The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 27
27. Cheongdam-dong, an unexpected event - 2
==========================
Since we know the future, we prepare for everything and take every advantage..
Items, people, opportunities, everything······.
That was Lee Hyun-wook’s idea..
But every time that happens, the future changes little by little and something unexpected inevitably happens..
But fortunately, so far, all those unexpected events have turned into ‘unexpected benefits’..
‘It's a similar case this time too..’
Lee Hyun-wook was currently sitting across from Kim Kang-seok and Cheon Myeong-ho in the battalion commander's office..
Once again, something unexpected started to happen..
Kim Kang-seok opened his mouth first..
“Hyunwook Lee, you probably know it as Red Gate.?”
“yes of course.”
The gate is usually purple in color..
But it wasn't all like that.
Red Gate, Blue Gate, etc.,
Depending on the gate properties, different light may be emitted..
Among them, Red Gate······.
“······Isn’t this a gate with various restrictions??”
Like the 'Unlucky Event' a few days ago, various restrictions are applied to the 'dungeon' inside the gate..
It was a difficult case in many ways, such as entry restrictions and bad rules and environment..
“that's right. A vicious stage that preys on even veteran strategy teams... That's Red Gate..”
Kim Kang-seok looked like he didn't like something..
“However, an order came from headquarters to attack the Red Gate..”
Here, by command, it means ‘AMT Seoul Operation Command’..
“Hmm, battalion commander, let me talk about this..”
“······Let's do that..”
Next, Warrant Officer Myeong-ho Cheon began to explain the reason for calling Hyun-wook Lee..
The outline was this:.
A 'red gate' occurred at a building construction site in Cheongdam-dong..
Entry limit: level 18 or lower, limited number of participants: 30 or lower, upon entry, no exit until cleared.,
That was the rule.
“······After preventing the first eruption after the gate occurred, the Cheonghwa guild declared a solo attack..”
The Cheonghwa Guild and the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Port Horse Brigade manage the same area and jointly respond to the gate, but in the case of a 'attack operation' to enter a dungeon like this, only one party has the 'right to attack' and 'ownership'.
The reason was simple.
Since an eruption is a battle in real space, there is a risk of civilian casualties, so 'public safety' must be prioritized, but dungeon raids where there is no such risk are strictly based on the 'business aspect'..
‘In other words, monopolizing makes much more money, so they compete with each other for the right to dominate..’
Dungeon raiding was also a privatized market, and the companies that made a living from it were guilds..
however······.
“······3A few days ago, the Cheonghwa Guild's third attack attempt failed..”
Things were going in a bad direction there..
“If so, shouldn't we respond jointly from the fourth attack under the treaty??”
“Oh, you know it well, right? So it looks like Cheonghwa is quite angry..”
If the party with the right to attack failed to attack the gate three times, it was judged that the organization in question lacked the ability to attack, and there was a 'mutual treaty' that required two or more organizations to 'jointly respond'..
If it fails again, the gate will be designated as 'Trouble 3' level, which is something to keep a close eye on, and a 'coalition' involving 5 or more organizations will be formed and begin a large-scale attack operation..
If the attack still fails, the last method, the deployment of the final weapon 'S grade', is discussed..
According to these regulations, Red Gate in Cheongdam-dong was currently in the second, 'joint response' stage..
“The Red Gate's level limit was 18, so troops could not be dispatched carelessly... After the commander received a report on the activities of the rescue team deployed in the Seoul Station 'Unlucky Event', what possibilities did he see? You ordered us to deploy in this operation..”
The activities of the Seoul Station Unlucky Event Rescue Team······.
Yes, honestly, it was something of a miracle and an achievement worthy of high praise..
“therefore······.”
Cheon Myung-ho placed his hand on Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder..
“······I'm so sorry, but you're the right person for this operation..”
Cheon Myeong-ho's explanation ended there..
Kim Kang-seok shook his head and sighed..
“Ha... To be honest, it's too dangerous. Cheonghwa sent only high-level players at level 18 three times, but not a single one came back alive..”
During the Seoul Station Unlucky event, one of the reasons why the Cheonghwa Guild was unable to support players below level 15 was because a significant number of promising players were dying out at the Red Gate..
“Even the fourth attack begins tonight. It was so sudden······.”
As Kim Kang-seok, he couldn't help but feel frustrated..
In a battlefield where the probability of failure is overwhelmingly high, you have to literally put your soldiers at risk, and that too with the soldiers you care about the most.······.
But Lee Hyun-wook, the beloved soldier, had different thoughts..
He was laughing inside.
‘I can’t believe this incredible opportunity came to me on my own like this.······.’
An unexpected event that occurs as the future changes little by little. Luckily, this time it was also an opportunity..
Lee Hyun-wook also knew very well about this ‘Red Gate’ in Cheongdam-dong..
‘It is one of the gates later called the cannibal gate..’
It was the worst gate, with a total of 5 failed attempts and 112 players being eaten..
Even though all of them were promising players from Cheonghwa, Korea's leading guild, and would be responsible for the security and national prestige of the Republic of Korea in a few years, they were oxidized to nothing..
‘However, being difficult in a game also means the rewards are huge..’
Naturally, this Red Gate spits out items of enormous value..
From his memory, the magic metal 'Mithril' and the expensive 'Adamant' would appear, and furthermore, he would be able to acquire all kinds of items that were relics of the oxidized strategy team..
‘And... there's a pretty nice window buried there..’
Hero grade item ‘Achilles’ Spear’’
An item with a unique effect that once stabbed, a wound will not heal in most cases.······.
That object is sleeping deep in the dungeon inside the Red Gate in Cheongdam-dong..
‘If this happens... we can grow one more time just before the 4th wave..’
Lee Hyun-wook thought that and was smiling on the inside, but on the outside he had a calm expression..
At that time, Kim Kang-seok sighed again..
“Ha... Commander, what is the reason you are pushing this so far??”
Cheon Myeong-ho didn’t bother to answer..
But Lee Hyun-wook knew the reason well..
‘If Jeong Sang-sik is something to turn a blind eye to, it's probably because of the Cheonghwa guild..’
By this time, General Jeong Sang-sik, commander of the AMT Seoul Operation Command, was setting his sights on the Cheonghwa Guild..
This was because he had a terrible personal relationship with Master Yoo Jae-hyuk of the Cheonghwa Guild..
But unfortunately, Jeong Sang-sik could not beat Yoo Jae-hyuk in all aspects..
That is why I urged the AMT units under my command to achieve better results than Cheonghwa..
Even if it's something very small, to win just once······.
‘Jeong Sang-sik was a man who achieved results by using the lives of his subordinates like expendable items.······.’
He was a commander who replaces common soldiers, that kind of style..
That is why he ordered the deployment of an offensive operation to begin tonight..
‘I never thought that person's reckless personality would be of help to me.?’
It was then.
“Ah... battalion commander?”
Cheon Myung-ho held up his cell phone with an embarrassed face..
yes-
A phone call was coming.
“Could it be that you are the commander??”
Cheon Myeong-ho nodded with a nervous expression and carefully answered the phone..
“Loyalty, Commander! yes, that's right.”
It was polarizing for the commander to make a phone call directly..
“yes? iced coffee! I will do that.”
Myung-ho Cheon looked at Kang-seok Kim and Hyun-wook Lee alternately, then put his cell phone down on the table..
And then switched to speakerphone..
“Commander, I'm now on speaker phone..”
- Yeah, he's listening right now.?
“Loyalty! Corporal, this is Lee Hyun-wook..”
Lee Hyun-wook came forward without notice..
- Oh, yeah, I've been listening to your performance all day yesterday and today, and wow, you're amazing! I'm really proud that I achieved this achievement and perfectly protected civilians in danger even though I was ranked F.!
For a general with the rank of lieutenant general, his voice was somewhat fussy..
“yes! thank you!”
- Um, so... the contents... I heard it all from Warrant Officer Cheon.?
“Yes, Red Gate, that's right.”
- ······how is it? I'll give it a try?
I was surprised that he could say so plainly whether he was willing to risk his life..
“······I will do it if you command me..”
- No, it's not an order. I am asking you if you would like to volunteer for something that will be of great help to you in your future, something that will be your greatest accomplishment during your AMT service..
“······.”
Kim Kang-seok held his head in response to that sophistry..
The fact that Three Star called directly was practically coercion..
However, Lee Hyun-wook continued the conversation calmly..
“Sir, may I ask you one question??”
- Yes, yes, you can do ten or a hundred things..
“In my opinion... I think this operation goes beyond simply targeting one gate and puts AMT's pride at stake..”
- Pride? Um, why??
“As a member of AMT, I can't help but be nervous about competing with the Cheonghwa Guild, which is also in charge of the Seoul area. The Cheonghwa Guild has a strong view that our AMT is below them... I think that a joint attack would actually be an all-out war that would put the pride of the Cheonghwa Guild and AMT on the line. So, I am worried about whether I dare to take on AMT’s pride..”
- Hmm, you... have some sense.?
I deliberately emphasized that ‘pride’ was at stake..
I don't want to make it obvious, but that's probably the purpose of normal eating, so that's what prompted it..
“So, Commander, do you believe in my potential in competition with Cheonghwa??”
a moment of silence-
- Well... I've been here for a long time, and I can see what a soldier is just from a few stories. When I heard about your work at Seoul Station, I thought it would be perfect to entrust you with this case. So I tried to leave it to you. This can also be seen as a kind of faith.?
It wasn't just the Seoul Station activity that caught the commander's ears..
Previous encounters with goblins, kobolds, orcs, etc., as well as duel training witnessed by Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho could have been reported..
In other words, rather than blindly forcing a mission, Lee Hyun-wook would have been selected as the 'horse' for this game based on his own information..
Honestly, it was a welcome.
“······If so, let's do it.”
- oh? Really? Can you really do this??
“Commander, if you believe in my success,······.”
Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of going empty-handed..
Get something out of this opportunity.
“······I would like you to support one weapon. And if I achieve results that are satisfactory to you, Commander, I hope you will give me the weapon as a reward..”
- Hmm, what kind of weapon are you talking about??
“······ I would like you to give me the 'Failnote' from the headquarters armory..”
- ······what?
“I think my ability to manipulate metal is the most suitable weapon..”
- ······.
“······”
There was a moment of silence..
Kim Kang-seok and Cheon Myeong-ho also looked somewhat surprised..
Fail-Not, Failnaught······.
It was an arrow that never missed, used by Sir Tristan, a character in the Arthurian legend..
It wasn't a bow, it was really just one 'arrow'.
‘So it was a neglected jar and only gathered dust until I got it into my hands..’
Since it was an arrow, it had to be used by an archer, but it had the inconvenience of having to retrieve it again after firing one shot, and since it was also a clue that could identify the shooter, it was also unsuitable for assassination purposes..
In many ways, its usability was bound to decline. However, it did not have overwhelming destructive power. It's just that the accuracy is incredible and the 'magic nullification' effect is granted.······.
That's why no one looked for it until Lee Hyun-wook, who freely handles metal, wrote it..
Anyway, everyone was surprised because it was a 'Hero' grade item..
“Commander, if you trust me and support me, I will definitely achieve results..”
He exuded confidence and drove the wedge once again..
OK······.
- ······yes, good!
After thinking about it, I thought it wasn't a loss-making business..
If only I could break Yoo Jae-hyuk's arrogance by investing in an item that has no use..
That's how much Jeong Sang-sik's competitive spirit was enormous..
In the future, there will be many incidents that will spark that competitive spirit.······.
- 1I'll send it to you in time, so make sure you get rid of those blue-and-white guys, do you understand??
“yes! All right!”
***
Immediately after, Kim Kang-seok called the low-level soldiers who had been assigned to the rescue mission at Seoul Station..
Just because Lee Hyun-wook gave the OK doesn't mean he's a general, and he can't drive all low-level soldiers into danger, so it was right to tell them about the dangers of this mission and receive support..
“······Now, the choice is yours..”
When Kim Kang-seok said that after finishing the explanation, Cheon Myeong-ho became anxious..
This was because there was a strong possibility that no one would support it..
However, an unexpected result came out..
“If Corporal Lee Hyun-wook goes, I will go too..”
“I will be with you this time too. I think it will be an opportunity to grow.”
“······Uh, then, I, too, would like to participate in this operation.!”
Among the low-level rescue teams deployed to Seoul Station, eight people, including Min-tae Ahn and Jun-mo Park, volunteered..
“you······.”
Kim Kang-seok, that true soldier, as expected, looked somewhat moved..
“Honestly, I'm scared. But I want to close my eyes and see.”
Ahn Min-tae said that and looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
‘If you are with Corporal Hyunwook Lee... you can grow faster..’
They probably knew that no one could do it except them at that level anyway, and they were thinking that working with Lee Hyun-wook could be an 'opportunity' beyond any experience..
In this way, the continuation of Lee Hyun-wook's performance has already become a solid trust..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, I feel like you have become much bigger in the time I haven't seen you..”
Cheon Myeong-ho said.
Even though we only saw each other for a few days, Lee Hyun-wook was in a position that was incomparable to before..
“So I'm looking forward to the future even more..”
For a moment, a strange tension was felt between Kim Kang-seok and Cheon Myeong-ho..
Anyway, a 'special strategy platoon' of 9 people was formed, including Lee Hyun-wook..
“30We'll be gathering in minutes! Completely arm everyone and check their skills.!”
They returned to their respective living quarters and began to prepare for battle..
“You never know what might happen inside a dungeon, so check it several times to make sure you haven't missed anything when packing your gear.!”
There were several types of military commanders within the AMT..
The heaviest among them was the 'dungeon attack type' military uniform..
In the worst case, you would have to live in the dungeon for several days..
“Ugh, it's heavy.······.”
“Park Jun-mo, that heaviness will save you..”
Lee Hyun-wook quickly finished preparing and checked the information about the new skill he had forgotten..
- congratulations! By satisfying special conditions, the ‘Strong Body’ skill is greatly strengthened.!
I checked this message at the training site and ran to the battalion commander's office..
‘It seems that by absorbing the armor system, it automatically fused with the rigid body..’
In this way, swallowing an item improves the corresponding skill..
Of course, that doesn't mean it can eat up everything, including metal, armor, and shields. It only applies to things that are not mixed with other ingredients and that can be swallowed in one bite..
And that was rarer than I thought..
Lee Hyun-wook confirmed the details..
[Skill information]
- Name: Indomitable strong body)
- Grade: C
- Effect: Temporarily 'strengthens' part of the body by consuming mana (20).
1 [mana shield]
2 [secret engraving]
3 [unknown]
* ‘If you swallow a certain amount of 'high hardness magic metal', your skill level will improve..
* You can ‘level up’ when you gain experience through hunting..
The existing ‘rigid body’ has been strengthened to ‘indomitable rigid body’..
Several contents were added to this..
First of all, it went up one level from D grade to C grade..
Lee Hyun-wook attempted to ‘strengthen’ his left arm..
T-that-that-
‘The thickness has not increased, but it has become much stronger and stronger..’
From my experience, if it felt like this, my grip strength would have been about 5 times stronger..
The D grade was about three times higher, so it was a significant growth..
‘In addition... I gained an additional skill..’
There were a total of 3 items, and only 1 and 2 were open..
First, he applied skill number 1, ‘Mana Shield’, to his left hand, which was hardened..
- ‘‘Mana Shield’ is opened.
Wooooow-
A vague energy began to flow around the rigid body parts..
The skin tissue, which had become as hard as metal, vibrated slightly and released mana..
And the 'mana shield' functions in such a way that the flow of mana rotates through the body..
This was the same as the principle of 'dragon' scales canceling out magic..
‘Beginner level magic can easily be offset..’
When he was called the Steel Emperor, Lee Hyun-wook's biggest weakness was his 'magic resistance'..
Even if I strengthened my body as much as possible, my physical defense only increased and I was helpless against magic attacks. That's why Seo Eun-ha had to have a dedicated tanker attached to cover her in all directions..
‘I tried to increase my magic resistance somehow, but it wasn't easy.······.’
There were almost no metals that could increase magic resistance..
To be precise, there was no metal small enough to eat..
‘This time, things have changed fundamentally..’
The most critical shortcomings have been offset to some extent..
‘And the second skill secret engraving... What is this??’
- Please pick up the ‘item’ that will be imprinted on your body..
Following the message, I took out an iron ball and held it..
OK······.
- It's engraved.
The iron ball turned into smoke and was absorbed into my hand, and something was engraved on the skin of my left wrist..
“······Tattoo?”
What can I say, it felt like tiny metal particles were engraved into my skin..
And this circle shape probably resembled an iron bead..
Let's infuse mana there again.······.
Ssssssssssssssssss-
The 'tattoo' came out, and the iron ball was automatically held in my left hand..
“It's pretty good?”
The ‘subspace’ function that was originally attached to the item seemed to have changed like this..
To be honest, being able to store items in your body with a tattoo was incredibly portable..
The scene where Han Tae-san took out Mjolnir from his secret armor and used it came to mind..
The guy with bare hands suddenly pulled out a hammer from somewhere and swung it, so the enemies had no choice but to react..
‘Could create a fun scene?.’
And that was then.
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! You must go to the armory immediately.!”
2One of the squad’s privates said so..
‘Failnote, it has arrived..’
1Judging from the fact that it took no time, it seemed like they arrived through a 'small portal' linked between the armories..
Lee Hyun-wook immediately went down to the armory and received the item..
It was a steel box about 50cm long and 150cm wide..
When I brought it back up to the dormitory, there was no one there..
It seemed like the squad members had finished their combat stance and were gathered in the central hallway..
When I opened the box, there was a silver arrow emitting a noble light..
[Item information]
- Name: Sir Tristan's Palenote
- Effect: Tracks and hits the target once aimed, ignoring 'magic resistance'.
‘A long time.’
This was one of the items Lee Hyun-wook used as his main weapon..
I've used numerous items, but few have been as easy to control as this one..
This was because, unlike ordinary arrows, everything from the feather to the tip was made of metal..
In other words, it was a perfect target for Lee Hyun-wook to demonstrate his control over metal..
‘engrave.’
When I applied the newly acquired skill, the pale note disappeared like smoke.······.
- It's engraved.
There is a small arrow tattooed on the left wrist..
“where once······.”
He imbued the tattoo with mana and at the same time exerted control over the metal and pushed it away strongly..
OK-
Shhh!
A hand that had nothing in it - 'Pale Note' popped out of the air and was launched vertically, traveling through the living room in the blink of an eye and coming to a precarious halt near the window..
I had an optical illusion as if I had been transported in an instant..
“her······.”
Even Lee Hyun-wook, who directly controlled it, could not see the movement with his own eyes..
This is because the secret imprint was lifted and the smoke materialized and was released at the same time..
“This is the perfect combination to catch you off guard.?”
It was a ‘fail note’ that I used many times in my past life.,
‘A new weapon was born through combination with ‘secret engraving’..
I thought it would be more useful than the ‘Hidden Sword’ I often used..
Feeling satisfied, Hyunwook Lee took the Pale Note and 'engraved' it again, and it disappeared like smoke..
He hid the ‘arrow that never misses’ in ‘a place where he would never be seen’ and headed to the gathering place..
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