A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 52: Heroes of Seoul

< Chapter 52. Heroes of Seoul – 1 >

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BOOM!

Amidst the roaring sound of the explosions, Lee Hyunwook stood tall on both feet.

The villains stared blankly at him.

"……."

How on earth was he able to break free from those thick ropes?

And where did that spear that pierced through those two orcs come from?

Many questions lingered, but there wasn't time to ponder them now.

Because they felt that man was no ordinary being.

“…Damn, activate the Ring!”

Following Choi Minseong's shout, a bald man wearing a leather jacket clasped his hands together.

Then, a golden light burst from his body,

Forming a semi-transparent sphere in the surrounding 10㎡ space.

Vroom—!

[The ‘Duel Field’ has been activated in this area.]

-The area will be isolated from the outside for 300 seconds.

"The Ring, it's activated.”

The Duel Field, commonly known as the ‘Ring’, was a martial artist-type skill.

Its purpose was to ‘enclose’ a certain space and beat up the trapped opponent.

Meanwhile, the spear of Achilles, thrown by Lee Hyunwook, was currently stuck outside that space, in the bodies of the orcs.

Lee Hyunwook tried pulling it,

Whiff—

But as expected, he couldn't bring it inside because of the semi-transparent Duel Field.

“Wow… where the hell did you get that spear from?”

“Thanks to Mr. Lee Hyunwook kindly revealing his abilities, I took the liberty to clear out all the metal fragments and be prepared… but you still had a hidden trick up your sleeve. Hahaha… You're always one step ahead.”

"……."

"But, that spear… You can't pull out another one, can you? That's the only one?"

Although Choi Minseong still spoke confidently, he no longer approached Lee Hyunwook.

He didn't rule out the possibility that Lee Hyunwook might have something else hidden.

Moreover, he noticed the strange phenomenon occurring around Lee Hyunwook’s body.

Skin that transformed like armor, and the energy surrounding it…

At a glance, he could tell it wasn't a simple defensive skill.

"Ah? You once said your type is control, so you're physically weak… Was that a lie too?"

With an incredulous expression, Choi Minseong clasped his head.

"But, even so, you, a control type, want to fight one against four in this confined space?"

With that, all four villains drew their weapons.

It seemed their weapons hadn't been confiscated during the kidnapping, as there wasn't a single metal weapon.

"Hehehe—! Isn't the situation getting more interesting?"

The first to charge was the seemingly crazed woman, Park Ji-hyeon.

She lunged over her two comrades and thrust a dagger made of bone toward Lee Hyunwook with a grinning snarl so wide it threatened to rip her cheeks open.

"Die—!"

Her movements were incredibly fast and rabid, resembling more like a cat or a hunting animal than a human.

But then…

CRACKLE!

"Ahgagagaga—!”

From somewhere, a blue whip flew in and wrapped around the woman's body.

Just like that, she plummeted and hit the ground head-first, her body convulsing violently.

"It's 4 against 2! I'm here too, you a**holes—!"

It was Park Junmo.

Both of his arms were still tied behind his back, but the current that extended from his palms was elongating and moving like a long tail. Clearly, his control over the current was improving day by day.

"Damn it! What are you all doing? Kill him now!”

Choi Minseong shouted and launched a ‘Magic Missile'.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

Six projectiles homed in on Lee Hyunwook and Park Junmo like guided missiles.

“Damn it—!”

Park Junmo spread out his electric whip like a net, neutralizing two of the Magic Missiles.

On the other hand, Lee Hyunwook simply stood still.

Thud—thud—thud—thump—

The Magic Missiles hit, but they seemingly evaporated around him.

"What, what's going on?”

He was enveloped in a thick ‘Mana Shield’.

Having absorbed ‘Orichalcon' in the meantime, his magic resistance was upgraded too along with the durability of the armor and mana shield.

Then, the bald man charged forward, raising a wooden club towards Lee Hyunwook's head.

"Damn— Try and block this!"

A crimson energy was swirling at the tip.

‘It's a weapon enhancement skill.’

Given this, it wasn't just a simple wooden club, but more like a heavy mace.

Lee Hyunwook focused on hardening his left arm, lifted his elbow, and collided with it.

Crack—!

With a fierce sound of impact, it was the club that broke.

"There, blocked it."

“…The fuck?"

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The man hesitated for a moment in his confusion.

That was a foolish move.

As always, Lee Hyunwook didn't miss the opportunity.

His left leg shot towards the man's neck.

Snap—

With all the controllable weight behind the Brazilian kick, the man's cervical spine shattered with that strike.

"This damn bastard—!”

Lee Hyunwook spun around, preparing a ‘Counter Back Kick’ towards the bald man who was diving into his zone. However, seeming to have read the movement, the man jumped backward.

“Whew… Seems like you know a bit of martial arts?”

The man seemed to have recognized Lee Hyunwook's close combat skills, raised his hands in a guard position, and said,

"It's been a while since I've taken a proper stance for a fight, huh? Ha!”

In a split second, the man closed the distance and jabbed twice with his lead hand—his left.

As Lee Hyunwook took a step back, the man threw a straight punch with his rear hand—his right hand.

However, instead of dodging, Lee Hyunwook caught the punch flying towards his face as if gripping it tightly.

Crack—

"…Oh, caught it?"

"No, I'm going to crush it."

"What?"

Snap—!

"Aaargh—!"

Truly, the man's fist crumbled like a boiled potato.

Unseen on the surface, sharp spikes had emerged from Lee Hyunwook's palm. He then twisted his wrist dramatically, further contorting the man's fist in a brutal manner.

Crackle—!

"Ughhh…"

Towards the man who was in a daze, sobbing in pain and gurgling incoherently, Lee

Hyunwook swung his right hand.

Swoosh—Slash—!

Sharp claws scratched across the neck.

That was the end.

It took less than 30 seconds for the two men to fall.

"Ah, ah…"

Choi Minseong, who was preparing his next spell while confronting Park Junmo, looked utterly stunned.

He had sensed that there was no chance of victory from watching the brief skirmish.

Lee Hyunwook approached him.

"Where is the barrier generating object?"

"Screw you, I'm not telling…"

Before he could even finish his best response, Lee Hyunwook slashed his throat too.

A swift execution, without even a half-beat's hesitation.

"Ghuh—?"

Perhaps it was unexpected for him, as he wore an expression of disbelief before collapsing forward listlessly.

‘Unnecessary banter is not good.’

The reason being, that the leader, Choi Minseong, could possibly chant a ‘Group Suicide Spell'.

Villains put various ‘safety mechanisms' on their organization members to maintain secrecy.

Just like the previously mentioned Five Slaughterers, they had the ‘Latent Spell’ that destroys the brain. Individuals like Ki Baek-jun and Choi Minseong, loyal team leaders of the organization, possessed the activation rights for such spells.

In other words, if you take out these types of people first, you can interrogate their subordinates.

"Ugh, ugh…"

The woman Park Junmo had knocked out, Park Ji-hyeon, twitched and groaned.

Lee Hyunwook gripped her throat and lifted her up.

—Choke!

"Pull yourself together, you're the only one left."

"…Please, spare me!"

At her plea, Lee Hyunwook nodded.

"If you cooperate, of course, I'll spare you."

"Is that… true?"

Judging by her frantic behavior, she appeared to be somewhat shallow in thought.

Meaning, she was a good candidate for manipulation.

"Yes, we are soldiers protecting the country. We have absolutely no intention of needless killing."

"Okay, okay, but first, could you let go of my hand…?"

Sometimes, a benevolent lie was necessary.

If you're bound by morals, you can't beat the villains who are outside of said morals and laws.

A short while later, Lee Hyunwook and Park Junmo tore open all the prison doors and let the people out.

Their number easily looked to be about two hundred.

"Now, everyone, shh— Stay calm and follow our instructions."

Park Junmo led them and gathered them in one place.

Most were in a state of panic, but fortunately, no one acted rashly.

‘Soon, Kim Se-hee will arrive leading the rescue team.’

Lee Hyunwook had, in fact, ordered the rest of the troops, excluding the 15 present, to stand by nearby.

Once the aerial bombardment was over, they were instructed to storm into the department store.

This was the third plan, unknown even to the Taesan Guild and other players.

Lee Hyunwook had plotted all of this even before making contact with the Taesan Guild.

“Park Junmo, you'll stay here and protect the civilians while waiting for the rescue team.”

"Yes, understood!”

"And those terrorists, you know there are a few more, right? Be cautious."

There were six people who identified themselves as the Taesan Guild. Four entered here with him, but the other two remained behind. Additionally, one more was disguising himself as a member of a different guild, which Lee Hyunwook discovered by interrogating Park Ji-hyeon.

In other words, three more needed to be dealt with.

"Ah, yes! I'll be careful.”

"Then, I'll destroy the barrier device and head straight to the rooftop.”

"Yes! Please take care!”

According to what he heard from Park Ji-hyeon, there was an altar of the Multiracial Black Magic Association set up in the rooftop garden. In other words, the ‘Boss Monster' and the ‘Erosion Factor' were right there.

Lee Hyunwook immediately entered the department store.

Thanks to a faint light seeping in, his vision was somewhat clear.

The exposed interior was in such chaos that it was unrecognizable.

Roots sprouted everywhere, and alien bugs crawled around.

‘It feels like I've entered a burrow.’

Then, at the far end, three goblins appeared, each holding a torch.

Click! Click!

Spotting Lee Hyunwook, they howled gibberish and readied their crude arrows.

However, they couldn't shoot.

The arrow tips reversed direction, piercing their own throats.

Lee Hyunwook gathered all their iron weapons and moved forward.

Yet, after those creatures, there were no monsters blocking his path.

After the aerial bombing, when the Steel Battalion began its offensive, it seemed all had flocked there.

‘They aren't very intelligent, and multiple species mixed together create a mess.’

Though under the dominion of a powerful high black magician— a boss monster,

Due to the cohabitation of low-intelligence species, there was no organized system.

In the midst of chaos, they moved erratically.

Exploiting this was one of the strategies for raiding the Multiracial Black Magic Association.

Thus, Lee Hyunwook could reach his destination with ease.

[Machine Room: No entry except for authorized personnel]

According to Park Ji-hyeon's testimony, the ‘barrier creation object' was right here.

Creak—

Upon opening the door, two large orcs stood with something resembling sledgehammers.

Grrrr—?

They seemed to be guards protecting the barrier creation device.

Both blocked Lee Hyunwook's way, snorting aggressively.

"Move, I'm running out of time.”

Of course, they posed no real threat, and in a flash, Lee Hyunwook knocked them down and searched the interior.

Soon, he found a peculiar device emitting a dark glow within the intricately intertwined pipes.

Hum— Hum—

‘This is it.'

On top of a rectangular black pillar, there was a small sphere placed.

From the ceiling, clusters of red roots were attached to it.

It seemed that this sphere was emitting energy, which was being absorbed and sent to the rooftop.

Crash—

Without any hesitation, Lee Hyunwook ripped out the roots and yanked out the device entirely.

Rumble…

The entire building shook for a moment.

For some, it would be an ominous sign, but for Lee Hyunwook, it was a good sign.

‘It's the sound of the barrier disappearing.'

[‘Black Magic Barrier Ritual Maintenance Device’ has been destroyed]

[You have acquired ‘Dwarf-made Great Mountain Engine (Legendary)’]

Destruction and acquisition messages appeared simultaneously.

But… the item was of ‘Legendary' rank.

"Hmm, I really didn't expect to get this here…"

Lee Hyunwook closely examined the sphere named ‘Dwarf-made Great Mountain Engine’.

He had destroyed countless ‘barrier creation objects’ before, but most of them were in the form of ‘Mana Crystals'.

In other words, they were mere batteries that stored refined mana, similar to mana stones.

However, this was a very intricate mechanical device designed and produced using ‘Magical Engineering'.

Furthermore, it was an ‘infinite power device', which seemed too extravagant to be used merely for maintaining a barrier.

‘Come to think of it, didn't the <Gate Sentinel> fly around with something like this? Maybe?'

The Gate Sentinel, a massive airship known as the aircraft carrier of the sky,

This colossal beast flew between continents with three such engines.

From what he'd heard, its power source was practically on par with a nuclear power plant…

With a sense of curiosity, Lee Hyunwook applied his metal control ability to the device.

Consequently, it slowly floated into the air.

‘It's metal. Then… can I absorb it?'

It was about 5 cm in diameter, a mouthful if he were to open wide…

However, the idea of swallowing a power source equivalent to a nuclear reactor seemed a bit daunting.

In any case, if it got absorbed when he tried to swallow, it meant it was absorbable,

and if a warning message appeared, it meant it wasn't. It was worth trying.

Lee Hyunwook closed his eyes briefly and placed it in his mouth.

Gulp—

It worked. It was sucked in.

[Time remaining for metal absorption: Unknown]

‘Unknown time…'

He had seen such a message only once before.

Lee Hyunwook recalled that moment and clicked his tongue.

‘I'm not sure what will happen, but I have a feeling something frightening might emerge…'

He felt a vague sense of unease.

Lee Hyunwook then headed to the upper floor, the rooftop.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a 20-story apartment overlooking the department store,

There were 14 sniper players, including Private Choi Tae-yong, waiting.

"Hey, who's that over there? Doesn't seem like one of ours…"

Someone said that, and everyone turned their heads in that direction.

A convoy of vehicles appeared from somewhere.

Three K-1 53 armored reconnaissance vehicles and seven military trucks, it was the Steel Battalion.

Lee Hyunwook's backup forces, which he had kept separate, were now entering the department store. It was a scene incomprehensible to the players who had never been informed about it.

"AMT, those aren't from your unit, are they?"

"Ah… Yes, they are."

Private Choi Tae-yong nodded in response to a player's question.

Then, murmurs of discontent rose from various quarters.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"With that air raid just now, why deceive people who are risking their lives?"

"Steel Battalion, Steel Battalion, famous and all, but are we just side dishes to you?"

Choi Tae-yong lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Ah, it's not like that… I'm not sure… I believe my commander will explain later…"

Just then, something happened that drew their resentful gazes.

"Look over there!"

The purplish shimmer that had enveloped the department store began to rapidly disappear.

"It's done! The barrier is open!"

The sniper players cheered and raised their weapons.

As per their plan, it was time to provide ‘sniping' support and focus.

"Alright, let's give those bastards a good beating!"

As they settled into their positions and prepared to fire, the full view of the department store was revealed.

Where there was once a rooftop garden, now huge and grotesque trees grew.

And there were a massive number of monsters gathered everywhere.

"Damn, there are so many…"

Easily over two hundred, with 5-meter tall trolls interspersed among them.

But what stood out the most was a black rock pile stacked in the center.

It seemed to be a kind of ‘altar' where black magicians offered tributes to an evil God…

"What… what is that?"

There was something squirming on top of it, resembling a gigantic placenta.

Inside it, ‘something' was writhing, barely visible.

"Just looking at it gives me a bad feeling."

"It feels like… something's about to jump out."

Experienced players sensed it.

Such a phenomenon typically indicated the imminent arrival of a terrifying boss monster…

But the ominous signs didn't end there.

From the placenta, something resembling ‘tentacles' wriggled, sucking on something.

And that… was a naked person.

"God!"

They were being offered up as ‘sacrifices'.

Bodies of those sucked dry were piled up on one side…

There seemed to be well over a hundred.

"This is insane…"

The players felt a deep-rooted anger rising from within.

"Screw sniping and everything else, let's just charge in now and wipe them all out!"

The problem was that both rage and fear surged simultaneously.

No one dared to speak the next word.

Then…

"Who's that… coming out?"

The door to the rooftop opened, and a single person walked out.

* * *

The moment Lee Hyunwook opened the rooftop door,

A magic drone whizzed over his head, dropping something.

Thunk—

It was a military backpack.

Inside it were Lee Hyunwook's weapons and a mana messenger.

With a simple gesture, he equipped the weapons and activated the mana messenger.

Woosh—

Facing about ten monsters charging towards him, he spoke,

"Ah, this is the commander of the Steel Battalion."

―Click— We hear you clearly.

"Are the magicians ready as per the plan?"

―Click— Ready and waiting for orders.

The secret operation he had prepared before encountering the Taesan Guild was now in its final phase.

Woosh—

Lee Hyunwook closed his eyes, indifferent to the approaching swarm of monsters.

He sensed the ‘command vehicle' approaching right in front of the department store building,

And the hefty greatsword, Mogley, placed atop it— he pulled it towards him.

When he opened his eyes, the monsters had already reached right in front of him.

At that moment—

Crash—

Mogley smashed down, causing a dust cloud, startling the monsters who took steps back in alarm.

Holding the hilt of Mogley in his left hand, Lee Hyunwook raised the mana messenger with his right.

And he issued a single command to the Steel Battalion.

"From now on… open the sky.”