The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 42
42fury.
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Apparently, the night sky in Seoul turned purple.
But few people noticed it.
So it was a night like any other.
Gates occurred simultaneously throughout Seoul, but since it occurred mainly at military bases, the civilian population was rather peaceful. There was no official predicting a 'wave' with such a problem..
No, someone would definitely raise questions. however… … Because it was a scary thing, as if predicting a nuclear war, the decision maker's reaction was skeptical, and above all,……
It was dawn.
"hey! What nonsense are you talking about, calling me at 2 in the morning? That's for sure?”
Therefore, the response had to be delayed..
Soon, stories began to spread that people traveling to and from Seoul encountered a translucent wall..
Finally, at 4 am…….
All radio waves in Seoul were cut off, revealing to the world that the 4th wave had begun..
From then on, Seoul became busy..
- Dear citizens, this is the National Gate Response Headquarters. As of the current time, a gate occurrence warning has been issued throughout Seoul. This broadcast is based on a real situation. Let me know once again......
Noisy voices echoed in the blacksmith alley in Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu..
It was not an ordinary loudspeaker, but a sound coming from a ‘mana alarm’..
When it was activated, it meant that a nearby gate had opened..
"……oh my! What the hell is going on?!”
Blacksmith Alley had a fairly large resident population..
This was because in order to meet the guild's orders, tanning had to be done day and night without rest..
3rd shift where the lights never go out like in a factory, that was the culture here..
Therefore, at this moment, quite a few blacksmiths were listening to the warning broadcast..
"Boss, but this isn't just a gate, it's called a wave.?”
"Does that make sense, you bastard! I think Wave is like a touring performance by an American rock singer.?"
"I wish it wasn't me too... … Anyway, let’s go to the shelter quickly..”
And Kang Jeong-doo was also out on the street..
"How can I do this?......."
I had trouble sleeping early in the morning, but I came out after hearing a commotion outside..
After assessing the situation, he huffed and returned to the single room in the workshop..
"Hee-seol! This! Wake up quickly!”
"eww… … What time is it?……."
"Yeah, it's a mess! There was an uproar!”
“-evil!"
Kang Jeong-du kicked his granddaughter, who was covering herself with a blanket, and took out a travel bag from the closet..
“Ugh, what a mess, my only remaining granddaughter... … omg! Well, it's a gate.?”
Hee-seol heard the alarm sounding outside and understood the situation..
"okay! Well, grab some from the shelf there.!”
"hmm… … I'm not dreaming, right? Then, do you want to awaken as a wizard instead of a blacksmith?."
"Shut up and wake up quickly!”
So the two people hurriedly prepared to evacuate and came out..
- ……Citizens are requested to evacuate to the nearest shelter immediately..
A shelter was a shelter equipped with a magic shield to prepare for gate situations..
The closest state-run shelter from here was Yeongdeungpo Station..
However, a private shelter operated by the union was located in the basement of the union office..
Naturally, Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol headed there..
However, I heard a sound like a thunderbolt at the entrance of the shelter..
"Whoa, I can't go in anymore. Shelter capacity is full..”
“……yes? What does that mean??”
It was nonsense..
"No, I don't understand why there are no seats in the shelter, so let's go in..”
It is a large shelter with a maximum capacity of over 500 people, and the union used to boast that if an unexpected incident occurred, all union members could evacuate and stay there for at least several weeks..
“Ah, I don't understand what the old man is saying... … . They say they won't accept any more because it's full..”
"So what are we supposed to do with me and this guy??”
"Oh, wherever I search or not, fuck, what do I know??”
Kang Jeong-du noticed the reason why they were like this..
This disaster situation that is happening now was not an ordinary gate incident situation..
The higher-ups of the union noticed this and decided to reduce the number of people in order to hold out as long as possible.,
The first thing to do was to prune out some blacksmiths, including Kang Jeong-du, who were not compliant with the union..
"Kang, it might be a bit dangerous, but let’s go to the Yeongdeungpo Shelter. Oh, it's dirty! Tsk!”
When another blacksmith, Kang Jeong-du, was stopped, the guard chuckled..
"Okay, get out of here quickly. Be careful not to get stabbed by a goblin on the way.."
Kang Jeong-du’s eyebrows twitched at those words..
Although he was a helpless old man, he was not without a temper..
"Like this-.”
"Dog-fuck! You caught this horo!”
But before that, a shout broke out from somewhere..
It was the granddaughter, Kang Hee-seol..
She screamed and ran towards the guard..
"Move! We have the right to go in too.!”
"Ugh, is this crazy?!”
"Don't discriminate! We are also union members who regularly pay our dues.!”
"I don't know, you should go to the Yeongdeungpo station shelter, you bitch.!”
"-evil!"
When the guard waved his arm, Kang Hee-seol fell backwards..
As a blacksmith player, she couldn't do anything about the security by force..
Kang Jeong-du helped his granddaughter up and glared at the guards..
But that's all I could do.
"Black… … why! why! All those with some power are selfish like that.?”
When Kang Hoi-seol cried and shouted, the security guard laughed..
"Ugh, I'm sick of being powerless, I'm whining somewhere.?”
In response, Kang Hee-seol once again screamed and cursed..
However, her cries were drowned out by a loud noise..
Doo doo doo doo----
A gust of wind rose and a ray of light fell from the sky..
It was a helicopter.
“..eww?”
“oh! It's AMT!’’
The guards raised their heads and cheered..
"Oh well, it's rewarding to pay taxes regularly! You came to rescue me early.!”
Hearing those words, Kang Hee-seol showed his teeth..
"Damn it! We paid our dues regularly, so why are you like that??”
"What, what? That kid is really......."
The guard couldn't stand it anymore and rolled up his sleeves..
"Those things really have to be true to know that the world is scary........"
At that moment, three ropes fell from the helicopter and AMT soldiers wearing black combat uniforms landed. At the same time, he stretched out his hand and pushed the shoulder of the security guard who was threatening Kang Hui-seol..
"......Well, what is it??”
"Step back. It's a warning.”
Meanwhile, the helicopter landed at the helicopter port on the roof of the union office..
Then, a union official ran out from inside the shelter and greeted them..
"ah! welcome! I am thrilled that you came to our aid so quickly..”
"Well, sorry, that's not it. No civilian rescue operation is yet underway..”
A female soldier with the rank of sergeant who appears to be the leader of this helicopter team shook her head and said so..
“yes? then......."
"For now, you will be safe if you stay in the shelter. We are here to find someone."
“......who are you looking for?”
"Already found it.”
The sergeant was holding a photo and looking somewhere..
It was the blacksmiths who were shut out at the door..
Looking over the situation, the sergeant frowned..
"But are you really going to prevent those people from entering the shelter??”
"yes? A, no!”
"What isn't it? I saw it all above.”
"No, that's...-”
"You probably know that it is against the rules and is illegal and punishable.?”
"Oh, yeah, whatever........"
Today, shelter is directly related to the people’s right to survive..
Therefore, shelters were an important factor that greatly influenced real estate prices, and in order to operate a private shelter, it had to meet the conditions specified by the government and receive continuous management and supervision from the relevant ministries..
One of its operating conditions was the ‘unconditional acceptance’ of nearby refugees..
"If any violations of the regulations are discovered in the future, the right to operate the shelter will be revoked.."
"......."
After saying those words, the sergeant approached Kang Jeong-du..
"Mr. Kang Jeong-du, is that correct? I came to pick you up because there was someone you were looking for..”
"Yes, I insist, but I… … who are you looking for?”
"I heard you would know if Lee Hyun-wook said he sent you. Could you please accompany us??”
Then Kang Jeong-du’s eyes widened and,
The corners of Kang Hee-seol's mouth rose..
"yes? This boss... … Were you a military general??”
Even though he knew it was nonsense, Kang Jeong-du said that..
If you came to pick me up with a military helicopter,…….
Even if he wasn't a general, he would definitely be in a position to have some influence on AMT..
And actually, that's what those union officials over there told me to listen to..
***
Just like that, Kang Jeong-du, Kang Hui-seol, and several blacksmiths arrived in the 1st Battalion..
Lee Hyun-wook welcomed them..
"Master Kang, thank you for coming..”
Kang Jeong-du bowed while looking at Lee Hyun-wook, and at the same time examined the rank insignia on Lee Hyun-wook's combat uniform..
"Oh my, how should I repay this favor, General Lee?......."
This clever old man is a former naval sergeant and has clearly just confirmed his rank, but he pretends not to know and calls him general. It was entirely intentional flattery..
‘but he is a good person.’
This kind of flattery and self-interest was understandable as an old man raising a granddaughter alone, and yet he was a strong man who said that what was wrong was wrong..
“No, I am not a general, I am a soldier. I'm sorry for not telling you sooner..”
"Well, does it matter? This old man knows very well that he is a great man..”
Well, it didn't make sense for a soldier to bring a blacksmith with a helicopter..
He must have thought that the background supporting Lee Hyun-wook was enormous..
Lee Hyun-wook took the blacksmiths to the parade ground..
There were 21 ‘Living Armors’ lined up at regular intervals..
“This is Living Armor. Most of it is damaged. Could you please repair it??”
Kang Jeong-du turned his back and looked at them, and his expression became embarrassed..
"Well, restoring magic circuits is honestly... … You must work with a high-ranking mage. Of course, you can imitate it, but I can't guarantee that you can make it function perfectly..”
"If it's up and running, it doesn't have to be completely restored..”
The 'magic circuit', the operating principle of Living Armor, was engraved on the surface of the armor, like a tattoo..
Therefore, when the ‘outer armor’ breaks and the circuit is cut off, it has no choice but to lose its function..
However, most of the important circuits were located in the 'helmet' area, so as long as that part was intact, they could operate without problems, and most of the circuits engraved in the 'body' area were additional function spells related to defense..
"Thank you for your hard work in coming here. I will pay properly after the incident is over..”
"Oh no, no. I will work hard thinking of it as the price of my granddaughter's life..”
"It won't be paid with my money, it will be paid by the government. Consider it the price you pay for saving your country..”
At those words, Kang Jeong-du’s expression became quite serious..
"I am… … Are you saying you want to save the country??”
"Yes, you are contributing to something big..”
Kang Jeong-du, who once served as a naval sergeant,
The story that Lee Hyun-wook knew was that he had no choice but to retire due to a back injury..
Therefore, there must still be some desire to serve one's country as a soldier..
Especially in these terrible times.…….
Lee Hyun-wook stimulated that part and made Kang Jeong-doo more immersed in the work..
‘But in fact, Kang Hee-seol will be more useful than Kang Jeong-du..’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Kang Hee-seol..
He was moving frantically like a puppy, looking at the Living Armor with curiosity..
He even tried to kick it, but then jumped up and down while holding on to his feet..
"Oh my, this……."
Kang Jeong-du held his head..
Like this, I'm just a child now, but…….
‘Of course, that personality doesn't change until the end.……
Snow White),
The first ‘Elder Smith’ chosen by 7 dwarven artisans’
And the best drinker recognized by the dwarves.…….
‘Kang Hee-seol will grow like that..’
Thus, the first ‘Master’ level item is created..
However, Kang Hui-seol's real talent was in 'magical engineering' rather than blacksmithing..
Although it was a field I came across late, I mastered it quickly and became the best..
‘The magic machine corps she created was the best..’
Even though he was a blacksmith from a non-combat background, he was active in the battlefield by commanding the magic machine troops he created..
‘If Kang Hee-seol gets involved in magic engineering early on, it will become much bigger..’
therefore.......
The idea was to have him in charge of the design and production of the Steel Legion, which uses divine power as its weapon..
***
At 3 p.m., the attack on the three gates within the compound ended with the guard post gate..
It took 8 hours and there were only 4 casualties, so it was an incredible feat..
But the real work started now..
"This is information from the battalion commander! After a 10-minute break, we go back to work.!”
"ah……."
I didn't even have time to rest properly..
It's now 4 days.
After that, half of Seoul disappears..
Even if I collapsed from exhaustion and died, I couldn't stop..
"ruler! Time has passed! It's moving again!”
Since it was essentially wartime, all 'decoration materials' were taken out from the battalion warehouse..
It contained recovery potions, stamina potions, and mana potions, which were distributed to mentally and physically exhausted soldiers. Of course, overdosing on potions is not good for ability growth.…….
“……Where can you afford to question something like that? Drink quickly and move!”
Soon, trucks lined up at the Transportation Department. There were a total of 7 K-511s, commonly called Dudonban..
And after that, three K-153 armored reconnaissance vehicles plated with magic metal were prepared..
"Load weapons into the truck now! Time is 10 minutes, move fast!”
As per Lee Hyun-wook's request for half of the battalion's armory, the entire armory was being moved..
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook separately called Sergeant Kim Se-hee, Corporal Ahn Min-tae, and Private Choi Tae-yong..
This was because they had a separate mission to entrust to them in this operation..
"Sergeant Kim Se-hee, would you please take on the role of 1st platoon leader??"
"......."
“Sorry, this is actually an order.”
Kim Se-hee blatantly frowned at the command part..
It was true. Lee Hyun-wook’s words were no different from the command of the battalion commander..
But she nodded without saying anything..
“……all right.”
His expression and tone were full of annoyance..
However, even with such a cynical attitude, there was a reason why the female soldiers of the 2nd Company followed her like an older sister. He is capable and takes good care of everyone..
‘In other words, it is trusted in every way..’
155He had a strange charisma that did not match his small body..
And Ahn Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong were staring blankly at Kim Se-hee..
Yes, there was a reason why the men in the 1st Company talked about her as a goddess........
Indeed… … It couldn't have been worse..
"Ahn Min-tae, don’t lose your mind.?”
"Ah, um, yeah!”
"Ahn Min-tae, you will be the 2nd platoon leader..”
"Oh no… … I'm the platoon leader, ah, yeah!”
I looked at Choi Taeyong for the last time..
"You are the lead scout. Open your eyes and watch everything.”
"yes! All right!”
"If you turn your attention to something strange, you will die to me..”
"yep......."
When it was said that all major positions in the operation would be comprised of soldiers, Kim Kang-seok expressed doubt..
Of course, it was also true that most of the executives failed to return and there were no useful personnel..
but…….
‘These are people who are capable, who can follow me well, and who I can use in the future..’
Kim Se-hee was the most potential player in the 2nd Company. She needed to continue the relationship..
And Ahn Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong followed Lee Hyun-wook the best and understood Lee Hyun-wook's intentions well..
Above all, it had now grown to the level of one of the best in the middle class..
Ahn Min-tae's level was already 24..
‘It looks like you caught a lot of zombies to make it worthwhile for holding a sacred weapon..’
Of course, his one-handed sword was broken, but Lee Hyeon-wook lent him KG19..
"Well, we'll be leaving in 20 minutes. Please be ready by then..”
Lee Hyun-wook also went into the dormitory for a while to prepare for the operation..
It was time to equip weapons..
He wore a utility vest and was equipped with a Cloud Sword and KG19 on his back..
Equipped with a pale note, mithril dagger, and iron bead pouch on the waist..
And the heavy military uniform that had been packed in advance contained 10 iron stakes..
Clap-
I even brought a K2C1 rifle. Of course, rifles are not that useful anymore, but when it comes to keeping multiple enemies in check and deploying firepower, there is nothing like a firearm. I needed to keep it regardless of whether I used it or not..
Zech-
Lastly, I rolled up the left wrist of my combat uniform and checked..
A spear-shaped tattoo, it was the spear of Achilles, one of the secret weapons..
There were dozens of items equipped on the entire body like this..
That wasn't all.
The 7 trucks currently being prepared, everything that went into them was Lee Hyun-wook’s weapon..
The highest strength of the battalion acknowledged by Kim Kang-seok, that was not wrong..
"Excuse me-”
The voice behind my back was sad..
She seemed to be taking a break after several battles, and was wearing only lower body armor..
"......Really, I don't have to go with you.?”
Seo Eun-ha and Choi Young-jun, the most capable members of the company, were actually assigned to the follow-up unit..
Since the operation company led by Lee Hyun-wook was responsible for entering a dangerous area, reinforcements were needed to provide rescue in case of trouble, and the defense of the compound could not be left lax..
"If there's a problem anyway, won't you come running quickly like you always do??”
"......Are you planning to say something about being late again??”
"It would be fortunate if that were possible. It's too late, I'm not already dead.”
"what? under… … You're really good at talking nonsense, you?”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled and nodded..
"If you think about it, it's all true..”
Although Lee Hyun-wook had been talking back to her for some time, Seo Eun-ha wasn't particularly offended..
This was because officers and soldiers began to recognize Lee Hyun-wook beyond their ranks..
"Well then, I hope we never meet outside of the territory..”
"Okay, that was unfortunate, but it's the right thing to say..”
When Lee Hyun-wook finished preparing and was about to leave the dormitory, Seo Eun-ha held out her palm..
"ruler-”
“Is it chocolate again??”
"......You honestly think you're going to piss me off.?”
Seo Eun-ha opened her palm..
It contained a bracelet..
Just by looking at it, it was an item filled with divine power..
"You probably know that this wave has to do with the undead. If you infuse mana into this, a sacred shield is formed in a 3m radius around you. I'll lend it to you, it might help..”
"If you don't want to hold me responsible if I lose it, I'll take it..”
“......don't lose it.”
In other words, losing it meant that it could be eaten..
Lee Hyun-wook went to the parade ground..
There were 7 trucks, 3 tactical vehicles, and 12 living armor lined up there..
And there were 39 troops gathered in front of him..
It was an elite unit that, led by Lee Hyeon-wook, would advance to the outskirts and carry out Seoul defense operations..
When Lee Hyun-wook came out of the barracks, their eyes focused on one place..
Lee Hyun-wook stood side by side with the battalion commander on the review table and looked down at the newly formed company-level troops..
The battalion commander gave them this name..
“......Steel Company, the fate of Seoul depends on you..”
Following the Steel Great Emperor, it is the Steel Company.…….
Lee Hyun-wook thought to himself that the nickname given to him from his previous life was too childish..
And it is true that the fate of Seoul depends on it... … It was a very clichéd speech..
But at this moment, all those words sounded quite different and weighty..
Because it was all true.
'Yes, we protect Seoul. And furthermore, everything…….'
Hyunwook Lee saluted the battalion commander and boarded the K-153, command vehicle..
"depart.”
Steel Company's first mission,
Seoul defense operation begins.
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