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The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 51

51fury. 

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While on his way to contact the Taesan guild, Lee Hyun-wook communicated mana with Kim Kang-seok in the vehicle..

“……Battalion Commander, then I would like to ask you a favor..”

It was an urgent request to the battalion for several matters for the next battle..

- Yes, we'll prepare it as soon as possible, contact us and we'll fly over, so don't worry..

"thank you.”

- and… … Please be careful. As you know, all waves so far have been in a pattern of growing exponentially stronger as time passes, so today, unlike yesterday, will be much stronger..

"Yes, I understand.”

it was true.

There are countless reasons why the wave is called the worst disaster.,

The biggest reason was that the ‘raid difficulty’ increased as time passed..

Simply put, monsters that appear during a wave gradually ‘evolve’ into a form that is difficult to deal with..

For example, in the case of 'Hellett', which I faced yesterday, the 'number' increases exponentially..

A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, hundreds of thousands, and finally a million.…….

And when the number of objects exceeds a certain number, they 'evolve' and a kind of passive skill is created.,

There is a 'special option' that releases 'gas' from the body and creates 'poisonous fog'..

‘The hellet swarm that appeared with a green mist and ate everything was truly the worst..’

Yesterday, Hellet was swallowed up by the Steel Company, but by this afternoon it would have swelled to an uncontrollable number—that's why Lee Hyun-wook targeted that place first..

Otherwise, more than half of the shelters in the wave zone would have been destroyed by the Helet swarm..

‘The next most dangerous thing is the multi-racial black magic society..’

If the Helet swarm swept across Seoul and caused the greatest number of civilian casualties,,

Multi-Racial Warlock Causes Most Player Deaths.

Just like now, they kidnap humans and offer them as wealth to evil spirits..

As a result, you gradually acquire powerful black magic spells.,

On the 4th day of the wave, a black magic creature called 'Chimera' is born..

'……It was a top-level monster equivalent to a dragon hatchling..’

Numerous players were mobilized to eliminate it, but they failed every time..

Ultimately, the number of player casualties mobilized in that operation reached 1,855..

‘Today, we destroy it before it grows..’

Then, the car stopped..

"Im here. It is about 500 meters away from the meeting place.."

At the driver’s words, Lee Hyun-wook looked out the window..

It was an apartment complex in Apgujeong-dong..

"good. From now on, we will move on foot..”

At his command, 15 troops from one transport truck disembarked..

The rest were waiting at the O Elementary School shelter..

"Be alert to your surroundings and move slowly.”

The Taesan guild may have set a trap, so it was important not to let down one's guard..

“……there! Is this a steel company??”

As I arrived near the contact area, I heard someone's voice..

"Here it is, above! please come inside!”

A man was waving his hand at the third floor window of a commercial building.

“3Divide into teams and climb up at a distance..”

Lee Hyun-wook was on guard until the end, but fortunately nothing happened..

On the third floor of a large shopping mall, more than twenty players were gathered in a health club..

They were resting, exhausted, as if they had just finished a battle..

Meanwhile, a man wearing glasses approached Lee Hyun-wook..

"ah! You came!”

Who is it? Hyunwook Lee scanned his face. If it was a villain, there was a high possibility that he would be a familiar face..

However, seeing as it didn't immediately come to mind, he wasn't a very important character.……

"Hello, my name is Minseong Choi from Taesan Guild..”

The moment I heard that name, it came to mind.

‘Choi Min-seong… … Then, Chu Kyo-yong, that person also exists..’

Choi Min-seong itself was not a very important name..

'Recognition is important.’

Monster Tamer Chu Kyo-yong is the leader of the strategy team that Choi Min-sung belongs to.,

He was a player with an unusual ability to control monsters..

Lee Hyun-wook held Choi Min-seong's hand and looked around once again..

‘The number you can see right now is 24 people, which is much more than you think..’

If they all rush... … Honestly, it would be difficult to deal with..

If you were a well-trained elite player, it would be a completely different experience from dealing with monsters.…….

"Everyone here... … Are you a Taesan guild member??"

"Oh, that's not it. There, the players gathered at the elementary school shelter and joined forces to save the citizens. They all have different affiliations, including the Cheonghwa Guild and the Goryeo Guild..”

“……okay.”

“Well, we are the main team, but there are only 6 of us..”

6It’s a name… … Lee Hyun-wook did not believe that literally..

Someone must have been hidden in the shelter to confirm the arrival of the Steel Company.,

Even here, he could have been hiding his identity and pretending to be a third party..

However, there was one strange thing..

‘Choi Min-seong is there, but team leader Chu Kyo-yong is not there..’

I wondered if it was hiding somewhere, but well, there was no reason to do so..

‘……Okay, we split the team..’

4There were a total of 3 ‘player cards’ prepared by Baekjun Ki for Tea Wave..

Five Butchers / Apostate Gong Hyun-jun / Chu Kyo-yong Strategy Team

‘But I already burned two cards..’

It must have become even more urgent now that one cause of erosion has been removed.,

The last remaining card, ‘Chu Kyo-yong Strategy Team’, had no choice but to split up and move..

The leader, Chu Kyo-yong, was probably on the other side of the erosion factor..

‘It's a good thing because it means the power is divided..’

Lee Hyun-wook looked at Choi Min-seong, hiding his true feelings..

"Have you figured out where the people are being held??”

"Yes, you can see it here too. It's right there.”

Minseong Choi walked up to the window and pointed somewhere..

There was a department store among numerous apartment complexes..

however… … Its appearance was very strange..

"‘Erosion’ has already progressed considerably..”

"Yeah, it's like the devil's castle……."

The huge department store building was covered with what looked like the roots of trees that were hundreds of years old..

Even huge trees that looked like baobab trees grew in the rooftop garden.,

There were black birds flying above it, but at least they weren't crows..

Yes, it changed like the devil's castle in the legend, and is still changing..

By this afternoon, the entire area would have been covered with a scene like that..

“……I heard you attempted an attack to rescue civilians. Did it fail??”

Choi Min-seong showed a bitter expression at that question..

"you're right. I attempted an attack once... … Ha, those bastards… … As we approached, they started killing civilians by dropping them from rooftops. Like we know what we want.”

As he held Choi Min-seong's words, Lee Hyun-wook felt a wave of nausea wash over him..

That expression, that line, it was all acting full of pretense..

You're the one who's causing civilians to die, but you're pretending to be sad.…….

"In the end, in order to prevent that meaningless sacrifice, we had no choice but to turn back without success. Also, there is a 'barrier' across the entire department store, making sniping from the apartment rooftop impossible..”

It’s a barrier… … When I looked at it again, it was covered with purple shimmer..

It was a device that could block magic coming from outside..

“Well, I have one way..”

Choi Min-seong’s eyebrows twitched at Lee Hyun-wook’s words..

“……The way?”

"Yes, I'll explain, so please gather the people..”

Soon Minseong Choi called the players together..

"ruler! Here, the commander of the Steel Company says he has a plan! Let's take a listen.”

Lee Hyun-wook looked around at the players and then opened his mouth..

"There is only one pattern they have shown so far. They use unidentified black smoke to stun people, then kidnap them to their home base instead of killing them. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a civilian or a player..”

The players nodded..

"So, the easiest way to get inside is... … You'll be kidnapped.”

Kidnapping. Almost all faces crumpled at those words..

"......yes?"

"What does that mean, you're going to intentionally inhale the smoke and get kidnapped??”

"you're right.”

“Hey, would you like to take a look at them first??”

Someone snorted and pointed somewhere..

There were two men lying there..

"They both inhaled the black smoke. See, it's not just about passing out, all skills are 'deactivated' for a whopping 8 hours. In other words, you are no different from an ordinary person..”

In other words, if you are kidnapped, your combat power becomes 0..

"Yes, I know. But we are okay. Because I have a tolerance..”

Everyone looked puzzled at those words..

Tolerance is not something that can be developed easily..

Lee Hyun-wook gave additional explanation..

“Luckily, my entire army has a curse immunity buff. In other words, we'll pretend to pass out and get in there with our faculties preserved..”

Those words brought out admiration from all over the place..

"Oh—is there such a thing??”

"After all, we didn't destroy the erosion factor for no reason.……."

But then Choi Min-seong raised his hand..

“hmm… … In fact, me and these three friends also have 'curse resistance'.”

……What is it, suddenly?

I wondered what Lee Hyun-wook’s intention was..

“oh.......”

"Wow, Taesando is also worthy of its name..”

"Well, no big deal. It was accumulated while attacking undead related gates for a while..”

Minseong Choi nodded with a serious expression and continued speaking as his arms cheered..

“Anyway, so we also thought about such a strategy. But that alone… … It is an act of suicide. Yes, the moment you are kidnapped, all your weapons will be taken away and your hands and feet will be restrained..”

Lee Hyun-wook immediately refuted this..

"That's just using my abilities..”

Choi Min-seong tilted his head..

Meanwhile, there was an unknown color in his eyes..

"……Can you guess what that ability is??”

Lee Chae's identity was a dirty intention to find out Lee Hyun-wook's abilities..

Lee Hyun-wook took out an iron ball and launched it into the air..

"—Well, it's like this.”

"Oh, is it telekinesis magic??’’

"No, it's the control series..”

As it is such a rare ability, it was impossible to guess the ability just by looking at one scene..

And that scarcity was one of the important weapons with the ‘growth beyond level’ characteristic..

It is difficult to analyze due to lack of information, so it is impossible to prepare a way to deal with it.,

For that reason, he was extremely reluctant to reveal his detailed abilities for ‘growth beyond level’..

however.......

"Um, can you tell me a little bit more about it? If they follow their plan, I think we'll have to go in together, but shouldn't we get to know each other well before that??”

Despite the confident request for information, Lee Hyun-wook willingly nodded his head as to what was going on..

“I control metal. And it can change shape to some extent..”

“In that case, even if your weapon is taken away, there will be many things you can use as a weapon..”

"Yes, that's right. and……."

Lee Hyun-wook used 'metal transformation' on the iron ball and pressed it flat..

"If you hide these small pieces of metal in your mouth and change their shape, you could use them as keys or knives. This means that it can also open doors in restraints or locks. It will be very useful inside.”

"hmm… … Although risky, it certainly seems to be the method with the highest chance of success..”

"Yes, as you know, the Control branch is particularly weak, so if you protect me as the top priority, this operation will succeed..”

At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, Choi Min-seong smiled and stood up..

"ruler! So let’s do it like this. We will infiltrate with the Steel Company, rescue the citizens, and then send a signal by shooting magic out the window. Then, if you launch an all-out attack and draw attention, we will move again and destroy the object that creates the barrier..”

"oh.......”

"If the barrier disappears, we will be able to snipe from the rooftops of nearby apartments while looking down on the department store, and it will be an advantageous battle for us..”

The majority nodded..

“So what do you think, do you all agree??”

Everyone agreed. It couldn't have been the most reasonable operation in this situation..

Choi Min-seong looked at Lee Hyun-wook and smiled..

There was something hidden inside that smile.

And Lee Hyun-wook also had the same smile on his face..

***

Choi Min-seong said he would take some time to prepare and then gathered his subordinates..

"The Steel Company commander seems to be a very intelligent man. Thinking about sneaking inside based on his resistance, it seems like his miraculous ability has a lot of use, but......."

“……I was bitten wrong!”

A woman shouted and giggled like that..

"that's right. It's so refreshing to give up the back of your neck without even knowing that we're trying to kill you.?”

Infiltration using voluntary kidnapping, that was honestly ingenious. However, in this situation where the villain is targeting the Steel Company, they thought that it was no different from being trapped in a trap..

"Really, I can't stop being a villain because of this taste.!”

The woman stamped her feet excitedly..

Her eyes were wide open.

“Phew! The taste of holding a secret that others would die to know and playing with it here and there—!”

"Park Ji-hyun, it’s not success yet. Don't be fussy, don't be shy.”

“Ah, yes… … haha……."

Min-seong Choi reprimanded him, but Ji-hyun Park still couldn't hide his excitement..

"Was he weak again? under… … Anyway, I'll keep everything that could be a weapon out of the prison, but just in case, if he gets a weapon, think of a way to prevent him from wielding it. As I said myself, since it is a control type, if there is no object to control, it is nothing..”

At those words, the bald man in the leather jacket raised his hand..

"Yes, I think that would be my skill. In case of emergency, you can create a 'ring' and trap it..”

"oh… … Is it just right? It's a skill I rarely use, but now I have a chance to use it.?”

“Hahaha—that's right.”

At that time, Minseong Choi raised his index finger as if he remembered something..

“……Oh, and keep in mind, don't kill them right away..”

"We need to capture them and torture them to find out how they destroyed the erosion.?”

"That's right, so don't rush ahead and wait for my instructions..”

The villains stood up, and Choi Min-seong said his last words..

"It looks like the Steel Company is talking about some kind of hope outside, but that hope is dashed here.."

***

1After some time, the so-called ‘voluntary kidnapping operation’ began..

There were six people in total: Lee Hyun-wook, Park Jun-mo, Choi Min-seong and three of his subordinates..

They entered an alley and at that very moment—

Pushyyy——!

Suddenly the manhole cover opened and black smoke came out from inside..

“—Ugh!”

They inhaled the smoke and collapsed..

No, I pretended to fall down..

About 10 minutes later, a group of monsters appeared at the entrance of the alley..

Wow——

They were strangely wearing black robes, so I couldn't recognize them..

However, when I heard the voice, it was a motley group of orcs, goblins, kobolds, etc..

They turned over the fallen bodies of the group, took away all their weapons, and tied their arms with ropes..

And monsters that looked like orcs were carrying one person on each shoulder..

‘It's terrible…….'

The stench emanating from their bodies was so disgusting that it was not easy to pretend to faint..

Fortunately, we arrived at the department store in less than 5 minutes..

I couldn't see it in detail, but it was changing into a strange shape due to erosion..

They were taken to the parking lot on the third basement floor, a dark space..

‘When did they even get a cage like this??’

This was an underground prison. There was even a bar on one side like a real prison..

Is something like this created during erosion, or was it created by monsters by hand?,

It was puzzling in many ways, but there was no way to confirm it..

They were thrown into one of the prisons..

puck—

"eww......."

Park Jun-mo was thrown to the floor and groaned..

I had no idea that it would be thrown away like an object..

When I came to my senses and looked around, I saw about a dozen civilians trapped in a fairly large space..

“……Are you okay?”

A kid squatting right next to Park Jun-mo asked that question..

"Oh, yeah, it's okay..”

“……But now it won't be okay.”

The guy was covered in tears..

"......huh?"

"Let's catch them one by one... … Black—those monsters........"

"ah……."

"Now, let's eat it..”

Park Jun-mo placed his hand on the kid’s head..

"No, it'll be okay..”

"......."

It was an expression of disbelief..

"Haha—what’s your name??”

"Oh, my name is Shin Ji-ho..”

"really? and! How do we meet just like this? Hope is your friend, right??”

"yes? Uh, how did you know??”

Shin Ji-ho looked surprised..

Park Jun-mo asked the kid named Hope for the names of his friends..

“Well, Hope asked me to save Jiho, so I came to rescue him like this..”

"uh? To save… … You came? I wasn't caught.?”

Yeah—

There were two orc guards wandering around outside.,

Park Jun-mo whispered very softly..

"Yes, I really came to save you. don't worry.”

But then…….

“Phew—!”

Laughter erupted from somewhere..

It was Park Ji-hyeon, a woman from the Taesan guild..

She was curled up on the floor and shaking..

For some reason, it seemed like I was holding back the laughter that was bursting out.…….

“Puhahaha—! Deputy Team Leader, I’m sorry! It's so funny!”

In the end, I burst out laughing..

"hey! Phew! What did you come to save, you idiot? You've been caught! Hahaha—!”

Choi Minseong sighed and stood up at that sight..

"under… … you really……."

But strangely enough, the rope that bound their arms had already been taken off..

“No, it's so funny to act so cool and tell a kid you're here to save him! Ah—I’m crying!”

When Choi Min-seong gestured, two of his subordinates approached Lee Hyun-wook, forced his mouth open, and took out a piece of metal for escape hidden under the floor behind him. And then I put it in some kind of leather bag or something..

"Well, now there won't be any steel left to control..”

It was only then that Park Jun-mo realized that the situation was going too strangely..

“What, what, what… … Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, this is it now.……."

Two orc guards even opened the bars, came in, and stood behind them as if they were part of a gang..

'……They are terrorists!’

I got it right.

Park Jun-mo thought so..

But I was not easily discouraged..

‘No, you shouldn't give up yet..’

He looked at Lee Hyun-wook out of the corner of his eye and prepared to counterattack..

It was difficult to aim properly because my arms were tied, but I was able to use my abilities..

Phage——

The moment an electric current flows from his grasp tied behind his back.—

“Stay still, Park Jun-mo—”

Lee Hyun-wook stopped him..

"Yes, you are really smart. Please stay still and have a deeper conversation with us.."

Two men kneeled Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo, and Choi Min-seong came in front of them..

"Hyunwook Lee, I have a lot of questions. First of all, erosion factors… … how did you remove it?”

Lee Hyun-wook had no answer..

“When I looked into it, I heard it wasn’t a Guardian… … Hmm, is it just a coincidence??”

"......."

“Write—you're not very smart if you exercise your right to remain silent here..”

"however……."

"Ah, yes, you finally thought to open your mouth.?”

Lee Hyun-wook raised his head and looked up at Choi Min-seong..

"Minseong Choi, I also want to ask you a few questions..”

“……yes?”

“That's why I prepared this place here..”

Choi Min-seong tilted his head at those strange words..

"prepared… … yes? Who is it??”

But at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook smiled..

"It's the perfect place to talk secretly.?”

"......."

“Wait, soon all the monsters that will get in your way will disappear..”

“……Fuck, what are you saying??”

"There's going to be a lot of spectacle from the sky, so we're all going to go there........"

Choi Min-seong frowned at the completely incomprehensible words..

But at that moment…….

Qua—ang——!

The building began to shake with the explosion..

"......What, what??”

"Deputy Team Leader, it looks like something is going on here.?”

Qua—ang——!

Blast again, yes, there was definitely something powerful going off above my head..

Qua—ang——!

Lee Hyun-wook nodded..

"It's a bombing. It won't break through the barrier, but it will cause quite a stir and divert all the monsters' attention elsewhere.."

“……what?”

“……To put it simply, it means that in this basement, we can only talk among ourselves..”

What Lee Hyun-wook previously requested from Kim Kang-seok,

it was an aerial bombardment.

“……What are you?”

The composure disappeared from Choi Min-seong’s face..

"Choi Min-seong, you know the location of the ‘barrier creation object’, right? I need to explain where that is.."

Blah blah blah——

There was a strange sound coming from somewhere. It was behind Lee Hyun-wook’s back..

“……Then I'll show you how I eliminated the erosion factor.—!”

Chow—bad!

At that moment, the rope binding Lee Hyun-wook’s arms was torn.,

Lee Hyun-wook's left hand was aimed at Choi Min-seong..

A spear protruded from his wrist..

“—Pfft!”

At that moment, Choi Min-seong's body disappeared in thin air and reappeared in the corner of the prison..

Achilles' spear seemed to cut through the air and pass by, but then it changed direction.,

Simultaneously pierced two orc guards rushing towards Hyunwook Lee..

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook was standing tall on his own two feet..

And then strange noises began to emanate from his whole body again..

Blah blah blah blah——

“uh?”

At that time, Park Jun-mo saw.

Black crystals sprouted all over Lee Hyun-wook’s body and skin.,

At the same time, a blue energy began to surround his body........

"Junmo Park—”

Park Jun-mo looked up at Lee Hyun-wook..

“……I'm here to save you, so tell me to get ready to go home.”

From his fingers sprouted sharp claws like those of a leopard..