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The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 174

174fury. 

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The reason Lee Hyun-wook was late to participate in the giant slalom was because he needed some time to maximize his ‘metal control’..

He absorbed metal non-stop all the way to Dresden, while hunting every titan hoplite in sight..

As a result…….

[Achievements List]

8) Giant Slayer (Level 6))

- Condition: Hunt more than 60 titans..

- Effect: All abilities (+30%), total mana (+30%), stun immunity(+40%)

In addition to this achievement, the 'stacked' achievement was also activated, so metal control increased sharply. And just before arriving in Dresden, the metal control succeeded in reaching 100 tons..

Immediately after, he launched the ‘War Box’ into low-Earth orbit and loaded the 100-ton ‘No. 1 Morgley’ into it..

'Okay, if it's like this... … It is also possible to destroy the infamous Deus Phalanx..’

The Deus Phalanx, a phalanx of about a hundred titan hoplites gathered under the command of a named titan, was surrounded by an almost impenetrable magic shield as a passive effect..

And at certain times, it creates a wide-ranging skill named 'Giant's Advance', that is, a powerful earthquake... … It was used to collapse obstacles that were difficult for the Deus Phalanx to enter..

‘For example, in the city center…….'

In other words, Dresden was destined to disappear from the map..

However, Lee Hyun-wook changed that fate..

‘Put a 100-ton large sword on top of them..’

The simulation had already been run several times in his head, and as a result, he decided that it would work..

‘Just one shot is enough.’

His left hand dropped, like a starting signal..

A straight line was drawn from the distant sky all the way to the ground, as if crossing the world..

100t's giant sword struck a single point with a large amount of gravitational acceleration.,

As if a heavy object had fallen on the water, the ground in the area liquefied and rose into the air..

A sight as if a mountain range were rising…….

Qua—ah—ah—ah—ah——!

And everything above it—the titans being torn apart—caught glimpses of it through Hugin's point of view..

In the face of the destructive power that could blow away an entire region, even those giants were nothing more than small leaves swept away by a typhoon..

“No, that's ridiculous.……."

yes——

Then, a strange sound with an indescribable feeling filled the whole world. All kinds of explosions, crashes, and vibrations were mixed together and went beyond what the hearing can detect..

And now, here, on the northern edge of downtown Dresden, where the players are gathered, although it was about 6 to 7 kilometers away from the crash site, it was not completely free from the impact of the disaster..

Ku—gu—gu—gu—gu——I

“Ugh—the aftershocks are coming.!”

"Shit, everyone prepare for shock.!”

Shock waves, sand storms, ground waves, and all kinds of dangerous things mixed together were rushing this way, eating away at the grassland..

And above them were rocks of inestimable size... … As soon as it reached a certain height, it started pouring down like a meteor shower..

right here.

Whoo-ooh-ooh——

“—Shit, everyone deploys magic shields.!”

In the end, Brian Thiel gave the order, and the wizard unit that had been waiting early stepped forward and cast a large-scale magic shield..

Wooooow——

Soon, a white dome was formed layer by layer over their heads, blocking the afterstorm..

Thong—thong—thong—thong—thong——!

Fortunately, it was several kilometers away, so we were able to block it in the nick of time..

"Oh no, what on earth are you hitting on??”

"That… … It's a power that one person can exert?”

Voices mixed with admiration and fear came from all over the place. They all looked mesmerized..

“……Mowglai was dropped from low orbit..”

It was Brian Thiel who said that..

As a top-tier 'analyst' player, he was able to record images of items he had seen once with a skill called 'database'..

Therefore, even though the unidentified object that fell from the sky could not be seen with the eyes, it was possible to ‘recognize’ it through a certain skill..

"—what? I'm talking about that stupid big sword.?”

The person who asked that was Conor O'Neill, the ruler of the sand castle..

He was glaring at Lee Hyun-wook’s back with an expression full of hatred..

“Hmm, didn't I see it wrong? As far as I remember, it wasn't that strong.……."

In fact, even Brian Thiel didn't understand it..

'……Yes, as far as I know, no matter how Mogley was dropped or from a high altitude, it could not have generated such powerful destructive power..’

They all knew very well the extent of the destructive power of the item named ‘Mogley’..

This is because, as we have been keeping Steelein in check as a rival, we have analyzed his power as much as possible..

And above all, the scene where Mowglai crashed into the Shanghai Orc gathering place was so famous that there was no one who hadn't seen it..

But even then, it wasn't that powerful..

‘At that time… … After barely breaking the black dome created by the Black Orc shamans, they only inflicted damage in a certain radius..’

But this time, an area hundreds of times larger than that was literally erased from the map.…….

‘How on earth can that be? No matter how much it is strengthened, how can it be so large? … Otherwise…….'

Suddenly, Brian Thiel turned around and looked at Lee Hyun-wook, who was walking forward..

Even after he had committed a terrible act of wiping out an entire region, he was moving forward alone without any hesitation..

At first glance, it looks relaxed…….

Now that I think about it, it seemed like the man never once looked anxious. Brian Thiel knew, as he had looked up almost every video about him..

‘As if he was always looking ahead... … And like there's insurance just in case…….'

Then Brian Thiel realized.

'Ah— was he hiding his true power in the first place??’

They, the Omega team, were also a team created by gathering the secret weapons hidden by the leaders of EPU's large guilds..

'The very idea that we are the only ones using such deception... … I was deceived myself..’

He was in a state of despair for some reason..

'What have I done so far? Ha, it just got ridiculous.…….'

He felt embarrassed and ran his hands over his face..

He is the best analyst player in Europe and as an established player... … To be honest, there was a desire to keep the newly emerging Steele Rain in check. In other words, he harbored envy and jealousy towards him, knowingly or unknowingly..

Therefore, when several large guild leaders contacted him, praising his analytical skills and asking him to take over as team leader for the project, he thought for a moment and then accepted the offer..

And when the Omega team was very active in , they got drunk on the atmosphere and did not hesitate to provoke Steele Rain..

Of course, he was not as good as Alexander Chekhov, but he also appeared on the air and mentioned Stillein's name several times..

I was confident that I could win, and that confidence was based on my own thorough analysis..

'But who would have guessed that he had that much power hidden away... … In the first place, it was a game that couldn't be won regardless of strategy.?’

Somehow, I felt like a fool.

***

The whole world was watching that scene..

And the American television program, which has the highest viewer ratings in the world today, was also broadcasting this scene live..

- ah… … Tyrone, how should we interpret this scene? Does this make sense now??

The current broadcast screen showed Lee Hyun-wook walking towards the grassland that was crushed by ‘Gaia’s feet’..

- Uh, so…….

But then—

- uh! wait a minute! Now, Steele Lane is under attack.!

The opponent was none other than the titan wizard, the titan warrior who had just trampled on Alexander Chekhov..

The guy had a stunned expression on his face as he saw all of his colleagues disappear, and as soon as he spotted Lee Hyun-wook approaching him, he used a restraint technique called 'Tartaros Prisoner's Anger' on him..

Cherrrrrrrr——

A purple chain rose from the ground and entangled Lee Hyun-wook's legs..

- Wow - wouldn't even Alexander Chekhov, who is said to have the greatest strength of all time, be able to escape if he was hit by that??

- yes! In fact, it seems to be an absolute restraint technique! And right after that, it uses an area skill called ‘Gaia’s Feet’ to deliver an unavoidable blow, an attack with a truly vicious mechanism.!

Now, the traces of that attack were engraved on the grassland, and the place where Lee Hyun-wook stepped was near the big toe of the giant's footprints..

Alexander Chekhov, who was hit hard by it, seemed to have been sunk deep into the ground..

Maybe he was still breathing, but judging by the fact that he still wasn't coming out, he seemed to be in such a mess that he couldn't move on his own..

- If this continues, even Steel Rain will get stepped on.!

However, in such an emergency situation, Lee Hyun-wook seemed to have no intention of avoiding it..

All he did was stand tall and slightly raise his left hand..

- uh.......

And the next moment, a gust of wind blew........

chin—

Before you know it, the giant sword, Moglei, is in Lee Hyun-wook’s hand.?

- huh?

- uh.......

It seemed to have come from far away, from the crash site... … The titan wizard who was standing in the path of the Mowglai was…….

Take a look——

With a sound, it split into two pieces and collapsed..

At that scene, the world could not help but be shocked once again..

No matter how much of Steele's destructive power was shown just before, it is impossible for Alexander Chekhov to send his opponent with a single blow without being able to do anything........

That may be natural, but… … It was a scene that repeatedly confirmed to the world that his power had reached an insurmountable level..

In this regard, Tyrone Thompson, the 5th ranked American player and a regular panelist, spoke out..

- ……Now I understand.

- yes?

- You asked me earlier. How should I interpret this situation now?.

- Ah yes!

He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth in a solemn voice..

- Stillane is now an overwhelming force... … I'm showing it off.

- Ah, overwhelming power… … Well, at that level, I think I'm more dominant than anyone else now..

- Yes, it is clear now. he is…….

I swallowed dry saliva and opened my mouth again..

- ……To be honest, it is the best in the world..

- .......

- And now, I think it was because I wanted to avoid unnecessary controversy that I presented such a perfect room to the world..

At that time, Kill the Monster's broadcast magic drone showed a close-up of Steele Lane, and he turned his head to look at the Dresden players and said something..

“—Brian Thiel, are you going to miss this opportunity??”

At those words, Brian Thiel came to his senses, turned his head, and said something to his teammates..

Then, hundreds of player troops, including Team Omega, who were on standby, began to advance all at once..

At the forefront, of course, was Steele Rain..

- If you're part of Team Omega, you can't help but feel uncomfortable about this situation.?

- Yes. Since the Omega team has been fiercely competitive with Steele Lane, there is no way he would be satisfied with the picture of him getting a spoon on the table like now..

- Looking at the real-time chat window now, uh... … There is a lot of criticism..

- Well, I don't think it's right to criticize Team Omega. They did their best too. but… … Stillane just has overwhelming power..

In this way, the world was able to see the true identity of Steele Rain..

***

The great battle, as expected from the grand title, did not lead to a bloody battle between the two camps..

This is because one side suffered damage that was close to annihilation from just a single attack that fell from the sky..

And Lee Hyun-wook also dropped ‘Balmung’ right after dropping Mowlay..

'If you do so, even if you survive the Mowglai's strike, you will fall under a curse and lose the power to fight..’

So, what the players who advanced towards the huge crater created by Lee Hyun-wook encountered were completely devastated titans, half of whom were already dead and the other half half-dead..

Still, the level 171 boss monster, a titan named 'Crios', survived and fought for quite a long time, but in the end, his heart was pierced by Lee Hyun-wook's moglai and he collapsed..

In this way, Lee Hyun-wook obtained the 'Victory Flag', and all players who participated in the war event received a temporary buff that increased all abilities (+10%)..

However, compensation payment was postponed with the system message ‘First round completed’..

This meant that Titanomachia was not over yet..

- Alexander Chekhov regains consciousness... … Thanks to the recovery magic of A-grade priests, it is possible to return to the front lines.

- Omega Team, which has been provoking Steel Lane every day, has not made a single official announcement since the Battle of Dresden.

- Steel Rain after all! Leaving a crater in Dresden and firmly engraving his position on the world.!

That night, Lee Hyun-wook and his group decided to stay overnight at the Players' Union camp in Dresden..

“But the really petty thing is, no matter how much we are competitors, we are also allies... … Even though we won this big... … Wow, it's not too much to have a funeral home atmosphere like that.?”

Kim Se-hee glanced out the window and said.

Since most of the troops waiting here were members of Team Omega, they were not very happy about this victory, but rather seemed sad..

"Well, it's not over yet, so it's too early to get into a festive mood..”

Kim Se-hee snorted at Lee Hyun-wook’s answer..

“Oh my, don't hit me up. Guys, until this morning, I don't remember standing in front of the camera and smiling while dusting off the boss.?”

“Oh, well……."

Anyway, it wasn't over, and from now on, the third act called the Great War was going to begin, not the Grand Tournament........

‘Now, all the named titans that everyone has heard of, such as Kronos and Atlas, are gathering together to take charge..’

They were much stronger than the Krios we faced today..

‘But now things will start to go well only when Lee Seong-yoon and other Guardian members appear.…….'

Gravity wizard Lee Seong-yoon and his group, who worked harder than anyone else to stop , were not even visible right now..

The reason was that they were still carrying out some ‘hidden quest’ to prevent this disaster..

‘By now, you should be conquering the Tartarus Labyrinth..’

Thus, he acquires a special special weapon called Titanomachia, which is inspired by the gods who made great contributions in defeating the Titans in Greek mythology..

‘But at that time, the Dark Elf Legion and the Black Orc King will join... … This time, the power of Hecatoncheires alone will not guarantee victory..’

Lee Hyun-wook planned to return to Rome at the right time and target the empty houses in the Dark Elf Kingdom, and the second prince was currently waiting in Rome..

'......If we shake things up from the inside out like that, we can easily win the final war..’

***

Night has already arrived at the Dresden Player Camp..

Since titan hoplites were still being discovered frequently throughout Europe, a considerable number of guards were deployed..

In addition, EPU troops were spread out in a radius of several kilometers and all kinds of reconnaissance planes were lighting up the sky, so humanity's last hope would not be surprised by a surprise attack in the middle of the night..

But Hyunwook couldn’t fall asleep easily. No, he didn't intend to close his eyes in the first place..

This is because I know better than anyone else that there are archenemies lurking among the many players who seem like allies..

He placed 'Hugin' by the window, launched several 'Flyeyes', and then activated the cloaking mode to scout the surroundings..

Meanwhile, I discovered a strange being again..

- Dark Elf Shadow Hunter (LV)：89)

'……As expected, dark elves have infiltrated here too..’

No matter how well the camouflage was done, it made no sense to infiltrate such an elite unit where identity checks would be perfect..

This meant that they were under the protection of someone on the human side..

'Those are obviously villains.…….'

Lee Hyun-wook moved Hugin so that he landed on the roof of the building they entered..

I tried to listen to their conversation, but strangely, I couldn't detect even the slightest sound..

'……Since I can't even hear footsteps or breathing, it seems like a silence spell has been placed on that building..’

In this case, I had no choice but to go and check in person..

Hyunwook Lee brought out ‘Quinee’.

This deceptive option of maintaining invisibility for a whopping 15 minutes would enable more secret intelligence than any other assassin-type player..

He put on his helmet and slipped into the darkness..

And carefully infiltrated the building in question..

‘No matter how much quiene you use, you can't hide your presence, so you have to be careful..’

Still, Lee Hyun-wook can move while floating in the air, so he was able to minimize his presence by moving without touching anything..

And finally someone's voice began to reach his ears, entering the realm of the Silence magic..

Lee Hyun-wook held his breath and borrowed Hugin's sensory expansion, expanding his hearing to the maximum..

Then I heard a woman's voice..

“……30 minutes from now, Stillane's entire dorm will explode. Hellfire will strike and the fire will ignite, so no matter how good he is, he won't be able to survive..”