The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 192
192fury.
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The players who arrived at the 5th battlefield, the Giant's Citadel created in the deepest part of Mount Othrys, were in a state of despair..
“……There's nothing left.”
The place was empty without a single titan..
Their goal was to advance here, fight the final battle, and win the big event called Titanomaki..
And honestly, no matter how much we gathered together for the well-being of humanity, we couldn't help but expect huge rewards from conquering the big event..
however.......
- (!) The hidden variable is triggered and is extended to.
This was the system message that came to mind when they entered the empty fortress and captured the last 'Victory Flag'..
"ah……."
This meant that in order to obtain the reward of Titanomachia, one had to conquer the invasion of the Demon King..
In other words, what was gained was zero..
"Damn, it makes sense that this would happen.?”
"under… … What hardships have we gone through so far?……."
I felt like all the hard work I had done so far was in vain. Because this was the first time something like this had happened, each player complained..
But that doesn't mean I can't just be disappointed..
Because a much bigger disaster was ahead..
"Ha, this is not the time to be like this..”
"is it so. Because a bigger war is coming soon..”
They suppressed their regrets and prepared to leave again. There would be a bigger battle soon, so I shouldn't give in to personal feelings..
Of course, not everyone decided to stay with a fighting spirit. Some of them, or quite a few of them, had already given up on the struggle and returned home long ago..
'Well, since the advent of the Necromancer, battles have become unbearable for even the highest level players, so they are bound to feel discouraged.…….'
He must have realized that he was a coward in front of such an insurmountable wall... … I was lying face down in a small boat with my back against the huge waves of the destruction of the world, trying to ignore the last moments..
And Lee Hyun-wook, who had already witnessed a situation that was close to destruction, knew very well that this was the standard for human groups..
‘It's been said since the game began that every warrior is a player, but not every player is a warrior..’
It's obvious, but not everyone can be a hero..
And now, only the heroes remain.
***
The whole world went into emergency mode to prepare for the world event..
It was said that the world could soon be destroyed, but no country or guild was sitting idle, so martial law was declared and a general mobilization order for players was issued..
Of course, there were various disturbances and conflicts along the way, but humanity began to gather wisdom by uniting under the instinct called survival instinct..
- Emergency talks are scheduled to be held led by the World Players Association, and major players around the world are taking bipartisan action..
- President of the World Players Association: “The player who will be at the center of this situation is definitely Steele Lane, and his strength is desperately needed.”.”
- G20 Guild Federation opens the world's largest item arsenal "We will not spare any material support for the 'World Event'"”
Of course, even in such news, noise was mixed in..
- Anti-Steelrain forces will gather strength by recommending their own candidates for 'selection of heroes'. "We hope players around the world make wise decisions..”
- Playing around at this moment... … “Please take a picture of my brother!” There are concerns that the selection of the hero who will decide the fate of the world will be transformed into a popular vote.
Soon, the European branch of the World Players' Association in Zurich, Switzerland, was selected as the location for an emergency meeting, and leading players from around the world began to gather one by one..
Lee Hyun-wook also departed there..
And while on the move, I had a conversation with Lee Seong-yoon alone in a separate compartment..
“……You just have to take my word for it..”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Lee Seong-yoon and said as if asking..
As he had previously promised to Seong-yoon Lee, he told him who killed Nicholas Steele..
In other words, the identity of Gordon Price was revealed..
"......."
Lee Seong-yoon, who heard the revelation, remained silent for a while and then asked in a heavy voice:.
“……By the way, what is the basis for this story??”
As expected, it seemed like he didn't want to believe it..
"I have specialized information skills..”
Lee Hyun-wook pointed to his eyes and said.
"In my eyes, I can see who is the villain and who is the guardian..”
"hmm… … If it’s eyes, is that also a skill??”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded..
"This is the result of absorbing the so-called ‘Eye Fragment of Horus’. And thanks to the function of ‘Laputa’, you can view various information about this game. Oh, it is a fact that we found out after torturing the villains together with Emilia Müller that the real culprit who murdered Nicholas Steele was Gordon Price..”
This time, he mixed facts and lies and spoke in a plausible way..
"Ah, Emilia Müller… … She grew up under Nicholas' care. She knew something about her and was chasing the truth.”
"Yes, but they said they couldn't publish the story because they were under threat of assassination..”
Seongyoon Lee nodded as if he understood, but at the same time he couldn't hide his uncomfortable expression..
The reason was probably due to deep trust in Gordon Price..
“therefore… … Gordon Price didn't just kill Nicholas Steele... … Are you saying he is the leader of the villains??”
“yes, that's right.”
Gordon Price was the owner of the world's largest company and a supporter of the Guardian, and was also a close friend of Lee Seong-yoon. Just a few hours ago, he would have been in contact with Gordon Price to receive items and information.…….
But when I suddenly heard that he was my worst enemy, even Lee Seong-yoon couldn't help but feel complicated..
“……I don't quite understand that. This organization called Guardian has a strong binding force through the system..”
To that question, Lee Hyun-wook nodded silently..
It was also a problem I had worried about in my past life..
'Yes, even though he was a member of the Guardians, how was he able to escape the restrictions and secretly act as the leader of the villains... … I do not know either.’
I still haven't found an answer to that. I could only guess that it was some special case..
"I have given sufficient evidence. I can't explain other variables in detail, but unless I'm the leader of the villains, everything I said is true..”
Lee Hyun-wook looked straight at Lee Seong-yoon..
“……For now, I will believe it. It has to be that way..”
Lee Seong-yoon had a very affectionate style. That's why he didn't want to believe that the person who shared the cause of 'Guardian' through hardships and hardships for a long time was the backbone of the villain..
However, he was not foolish enough to be swayed by personal emotions and go astray..
He would doubt both pieces of information, but he would wisely decide what he needed right now..
‘And soon everything will become clear.’
There was no need to go complicated anymore..
''Cause he might get murdered soon…….'
If the demon king living in the necromancer's body was Gordon Price, he would try to kill himself in this dimension, just like all dimension movers have done so far..
If that happens, Lee Hyun-wook will have nothing more to prove and nothing more to be wary of..
At that time, Friedwen arrived at her destination..
- Landing soon!
Lee Hyun-wook looked out the window..
Wooooow——
Above the wide helicopter port spread out below, various types of transport planes from all over the world were taking off and landing..
And all kinds of anti-aircraft weapons were installed around it, and hundreds of player troops were on guard in all directions..
A magnificent sight, one could say that the power of the whole world is gathered here.……
Soon, the resolution of players around the world to respond to the invasion of the Demon King was to be made here..
In other words, the commanding authority of the world's power was gathered in one place..
The power gathered earlier was considerable, but this time it was on a much larger scale..
'……Today, we must receive as much support as possible from around the world..’
Currently, of course, public opinion and the media were saying that Lee Hyun-wook was suitable for the privilege of being a 'warrior'..
And if elected as a warrior, Lee Hyun-wook, who would have the authority to influence the entire world's military power, planned to gather all war materials and manufacture as many weapons as possible at the Gangwon-do armory..
‘So, by launching a lot of war boxes into orbit, we build a system that can pour out infinite amounts of war boxes..’
The entire Earth enters an all-out war, and its resources are gathered at Lee Hyun-wook's fingertips..
Lee Hyun-wook went to the meeting room while organizing plans to create and operate numerous other weapon systems..
At that time, someone approached him directly..
He was none other than Alain Giam..
“……Stillane, this is on a different level from Titanomachia..”
He raised a topic whose meaning was unknown..
"......."
Lee Hyun-wook did not answer in particular..
How persistently and ugly has Alain Giam been biting Lee Hyun-wook so far? People all over the world knew that the two were not worthy of a friendly greeting..
"Big— So, this time, I want to exclude political factors and engage in bipartisan cooperation. I'm embarrassed to say this, but I was harsh during Titanomachia... … There were some political reasons..”
Strangely enough, he came in without paying anything..
“Even if I say this, it will be difficult for you to give me your heart. So, I apologized and prepared some gifts to show my sincerity, but before the meeting started... … Could you please talk to me privately??”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Alain Giam as if he was thinking, then nodded slowly..
"Now, I have rented a quiet room in advance. Let's go there."
***
Inside a conference room, Hyunwook Lee and Alain Giam were sitting across from each other..
Then, Alain Giam took out a steel case, opened it, and held it out to Hyunwook Lee..
"Now, this is proof that I really believe in Steele Rain and decided to support it..’’
[Item information]
- Name: Extreme Replica (Special)
- Effect: Imitates items below legendary level and reproduces them with 50% effect. (Cannot be modified)
Hyunwook Lee held the golden branch, and Alain Giam slightly smiled..
"If I were to say this… … Oh, you already know..”
“Yes, I've written it a few times too..”
“Haha—but you'll notice that this is a step above it all. It is a replica that can be applied up to legendary level. If you use this to copy one of the legendary items you have, your firepower will be much stronger..”
He gave lengthy explanations like a door-to-door salesman..
Nevertheless, Lee Hyun-wook did not show any special emotions, and Alain Giam almost frowned, but managed to keep a smile..
‘What do you mean you won't even blink at this level? As expected, he's a picky eater.?’
But didn't you prepare a second item for times like this??
'It'll be impossible to keep a poker face the moment you see this..’
This time he brought out a larger steel case..
What was inside was a silver round shield..
[Item information]
- Name: Aegis (Legendary))
- effect
1) Absolute Defense: Forms an absolute shield around 10m for 180 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
2) Medusa's Head: Puts enemies within a 50m distance into a 'petrified' state. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
"Aigis, the most famous shield in the world, this legendary item was acquired by our guild and used in secret, never revealed to the outside world. With this, I could conquer any dungeon, no matter how difficult it was..”
"......."
"Okay, well, I'll support Steele Lane for this as well. This is my sincerity.."
but…….
"......."
After going this far and seeing no response from Lee Hyun-wook, Alain Giam began to get impatient inside..
"It would be difficult to receive support for this level of items anywhere else. Besides that, our guild will do our best to support you in every way.—"
"hmm… … Monsieur Giam, actually I……."
Lee Hyun-wook came in, cutting him off, and he trailed off, wondering what he was going to say.…….
“……I have always admired Monsieur Giam..”
Isn't it a sign of respect by raising the corners of one's mouth??
There was quite a bit of greed in that smile..
‘Ha, then, no matter how noble you pretend to be, there's no way you wouldn't drool in front of something like this.?'
He was thrilled to witness how the face of this supreme and innocent hero, Na-ri, could change into a greedy duck drooling over wealth..
And he was proud that the wealth and power he had accumulated were still functioning effectively..
How much did it bother you that a non-standard entity called Steelein appeared and ruined the order of the world you were maintaining??
But in the end, this man was also the type of person who could be controlled..
“I'm sorry that all I can help you with is providing items and obtaining supplies..”
"If you could just do that for me, I would feel very reassured. You have no idea how much I have admired Monsieur Giam since I was just an F-rank player and AMT soldier. I admired not only the player's strength as an individual, but also his political and economic influence on the world..”
"Haha, I don't know what to do when the greatest player of all time says this..”
Alain Giam felt that his plan had worked, and smiled really pleasantly..
"So... … As we prepare for this war, there are more items I would like you to obtain based on Alain Giam's wide information network and influence..”
At those words, Alain Giam readily nodded..
‘hmm? This guy, if he was going to ask me for anything more, he took the bait right.!’
He nodded with an expression that told him to just speak..
"I'll get you anything I can. Well, I can provide you with tens of kilograms of adamant ore that can be used to make steel weapons..”
"Oh, I can procure them. The things I want to ask of Monsieur Giam are things I cannot do..”
He paused for a moment, then opened his mouth with an apologetic expression on his face..
“that… … My intelligence network says that a guild in Norway has an item called the 'Flag of Valhalla', and I think I'll need it in the future..”
"Well, it's the flag of Valhalla... … Is that information certain? This is my first time hearing about this item too.……."
"From what I heard, I think it was secured by the guild..”
"Ah, when it comes to that guild, the high-ranking officials are very close to me. I'm sure I can check it out myself..”
"I think that would be really, really helpful..”
I don't know what it was, but if it was a guild, it was a place he could control..
If he could get that, it was clear that he would fall for it, so Alain Giam was secretly delighted..
“however… … There is another one.”
"ah! Yes, yes, you say it..”
"I'm trying to make an item this time, and I need some pretty rare materials. Can you procure it for me??”
"Um, what would the ingredients list be??”
"That's a bit much, can you write it down??”
His repeated requests gradually became too much for Alain Giam, who had enormous influence in Europe, but it didn't matter..
'Still, this means you're starting to completely trust me..’
And if you can procure as many of those items, if not all of them, his trust will be greater than that.…….
‘You don't even know that I'm tying a rope around your neck?’
He chuckled to himself and wrote down the list of items called by Lee Hyun-wook one by one on a notepad..
The number was quite large, but he didn't care..
***
“Well then, I'll see you later at the conference room..”
Hyunwook Lee shook hands with Alain Giam and stood up..
Then he looked at the system message floating above his head..
- Player (LV：74)
* Blue Gate Attack, Villain Candidate
'But why is that person…….'
As he remembers, Alain Giam was a person who had not been a villain in his previous life. However, the fact that he is now a villain candidate could probably be seen as having some influence on Lee Hyun-wook himself..
'……Well, anyway, this will save you some trouble..’
If I used that guy well, I could easily procure various items I would need in the future..
Still, it was a dark hand that exerted the greatest influence within Europe and in dark channels..
While moving to the conference hall, the wide area mana messenger rang..
Looking at the mana pattern, it was a call from Laputa..
- = ah! I contacted you because I had some great news..
This voice was Kang Hee-seol..
Her voice sounded somewhat excited, not like she was from a world about to end..
"Emergency talks are starting soon, it's urgent.?”
- = If you listen to this, you'll be able to have a better meeting, right? But you will hear it later.?
No matter what I heard now, there was no way I could feel better..
Lee Hyun-wook answered in a sour voice..
"So, can you briefly summarize it??”
- yes! Well, the use of the Geoshin Disease Research Institute has increased significantly these days. After messing around with the equipment there, I gained some skills and experimented with various things.…….
Come to think of it, it's been quite a while since I acquired Laputa's add-on 'Giant Disease Lab'..
Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol must have been researching ways to utilize it..
- ……Artificial intelligence development skills have just emerged, so we're creating something like Talos.!
And what she discovered was truly shocking..
- With that, what do you think about reviving a dragon corpse that hasn't been touched yet? And a modified version with lots of cannons and missiles all over the body! Ugh—
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