The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 33
33. Ready for the waves - 3
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30silver iron stake.
This was a specially produced item by ‘AMT Arsenal’ at the request of Commander Jeong Sang-sik..
‘To drive it into the heart of things that are not dead, there is nothing like it.’
Lee Hyun-wook launched them into the air one by one..
yes-
30Ten of the iron stakes were lined up in front of Lee Hyun-wook..
“wow······.”
Each piece was 60cm long and weighed about 500g, so it was quite light perhaps because it was made of mithril alloy..
“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, doesn’t this mean that everything will soon become several times more expensive??”
“yes, that's right.”
It was true that items with divine power became more expensive..
However, the cause is not in Siberia, Russia, but right here in Seoul..
‘Before that, you need to increase your divine power as much as possible..’
Lee Hyun-wook was in the process of absorbing the iron beads containing divine power that he had ordered from master craftsman Kang Jeong-du..
And when about 5kg was digested, a new ability was created..
- The first stage of divine power release is being created.. (34%)
Just as resistance was gained when eating metal that had been enchanted with poison, when one ate metal that had been enchanted with divine power, the divine power itself was accumulated in the body and could be further produced and released..
‘If you grow a little more here, that ability will be revealed..’
rattle!
At that time, someone opened the armory door and came in..
3He was a private in the squad..
“Um... Corporal Lee Hyun-wook? They say the promotion ceremony will start soon. I think you should quickly finish the work you are doing now and then practice..”
Come to think of it, the sergeant promotion ceremony was scheduled for this afternoon..
***
The battalion commander, Kim Kang-seok, placed a sergeant rank insignia on Lee Hyun-wook's chest..
“Sgt! Hyunwook Lee!”
Applause erupted from behind..
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, congratulations!.”
“yes! thank you!”
Usually, the company commander conducts the promotion ceremony, but this time, the battalion commander decided to do it himself..
He then began praising Lee Hyun-wook's achievements in front of the company members.······.
“As you all know, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook has been in an unbelievable situation over the past few days.······.”
This was quite embarrassing, as if they were trying to force me to become an example..
Anyway, it was a festive night for Squad 5..
“You can't just ignore today, can you? Honestly, this should be a party..”
“I also agree with what Corporal Mintae Ahn said. Me and Junmo will go to PX right away.!”
He performed the special attack operation perfectly and received a huge reward from the commander, six members of the squad were promoted to D grade, and Lee Hyun-wook was even specially promoted to sergeant..
All members of the squad, except Lee Hyun-wook, agreed that they could not just ignore this kind of double happiness, and a banquet consisting of frozen food, snacks, and carbonated drinks was prepared..
“Isn’t this the exact same thing we’re going through??”
“No, you bastard, I'm holding you by the collar and calling you carry.!”
“ah! Wow, that's right! This is all thanks to Corporal Lee Hyun-wook - no, Sergeant, Carrie.!”
The squad members were more energetic and harmonious than ever..
We ate and chatted for a couple of hours as if only good things were left to come..
However, Lee Hyun-wook’s nerves had to be elsewhere..
‘This shouldn't be the last party.’
He glanced at the clock..
‘Finally, tomorrow, 23:59, just before midnight······.’
The 4th wave, a rare event that will soon plunge Seoul into hell, begins..
He finally began to heat the 'internal furnace'.
***
that time······.
In an office in a building overlooking the night view of the city, a soft classical music was playing, and a middle-aged man in a white suit was standing by the window, making a phone call somewhere..
“······.”
There was a strange feeling of uneasiness in this place, which seemed simple at first glance..
And one of the reasons was the large shepherd sitting next to the man's feet..
growl······
That's because the guy was glaring at somewhere and baring his teeth, as if he was going to attack me at any moment..
“Ugh, ugh······.”
Where Shepard's eyes looked, someone was lying face down..
young man,
Their eyes and mouth were blocked and their hands and feet were tied..
“······Oh, yes, it's me..”
At that time, the call was connected, and the middle-aged man in the white suit turned and walked towards the desk..
- Guild Master: KI BECK JUN
The name plate on his desk revealed his identity..
This man was Ki Baek-jun, the master of the Taesan guild, ranked 3rd in the ranks of Korean guilds..
“······Yes, that's right. It seems that the 'candidate' who played the role of 'procurer' this time was a blind guy. Yes, yes, we believe it has actually failed and are preparing follow-up measures..”
On one side of the wall, numerous items were hanging, and in the center of it all was a whole stuffed ogre. It was not an ordinary ogre, but an ‘ogre chieftain’ wearing a crown made of wood..
“······Yes, I know very well that the 'key' that we had to receive from the 'Seeker of Evil' this time is very important to our future plans and is one of the pillars for completing the empire. ······ Of course, we must find it. Anyway, whoever holds it will have no way of knowing what it is used for. Yes, we are mobilizing all of our manpower to monitor it in case it appears on the ‘black market’..”
He operated the tablet PC and a picture appeared on the screen..
The background in the photo was the kitchen of a restaurant..
All kinds of bone fragments and charred wood fragments scattered on the floor.······.
“The petty thief seems to be someone who uses fire as a weapon, so I think I can identify him..”
The place in the photo was inside Seoul Station Station, inside a franchise hamburger restaurant..
In other words, it was a place where the gate opened a while ago..
“Oh, I already checked with the station security. It doesn't seem to be from there, and seeing as the AMT rescue team joined late, I think the shoplifter may be from there..”
Next, I turned on a map..
“······And in many ways, it's the 1st AMT Battalion on Namsan Mountain, because it's really bothering me these days. At this point, we are going to induce about 3 gates to be opened at the start of the wave tomorrow and send some employees there to sweep them out to the pasture. How are you going to be okay? Yes, I'm hoping that if I sweep it away like that, I might be able to find the key among the piles of corpses..”
At that moment, Baekjun Ki’s eyebrows twitched as he heard something over the phone..
Wow-
The screen of the tablet PC he was holding was distorted and the screen was broken like a spiderweb..
“Hahaha... How do you hide the item? It's not like you swallow it and get rid of it like some kind of wheat, and you don't even know what it is. Hahaha... yes, don't worry.”
Although he was naturally laughing, his facial expression was not smiling at all..
“Yes, Chairman, you don't have to worry about the Korean side. Yes, I will contact you later..”
He hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair..
And then, with an expressionless expression, he whistled..
Swish-
At that moment, Shepard kicked the floor and ran away..
“town! Uh-eup!”
The target was, of course, the man tied to the floor..
But something strange happened.
Shepard's body began to swell and take on a bizarre appearance..
Ka-ah-ak!
Soon, it became not just a dog, but a huge monster that could swallow a human being in one bite..
“town! town! town!”
Its late dinner has begun.
Woo-ok! Woo-duk!
However, Ki Baekjun did not even glance at the terrible scene unfolding in his room..
He sat back in his chair and thought for a moment..
At that time, the intercom on the desk turned on..
- Master, the five butchers have arrived.
“Tell them to come in.”
The door opened and a total of five men and women came in..
However, the atmosphere they gave off was very different..
Should I say he looked like a corpse, his skin was pale and his eyes were glassy..
Yes, I felt an eerie feeling that was not of this world..
“Five Butchers, I have a job for you..”
“Yes, Master, please command..”
When Baekjun Ki made a gesture, the woman standing in the center approached..
She followed Ki Baekjun's gaze and picked up the tablet PC that was on the desk..
A map of Namsan Mountain was displayed on the screen, which was broken like a spider web..
“Infiltrate it, leave nothing alive as the wave begins.”
“Does it matter how??”
“Hmm... Are you saying you want to make me a 'subordinate'??”
“yes, that's right.”
the woman grinned.
“do it yourself. and then······.”
Ki Baekjun got up from his chair and walked to the window..
“······Spreading that death throughout Seoul.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Seoul should not be included in the Korean evangelism published in the New Year..”
***
“Yes, Grandma, I ate dinner.?”
5Dormitory, Park Jun-mo was on the phone with someone..
“Of course, I'm eating well and doing well, so don't worry, take care of your health first..”
He called his grandmother, his only family member, every day, every hour..
However, while he usually looked a bit intimidated and only asked how he was doing, now he was very smiley..
The reason was simple.
“Grandma, I think I'll make a lot of money this time! Yes, the country is giving it to you for doing a good job..”
It was because I had money to spend on my grandmother..
“Yes, let's go buy grandma winter shoes together next vacation! And I changed that troublesome boiler... No, no, I really earned enough money to not feel burdened at all. Winter is coming soon, so how are you going to survive with a boiler that keeps leaking? Ha... in what kind of house do you wear three layers of socks??”
Park Jun-mo's voice grew louder for a moment, then he turned his head to look..
In the innermost bed, Lee Hyun-wook was sleeping covered in a blanket..
5The senior squad members did not pay any attention to the youngest member talking on the phone inside the dormitory..
On the contrary, if I spoke too quietly on the phone, he would say something, telling me not to worry..
But I can't help but worry when he's sleeping like he's dead.······.
‘And, it looks like you're hurting somewhere.······.’
Since last night, Lee Hyun-wook's face has been red as if he had a fever and he even broke into a cold sweat..
“No, the seniors were very good, so this time everything went well thanks to the seniors..”
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook suddenly woke up..
“······Grandma, wait a minute, wait a minute..”
Park Jun-mo put down his cell phone and approached Lee Hyun-wook..
“Um, Lee Hyun-wook- No, Sergeant, are you in a bad mood??”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head with a blank expression..
“This morning, you are working with me. How do I find a replacement??”
“no it's okay.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Lee Hyun-wook stared into space for a while..
It wasn't because I wasn't feeling well, it was just checking the system messages..
- Shuts down the body's furnace.
Last night, once again, the body's furnace was turned on full blast and the metal was absorbed..
As a result······.
- Current controllable ‘metal’ weight: 39,399g
- mana (371/371)
- The 2nd stage of divine power release is being created.. (11%)
In this way, various ability enhancements were achieved..
In particular, the last line was accompanied by a special change as the release of divine power reached the second stage..
- congratulations! New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions..
I had a new skill.
[Skill information]
- Name: Auror (Saint))
- Grade: D
- Effect: Consumes mana (10) to grant ‘Aura (Saint)’ to a specific weapon..
* ‘If you swallow a certain amount of 'metal with divine power', your skill level will improve..
‘Glad you got it right.’
Aura is the same word as Aura, but its usage is slightly different..
It refers to a technique of strengthening weapons by injecting 'mana', and was also called sword energy..
In other words, this was a skill that could grant divine power to a weapon..
In order to obtain this from the beginning, the metal containing divine power was swallowed like that..
“Grandma, anyway, I’m going on vacation next week, so I’ll install the boiler then! Just know that!”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Park Jun-mo, who was on the phone..
I'm on vacation next month······.
Unfortunately, you won't be able to get out..
At that time, the dormitory door opened..
“······No, honestly, Buldak Mandu is the best value for money..”
“Anyway, you little bastard, you still don’t know how to eat! Cream udon and Big Farm.?”
Min-tae Ahn and Tae-yong Choi came in talking loudly and turned on the TV..
“Hey, watch something other than the news..”
“Uh, look at this for a second..”
- ······Here's the next news. We reported yesterday afternoon that circumstances had revealed that the Sword Saint assassin Kaito Okita had entered the port of Busan illegally. Today, a large-scale tracking team led by the police was formed to catch Kaito Okita. Reporter Kim Ki-tae at the scene?
“Wow... why did that bastard come into our country again??”
Ahn Min-tae said in an irritated voice..
“Kaito, that bastard said on a Japanese Internet broadcast that he cut down a former swordsman with a single sword, and that the title of swordsman is not suitable for Korea, which has been a weak country for generations.?”
“Oh, is that real? I heard it was a rumor.”
“······I don't know, I heard so? I don't know, it's true that he's a bad boy..”
Sword Saint (劍聖) was a title that meant the strongest among sword players..
Originally, the first swordsman was Guk Pyo-seong, a Korean, and he was ranked 4th in Korea..
However, while visiting Japan on business, he was murdered at a hotel in Kyoto by Kaito Okita, aka 'Red Player', a criminal player who was internationally wanted for criminal activity..
Since then, the title of Sword Saint was actually held by Okita Kaito, but in Korea, it was a matter of pride in many ways, so he was called the 'Sword Saint Slayer'..
And a few years later, Youngjun Choi regains the title of Sword Saint by cutting down Kaito Okita..
‘Kaito Okita, as expected, is a villain. In other words, the fact that he moved is related to the 4th wave..’
Lee Hyun-wook thought so..
Now I know that even forcing the Sword Saint Assassin, Okita Kaito, to set foot on Korean soil was the cornerstone for successfully creating the 4th wave..
‘Because of that incident, Kim Kang-seok will be away from the unit for a while..’
Druid player Kim Kang-seok, known as the Sangun of Namsan, and the various ‘beasts’ he controls have a sense of transcendence. Therefore, he is sent out for a few days to track down Okita Kaito..
In other words, the highest strength of the 1st Battalion was currently absent..
‘Their plans come true without a hitch, but the Guardian is always one step behind..’
It had to be that way..
Several of the Guardian's core parts must have been malfunctioning due to major defects.······.
‘But by tomorrow, that plan will go a bit awry..’
Lee Hyun-wook thought so and swallowed the iron ball enchanted with divine power..
“Lee Hyeon-wook, a sergeant! Are you not training today??”
Ahn Min-tae asked as he changed into his combat uniform..
“Uh, I'm going to take a break today..”
“Hmm, what's going on? You look a little tired. What's wrong? Oh, didn't you overdo it at the party yesterday? So in moderation······.”
“no it's okay. shut up.”
“yep!”
- Your body's furnace kicks in and metal absorption efficiency skyrockets.. (+200%)
I was tired, but I had to pull everything together until the last minute..
***
Guard shift number 2 is said to be the worst shift..
10I have to turn off the light at night and wake up again when I was just about to fall asleep..
However, Lee Hyun-wook went out of his way to ask the administrative officer to put him on duty during that time slot..
This is because the only way to be armed during this time was through ‘vigilant duty.’.
Just like that, Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo were climbing the mountain at night..
Lee Hyun-wook's armed status has increased more than usual..
He carries a K2C1 rifle and is equipped with a total of two swords, the Cloud Sword and KG19, on his back..
And on his waist, he hung a ‘Pailnote’ and three iron beads..
It may be a bit excessive, but this is only a small portion of his many weapons..
“Park Jun-mo, I’m on vacation next week.?”
“Oh, yes, I applied last month..”
“If you go home this time and tell them about your achievements, your family will be very proud.?”
Then Park Jun-mo smiled and nodded..
“Ah, yes! So I'm already excited!”
“Yeah, it looks so good.”
“haha! In fact, until now, I think I've always shown my grandmother a downcast look. Maybe that's why her grandmother was always anxious that something might go wrong with me. It caused me so much worry that I thought this might be some kind of unfilial piety..”
“Why did you do that??”
“I think it was because I was dissatisfied with myself..”
Lee Hyun-wook knew what that felt like..
People who feel deprived of not being able to get better make those around them unhappy..
“ah! But now, thanks to Corporal Lee Hyeon-wook, my thoughts have changed, and I think I can finally be a little more confident in front of my grandmother. Hahaha thank you so much.”
After talking like that, he scratched his cheek as if he was embarrassed..
Lee Hyun-wook's taste buds grew bitter as he listened to this guy's words..
‘Junmo Park······.’
If all goes according to plan, Park Jun-mo will die tomorrow..
That's why you never know how much potential your abilities are..
And in the end, he can't be filial to his grandmother in the way he wants..
“Junmo Park. You know that if you want to be filial, you have to live a long, healthy life first.?”
“Ah...of course. Doing something dangerous, yeah.”
“To do that, you must always keep your head straight and try to survive..”
Hyunwook Lee said that and raised his head and looked at the sky..
It was night, the sky was pitch black, but Lee Hyun-wook discovered that there was a strange feeling of purple swirling within it..
It was one of the signs of the wave.
“······It looks like it's going to rain.”
“yes? Do you mean rain? Well, the weather forecast didn't say anything like that..”
Lee Hyun-wook silently checked his watch..
2345 minutes,
······14minutes left.
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