is Hyeonwook Lee. Rank... corporal? Am I right? I don't know much about military ranks..”
“······.”
Lee Hyun-wook did not answer..
It was unpleasant.
It wasn't because of her arrogant attitude, but the very presence of this woman was unpleasant..
‘Is it because she is the woman who killed Seo Eun-ha?······.’
Seo Eun-ha, who sacrificed herself to protect Lee Hyun-wook.······.
She was swept away by a swarm of ‘man-eating demons’ controlled by this woman, Yoo Hae-na..
Lee Hyun-wook remembered that scene and frowned without realizing it..
She looked at Lee Hyun-wook's face, smiled and continued speaking..
“Are you embarrassed? i know.”
I think I misread your expression.······.
“I saw it all, you turning three orcs like that. I heard your skills are useful..”
Anyway, Yoo Hae-na's ability was to control bugs. She is not an ordinary bug, but controls millions of 'demon bugs' cultivated through magic..
He probably heard the 'public emergency rescue signal' and then launched a flying bug to check what was happening here..
“I'm late in my introduction, but my name is Catherine Yu, head of the Cheonghwa Guild's Seoul strategy department. I only saw it briefly, but the way you fight. It was interesting.”
The second daughter of the Cheonghwa Guild viewed it favorably... It was a situation that would have made an ordinary AMT soldier drool, but for Lee Hyun-wook, it was an irritating situation..
She took a business card out of her purse with her index and middle fingers and held it out gracefully, twisting her wrist..
“Is the grade?”
However, Lee Hyun-wook was well aware of this woman’s wicked psychology..
Rather than really admiring Lee Hyun-wook's skills and wanting to recruit her, she was a person who enjoyed reminding herself of her authority and position by handing out business cards to people she thought were insignificant..
‘But I know another side of this woman well. A very childish back view.’
As the second daughter of a large guild, she grew up being treated like a princess her whole life, and even after becoming a player, she received the best treatment..
Until now, I had everything I wanted in my hands, and most people would have bowed their heads with just one word from her..
‘Anyone who touches her pride becomes a challenge to her..’
The brothers who were always superior to her,
S-rank players with unattainable power,
And, in a minor way, even the lowly player who refuses to hand out business cards, which is her bad taste..
‘I try to conquer anything that bothers me by any means possible..’
Yes, it was her strange desire that could be called 'conquest' rather than a challenge..
‘In other words, in order to properly use this woman who has not yet become a villain,······.’
Lee Hyun-wook did not even look at the business card due to thorough calculation..
“······.”
Then Yoo Hae-na's expression gradually hardened..
Her elegant fingertips trembled slightly as she lost her way..
“I'm sorry, but I don't know why you need to tell me my personal information..”
“······Hmm, a phone call would probably find out anyway. Please tell me.”
“Then use that phone..”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and turned around..
At that moment, Yoo Hae-na's left eyebrow twitched twice..
My pride must have been very hurt..
“He's more fun than he looks...?”
One corner of her mouth turned up..
As expected, that strange desire to conquer is rising..
The ideal desire to somehow hold it in one's hand and place it at one's feet..
‘Because it was like that in my past life too.’
The reason Lee Hyun-wook knew so well about this woman’s psychology was because he experienced it in his past life..
At the time when he had just realized how to grow his abilities, Lee Hyun-wook belonged to a small guild..
At that time, by chance, I ran into Yoo Hae-na, and she blatantly ignored Lee Hyeon-wook's guild and guild master, but then elegantly held out a business card with the word 'Cheonghwa' written on it..
Hyunwook Lee did not receive the business card..
Furthermore, he ignored her and passed her by..
‘After that, I suffered a lot. This woman went through all sorts of trouble to somehow recruit me. She even killed me with my own hands······.’
Lee Hyun-wook was shaken when he remembered that time..
“hey. Would you like to receive a business card? It must be hard to get a business card of this value..”
“it's okay.”
“······.”
At that time, a truck came down from the direction of the unit..
An appearance that did not live up to its name, it was a 5-minute wait..
And a white car followed behind it.······.
‘What, why is that woman again?······.’
Unfortunately, the driver was sad..
‘Why does it always appear after I've killed all the monsters? That too, in the place where Yoo Hae-na is.······.’
Now even he had doubts..
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