The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 41
41fury.
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1The command and control room in the basement of the battalion, where the main personnel of the battalion were gathered..
Not only the executives but also some soldier squad leaders, including Lee Hyun-wook, were present..
And now, Captain Park Taek-soo, the head of the support division who returned with Kim Kang-seok, was briefing..
"see here.”
There was a picture on the screen..
It was a satellite photo of Seoul..
But one strange thing caught my eye..
A huge white circle was drawn in the center of Seoul as seen from the sky..
At first glance, I thought it was a cloud, but it was a very honest circular shape..
"As you can see, a 10km radius around Seoul Station has been ‘closed’ by the system..”
It was a fact that I did not know because of the repeated battles..
"As expected, it is in the shape of a dome, but unlike during the ‘unlucky event’, it is not even possible to enter. It's completely isolated. Aside from Wave, the only blocking magic on this scale is Archmage Anton Makhachev's 'Spear Field'... … The sky has turned purple, so yes, there is definitely a wave..”
Of course, that's the conclusion.
"......The 4th wave that mankind was worried about, its origin is right here in Seoul..”
Wave)
The worst disaster this game presents... … It was the name of a long, long hell where monsters surge in like waves and turn humanity's foundation upside down like a small ferry boat..
A total of three waves have occurred so far, with tens of thousands of players and millions of civilians dying each time. Yet humanity has never won.
And the land that was stolen was 'eroded' and turned into a completely different environment - another world..
1Tea Wave, California, became a volcanic field dominated by Red Drakes.
2Tea Wave, Shanghai, the Kingdom of Orcs was established and turned into a harsh steppe climate..
3Tea wave, Berlin, rainforest covered with man-eating plants has become a green hell.
And the 4th wave… … This was Seoul.
What is this place going to change into now??
“……And for this reason, many executives were unable to return, creating a leadership vacuum..”
"hmm......"
There was no time to return except for those staying at the BOQ in the compound or the nearby military apartments..
However, Kim Kang-seok, who was at Incheon Port to track down Kaito Okita, chose to return immediately after hearing that a gate had occurred in his unit, and narrowly missed the goal just before the area closed..
"first… … Is there an adjacent unit within the closed area that can be contacted??”
In response to Kim Kang-seok's question, Park Tae-soo shook his head while flipping through the documents..
“As of now, there is no other place than the brigade headquarters..”
4There were several more units within a 10km radius of Seoul Station, where the car wave occurred..
However, it was confirmed that the 'gate' was opened to all of those units..
"And it seems that the brigade headquarters has not completely suppressed the situation yet..”
There were as many as four gates at the brigade headquarters. Of course, there is no villain like the Five Butchers, but since there was no one who knew the future and responded like Lee Hyun-wook, the response would have been much later..
“……Has the Cheonghwa Guild been contacted??”
"We are communicating every 30 minutes via Mana Messenger, but they are still responding..”
"So, first of all, we need to put out the fire urgently..”
Kim Kang-seok sighed and stood up..
"We will attack the two blocked gates within the compound. After that……."
He showed his right hand and five fingers spread out..
“……There are 5 days left. As with the previous wave, the closure period in Seoul will be 5 days, and after 5 days, this will no longer be the Seoul we know... … It will turn you into a part of the other world..”
Five-day local lockdown starting at the start of the wave,
Humans called it the ‘rapid erosion period’..
In just 5 days, the entire environment, including the climate and terrain, changes..
In other words, the golden time was only 5 days..
"We have to stop it somehow.”
Otherwise, you will lose Seoul..
“……By the way, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook?”
At Kim Kang-seok's name, everyone looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
"My complexion is not good. I wonder if I got hurt somewhere.?”
Kim Kang-seok asked worriedly..
It was because Lee Hyun-wook was sweating coldly..
"no. Maybe it's because I overexerted myself during the last battle, but I have a bit of a headache..”
"I think I overused my abilities during the battle. Go see the medical director. You can't be sick now."
"……Yes, I understand.”
It wasn't a little bit.
My head hurt like it was going to explode.
And that's…….
- A ‘signal core’ is being formed in the central nervous system.. (62%)
* May be accompanied by extreme pain!
As expected, it was the terrible pain that accompanies digesting the ‘Devil’s Medal’..
"Now, let's start the strategy in 20 minutes. All troops, be ready by then..”
After the briefing, Lee Hyun-wook returned to the dormitory..
"Are you here? … uh! Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook!”
and fell down.
***
Hyunwook Lee had his eyes closed. He probably lost his mind.
A blurry scene played before his eyes..
“……So what the team leader is saying is that the origin of the 5th wave will be Singapore.?
This voice was sad.
It wasn't Seo Eunha now..
future … … No, it was correct to say it was the past..
She was now asking Lee Hyun-wook a question, and many people besides her were looking at Lee Hyun-wook. Lee Hyun-wook nodded his head and pressed the button on the remote control to scroll through the screens..
“Yes, the only thing that the four regions where waves have occurred so far have in common is that the frequency of high-level gate occurrences in nearby regions has plummeted from one month before the wave occurred. like……."
“……It's like saving up your strength for one explosion. In order for the gate to open, a significant amount of mana must be concentrated in the area. Instead, I opened a lot of small things. For smoke screen..”
"So, could this information be a hint on how to respond to the wave??”
Seo Eun-ha and other team members shook their heads..
"well. Even if you know the origin in advance, it is virtually impossible to stop the wave. It is a given that the area will be devastated just by starting..”
“I think so too. but… … Taking advantage of the fact that you know in advance where and when the wave will occur, you should think about how to use the wave..”
The team members looked puzzled when they heard that they were using waves..
"As everyone knows, this wave is actually induced by a villain..”
"Yes.”
"Its purpose is the destruction and conquest of cities, and… … These are items obtained from waves.."
it was true.
The villains became dramatically stronger with each wave..
This was because the wave poured out legendary items..
"So, you have to find a way to intercept all of that..”
"ah……."
But the method was vague..
Because I didn't know when and where something like that would come out..
On the other hand, the villains already knew the coordinates..
In the end, it was a losing battle..
“4Many heroes, including Lee Seong-yoon, Han Tae-san, Choi Jeong-cheol, Kim Kang-seok, and Stipe Marin, died due to the mythical item 'Mistiltein' that appeared during the Cha Wave..”
"If someone else got it first then……."
“……History would have been different..”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and everyone had sad expressions..
After a while, the briefing was over..
As the team members left the conference room, Lee Hyun-wook grabbed Seo Eun-ha's arm..
"Seo Eun-ha, look at me for a moment..”
"......huh?"
Lee Hyun-wook looked around and whispered softly in Seo Eun-ha's ear..
"Tomorrow, take care of yourself. Intelligence has come in that Yoo Hae-na has trained a devil with 'ether' claws that can break your 'self-defense strength'. maybe … … I'll bring it out at the crucial moment.”
Seo Eun-ha chuckled..
“hmm… … If that's the case, wouldn't the team leader need to come to his senses and be careful so I can be careful too? I'm saying that because I know at least a little bit about who gets me torn and bruised all the time.?”
“that… … that's right.”
"So, brace yourselves, if you don’t want to kill me. 'Cause I'm your first life.”
Even while saying such scary words, Seo Eun-ha smiled brightly..
Lee Hyun-wook's first life, she always referred to herself as that..
It proclaimed itself a ‘shield’ to protect Korea’s best firepower..
“……okay. Let’s finish this wave well with both lives intact..”
But those two lives,
I couldn't protect it in the end.
Uggggggg----
I heard the sound of something solid bending..
U-draw-
In the end, I even heard the sound of it breaking..
"-omg!"
someone's scream…….
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook opened his eyes..
Then the bending noise disappeared..
“Uh, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook.?”
I heard Park Jun-mo's voice, and the first thing I saw was a system message..
- congratulations! New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions.
I got up.
It was a living room.
"uh… … Are you out of your mind??”
The frame of the bed where Lee Hyun-wook was lying and the pipe stand of Lee Hyun-wook were crumpled like sheets of paper. He seemed to have unconsciously exercised 'metal control' while dreaming.…….
‘Was this possible with just my control of metal??’
I didn't know what was happening, but it was clear that my abilities had increased dramatically in a short period of time..
He immediately checked again the system message that appeared before his eyes..
- congratulations! New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions..
By absorbing the Devil's Medal (Legion), new body organs were formed once again..
But since the central nervous system was newly built, I honestly felt like I was going to faint..
‘Yeah, it wasn't a pain I could bear with my mental strength..’
And now, it was time to see what was born from that pain..
[Skill information]
- Name: Signal Core
- Grade: D
- effect
1) Transcendent Sense: Increases metal control. (+30%)
2) Centurion Force: Maximum number of followers increases. (+10)
* When you meet hidden conditions, your skill level improves..
what's this?’
Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but be quite surprised..
'Control... … It's strengthened by thirty percent.…….'
I thought I knew why the necromancer was so strong..
With this item, your maximum control will be enhanced by 30%..
In other words, it meant that the growth rate could increase by as much as 30%..
‘And these numbers should not simply be taken at face value..’
This is because growth is a kind of snowballing. To put it simply, if you grow faster than your competitors, you will be able to seize good opportunities one step ahead..
Therefore, the amount of metal that Lee Hyun-wook can currently control is…….
- Current controllable ‘metal’ weight: 65,658g
* Transcendent Sense (+30%) is in effect.
……I quickly gained weight to 65 kg..
‘If I climb just a little higher, I might be able to float my body..’
Of course, you couldn't fly at high speeds just because you were the right weight..
300Based on g, you can swing the weight with one hand..
‘After that…….'
And, the second skill ‘Centurion Force’)'
If I were to translate it, could it be said to be the power of a centurion?,
This was an ability related to subordinates..
‘Necromancer, this is one of the reasons he was able to create so many armies..’
No matter how many necromancers there were, there were times when I thought there were too many..
There may be other factors, but this power led to a significant increase in the number of household members..
‘Unfortunately, I am not a trait associated with belonging..’
But there was a way, and it was already done..
It was using ‘Living Armor’..
Until recently, I was only able to control 3 aircraft, but now there are 10 more..
‘Well, the Iron Legion.…….'
Actually, I tried using it in my last life, but I didn't find it that fun and ended up melting into the necromancer..
Because it stopped at a maximum of 33 units..
However, I thought that if I had this skill, a slightly different picture could be created..
As your skill level increases, the number of subordinates you can control will also increase. As the saying goes, I didn't know it could rise to a maximum of 100..
‘If you use this well, maybe…….'
It might be possible to push the necromancer, the leader of the devil's army, into the army..
It may still be a distant future, but I vaguely pictured it. An army of steel in divine armor,
Yeah, if that's the case…….
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and looked at Park Jun-mo..
"Park Jun-mo, how long did I sleep??”
"Uh, about 3 hours... … Are you okay??”
"The battalion commander is in the command and control room.?”
"yes, maybe……."
Lee Hyun-wook got up from his seat and went to the command and control room..
"loyalty!”
The executives gathered in the situation room turned their heads at the appearance of Lee Hyun-wook..
“Yes, you… … Is it really okay??”
Kim Kang-seok asked with a worried expression..
He also heard that Lee Hyun-wook had collapsed..
“Yes, I must have been a little tired after being up since early morning shift yesterday. sorry.”
"I didn't think I was that weak.……."
Lee Hyun-wook smiled..
"Yeah, I guess I came here because I had something to say, didn't I??”
"you're right.”
Lee Hyun-wook moved a little closer to the battalion commander..
"When this incident first occurred, the battalion commander ordered me to take on the role of temporary platoon leader.."
"Yes, that order is still in effect..”
"Yes, then let me ask you a favor in that regard..”
Kim Kang-seok crossed his arms and nodded..
“hmm… … When you ask me for something, I get scared now. I gave them permission to use the armory, but didn't they move it to a mountainous area? What kind of big business are you planning to do this time?……."
That's what he said, but his expression showed a hint of anticipation..
"It will be at a similar level this time too..”
"Ha- that’s fun..”
In response, Kim Kang-seok smiled slightly..
“Once the gates within the compound are closed, shouldn't an operation be carried out outside the compound??”
"It has to be that way.……."
To stop the wave, you couldn't just stay within the unit..
After completing maintenance, we had to advance outside the territory to find and destroy the 'erosion factor'..
Of course, there would be an unimaginably powerful monster guarding the area nearby.,
Furthermore, a trap from a villain organization would also be waiting..
“I'm trying to 'organize' a platoon for that operation..”
“Because of the organization… … Does this mean that you will try to form a completely new platoon instead of just a 2nd platoon??”
“yes, that's right.”
It was definitely not something a soldier would suggest..
But at this moment, Lee Hyun-wook was no ordinary soldier..
In fact, he saved the entire 1st Battalion..
"Okay, let me explain..”
"We need half the weapons in the battalion armory and a truck to transport them..”
“We'll need a soldier to drive that truck and some escorts.?”
"Yes, and you need at least 15 wizards to open the wide portal..”
"hmm… … There should even be tanks to protect them.……."
"Also, you need 12 Living Armors obtained from the last operation..”
Kim Kang-seok’s expression gradually hardened..
"There are more trucks, quite a few... Wait, isn't that the size of a company, not a platoon??"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded..
"If you trust me, I will lead that army down to Seoul. and……."
“……We will deliver results that exceed the cost you invested..”
Kim Kang-seok chuckled at the words as if he were standing in front of investors holding a business plan..
But that was the end of the laughter.
He looked worried with a stern face..
"......."
During the past few hours while Lee Hyun-wook was away, he had been discussing ways to protect Seoul with the battalion executives. But let alone a clear number, not even a possible method was found..
It had to be that way..
In the first place, the wave was a catastrophe that had to be avoided, not opposed.…….
However, Lee Hyun-wook appeared by creating ‘Soo’..
He had engraved the first line on the plan, which was a pure white sheet of paper..
If it were an ordinary army, it would have been absurd to leave the operation to the opinion of the soldiers..
But it was different now. In fact, it was a war, and Lee Hyun-wook was a better talent than any other officer..
"......Controller, Controller, what do you think??”
Kim Kang-seok asked.
Since the head of the operations department could not return, Major Moon Tae-ho, the regional magic control officer, was effectively the second-in-command..
He thought for a moment and then nodded..
“Battalion Commander, I've already seen it once. So, I think I understand at least a little bit what Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook means. Wide-area portals and large quantities of weapons... … I'm thinking of driving a steel rain..”
Kim Kang-seok nods his head at those words, “I drive a steel rain.”.
Moon Tae-ho turned his head and looked up at Lee Hyun-wook..
"And, it may be presumptuous, but I think Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook saved our unit. perhaps… … Couldn’t we save Seoul? Of course, we will have to discuss detailed operations together..”
Kim Kang-seok only listened to that and looked at Lee Hyun-wook..
“Ha-Lee Hyun-wook, I never thought I would say something like this.……."
"yes please say.”
“……You are now the strongest force in our battalion..”
Of course, if we look at individual strength alone, there was someone stronger than Lee Hyun-wook..
It was obvious that Kim Kang-seok himself was there, but Seo Eun-ha was also there..
However, when dealing with the volume offensive called Wave, Lee Hyun-wook demonstrates the highest efficiency..
Through portal magic, the entire battalion armory is poured onto the enemies' heads.-
Because such an absurd linked attack is possible..
Kim Kang-seok stood up..
And he placed his hand on Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder..
"Okay, give it a try. company of steel……."
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