Novels online

The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 54

54fury. 

=======================

"Uh, uh… … What is this……."

Park Jun-mo's body was absorbing the lightning current..

He stared blankly into space..

Probably looking at some 'system message'.

But he soon came to his senses and stretched out his hand towards the high-ranking warlock on the rooftop..

Then a blue electric current began to radiate from his body..

Phage support——!

The current tangled in one place and became elongated, like a spear..

"Wow, awesome... … But?”

Park Jun-mo threw the ‘Lightning Spear’ with all his might towards the boss monster..

A flash—in the blink of an eye, a blue straight line was drawn between his grasp and the rooftop..

Kwa——ang——!

The entire rooftop railing was crushed, and pieces of concrete flowed down..

However, the high-ranking warlock dodged the attack by jumping backwards..

Yeah—

But that wasn't the end.

When Park Jun-mo opened his hands, the spear of lightning spread out like a net.,

It wrapped around him like it was grabbing him..

Holding support——!

The high-ranking warlock's body was swept backwards by a blue electric current..

Still, it's still a boss monster,

Even in that state of electric shock, I opened my eyes and prepared a teleportation spell..

But at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook stretched out his left hand towards the guy.,

Dozens of spears, including Palenote, were shot out..

I couldn't react because I was electrocuted..

Sigh! Sigh! Sigh! All the way! deeply!

In an instant, as many as 22 spears were thrown all over the body..

and…….

‘shredding!’

T-uh-uh-uh—!

……There was no ending more certain than this..

- congratulations! Defeated the boss monster ‘High-ranking Warlock (Red Orc)’!

"It's really over……."

In this way, all obstacles protecting the erosion factors have been removed..

Lee Hyun-wook moved the Living Armor, eliminated the still-living remnants, and turned on the Mana Messenger..

"The situation is over, evacuate civilians and clean up the scene. and… … Park Jun-mo, come up..”

After giving that order, they immediately began searching the rooftop..

Soon, the 'erosion factor' hidden under the rubble of the altar was discovered..

A bundle of roots extending from it penetrated the department store and continued all the way to the basement below..

In the next three days, the entire Gangnam area would be covered with the roots of this devil's tree..

'Such a shameful scene will never be recreated..’

If this is removed, Gangnam's building forest will not turn into 'the devil's ruins'..

In other words, a large part of Seoul can be saved..

Lee Hyun-wook grabbed the World Stone entangled in the roots and crushed it in one go..

Right now—!

- 'You have destroyed the ‘World Stone (Wave)’!

Gooooo——

Then the open gate on one side of the rooftop began to collapse..

And the moment the gate disappeared, just like when I got Mogley, an item was created..

yes—

Lee Hyun-wook stretched out his hand and grabbed it. It was a very small round object..

- Obtained Mystiltein's Seed (Unknown).

'at las…….'

[Item information]

- Name: Seed of Mystiltein (Unknown))

- no effect

In Norse mythology, Mistilteinn, the god-killing weapon that killed Odin's son Baldur, the god of light, is said to have been a branch of 'mistletoe', and this item also follows that tradition..

However, as it is a fraudulent item in many ways, it was not dropped in a completed state.,

This seed had to be planted in the ground and a long time and effort had to be spent to make the ‘top tree’ bloom..

But there was one problem. The mistletoe was called a ‘parasitic tree.’.

In other words, as a plant that grows parasitic on another tree, it was necessary to find a tree to nourish it..

'……It cannot be attached to just any tree, it must be at least a sacred tree..’

It would be perfect to have a ‘world tree’ in the center of Africa, but it was not possible at the moment..

In many ways, it was not an item whose power could be seen immediately even if you obtained the seed..

‘But I'm glad it didn't fall into the hands of a villain..’

As far as Lee Hyun-wook knew, there were dozens of heroes who died from this weapon. No matter how strong the defense and strong vitality, Mystiltein 'ignored' all of that..

‘All I have to do is smoke it someday and ask Kang Hee-seol to transform it into a weapon I can use..’

Lee Hyun-wook put the seed deep in his inner pocket..

Besides that, there was a lot to be gained from this battle..

First, I acquired two items from the bosom of the boss monster, a high-ranking warlock..

- Obtained the Dark Wood Wand (Rare).

- Obtained an ancient coin from the Underground Kingdom.

‘I guess I can give this wand to Junmo Park..’

In fact, Park Jun-mo's 'current control' was easily possible with bare hands, as we saw earlier..

However, the wand was still able to function as a kind of antenna as a medium for utilizing abilities..

Of course, if you develop a ‘sense of control’ like Lee Hyeon-wook’s in the future, there will be no need to use the wand..

And I confirmed the second item, ‘Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom’..

Even though it's metal, it wouldn't give you any special abilities if you absorbed it..

‘This can be used when the dwarf race appears in the future..’

Not all monsters coming out of the gate were hostile..

There were also people with considerable intelligence who interacted with humanity from their first appearance..

The dwarf race was also one of them..

They later appeared all over the world, established villages, and interacted amicably with humanity. Their item-making skills and level of magic engineering were such that most human blacksmiths could not imitate them..

And this ‘ancient coin of the Underground Kingdom’ was the currency with the highest denomination among dwarves. Currently, it may be nothing more than a so-called 'miscellaneous item', but its value changes from the moment dwarves appear..

‘Tsk, I can't use everything I got today right now.…….'

Anyway, around the time we finished searching for items, Junmo Park came up to the rooftop..

"I… … Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook……."

The guy had a somewhat mesmerized expression on his face..

"My, I just found it so weird… … I saw the system message.”

Lee Hyun-wook nodded..

"I know, you don't have to explain it..”

I knew it without even having to listen. A competency growth message would have appeared..

“ah! As expected, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook also said this.—!”

At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, Park Jun-mo nodded with an expression that seemed like he had expected it..

Lee Hyun-wook, who was in the same F grade as him, noticed his rapid growth method..

"Listen carefully, Park Jun-mo, don’t tell anyone about that and don’t show it..”

"yes?”

"You don't want to be subjected to biological experiments.?”

"......."

At those words, Park Jun-mo’s expression hardened..

It's a biological experiment........

Well, if the F-class ability, known as a non-growth trait, suddenly improved, it would not only become an issue but also a subject of research, and like the cliché in the movie, agents wearing sunglasses might come to visit.…….

Park Jun-mo recalled that scene and innocently nodded his head repeatedly..

"omg! yes! I'll keep my mouth shut.!”

Naturally, it was never a good idea for ability growth methods to be made public..

‘For now, it is enough to say that Park Jun-mo also achieved achievements like me..’

A lie like this would be discovered someday, but it had to be delayed as long as possible..

‘By the way, is this guy’s way of growing his abilities through electric shock? … Or is it a lightning strike?…….'

The growth methods for growth characteristics other than level were often absurd because they were unique..

Although we will have to check later, it is highly likely that Park Jun-mo was not simply 'exposed' to the electric current..

'Inferno', which is said to improve its abilities when exposed to fire, actually needs to be exposed to fire of over 1,000 degrees Celsius. That's why he built a huge furnace in his residence..

‘There will probably be conditions such as voltage and current above a certain amount..’

Still, in Park Jun-mo’s case, it was a somewhat normal growth method..

‘It's better than me having to swallow a piece of metal, it's kind of plausible.?

Of course, there were many more unusual growth methods than Lee Hyun-wook..

‘The funniest thing of all was Hantaesan..’

Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but laugh twice as he remembered Han Tae-san..

The 2nd ranked Korean player, King Kwon, was always famous for ‘closed training’..

So each time it reappears, it comes back much stronger..

Therefore, his closed-gwan training was a wonderful image, like the mystical penance of a true martial artist..

But the reality is…….

‘I lock myself in an empty basement and do 10,000 sit-ups a day, I guess.?’

A king who has to do sit-ups all morning, noon, and evening to increase his ability.…….

That was the only complex and vice of Han Tae-san, a man overflowing with self-esteem..

Even now, Lee Hyun-wook remembers the image of him doing sit-ups alone, sweating profusely.,

I laughed once again.

***

About an hour later, the situation has reached its final stage..

"Well, we'll be heading to the shelter soon. ah! If anyone is hurt, please let us know at any time.!”

Rescued civilians were boarding four buses prepared in advance..

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook gathered the players who fought together in one place..

“Thank you all for your hard work. Although sacrifices were made, many lives were saved..”

The players nodded their heads at Lee Hyun-wook's words, but looked embarrassed..

"What do we… … I didn't do anything other than watch the amazing scene..”

"I was really surprised. The Steel Company wasn't called a hero for nothing..”

"I admit it! I learned a lot about how to be so calm and organized in everything.!”

Each person let out a word of exclamation..

Most of what they saw of the Steel Company in action was still unbelievable..

If I could survive the wave, I would probably have it as a snack for drinks for the rest of my life..

"By the way, it’s amazing that two erosion factors were eliminated… … He is truly the savior of Seoul..”

Lee Hyun-wook shook his head at those words..

"It is too early to be optimistic. This disaster is not over yet.”

"Oh, right……."

2Although the erosion factors were removed, the wave was still ongoing..

"And we can't do it alone. I would appreciate it if you would continue to work hard to overcome this disaster. In just two days, the fate of Seoul will be decided..”

Everyone nodded at those words..

"yes of course!”

"you're right. If we don't fight, who will fight??”

They were scared by the appearance of the world boss monster, but after seeing the Steel Company's performance, their spirits rose again..

“And from now on, we are going to go back to the O Elementary School shelter and spend the night. If you want to accompany me, it may be a little inconvenient, but there are seats on the truck or bus over there, so you can take it..”

While Lee Hyun-wook was saying that, he was keeping an eye on the three men standing furthest behind..

They were the subordinates of the Taesan Guild and Choi Min-seong..

‘They must have realized that their plan had failed, but they didn't run away.?’

Lee Hyun-wook thought that they might escape the moment the barrier disappeared..

Therefore, he ordered Kim Se-hee to keep a close eye on them and subdue them in case of emergency..

But for some reason, he was still close to me with an iron plate on his face..

‘I decided that there was no need to die outright, so I decided to stick around a little longer to understand the situation..’

Lee Hyun-wook concluded that.

And it seemed like I had finally figured out the situation..

The three men began to slowly leave the group..

“Where are you going? It's almost night, let's go in our truck..”

Park Jun-mo approached them and asked subtly:.

"haha… … We will move separately. There is a guild office nearby..”

"Ah, I see. and… … I feel sorry for my colleagues..”

Park Jun-mo bowed his head..

“……no. He died doing a good deed, so he won't feel wronged..”

After saying that, they quickly left..

***

About 5 minutes later, the three men were standing in an alley far away from the department store..

"after… … Fuck, how on earth did this happen??”

"Look! I told you I was fucked.!”

From the moment the department store's barrier disappeared, they realized something was wrong..

However, that alone did not guarantee failure and escape..

For that… … No matter how much you think about it, it was a plan that could not fail..

So at first, I believed that Choi Min-seong had changed his plan in a hurry for whatever reason..

However, even after a long time, Choi Min-sung was not seen..

Only then did I have to admit it..

The plan completely failed…….

"Shit! What did I tell you about changing the plan inside the assistant team leader? Just failed and died inside.!”

“under… … But how on earth is that possible? What would you say if your team leader asks? Are you going to just cut it off because the team leader can't see it? Fuck… … I need to find out what's going on.!”

"Ha, I'm going crazy……."

There were more than one question..

"No, something is strange? It's not normal to at least criticize us or look at us with suspicion.?"

If everything had gone according to plan, Choi Min-seong and his group would have targeted the lives of Steel Company..

In the process, there was a high possibility that it would be revealed that he was in solidarity with monsters..

But instead, he didn't care at all and even said he was sorry and worried..

Of course, that cannot be considered sincere, but it was confusing to them in many ways..

"Fuck, where did it all go wrong? And what are those bastards?—!”

There really wasn't a single thing that could be guessed..

"Now, no matter what happens, I have no choice but to join Team Leader Chu..”

The other two men nodded at those words..

"Yeah, if it's him... … If you put your mind to it, you'll just deal with guys like that..”

A-grade player Chu Kyo-yong, without him, the Steel Company was nothing..

"Hey, since I can't see anymore, take out the Mana Messenger..”

"Okay, I'll contact the university and let them know—ugh.—!”

For some reason, the man fell forward without being able to finish his sentence..

The other two men looked down at him… at his neck. … There was a red hole..

The two looked at each other with surprised expressions..

That moment…….

“Ugh!”

Another person's throat was pierced, and something came out..

it was a silver arrow.

“omg—!"

The arrow flew towards the man who survived alone.,

He took a step back and crashed into the wall..

At that moment, the arrow stopped right in front of his uvula..

yes—

“Please save me!”

Unable to move at all, he was trembling and rolling his eyes from side to side..

"Please, save me!”

He cried out desperately and looked left and right again..

But there was no one around.

At that time, a shadow appeared above my head..

He swallowed dry saliva and raised his head..

"I think I have a lot of questions........"

Steel Company commander Lee Hyun-wook was floating in the sky..

"ah……."

His body descended towards the ground very slowly, as if defying gravity. .

“……How did you come up with an answer??”

The pale note that touched the man's neck spun round and round..

It felt like it would pierce through that delicate flesh at any moment..

"Wow! Please save me! i don't know anything!”

Lee Hyun-wook nodded..

"Okay, I'm only going to ask you one thing, so if you know, that's all you have to answer..”

"......."

"Where is Monster Tamer's 'Heart Box'??”

"what? Well, how do you do that?......."

The man's eyes widened. Because a completely unexpected question came up..

Lee Hyun-wook smiled..

"……You know? Then maybe you can answer me?”

"......."

“I ask again. Monster Tamer's heart box, where is it??”

Monster Tamers capture monsters and make them part of their household..

And most people interact with such monsters and become companions rather than controlling them..

In that respect, it was quite difficult to tame a powerful and violent monster..

But Chu Kyo-yong was able to do that, and that is why he was active as the best monster tamer..

And the secret was thanks to the 'Heart Box', which extracts and stores the monster's heart..

By using it, you could not only make violent monsters that did not recognize the player's control obey you, but you could also make them immortal, like zombies..

In other words, if you just destroy it, you can neutralize Chu Kyo-yong, a grade A player..

"I never... … I can't speak - eup—!”

Hyunwook Lee forced his mouth open and began to force something down his throat..

"Then I have to force him to speak... … My method may be a little different from common sense..”

I tried not to swallow, but something unidentifiable pushed itself into my throat..

“Gulp— Gulp.—”

In the end, I swallowed them all..

Immediately after, Lee Hyun-wook raised his index finger and pointed to his stomach..

And round and round, I started drawing a circle.…….

“ugh—bad!”

Something was tearing at my stomach, and an indescribable pain came over me..

Should I say that it feels like my internal organs are being eaten away little by little?…….

"Wow——!”

Yes. What Hyunwook Lee fed the man was a handful of metal pieces..

"Shut up—”

Lee Hyun-wook covered the man's mouth and spoke softly..

“think carefully. No matter what your organization's plans are going forward, you die here..”

"......."

"Forget everything, comfortably, painfully... … That's all you can decide."

"Wow......."

Hyunwook Lee believed in the power of this simple and clear method..

It was the result of countless uses in a past life..

‘The majority of villains are selfish and evil. That's their roots.’

In the first place, you will receive the ‘Villain Quest’ by acting selfishly and evilly..

There was no way that an organization made up of those guys would have a special bond.,

Therefore, by planting ‘potential magic’ in the members of the organization, they grab ‘life’ and follow the rules..

Then, if you make it so painful that you give up your life,…….

‘A member of a low-level organization betrays an organization too easily and chooses a comfortable death..’

The last card Ki Baekjun had prepared began to slowly turn over..