The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 172
172fury.
============================
The world's attention was focused on Europe and what happened there..
But so far, only despairing news has been conveyed..
It is said that reinforcements are being prepared from all over the world, but it will still be several days before they arrive in Europe and be deployed to the front lines........
Thus, the safety of the civilians trapped in the city shelter occupied by the giants was like a light in the wind..
however…….
- [Breaking News] Steele Rain appears in Rome… … Unannounced Titanomachy war? "No one knew.”
The first news of victory was actually delivered that Steelein had appeared in Rome, was hunting titan hoplites, and was rescuing isolated civilians..
- He came again this time? The world's attention is focused on whether Steele's activities in Rome are true.
Even so, wasn't the world in an uproar because he suddenly appeared in Yggdrasil City and captured another black dragon??
Immediately after that, it exploded, and the voices of citizens around the world who wanted him to be active were growing louder, and at that moment, he really took action as if responding to those voices..
But at first, it was thought to be just a rumor..
"Hey, does it make sense for even Steel Rain to suddenly jump in like this? That's just a rumor, don't worry about it.”
Timothy Jackson, editor-in-chief of an American media outlet, also snorted after hearing the report..
Honestly, no matter how new and mysterious Steele Rain is, jumping into such a dangerous place and rescuing civilians is... … Isn’t this a difficult scenario to understand??
And more than anything, we had received a lot of fake reports, such as where Steele Rain appeared and what he did, so we had no choice but to first become suspicious..
But it would be different if there was solid evidence.
"I… … Timmy, you need to take a look at this..”
One of his subordinates brought him a video, and when he played it, his eyes widened..
"uh? Oh, it's true! No, why is that man suddenly going to Rome and killing giants??”
He clicked his tongue at the assault of the metal giant taking place on the screen..
“Huh, anyway, is it possible to defeat a level 110 giant monster like that? ah! This is not the time to be like this, quickly put this on the portal main page.!”
- [Breaking News] Steele Lane’s trip to Rome turns out to be true as video of their performance is confirmed
- A rescue operation that even the major guilds of the EPA are reluctant to undertake, the support of citizens around the world pours in on Steele Rain, who carried out the operation alone.
"What the hell is he……."
Then the whole world began to praise Steele Lane once again..
Since he was just quietly saving the world without any corruption or any demands, he completely fit the image of a 'hero' that the world wanted..
However, just a few hours after his performance was reported, several guilds affiliated with the EPU began sending press releases to media outlets..
The content was that they were also capturing Titan Hoplites, and were even doing a much bigger job than Steelerain..
"......huh? Why do they suddenly seem like they are trying to do something in a hurry??”
Timothy Jackson, who is well-known in the industry, noticed their intentions and snorted..
Then the subordinates also nodded..
“That's right. It looks a little obvious. Those kids seemed to be really jealous ever since the rivalry between DS and Steele Lane.……."
“Tsk tsk 一 They say they are heroes carrying the world on their shoulders, but they look restless like teenage stars who care about the number of social media likes.…….”
However, the moment he checked the strategy video they sent as an attachment, Timothy Jackson's mouth opened wide as he took a bite of the donut, and the donut fell on the desk..
"and… … what? This is real?”
"If this is real, isn't it really awesome??”
"Joe, it wasn't rigged, of course.?”
The video showed the process of five players hunting four titan hoplites, showing a truly surprising hunting speed..
"It's like a perfect task force set up just to catch the titans! and… … Where on earth are you hiding this much firepower??”
First, something brown moved along the road like a river and tied up the legs of four titan hoplites like an anaconda..
kuddddud——!
「Wow, what is this?!」
「It feels like I'm stuck in the mud.!」
They started to struggle in panic, but the more they did, the thicker the brown restraints became..
And in the end, both legs were completely restrained so that they could not move..
"What is that? I can't solve it.?”
"uh… … I don't think it's solid.?”
After looking a little closer, I realized it was 'sand' and that the sand was pouring out of a red jar hanging on a man's back..
“Wow, how can that much sand come out of that small jar??”
“……Even at first glance, it is an unusual item. Maybe it's legendary level??”
Immediately after that, black rays of light erupted from somewhere, and they were bent as if attracted to a magnet, hitting the eight eyeballs of four titan hoplites accurately..
「Wow——」
In other words, they blocked the feet and took away the sight..
“Uh, I just saw that bullet... … is it?”
“I don't think it's just a bullet.”
"Yes, it's a magic bullet, but how is it so accurate??”
“……Is that also an item??”
And finally, a large figure wearing a lion skin kicked off the floor and flew up..
“……Hey, Hercules, what is it??”
The appearance was clearly that of ‘Hercules’..
And all kinds of buff skills were applied to his body, and those were the skills of the famous S-rank buffer, Nisha Kaif..
This time, 'Omega Team' also hired her to bring out the members' potential to the fullest..
Right pole 1 Right pole 1
Soon, black energy bloomed from his body, his muscles began to swell, and he kicked off the floor and leapt, swinging a black wooden blunt object in a very large trajectory..
however…….
100,000,000 won——!
It was so powerful that it crushed the head of a titan hoplite with just one blow..
100,000,000 won——!
100,000,000 won——!
One after another, one by one, in one shot…….
The video then ended with a scene where 'Hercules' stretches leisurely..
“……What, what, what happened??”
The process was so fast that I had to run it over and over again to make sure it was accurate..
Anyway, the important thing was that it took only 39 seconds to kill the four animals..
By the fourth time I watched the video, Tim Jackson was smiling and biting into the donut..
"under… … I need a picture of this..”
"yes? What picture are you talking about??”
“Man, you can't tell just by looking at it?”
"Uh... um......."
“Two lights that will save this catastrophe, two-headed carriage, etc. Well, if you create a competition structure like this, how much will the people of the world be heartbroken and excited at the same time??”
No matter how cruel an event, such as war, disaster, or crime, was a grand finale that the media could not miss..
But on top of that, if it’s a friendly competition between two groups of heroes… … It couldn't have been the best situation to gain views..
"And didn't the EPU guys send us this press release with the intention of publishing an article with that structure??”
“……Oh, is that so??”
“Hey, look at this. Otherwise, there's no way they would have emphasized in bold a phrase comparing Steele Lane's attack time and their own attack time.."
"Oh, come to think of it……."
He grinned, put down the donut and nodded..
"Let's take a look. They say that if they grow their sales like this, they can do overwhelmingly better than Steele Rain... … This is what Edward Woods did before and it all broke down.?”
"Oh, I did..”
"It looks like you've really gritted your teeth this time, so it's going to be even more fun. How ironic. This kind of catastrophe is more fun than any other show.……."
So, reports began to rush around the world on the activities of ‘Steel Rain’ and ‘Omega Team’..
And after the Omega Team's hunting video was released, the public's opinion changed significantly..
- Is Stillane’s performance just a preview? Real heroes set out to hunt giants! The revelation of the activities of the so-called ‘Omega Team’ brings a spark of hope to the world.…….
- [Breaking News] Omega Team sets out to restore Europe, starting with Vienna, Austria.
- EPU Chairman: “We will mobilize all available resources to support the Omega team. They are the hope of humanity beyond Europe.”.”
- The Omega team, which performed better than Steele Lane, claimed to be the leader of Titanomachia.!
In this way, 'Omega Team' began to emerge as a hope and solution to this situation..
Lee Hyun-wook also heard the news in Rome..
He repeatedly watched a 39-second video featuring Team Omega on his smartphone and analyzed their weapons..
"and… … Honestly, isn’t that a huge level??”
"Iknow, right. They're much faster than us.?"
On either side of Lee Hyun-wook, Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee were voicing their admiration..
"Well, if you really want to be specific, there are 5 people over there, so it's not because of the boss, it's because there aren't enough of us.……."
Having caught 19 Titan Hoplites so far, they knew better than anyone else how amazing it was to catch 4 in 39 seconds..
'……Yeah, it's ridiculous..’
And honestly, even as Lee Hyun-wook, I couldn't help but be surprised.,
This is because all kinds of 'legendary' grade items that did not appear at this time were being used in the video..
‘All you can see in this video is the Hercules armor set, pattern, and Ak-Kelte.…….'
From his recollection, they were scheduled to appear at least two or three years later..
‘That means the big guilds have been hiding those items for quite some time..’
Anyway, the players armed with such legendary weapons were the strongest players belonging to large guilds from various European countries..
‘Even though the guild they belong to is an extremist group called , that doesn't really matter. Whatever their purpose, it is true that they are one of the important weapons against the disaster that threatens the world.…….'
But there was just one problem.
‘that… … One of the members of Team Omega is a villain..’
His name was Connor O'Neill, an Irish S-rank player, also known as 'the ruler of the sand castle', and as his nickname suggested, he was a man with the ability to control sand..
‘But I've already obtained the legendary item, Sikyang... … It will be quite difficult to deal with..’
Here, sikyang (息壞) in Chinese mythology refers to the living magic sand that grows endlessly..
Connor O'Neill, who carried a jar containing such a thing on his back, boasted such great firepower that he was called the 'God of the Desert'..
If he decided to start spewing sand, he could submerge a city in a sandstorm..
‘also… … The villain side also plans to take advantage of this opportunity. Perhaps at a critical moment in the war, he and other villains will betray and target the Human Alliance.…….'
In other words, the Titanomachy and the Dark Elf Legion... … In order to take advantage of those two big events, the villain side also seemed to be making a last-ditch effort..
'In that case, if this matter is resolved properly, their arsenal will be depleted..’
As the number of villains that Lee Hyun-wook has defeated so far is considerable, their strength must have been reduced considerably..
Of course, since the final weapon, the Necromancer, still remained, I could never relax..
‘He will definitely appear in this war, and based on the last fight, he will have prepared a way to neutralize the saint... … It will never be an easy fight.’
Hyunwook Lee swallowed one adamant, took a breath, and stood up..
Then, he extended his left hand toward the large sword floating in the air about 2 meters away..
yes——
It slowly approached Hyunwook Lee..
Now, this Mowglai weighs a whopping 50 tons..
If you make the wrong move and give acceleration, you could cause several buildings to collapse like dominoes, so in-depth caution was needed..
But even at this level, if you can only exert half of your power, who will believe you??
- (!) The power of ‘Mogley (Legendary)’ is partially limited due to failure to meet certain conditions.!
‘Ha, it's been a while since I felt like I lacked control over metal.…….'
Yesterday, Mogley reached mass liberation (level 4) and weighed 50 tons..
However, before that, one Moglei achieved 'Dragon Slayer (Level 3)' and was promoted to 'Legendary' level, and mass liberation was also 'enhanced'..
‘As a result, the hero level has increased by about twice that of the level..’
Therefore, mass liberation-strengthening (step 4) is…….
'……Originally it should have been 100 tons..’
However, because there was no such level of metal control, the double reinforcement was not applied and it remained at 50 tons..
'And that's not the only problem.’
1100 tons of Mogley (Legendary) from the past life
2The original Mowglai (hero) of this life weighs 50 tons.
3~4Burn, two replica Mogleys weigh 25 tons.
The total is 200 tons…….
- Current steerable metal weight: 58,051 tons
'……I still lack control over metal, so I can't handle all four at full weight..’
Therefore, with the exception of ‘Mogley (Legendary)’, the remaining three had to maintain ‘Mass Liberation’ at ‘Level 3’..
Of course, as long as the metal control increased, the level could be increased at any time..
‘If this is the case, I will have to focus on increasing my metal control for a while.…….'
But just in time, there was a way to sharply increase metal control..
That was to increase the level of giant slayer ‘achievement’..
[Achievements List]
8) Giant Slayer (Level 1))
- Condition: Hunt 10 or more titans..
- Effect: All abilities (+20%), total mana (+20%), stun immunity(+30%)
'This achievement increases in level every time you catch 10 more animals, and the effect increases by an additional 2%..’
This was one of the best rewards you could get during this event..
Of course, it is safe to say that there are very few players who can catch that many titans.…….
‘I am possible.’
Hyunwook Lee was currently sitting on a sofa in an empty hotel. He held a cup of coffee, took a sip and closed his eyes.
Then his gaze moved to the Roman sky. That was, of course, ‘Hugin’s’ point of view..
Whoa whoa——
Soon, a group of titan hoplites were found in the city center about 2km away..
They were tearing apart a building, possibly with survivors inside..
“……Okay, I found another bunch..”
At his words, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo stood up..
"No, wait this time..”
“yes?”
“This time I'll just handle it on my own..”
“uh… … I'm not going out, I'm staying like this.?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded with his eyes closed and stretched out his left hand..
bang——!
Then Mowglai smashed the window and flew out..
"No, you don't have to open the window……."
And rises vertically towards the sky.
Whoa whoa——
When we reached an altitude higher than the clouds and higher than Hugin, the giant sword slowly stopped........
whiz——
It soon tilted and the tip of the sword pointed toward the floor..
And falls in the direction of gravity.
Whoa whoa——!
Like a ballistic missile, it was launched fiercely at its target, and the distance narrowed in an instant..
The four titan hoplites that were tearing down a building could not react..
100,000,000 won——!
That's how one guy's entire upper body was blown away..
「uh?」
「What, what?!」
The remaining three raised their shields with puzzled expressions. However, the entity that attacked him was not detected anywhere..
Just, I saw a heavy sword circling a bell tower and flying back... … The moment they captured it, they felt the fear of death..
「omg! You shouldn't get hit by that.!」
「Raise the bar, room, and shield to block.!」
'With something like that, you can never stop it..’
Zeng——!
A direct hit pierced through the guy's body through the shield, and then pierced the nape of the guy standing behind him..
「Shut up…….」
Lee Hyeon-wook slightly waved his left hand in that state, and Moglei swung loudly with the bell, cutting off the head of the last person standing next to him with one blow..
One stone——!
“……It's done.”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly opened his eyes and said..
"yes? Oh, really?”
About 2km away, he was sitting on a hotel sofa and killed four titan hoplites just by moving his left hand slightly..
However, Lee Hyun-wook did not use Moglei's skills such as 'Shockwave' or 'Mana Explosive Sword' carelessly..
They were also 'strengthened' in proportion to the mass release, and if done incorrectly, they could not only leave huge craters throughout the city of Rome, but also collapse nearby shelters..
‘39shabby…….'
They said that's how long it took Team Omega to take out a group of titan hoplites..
But honestly, I was confident that if Lee Hyun-wook did his best, he could easily overcome that level..
But that's enough now, there was no need to reveal all of his power to the world..
If the secret weapon hidden over there was revealed... … Lee Hyun-wook planned to hide it until the right time came..
***
Two more days have passed since then..
[Achievements List]
8) Giant Slayer (Level 3))
- Condition: Hunt more than 30 titans..
- Effect: All abilities (+24%), total mana (+24%), stun immunity(+34%)
'I've caught 34 so far.…….'
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo were also given Level 1 Giant Slayer status, so they were able to say they caught a total of 54, and thus succeeded in eliminating all Titan Hoplites throughout Rome..
“……Thank you so much.!”
The middle-aged man who said this was a high-ranking official of the city of Rome with the title of Director of Shelter Safety Management..
“On behalf of the city of Rome, I would like to express my gratitude. We will never forget this favor!”
He continued to express his gratitude, almost in tears..
And behind him, numerous players gathered fully armed, all of whom were isolated in Rome..
Of course, no matter how many of them gathered together, they didn't have the discretion to deal with a level 110 giant monster..
However, as Lee Hyun-wook had completely cleared this area, he came out with confidence and began to build a defense line in case of an unexpected situation..
"yes, good luck.”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and lifted his body into the air..
Prydwen was waiting there, and Talos stood tall behind him..
Someone took a picture of the scene and posted it on the Internet, and numerous articles were produced based on the photo..
- Steele Retakes Rome in 3 Days!
But the news was quickly buried by bigger issues..
- Omega team moves west after recapturing Vienna, the capital of Austria. “The next target is the German city center,” advancing like a tank.!
- Omega team enters Munich... … Munich citizens cheer at the appearance of true heroes.
- Omega Team shows off its power by taking on 3 groups of 15 Titan Hoplites at the same time in Munich.!
They were definitely faster than Lee Hyun-wook..
That's because the Omega Team itself had tremendous firepower, but it was also supported by many large guilds..
- The overwhelming firepower of Omega Team's five members is estimated to have killed a total of 91 giants so far.…….
It seemed like only the 5 members of Omega Team were active, but there were probably hundreds of players behind them assisting with the operation..
That didn't mean it was bad. It was natural to do everything possible to prevent this disaster..
however…….
"Boss, just look at this for a second..”
While traveling north on the Pridwen, Sehee Kim suddenly held out her smartphone..
It was a live broadcast of some news, and at first glance it seemed to be the scene of the Omega team in action..
However, at the top, the phrase [Mentioning Omega Team and Steele Rain] caught my eye..
And there was a large man holding a microphone with the corpse of a titan hoplite in the background..
- ……Well, uh, can I use this broadcast to say something to that Steele Lane and that friend??
- Yes, you can.
- Stillane, my name is Alexander Chekhov. Well, of course you know.?
He was a level 91 berserker player and was famous as the next best bruiser after Han Taesan..
But now, he is wearing the best tank item set that significantly increases his strength and stamina, and he is always wearing Nisha Kaif's buff, so he must be the best bruiser in the world right now..
He represented the Omega team and mentioned Lee Hyun-wook during the live broadcast..
- ……I wanted to contact you separately, but there wasn't a good way. Anyway, I enjoyed the recapture of Rome. As expected, it lives up to its name.?
He scratched his cheek with a thick finger and opened his mouth again..
- But I wonder if there is any reason to move like a lone wolf like that. That looks kind of cool, but... … Ugh, you know that’s not what’s important, right??
"......."
At that point, Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee, who were watching from the side, noticed Lee Hyun-wook..
- Well, if you really want to save this country, not like some gay K-pop star trying to look cool to the girls sitting in front of the TV.…….
He made a somewhat solemn expression and then uttered his last words..
- I want to tell you to come under us and fight together. That's truly what you're doing for the world..
"一Ha, do I really have to say it so unluckily??”
Kim Se-hee complained, and Hani, who was sitting on her shoulder, raised her middle finger toward the smartphone screen..
‘what… … The inside is clearly visible.’
Now, based on thorough calculation, they were provoking Lee Hyun-wook and telling him to come under their wing..
Of course, he didn't really want Lee Hyun-wook to join, he just wanted to use the reputation he had built so far to rise to even greater heights..
And already within a few days, the world recognized that Team Omega was stronger than Steele Lane..
But then
Go, oh, oh, oh, oh——
On the screen, behind Alexander Chekhov, a red light was seen rising from quite far away..
Hyunwook Lee suddenly raised his head and looked out the window of Friedwen, and saw the same red ray of light rising from the northern sky..
- huh? What is that again??
While everyone on and off the screen looked at the scene with expressions of incomprehension, only Lee Hyun-wook noticed the true nature of the phenomenon..
'……The second act of Titanomachia has opened..’
Since we had captured a significant number of Titan Hoplites, we could say that Phase 2 of this event had begun..
‘This is starting soon.’
Until now, small-scale local wars had been fought against the titan hoplites that appeared throughout Europe, but now they are gathering in one place to form a true army..
'……If hundreds of these giants gather in one place and advance in a so-called square, it becomes impossible to deal with them in the same way as before..’
In other words, it could be said that the ‘war’ with the Titans had only now truly begun..
But then, a system message appeared in his eyes..
- (!) You have automatically participated in the war event 'Titanomachia: Grand Battle'..
“Uh, do you see this now??”
and…….
- ‘‘War Hero’ achievement effect is activated.
"Ah, now that I think about it, there was this……."
[Achievements List]
6) war hero
- Condition: Achieve maximum achievement in the war event.
- Effect: All abilities increase when participating in a war event (+50%)
'If you do this well... … You can take 100 tons.’
At that point, Lee Hyun-wook imagined.
A phalanx formed by hundreds of titans... … Advance as solid as those mountains…….
'……no one can break through.’
However, if you slam a 100-ton God Staff on top of it and then explode a shockwave proportional to it... … Indeed, can the Phalanx be maintained??
Comments