The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 19
19. Seoul Station, Unlucky Event - 1
==========================
“Holy water manufacturing industry, sacred weapon workshop, magic engineering construction industry, portal transportation industry······.”
Park Cheol-soo was taking notes while reciting like that..
Lee Hyun-wook just told Park Cheol-soo about a company that will grow significantly after the 4th wave, that is, a specific 'stock stock', and asked him to hand over his bank account containing all his assets and invest in that stock..
Of course, he did not directly mention the 4th wave to Park Cheol-soo, but simply said that companies and guilds were planning to invest a lot of money in that industry in the future..
“But Hyunwook... this information is true.?”
Park Cheol-soo still looked suspicious..
Honestly, it was such a sudden and unbelievable story..
“They're all real, and these are companies that will soon become big..”
But it didn't take long to convince Park Cheol-soo..
Lee Hyun-wook took something out of his chest..
3Chang's business card,
This time too, I planned to make full use of what I happened to get..
“So, you really just received a business card from these big names? you?”
Park Cheol-soo opened his eyes wide..
I'm holding 3 business cards of people who are hard to meet even by chance.······.
‘How on earth did Hyunwook... Wait, Catherine Yu, this person is even the second daughter of the Cheonghwa Guild? Of course, he must have solid information on this project, and since he is the head of the Seoul Strategy Department, it is not surprising that he has a collusion with the upper levels of the AMT.······.’
Park Cheol-soo was interpreting it in his own way, giving credibility to Lee Hyun-wook's words..
“These people, they gave you that secret information.······.”
“Okay, otherwise where would I have gotten this information? And bro, don’t ask me the details yet. As you probably know, this is quite sensitive information. If it leaks out, you could be in big trouble..”
“······Oh, right, I understand..”
Anyone can say anything.
However, a certain amount of ‘proof’ was needed to make people believe that..
With the overwhelming power he showed when dealing with Lee Won-cheol just before, his confident attitude and bold investment, and even such a big business card, Lee Hyun-wook's words took on 'weight'..
‘Yes, Hyunwook has definitely changed. What on earth has he been through these past two years?······.’
But at the same time, I had one question..
He raised his head and looked at Hyunwook Lee..
“But Hyunwook, what happened? You definitely got an F grade in player training camp. But no matter how I look at the power I just showed, I don't think it's F grade.······.”
Yes, everyone around him knew that Lee Hyun-wook was grade F..
‘One cannot help but wonder, how on earth can Grade F, a non-growth trait, become stronger?.’
Hyunwook Lee expected to be asked that question countless times and prepared a very appropriate answer..
“Bro, you know it’s the achievement system.?”
“huh? Hey, I'm a guild master by name..”
The world has become like a game.
This meant that there were countless game elements..
‘The ‘achievement system’ was one of them..
‘This is the only system that allows you to increase your personal abilities other than growth..’
‘Achievements’ are granted when special conditions related to the game are met..
For example, if you hunt a dragon, a very powerful monster, you will receive the achievement..
And depending on the value of the achievement, a considerable increase in ability points is given as a 'reward'..
“Ah, I achieved an achievement and my ability level increased.?”
“that's right.”
“Wow... that's amazing too. Grade F is an achievement, what kind of achievement is it??”
“This achievement is possible because it is F grade. The condition is F grade, making you an elite monster, was the name of the achievement, hmmm, probably correct..”
Lee Hyun-wook made up and sold achievements that he never achieved..
This hid the secret that grade F can be grown very easily..
‘I can't hide that I've become stronger, but I have to hide that I'm not grade F..’
Until now, it was something only he had to know..
Hyunwook Lee finally took something out of his bag..
“Well, it's a gift..”
“huh?”
it was a small box.
“what's this?”
“Brother, I heard you had a daughter? It's a shoe. I couldn't congratulate you because I was in the unit..”
“Ah, thank you... really······.”
“My brother will definitely be a good father. He was a good senior to us, but he must have been terrible to his family.?”
Park Cheol-soo was not good at managing his facial expressions, so he burst into tears the moment he saw the baby shoes..
“Bro, I think I should go now..”
“Oh, okay, let's eat next time we come out..”
“Be sure to cut out Lee Won-cheol's gang, and make sure to invest in that information too..”
“yes, thank you······.”
Park Cheol-soo nodded with red eyes..
‘Although he is so weak now, he will become the master of a huge guild in the future..’
got him early.
Lee Hyun-wook prepared for his return.
No, prepared for the next battle..
***
As of now, a total of 3 ‘waves’ have occurred..
1Tea Wave is California,
2tea wave shanghai,
3Tea Wave is Berlin,
Without exception, cities that experienced the wave were destroyed beyond repair. Some areas even become monster territory..
No one would have imagined that California would turn into a meadow of red drakes and that an orc kingdom would be established in Shanghai..
‘And the 4th wave is Seoul..’
And what can be seen as a precursor begins today, at Seoul Station..
It is the heart of Korea's transportation, with a daily floating population of up to 1 million people..
Lee Hyun-wook stood in a place that would soon become hell and checked his watch..
- 15:34
Then I checked a text message..
- Sergeant Choi Seon-ah: Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! I arrived at Seoul Station first. Contact me when you arrive!
About an hour ago, I received a text from Choi Seon-ah, but I haven't responded yet..
“hmm······.”
Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of returning with Sergeant Choi Seon-ah..
In the first place, I was preparing for something to happen today, so it made no sense to accompany her..
‘17We were supposed to meet at the city, but why did you come so early??’
Two days ago, Lee Hyun-wook contacted Choi Sun-ah and promised to meet at 17:00..
If she had arrived on time, she would not have been caught up in the events that would occur here..
‘Clearly, from what I remember, Choi Seon-ah was not involved in this incident.······.’
In other words, it meant that she arrived at Seoul Station early due to the variable that Lee Hyun-wook went on vacation with her, so he had no choice but to be with her..
“Still, since Choi Seon-ah is a support type, it will actually be helpful..”
Thinking positively, I left a text message to Choi Seon-ah asking her to come this way..
At the same time, I looked at the metal in the bag..
1 dagger purchased from craftsman Kang Jeong-du, 20 iron beads made of magic metal, and a total of 3 rolls of 2.23mm thick steel wire 20m long.······.
Quite a few weapons were prepared for this moment..
And then I turned my eyes and looked here and there in history..
A large number of people were coming and going through the station..
It was a world where you didn't know when and where the gate would open, but people went about their daily lives without much worry. This was because player guards were stationed everywhere just in case..
‘In particular, the security guards at Seoul Station are quite skilled, but······.’
Lee Hyun-wook knew that even those people would be neutralized..
‘That's how most of the people here die..’
Even though I knew that, I couldn't save them all..
No one knows what will happen in the future.
that was normal.
So I warned you in advance that it would make no sense and even if you did that,······.
‘······no one will believe it.’
In the end, they were people who couldn't be saved..
‘But there is a lot to gain.’
There were thousands of civilian casualties, and many of the player troops deployed to suppress the war were sacrificed, but the world would later no longer consider their sacrifices to be worthless..
Because, it was because of one ‘item’ obtained by conquering this dungeon..
‘This is an item that will be worn by King Taesan Han, who is ranked second in Korea in the future..’
Currently, there are only about 3,000 'Hero' level items in the world, and it was even a 'potential item' that could continue to grow..
‘But that wasn't the only valuable item. That the villains stole······.’
Today, at this moment, a villain would be waiting here at Seoul Station to target that item. The villains will be able to communicate with some monster races according to the game rules..
At that time, I saw someone in a black combat uniform waving in the distance..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook!”
It was a short female soldier, Choi Seon-ah..
She approached me with a bright smile, but for some reason, her makeup seemed darker than when she left for vacation..
“Did you enjoy your first vacation??”
“huh! Corporal Lee Hyeon-wook, how was your vacation??”
“Yes, I had a good time too.”
“Did you eat a lot of delicious food? I ate a lot!”
Even while greeting her like this, his senses were scanning the periphery..
‘First, I have to go to the fire supply locker..’
Maybe a gas mask might be needed in the future.
It was because of the ‘poison’ that he was so prepared for..
‘Not for me, but for Choi Seon-ah.······.’
Lee Hyun-wook has some resistance to poison, but Choi Seon-ah probably isn't..
‘If all goes according to plan, it will start at 15:24..’
Lee Hyun-wook checked his watch again..
- 15:14
There are about 10 minutes left now..
He used his metal controls to unzip the bag halfway down..
It was designed so that daggers, hooks, and iron balls could pop out at any time..
“······Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, where are you hurt??”
“yes?”
“The expression on his face just now... should I say he was scared of something??”
“It's no big deal. Deputy commander, there are too many people here and it's crazy. Let's go somewhere else..”
“Oh yeah!”
Lee Hyun-wook quietly moved his seat and approached the firefighting supplies storage box that contained the gas mask..
‘I never thought that these facilities placed at each station would be useful.······.’
But this alone wouldn't be perfect.
Unlike the black smoke created by the kobold warlock, the poison that would sweep through this place today could not be prevented by blocking the respiratory tract. It will even seep into your skin..
It was then.
Hoo-woo-woo-ung!
A sudden gust of wind swept through the interior of Seoul Station..
“Ugh! what!”
“-Wow!”
People inside the station had no choice but to stop and adjust their collars..
“Wow, what was that wind just now??”
“Iknow, right······.”
It was a completely unnatural wind..
It felt as if one side of the building had collapsed and a strong wind was blowing through the gap..
“······uh?”
The eyes of the countless people filling Seoul Station all gathered to one side..
Woo-woo-woo-ung-
“crab, gate?”
not the building wall,
space exploded.
From there, the wind of the other world was pouring out..
***
Seoul Station Integrated Control Center.
This was a place where all CCTV inside Seoul Station could be controlled, and it was a kind of control tower-like place where no matter what happened inside the station, it could be immediately checked and responded to..
however······.
“······huh?”
Chijijijiji-
Hundreds of CCTV footage filling the huge screen suddenly went numb..
“what? What happened suddenly??”
When something that shouldn't have happened happened, the once leisurely integrated control center went into emergency mode..
“2The CCTV in the reception room on the first and third floors was simultaneously disabled.!”
“what? If simultaneously······”
“Mana, it seems to be spawning mana...!”
The center director swallowed his saliva and stared at the employee's face..
If CCTV was paralyzed by mana, there were several causes..
“no way······.”
Then the employee nodded heavily..
“Center Director, this is... the gate inside the station is open..”
disaster has begun.
***
In the middle of Seoul Station, the purple shimmer created in the air was clearly a gate..
The first to move were the security guards waiting throughout the station..
Total 7 people,
They were players trained for just such a time..
“It's the gate! Equip all weapons and surround the gate.!”
While people were panicking and rushing towards the entrance, they moved backwards..
“1No matter what comes out of the tea eruption, you must never back down! If we hesitate, citizens will die!”
The team leader shouted and raised his main weapon, the 'Cross Bow'..
“after······.”
I lowered my posture, held my breath, and aimed at the gate..
A huge gate measuring 10 meters in diameter was bubbling and boiling..
It looked like it was going to explode at any moment..
“······comes out!”
At that moment, the gate stretched stickily and spewed out something, something very large..
puck!
Like a monster giving birth, it jumped out and fell to the floor.······.
Ki-rit!
It was an insect with eight legs... a spider..
“Shit, how the fuck is a spider that big?!”
It was a spider the size of an elephant, probably about 5 meters long..
Its appearance was also unusual..
Spiders would usually be smooth or hairy, but this giant spider was covered in what looked like hard armor..
“Okay, fire! Just kill it first!”
Thong- puk- puh-ng-
As soon as the team leader gave the order, the guards surrounding the gate launched all kinds of attacks and exploded on its body one after another.······.
Kik-rit! Ki-rit!
The guy didn't seem to take any damage..
It crouched for a moment and then leapt forward, lunging forward..
The security guards were scared and scattered in all directions, and benches, flower pots, and signboards where the spider passed fell and were smashed..
“Oh shit, what the hell is that?”
“Team leader, where should we attack that??”
“I don't know about that... It's my first time seeing this too.”
they couldn't help but be embarrassed.
Dealing with monsters was always a 'strategy' and one of the player's qualities was to know the strategy, but that spider was a monster they had never seen before..
“If so, it's probably a recently updated monster..”
As if the game content was being updated, new monsters would appear every day..
As this happens quite often, it was not surprising that a new species would emerge from the gate opened here... but there were too many things that could cause problems..
“For now, just keep shooting! Do not allow access to citizens!”
Empty! Empty! Empty! Tongue!
“No matter what, my bolt doesn't work.······.”
The security team leader was still a C-grade, tier 1 gunner type player, and with one arrow of his, if he hit it right, he could even dispatch an orc with one shot..
“At least it responds to magic attacks!”
I flinched every time the fire magic and cold magic exploded..
“Okay, then let’s focus our time on magic first! Until citizens evacuate······.”
However, the team leader could not continue his next words..
This was because several lines of messages appeared before my eyes..
- An ‘unlucky event’ will occur in the area.!
* You can enter the area, but you cannot leave it..
* Entry level restrictions are imposed on the area. (LV. 15)
* To escape, survive for 6 hours or kill the 'boss monster'!
“······ah?”
But the message was not only visible to his eyes..
Such a message appeared in the eyes of not only players but also the general public..
“what? I can't go out?”
“······Oh, no!”
Unlucky Event),
It's literally an unfortunate event..
To put it simply, it was a phenomenon that was no different from a natural disaster for players, such as 'de-buffs' that were harmful to players in certain areas or 'rules' that made the game difficult..
It would have been a disaster, especially if something like that had happened in a place with so many people..
“······Ouch! I can't go out!”
“Please save me!”
Hundreds of people were entangled in a doorway that could not be opened, shouting mixed with screams..
“manager! There's one more spider! And I'm heading towards the doorway!”
The team leader instinctively turned his head at that terrible report..
To-the-the-the-the-
Like a great white shark swimming towards a school of sardines, a giant spider was crawling towards a crowd of hundreds of people, moving its eight legs..
‘no!’
The horrific scene that would unfold in just a few tens of seconds was pictured in his mind..
Pile of corpses of civilians mangled by spiders······.
“······crazy! Don't do that, you have to stop it! shoot quickly!”
The team leader pulled the crossbow and ran towards the guy..
Empty! Empty! Empty! Tongue!
But the bolt he fired didn't even make a scratch on its armor-like skin..
“Damn it, what kind of steel armor is the spider wearing? Mo, avoid everyone.!”
Since he couldn't stop it, all he could do was yell at me to run away..
It was then.
Among the citizens swimming around like a school of sardines, someone separated himself and began to walk forward..
“huh?”
A man dressed in black, more precisely a combat uniform, blocked the spider's path..
“······It's AMT?”
But seeing as they weren't armed, they weren't reinforcements..
He was probably on vacation, but his rank was only a corporal....
“Damn it, back off! It's not your place!”
AMT, if you were a soldier, was the lowest among combat players..
This is not the time to dare to step forward, the team leader thought..
Sure enough, just before the spider raised its front paw and crushed the soldier,-
Pu-uong!
Fortunately, someone's fire magic hit the spider's head, and although it was only temporary, it made him take a step back..
The team leader ran out to save that beautiful AMT soldier..
“hey! you! If you don't want to die, get out of the way right now!”
But he didn't back down at all.
Rather, he walked towards the spider..
“No, you guys go away..”
“······what?”
It was a strangely cold voice that did not fit the current situation..
he raised his left hand.
“Cover your head. There will be some splinters..”
What that meant, the team leader couldn't understand at all..
But I couldn't ask back.
Moreover, an incomprehensible situation unfolded..
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
The spider the size of a house, which had been immune to any attacks until now, began to complain of pain and twist its body..
thud!
He twisted his whole body as if he was having a heart attack and started banging his head against the wall..
thud!
“What, what?······.”
And in the next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded..
Uh-uh-uh!
With a loud noise, the spider's armor-like skin began to explode one after another..
Uh-uh-uh!
The team leader turned his head and looked at the mysterious man..
His left hand was grasped, towards the spider..
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