The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 76
76fury.
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After Lee Hyun-wook returned to the past, he was achieving achievements that he could not achieve in his previous life..
Compared to his previous life, he realized how to develop his abilities several years ahead of time, took items that other characters should have taken, and made huge profits by blocking the villains' schemes..
But even so, he knew it wasn't enough to stop the villain..
'......No matter how fast I grow, I can't keep up with the villain's expansion..’
This was the same principle as people with more money being able to grow their wealth more quickly..
Countries around the world, including the United States, China, and Germany, were already tied to the villain's fate..
Germany's Minister of Players, the United States' Golden Cross Alliance, and the Chinese Ministry of Public Security's private organization Cancer were all agents of villains who dug in and established themselves after the 'wave' occurred in the respective countries..
Of course, they weren't yet at the point where they could take the lead and control the country.…….
'……It will happen soon.’
Therefore, the villain's power was bound to grow day by day..
‘Originally, even if it took a while, I planned to grow slowly and take advantage of their gaps.…….'
But from this moment on, there is a way to get ahead of the villains..
That's right…….
'……It's magic engineering..’
Originally, this was a time when the field of magical engineering was just taking its infancy..
'Magical Engineering Research', the top skill of blacksmith players, was 'updated' a few years ago, and the World Tree appeared in the Republic of Chad, blessing the entire area - item manufacturing thanks to the mushrooming of all kinds of magic materials. There was a revival in the industry..
'In other words, at this point, even Villain has almost no foundation in the field of magic engineering..’
According to original history, magical engineering will experience a huge revival in the next 3 to 4 years and will influence history. Even though Laputa was owned by villains at the time, it developed very quickly..
But now, Laputa, the best infrastructure, is in Seoul, and it is also in Lee Hyun-wook's hands..
In other words, compared to the previous life, the item manufacturing industry centered on magic engineering will develop much faster.,
‘……I stand at the forefront of that upheaval..’
Just as steam engine technology became the driving force of the Industrial Revolution and led to the explosive growth of Western society, magic engineering could create a super gap in this player society..
Thus, Lee Hyun-wook’s purpose was narrowed..
Protecting this land, the Republic of Korea, and developing magical engineering on top of it—in that respect, discovering a hidden stage related to ‘gnomes,’ the founders of magical engineering, was timely news..
'In this game, gnomes are a higher-ranking race of dwarves and are similar to the teacher race..’
In other words, it meant that it was a place where you could obtain a considerable level of magic engineering items..
Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap, clap—
Lee Hyun-wook was currently breaking through the gnome's ruins using Living Armor..
A hallway with stone walls made of white bricks, it looked like a temple from an ancient civilization, but Lee Hyun-wook could feel that the space beyond the walls was all one giant mechanical device..
And with each step they took, the metal devices inside the wall moved..
Wing—clunk—wing—clunk—
"hmm… … Team Leader Lee, there is a strange noise coming from the wall..”
Lee Jeongjun tilted his head and said.
"Oh, it's no big deal. It's probably the sound of a trap detecting our location and activating..”
"Uh, separation… … Nope……."
And since this was also a kind of secret dungeon, there were threatening elements scattered throughout..
Clap-thump—!
Basic traps like arrows shooting from the walls and ceiling are natural.,
Ta—da—da—dang——!
The moment I turned the corner, dozens of bullets flew out.,
Pa—G—G—G——!
An electronic field that ignites an entire space measuring about 5 meters with electricity.,
It was a bloody composition that even 10 lives were not enough if you proceeded without knowing what to do..
But those traps are also all made of metal, so it didn't work on Lee Hyun-wook..
Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—Whoosh—
Even though all of them were flying fiercely, they stopped tall in the air..
Lee Hyun-wook pulled them and held them in his hands..
- You have obtained the gnome-made Orihalcon-Adamant alloy bullet (rare)..
- You have obtained the gnome-made Orihalcon-Adamant alloy bullet (rare)..
- You have obtained the gnome-made Orihalcon-Adamant alloy bullet (rare)..
A single bullet, which is no different from a consumable item, is given a ‘rare’ rating..
‘Yeah, I got a lot of these things from here back then too..’
Lee Hyun-wook took the iron beads the size of his thumbnail and put them in his pocket. As of now, even if Kang Jeong-doo was given generous support, he would not have been able to produce this level of quality products..
- You have acquired the Gnome Iron Arrow (Rare)..
‘This… … It's not comparable to Failnote, but it's not bad for auxiliary firepower..’
Since the nib was made of heavenly steel, an electric shock effect could be expected upon hitting the target..
- You have acquired a gnomish current generator (rare)..
‘This will come in handy someday…….'
In this way, each trap was made with ultra-advanced ancient technology, so it was practically a bargain..
‘After all, it’s a bonanza. I guess I'll have to scrape it all off..’
That's why Lee Hyun-wook deliberately stepped on every trap and took advantage of the gifts that poured in from there..
And in addition to traps, 'mechanical monsters' often appeared..
Mechanical Scorpions, Mechanical Guard Dogs, Mechanical Dolls, Automatic Turrets, etc.,
After catching them, Lee Hyun-wook tore off the outer skin and pulled out something..
- You have obtained a gnomish small mana generator (rare)..
yes—
A circular mechanical device, smaller in size than a mana stone, but a mana generating device..
[Item information]
- Name: Gnomish Small Mana Generating Device (Rare))
- Effect: Total mana 12,000, mana production 5
Producing 5 mana per second may seem small at first glance, but considering that Lee Hyun-wook's Heart—Ether Engine's mana recovery rate per second is currently 100, it was by no means insignificant..
'And the effect of producing mana in the first place is very valuable..’
Looking at this, it was a bit disappointing that when the entrance to the ruins was forcibly opened, all the 'mechanical scorpions' that came out in droves were torn to shreds as punishment... … Honestly, it was an inevitable decision..
Lee Hyun-wook secretly put the small mana generating device he had saved into his mouth..
gulp—
Digesting this would probably increase the speed of mana recovery..
‘After all, there really is nothing to throw away here..’
Lee Hyun-wook once again felt like this place was a huge gift box for him..
But the real gift lies deeper, and I haven't even seen the wrapping paper yet..
How many hours did I walk like that? The winding hallway of the stone chamber finally came to an end..
“Uh, over there! It's the door!”
A huge door, with dim light streaming from inside. It seemed like a very large space..
“Now, from here on, as the terrain changes drastically, there will be a completely different threat than before..”
After Hyunwook Lee said that, he moved forward without hesitation..
Because I already knew what kind of threat would appear here..
‘Soon the guardian of the ruins appears. He was a pretty tough opponent.…….'
Just like that, the moment the entire attack team entered the door—
- caution! I am angry at the illegal intrusion that violates the rules.!
thud——
As soon as the entrance they entered was closed, something began to come down from near the ceiling..
Cho—la—la—la——!
A pulley installed on the ceiling, the sound of six thick chains connected to it being rewinded.,
And something huge connected to the end was falling rapidly toward the floor..
thud——!
- caution! The guardian of the ruins, ‘Bronze Sentinel (Alpha)’ has appeared.!
Ki-i-i-ing——
It was a metal giant about 4 meters tall..
A head as wide and long as a tower shield, and magic circuits embroidered all over the body like a full-body tattoo.……
It had a strange appearance, reminiscent of a warrior from the Mayan civilization..
Soon a blue glow appeared in his eyes..
And as if releasing a vicious prisoner, the six chains that were restraining it were removed..
"Wow, just looking at that, it looks like it's really big.!”
"Even the entrance is closed, I feel very uneasy.……."
Hope, Cheonghwa, and everyone on both sides were so shocked just by looking at its appearance that they had no choice but to retreat..
But that wasn't the end.
Clap—clack—
With the sound of metal meeting, the folded body unfolded and became about 1.5 times larger..
"......."
It took out two blunt weapons from behind its back and started moving in this direction..
Thump—thump—thump—thud—
Lee Hyun-wook's Living Armor, who were at the forefront, moved their bodies reflexively and guarded against it..
‘But Living Armor can't stop that monster..’
just as expected.......
Ka— river——!
Living Armor, hit by the blunt weapon he swung, flew like a kicked tin can and hit the wall..
bang——!
- Your connection to your household (Living Armor) has been lost..
With just that one hit, over 2 meters of armor was reduced to nothing and was retired..
"Wow, Mr.!”
"Me, crazy……."
The moment they saw that scene, the tanks of the Cheonghwa Guild, including Park Muhan, had no choice but to hesitate and retreat. Living Armor still had the same defense as a C-grade tank player..
In other words, there was a strong possibility that they too would be knocked out like that in just one hit..
However, Lee Hyun-wook kept a smile on his face..
‘Yeah, it's been a while. That is the power of the battle machine created by the gnomes..’
Even as the name 'Alpha' suggests, it was an early version and was not very powerful..
Lee Hyun-wook had attacked much larger gnome ruins several times, and at that time, there were 15 of them pouring out like random mobs..
'And this is the result of Kang Hui-seol's study of them..’
She moved hundreds of such monstrous weapons at once, launched imitation versions of Hugin and Munin into the sky, and collided head-on with the necromancer's army of death in the 'Paju Ruins'..
‘That was the best tank corps.’
With them as the vanguard, Lee Hyun-wook poured down a rain of steel and several tons of metal, and the combination was truly destructive..
So, only once did I defeat a necromancer in a head-to-head match..
‘But this time, I was able to control the demon machine corps as well..’
This was because his central nervous system changed into a ‘signal core’ and his heart changed into an ‘ether engine’..
For the big picture, Lee Hyun-wook retired the 'Ruins Guardian (Alpha)' and took it out of the gate and gave it to Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol - he was planning to create a prototype of a magic machine corps..
'Okay, within the next few days, much more than Living Armor will be completed..’
With that in mind, Lee Hyun-wook took a step forward..
Wooooow——
An airdrop device flew over his head..
Because the passageway to the ruins was so narrow, I only brought one item with me, but this one was enough..
"Hey, team leader... … That thing looks like metal too, so how can I not smash it like before??”
Behind Lee Hyun-wook, Park Mu-han asked with a rather nervous expression..
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head..
"Unfortunately, boss monsters are not possible.”
"Ah, as expected… … Then it would be a bit difficult to face that monster in this narrow place.……."
Park Mu-han honestly wanted to say that we should retreat..
In his opinion, it was a level of monster that was difficult for him to handle, as he had the most experience in conquering it..
Even if I could somehow catch it... … There would definitely be quite a few casualties..
‘No matter how precious the hidden stage is, the lives of your team members take priority over strategy..’
Park Moo-han is said to have a tendency to make hasty judgments, but he did not make reckless decisions..
‘But Lee Hyun-wook, looking at him completely unfazed, I wonder what can be done.…….'
However, having already witnessed this man's activities several times, I unconsciously remained silent..
‘If I can accomplish something this time... … really…….'
Without realizing it, he was looking forward to Lee Hyun-wook’s performance..
Then, the guy moved again..
Clap—
The sound of gears and chains engaging was heard, and both sides of the guy's shoulders opened..
"Be careful! He's trying something!”
A red crystal emerged from within, emitting light, and countless small magic circles appeared around it..
"uh! It's a fire attack.!”
The moment a wizard who interpreted the meaning of the magic circle shouted that—
Huh—le—le—le—le——!
Two columns of fire spewed out and struck the Living Armor—the surface of the armor turned red and began to melt like a candle..
Then the flames filled the floor and surged in like a tide..
“—Ugh! damage!”
An immense heat enveloped the entire place, as if entering the crater of a volcano..
"No, you can't avoid it! I have to stop it!”
There was no time to escape.
The wizards quickly used freezing magic to create an ice wall around their allies..
But just from the heat, the ice wall began to melt..
Per—uh—uh—uh—uh——!
Flame and ice collided, a huge amount of steam was released, and a deafening roar rang out..
Still, since the two energies are in opposition, it was successful in blocking the waves of flame..
"shit! How can a machine use such high-level magic?!”
Park Muhan gritted his teeth and held energy in both hands..
If I thought it wouldn't work out, I planned to rush in and glare at the back. It may be reckless, but as the leader of the strategy team, I knew very well that it was important to distract people when dealing with a large force with such great firepower..
'And if it were me, I'd be able to survive even if I let him take one hit.!’
But that was then.
Gulp—gulp—
Something that looked like liquid began to rise into the air from the floor in front..
that… … It was molten iron made by melting living armor..
It wriggled in the air like a living creature, like slime, and flew towards him..
iron—puck——!
The sticky molten metal was poured onto his head and shoulders..
And it cooled quickly and hardened.…….
Ki—ing— Knock! Kak! Kak! Kak!
Isn't the flame spray device on the shoulder causing a malfunction due to molten iron getting stuck in the gap?!
"Oh oh—!”
Yes, metal is metal even if it melts. Lee Hyun-wook took advantage of that point..
He then began to slowly raise both hands..
'oh! good! It has finally begun!’
Park Moo-han now knew what that action meant, and he swallowed his saliva without realizing it..
‘That guy is moving something now! Oh, but what on earth are you controlling??’
Right now, there was nothing around him that could be called metal..
But its identity is…….
Ch—le—le—le—le——!
Behind the guy's back, the six chains that were originally restraining him rose into the air as if dancing, and they flew in and started to wrap around his arms, legs, and neck indiscriminately like an anaconda..
Hung—hung—hung—hung—
As we got tangled up once, twice, three times, the guy who was walking forward got caught in his chin and had no choice but to stop..
"oh! done! completely tied up!”
Park Moo-han shouted that without realizing it and started walking towards Lee Hyun-wook..
Cheeeeee ——
The floor was hot like a grill, but the 'mana shield' used on his body blocked the heat..
But then, a blue magic circle emerged from the guy's chest..
"Uh—be careful.!”
Immediately after, blue spheres poured out. This time, the freezing magic spread like a fan, covering Lee Hyun-wook's head with so many spheres that there was no time to avoid them..
But Lee Hyun-wook’s body rose vertically into the air..
T-that-that-that-that——!
Sharp icicles sprouted from under his feet, but his body rose quickly and did not touch him at all..
"No, what… … I even fly?”
Lee Hyun-wook flew up like that and stretched out his hands behind his back..
Then a weapon was summoned from subspace—an incredibly large weapon..
Hung——!
It was the appearance of the great sword, Moglay..
Lee Hyun-wook grabbed it and flew towards the guy, swinging the large sword with all his might..
Qua—ang——!
At that moment, he also thrust out his left hand, the two steel collided, and sparks fell together with an explosion..
"Pfft—"
A huge impact, Lee Hyun-wook's body was pushed back significantly and he lost sight of Moglei..
But his left hand was completely shattered and he lost his balance and hesitated..
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook's body became blurred and soon completely disappeared from sight..
"what! Huh, really… … This time it's stealth?”
Park Mu-han now laughed heartily with an expression of bewilderment..
Meanwhile, the Moglay stuck in the ceiling was pulled out and moved, and the ruins guardian's gaze began to follow the Moglay..
It was a limitation of artificial intelligence given to a mass of machines..
While the guy was chasing the wrong target, Lee Hyun-wook appeared behind him..
Blah blah blah——
Both his hands turned into the claws of an animal..
And then he grabbed something by the back of the ruins guardian..
Kak! K-ga-gak——!
With great grip he ripped open a covering on the back of his head.,
In an instant, something inside…….
Phage——!
……I pulled it out.
Ooh, ooh…….
Then, the huge ruin guardian (Alpha) stopped standing tall and the light in his eyes began to fade..
"after… … As expected, there is a target recognition device attached here.?”
Lee Hyun-wook had watched Kang Hee-seol build a magic machine corps from the side, so he knew very well what the fatal weakness of these mechanical weapons was..
And in order to take this thing out in as intact a condition as possible, we somehow exploited its weak point..
- congratulations! The Guardian (Alpha) of Gnome Ruins A3 has been disabled.!
Such a system message appeared before everyone's eyes.,
Beyond, the steel giant began to slowly tilt.
thud——!
"—Okay, it's over.!”
Park Moo-han clapped his hands once without realizing it, then lowered his arms because he thought it was strange..
'How many times have I been surprised today? … Lee Hyun-wook, that man, I have no choice but to admit it..’
He thought so and then shook his head..
‘No, it's not at a level where I dare to admit it. A hero, a person worthy of being called that..’
Today, I witnessed several shocking scenes.,
Before he knew it, he went beyond acknowledging Lee Hyun-wook and began to admire him..
At that time, something shiny fell from the head of the fallen guardian of the ruins..
that was the key.
- Hidden Message: Gnome Ruins (A3) has been opened..
"uh! Look over there! A door opened at the end!”
“……Oh, it’s a treasure trove of hidden stages.!”
Players from both guilds cheered everyone..
If it were the treasure trove of the ‘Hidden Stage’, it would definitely contain incredible things..
"Uh, but… … There are two doors, why is there only one key??”
As Jeongjun Lee said, there were two huge doors at the end of the room..
And a red ‘lock’ icon was floating in the air, indicating that both were locked..
"Ah, no way… … There's no other key in the place we just passed by.?”
"Oh, I guess so..”
Other players thought so.
They thought they had missed something because they had come in recklessly, rather than solving the puzzle accurately..
‘That might be right..’
Hyunwook Lee wasn't sure he could open that second door yet..
The master key of ancient heritage, it was just a guess that it would be the answer........
And when Lee Hyun-wook was standing in the middle of the two doors, a two-line message appeared before his eyes..
- Gnome's Safe No. 1: Locked (opening conditions met))
- Gnome's Safe No. 2: Locked (opening conditions met))
“haha……."
Now, it was time to unwrap the real gift box..
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