The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 22
22. Seoul Station, F grade and S grade - 1
===========================
Black smoke flowing from Lee Hyun-wook's mouth - by the time Yang Joo-seop noticed that something was suspicious, it was already too late..
Fu-hwa-ah-ah-ah-
A red-hot flame attacked Yang Joo-seop..
“Ugh, ugh! Shit, fuck! It's a dog! This makes sense?”
Yang Joo-seop's voice, shouting like that, contained more absurdity than pain..
A single, incomprehensible blow sent him into a state of groggy..
Even though I have fought many battles as a player,······
‘······This doesn't make sense!’
This time I had no idea what the opponent's weapon was..
Typically, a player's combat style is determined by the 'characteristics' they acquire..
To put it simply, a paladin uses a sword and shield, and a wizard uses a wand or staff as a medium to use magic..
However, there were exceptions as well..
For example, being a ‘priest’ doesn’t mean you have to be a ‘heal’. They stand on the front lines holding swords and shields filled with divine power..
And among the wizards, there are snipers who do not swing a staff but use 'magic bullets' by enchanting bullets..
This case is often called ‘variation armament’..
However, since this variation also has a ‘degree’, most of it was within the expected range..
‘But damn, what kind of bastard who controls an iron ball suddenly spews fire?······.’
Yang Joo-seop's faint consciousness thought so, supported by evil..
He blocked the iron ball attack sent by Lee Hyun-wook with great ease and was about to attack triumphantly - when Lee Hyun-wook opened his mouth, red flames spouted out like a whirlwind and engulfed everything in him..
After that scene, Yang Joo-seop's will faded..
‘I thought I was his match, but it turned out to be the opposite.······.’
Because he had the trait of being a 'tree spiritist', he was confident that no matter how many hundreds or thousands of pieces of metal were thrown at him, he would be able to block them by pulling out dozens of 'trunks'..
But... it wasn't 'fire'.
Until now, I had avoided at all costs the enemies that used fire, which is the ultimate property of wood, but I never imagined that I would be swept up in flames so vainly..
‘Fuck... Still, I thought a pretty good ending would await a villain.······.’
Villain, the usage was definitely not positive..
However, for some people, the message to become a villain and destroy the world may have been more persuasive than the message to become a hero and save the world..
This was especially true for someone full of hatred towards the world..
Therefore, on the day when Yang Joo-seop killed the team members who had been bullying him one by one in the 'dungeon', when the quest to become a villain appeared before his eyes, he did not think long and clicked 'accept'..
‘I didn't do anything wrong, the whole world... they did something wrong to me first.······.’
From a human perspective, villains are evil, but from a more macroscopic perspective, aren't villains the true justice? Isn't eliminating the humans who dominate and exploit this Earth the true cause? Isn't that the purpose of this game?······.
Yang Joo-seop thought this over and over again as he proceeded with the ‘Villain Quest’..
But, I never thought I would meet such a vain end.······.
Then, I saw a light.
My eyes were opened..
“Wow! huh······.”
he is not dead yet.
But...death arrived before his eyes..
The man looking down at him was Lee Hyun-wook..
“······Yang Joo-seop, your self-justification ends here..”
“W-what? Big, big- gasp!”
Yang Joo-seop At that moment, I couldn't help but have doubts..
Self-justification?······.
‘······How on earth did you know my inner thoughts??’
But the concern could not be resolved.
Because an iron ball flew and pierced his heart..
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand and took the iron ball..
“You caught the black tentacle Yang Joo-seop early..”
Yang Joo-seop, a villain who would later rise to A-level player and be called Black Tentacle.,
Cut off the bud before he could grow any further..
And of course, Lee Hyun-wook did not look into Yang Joo-seop's mind..
It was just something I assumed because I had already seen that all villains have that kind of mentality..
‘People who disguise the pan-human crimes they commit with plausible rhetoric······.’
Lee Hyun-wook was planning to dispose of those things one by one like this..
and······.
- ‘Obtained 'Key No. 2 to the Akashic Armory'.
Yang Joo-seop was scheduled to receive this item from the monster ‘Seeker of Evil’..
‘Although it may not be usable right now······.’
Still, as it was one of the key items in the villain quest, he was someone who would play a very decisive role someday..
Lee Hyun-wook put it deep in his chest..
The reward didn't end there.
- (!) Quest has arrived.
“quest······.”
A quest was a very special direction given by the system..
[Hidden Quest]
- Those who embrace the light will become the dawn of the world.!
You have foiled the plot of the ‘villain’, a traitor to humanity..
This gave me the opportunity to become a ‘Guardian’, the protector of humanity..
This quest will guide you to become the light of the world.
* Would you like to accept the quest? (Y/N)
“Guardian······.”
The Guardian who protects humanity, the opposite of a villain who threatens humanity)
I was given the opportunity to become a part of that organization..
‘But not yet. If you get tangled up with the Guardian now, you'll get tired..’
The reason was the same as not wanting to stay in AMT..
Being tied to an organization inevitably hinders the many benefits that can be gained by operating independently..
“refuse.”
- Are you sure you want to refuse? (Y/N)
* Choose carefully! There may not be another chance!
Guardians, they were definitely helpful people..
For the sake of humanity - those who joined forces to fight the villain, and many heroes who were destined to become Lee Hyun-wook's companions in the future currently belong to the Guardians or soon will..
‘But not all guardians are allies. Rather... it could be your worst enemy..’
worst enemy,
To understand this point, you first needed to know the villain well..
There were two main types of villains..
It was common for people to become villains after receiving quests defined by the system, like Yang Joo-seop, who was just killed, but there were also players who decided to become part of the axis of evil regardless..
chamberlain······.
‘gordon price······.’
Gordon Price, head of the Villain Alliance, fell into the latter category..
A person close to pure evil who is not determined by the system······.
Even though he never received a villain quest, he became the leader of the villains..
And he even······
“······humanity's worst traitor.”
Belonged to the ‘Guardians’, the protectors of humanity.
In this way, the system and the game presented a certain board, but it was the player who played with that board..
In my past life, that guy ruled the game..
But this edition would be different, Lee Hyun-wook thought..
***
A 'rescue team' from the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Port Horse Brigade stood in front of Exit 1 of Seoul Station..
There were 18 people below level 15, led by Lieutenant Hee-min Lee..
“Shit, why am I doing this, no matter how I look at it, it looks like suicide.······.”
Lee Hee-min mumbled, shook his head, and tapped his bulletproof hat..
“Huh, it's okay, nothing will happen······.”
The faces of the soldiers standing behind him darkened at his words..
He sighed and stretched out his hand toward the dome..
Then a system message appeared:.
- This is the level you can enter.
It seemed positive up to this point, but,
- caution! The area is . Once you enter, you cannot leave unless certain conditions are met..
Soon a bloody phrase appeared before my eyes..
gulp-
Lee Hee-min turned his head and looked at the rescue team..
They all had the look of a child..
Fuck - he muttered like that and opened his mouth..
“······Come on, everyone! Enter! It's dangerous inside! We don't even know which gate is open, so everyone stay alert.!”
That's how entry began..
- caution! You have entered.
The vast space of the reception room on the second floor of Seoul Station unfolded before the eyes of the rescue team who penetrated the message..
“······.”
But it was completely different from what they were used to..
It was always a noisy space and crowded with people, but now it was so quiet that I had the illusion that time had stopped..
“······There isn't a single body in sight..”
something was strange.
I came in expecting that there would already be numerous victims, but strangely, I couldn't find any traces of massacre..
Can we say it was fortunate? On the other hand, the tension doubled when expectations were wrong from the first step..
Jeopuk- Jeopuk-
“······Now, move forward to the right of Park Jun-mo and Choi Tae-yong..”
Ahn Min-tae gave that instruction..
He was still acting as a temporary squad leader and deputy commander of the rescue team..
And soon, it caught my eye.
“Platoon commander, look over there..”
A huge purple shimmering crack was open in the center of the reception room..
The culprit behind this whole situation... was the gate..
“However, there is something around the gate..”
There was something huge lying in pieces around the gate..
As I got a little closer, the outline emerged..
It looked like a monster with many legs.······
“omg! Hey, spider! It's a very big spider!”
2One of the female soldiers in the company screamed and took a step back..
Because of that, the others were also surprised and lowered their posture..
“Oh, but that······.”
An Min-taeman tilted his head, raised his shield, and took a couple of steps forward..
There was no movement, and green smoke was seeping out from the crack..
“······Looks like they're all dead already.”
It was then.
“Who is there??”
3A voice was heard from the top of the stairs..
“uh? ah! We are AMT Rescue Team!”
Hee-min Lee answered, and someone on the third floor appeared and motioned for me to come up..
The rescue team went up the stairs in two rows, keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings..
Lee Hee-min, who went to the front, faced the man in the blue uniform, the head of the security team at Seoul Station..
“Did you say rescue team??”
“Yes, that's right. This is the AMT rescue team..”
“Oh, we are Seoul Station Security Team 2..
the two shook hands.
“Hmm... I know this is a bit weird to say, but I can't get out, so how did you come to rescue me??”
“You can't get out, but shouldn't you protect as many civilian survivors as possible for the remaining 5 hours and 20 minutes? We came to this place on that mission..”
Is that really the best?······.
The security team leader nodded with a bitter expression..
Lee Hee-min turned his head and checked the survivors gathered near the food court..
“But fortunately, there don't seem to be any civilian casualties. How did it happen??”
“Ah, thanks to AMT operators like you. I was still following his instructions..”
“······yes?”
Hee-min Lee frowned and asked back at the words of the security team leader..
It was because there was a name that immediately came to mind among the AMT members here..
“By any chance, what is that person’s name??”
“Well, he had the rank of corporal, his name was······.”
The security team leader scratched his head as if he couldn't remember..
“ah! Are you Corporal Lee Hyun-wook??”
The person who asked that question was none other than Park Jun-mo..
At that moment, Lee Hee-min turned his head, veins forming on his neck..
“Hey you bastard, stay still! Why are you interfering??”
“ah! sorry!”
“The private bastard really doesn't even know the subject.······.”
To Lee Hee-min's overreaction, the security team leader nodded with a shocked expression..
“······Hmm, that's the name anyway.”
“What on earth did that color, or rather that soldier, do? It's ridiculous that you were following the instructions of that guy... Seriously, it's grade F, that's it..”
The security team leader's face turned cold as he heard the harsh words pouring out without hesitation..
“······.”
Lee Hee-min felt that it was a sudden move without any context, even to himself..
He was embarrassed and shook his head..
“······Well, anyway, I will take command from now on. Lee Hyun-wook He is only a low-ranking soldier in our unit. Because it's grade F, I don't have the ability to save the people here and get out..”
Lee Hee-min had already completely forgotten the orders he had received from the battalion commander when receiving the mission - to actively collect Lee Hyun-wook's opinions..
‘How dare an officer talk about an F grade?······.’
In his heart, the hatred toward Lee Hyun-wook that had been accumulating for several days was boiling over..
“Hmm, grade F... is that really true? It didn't look like that at all..”
“yes? So would I, the rescue leader, lie? That's grade F, that's right.”
“So, platoon leader, what is your rank? The entry limit here is level 15..”
The security team leader looked at me with suspicion..
“Oh, it just so happens that I'm level 15, so I'm level C, tier 3..”
Grades E and D have a single grade, but starting from Grade C, a grading system called 'tier' is added..
5There are a total of 5 levels, from Tier 1 to Tier 1..
This also meant that from grade C onwards, it was a useful grade that could be divided into very detailed uses..
“Hmm, then I am a C-rank tier 1, so why should I follow the platoon leader's instructions??”
“······yes? No, then why on earth did you follow the instructions of that F-rated bastard??”
“No, I mean, this guy really doesn’t understand, haha······.”
The security team leader looked at Lee Hee-min with cynicism..
But soon annoyance appeared on his face..
“Ha- I'm going crazy, 800 people's lives were at stake and this is a rescue team.······.”
Lee Hee-min also blushed at the security team leader's blatant expression of emotion..
Although he was quite hot-tempered, he was not so indiscriminate that he got angry here. If you talk to the security team leader now, you'll have a lot to deal with..
His anger tended to come out when he didn't have to..
And just then, a familiar face appeared among the general public in the food court..
The deputy platoon leader was Sergeant Choi Seon-ah..
“uh? Platoon leader?”
“hey! Choi Seon-ah! Where are you doing this?······.”
As expected, Lee Hee-min grinned and showed his teeth..
“Hyunwook Lee Where is that bastard now? Tell them to come out quickly!”
“Oh, that's it······.”
“He has now gone downstairs for a quick reconnaissance..”
Instead of Choi Seon-ah, the security team leader spoke..
“what? Scouting alone... does that make sense??”
“under······.”
The guard captain sighed and opened his mouth..
“What on earth do you want to ask so much about? What kind of surveillance are we trapped here under??”
“Isn't this not a question, but a confirmation as the rescue leader??”
In the end, sparks flew between the two, voices rose, and the citizens gathered near the food court couldn't help but look even more anxious as they watched..
It was then.
“······Everyone please be quiet.”
A voice admonishing two people,
It was Lee Hyun-wook..
Lee Hee-min suddenly turned his head..
Lee Hyun-wook was coming up the stairs..
“what? Hey, you bastard! Why are you wandering around on your own?······.”
“I told you to be quiet.”
“what? How dare this crazy bastard tell me to be quiet.······.”
At that moment, something flew out of Lee Hyun-wook’s grasp and was shot out at very high speed..
Hung-
“······omg!”
It stood tall in front of Lee Hee-min’s mouth..
yes-
It was an iron ball the size of a finger..
If I had stopped just a little later, my teeth would have all been crushed..
“······.”
Lee Hee-min took a step back with a rather surprised expression..
Then I opened my eyes wide and looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
It wasn't an expression of anger, but rather a somewhat resentful expression that made me wonder how on earth that could be possible..
“Shh-”
“······.”
“Everyone, shut up and look over there..”
Hyunwook Lee slowly raised his right hand and pointed somewhere below the terrace..
It was a gate.
Go-oh-oh-oh-oh-
But the gate was shaking.
It looked completely different from before..
“2It's a sign of tea erupting..”
Everyone swallowed dry saliva..
The second battle was about to begin..
Lee Hyun-wook walked closer to Lee Hee-min and looked straight into his eyes..
“Platoon leader, you just almost put every survivor here in danger..”
“······.”
“Platoon commander, we are here, inside the unlock event area. As you asked me and my squad members during the last operation, please control your voice so that it is not too loud..”
Lee Hee-min couldn't say anything..
That's what he said once.
In that respect, he was not unaware that he had acted rashly, unbefitting a commander, and more than anything,······
Just now, I was completely overwhelmed by Lee Hyun-wook’s energy..
“I unintentionally gave a threatening signal, but I hope you understand as the situation is situational..”
“······.”
With those words, Lee Hyun-wook gestured to the guard captain and Ahn Min-tae..
Two people approached Lee Hyun-wook..
“2The tea spurt will start soon. You must prepare for battle.”
The two people nodded..
So naturally, Lee Hyun-wook began to command everyone here..
People naturally listened to his voice and followed his opinions..
Lee Hee-min could only stare blankly at that sight..
“Team leader, for your information, we found another gate downstairs. Double gate is correct.”
“······shit.”
“Don't worry too much about this and don't tell people. There will be more confusion.”
“That's how it should be, I understand..”
At that time, Min-tae Ahn gestured somewhere and Jun-mo Park came carrying a duffel bag..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, we brought you his weapons..”
It contained Lee Hyeon-wook's weapons, including a tactical vest, M9 (enchanted) sword, and cloud sword, as well as Sergeant Choi Seon-ah's weapons..
Lee Hyun-wook put on his gear and put the cloud sword on his back..
“So, let's begin..”
When the security team leader gestured, 6 security guards and 3 citizen players moved..
As Ahn Min-tae noticed, the rescue team took their positions in perfect order..
“Folks, hundreds of lives are in our hands..”
Finally, when Lee Hyun-wook made a gesture, everyone raised their weapons..
“······.”
But then, everyone's eyes naturally focused on one point..
Hyunwook Lee, he was raising both hands to waist level.······.
Woo-woo-woo-ung-
on both his palms,
20The iron ball took flight and began to spin in a spiral, like a whirlwind..
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