A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 45: Seoul, City of the 4th Wave

< Chapter 45. Seoul, City of the 4th Wave – 3 >

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At 7:15 PM, the Steel Battalion arrived at Dongdaemun Station on Line 1.

The distance from where they had previously fought wasn't that far, but because they had to guide as many as 814 isolated civilians from the Jangchung-dong Community Center, it took some time.

Fortunately, no monsters appeared on the way there.

They had encountered "siren zombies" and managed to eliminate all the zombies in the area, thanks to which their path was clear.

"Place the civilians in the middle of this road, and block the alley entrances with vehicles. Over—"

To protect the civilians from any unexpected attacks, they blocked all alleys.

The AMT troops and Lee Jung-jun's team positioned themselves around the civilians to ensure maximum protection.

Meanwhile, Lee Hyunwook was looking at the entrance of the Dongdaemun Station shelter. Generally, a shelter entrance would be within the subway, so from the outside, it looked just like any other subway entrance.

"Mr. Lee Jung-jun, is that the exit over there?”

"Yes, if you go down there, you’ll directly connect to the shelter entrance.”

This Dongdaemun Station shelter had the capacity to accommodate 8,000 people for 3 days. If they utilized the entire station, they could hold up to 12,000 people for 2 days.

When Lee Jung-jun's team arrived, about 2,000 people were already there, so there was still plenty of space.

“An Min-tae, take the kids and check that exit.”

"Yes, understood. … Everyone heard? Let's go!”

All exits of Dongdaemun Station were blocked by a mana barrier.

If someone was willing to open it, there should have been people there.

Soon enough, a message came from An Min-tae's side, stating that no one was there.

‘That means they have no intention to open it.’

Then, two mage players—communications soldiers—approached Lee Hyunwook.

They were ready to operate the ‘Mana Messenger.’

"Then, I’ll begin mana communication.”

Through mana, they could send voice messages to nearby Mana Messengers.

Multiple Mana Messengers should also be equipped in the Dongdaemun shelter.

"Ah, we are AMT. We are currently protecting multiple civilians and wish to enter the shelter. There are no threats nearby. Dongdaemun Station shelter, please respond immediately. Over—"

The communications soldier sent the message, but… there was no response.

"Try again.”

However, despite multiple attempts, no reply came back.

‘So they have no intention to even converse… Lee Jung-jun was right; they are pretty stubborn.’

Then Lee Jung-jun sighed and looked frustrated.

"…They are definitely inside. They are probably ignoring us on purpose.”

Lee Jung-jun expressed strong mistrust towards those people.

It was understandable.

He and his comrades risked their lives to save others, but those inside were willing to sacrifice others to save themselves.

It couldn't be more abhorrent…

"Communications soldier, hand me the Mana Messenger.”

"Yes, here it is!”

Lee Hyunwook decided to send a slightly different message.

"Ah, this is the AMT operation commander. If there is no response, we will forcefully break through the magical barrier and enter for the sake of civilian safety. In 5 minutes, the forced entry will commence. Over—"

The message that was sent by Lee Hyunwook was noticeably different from the message that the communication soldier sent.

It had elements of casual speech, arrogance, and notification,

Yes, it definitely contained an implicit threat.

Lee Jung-jun looked at this nervously.

Lee Hyunwook was the type of man who would never back down.

And the people on the other side were also not the type to easily give in.

‘A clash is inevitable…

A volatile situation was bound to happen.

Five minutes quickly passed by.

Still, no response came.

"…5 minutes are up. Prepare the Living Armor and the Aether Drill."

At Lee Hyunwook's words, four Living Armor suits activated,

And then three soldiers took something out of the truck.

Aether Drill, an extremely expensive magical engineering item specialized for penetrating magical barriers.

Though there was only one per battalion, the Steel Battalion brought it for this operation.

“…Are we really going to break through?”

Sub-unit leader, Corporal Kim Se-hee, asked that.

“Yes, we will break through. Please get the tanks ready to enter from the rear.”

"But… do we have to? If we follow this road a little further, there’s another shelter. I understand the stubbornness of the people in there, but I'm not sure if it’s a good idea to spend time here.”

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She made her opinion as a sub-unit leader, and her words certainly had a point.

It was wasteful to create conflict and spend time here.

They only had 4 days left, there was no time to lose.

"That’s true, but there’s another zombie troll nearby. If that thing shows up, things will get complicated. Especially now that we have civilians.”

"Ah… I see…”

Lee Hyunwook's explanation was plausible, but his real intentions were different.

‘Right below us… the first point of erosion is there.’

A phenomenon called erosion is changing the Earth into another dimension. And the points where the erosion starts, known as "erosion factors," one of the four was stirring right below this land.

‘In the future, this place will completely transform and the Dongdaemun Station will become the entrance to a labyrinth.’

A labyrinth is a ‘massive dungeon’ that often appears in erosion zones.

Monsters are generated endlessly not inside gates, but in reality. These monsters spread throughout Seoul using its complex subway system.

That was Seoul’s future.

‘Until the time when the army’s Holy Knight Division takes over, just the monsters that will emerge here will exceed a million and the estimated casualties will reach hundreds of thousands.’

Lee Hyunwook intended to descend into that dark underground today with his forces, to burn the seed of hell and stop the impending disaster ahead of time.

‘And… what I can find here is not just the erosion factor.’

Removing the erosion factor naturally means obtaining a special item.

Lee Hyunwook remembered the list of items that could be obtained during the 4th wave.

‘My second favorite weapon is sleeping right here.’

At the time, the weapon falls into the hands of a villain, but later Lee Hyunwook defeats that villain and claims it for himself.

And that weapon, to Lee Hyunwook, was the one that maximized his abilities the most.

If Knight Tristan's ‘Failnaught' serves as a ‘portable weapon' for auxiliary use, then the ‘sword' lying below is an enormously large ‘primary weapon'… no, it was something beyond that.

It was absolutely essential to secure it.

‘If I can get that first, it will be easier to handle the other erosion factors.’

It was then.

"Chirp— Someone's coming out of exit 5!"

It was a transmission from An Min-tae's side.

Whether it was because of Lee Hyunwook’s message or not, a response had finally come.

"…Alright, I'm going there now."

Lee Hyunwook approached the exit with Kim Se-hee and Lee Jung-jun.

By now, a few people had come out of the shelter and stepped out of the mana barrier.

However, a large man was shouting something at An Min-tae.

"What the hell is going on here? Why are so many people showing up so suddenly?!"

"Ah, well, you should be talking to our commander about that, who is coming shortly…"

"Who is this commander? Tell me! I might know them!"

The man was armed with a shield and a greatsword. He was a player.

However, he was not in uniform but in civilian clothes, suggesting that he wasn’t part of the shelter’s security force.

Lee Jung-jun identified who they were.

"That person is Gong Ik-tae, the bootlicker of our guild master and the chief bodyguard for that congressman. Ah, he got fired a few hours ago, so I guess he’s no longer my master… tsk—"

That man, Gong Ik-tae, turned his head and seemed to recognize Lee Jung-jun’s group, scowling at them.

His eyes were full of malice. His abrasive personality was evident at first glance.

"Mr. Lee Jung-jun, stay behind. It doesn’t look like anything good will come out of a face-to-face meeting."

"Yes, he's a troublesome guy who spews nonsense indiscriminately. An unlucky fellow…"

As Lee Hyunwook approached, Gong Ik-tae folded his arms and looked over at him.

"I’m the AMT operation commander. I'd like to meet the person in charge of shelter security."

Instead of answering, Gong Ik-tae sized up Lee Hyunwook from head to toe.

Then, he chuckled softly and opened his mouth.

"Hey, what's your rank?"

Huh? What’s with this arrogant attitude…

Lee Hyunwook hid his displeasure and silently looked at him.

Then, Gong Ik-tae chuckled again.

"Don't get so cocky. I'm asking because I was once an AMT officer. I was discharged as a major about three years ago, so I'm quite the senior, aren't I? Let's exchange ranks and get to the point. Got a problem with that?"

The moment Gong Ik-tae started making such foolish remarks, Lee Hyunwook felt that there was no need for an extended conversation.

"I want to meet the shelter's person in charge right now."

Lee Hyunwook looked down the stairs, at the subway station entrance where two men were guarding.

"Hey, kid, I just asked you. What's your rank? Maybe a captain? But you seem to have too many troops for a captain. Did all your superiors die or something?"

"Right now, nearly a thousand civilians are exposed to danger. Let's talk about that later. Please open the shelter entrance according to regulations so civilians can take refuge."

"Ah… regulations, yes, regulations… drives me crazy."

The man chuckled as he scratched his head.

"Hey, young guy, you know about the Wave? The disaster that obliterated California overnight. Huh? Know it? Or are you too young to remember?"

He was belittling the concept of regulations. Profanity and threats spewed from his mouth. Yet Lee Hyunwook didn't even blink.

"Monopolizing a public shelter is a serious crime. This is your first warning. Open the shelter."

At the warning, cracks began to appear over Gong Ik-tae's feigned smile.

"…Warning? Do you know who you're talking to?"

Gong Ik-tae threatened, but Lee Hyunwook took another step forward, heightening the tension.

An Min-tae tightly gripped his shield, and Gong Ik-tae's subordinates slightly raised their weapons as well.

It seemed like a clash was imminent.

"…"

After a brief silence, Lee Hyunwook spoke.

"This is your second warning. Move aside now."

Gong Ik-tae's face twisted menacingly.

"What will you do if we don't? You're going to force your way in with mana messengers? Thought you were important, so I came out to see what the fuss was about, and you're nothing special."

"…"

"I was an AMT major. Do you think I don't know your level? You think you can break through the shelter by making a fuss? I know better than you!"

As these harsh words filled the air, everyone's hearts raced.

The players from both sides glared at each other.

As if they were each picking out an opponent…

Then, Lee Hyunwook grinned, an expression completely out of sync with the tense atmosphere.

"Well, that's two warnings done."

"…What?"

"According to regulations, I'm now authorized to kill."

"What the fu—"

In the next moment, Lee Hyunwook’s right hand gripped Gong Ik-tae’s neck,

And lifted him into the air before slamming him to the ground.

It happened in an instant.

No one noticed, but Lee Hyunwook's arms were ‘strengthened.’

"…Damn it!"

The 5 players who had been standing behind Gong Ik-tae drew their weapons.

At that moment, a gust of wind blew, and someone was standing behind them.

Four daggers were pointed at the necks of two archer players.

It was Kim Se-hee, and she was controlling the daggers with her wind spirits.

"Be careful, I sharpened these this morning. A slight press and I can slice through your esophagus and windpipe. If you don’t believe me, I can demonstrate on one person—”

In that instant, Gong Ik-tae's group was subdued.

Lee Hyunwook used his foot to pin Gong Ik-tae’s thigh to immobilize him.

"Ugh—"

Lee Hyunwook's foot was strengthened and filled with the power to control metal, applying pressure beyond his body weight.

"In the event of a Gate emergence, there are two immediate actions a ‘Control Authority' can take when their lawful instructions are violated. Arrest or kill—"

"That's for me to decide, but what you say next will greatly influence my decision."

Lee Hyunwook was always calm, but he really despised this type of person.

He had seen countless lives lost every time these kind of people spread their wings.

‘They are unnecessary in every way.'

The last scene he witnessed in his past life was the devastating collapse of Seoul.

The city had barely recovered from the 4th Wave only to be ultimately destroyed.

That could not happen again.

“Ugh, hey! You, do you know who I serve? Can you handle the consequences later?”

At that low-level threat, Lee Hyunwook chuckled.

"As you just said, it’s the Wave right now. It's not strange for anyone to die anywhere."

"Grrr…"

"And you do know that wasn't a good response, right?"

Gong Ik-tae turned pale at that.

As Lee Hyunwook said, the Wave zone was practically a situation where humanity’s surveillance system and public order were suspended.

Even if a murder occurred, it would be recorded as death by monsters amid the chaos.

No, they probably wouldn’t even find the body…

Suddenly, large armored figures began walking up behind Lee Hyunwook.

Four Living Armors, holding 3-meter-long spears, stood tall behind him.

They stared at Gong Ik-tae, who was lying on the ground as if they were executioners.

Facing that menacing gaze, his body started to tremble uncontrollably.

It was then.

"…Uh, wait a moment!”

Someone yelled like that and rushed up the stairs from the underground entrance.

With neatly combed hair, a well-tailored suit, and even a gold badge, he looked like an important person.

He extended both hands to stop Lee Hyunwook.

"Ah, I'm not quite sure what's going on here, but I don't think there's any need for this! In such a dangerous situation, isn't it better for the citizens to band together?”

"……"

"I am Congressman Park Gil-sang."

Ah, according to Lee Jung-joon, this man was the actual leader of this group.

Therefore, all this commotion would have been orchestrated by him.

‘So, he was watching from inside, and when things didn't go his way, he changed tactics.'

He approached Lee Hyunwook with an affable smile.

"Commander, this man works under me. Could we perhaps put this matter to rest?"

Lee Hyunwook lifted his foot that had been pinning Gong Ik-tae.

Park Gil-sang then helped Gong Ik-tae stand up and began to scold him.

"Ah, what is wrong with you! I told you to go out and handle this properly!”

"Yes? Uh, Congressman…"

"Ah, I knew you were a bit foolish, but I didn’t expect you to be this bad! Goodness…”

Gong Ik-tae was embarrassed.

Park Gil-sang looked at Lee Hyunwook again and gave another affable smile.

"Come on, night will fall soon. We should get the civilians into the shelter, shouldn't we?”

As if, of course, that had been his intention all along.

* * *

The interior of the Dongdaemun Station shelter was like any ordinary subway station. However, if you follow the evacuation signs during a Gate emergence, you'll encounter an overwhelmingly large iron door.

‘It's a 15cm thick protective door made of various magical alloys.'

That was the ‘Shelter.'

Constructed 8 years ago through a large-scale ‘Shelter Creation Project' in a joint effort between the public and private sectors, it was a magical space,

A bomb shelter that could withstand most monsters as long as there was sufficient mana supply.

“Okay, there’s still plenty of space inside the shelter. Line up and enter at a leisurely pace.”

Park Gil-sang guided the civilians and made such an unnecessary comment.

He was obviously trying to maintain an image of being a good person.

Meanwhile, Lee Hyunwook was conversing with the ‘Station Security Force,' who were dressed in blue uniforms like the police.

Normally they guarded the station, but during a Gate emergence, they managed the shelter.

"I'd like to verify a few things. Are all the entrances, including the ventilation, properly sealed?”

"Yes, we couldn't deploy troops separately, but the magical barrier is working well."

"Would it be alright if we double-checked it, just to be sure?”

"Ah, yes, of course. We would be grateful, actually. Um, and…"

The head of the security forces looked at Park Gil-sang and whispered in a low voice.

"… Not opening the shelter door was definitely not our intention. We deeply apologize."

"Yes, I understand."

It was an obvious picture. They had caved in under the pressure of the golden badge.

Lee Hyunwook instructed Kim Se-hee and An Min-tae to inspect various places around the station.

Meanwhile, he himself was scanning the people scattered inside the shelter.

Because…

‘There's a villain in here.'

A Traitor.

‘He grows immensely right here.'

If things go as they are supposed to, the civilians who have taken refuge in this shelter would be annihilated.

That’s because the Traitor villain uses the erosion factor lurking in this underground space as as his tool.

In this way, villains were scattered all over the Wave Zones, facilitating the erosion of Seoul.

While Lee Hyunwook was scanning each person…

Woong~

He suddenly felt some sort of vibration.

It was from his pocket.

‘What is this?’

He had two items in his pocket.

The ‘Second Key of the Akashic Weapon Vault’ he obtained by disrupting a villain quest during the Unlucky Event at Seoul Station, and the ‘Secret Key (Event)’ he just acquired by defeating a zombie troll.

The item vibrating was the slightly larger ‘Secret Key (Event).’

The meaning of this vibration…

‘Right, it's a hint.’

Clearly, it meant that a ‘treasure chest’ that could be opened with this key was nearby.

It seemed that he could gain something else besides that ‘main weapon' in here.

Lee Hyunwook moved slightly to find the point where the vibration intensified.

And not far from there, he found a spot where the pattern of the vibration changed strangely.

‘It’s here.’

It was a storage locker.

And when he pulled out the Secret Key in front of it, one of them glowed gold.

[ You have discovered a Treasure Chest (Event)! ]

‘I’ve found luck in hell.’

And it was certainly not a small fortune.