A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 33: Preparing to Face the Waves

< Chapter 33: Preparing to Face the Waves – 3>

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30 silver steel stakes.

These were specially crafted items requested from the ‘AMT Armory’ by the commanding officer during the official ceremony.

‘There’s nothing better than these to be driven into the hearts of the undead.’c

Lee Hyunwook levitated them one by one into the air.

Woong-

Out of 30, 10 steel stakes were lined up in front of Lee Hyunwook.

“Wow…”

Weighing about 500 grams each and having a length of 60 cm, they were considerably light, probably because they were made of Mithril alloy.

“Corporal Lee Hyunwook, does this mean all of these will soon increase several times in value?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

It was true that items with Holy power attached to them became more expensive.

However, the cause was not in Siberia, Russia, but right here in Seoul.

‘Before that, I need to maximize the Holy power.’

Lee Hyunwook was in the middle of absorbing the Holy power contained in the steel beads that he had ordered from master craftsman Kang Jung-du.

And when he had digested about 5kg, a new ability began to form.

[ Holy power Release Level 1 is in the creation process (34%) ]

Just like developing resistance when eating metal enchanted with poison, by eating metal enchanted with Holy power, it accumulated in his body, allowing him to produce and release Holy power.

‘With a little more increase here, that ability will manifest.’

Thud!

At that moment, someone opened the armory door and came in.

It was a private from the third squad.

“Uh… Corporal Lee Hyunwook? They said the promotion ceremony is starting soon. You should quickly finish what you’re doing now and, well, you should practice for the rehearsal.”

Come to think of it, a promotion ceremony to the rank of sergeant was scheduled for this afternoon.

* * *

The battalion commander, Kim Kang-seok, pinned the sergeant’s insignia on Lee Hyunwook’s chest.

“Sergeant! Lee Hyunwook!”

Applause erupted from behind him.

“Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, congratulations.”

“Yes! Thank you!”

Usually, it’s the company commander who presides over the promotion ceremony, but this time, the battalion commander stepped forward to do it himself.

And then he began to praise Lee Hyunwook in front of the company members…

“As you all know, over the past few days, Sergeant Lee Hyunwook has accomplished something unbelievable…”

It felt as though they were forcibly turning him into a hero, to the point of being quite embarrassing.

Anyway, for the fifth squad, that night had a festive atmosphere.

“We can’t just let today pass by, right? Honestly, we should throw a party.”

“I agree with Corporal An Min-tae. Junmo and I will go to the PX right away!”

Having flawlessly executed the special operation strategy and received tremendous rewards from the commander, with six squad members being promoted to D-class, and Lee Hyunwook being specially promoted to sergeant, they couldn’t just overlook such a series of happy events.

The opinions of all the squad members, except for Lee Hyunwook, converged, and thus a feast consisting of frozen food, snacks, and sodas was arranged.

“Is this what they call skyrocketing to success?”

“No kid, it’s being carried by the scruff of the neck!”

“Ah! Right, you’re absolutely right! This is all thanks to Corporal – no, Sergeant Lee Hyunwook’s carry!”

The squad members were more vibrant and harmonious than ever.

As if only good things remained ahead, they ate and chatted for a few hours.

However, all of Lee Hyunwook’s focus couldn’t help but be elsewhere.

‘This cannot be the last party.’

He sneakily glanced at the clock.

‘Finally, tomorrow, 23:59, just before midnight…’

The great disaster that will soon plunge Seoul into hell, the fourth wave, is about to begin.

He began to stoke the ‘internal furnace’ one last time.

* * *

At that moment…

In an office building overlooking the city’s night view, where faint classic music was playing, a middle-aged man dressed in a white suit was standing by the window making a phone call somewhere.

“…”

Despite the seemingly majestic atmosphere of this place, there was an inexplicable sense of unease lingering.

And one of the reasons was the large shepherd sitting next to the man’s feet.

Grrrrr…

It was because that fellow seemed ready to charge at any moment, baring its teeth as it glared at something.

“Grr, grrrr…”

Where the shepherd was looking, someone was lying down.

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A young man,

He was in a state where his eyes and mouth were covered, and his hands and feet were tied.

“…Ah, yes, I understand.”

At that moment, the call connected, and the middle-aged man in a white suit turned around and walked toward his desk.

-Guild MASTER: Ki Baek-jun

The nameplate on the desk revealed his identity.

This man was Ki Baek-jun, the master of the Taesan Guild, which is ranked third in the South Korean guild hierarchy.

“…Yes, that’s correct. It seems that the ‘Candidate’ who had the role of ‘Procurement Agent’ this time was quite incompetent. Yes, yes, I am essentially seeing this as a failure and preparing for follow-up measures.”

Many items were hanging on one side of the wall, and in the center, an ogre was fully stuffed and mounted.

It wasn’t just any ogre, but an ‘Ogre Chieftain’ wearing a crown made of wood.

“…Yes, I am well aware that the ‘key’ that we should have received from the ‘Architect of Evil’ this time is very important for our future plans, serving as one of the pillars for completing the empire. …Yes, we absolutely have to find it. After all, whoever ends up holding it wouldn’t know what it is used for. Yes, we are mobilizing all our manpower to monitor it in case it appears on the ‘black market’.”

He operated his tablet PC, and a photo appeared on the screen.

The background of the photo was seemingly the kitchen of some restaurant.

All sorts of bone fragments scattered on the floor, along with pieces of wood burned by fire…

“The petty thief probably uses fire as a weapon; it seems like we will be able to identify them.”

The place in the photo was inside a franchise hamburger shop within the Seoul Station premises.

In other words, it was where a gate had opened not long ago.

“Ah, I already investigated the station security team. It doesn’t seem to be from there. Considering the AMT rescue team joined a bit late, I suspect the thief might be from there.”

He then opened a map.

“…And in many ways, that Namsan’s AMT 1st Battalion, it’s been bothering me lately. This time, I plan to induce about 3 gates to open at the start of the wave tomorrow and send a few employees there to sweep them off at the very beginning. What do you think, sound good? Yes, I am also hoping that we might find that key somewhere amid the pile of corpses.”

At that moment, something he heard over the phone made Ki Baek-jun’s eyebrows twitch.

Crack-

The screen of the tablet PC he was holding distorted and broke like a spider web.

“Hahaha… How are they supposed to hide the item? It’s not like they can swallow it like some contraband, besides, they don’t even know what kind of item it is. Hahaha… Yes, don’t worry.”

He was naturally laughing, but his expression wasn’t smiling at all.

“Yes, Chairman, you don’t have to worry about the matters in Korea. Yes, I will contact you next time.”

He hung up the phone and ran his fingers through his hair.

Then, with a blank expression, he whistled.

Whoosh-

At that moment, the shepherd dashed out with a kick on the floor.

“Urp! Ur-urp!”

The target was, of course, the man tied on the ground.

But something strange happened.

The shepherd’s body began to swell and started to transform into a grotesque shape.

Kra-a-ack!

Soon, it became a massive beast capable of swallowing a human in a single bite, no longer just a dog.

“Urp! Urp! Urp!”

Its late dinner began.

Crunch! Crunch-Crunch!

However, Ki Baek-jun did not even cast a glance at the horrific scene unfolding in his room.

He leaned back in his chair, lost in thought for a moment.

Then, the intercom on the desk lit up.

―Master, the five slaughterers have arrived.

“Tell them to come in.”

The door opened and a total of five men and women entered.

However, the atmosphere they exuded was extremely foreign.

Could it be said that they were like corpses? Their skin was pale and their eyes were murky.

Yes, there was a chilling feeling as if they were not from this world.

“There’s something I need the five of you slaughterers to do.”

“Yes, Master, command us.”

At Ki Baek-jun’s gesture, the woman standing in the center approached.

Following Ki Baek-jun’s gaze, she picked up the tablet PC that was on the desk.

On the screen, broken like a spider web, a map of Namsan was displayed.

“Infiltrate there, and ensure nothing breathes with the start of the wave.”

“Do we have discretion over the method?”

“Hmm… do you want to turn them into ‘kin’?”

“Yes, that is correct.”

The woman grinned slightly.

“Do it as you see fit. And then after that…”

Ki Baek-jun stood up from his chair and walked to the window.

“…Spread that death across all of Seoul.”

“Yes, understood.”

“In the new map of South Korea to be published in the new year, Seoul should be absent.”

* * *

“Yep, grandma, did you have dinner?”

In Dormitory 5, Park Junmo was on a call with someone.

“I’m naturally eating well and doing well, so don’t worry and take care of your health first.”

Every day at this time, he made a well-being call to his grandmother, who was his only family.

Normally, he would just ask how she was in a somewhat subdued state, but now he was very cheerful.

The reason was simple.

“Grandma, I think I’m going to earn a lot of money this time by distinguishing myself! Yep, it’s a reward given by the country.”

It was because he had earned money to spend on his grandmother.

“Yep, let’s go buy new winter shoes for grandma the next time I have a vacation! And also replace that bothersome boiler… No, no, I really earned enough to not be burdened by that at

all. How are you planning to endure with a boiler that keeps leaking when winter is soon? Ha… Wearing three pairs of socks at home?”

Park Junmo’s voice momentarily grew louder, after which he turned his head and glanced around.

In the innermost bed, Lee Hyunwook was sleeping with a blanket over his head.

The seniors of Unit 5 did not mind the youngest making calls inside the dormitory.

On the contrary, they would tell him not to be unnecessarily self-conscious and to not make calls too quietly.

But seeing him sleep as if dead, one couldn’t help but be concerned…

‘And, it seems like there is something hurting…’

Lee Hyunwook had been feverish since last night, his face reddened and he even broke out in cold sweat.

“No, the seniors have been really kind, it all worked out well thanks to the seniors this time too.”

At that moment, Lee Hyunwook slowly got up.

“…Grandma, wait a moment, just wait a bit.”

Park Junmo put down his phone and approached Lee Hyunwook.

“Um, Corporal Lee Hy- no, Sergeant, do you feel unwell anywhere?”

Lee Hyunwook shook his head with a blank expression.

“Early this morning, we have duty together, should we find a substitute?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Yes, understood.”

Lee Hyunwook stared into space for a while.

It wasn’t because he was feeling unwell, but he was checking the system messages.

Halting the operation of the internal furnace.

Last night, he had once again operated his internal furnace to its maximum capacity to absorb metals.

As a result…

[ Current controllable ‘metal’ weight: 39,399g ]

-Mana (371/371)

-Holy Power Release Stage 2 is under production. (11%)

He was able to attain various increases in abilities.

Especially the last line, reaching the second stage of Holy Power release was accompanied by a special change.

[ Congratulations! Meeting special conditions grants you a new ‘skill’ ]

A new skill had been created.

[Skill Information]

-Name: Aura (Saint)

-Grade: D

-Effect: Consumes mana (10) to grant a specific weapon the ‘Aura (Saint)’.

Swallowing a certain amount of ‘metal imbued with Holy Power’ will enhance the skill grade.

‘Lucky, it fits perfectly.’

Aura, a word similar to Aura, had a slightly different usage.

It referred to a technique to strengthen a weapon by injecting ‘mana’ into it, also referred to as Sword Qi.

In other words, it was a skill that could grant Holy Power to a weapon.

He had swallowed metal containing Holy Power from the beginning to obtain this skill.

“Grandma, anyway, I will be on leave the week after next, so I will arrange for the boiler to be installed then! Just know that!”

Lee Hyunwook looked at Park Junmo, who was on the phone.

He has a leave next month….

Regrettably, he won’t be able to go out.

At that moment, the door of the living quarters opened.

“…No, honestly, spicy chicken dumplings offer the best value for money.”

“Anyway, you dumpling rookie, you still don’t know what to eat! Cream udon topped with Big Farm, okay?”

An Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong entered noisily, discussing loudly as they turned on the TV.

“Hey, change it to something other than the news.”

“Oh, wait, let’s watch this for a moment.”

“…Up next in the news. We reported yesterday afternoon on suspicions arising that the Sword Saint assassin, Okita Kaito, has smuggled himself into Busan Port. Today, a large-scale pursuit team centered around the police has been formed to catch Okita Kaito. We have reporter Kim Ki-tae at the scene?”

“Wow… why the hell has that bastard come into our country again?”

An Min-tae spoke with a voice mixed with irritation.

“Didn’t that Kaito bastard brag on a Japanese internet broadcast that he single-handedly slew the previous Sword Saint and that the Sword Saint title doesn’t suit a small and weak country like Korea?”

“Oh, is that really true? I heard it was a rumor.”

“…I don’t know, that’s what they say? I don’t know, but he is a bad bastard, that’s for sure.”

“Sword Saint” was a title denoting the strongest among players who wield swords.

Originally, the first Sword Saint was a Korean named Kuk Pyo-seong, who was ranked 4th in the Korean rankings.

However, while on a business trip to Japan, he was killed in a hotel in Kyoto by a criminal player internationally wanted for unlawful activities, also known as the ‘Red Player’, Okita Kaito.

Since then, Okita Kaito effectively came to hold the title of Sword Saint, although in Korea he was referred to by the name ‘Sword Saint Assassin’, owing to a matter of national pride that was at stake.

And a few years later, Choi Young-jun would defeat Okita Kaito and reclaim the title of Sword Saint.

‘Okita Kaito, he is a villain as expected. That is to say, his movement must be related to the Fourth Wave.’

Lee Hyunwook thought so.

He now understood that bringing the Sword Saint Assassin, Okita Kaito, to step on Korean soil was also a cornerstone to successfully instigate the Fourth Wave.

“Because of that incident, Kim Kang-seok will temporarily leave the troop.”

Kim Kang-seok, a druid player known as the mountain soldier of Namsan, controlled various ‘beasts’ with transcendent senses.

Therefore, he would be dispatched for a few days to track down Okita Kaito.

Meaning, the strongest force of the 1st battalion was currently absent.

‘Their plans have been proceeding without hindrance, while the Guardian has always been one step behind.’

It couldn’t be helped.

Several core components of the Guardian were faulty, causing malfunctions….

‘However, by tomorrow, their plan will be slightly distorted.’

As Lee Hyunwook thought so, he swallowed a steel bead enchanted with holy power.

“Lee Hyunwook, the grand sergeant! Aren’t you training today?”

An Min-tae asked as he changed into his battle dress.

“Ah, I’m planning to take it easy today.”

“Hmm, what happened? You seem a bit tired, are you not feeling well? Ah, didn’t you overdo it at the party yesterday? That’s why you should moderate….”

“No, I’m fine. Shut up.”

“Yes!”

[ The internal furnace is activated, drastically increasing the efficiency of metal absorption (+200%) ]

He was indeed tired, but he had to pull up everything until the last moment.

* * *

The second shift of border patrol duty is called the worst shift.

You have to get up again just after you’ve fallen asleep, having turned off the lights for bedtime at 10 p.m.

However, Lee Hyunwook asked the administrative soldier to deliberately assign him to work during that time period.

Because the only way to be armed during this time frame was through “border patrol duty.”

Thus, Lee Hyunwook and Park Junmo were climbing the mountain as night fell.

Lee Hyunwook was more heavily armed than usual.

He carried a K2C1 rifle, and on his back, he equipped the Sword of the Cloud and KG19, a total of two swords.

He also hung ‘Failnaught’ and three steel beads on his waist.

It might be a bit excessive, but this was just a portion of his myriad weapons.

“Park Junmo, is your leave the week after next?”

“Ah, yes, I applied for it last month.”

“If you talk about your merits when you go home this time, your family will be extremely proud, won’t they?”

At that, Park Junmo nodded with a smile.

“Ah, yes! So, I am already excited!”

“Yeah, you look very much so.”

“Haha! Actually, up until now, I feel like I have only shown my grandmother a lifeless appearance all the time. So, my grandmother has always been anxious, fearing that I might go astray. To the extent that I feel it might be a kind of unfilial behavior, I have caused her great worry.”

“Why did you do that?”

“I think… I was dissatisfied with myself.”

Lee Hyunwook could understand what that felt like.

Those overwhelmed by a sense of deprivation that they can’t improve make even the people around them unhappy.

“Ah! But now, thanks to Corporal Lee Hyunwook, my thoughts have changed, and it seems like I can finally be a little proud in front of my grandmother. Hahaha… Thank you so much.”

Saying so and then feeling shy, he scratched his cheek.

Lee Hyunwook felt bitter as he listened to the guy’s words.

‘Park Junmo…’

If things go as planned, Park Junmo will die tomorrow.

Therefore, he never fully realizes how much potential his abilities have.

And he never gets to fulfill his desire to be filial to his grandmother in the way he wishes.

“Park Junmo. If you want to be filial, you know that you have to first live a healthy and long life, right?”

“Ah… Of course. Because we are doing a dangerous job, yes.”

“In order to do that, you always have to be vigilant and strive to survive.”

Lee Hyunwook said that and looked up at the sky.

The night sky was pitch black, but he discovered that within it, there was a purple alien sensation swirling around.

It was one of the signs of a wave.

“…It seems like it will rain.”

“Eh? Rain, you say? Um, there was no mention of it in the weather forecast.”

Lee Hyunwook silently checked his wristwatch.

23:45,

…14 minutes left.