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The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 180

180fury. 

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On Mount Othris in Greece, a gray castle runs along the ridge. And on top of it stood a number of people dressed as ancient Greek soldiers..

At first glance, it looks like a recreation of the ancient Greek 'Polis'..

However, if you notice that the greenery right underneath the castle is not a bush but a tree, that is, a forest, then you will realize how grand the castle is..

The fortress and soldiers are so overwhelmingly large that Mount Othrys, at an altitude of 1,728 meters above sea level, seems at first glance to be a mountain behind the neighborhood.…….

That was the 'Giant's Citadel', the home of the Titans, and it was the so-called 'First Battleground', the northernmost of the four 'Victory Flags' that players had to occupy..

And on a hill about 3km away from there, players called the 'Unified Humanity Army' were lined up..

"Hurry and move!!”

It was a large force of 1,981 people in total..

however…….

“……Seeing it up close makes it even more unrealistic. How is it so big??”

“Haha, damn it, honestly, I’m a little scared..”

As such, their morale was clearly broken even though they had not even fought yet..

That's right, everything in the enemy camp was so shocking that it seemed like it was only a few tens of meters away, even though it was a whopping 3km away, so it was natural to feel dizzy..

"And the problem is we have to face this nonsense.”

“Haha, honestly, I think I participated in this for no reason. Should I have just gone with Alain Giam? No, should I sneak out now??”

Previously, many player groups rejected Steelein's command and postponed participation in this public election war..

And they were still claiming that attacking the 'Giant's Fortress' was like hitting a rock with an egg..

Nevertheless, more than half of the players advanced with courage, led by Steel Rain and many other heroes.…….

When I actually encountered it, I had no choice but to acknowledge the sharp expression of hitting a rock with an egg. This is crazy, my instincts were warning me.

"Ah, no matter how much I think about it, I can't imagine that thing collapsing. That's a cliff, some kind of castle wall..”

"And now that Steelerain's Mowlay drop is useless, there doesn't seem to be any way to take it down.……."

At that time, a huge fireball flew in a curved line above their heads..

Whoa whoa——

"13th Group Magic Launch Completed!”

"14th Group Magic Launch Preparation 1!”

On the one hand, the wizard players were changing ranks and firing repeatedly, like line infantry musketeers..

The fireball they sent stayed in the air for a while before finally hitting the Titan's citadel..

Kwaang——!

but.......

"......It doesn't seem like a big deal.”

But no one seemed disappointed... … Because this scene was already 6 hours old..

"this… … It's right to continue?”

They were bombarding the enemy camp with mana right after they encountered the castle wall..

'Large-scale area magic' of all kinds of properties, such as fire, water, lightning, etc., is created high in the sky and then sent out a much greater distance with the help of link magic or wind elementalists..

So, like a 'caterfield' attack used in siege warfare, the castle walls were being pounded unilaterally from a distance..

bang! bang! bang! bang!

"Damn, it doesn't work one bit..”

However, that ridiculously large wall did not budge, and the titan hoplites standing beyond it seemed to be looking bored now..

And the ones most skeptical about this senseless attack were, of course, the wizard players..

"......According to analyst players, it has now been cut by about 1/36th.."

A Dutch guild master who was leading the wide-area magic attack wiped his sweat and frowned at his lieutenant’s report..

"what? Then you have to do this for a few more days before the castle wall's defense shield breaks down.?”

"Yes, and before that happens, wizard players will get sick and die. Even now, I am exhausted and crying out for rest. If this continues, mana exhaustion may occur within today..”

In essence, it was nearly impossible to occupy a castle by force, and the history of war proved that..

Therefore, the most orthodox method of siege warfare was not to attack, but to surround and wait until the castle ran out of supplies..

However, even if they were properly sieging the giant fortress, they could never relax..

The reason was because of this ‘goal’.

1) ‘Secure a total of 4 ‘Victory Flags’ for at least 1 hour within 168 hours (in progress))

- caution! When goal '1' is failed, the morale of the 'Titans' soars and their combat power increases significantly..

"Now we only have 137 hours or 5 days left.……."

And although they had to occupy a total of 4 locations, they were currently attacking only 2 locations due to lack of firepower..

Meanwhile, even while the United Human Forces were going through such trials and errors, Alain Giam and others who preached the 'uselessness of siege warfare' appeared on the broadcast, broadcasting this scene and harshly criticizing it..

- ……Look at this, doesn't it turn out that our opinion was correct in the end??

He appeared on a French broadcast, watching the siege live and commentating..

- It's already been 6 hours. We are attacking with all our might, but nothing has changed. This means that not a single titan was killed..

- Still, considering that 'Archmage' Choi Jeong-cheol's 'Semi-Armageddon' has not yet been used, some say that Steele Rain is deliberately waiting for a certain timing. What do you think about this??

In response to the MC's question, Alain Giam remained sarcastic..

- No matter how strong it is, how can it overcome all four victory flags? It is known that Mr. Choi's Sammy Armageddon cooldown is about 24 hours. And according to our guild's analysis, even that cannot destroy the giant's fortress's defense shield. You have to shoot at least 1.9 times..

- Oh, Grand Pinette’s analysis team is famous for its accuracy. Yes, it seems clear that the situation is darker than we thought..

And even though the situation was not going well, the fact that ‘Steelrain’, the key figure in this operation, was never caught on camera was also acting as a factor of anxiety..

And on that point again, Alain Giam was holding his breath..

- ……Where is he now? Isn't Steele the one with the ability best suited to pounding on the walls like now??

- Yes. Opinions are coming out one after another that it is a bit strange that he was never caught on camera firing a steel weapon..

- I think he's stuck somewhere and suffering because his only weapon, the Mowglei drop, is blocked..

- That means… … I heard that Steelein said there was a hidden strategy at the commander's meeting. Does Monsieur Giam not believe that??

Alain Giam snorted at the MC's question..

- Haha, it's a strategy... … Honestly, I don't believe it. I made such a bold statement in front of the whole world, but there is no way to attack them, but I'm embarrassed to say it honestly, so I'm just wasting my time..

- ah.......

- So, it's a bit much to say this, but... … He seems to be putting a lot of players at risk because of his ego. Please come to your senses..

His words were somewhat hypothetical, but as time went by, his arguments became more persuasive..

Meanwhile, guild members, including gravity wizard Lee Seong-yoon, were stationed at the 'second battlefield' on the northwest ridge of Othris Mountain..

And they… … As expected, I did nothing and just watched the magic bombardment..

“……Lee Seong-yoon, we don’t have to step forward now.?”

It was the guild master, Kang Seo-yoon, who asked that question, and the guild members standing behind her also had expressions of agreement..

Together, Seongyoon Lee performed the 'Hidden Quest' and conquered the 'Tartaros Labyrinth', obtaining an anti-titan weapon called 'The Power of Hecatoncheires'..

That weapon was, at present, the only weapon capable of breaking down the thick magic shield of the 'Giant Castle'..

And it was probably an item designed to be used that way in the first place..

However, Lee Seong-yoon, who had the right to use the weapon, rarely made a judgment, so it was frustrating for his colleagues..

"There are about 5 days left, and if you wait any longer, the wand has a cooldown, and you'll be running out of time at the end, you know that.?”

Seongyoon Lee nodded, but ended up saying something skeptical..

“……Still have to wait a little longer.”

"So what are you waiting for??”

The reason he was in such trouble was because of the ‘note’ ​​he received last night from Lee Hyun-wook..

‘He knew what this wand was.’

It was a secret operation carried out only by Guardian members, and it was questionable how Lee Hyun-wook knew about it..

even… … He told Seongyoon Lee that he knew about the death of Nicholas Steele, who was like his father to him..

And, if you follow his plan, he will tell you who murdered Nicholas Steele..

"......."

At that point, Seongyoon Lee realized that his mindset, which had always been rational and cool-headed, could be influenced by someone else..

'……How on earth do you know that? After all, is it the power of a transcendental object? But even so, it cannot reveal the truth of any past history... … can not understand.’

Anyway, what he was worried about was whether Lee Hyun-wook was really a trustworthy person..

He had been watching a rookie named Lee Hyun-wook for quite some time. I also expected that he would have rejected ‘Guardian Quest’.

However, his performance began to exceed expectations, exceed common sense, and go beyond the realm of understanding... … Now he is much stronger than he is, and in fact, the number one player in the Korean player rankings is now Lee Hyun-wook..

How to deal with him like that from now on was a big task for the Guardian..

But one thing was certain.

'Whatever purpose he has... … Humanity needs his strength now and in the future..’

The person who truly hoped that Stillane would become a true hero was none other than the Guardian..

Lee Seong-yoon grabbed his stick and waited for the right moment..

***

In any group, a leader exists. Even if they are slaves under the control of another group..

Immediately after infiltrating the slave colony, Lee Hyun-wook asked the first people he met to take him to the leader, and they guided Lee deep into the ‘crypt.’.

“……That person is like our leader..”

Hans, the boy who led the way, spoke, and soon a middle-aged white man with blond hair walked out of the dark room..

He was quite tall, but like the other prisoners, he was skinny and dressed in rags, making him look very unsightly..

But Lee Hyun-wook could immediately feel it the moment he looked into his eyes..

‘this man is the leader.’

His eyes were clearer than anyone else's, or to put it another way, they contained a certain powerful will. That must have been the intention to get out of this place..

‘I stayed here for 6 years and eyes like that are rare..’

And he was not surprised or intimidated by the visits of strangers..

Of course, it was impossible not to be nervous in the face of this unexpected situation, but even so, he did not act rashly..

"I am Joachim Volkov, the guild's first strategy team leader..”

And when I saw him introduce himself as his past identity, I could see that he was not complacent with this miserable reality..

‘And if it's a guild…….'

It was once one of the largest guilds in Europe, but it was the name of a guild that fell along with Berlin after responding with all its might to the 3rd wave..

If you were the guild's first strategy leader, you would have been level 60-70 at the time..

In other words, it was the maximum power that could be obtained here..

"My name is Hyeonwook Lee from Korea..”

The two shook hands and entered the room. There was a crude wooden table sitting there..

"Now, please sit down. Still, this is the most comfortable chair here..”

He joked like that, and when Lee Hyun-wook sat down on the chair, he sat on his side..

"therefore… … They came from abroad to save us. That too in Korea.”

In addition to Joachim Volkov, there were four other men and women in this room. These people seemed to be the leader group of prisoners, but they could not hide their curiosity as they asked, “Korea?”.

"yes, that's right.”

"Why did you take on such a dangerous task in Korea? if… … What request did our government make??”

"A war event has currently occurred across Europe. So, support came from all over the world. I was also one of the volunteers, and I personally planned this prisoner rescue operation..”

Lee Hyun-wook thought about mentioning here that he was leading the players' allied force called the 'Unified Humanity Army', but he thought that could actually harm trust..

You would think that someone who was entrusted with such a grand mission would not infiltrate directly like this..

‘And this man is sizing me up now.’

His eyes were constantly scanning all over Lee Hyun-wook. He was probably trying to figure out if there was someone he could trust to help him escape..

It was surprising that he still maintained his cool-headedness, to the point where he was not quick to believe someone who appeared out of nowhere, and for the first time in six years, and spoke of salvation..

He may have been suspicious that the Dark Elves might be polymorphing..

"Um, and it's a bit odd to say this, but it's been 6 years since I heard anything from the world, and I haven't heard of Hyunwook Lee's reputation. if… … What is your level??”

And since the most important indicator of trust was ability, he rather explicitly asked about the level..

"I have the ability to control metal as an 'out-of-level growth trait'.”

At those words, the captive leaders became agitated. In the past and now, the S rank was an object of envy, and these were heroes that were difficult to meet once in a lifetime. Knowing that such a being had come to save me, I couldn't help but feel completely different..

“……Ah, you are S-rank. If so, you must have gained a lot of fame while I was locked up here..”

Lee Hyun-wook neither confirmed nor denied, but Joachim Volkov nodded, perhaps thinking to what extent he could be trusted with an S rank..

"Is this enough to pass the interview??”

"Haha, it's an interview. I just wanted to know who came to save us..”

In some ways, it felt bad to come to the rescue and receive evaluation first, but as Lee Hyun-wook, it seemed good to see him taking the initiative in making decisions..

‘Yes, you don't know what variables will arise in the future, but it's better than being careless and getting it over with..’

At that time, Joachim Volkov whispered in a voice so low that even the person next to him could not hear..

“So, how are you going to rescue us??”

Now that's the point.

But I noticed that my eyes, which had been clear until now, were shaking a little..

"I too have dreamed of escaping for a long time, but honestly… … There is no way. Six years have passed like that.”

"There are at least 40,000 people here. And half of them are elderly. Even if you open a wide-area portal leading to the outside... … Man-eating vines from the ceiling will come down and block our path. therefore… … The concept of escape is virtually impossible.”

Yes, escape is impossible. That reality seemed to make Joachim Volkov uneasy..

"Yes, escape is absolutely impossible.”

Lee Hyun-wook also acknowledged that point..

“Uh, then……."

"So we... … won't escape.”

At those words, the POW leaders, including Joachim Volkov, looked puzzled, but those expressions changed to astonishment and bewilderment at Lee Hyun-wook's next words..

“……Rather, I will take over this entire dark elf kingdom..”

"一What?”

"一Yes?”

Well, as people who had been slaves for six years, it would have been strange not to be surprised when they heard those words..

Still, Joachim Volkov seemed to be trying to understand the true meaning of Lee Hyun-wook's words without saying anything, but other leaders hastily raised their voices..

"What did you just say??”

"So are you saying we should fight directly??”

"shit… … Was it my fault for expecting……."

In response, Lee Hyun-wook briefly explained his future plans..

Currently, they have joined hands with the Dark Elf royal family and are mobilizing 'Forest Elementalists' among them to control water-containing plants..

Then, gather as many wizard players who can use fire magic, suppress the Green Wave, and hold a sit-in here..

“……And, once the troops in the throne room escape, we will infiltrate and assassinate the general..”

But even as I said that, I knew very well that it would be difficult to convince them. Their eyes were colored with disbelief..

'As expected, it's probably a plan that's hard to believe..’

Not only will they not have access to the reputation of 'Steel Rain', but they will judge the player's strength as of 6 years ago.…….

‘How can I convince you of this??’

But then…….

"omg! omg! Joachim, you're in trouble.!”

A man rushed into the room and shouted.

He was out of breath for some reason..

"Well, you need to avoid it right now.!”

***

At that time, Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee were outside the crypt in the form of dark elves. They were watching the surroundings and preparing for any possible threats..

“Team Leader Kim, the man who just ran in… … Did something happen??”

“I guess so, but I'll let you know if anything happens, okay?.”

Even as she said that, Kim Se-hee was paying close attention to the direction the man had run from..

Meanwhile, Hans, the boy who guided them, approached Park Jun-mo and spoke to him..

"I… … That person is just like us, right??”

I asked that question because the two were still in the dark elf polymorph state..

“Oh, that's right!”

"Well then, I'd like to ask you something... … . Is the outside world still safe??”

They also heard that a war was taking place, but other than that, they had not heard any news about the world for 6 years, so they could not contain their curiosity and asked..

"I heard that the dark elves have invaded Europe. It was 6 years ago, but my family was in Leipzig. Is it safe there??”

Park Jun-mo did not know where Rachipzig was, and there was no way that it had not been overrun by titan hoplites..

‘Still, I have to say something nice..’

It was difficult for him to suppress his bitter feelings as he watched the prisoners here..

And this boy, Hans, is now about 16 or 17? From the time he was just over 10 years old, he would have been a slave in this basement..

Thinking of that, Park Jun-mo felt his nose twitch for some reason, and wanted to somehow say something hopeful to them..

“Haha, nothing major has happened yet to worry about. And players gathered from all over the world to stop it. Maybe we'll win and you can get out of here.”

“……I hope so..”

I felt darkness and light at the same time on Hans' face..

“But those who came to rescue us, of course, are not all of you.?”

"ah……."

As Park Jun-mo was thinking about how to say this, Kim Se-hee, who was watching from the side, stabbed him in the side. It meant watch her mouth..

"that is……."

At that time, Lee Hyun-wook came out of the room, and after him, Joachim Volkov rushed out and shouted..

“一Everyone, you need to avoid it right now.!”

What does this mean all of a sudden??

"Uh, what's going on??”

When Kim Se-hee looked at Lee Hyun-wook and asked, Joachim Volkov answered instead..

"It is said that unannounced patrols have now begun..”

It meant that the guards supervising the slave quarters here were coming this way..

And the bigger problem is…….

"Ha, it is said that the ‘guardian’ personally patrols.!”

Hans, who was listening next to him, said:.

"omg! Aren’t you going to use the ‘Exploration’ skill then? The warden accurately counts the number of people and even recognizes those who have disappeared or died.…....."

Among the dark elves of the 'jailer' lineage who supervise this place, the highest level had appeared..

But Lee Hyun-wook still had a calm expression..

"Is that elite monster coming from over there now??”

"Yes, we estimate that the analyst class is at least level 90 or higher, so if you get caught, it's over..”

"As you probably know, only one player can deal with elite monsters around level 90, and even if they are always accompanied by a group of elite monsters called 'Special Inspection Team', even if they are S-rank, they cannot deal with them..”

His standard of judgment may have been six years ago, but it was true that there was not much difference between then and now..

In other words, it was a very dangerous situation..

"and… … Honestly, if you were an S-rank that I didn't know about 6 years ago, I think your awakening would have been relatively recent, and you wouldn't have had such overwhelming growth in abilities..”

Lee Hyun-wook nodded while listening to his explanation. All of them were reasonable thoughts. No matter how S-level it was, its limits were clear depending on the situation..

However, the current Lee Hyun-wook was, so to speak, on a different level. he never knew that.

“I told you earlier that I would assassinate the general. You couldn't believe it.”

“Why are you telling that story now?……."

To that question, Lee Hyun-wook turned to the direction the guards were coming from and answered..

"I'll prove it now.”

"uh… … Wait a minute.!”

"Well, you shouldn't go there.!”

Dissuasion poured in from all over, but Lee Hyun-wook paid no heed and walked forward, and lamentations poured in from all over..

But I couldn't stop him, I could only stare blankly at his back..

"Damn, where did these crazy people come from?……."

"If this continues, there will be bloodshed for us too.!”

“一Joachim, we have to stop him quickly! Don't you know that if things turn out like that, we'll all die??”

However, Joachim Volko hesitated and looked conflicted as to what he was thinking, and slowly shook his head..

“……Let's wait a minute..”

“what?”

“That person's eyes... … It wasn't something that could be dried. And somewhere, there were confident eyes.”

Just as Lee Hyun-wook felt when he saw him, he also realized that Lee Hyun-wook was a special person..

So Lee Hyun-wook slowly moved forward, and before he knew it, a black crow called Hugin was sitting on his shoulder..

Soon I felt footsteps approaching from far away..

‘Total 14…….'

He used the ‘clairvoyance’ of the Insight Lens to see through the darkness..

- Dark Elf Elite Jailer (LV)：64)

- Dark Elf Elite Jailer (LV)：63)

- Dark Elf Elite Jailer (LV)：65)

There are 13 of these.......

- Dark Elf Jailer (LV)：97)

Certainly, it was a group of monsters that could not have been easily dealt with six years ago..

"huh?"

“there, stop!”

I shouted as I spotted Lee Hyun-wook there, and he stopped and raised both hands. Then, looking at the captive leaders, he held his head and muttered something like “This is the end.”.

“……Why is this kid dressed like this??”

"What are you, where do you belong??”

Lee Hyun-wook's clothes were not suitable for a slave. It was a suit made of black dragon leather.…….

And at that time, Park Jun-mo lightly tapped Hans, a scared boy, on the shoulder and whispered..

"You asked earlier how many people were involved in the rescue operation? Actually, we're the only ones who came to save you..”

"Yes, yes?”

Hans was so surprised by the sudden confession that he asked back quite loudly..

"But it's still okay. It's a bit awkward to say this, but……."

Park Jun-mo raised his index finger and pointed to the front, behind Lee Hyun-wook, who was standing facing the guards..

"……In fact, you can think that the strongest human being has come to save you..”

At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook stretched out his left hand to the side, and a large sword appeared in his hand..