The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 72
72fury.
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Author's note) In the previous episode, a scene was added where Kaito Okita puts the 'Fly Eye' in his pocket just before running away..
A few years from now, the whole world will fall into the hands of a villain organization. After a long period of behind-the-scenes work, they came to dominate politics and the economy and monopolize players and items..
When that time comes, no one can stop them, and they take out the world domination card called Necromancer..
‘but… … Not yet.’
At this point, the villain organization was not at a level that could turn against the entire world..
Heroes were still alive and well, and countries around the world were focusing their efforts on maintaining order..
That's why they are now focusing on hiding and increasing their power..
‘Now, the best I can do is... … It's stopping their growth..’
To announce the existence of a villain and set out to hunt him down without any basis just because he gained a few pennies of fame was not only a gamble, but a foolish act. For now, all we had to do was keep them in check by any means possible and gather evidence to lift the veil—that was the answer..
‘I can't do that alone. A large force is needed.’
As they were destroying the world in many ways, no matter how hard Lee Hyun-wook tried alone, there was bound to be a limit. In other words, he needed assistance in all aspects, including economy, politics, combat, and information..
Therefore, Lee Hyun-wook was building his position and building relationships with trustworthy people..
Representative examples include heroes from AMT who responded to villains in the past, such as Kim Kang-seok and Choi Jeong-cheol, and furthermore, there were Kang Seo-yoon, the master of Zumunnarae, and Woo Seong-moon, the top player in the government..
‘But in many ways, it's still too much to involve them in my plan..’
I expected that I would have to work on my own without strong assistance for a while..
However, an unexpected and very powerful move appeared..
A saint, Emilia Müller, a woman who was not in Lee Hyun-wook’s plans.…….
Lee Hyun-wook proposed to her the creation of a 'secret organization', and after the situation was somewhat resolved, he sat down with her once again in the VIP room..
"The team you asked me to create a little while ago... … You can understand it as a way to respond to villains.?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded to her question..
"As you know, Mr. President, this will not be the last time the villain organization plots..”
"Oh, I guess so... … of course……."
Her expression darkened again..
We were able to overcome this moment thanks to Lee Hyun-wook’s performance..
But what if a moment like this comes next time?…….
Her life was still in danger..
"Sigh - I was lucky enough to cut out the rotten branch, but it didn't change the shit..”
"......."
"Hey, can you pass me some whiskey??”
"Please be patient for now..”
"ah—"
She sighed and took a gulp of water..
“Okay then, can you continue to be by my side... … Hmm, probably not.?”
His eyes were secretly hopeful, but Lee Hyun-wook nodded resolutely..
“……That can't be possible. That's why I'm saying let's create an organization that can deal with them. therefore… … Governor, please tell me what you know about the villain..”
She knows some information about the villain. Nicholas Steele, he told her something about her, and that's why her villains couldn't kill her, which made her anxious.…….
She looked into space and nodded slowly..
"......This is something I've never told anyone before..”
Emilia carefully took out the secret she knew, as if opening Pandora's box..
But that was a story Hyunwook Lee already knew..
Gordon Price, a key figure in the Guardians, an organization that counters the villains, was actually interfering with the Guardians as the leader of the villains..
Anyway, what I gained from sharing this fact was complete trust with her..
“Ha—even the Guardian… … Of course, it was a good thing I didn't take the Guardian Quest..”
Of course, regardless of trust, I had to act like I heard this for the first time..
"yes that's right. Actually, I was trying to use you to get some information from them, but I think this way is much better. What kind of team would you like to make? … I definitely participate.”
She said that with a look of determination..
"Than you think… … You respond much more easily.?”
At those words, Emilia chuckled, stretched out her hand, and took the whiskey that was next to Hyunwook Lee..
"From today onwards, Lee Hyun-wook, you are the person that I, the saint, trust the most..”
"Isn’t this giving you such a grand title too suddenly??”
"That's right, you're the reason I'm alive?”
Emilia shrugged her shoulders as if it was obvious and pointed to Hyunwook Lee's left arm..
“So, I trust you enough to caress you in other ways besides heels..”
"......."
"What is that expression... … just joke. Anyway, what are you going to do with the team??”
Lee Hyun-wook shrugged his shoulders..
"There is no big vision yet. As you said... … It's about gathering people you can trust..”
At that point, Emilia nodded. What she lacked most was not anything else, but a trusted companion, so this was the first step that she felt was most worthy of her..
"Well, you can't start big from the beginning. Oh, and if you need anything, just let me know. Even though I'm like this, I'm a fucking idiot with a lot of money. If you need anything, I'll provide it for you..”
Yes, her influence was truly powerful..
Although supported by the Republic of Chad, it was technically an independent organization..
And Saint Dom was famous for making as much money as most large corporations, and the amount of money it made by producing and selling holy relics or dispatching paladins and priests was considerable..
At first glance, it seems that the 'Holy Field' was a magic worth a whopping 900 billion won.…….
In other words, the head of that huge organization with a lot of manpower and a lot of money was none other than Emilia Müller..
Of course, she was an iconic figure and the actual work was handled by others, but her influence within the organization was unmistakable..
‘Just like she said, I have a proper source of money..’
It seemed like Lee Hyun-wook's plan would gain momentum in the future..
And right now, I decided to complete one plan..
"Oh, and… … I have something special to ask of you. It's a bit of a difficult request, though........"
"Yes, just tell me anything and I will take care of it..”
Lee Hyun-wook paused for a moment, then opened his mouth with a very serious expression..
"In the guild I’m raising… … I would like to scout hextech researchers in the Republic of Chad..”
The Republic of Chad was a leader in the magic engineering industry. Therefore, the best personnel were gathered there. However, as 'Laputa' appeared over Seoul, a tectonic change in the magic engineering industry was expected..
Now, out of nowhere, Lee Hyun-wook had revealed his intention to ride on that tectonic shift..
Emilia tilted her head..
"ah… … It must be a sensitive issue since they are talking about stealing professional manpower... … what is the reason?”
Instead of answering, Lee Hyun-wook took something out of his pocket..
What kind of key was that?.
Information about the item appeared before Hyunwook Lee’s eyes..
[Item information]
- Name: Master Key of Ancient Legacy
- Effect: Unknown
* This item is bound upon acquisition..
He looked at the contents once again, then looked at Emilia..
“This… … This is the master key to Laputa, a magic engineering city floating in the sky above Seoul..”
Emilia frowned at those words as if she hadn't heard them properly..
"Well, just now... … What did you say??”
“It was called Laputa's master key..”
The moment I heard those words again, I couldn't help but open my mouth and jump out of my seat..
"No, now, you… … I'm the manager of Laputa, now.—?”
“that's right. I got it as a reward from the 4th wave..”
She was speechless for a moment and then sat down on the sofa..
"Ah, wow... … You are a greater person than I thought... … then……."
"Hextech City, I haven't been there yet, but I plan on using it soon..”
"ah… … Looks like our secret organization is bigger than I thought.?”
It was an obvious fact that Laputa would make tremendous progress in magical engineering research..
Hyunwook Lee intended to be at the forefront of future technology, and for that to happen, he needed ‘manpower’.,
Emilia took a sip, no, two sips of whiskey with a blank expression..
“Phew—okay, okay. If it's that much of a problem... … I need to use some strength.”
Yes, it was a problem that the governor of St. Dom could easily handle..
"after… … In many ways, my heart beats a lot today... … Also, what should I do??
"After that, just… … Please do not leave St. Dome until I hear from you..”
"hmm… … That's what I do best. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything.?”
"that's right. First of all, don’t accept new people… … Do an internal inspection. Emilia Müller's top priority is survival. Keep that in mind, and drink in moderation to keep your mind clear..”
Emilia laughed and took a sip of whiskey..
“K—Thank you for allowing me to have that goal. I'll try my best.”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head and stood up..
"I've been here too long. I have to leave now.”
"is it so. I'll set up a secret contact network, so we can keep in touch..”
"Yes, please do that too..”
At that time, she took something out of her inner pocket and held it out to Hyunwook Lee..
"Here, take this..”
- Obtained the World Tree's Golden Leaves (Special).
[Item information]
- Name: Golden leaves of the world tree (special)
- Effect: Becomes 'invincible' for 10 seconds only once.
This time, Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but be surprised..
"no… … This is not an item that is absolutely preventing leakage from the Republic of Chad.?”
The Republic of Chad monopolizes various by-products related to world trees, such as leaves and branches, and exports them as special products. The amount of exports earned in this way amounted to tens of trillions of won every year. Therefore, all of these products were specially managed at the government level and illegal smuggling was very strictly prohibited..
"I have to give it to you at this level, it will create a bit of an affair, and we will be able to contact each other naturally later.?”
Emilia smiled brightly.
Lee Hyun-wook accepted it without saying anything..
This was such a rare item that it was difficult to put a price on it..
‘Emilia… … I got a great helper that I never expected..’
Naturally, the villain would continue to target her, but if he could somehow protect her and be with her, it would definitely become a significant weapon..
***
Two days have passed since the incident that prevented the summoning of a demon and attempted assassination of a saint..
Seoul, which has overcome another terrible crisis, has now regained some degree of stability..
The saint's party safely returned to St. Dome, and Lee Hyun-wook also returned to his unit..
The news still made a fuss about the issue, but it would soon die down..
However, the government's counterintelligence agency, led by Woo Seong-moon, was busier than ever..
There was no time for the terrorist group attacking Seoul to rest because they could not find out the true nature of it..
Woo Seong-moon was sitting in his office and receiving reports from the heads of each department..
“……The terrorists' entry route has still not been traced. As expected, it is presumed that they all used the Shadow Baron's skills, and there is no way to track them down... … Virtually none.”
"And all the terrorists captured at the scene also died due to latent spells. I checked the identities of the bodies, and they all turned out to be low-level members of the Central and South American player cartel..”
I don't know what kind of group it was, but they had taken heinous measures to avoid their identity being discovered..
"We have requested cooperation from each Central and South American country, but only two countries have yet responded..”
Every time Woo Seong-moon receives reports of such skeptical survey results, someone's face comes to mind..
'Hyunwook Lee.......'
Every time he encountered a problem, he used his amazing wit to find the right answer..
Thus, Seoul was saved three times..
That was an undoubted fact, something Woo Seong-moon had personally witnessed..
‘Even that Okita Kaito… … Defeated in a 1-on-1 match.’
That fact was truly shocking. I still couldn't believe that the swordsman who killed Guk Pyo-seong, ranked 4th in Korea, was beaten to half-death by a rookie who wasn't even in the rankings yet..
All of those aspects were great, but the biggest reason Woo Seong-moon wanted Lee Hyun-wook was something else..
‘He is even the only operator of an absolute surveillance item called Hugin..’
Over the past few days, I have clearly felt that there is a big difference between him and me without him. So he formally asked him to work for the government several times... … I was rejected like a knife..
‘Are you really saying that freelancers will only cooperate in such ridiculous ways?…….'
When he discovered the 'event map' and met Woo Seong-moon, he said he would become a freelance black agent..
I will not become part of the government while using its power... … It was really funny..
Because it was an emergency situation at the time, I had no choice but to grant his request, but I could not maintain that condition forever. He said it was ridiculous to give special government powers to outsiders..
'Is there some kind of ambition in asking for something like that, or is there another purpose?…….'
But Woo Seong-moon didn't care what Lee Hyun-wook's intentions were..
Because it was clear that he was not an enemy of the Republic of Korea..
Woo Seong-moon's ultimate goal was only one thing: the safety of this country..
And now, the security of this country has been shaken several times..
He sensed that the crisis would be nothing more than a crisis..
‘A solution is needed to prepare for future crises..’
He couldn't deny that the most powerful of those methods was, of course, Lee Hyun-wook..
And Woo Seong-moon predicted that Lee Hyun-wook would become an even more important person in the future..
The reason is that…….
"Team Leader Lee, is there any news from Laputa??”
"Ah, yes! It still says inaccessible.”
Laputa, a city of magic engineering, a super-large object floating in the sky above Seoul…….
A considerable amount of time had passed since it appeared, but it was still unable to enter..
‘No access, this is the same phenomenon as when the World Tree first appeared..’
When the World Tree first appeared in Lake Chad, it was impossible to approach the 2km direction due to a barrier..
At that time, Donald Harris, an S-class elementalist who would be called the manager of the World Tree, appeared..
It was only after he used his special powers to lift the access ban that the World Tree was revealed to the world..
And there was a high possibility that the authority to enter 'Laputa' was held by the biggest contributor to the 4th wave..
‘That is no one else but Lee Hyun-wook..’
But when he was thinking about Lee Hyun-wook like that,…….
"Manager! I just received a call from Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook.!”
“Well, that’s something I don’t understand… … Okita Kaito's location... … They say they tracked it.”
Upon hearing team leader Kyo-Jun Lee's report, Seong-Moon Woo jumped up without realizing it..
"what? How on earth……."
"Well, it looks like they planted a tracking device during the last battle..”
Could it be that Lee Hyun-wook is giving us a clue this time?…….
And the moment he heard those words, he decided on something he had been thinking about for a long time..
"……Team leader, without further delay, go to Namsan’s 1st Battalion right now..”
“Ah, yes, I understand. I will contact Lieutenant Colonel Kim Kang-seok.!”
As he was putting on his coat, he seemed to think of something and snapped his fingers..
"Oh, and Hugin, tell him to take it out and bring it to you..”
“……yes?”
"What would you do if you put that great thing in a warehouse? I have to hand it over to someone who can use it.!”
***
The firepower training range of the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Port Horse Brigade, this was a place to test various types of magic..
There, Lee Hyun-wook and other members of the 5th squad were gathered there and undergoing skill training..
And now, Lee Hyun-wook was standing on the road..
He slowly raised his arms.
Wooooow——
Accordingly, as many as 10 ‘air drop devices (prototypes)’ soared into the sky at the same time..
The scene where they were floating elegantly felt somehow mysterious..
“and……."
"What, it looks like a UFO flyer.”
While everyone was amazed, Lee Hyun-wook also felt excited inside..
‘Okay, the firepower was huge when only 2 units were used, but 10…….'
A few days ago, dozens of assailants were wiped out with just two units..
"Oh my, it's my mind!”
This voice was Kang Jeong-du. At Lee Hyeon-wook's request, he entered the unit with 10 airdrop devices. Because the only space to test this was the military unit..
"Also, the injection device you requested last time was also installed. I forgot to tell you.”
"Oh, thank you. Let’s try it right now.”
A device that can not just shoot iron balls, but powerfully shoot them with magical power. Lee Hyun-wook asked to attach such a thing to the princess drop device, and it was completed in a few days..
- ‘‘Synchronized’ with ‘Air Drop Device (Prototype-2)’.
* The available actions are listed below:
1) Item storage
2) Item shipped
3) magic injection
Lee Hyun-wook gave the third function, ‘Magic Injection’, to 10 airdrop devices simultaneously..
Then—the bottom of the box opened, and there was a loud noise..
Two-two-two-two-two-two——!
By magical power, the iron balls began to shoot like bullets..
It looked like a baptism of absorbed heavy machine guns.,
burr burr burr burr burr burr burr burr burr burr burr burr——!
In the distance, on the side of a dirt mountain, a cloud of sand rose, as if thousands of rounds of autocannon had been fired. If there had been a monster there, it would have been so destructive that everything would have been turned into a piece of meat..
"and… … Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, you are almost at the level of a one-man cavalry unit now..”
Ahn Min-tae said so.
Yes, to exaggerate a bit, it has reached a level where a single person can produce the same firepower as an armored unit..
At that time, a private from the 2nd squad stood at the entrance to the fire training range and shouted..
"—Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, this is a call from the battalion commander.!”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded as if he already knew..
Then slowly lowered both hands.
Wooooow——
10Two airdrop devices were piled up inside a trailer parked on one side..
"Sir, I have some work to do, so I think I should stop and go in..”
"Yes, feel free to call us anytime! Am I not General Lee’s person??”
"Haha—an equal business partnership. Thank you always.”
Lee Hyun-wook went straight to the battalion commander’s office..
As expected, Director Woo Seong-moon was there..
“……Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, is that really true??”
Director Woo Seong-moon, who was sitting on the sofa, suddenly stood up and asked that question..
“Is it true that you planted a tracking device on Okita Kaito??”
Woo Seong-moon was the head of the government's counterintelligence operation and was tracking terrorist organizations..
However, when I was unable to find any evidence, I received a call from Lee Hyun-wook..
"Yes, that's right. When I was fighting with Okita Kaito, I placed the magic engineering equipment developed by my exclusive blacksmith. I'm sorry for contacting you late as I've only just found out the location..”
When the Shadow Baron dragged Kaito Okita away, he put the 'Fly Eye' in his pocket..
Afterwards, I asked Kang Jeong-du to track the mana pattern emitted by the fly eye..
As a result, the location of their 'shadow link' was captured..
‘That was also the position I had hoped for..’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Kim Kang-seok..
“4Since the time of Cha Wave, I have always been suspicious of the Taesan Guild..”
"Oh, no way……."
"Yes, his last location is in the basement of the Taesan Guild headquarters building. As the location was two days ago, it is unlikely that they are there, but their connection with the Taesan Guild seems to have been proven..”
Woo Seong-moon and Kim Kang-seok both nodded with surprised expressions..
‘Taesan Guild is an outpost of villains..’
4Before the Tea Wave, Korea had not yet been invaded by villains. However, while the 4th wave collapsed in many ways, villains came in and took over everything..
That kind of history wouldn't happen anymore..
'In other words, if we cut down Mount Tai, the influence of villains on our country will be significantly reduced..’
Meanwhile, after listening to Woo Seong-moon and Lee Hyun-wook, he touched his chin as if he was thinking about something..
"As expected, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, you… … Even though it’s different somewhere, it’s still different..”
Then, I slowly raised my head and looked at Hyunwook Lee..
"Let’s sign a freelance contract as Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook wants..”
"yes?”
"We plan to create a special secret police department to track down terrorists threatening this country..”
He said that and held out something..
That was the item ‘Hugin’ that I returned right after the last operation..
"I would like you to be the contract director of that secret agency..”
"......."
"As long as the contract is made and the contract is valid, Hugin is yours.."
An unexpected power came rolling in on its own..
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