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The Player Who Eats Steel - Episode 83

83fury. 

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Superhero. Today, people called by that title are common..

That was a term for a top ‘ranker’ with exceptional skills among players..

Like heroes from myths and legends, they accomplish extraordinary feats with only their blood and blood..

However, Go Jun-cheol did not rate those types of people very highly..

‘They may prevent local crises, but they cannot lead the order of the world..’

For example, Woo Seong-moon from South Korea, Gordon Price from the United States, Akii Aishima from Japan, etc.,

There are people who control a country even if they are not active on the outside..

And they were the ‘tycoons’ who formed the central axis of this world..

They, the big guys, lay the boards, make the rules and start the games..

Heroes just... … It's just acting as a 'word' on it..

‘But this person…….'

Go Jun-cheol looked at Lee Hyun-wook..

F-grade ‘control’ type player known as the savior of Seoul,

He clearly achieved achievements worthy of the title 'hero'..

That's why Go Jun-cheol thought he was Woo Seong-moon's new 'horse'..

But after a few words with him, my perception was bound to change..

Agents of government secret agencies, Hugin's operators, Laputa's managers, and even S-class players........

It was because those ridiculous names appeared one after another..

‘Yes, it has already established a significant presence within the Korean government..’

Go Jun-cheol could sense that this young man was becoming a ‘big name’..

‘Maybe it could become the core axis of this country, succeeding Woo Seong-moon..’

It wasn't too much to think that way. Woo Seong-moon could not reign as the central axis of the government forever. Therefore, the Korean player community was paying close attention to who his successor would be..

But just in time, this talented person appeared..

As soon as his thoughts reached that point, Go Jun-cheol's instincts were screaming..

‘For the sake of our village's future, we must not miss this man..’

Go Jun-cheol raised his head and looked into Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes..

"Hyunwook Lee Among your many nicknames, could you add one line - Red Hall's savior??”

Go Jun-cheol said that and held out his hand to him..

"yes of course.”

Lee Hyun-wook held his hand..

He hid his expression, but inside he was happy..

‘Okay, that's it. It was also a successful conversation.’

This man, Go Jun-cheol, was a person who had built up a huge presence in the underworld..

'However, he is also the orchestrator of the underworld who knows the extent of things..’

In other words, an alliance was created that would bring tremendous advantages in many ways..

‘And there will be a chance to monopolize the adamant mine in this dungeon..’

'Adamant', one of the legendary metals, is very precious..

Even if you catch dozens of elite monsters, at most one or two will fall..

Therefore, it costs 1.3-1.5 million won per 10g..

However, if it was a dormant mine, it was impossible to estimate how much it would be worth..

‘If that happens, we will be able to make it rain adamant.…….'

Even if the weight is the same, the power of 'Steel Rain' varies depending on its properties..

Anyway, that was something to worry about after we got this over with..

"however… … I need some things. Can you save me?”

"Yeah, whatever I say, nothing is hard to find here.!”

Go Jun-cheol, he was able to get almost everything as he was a kingpin of the Incheon black market..

"Oh, but before that, I need one person..”

And Lee Hyun-wook planned to achieve his first goal naturally like this..

‘Okay, the benefits are rolling in..’

***

Redhall Village, population was exactly 1,345.

And they were all people who had no choice but to leave the real world for various reasons..

This was a new home given to those who were forced out of the country of Korea due to the oppression of warlocks, false accusations, and being chased by contracted player assassins instigated by a large guild..

Therefore, the news that an outsider came here was bound to be a very sensitive issue for them, and the atmosphere of the village was cold and they were keeping a close eye on the presence of a stranger..

In particular, young men were gathered in one corner of the village square as if preparing for battle..

"Damn that son of a bitch! I don't know what the intention is, but something is wrong with me.!”

Among them, there were some who were captured by Lee Hyun-wook.,

Their necks were stained red, possibly due to the metal restraints Lee Hyun-wook had been wearing..

"No, you know how to get rid of black vines, that makes sense.?”

They remembered what the stranger had said the moment he encountered Go Jin-hwa's cavalry..

"How on earth does he know that... … So how is that possible??”

"I don't know, I'm probably talking about it with the village chief right now.……."

They have been waging war against the black vine for the past eight months, but without any results..

But when someone comes in and says he will solve that difficult problem, I can't help but be shocked.…….

However, the moment the stranger's identity was revealed, everyone was very surprised..

"What, what? That person... … Hyunwook Lee, the savior of Seoul—! That's real?”

"Wow, Wow, it's true! I just saw you when I went to the village chief’s house! Are you sure!”

"Wow, crazy……."

Since they sometimes went in and out of the black market outside the gate, they were able to hear news from the outside intermittently. Among them, the most recent news was of course the '4th wave'..

In other words, it was impossible not to know the name Lee Hyun-wook..

“and......."

And whether they knew it or not, their hearts warmed when they heard the heroic story..

The performance of the underdog hero who prevented a hellish event that occurred in the earthly world…….

Therefore, the cold atmosphere began to strangely relax in an instant..

"ah! hey! Now that I think about it, isn't the ability he used on us the ability to manipulate metal??”

"Oh right! Now that I think about it, that was that ability.?”

Even those who had been bullied by Lee Hyun-wook once again expressed their admiration and clapped their hands..

"Oh, I should have known when I disassembled and reassembled 9 pistols in the blink of an eye.!”

"and… … Now that I think about it, wow, that was a cool scene.?”

So much so that I forgot the pain on the back of my neck that had turned dark red and let out a sigh of admiration.,

The image of ‘Seoul’s savior’ that spread throughout the world was powerful..

Before they knew it, their thoughts began to lean towards Lee Hyun-wook, that the man could do something..

At that time, two young men standing in a corner snorted at the same time..

"Ha, hell… … What kind of hero is that guy? He must be a fraud..”

"Yeah, it's crazy to get caught up in something like that.?”

Strangely enough, the people exchanging foul language looked exactly the same..

They weren't twins either, they looked exactly the same from head to toe..

“……Hey Yeo Sang-min, why are you so excited all of a sudden??”

Yeo Sang-min, the person called that was 21 years old and the ‘men’ snorted..

"Hey, I know that better than you. I am grade F.”

"That's right you assholes, you know more about grade F than I do.?”

As the two Yeo Sang-min spoke one after another, the expressions of those around them hardened..

"This bastard, it's starting again... … Whenever the topic of F grade comes up, they turn a blind eye.……."

"Tsk tsk, that's a disease too, man! What are you going to do by clenching your teeth and denying it like that??”

Looking at their reactions, I could see that this was not the first time Yeo Sang-min had this attitude..

He reacted that way every time he heard news about F-grade hero Lee Hyun-wook..

"Just wait and see, Lee Hyun-wook or whatever, it will soon be revealed that that bastard is a bastard.!”

Yeo Sang-min and others huffed and turned around..

"That bastard is a smart guy, but anyway, he's emotional........"

"How sad would he be that he was graded F??"

***

Yeo Sang-min has non-growth characteristics... … He was an F grade player..

All he could do was create one 'alter ego'..

And what you can do with such unique abilities is…….

‘Except that you can shovel twice as well when farming, pair.…….'

But at some point, stories about F-rank heroes filled the world..

4Lee Hyun-wook, the hero who protected Seoul from the Tea Wave…….

Yeo Sang-min was not particularly happy to hear that someone in F grade like him had achieved it..

What should I say, when a friend who I thought was in the same situation as me suddenly tells me that he is doing well?,

Should I say that it is more like wanting to deny that fact rather than being happy about it?…….

‘what? Grade F saved Seoul, and now they're saying wow, they're going to save us too.……..'

When he arrived home fuming, his 14-year-old brother jumped out of bed..

"brother! Did you hear that? The identity of the man who came to town today—”

"—know!”

"Uh, what, why are you so annoyed??”

Yeo Sang-min's younger brother, Yeo Sang-jun, made a bewildered expression at Yeo Sang-min's sharp answer..

"hey! Don't be fooled by nonsense! How can Grade F save Seoul??”

"No, I said I achieved an achievement.—”

"—Anyway, can you block the wave? I said it was all a scam on the country, I said!”

Even if he really made an outstanding performance, he would have been S grade, not F grade. It's common for countries or guilds to hide the existence of S-classes for a while, so they held a grand debut ceremony..

he believed so.

"No, bro! Dad told me that a player's potential is endless... … One of my father's friends is a blacksmith, and there was one who killed orcs with a great sword, so I guess there must be something different.?”

At those words, Yeo Sang-min's frown became even more severe..

‘Dad had a habit of saying such nonsense..’

His father was driven from the earth and came to this place, but he did not lose hope.,

He always praised the players' strength and praised them as heroes..

The reason is that when my father was on earth, he served real heroes and S-rank players..

‘Well, now that I think about it, it was almost like fanaticism.!’

As a child, I grew up listening to stories about ‘heroes’ from my father.,

Yeo Sang-min also used to vaguely think of players as cool heroes..

And when Yeo Sang-min woke up as a player, his father was very happy..

However, when he successfully hunted for the first time,,

However, when 'experience points' are not gained…….

‘At that time, my father’s hard expression.......'

He couldn't forget that scene at that moment..

The father didn't show it, but he must have hated the fact that his son had an F grade..

"Hey Yeo Sangjun, do you know what? Since it was revealed that I was grade F, my dad, he hasn't talked about it even once. As for the F grade, he realized that his son had no chance........"

"......."

"And isn't it because your father was a player with no potential and couldn't come back??"

"No, bro! No matter how annoyed I am, I don't say that.—!”

……The legends of the player I heard so many times as a child were all lies..

It's such a possibility,

After realizing that not everyone has it.,

He had no choice but to see the world differently..

Thump—thud—

Then, there was a knocking sound..

"hey! Yeo Sangmin! Are you at home??”

The person who came to visit him was Oh Dal-seong, one of the village's executives and the village chief's closest associate..

"Yeo Sang-min, the village chief is looking for you right now..”

“……yes? why? I didn't do anything?”

The village chief, Go Jun-cheol, never called him directly except when he was admonishing..

"No, exactly what the customer is looking for..”

"yes? If you are a guest……."

"Have you heard the news yet? Hyunwook Lee, the savior of Seoul, he is in our town.”

"......."

"But hmm, I don't know why such a great person would need you.."

***

Blah blah blah——

A black writhing figure was slowly approaching from afar, accompanied by a strange sound..

The vine colony spreads through the ground and absorbs all the moisture from the ground..

And then it rises above the ground, overflowing and crushing everything that grows on it..

So, one day it would cover this entire land..

"......Damn, they ate up the western forest in just one week..”

Ko Jin-hwa pointed somewhere..

but… … there was nothing there.

There was just a thick layer of sand and dust raised by Swallow..

"……It was a pretty big forest..”

According to what she said, the terrain was lush with greenery until a week ago..

"And now… … We're heading towards the central reservoir here..”

Central Reservoir, this huge water hole was the last remaining water source for the village of Redhall..

"under… … If even this place is eaten, we will really have to leave this land. You can buy water and drink it from outside, but the land will die completely, so eventually it will become uninhabitable..”

Extreme changes in the ecosystem... … That wasn't a problem that could be solved with money..

"Do not worry. This last reservoir will be fine. And soon this land will be restored too..”

“……Yes, I believe it..”

"But are the items I asked for coming??”

"hmm… … ah! Hey, it's coming at the right time..”

I saw five wagons approaching this way along the small road..

"But what on earth is ‘red moonlight herb’ used for??”

The red moonlight herb that Lee Hyun-wook requested was a common, possibly useless herb that bloomed in dungeons in the grasslands. This is because, for an herb, it had no stamina recovery effect and only had a geothermal effect..

But no one knew that it would be the key to preventing the apocalypse called ‘Swallow’..

"You can think of this as a kind of herbicide that will get rid of them..”

"Herbicide? Me, really? It's such a common grass.?”

Grabbing a handful of red moonlight herbs, Gu Jin-hwa made an expression of disbelief..

"No matter how strong a fire is, there is an absolute compatibility that can be extinguished by pouring water on it..”

Usually, all beings in nature have something called ‘nature’..

So, while there were things that were harmonious, there were also things that were terrible opposites..

And those laws were also the same for other world ecosystems..

'The secret to the hemostatic effect of the red moonlight herb was that it restricted the flow of moisture..’

And it turns out that swallows that absorb that ingredient die within a few minutes..

Based on that information, we began developing a ‘herbicide’ to eliminate the swallows that covered the Amazon.,

Just like that, Lee Hyun-wook watched as they succeeded in putting an end to the Swallow incident in just three months..

‘Of course, right now it is not possible to create a contained object that emits such components..’

But if we used temporary measures, we could somehow eradicate them..

At that time, a familiar face got out of a carriage..

‘And Yeo Sang-min, I finally found it..’

He was the key crew member and first mate of the very large airship 'Gate Sentinel'..

‘He later creates dozens of alter egos. And all of those alter egos share a feeling..’

In other words, simply securing and properly training one crew member, Yeo Sang-min, is equivalent to acquiring dozens of crew members, and was able to identify and respond to all phenomena occurring within the ship at once..

'The efficiency he displayed in his prime was comparable to that of a supercomputer..’

Problems occurring on that huge ship were dealt with immediately, without complicated communication..

But now, he looked somewhat sullen..

‘As far as I know, he was a pretty smart person... … Well, this time will be different than back then.…….'

He looked sideways at Lee Hyun-wook and approached Ko Jin-hwa..

“……Sister, I heard you were looking for me..”

"Oh, are you here? This person, not me, was looking for it..”

Lee Hyun-wook extended his hand to Yeo Sang-jin..

"nice to meet. My name is Lee Hyun-wook..”

However, Yeo Sang-min did not take Lee Hyun-wook's outstretched hand..

"......My name is Yeo Sang-min. But there was one thing I wanted to ask. That's grade F, no.?”

It was a question that came out of nowhere, and for some reason, it was quite aggressive words and actions..

"hey! You bastard, why are you like this??”

“……Oh, it's okay..”

Lee Hyun-wook smiled brightly at Yeo Sang-min..

"Yeo Sang-min, I called you because I have a favor to ask you..”

"yes? No, how on earth do you know me??”

Lee Hyun-wook shrugged his shoulders instead of answering..

"what… … And what on earth can I do about this?……."

"Well, you may not be able to do it, but I'm calling for your potential.."

No, it's a possibility... … Yeo Sang-min frowned at that part..

After all, the words I hate the most were uttered by an unpleasant person..

"Judging by the expression on his face, he's thinking that there's any chance of an F grade.?"

"......."

I was struck straight as to how I knew that. Yeo Sang-min did not answer.

"I understand, I've been thinking that way for quite some time, longer than you..”

"……But no matter what, if you ask me to walk there, I can't go..”

He declared this while looking at the waves of black vines wriggling in the distance..

I knew very well what would happen if I got close to them..

That was a foolish act of suicide..

At that time, Lee Hyun-wook shook his head..

"No, don't worry. I won't walk.”

"So, are you going to fly away??”

"Yes, I saw it correctly..”

“……yes?”

Yeo Sang-min stared at his face, wondering what this was talking about..

'……Now, you're telling a joke like that with such a serious face.?’

But then, some black smoke started flowing from Lee Hyun-wook’s right hand..

Ssssssssssssssssss——

And, in his hand was a white shield..

“……shield?”

But Lee Hyun-wook threw the shield far away..

"Yeo Sang-min… … I was like that too, but you only judge based on what you see and hear right in front of you.?”

"……yes? what does that mean?”

"So, you are stuck in the F grade, a rule that others have arbitrarily set..”

That moment when you wonder if this is some kind of old-fashioned advice.…….

Wooooow——!

The small white shield turned into a huge white lump of metal—an airship..

Lee Hyun-wook grabbed the shoulder of Yeo Sang-min, who was staring at the scene in fascination..

"Come with me and I can show you what your potential is..”