A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 24: Seoul Station, F-rank and S-rank

< Chapter 24: Seoul Station, F-rank and S-rank – 3 >

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20 minutes before a player with no level appeared, inside Seoul Station…

[ The boss monster will appear. (00:08:12) ]

“Even if the ‘boss monster’ that appears this time also has a metallic shell like those spiders… my ability might not work.”

Lee Hyunwook had anticipated early on that his power might be rendered useless.

“Ah, you mean…”

“I won’t be able to destroy the spider monster’s shell.”

“…”

He didn’t bother explaining why.

“Just because it’s metal doesn’t mean I can destroy anything.”

Whether protected by magic or divine power, or if it was an item of rare or higher value, or a powerful monster’s skin with a certain level of strength,

There were metals that were beyond Lee Hyunwook’s control in various cases.

‘Of course, if I improve my metal-controlling ability, I can overcome that limit, but not yet.’

Therefore, he must not let his guard down and must continue to expand his ability.

“But, what should we do? We can damage their shells with magic, but it seems impossible to break their shells with our current attack power…”

The security team leader asked with a worried look, but Lee Hyunwook calmly replied.

“Well, we’ll have to tie them up and peel off the shell.”

“Huh? Tie them? How can we tie up such a monster…”

“I’ll explain the plan now.”

As there wasn’t much time left, Lee Hyunwook explained succinctly,

“Ha…”

When his explanation was over, the players couldn’t hide their grim expressions.

“I don’t know if that’s possible, but it seems like the best method.”

“And currently, it’s the only method. Everyone, please prepare in your positions.”

With only 5 minutes left, the players dispersed to their positions.

“A raid is not about overpowering with strength.”

“Raid” was a term in MMORPG games to describe attacking bosses or dungeons, but after the world changed to be game-like, it became a technical term for “large monster tactics.”

By the design of this game, players constantly faced stronger enemies than themselves. Most monsters were stronger than players of equivalent level and, more importantly, there were more of them.

Of course, if you invested a lot of money to armor yourself with incredible items, you could overpower them, but the reality was that most players couldn’t prepare that much.

“Therefore, we have to use every method available.”

Lee Hyunwook had performed the role of a “strategy leader” in his previous life.

The strategy meant advancing beyond the gate, capturing the “dungeon”, and defeating the “boss monster.”

Lee Hyunwook remembered all the numerous knowledge, or “strategies”, he had learned and realized.

“The real weakness of this thing is electricity.”

[ The boss monster will appear. (00:00:00) ]

Soon, the numbers that had been looming in front of him reached 0.

At that moment…

[ The boss monster ‘Venomous Armored Spider (Queen)’ has appeared ]

Zzzzzz…

Along with the system message, the gate began to emit a light of a different dimension from before. Soon, something massive that popped out from somewhere obscured the light beam, forming a huge shadow.

“Gasp! It, it’s here!”

This time, it was a spider again.

However, this time, it was the ‘queen’.

Chirping-eeeeee—

The queen spider was about 1.5 times larger than the Venomous Armor Spider that appeared in the first and second batches.

It was so large that the highest part of it seemed to reach the third-floor terrace.

“It’s not just the size, the paralytic gas must be at least three or four times stronger.”

With a sense of caution, Lee Hyunwook reached out with his left hand to sense the shell of the creature.

It is a metal that cannot be controlled.

“There’s no choice but to stick to the plan…”

Lee Hyunwook stood up.

And he drew the “Sword of the Cloud.”

[ The ‘Mist’ skill of ‘Sword of the Cloud’ is available ]

He pointed the tip of the sword towards the creature and activated the skill.

Whoo-oo-oo-oo-oo—

An enormous amount of mist began to pour out from the tip of the sword.

Unlike the Kobold time which had omnidirectional dispersion, this time it sprayed in a semi-circular shape facing forward.

At the same time, he utilized his metal control ability.

“Everyone get up…”

The target was a pile of Venomous Armor Spider metal shell pieces that had been previously stacked to one side – thousands of pieces, each the size of a fingernail, and he made them all float in the air.

“Disperse, and advance!”

Whoosh-ssh-ssh-ssh-ssh—

They penetrated through the mist, absorbing moisture as they went, forming a large mass, and started flying like a swarm of insects.

Chirping-eeeeee—

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At their movement, the creature began to react.

Soon it would realize that prey was nearby.

“Whoa, the water ball is ready!”

“Shoot it right away!”

Two mages raised their staffs.

A round-shaped water materialized at the end of them.

It was one of the most basic skills, the “Water Ball.”

“-Fire!”

Boom! Boom!

Each 300L water ball exploded on the creature’s back, like water balloons bursting.

Water bombs, wet metal fragments…

At that moment, Lee Hyunwook turned his head.

Park Junmo was standing there.

“Yes! I am ready!”

Park Junmo stepped forward with his wand, taking a deep breath.

‘The critical role… I can do it!’

Lee Hyunwook had instructed Park Junmo to play the ‘critical’ role again.

F-rank, private, only pathetic modifiers… but now it was different.

“Everyone, please move back as far as possible!”

With confidence, Park Junmo shouted as he swung his wand.

“Eeeeh…”

[ Dischargeable current amount (100%) ]

Usually, he used it divided into four parts, but not this time.

He squeezed out the entire maximum capacity at once, shaping it into a round form.

Buzzing-zzzzz—

The mass of electricity trembled unstablely as if it could disperse at any moment.

‘I’ve been training continuously as Corporal Lee Hyunwook! I can do it!’

Before going on leave, the words entrusted by Lee Hyunwook were not taken lightly by Park Junmo.

Every day he did pull-ups and visited the training ground to hone his abilities.

“I can change, even though my ability remains the same, I can change!”

Park Junmo concentrated to the fullest to gather it together, overcoming the tremendous resistance felt at his fingertips.

The sensation of gathering electricity was indescribable.

Perhaps it was like scooping overflowing water with hands to form a ball…

It sounded implausible, but right now, Park Junmo was pulling it off.

“…Go!”

And then, he shot it at the creature.

The moment that bluish sphere touched the creature’s body-

Zap-zap-zap-zap-zap!

A tremendous wavelength occurred.

Just like witnessing a massive ‘plasma ball’, bluish currents branched out in all directions, tangling like a spider’s web.

It wreaked havoc in the area, darting here and there over metals, water, and all sorts of conductors.

“Oh… insane…”

Moisture weakens the electrical resistance of the skin.

The shell, and between the gaps in the shell,

That damp part, that part, the bluish current rushed in and penetrated.

Zap-zap-zap-zap-zap!

And when electrocuted, the nerves are paralyzed first.

Chitter-chitter…

The creature trembled and then thudded down, collapsing.

“…Huh? It, it really passed out!”

Everyone couldn’t hide their astonishment as Lee Hyunwook’s strategy indeed worked.

But it wasn’t the time to be off guard.

“It won’t last for more than a few seconds! Proceed with the next strategy quickly!”

Meanwhile, Lee Hyunwook made thousands of metal fragments stick to the creature’s legs.

‘They are too small, so it’s not easy to control yet!’

But it wasn’t impossible.

In his previous life, he had moved them hundreds of millions of times more.

Suddenly, the wet shell-metal fragments adhered all over the creature’s body.

“…Freezing magic, now!”

As soon as the words fell, a bluish energy mass was shot from the wizards’ staffs.

They exploded near the creature’s legs.

Crackle-Crackle-Crackle!

Then, from the point of impact, ice arose like foam, intertwining with the wet metal fragments.

Just like adding gravel to cement makes it solidify more robustly –

The formed chunk of ice was several times harder than ice made purely of water.

Thus, 6 out of 8 legs were firmly restrained.

“The creature has completely stopped, everyone hurry up!”

Lee Hyunwook slung a bag around him and jumped down to the terrace.

Woong-

Just before landing, he channeled control into the bag to absorb the shock.

Then he opened the zipper and detected the end of a pile of ‘steel wires’ inside, pulling it out.

“We’ll tie its legs with this!”

This was precisely why he had gone to the trouble of preparing this heavy steel wire.

Three rolls of 2.23mm thick steel wire, each 20 meters long… Lee Hyunwook manipulated them to tie two of the queen spider’s legs together, wrapping them tightly.

The steel wire could withstand tremendous tensile strength.

With this, a considerable amount of time was secured.

“Now! We have to peel off its shell in this gap!”

Lee Hyunwook was the first to crawl up to the creature’s waist area.

Then, the other players who had hesitated for a moment also began to climb up, stepping into the gaps between the shells.

“We just need to peel off a single shell!”

By doing just that, they would be able to inflict effective damage on the creature.

At that moment,

“Ah, damn… why did you call me if it was going to be like this?”

A strange voice echoed from somewhere…

The players unwittingly turned their heads in unison.

“Huh? Is that person perhaps…”

“… Ha, Player Han Taesan?”

Near the entrance, a large man was standing tall.

‘Damn! He came in earlier than expected!’

Lee Hyunwook started working without hesitation.

There was no time.

Uejeok!

He applied ‘strengthening’ to both hands and inserted the cloud sword into the gap between the shells.

At the same time as applying force utilizing the principle of the lever, he exerted control over 17.5kg of metal.

“-Euuueh!”

Cheok-Jeok!

It worked.

He managed to peel off a shell but at that moment…

Kkigigik!

The creature woke up and thrashed about.

Even though it hadn’t fully released the restraint on its legs, just with that struggle alone, Lee Hyunwook was sent flying as if he was bounced off.

“Ah, ahhhh! It, it’s awake!”

The players scrambled in panic, jumping off the creature’s back.

‘But a hole has opened! Somehow, we can catch it!’

However, what was more concerning was the giant man in green sportswear walking slowly towards them… it was Fist King Han Taesan.

“Ha, what, it’s not dead yet?”

He was loosening his neck and wrists, ready to charge at any moment.

‘…At this rate, he will get that item as originally happened.’

In the original timeline, he would come out of here with a ‘hero’ grade item.

He had planned to intercept it, but the timing awkwardly overlapped.

“What exactly were you trying to do? Hey, there! Stop wasting time and move out of the way!”

Lee Hyunwook exerted his metal control power to deal with the boss first, starting to move all the sharp objects he could control right away.

But he couldn’t stop Han Taesan.

Thump- Thump- Thump-

As he kicked the ground a few times to close the distance as if warming up, he lightly threw a left hook.

Bweo-eo-eong!

Could that sound really come from a single punch…

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-

With a noise comparable to a sonic boom, a phenomenon where the air bursts out breaking the sound barrier, everything breakable inside the dome shattered.

Even the steel beads that Lee Hyunwook had been controlling were swept away by the blast before they could reach the queen spider, losing control.

They probably got stuck somewhere on one side of the wall like darts.

“Cr, crazy…”

The queen spider was also sent flying, hitting a distant wall.

The armor shell, which was supposedly unbreakable, fell off like fragments.

Even four of its legs were severed, bouncing off here and there.

Everyone was stunned by the overwhelming scene, their mouths agape as they stumbled backward.

Kkikigigi…

The queen spider shrieked as if spitting out its last breath.

“Oh, what… It seems to have quite a physical defense, huh? Wow, is it still alive?”

He seemed to be making such a remark after leaving the boss monster, virtually designed as a ‘hard counter’ to physical attacks, in a near-death state with just one punch.

Jeobuk- Jeobuk-

He leisurely shadow-boxed in the air as he walked towards the queen spider.

Then…

Pook!

Something fell from the sky, piercing deep into the flesh beneath the peeled shell of the queen spider.

“…Huh? What’s that skewer? Whose is it?”

It was a sword – the Sword of the Clouds.

Chyuk-uk-

Given the insect’s body structure, once the ‘exoskeleton’ breaks, the interior is incredibly fragile.

Meaning, it could be torn apart much easier than expected.

Chyuk-uk-

Lee Hyunwook focused all his emotions on the tip of the sword and thrust it into the creature’s body.

Then…

[ Unknown energy is being charged in the Sword of the Clouds (24%) ]

‘It worked.’

The sword of the cloud began to absorb the blood.

It was a sign that it had accurately pierced the heart.

“Huh? Hey, is it you? Didn’t I tell you to move away?”

“……”

He stared at Lee Hyunwook like that.

“That means, don’t touch it in the first place, so stay away. It’s obstructive.”

Lee Hyunwook moved back without a word but kept moving the tip of the sword, tearing the heart.

‘It’s done, I am the one who stabbed the heart after all.’

Thump-thump- thump-thump-

Soon Han Taesan started beating the Spider Queen like a sandbag along with a brutal sound.

Thump-thump- thump-thump-

With each hit, the shell burst, the legs were cut off, and the intestines splattered out.

“Wow……”

“That, that is the power of an S-rank player……”

After not much time, a message appeared in front of everyone.

[ You have defeated the boss monster Poisonous Armor Spider (Queen)! ]

“Ha, it’s over……”

Relieved yet somewhat empty.

[ Congratulations! You survived the <Unlucky Event>! ]

The enemy they were so anxious and prepared for,

Despite responding as planned, it was a formidable enemy,

To be dealt with so easily…

[ Lucky rewards will be given to those who survived the terrible misfortune! ]

The ‘ranking’ is determined according to the event contribution rate, and the rewards will be distributed differentially.

Like this, the Unlucky Event brings the worst situation, but special rewards are given to those who survive in it.

Most of them were things that could not be obtained from ordinary gates.

But…

“Huh? Shit, what is this?”

Wiping the splattered blood on his face, Han Taesan expressed dissatisfaction with a voice.

Because a ridiculous message appeared in front of him.

[ Congratulations! You are given the reward of luck. (2nd place) ]

“Why am I not 1st? I am the one who killed the boss monster!”

He began to look at each player one by one, turning his head.

Lee Hyunwook quickly dodged the spot and put something in his pocket.

[ Congratulations! You are given the reward of luck. (1st place) ]

Yes.

The first place was Lee Hyunwook.

‘Phew, it was a success.’

No matter how many minor monsters he killed, if he hadn’t inflicted effective damage to the boss monster, which gives the most ‘contribution’, the first place would have unquestionably gone to Han Taesan.

‘The final judgment of stabbing the heart was valid.’

Holding onto something in his pocket, he looked at the message appearing in front of him.

[ You have acquired ‘Mana Nan Mak Liru’s Secret Armor (Hero)’ ]

‘This is that item.’

He took it out only when he went up to the welcome room on the 3rd floor.

Although it was called armor… it was a thin black necklace.

However, befitting the name secret armor, when worn and infused with mana, a thin armor is created above the skin, an item that was very convenient for carrying and storage and also had high defensive power. (Tl: Black Panther!?)

An armor that wasn’t heavy or cumbersome and could be taken off at any time,

It was definitely a suitable armor for a melee fighter player like Han Taesan.

‘Moreover, there was one more function. It was a one-slot storage space, wasn’t it?’

Another secret hidden in this armor was that it could hide one item.

‘Han Taesan used it quite efficiently as if it was a secret weapon.’

Han Taesan, who was punching with the gauntlet on, would suddenly swing something like ‘Mjölnir’ that he took out, or take out something like a mana bomb and throw it, it was a feature with relatively high utility,

‘And even… It’s an armor that can grow.’

Armor of the hero rank that could level up,

There could be nothing better than this except for legendary-grade armor.

And naturally, Lee Hyunwook…

Gulp-

Swallowed it.

He intended to absorb all its great features without leaving any behind.