The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 37
37. rain falling on the waves - 4
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“······yes, dead.”
A man in a fedora said that and came down from the tree..
“both?”
Carol, the leader of the five butchers, asked the woman leaning against the tree across from her, smoking a cigarette..
But something felt unnatural. The hand holding the cigarette was not hers..
She had her arms crossed, and a third hand sprouted from behind her back, holding a cigarette..
“2On the Burn Gate side, Yang Hee-joo is not dead, but she seems to have lost her mind..”
The five butchers were connected to each other and were able to sense their presence..
But for some reason, the connection between the two was disconnected at the same time..
“······.”
It was something they could not understand at all..
“······Sangun didn't say he's not here now.?”
“you're right. This is a fact confirmed before infiltration..”
“Then... Seo Eun-ha, is she that woman??”
“As of now, there is nothing else to speculate about.?”
1There were only two players in the battalion that could compete with the five Butchers..
Kim Kang-seok, a B-rank druid called the Sangun of Namsan,
B-rank Holy Knight Seo Eun-ha, daughter of the Holy Knight Commander,
Other than that, there were no names great enough to be wary of..
“It's okay, after we finish here, we can save the lives of the children we captured..”
“yes. It doesn't seem like Gate 3 has noticed yet, so I don't think the plan will go awry..”
They were halfway up Namsan Mountain, overlooking Namsan Tower..
There was one additional gate open..
Purple lights were flickering between the lush trees..
“Hmm, maybe the Master anticipated this and increased the number to three??”
“To me, it just seemed like they meant to completely annihilate them. There are things to find······.”
Originally, it was planned to induce the creation of two gates here..
But their master, Baekjun Ki, suddenly added one more..
At that time, a deep voice rang out from somewhere..
“······Hey Carol! Can I install it here??”
In a valley about 20 meters away, a large man was standing carrying something..
When Carol nodded, the large man began to tear down a nearby tree with his bare hands..
Wow! Wow!
It looked as easy as pulling up weeds..
After leveling the terrain by hand, he pulled down the huge green monument he was carrying..
And then he slammed it into the ground..
Phu-eon-!
OK······.
Gooooooo---
- caution! A 'concentration of evil' has been declared in the area.!
* Dark abilities increase.. (50%)
* Recovery of undead attributes increases. (50%)
* The number of monsters coming out of the gate increases. (100%)
The man grinned and shook his hands..
“Installed it! It's working, whatever.!”
There are so many different types of items in this game, some of which have strange effects. Not only was such a thing not at all useful to ‘humanity’, it also required caution in handling it..
Of course, the results will vary depending on the purpose of use.······.
“Now the zombies will come out in droves and catch all the people in Seoul and eat them all.?”
The purpose for which it was used here did not seem to be very good..
Gulp- Gulp-
Before they knew it, the third gate that was open behind them responded. It was an eruption.
Soon, knights wearing heavy armor began to walk out one by one..
Thump-thump-thump-thump-
A weight that shakes the earth······.
But there was one strange thing..
There was nothing inside the armor..
Literally only the ‘armor’ was alive and moving..
At first glance, it looked like 'Living Armor', an enchanted armor..
The type that moves on its own and protects the house when the wizard casts a 'control spell'.······.
However, this was the ‘Haunted Armor’, a haunted armor that was the product of ‘death magic’..
Among the undead-type monsters, it was of a fairly high rank..
Thump-thump-thump-thump-
“That's cool. Those are B-level paladins, she can't handle them even though she's a good girl.”
Carol said with a grin..
Undead 'Haunted Armor' troops wearing steel armor lined up on the mountainside, and after them, hordes of zombies crawled out..
“Oh, and Oh Kang-muk! I have something for you to do!”
“huh?”
The large man who installed the tombstone raised his head..
“Could you please go downstairs and take out the military command post??”
“No, why me? Didn’t you make the kids do that??”
Carol sighed and cupped her forehead..
“Suddenly both of us are disconnected and there is nothing we can do..”
“Oh, did you both search? Ha, you idiots, they're bothering you.······.”
It was a somewhat cheap remark, but it was very cruel when a large man who was 2 meters tall and over 250 kg said that..
“There's nothing we can do about it. Since it's come to this, let's make some people from the Holy Knight family.?”
“No, I said to destroy the command center, not the paladin..”
“Ah Okay. It means to have both a job and a job..”
“Don't let your guard down. It's strange that both Heo Young-tae and Yang Hee-joo were hit..”
“No, Carol, why are you like this? I do not know? I'm like them?”
Yes, even if they were the same vampire, there was a difference in level..
If the previous two vampires, Heo Young-tae and Yang Hee-joo, were 'low-level', this man, Oh Kang-mook, was 'intermediate'..
Although it was just one step, there was a huge difference between them that required 'blood sucking' hundreds of people..
Oh Kang-muk has sucked blood from 301 people so far..
Let's increase that number a little today, he thought..
***
The moment the totem crashed down somewhere on Namsan Mountain, a red warning message appeared in front of the eyes of all nearby players..
- caution! A 'concentration of evil' has been declared in the area.!
* Dark abilities increase.. (50%)
* Recovery of undead attributes increases. (50%)
* The number of monsters coming out of the gate increases. (100%)
“This······.”
Everyone in the underground command and control room looked into space and swallowed their saliva..
“······It's a totem.”
“······It's a totem.”
Lee Hyun-wook and Seo Eun-ha spoke at the same time..
Totem was an installed item that had a magical effect on the area..
The type of totem installed this time was well explained in the warning message..
Everyone had a despairing look on their faces..
However, Lee Hyun-wook was smiling inside..
‘If it's a totem... it's an item with a devil's medal embedded in it..’
After absorbing the 'Devil's Medal (Inferno)' that I obtained by killing a kobold warlock the other day, I was able to obtain incredible skills called 'Fire Breath' and 'Internal Furnace'..
This was my chance to get it again..
He tasted it without realizing it..
What kind would it be this time? I thought it might be related to vitality or control..
Actually, Lee Hyun-wook expected to some extent that the situation would turn out like this..
Heo Young-tae, it was because a guy who wasn't supposed to be here appeared..
That meant there might be a few more unexpected threats..
For example, ‘The Third Gate’······.
‘But would you have thought that you would even plant a totem? They bring us food on their own..’
In Lee Hyun-wook’s opinion, it could not be anything other than good news..
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Seo Eun-ha..
“Platoon leader, that guy from earlier is not alone..”
Seo Eun-ha nodded at Lee Hyun-wook’s words..
It was a car she was also suspicious of..
“This is also like organized terrorism. yes?”
“Yes, I think you should look at it that way..”
“······But, using monsters, is that possible??”
Seo Eun-ha couldn’t understand. Terrorism using the system······.
If this phenomenon were known, the world would turn upside down..
But that wasn't what mattered right now.
“Whatever it is, we need to get rid of that totem first. Otherwise I won't be able to handle it.”
“you're right. We need to set up a search party immediately..”
If the totem functioned and its effect continued, a huge number of monsters would soon come out of the gate and gather near the 'evil gathering point'..
It meant the birth of the ‘Legion’.
“Duty commander, I will go find the totem immediately..”
At Seo Eun-ha’s words, the duty commander, Major Tae-ho Moon, nodded..
“How many people do you think will be needed for that operation??”
“First of all, we need me, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, and... Sergeant Choi Young-jun..”
News of Choi Young-jun's return has already reached here..
“Oh, and it just so happens that several of the 1st Company members are armed with sacred weapons..”
This time Hyunwook Lee said.
Former members of the special strategy platoon who prepared sacred weapons, they were raised for times like this..
“okay? Situation Sergeant, contact Captain Kwak Yong-jun right now..”
“yes!”
Major Moon Tae-ho immediately contacted Captain Kwak Yong-jun at the guard post and recruited the relevant personnel..
“······done. They say their kids will be there in 5 minutes..”
A total of 23 members of the 'Totem Search Team' were organized quickly..
“Then we will leave right away..”
“Hu... Lieutenant Seo, you must succeed. All our lives are at stake.”
“Yes, of course. See you later.”
It was then.
thud-!
There was a vibration somewhere and the fluorescent lights flickered..
“······.”
The command and control room, which was running frantically, stopped for an instant..
It seemed like something big had happened just upstairs..
“just now, what?”
thud-! thud-! thud-!
Shock sound again - but this time it wasn't overhead..
turned to the wall of their eyes.
It rang on the same floor, in the basement..
“······.”
next moment······.
Cheolpuk-
“······uh?”
I heard the officer's embarrassed voice..
“There, there······.”
Outside the iron door, in the hallway, there was a naked lower body wearing combat boots..
The problem was that there was literally only the ‘lower body’..
That seemed to be the corpse of the guard in the password room..
Lee Hyun-wook and Seo Eun-ha made eye contact..
sreung-
Seo Eun-ha pulled out her sword, and the sword was pulled out from behind Lee Hyun-wook's back..
The two ran out first..
“······.”
In the darkness at the end of the hallway, a big man was standing..
It was like wearing a raincoat or something over a black suit..
He was holding a flail, a chain iron weight the size of a human head..
But the length of the chain... was really very long..
“······.”
The two people didn't bother to ask the stranger who he was..
Of course Lee Hyun-wook knew that that man was the same vampire Heo Young-tae he had met before, and Seo Eun-ha also noticed it..
“······Who, who are you??”
However, Taeho Moon, who followed, had no choice but to ask that question..
but there was no answer.
The guy was just chuckling as if he was excited..
Seo Eunha lowered her shield and went to the front. I was prepared because if the flail held by that monster flew at me, all three of us would be crushed at the same time..
“Platoon leader, this is a plan by those who want to waste time..”
Lee Hyun-wook whispered.
“And in this narrow hallway, no matter how much you are the platoon leader... it will be difficult to finish quickly..”
“······.”
No, actually, I didn't want to finish it quickly..
It was suicidal to face an opponent of that much strength in a narrow space..
“I think the platoon leader should go first..”
“······what?”
“Please leave it to me this time too..”
“but······.”
“If you discover the totem too late, you won't be able to protect anything..”
Seo Eun-ha thought for a moment and then nodded..
This time, his words were close to the correct answer..
“I will finish it soon and join you..”
“······Don't die.”
Seo Eun-ha looked back at Moon Tae-ho..
“Duty commander, I'm going to look for the totem. Here please....”
Moon Tae-ho was embarrassed, but nodded silently..
Seo Eun-ha looked at Lee Hyun-wook one more time and ran up the stairs right next to him..
“······.”
When the shield disappeared, the two people stood face to face with a gunman holding a mace..
The gunman chuckled again, moved his legs as thick as an old tree, and took a step closer..
thud-
When a person walks, it's not 'jump' but 'thud'.······.
“Damn it, get out of my way. there! If you come any closer, I'll kill you.!”
Taeho Moon said that and raised both hands..
Still, he was a C-grade, tier 1 wizard..
Although he was not very good at interpersonal magic as a regional magic controller, he still thought that he was the one who had to deal with that monster at this moment..
thud-
But the gunman didn't care and took a second step..
yes-
A magic circle began to be drawn in Moon Tae-ho's hands..
At that very moment, the gunman's iron weight flew in like a snap..
Hoo-ung!
“what-.”
Wow!
Moon Tae-ho could not react..
In a split-second, Lee Hyeon-wook exerted control over the metal at the tip of the flail, and the iron weight bent ever so slightly, hitting Tae-ho Moon's left shoulder instead of his head..
But that alone caused Moon Tae-ho's body to float up and crash into the wall behind him..
thud-
······I felt like I just passed out..
‘Vampire brown bear Oh Gang-muk, as expected, his strength is enormous..’
Lee Hyun-wook recognized the guy..
That iron weight was also made of metal, but it seemed difficult to control..
It wasn't some magical effect that interfered with control, like the Queen Spider's shell or the Kukri of the Gnoll Old Alpha Male. Just, literally, with tremendous force, Lee Hyun-wook's control was chewed away..
Even so, when I just exploded it with 'crushing', it seemed like the iron weight had been compressed as much as possible through magical engineering and had an enormous density. In other words, the mass was so large that a significant amount of mana was required to 'crush' it..
‘I can't run out of mana just to explode that one thing..’
Lee Hyun-wook came up with a different strategy..
“There, please take care of the duty commander..”
“ah? ah! yes!”
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, a situation soldier rushed out and dragged in the unconscious Major Tae-ho Moon..
“······Hey, you just saw that and you're still trying to fight me.?”
“······.”
“You are so brave.?”
Oh Kang-mook said that and approached..
“And you just touched the tip of my weapon? Right?”
It was clear that Lee Hyeon-wook had a unique sense of control that he could immediately sense the control he had over metal..
“You're quick-witted. Thank you for your understanding.”
“Are you polite and very unique? I need to give this guy some presents.?”
Oh Kang-muk chuckled while saying that..
Speaking of gifts, why are all vampires so perverted?······.
With that in mind, Lee Hyun-wook pulled out the Cloud Sword and used the Water Fog skill..
Pooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-ooh-
A large amount of steam came out from the tip of the sword..
The narrow hallway quickly turned hazy..
“Oh, you're going to use a smokescreen.?”
The last scene of him lifting the iron weight was completely obscured..
However, Lee Hyun-wook was able to know the location of the iron weight..
At the same time, he sent out 13 iron balls and pale notes.-
widely!
I kicked the ground and ran forward..
Burr-burr-burr-burr-burr-
I heard something - probably metal balls hitting each other in succession..
As I broke through the steam, I saw Oh Kang-mook raising his left hand to cover his head..
The iron ball and pale note were all blocked..
Immediately after, his right hand - the iron weight moved..
Hoo-ung-
The heavy piece of iron was shot towards Lee Hyun-wook’s head..
Lee Hyun-wook laid back and slid across the wet floor..
He avoided the iron weight, slipped between Oh Kang-muk's legs, and fired KG19..
Cha-ak!
“K-Aak!”
Hyunwook Lee passed by the guy, got up, and ran in the opposite direction..
Then, using his metal control, he opened all four doors at once, including both sides of the hallway and the warehouse doors..
Clap- Clap- Clap- Clap- Clap- Clap-
door opening into hallway,
At that very moment, the guy threw the iron weight..
Kwa-gwa-gwang-!
4The dog's door was crushed like cardboard..
Still, with a momentary wit, I was able to block the iron weight attack once..
“Ugh... stand there! Are you running away??”
In the meantime, Lee Hyun-wook reached the end of the hallway..
That place...was a dead end road..
Oh Kang-mook tore off the dented warehouse door and came stomping..
Cheeeeee······
Smoke was rising from between his legs..
The guy let out a curse and took out a gourd..
When he drank it, black smoke rose from his mouth, and the smoke between his crotches stopped..
Surprisingly, the wounds inflicted by the sacred weapon were recovered immediately..
‘death potion······.’
It was a healing potion made using death magic and made from human souls..
Not everyone could drink it, and if 'Beast type' or 'Undead type' drank it, their recovery power increased dramatically. Even if it was a wound inflicted by divine power, it could be recovered..
“Huh... Kid, so it looks like there's no way out now, is this it??”
Oh Kang-muk's face distorted grimly and said,.
But Lee Hyun-wook smiled brightly..
Oh Kang-mook tilted his head at that expression that did not suit the situation at all..
“······why are you smiling?”
“I'm sorry, but you'll have to find a way out, not me..”
Lee Hyun-wook, who said that, was now standing with his back to a huge iron door..
It was a dark green iron door, thicker than any other door in the palace..
- 3rd Port Horse Brigade 1st Battalion Armory: Access restricted area
Clap-
The iron door began to open left and right on its own..
Ku-ku-ku-ku-ku-
From inside, a cold wind flowed..
Unlike the natural wind, the smell of a warehouse is full of musty energy.······.
“huh?”
The lights were off, but Oh Kang-mook's eyes pierced through the darkness..
There was a very deep hole in the center of the armory..
It was a very large passage, a staircase, going down one floor..
It was then.
Goo-gu-gu-gu-gu-
A vibration began to sound from beneath my feet..
“what······.”
Oh Kang-muk felt ominous and stopped..
At that moment, something was fired from inside the armory..
Whoosh-
It was a spear.
Oh Kang-mook gently pulled back his shoulder and easily dodged it..
“What the fuck are you doing? This is just a joke······.”
he couldn't finish his sentence.
Immediately, I felt something was wrong..
Within-
Sh-shh-sh-sh-sh-sh-!
The sound of a harsh wind filled the hallway, and from the darkness one floor below, dozens of metal weapons of all kinds started pouring out like a pack of animals..
“Fuck! what!”
They casually passed by Lee Hyun-wook and pointed their heads toward Oh Kang-muk..
Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! deeply!
Sharp metal began to fall all over my body..
“Ugh! Ugh! shit!”
Oh Kang-muk didn't have time to counterattack, he covered his head and took a step back..
But I felt my body getting heavier..
It wasn't that I lost my strength, it was because of the weight of the metal weapon lodged all over my body..
Sh-shh-sh-sh-sh-sh-!
“What is this- ugh!”
It felt like hundreds of people were shooting arrows and javelins at me at once..
Or, as if I was being swept away by a huge current, I couldn't control my body..
It was only for a moment that his body changed into that of a hedgehog..
Lee Hyun-wook slowly walked towards that guy..
‘In front of the armory, my abilities can be at their best..’
The weight that Hyunwook Lee could control was clearly determined..
Accordingly, the number of weapons that could be moved at once was also limited..
But if you shoot it like this, and shoot it again, and shoot it again,······.
‘It may seem like infinite.‘
Once the metal picks up speed, it flies and gets stuck even if you don't 'control' it..
In other words, as long as mana allows and as long as there are enough weapons, endless attacks are possible..
The reason we gained control of the armory was to use so many weapons..
But using the armory itself was on a different level..
‘The strategy was possible because he came here himself... I was lucky..’
Of course, even if you do this, Oh Kang-mook will not die..
“Ugh! Ugh-ugh!”
The ending had to be done in a different way..
Lee Hyun-wook blended in with the flow of metal weapons and walked to Oh Kang-mook..
I extended my left hand towards him..
At that moment, a spear shot out from his wrist and shot in a straight line..
deeply-
“-Ugh!”
It hit Oh Kang-muk's left chest..
Unlike when hit by other weapons, the huge body shook for a moment..
The name of the spear is 'Spear of Achilles'’
A hero-grade spear with an irreversible effect pierced Oh Kang-muk's chest and heart..
“······Try it once, if you want to recover..”
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