The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 28
28. Cheongdam-dong, Red Gate - 1
=========================
“······power on, get off.”
The special attack platoon, including Lee Hyun-wook, got off the transport truck..
At that moment, a red light appeared on their faces, and they turned their heads in that direction.······.
“her······.”
I was overwhelmed..
""
The red cracks were burning like the eyes of the devil..
“That... Red Gate······.”
Before departure, they received quick training from Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha and Warrant Officer Cheon Myeong-ho on information about the 'Red Gate' and some of the most basic 'raid tactics' required in the dungeon..
Of course, Lee Hyun-wook already knew all of this, and he even knew a few things in more detail..
“Huh... They said it was a dungeon to play in, but I could already smell the scent of a beast somewhere..”
Just as Ahn Min-tae said, there was a bad smell..
It appears that the gnolls that came out during the eruption were burned and killed with fire magic..
As such, the monster that comes out of this gate is ‘Gnoll’..
Gnolls were canine monsters that were smaller than orcs but larger than humans..
As such, it has a very resilient body..
‘And above all, the numbers are quite large..’
That was the most troublesome thing..
They are crawling around like a ‘herd of dogs’ as they are commonly called..
The company commander, Captain Kwak Yong-jun, and the 1st platoon leader, Lieutenant Lee Taek-ham, got out of the military car that arrived later..
“Uh, guys, it's all down.?”
“Yes, I'm ready.”
“Okay, let's move..”
In fact, these two had nothing to do with this operation, but they were sort of leaders..
Still, it made sense for officer-level officers to take the lead in contacting external organizations..
“That's the AMT attack platoon.?”
Upon arriving at the building construction site, a man in a black suit approached me with a puzzled expression..
He seemed to be an employee of the Cheonghwa Guild..
“yes, that's right.”
“Yes, go that way..”
Although it was a joint attack, this place was managed by the Cheonghwa Guild, so we had to follow their control..
At the entrance to the construction site, several containers were placed..
Since there was no place to sit, they had no choice but to stand blankly holding their weapons..
As expected, it was a cold meal from the beginning..
“Hmm, guys, wait here for a moment, we have some business to attend to..”
Even the two executives, Kwak Yong-jun and Lee Taek-ham, disappeared somewhere..
Looking at that scene, Ahn Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong whispered softly..
“Um, company commander, don't you think you're acting suspiciously again??”
“Well, the fact that the company commander is lining up Cheonghwa is already famous...?”
“However, I didn't expect the 1st platoon leader to be there... He said he would rather go to another battalion's attack platoon leader this time, but is he already planning to be discharged? Still, everyone goes out with the rank of captain.······.”
Should we say that it is similar to how a high-ranking civil servant goes on to become an executive in a related industry after retirement? There were also frequent cases of AMT officers joining a private guild before being promoted to major..
As Lee Hyun-wook remembers, Kwak Yong-jun enters the Cheonghwa guild after the 4th wave..
It was a bit awkward to keep lining up from now on... but honestly, it was an unavoidable decision..
‘4After the Cha Wave, the 1st Battalion became a virtually non-existent unit.······.’
As the lonely atmosphere continued, I began to hear some conversation nearby..
“Hey, look at them over there..”
“huh? Heh heh... It's AMT, right? You really came?”
They were players belonging to the Cheonghwa Guild..
“······But what are they saying they can do? Not a non-commissioned officer, but a soldier leading the strategy?”
“I heard that they were the kids who protected the citizens during the Seoul Station dome incident.?”
Someone snorted at those words..
“Ha, that's really being talked about on TV and the internet these days, but honestly, I guess I was just lucky. Common sense tells me that they can't help us when we can't do it, really.······.”
It seemed like they were probably the Cheonghwa guild strategy team that would enter the gate together..
But why are you telling the story so blatantly?······.
I didn't expect a warm welcome, but I couldn't help but feel bad..
The AMT members were so dispirited that they rolled their anxious eyes..
and then······.
“Uh, what is it? hey! Aren’t you Ahn Min-tae??”
One of the guild members who was telling the story behind the scenes shouted like that.,
Ahn Min-tae turned his head with a puzzled expression..
“······uh?”
“Hey, this is awesome! How can I meet you here??”
A young man approached me with a happy face..
However, the outfit was very....
From head to toe, and from wrist to fingers, everything was luxurious..
Plus, there are piercings covering the ears.······.
It was an inappropriate outfit ahead of an attack operation, but it was actually a very common case..
As popular players are treated as stars, there were quite a few who couldn't control their desire to show off, and if you go to that type of SNS, you'll see numerous photos taken in front of the gate..
“Hey, your uniform is cool.?”
“······Ah, Taeseop. A long time.”
Ahn Min-tae answered, his voice was not as cheerful as usual..
It didn't seem like a very friendly relationship..
however······.
“Hey Hyunwook Lee!”
1It was platoon leader Lee Taek-ham..
He gestured for me to come this way..
“Now the strategy meeting begins. You have to go in too..”
“yes, that's right.”
A little bit wrong. It wasn't 'you too', in fact, it was okay for only Lee Hyun-wook to enter..
“Mintae Ahn, I’m going to a meeting. I'm waiting with the kids.”
“Ah, yes... I understand..”
“Are you polite? Mintae, that person is your leader.?”
Ahn Min-tae's acquaintance asked that question, but Lee Hyun-wook paid no attention and went to the conference room..
A screen and a simple table were placed in the space between the two containers..
“······Hahaha, of course, that is something that Chunghwa will take care of..”
The voice of the company commander, Captain Kwak Yong-jun, was heard..
He was talking with the Cheonghwa Guild with a friendly smile, and the person he was talking to was······.
‘······Hae Hae-na.’
Since her position was the head of the Seoul strategy department, it was natural for her to take up a spot in all these matters..
But now, what Captain Kwak Yong-jun was politely holding with both hands was Yoo Hae-na’s business card..
‘Tsk, Captain Kwak Yongjun is also caught in the spider web..’
If you bite that bait carelessly, you'll end up shedding bloody tears someday..
At that time, Yoo Hae-na found Lee Hyun-wook and smiled, and Kwak Yong-jun turned his head..
“ah! Director Yu, this friend is the soldier in command of this special attack platoon. He was active in the Seoul Station Unlucky event not long ago, and although he is ranked F, his abilities have increased through achievements, and in many ways, he is doing well in everything these days. ha ha ha-”
“Oh, achievements? Somehow······.”
At Kwak Yong-jun's introduction, she nodded as if she knew why Lee Hyun-wook was not F-grade..
In this way, the ‘achievement system’ was a clear excuse that anyone could easily overlook..
Soon the meeting began.
‘······It's all useless content..’
Issues such as operational outline, operational leadership, and profit distribution were discussed..
For Lee Hyun-wook, who already knew everything, these stories were not particularly nutritious..
And about 20 minutes later, the meeting ended..
“Okay, then we will start entering the gate in an hour. Please prepare by then..”
“Yes, we can come in at any time. You can tell us when Cheonghwa is ready..”
Captain Kwak Yong-jun crawled around and shook hands with a bald man named Director Wen..
Immediately after, when Lee Hyun-wook was about to leave······.
“Are you there, corporal? Wait.”
Yoo Hae-na spoke separately..
Hearing her words, Kwak Yongjun also paused for a moment and sat down..
However, when Yoo Hae-na gave me an unwelcome look, I had no choice but to stand up with a shy expression on my face..
So only Lee Hyun-wook and Yoo Hae-na remained..
“Corporal... No, what should I call the special strategy platoon leader now??”
She slowly crossed her legs in a chin-resting position..
“······It doesn't matter.”
“Are you still stiff? Anyway, meeting again like this, I guess we were meant to be..”
No problem, just leave it there. It was a very tangled relationship..
‘You killed Seo Eun-ha, and I will kill you..’
Lee Hyun-wook swallowed those words and made an expression that asked what his business was..
“H-um, they didn't come here because they wanted to anyway, right??”
“What need does a soldier have of his own will to go into action??”
I don't know much about military spirit, but that's roughly what I answered..
“Well anyway, what I want to say is this. Once inside the gate, you and your men are just... on one side. don't do anything.”
She grinned with a haughty expression..
Then, with one hand on the table, he tapped the table steadily with his index finger..
Knock-knock-
That posture and habit - an intentional expression of composure and arrogance, was Hae Na Ha's habit when she wanted to show off her power in front of others..
“······Well, even though we failed three times, we prepared enough to succeed without difficulty this time. Did you suddenly move out of that three-star room because you couldn't stand the pressure of the old man? I know everything.”
An old man with a three-star living room. That meant Jeong Sang-sik, commander of AMT Seoul Operations Command..
He was subtly showing his power by saying that he even knew the internal circumstances of AMT..
“So honestly, you probably haven't received proper training, and it's dangerous, right? I will make it convenient for you. Even if you do nothing in the dungeon and come out, your superiors will never know..”
This time, Lee Hyun-wook smiled..
“It's me, Manager Yu.?”
“call me katherine.”
“Catherine, so... what are you worried about??”
she tilted her head.
“yes? Are you worried? What have we got to worry about??”
Lee Hyun-wook crossed his arms with a faint sneer, haha..
And I leaned back against the backrest..
Yoo Hae-na's expression hardened slightly at that sight..
“Ah... are you saying that you're afraid that we, not the Cheonghwa guild, might catch the boss monster??”
Lee Hyun-wook provoked in reverse..
Yoo Hae-na’s eyebrows twitched..
In this place where his authority was clearly revealed, he ignored and provoked Lee Hyun-wook, but it seemed to have no effect at all, and Lee Hyun-wook just relaxed. He even went so far as to assume a conversely arrogant stance..
All of those aspects were bound to sharpen Yoo Hae-na's feelings..
Lee Hyun-wook smiled faintly and noticed the cracks spreading unconsciously on her expression..
‘After all, it's easy.’
Even in my past life, I touched this woman's feelings many times and made her move in the direction I wanted..
Hae-na Yoo later became a 'villain' and became quite cruel, but he was still just a player who was powerful and rich, but had a slightly strange personality, and was not a villain who did not care about mercy..
“Foot, now you... are going to catch the boss monster.?”
“of course. Isn’t that the target of the attack operation in the first place??”
Catching the boss monster meant conquering the dungeon itself, so if AMT caught the boss monster first, it would be throwing food in the face of the Cheonghwa Guild, which had failed three times..
It's something that General Jeong Sang-sik, the old man in the closet, would be darkly happy about.······.
“Hey, how could that happen??”
“then······.”
Lee Hyun-wook stared intently into Yoo Hae-na’s eyes..
“······What will you do if I catch the boss monster, Catherine??”
“······.”
“If that happens, you can give me what I want among the rewards I get in the dungeon.?”
It was another provocation.
There was a coldness in Yoo Hae-na’s eyes..
“What now, you want to bet with me??”
“Ah, is this how it goes? Hmm, I feel like I was just ignored so much that something went wrong. If you don't want to do it, you don't have to..”
There was no way Hae-na Hae-na could have refused a bet, a bet not on material goods but on pride..
She laughed, as if she was dumbfounded..
“I'm sorry, you seem to have guts and skills for an F grade, but... to be honest, I think you still lack a lot of perspective on the world..”
Yoo Hae-na raised her index finger and pointed behind her back..
“You're looking at our target team list and making these ridiculous bets, right now.?”
A dozen people were gathered where her finger pointed..
This time, it was the Cheonghwa Guild's strategy team that would be deployed to attack the Red Gate..
“How is it? I don't know quite a few faces.?”
When Lee Hyun-wook glanced at her, she made a proud expression..
“Three of the top 100 prospects of the year selected by the Players are right there..”
3They must have put in a lot of effort, including bringing in a lot of promising players after the turn failed..
but······.
‘······I don't know a single one.’
Although Lee Hyun-wook came from the future, he couldn't recognize even one of them..
That was natural.
Because today, by entering the Red Gate, their reputation comes to an end..
Yoo Hae-na, who had no way of knowing that, said with a grin..
“Ha, I was confused.?”
This time, I seemed to have misinterpreted Lee Hyun-wook’s expression..
“So, how do you think your thoughts have changed??”
“······.”
“Okay, if you want to bet, do it. If you lose instead······.”
She stood up and looked down at Hyunwook Lee..
“······You must come under my wing after you are discharged..”
“······.”
“I told you I thought it was good, right? Well, instead, no matter what position, no complaints, it's okay.?”
“······.”
“If you think about it, any position would be lucky for you. I'd rather fly than an AMT soldier?”
After saying that, he turned around and said one more word..
“I guess we're seeing each other more often.~”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at her back and nodded..
‘Like you said, you're lucky for me.’
I was worried about what item to ask Ha Hae-na for..
***
“Ahn Min-tae, why is your expression like that??”
“Ah... no.”
After returning from the strategy meeting, the expressions on the faces of the members of the special strategy platoon, including Min-tae Ahn, were not very good..
Of course, I had been nervous before, but now I was somewhat depressed..
And the Cheonghwa Guild's strategy teams are giggling in the background.······.
‘That guy came and ruined the mood earlier..’
It seemed like something bad happened when Lee Hyun-wook wasn't around..
I questioned Ahn Min-tae several times and found out what happened..
As expected, Taeseop or something, that guy was the problem..
“······They just, literally, subtly scratched their pride by thinking that they were good..”
Over there, Kim Tae-seop, the archer player, has his entire body covered in luxury goods and expensive items.,
He is said to be a classmate of Ahn Min-tae at the player training camp and was even from the same squad..
“······On the day that bastard was selected by the Cheonghwa Guild, of course I was not selected at all. So, I'm here... so I guess he's excited to see me like this..”
It had been a long time since we had seen each other after completing the player training center, but when we ended up having such a difficult relationship, Kim Tae-seop was so excited that he went all out..
“Ha, it's new to me, but I'm really pissed. Being ignored like this······.”
“Hey, calm down and think about clearing the dungeon. When you die, you won't be left with anything but your pride..”
“······Yes, sorry. I'll come to my senses.”
Mintae Ahn rubbed his face with his palm..
Like this, one was wearing a combat uniform and the other was decked out in luxury goods..
It was a situation where I had no choice but to feel a sense of relative deprivation..
The two teams soon lined up facing the gate..
“Now, the Cheonghwa guild will enter first, so get ready..”
Employees of the Cheonghwa Guild took control of the current situation..
At that time, Gib Tae-seop quietly approached Ahn Min-tae..
“Loyalty! Corporal Ahn Min-tae! ha ha ha!”
He grinned and tapped Ahn Min-tae on the shoulder..
“Hey, Mintae, you know that you have to protect yourself in front of me just like you did during the training camp.?”
“okay······.”
“As a soldier, you have to risk your life to protect the people.?”
“······.”
“Honestly, if I get even slightly injured this time, I don't deserve to receive a salary through taxes? admit?”
“I knew······.”
Ahn Min-tae suppressed his anger and nodded at the harsh words passing by..
But then······.
“······evil!”
Kim Tae-seop suddenly let out a scream and grabbed his left arm..
“huh? Why is he acting like this all of a sudden??”
His colleagues came to him in surprise..
“evil! What, what? Poetry, the clock is strange!”
“huh? Why the clock? Is it broken? That's a 30 million won watch.!”
“······Oh no! Suddenly the clock tightens my arm!”
Because it was nonsense, everyone was dumbfounded for a moment..
“Wow, do luxury watches these days even have acupressure functions??”
When Lee Hyun-wook asked in a natural way, sly laughter broke out here and there..
Even the members of the Cheonghwa Guild strategy team giggled..
“what? what are you saying now······.”
“Hey, hey, Kim Tae-seop, it's okay, come here right now..”
Kim Tae-seop glared at Lee Hyun-wook, but the situation did not get more serious as the head of the Chunghwa side's strategy team stepped forward..
“Hey, you idiot, what's wrong with this watch? It's not because I suddenly don't want to go through the gate.?”
“Ah, brother! Well, it's not like that.!”
Kim Tae-seop took off his watch and turned around with a puzzled expression..
This was possible because they did not yet know Lee Hyun-wook's abilities..
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Ahn Min-tae and smiled, and he also burst into laughter..
Soon gate entry began..
“Well, we'll go first and lay the groundwork, so you can come without any hesitation..”
A Cheonghwa guild member holding a shield said.
I had already failed three times, but I had plenty of time to spare..
This meant that a lot of effort was put into this attack operation..
“Yes, but always keep an eye on your head. You never know what might suddenly fly in.?”
Hyunwook Lee advised that..
But Cheonghwa just snorted..
“yes? Huh, really, who is telling whom to be careful? Take care of your lives, everyone..”
but they didn't know.
That advice is a very key strategy.······.
Soon, 14 members of the Cheonghwa Guild strategy team began lining up to enter the red gate..
However, Lee Hyun-wook and his group had to wait one more time..
“Now, wait 180 seconds..”
There was a rule that 180 seconds and 3 minutes had passed since the first entry..
This was not due to the system, and as problems could arise near the entrance, each group entered at a distance in preparation for an emergency..
Lee Hyun-wook looked back at the group before entering..
“Well, we'll be entering soon, so watch your head. Of course, the tanks stand in front and enter with one facing the front and one raising their shield above their head..”
“······yes? Do you mean above your head??”
Mintae Ahn, the main tank, asked back..
Raising a shield above your head was definitely not a normal order..
“Yes, you don't know what will happen as soon as you go in, so prepare thoroughly..”
“Yes, I understand.”
I doubt it, but if it was Lee Hyun-wook’s words, I followed them without a word..
“Now, we enter AMT.!”
At those words, everyone looked at Lee Hyun-wook for the last time..
“Be nervous but don't panic.”
At Lee Hyun-wook's nod, the leader began to step into the red hell..
Lee Hyun-wook entered last in line from the very back..
- caution! The area is.
* Once you enter, you cannot leave unless certain conditions are met..
The moment you break through that message and stick your head into the red crack······.
Hung-
the world has changed.
time, temperature, smell······.
It was bright, hot, and disgusting..
This was the middle of a wasteland..
and······.
“-Wow!”
“Wow! Save me, save me!”
There were screams coming from all directions..
It was the voice of the advance team that entered first, the Cheonghwa guild attack team..
They had been attacked by something, and they were lying all over the place..
“For the shield!”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s shout, the tanks raised their shields..
Empty! Empty! Empty! Tongue!
Something was pouring down on top of them and hitting the shields..
I was able to respond quickly thanks to holding the shield in advance..
“shit! Arrows, arrows are pouring down endlessly!”
It was a barrage of arrows..
Thousands of arrows were stuck like weeds over the dry wasteland..
The companions lowered their posture behind the shield..
‘A hill, about three hundred in number.······.’
Lee Hyun-wook identified his enemies through his shield..
There were a lot of furry bipeds gathered on the sand dune in front..
“Ugh! What are you doing! please help us!”
The Cheonghwa guild members, who had already been hit by a rain of arrows once, seemed to have suffered a serious blow..
They were scattered here and there, all dangerously avoiding the rain of arrows..
Lee Hyun-wook sighed deeply..
“So I told you, watch your head······.”
Lee Hyun-wook warned, albeit indirectly..
It made no sense to tell you directly, so I did it that way, but as expected,······.
‘This is why this dungeon was so difficult to beat..’
As soon as you pass through the gate, you are hit with a barrage of arrows that are close to annihilation from the beginning..
It's not just an arrow, it's an arrow coated with poison, and if you block it, a fire attack will soon pour in..
‘Gnolls are clever. Especially if there is a boss monster called Old Alpha Male.······.’
Old Alpha Male),
It was a high-ranking entity among the various boss monsters of the Gnoll race..
Literally an older male leader, he has exceptional leadership skills and is quite wise..
After it preyed on the first raid team, it realized that they came through that hole periodically. And he always surrounded the hole and prepared to fire a barrage of arrows..
Since we started with such a big blow from the beginning, the chances of conquering it were bound to be extremely slim.······.
‘But if you survive here, the rest is manageable..’
Lee Hyun-wook placed his hand on Ahn Min-tae’s shoulder..
Holding a heavy shield above your head seemed quite daunting..
“Ahn Min-tae, don’t move and stay where you are..”
“Ah, yes!”
After saying those words, Hyunwook Lee began to walk out of the shield..
“uh? Corporal Lee Hyun-wook!”
Whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- whoosh- whoosh-
When he appeared, dozens or hundreds of arrows rained down on him..
At first glance, it seemed like suicide..
However, the moment Lee Hyun-wook stretched his left hand to the sky,-
Ooh-uh-
That foggy arrow formation stood tall in the air and stopped..
However, since the only thing Lee Hyun-wook could control was the 'point' made of iron, it could not withstand the weight of hundreds of ribs and feathers and began to slowly sink to the ground..
however······.
“shredding.”
Je-that-that-that-jeong-
Hundreds of arrowheads exploded at once and split into thousands of metal pieces..
The ribs and collar fell to the floor, and the metal pieces were scattered here and there.······.
yes-
It stopped in the air again.
Now it's completely within Lee Hyun-wook's control..
“and······.”
Everyone, especially the Blue Flower Guild's strategy team, stared blankly at the miraculous sight..
“What you need to watch over your head is······.”
Then, his left hand, which was pointing towards the sky, slowly tilted towards the ground.······
“······Same goes for you too.”
Over the heads of the gnoll troops on the hill, countless pieces of metal fell.,
It poured down like hail.
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