The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 80
80fury.
============================
- New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions..
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the message blankly and then stood up. His entire body was soaked in cold sweat. This was because he had been asleep for dozens of hours with his 'internal furnace' running at maximum level..
He checked the details of his newly acquired skill..
[Skill information]
- Name: Insight Lens
- Grade: D
- effect
1) System analysis: You can interpret hidden ‘system information’.
2) Clairvoyance: Vision is greatly improved.. (+300%)
* When you meet hidden conditions, your skill level improves..
As he had this skill in his past life, Lee Hyun-wook knew its function very well..
‘This was the best utility skill I had in my past life..’
Utility skills are skills of non-combat elements but have a very wide range of use..
Lee Hyun-wook slowly got up..
“……Talos, I've been lying down for hours?”
「It has been 28 hours and 48 minutes since you started this task..」
“28hour……."
Hyunwook Lee looked at Talos, a ball-shaped mechanical device coming down from the ceiling..
Then, a system message appeared before his eyes..
- Talos: Non-combat mode (LV). 130)
* The NPC is friendly to you.
The name, level, and personality of the NPC were all information that was not easily known..
It was the ability to view basic information about monsters-NPCs in this way.
‘By the way, Talos is level 130... … It's much higher than I thought?’
This 'level' was not an absolute measure of strength, but it was the most general standard..
In that respect, Talos, who was at level 130, could be considered very strong..
Considering that the Orc King Stonox was level 175 and the dragon was between level 180 and 200..
‘Of course, since the Bronze Colossus does not yet have a body, it may not be able to exert its power..’
If I could one day activate that guy's 'battle mode', it would be an awesome weapon..
At that time, the door to the Order Tower opened and Park Jun-mo trudged in..
But for some reason, his hair had become somewhat curly..
"ah! Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, are you awake??”
"Park Jun-mo, how was it? Lightning strikes easily?”
"ah… … yes… … It hurts a lot more than I thought..”
There was a hint of resentment in his voice..
He went on to explain that Lee Hyun-wook was struck by lightning 11 times while he was asleep..
As a result, he experienced rapid growth reaching 5 times his previous ability level..
"okay? Great. Well, now I have to come here whenever I have time..”
"......."
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook sensed something in his eyes..
- You can ‘interpret’ the item.
The location was near Park Jun-mo's waist, and it was a black wand..
In this way, although the ‘player profile’ could not be confirmed, the ‘item information’ could be viewed..
‘interpret.’
- Analyzing item information.......
After a little time like that…….
[Item information]
- Name: Dark Wood Wand (Rare)
- Effect: Total mana (+100), magic casting speed(+10%)
In this way, it was possible to find out information about the opponent's items even without touching them..
‘……Above all, it will be a great help in protecting my body..’
Being able to know the function of an opponent's item just by looking at it—this was very valuable information that allowed you to predict to some extent what the potential adversary in front of you was planning to do..
Thus, it was Lee Hyun-wook's secret defense system that was able to block numerous assassination attempts..
“……But where did Team Leader Kim go??”
“Ah, if you're not here, it's like you're in a surreal training ground..”
While Lee Hyun-wook was asleep, Kim Se-hee also seemed to be training non-stop..
‘Kim Se-hee... … He was talented, but he was also a hard worker. If the environment is right, it will grow on its own..’
After drinking the cold water brought by Park Jun-mo, Lee Hyun-wook approached the window..
Looking down on the world from the top of Laputa was a view of the highest class that no other hotel could envy..
At that time, a vibration rang in his arms..
- Mana Messenger (encryption model): Receiving…….
This Mana Messenger was connected one-to-one with another Mana Messenger that shared the password..
The target was, of course, the saint, Emilia Müller..
- Wow, I finally got it! Why am I not receiving calls like this? I thought you were assassinated before me.!
It is a voice whose tongue twists in all directions. As expected, she didn't seem to be able to stop drinking..
"You probably didn't set up a secure contact network just to make phone calls after drinking.?”
- Won, are you making a huge misunderstanding? I was contacting you on a business level..
"is it so? What happened?”
- I found those magic engineering people I mentioned last time. There are about 9 people..
She was looking for a researcher in the field of magic engineering as Lee Hyun-wook requested, and it seemed like she had finally found one..
Of course, Lee Hyun-wook planned to meet them in person and judge whether they were trustworthy personnel..
“Well, that's a good thing. At the moment, they were looking around for a place to work in the future..”
- yes? Um, no way, Laputa.……?
I knew right away that Hyunwook Lee was the manager of Laputa..
"that's right. It was uploaded for the first time yesterday, or maybe the day before yesterday..”
- and… … I really want to go someday. It’s as safe a place as here, right? Yes?
“Yes, if not now, you will be able to visit someday..”
On the other hand, Lee Hyun-wook thought that ‘Saint Dome’ itself could be moved here to Laputa..
‘If the saint came to the Republic of Chad not as Saint Dom, but as Laputa... … It will be a huge advantage.’
Of course, if something like that were to happen, the Republic of Chad would be in an uproar. Since one of the elements that made the land valuable was taken away, political disputes were bound to arise..
In other words, it was not a hasty decision..
'But someday I will make it happen. This country will eventually become humanity's last bastion.…….'
I was planning to gather all my strength to deal with the villain into one point: Laputa..
Two hours later, the group finished preparing to go down to the ground..
「(^_^) If you go down to the 49th floor underground, you can use the wide-area drop device.!」
Laputa uses the entire huge city called ‘Seoul’ as its ‘area’. Therefore, by using the 'wide-area drop device', one of Laputa's convenient functions, it was possible to 'teleport' anywhere in Seoul..
The group took the high-speed elevator down to the B49 floor, the lowest level of Laputa..
The entire floor was completely empty, without any objects or walls..
「Okay, so let's activate the AoE drop device.!」
Wooooow——
Then, the floor of the entire 49th floor became transparent and a panoramic view of Seoul was visible.,
A huge magic circle was created on the floor in the center and began to emit a blue light..
- AoE Drop Device: Set teleport coordinates.
In this way, in Laputa, you could quickly travel to any area in Seoul through teleportation..
Lee Hyun-wook chose a quiet place on the outskirts of Seoul and soon teleported there..
"Now—of course it's a secret where we went.”
"Um, but maybe… … I'm trying to keep hiding that I'm the administrator of Laputa.?”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head in response to Kim Se-hee’s question..
"That's not it, we'll find out soon.”
There was a need to reveal this fact at least to Woo Seong-moon..
‘Thus, all the resources needed to pioneer Laputa are provided..’
But before that, there was one thing I had to take care of..
"Come to think of it, Team Leader Kim said he had work today.?”
"Yes, I would like to introduce my classmates to the Hope Guild..”
Sehee Kim's AMT classmates decided to join the Hope Guild.
As these were the people she once commanded as a squad leader, they would become key personnel when the Hope Guild's 'Strategy Team' was formed in the future..
"Then, Team Leader Kim, please take care of your work, Park Jun-mo, you have a place to go with me..”
"yes? No, where are we going this time?……."
Park Jun-mo was unable to hide his shocked expression in the end..
Lee Hyun-wook raised his head..
“Today, we will be scouting for an employee to manage Laputa..”
“……yes?”
"We can't keep leaving that great thing alone.?”
A lot of manpower is needed to operate that huge facility..
And at this point, numerous talents and potential items were buried in the shadows..
Lee Hyun-wook was planning to bring them out a little early and post them up in the sky..
***
Incheon Metropolitan City has long been nicknamed ‘Magye’..
It was probably given as a half-joking joke because there have been frequent incidents of violence since ancient times..
But now that childish nickname has become reality..
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook… … Who on earth is the manpower they are looking for in the demon world??”
Park Jun-mo glanced down an alley in Namdong-gu, Incheon - Demon World with an anxious expression..
"Anyone who would be in a place like this... … I think he's a scary person……."
A gray, half-crushed city center, alleys strewn with all kinds of trash, roads cracked and turned over like spider webs.……
And gunmen holding weapons such as items, guns, and knives stand in the alley and glare at passers-by. The weapons they were holding were never for show and were often used against humans..
Park Jun-mo instinctively cringed in front of a Harlem-like scene in a Hollywood movie..
"And I heard that even the player police still don't approach this place.……."
Like this, the old city center in the south of Incheon has now turned into a lawless area..
In the early days when the world turned into a game, as many as four gates opened simultaneously here..
However, at the time, it was difficult to suppress them because there was a lack of power to deal with them, and in the end, extreme measures were implemented to set up a 'block line' in the surrounding area and isolate the entire region..
Two years later, several guilds succeeded in attacking the…….
‘This place has already suffered irreparable damage and has become a ruin, and no one has visited it..’
And the number of people caught up in such an abandoned area was limited..
Criminal gangs, drifters, red players, etc. were starting to take over this place..
Therefore, this place has become what is commonly called a ‘slum’..
"Strangely enough... … Everyone is staring at us..”
"don't mind. This is really that kind of neighborhood..”
Park Jun-mo felt like he was surrounded by the eyes of a wild beast deep in the mountains, but Lee Hyun-wook walked without hesitation..
And about 10 minutes later, I stood in front of a building..
It was a five-story shopping mall with that name, but from the outside it looked like an ordinary 'general store'..
But it was actually one of the ‘secret passages’ leading down to some secret underground facility..
"Wait, wait here..”
After Hyun-wook Lee said that, he stood still and started squinting towards the entrance of the building..
Park Jun-mo was just puzzled, but as always, he waited quietly, wondering if there was any intention..
But in fact, Lee Hyun-wook’s senses were already inside the building..
- ……What brought you here??
To be exact, I was listening to the sounds inside the building, but I was eavesdropping on the surrounding sounds by making a 'mana connection' to someone's mana messenger beyond the wall..
- Um, I'm trying to get some green adamant stones..
- Sorry, there is no such thing.
- If so, I'd like to get something else curated..
“Okay, that’s it… … Going in now.”
"uh? yes? Ah, yes!”
jingle—
"welcome.”
A male employee with a mustache welcomed me with a bright smile that was not very suitable for this area..
However, Lee Hyun-wook sensed that there was a shotgun standing at his feet..
Lee Hyun-wook naturally approached the counter..
"hello. I'm here to get some green adamant..”
At those words, the smiling employee's face suddenly hardened..
"Sir, I'm sorry, but we don't have any green adamant stones..”
"Oh, I'd like to look at similar items. Could you please do some 'curating' for me??”
"hmm… … We will guide you.”
Then I turned my head somewhere, and there stood a man wearing a black hat..
He motioned for Lee Hyun-wook to follow him..
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, what did you just say?……."
“Shhh—don’t open your mouth for a while..”
Everything Lee Hyun-wook just said was a kind of code, a rite of passage that had to be completed in order to go down to some facility hidden here..
The password changed every day on the hour, so it had to be obtained through a secret route, but Lee Hyun-wook hacked Mana Messenger and discovered the password through wiretapping..
Clap—
A man wearing a black hat opened a door, and stairs leading down to the basement appeared..
“……When you come back out, use exit 8 or elevator 11 instead of here..”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and started going down the narrow stairs..
"W, where on earth does this road go down??”
"Incheon Demon World, this slum is actually just a camouflage..”
"yes? So what is this city hiding??”
“Yes, the real purpose of this place is to have a black market..”
A city that has become a slum and is beyond the reach of security forces, there is a huge underground city hidden beneath the camouflage..
And there, a huge black market was active where all kinds of illegal items were traded..
Squeak—squeak—
After going down about ten meters further down the old stairs, an iron door appeared..
Clap—
When I opened it, a fairly large tunnel-like space unfolded..
"wow......."
A large number of people were passing through a dark and smoky passageway, as if they had entered a huge coal mine..
It was a somewhat hectic scene, like a scene from a Southeast Asian night market in the summer..
"Now, buy a stamina-boosting potion made from the lizardman's tail.!”
"Guys over there—why don’t you take a swamp psychedelic and go??”
And, as the name of the market suggests, enthusiastic solicitation of customers continued from all directions..
In front of the unfamiliar scenery, Park Jun-mo turned his head here and there with a blank expression..
"and… … There was a place like this in Korea too.……."
While looking around frantically, I bumped into someone..
"Oh, sir—what is it?!”
Two men, large figures with tattoos all over their bodies, rolled their eyes..
At that sight, Park Jun-mo cringed without realizing it..
“—omg ! sorry!
"ah! Well, I was distracted... … sorry!”
Park Jun-mo repeatedly bowed his head to the two large men and hurriedly caught up behind Lee Hyun-wook, who was ahead..
"Park Jun-mo, you just made a mistake..”
"……yes?”
“In this lawless world, if you show your stupid side like that, it means you're good prey..”
"Uh, well, then how do I deal with it??”
"Rather than making a fuss like that, it would have been better to emit an electric current and knock him out.?”
Park Jun-mo slowly turned his head with a shocked expression..
"No, don't look back. Appearing impatient means you are weak.……."
But it's already too late.
"......!"
The moment I turned my head and looked behind me, I made eye contact with those big guys..
"Lee, Lee, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook… … Those people seem to be following us now..”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded silently..
‘This is annoying..’
With just that brief clash, they seemed to recognize these two people as prey..
Lee Hyun-wook entered the crowd and looked at the metal weapons they were holding..
2 pistols, 4 daggers, and a few more…….
But among them, there was also a ‘mana messenger’..
Lee Hyun-wook attempted to hack there through ‘mana connection’..
They happened to be communicating with someone at the time..
- ……Yes, those are the two guys going that way. Just by looking at it, isn’t it the first time you criticize it??
- okay? I can't see my face because I'm wearing a mask... … It's not like I'm touching you wrong for no reason.?
- no. We bumped into each other, and he was a complete idiot. And then I took a quick look and saw that he had a wand or something on his waist? I think it will be a good way to earn pocket money. It’s been a while since you did something like this.?
I knew it…….
As this is a lawless area, such tribes are widespread. Therefore, if you couldn't protect yourself, you had no choice but to lose everything you had, and even losing your life was not an uncommon occurrence..
- Jeonggyun, I don’t want the gatekeeper to know that I’m doing this side job, so let’s handle it quietly.?
- Yes, you don't have to worry about that..
However, the word ‘gatekeeper’ was stuck in Lee Hyun-wook’s mind among the contents of their communication..
‘Since you mentioned gatekeepers, those are gangsters.?’
Red Hall, they were one of the three major forces that ruled this place and were an item trafficking broker organization..
‘if it goes like this… … It worked out better.’
The person Lee Hyun-wook was looking for was a member of the Red Hall organization, and he planned to approach them and make some kind of deal..
But if the situation was like this, there was no need to go out and search for it..
Lee Hyun-wook continued walking, pretending not to notice that he was being followed..
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, we… … where should i go?”
"Park Jun-mo, can’t you tell just by looking at it? No place is safe here..”
“Oh, then……."
Yes, in the end I had no choice but to subdue it with force..
“……For now, keep walking.”
This underground city was quite large. It was the result of repeated expansion since this place was created a dozen years ago..
Therefore, like an old city center, there were winding roads and dark alleys..
Jeopuk- Jeobuk—
Lee Hyun-wook intentionally entered a deserted alley..
Then, as if they had been waiting, three large men appeared from the front and blocked the road..
And behind them, six people were approaching, filling the narrow alley..
"......."
In the end, Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo had no choice but to stop in the middle of the alley..
"Ugh… … Hi guys? We met earlier?”
The total number of people who appeared in both alleys was 9..
“These guys seem to be new to this area, so why don't we give them a guide for a cheap price??”
"Okay, then! It's so dangerous here, you never know when these weak friends will fall behind.?”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly looked at the weapons they had..
‘When looking at inventory, there are at most two players, the rest are ordinary people..’
But that didn't mean it wasn't a threat..
“Now, I'm warning you in advance, don't be foolish. This won't just look like a gun?”
One guy said that and held up a pistol..
Come to think of it, they were all holding pistols. The Colt M1911 was clearly a 'normal' firearm made with human technology..
‘However, they probably made the bullets out of magic metal and enchanted them..’
In other words, a weapon of that caliber would be able to pierce the 'barrier' surrounding the body of a monster or player... … It was able to threaten at least a C-level player..
Of course, you will be ruined after only a few shots due to the 'mana wave' that occurs at the same time as the trigger is triggered, but it is definitely one of the few effective ways to deal with players..
However, Lee Hyun-wook took a step forward with a smile on his face..
“……huh? Brother, I think that idiot doesn't know what to say.?”
"Tsk, really? Those kids will realize when you shoot them in the leg..”
As someone said that, the bald man in the lead pulled the trigger towards Hyunwook Lee's leg..
but…….
tick—!
“uh?”
Tick—tick—tick—tick—!
nothing happened.
"Uh, why is this—”
"Hey, what are you doing! Get out of my way!”
Tick—tick—tick—tick—!
Another one of them pulled the trigger again and again, but the striker himself did not retreat at all..
“……Well, it doesn't seem to work with saptan. Can I check it??”
In a sly voice, it was Lee Hyun-wook who said that..
And before he knew it, he was raising his left hand up to chest level..
“—What, what you bastard？”
At that moment, the magazine came out of their pistol..
“……uh?"
Just—
Then, Lee Hyun-wook snapped his fingers.,
Well, here we go.——!
The nine pistols completely disintegrated as if they were falling apart and began to scatter into the air..
"......."
Looking at that strange scene, they became blank for a moment..
It seemed like he had even forgotten about the need to take out another weapon in the face of an unimaginable scene..
"Yes, as you saw, we are new to this town.……."
Lee Hyun-wook smiled as he approached them..
"......Can I ask for directions? Because we have to go down a little deeper.."
They didn't answer, but they could only raise both hands and nod slowly..
Clap—clack—
9This is because the guns were reassembled in the air and were aimed at their heads..
Comments