Chapter 103
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 103
Chapter Title: Okinawa, Unlucky Event - 3
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A shadow was cast as Lee Hyun-wook’s maximum firepower deployed in the sky. A staggering thirty Aerial Deployment Devices.
The total number of weapons contained within them was 3,000.
If they all rained down, there would be no escape.
At that, Kato Shinichi recoiled in terror.
“Wh-why… why are you doing this to me—!”
“…Kato Shinichi, that’s not your name, is it?”
From the moment this man appeared, Lee Hyun-wook had seen through everything.
Knowing this was an event featuring doppelgängers, it was obvious that anyone approaching alone was highly likely to be one.
But there was more precise, no, perfect ‘evidence’.
- Unidentified Being (LV: 98)
It was the system message.
‘The <Insight Lens> is truly something else.’
NPCs and monsters like this couldn't deceive his eyes. After all, this was the result of swallowing the legendary-grade item, the ‘Eye of Horus’.
Just then, Nagano Tai grabbed Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder.
“Huh? …W-wait a minute!”
“Ms. Nagano, please step aside.”
“Is it really him? Are you sure you’re not mistaken?”
She, too, had considered the existence of a doppelgänger, but their recent conversation had convinced her that Kato Shinichi was a real person.
‘…Right, he did a clever job of talking his way around it.’
That’s how it looked to Lee Hyun-wook as well.
When she mentioned the name of the escapee she suspected of being a doppelgänger—Shizuoko Koga—this bastard had said, as if on cue, ‘He’s dead.’ By doing so, he made them certain that the Shizuoko Koga outside the dome was the doppelgänger, while unconsciously branding himself as not one.
It was, in fact, a very simple principle.
It was like how a person on a list of suspects in a case receives less suspicion when they testify to another suspect’s guilt.
‘He uses people, so he sees right through their psychology.’
Lee Hyun-wook walked toward the man.
“H-hey, wait, let’s just talk a little more…”
Instead of answering, Lee Hyun-wook fired Failnaught from his hip.
*Whoosh—!*
*Thump!*
Hilariously, the man took the arrow head-on.
“Guaaah— P-please…”
Then, he collapsed to the ground.
He put on a show of helplessness, groaning for all to see.
“—Look at this guy.”
Lee Hyun-wook let out a scoff of disbelief.
The onlookers couldn’t help but be shocked.
“Don’t do it! He’s not resisting at all!”
“Hey! If you just act so recklessly…”
From this scene alone, it certainly looked like Lee Hyun-wook was attacking an innocent man.
‘This is what he’s aiming for.’
But Lee Hyun-wook didn’t stop.
“Alright then, let’s see you act your way through this.”
*Fwoooom—!*
This time, he threw Murgleis.
If that hit him, he’d be split in two.
*Cla—ang—!*
As expected, the man didn’t let it happen.
No matter how good the act, he didn’t want to die.
*Zzzzzzz—!*
A red barrier enveloped him, deflecting Murgleis.
“…See? You can block it.”
With that, the atmosphere shifted.
“Uh…”
Those who had been trying to stop Lee Hyun-wook froze with blank expressions.
Kato Shinichi was an archer Player. He had no reason to be able to use magic like that.
Which meant… it was highly likely that this wasn’t Kato Shinichi.
Immediately after, the man smirked and pushed himself up.
“…You fucking— I thought I could devour all you human bastards easily… what kind of goddamn situation is this…”
His eyes had turned a deep crimson.
Black smoke billowed from his mouth.
His hands and legs elongated, his nails grew into claws.
Now it was certain. That thing was not human.
- Boss Monster ‘Trickster’s Minion-1’ has appeared!
“Dammit, it’s a boss monster!”
“Gasp! It’s real!”
At the same time, the heavy thud of footsteps began to echo from all directions.
*Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—*
They were the Incarnations of Eldjotunn that had been setting traps at the end of the road. This time, there were about sixty of them, closing in from all sides.
“Prepare for battle—!”
Nagano Tai shouted, raising her staff.
But the Players couldn’t respond in a coordinated manner.
“Kuh— I’m sorry, but we’re out of mana…”
The only ones who could move were the warrior-class Players who had taken a ‘Twilight Clover Potion’… The rest were practically defenseless.
“Mr. Lee, can you open an escape route… huh?”
But they weren’t the only enemies they had to face.
*Wheeeeeee—!*
The swarm of insects that had been flying in the sky—the monsters that emitted plasma from their rears—began to flock toward them from all directions.
‘A swarm of Magma Horseflies. Troublesome pests.’
Giant insects measuring 1.5 meters from head to tail.
They spewed highly concentrated magma from their bodies.
‘They’ll fly over our heads and rain down magma.’
Lee Hyun-wook immediately transformed Prydwen into a shield.
If it broke, he didn’t yet have the technology to repair it.
He also lowered the altitude of the AD-1s to protect the area above their heads.
“Everyone, gather in the center and deploy a magic barrier.”
“…Is there any way to block that?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at Nagano Tai’s question.
“I’m going to wipe them out in one go.”
“What?”
“Magma might splatter then, so gather in the center.”
*Clang— Clang— Clang— Clang—*
Just then, metal boxes dropped from the subspace of the AD-1s.
Six in total, they opened with a click.
Inside were piles of cross-shaped shurikens.
At Lee Hyun-wook’s gesture, they began to rise into the air one by one.
[Item Information]
- Name: Adamant Star (Advanced)
- Effects
1) Self-Rotation: Automatically accelerates when rotational force is applied.
2) Extermination: Increased ‘Penetration’ against small monsters. (+50%)
These were shurikens of supreme hardness, forged with the Hammer of Hephaestus using Red Hole Mountain Adamant and a Dungeon Steel Alloy. Moreover, they came with an excellent option for wiping out swarms of insects like these.
“Team Leader Kim, summon as many ‘Swords of Wind’ as you can.”
“…What? Ah, yes!”
“And match my attack, have the Swords of Wind follow along. If you do… experience points will rain down like a storm.”
Immediately after, Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised both hands. The Adamant Stars floating around him began to spin.
One second, two seconds, they gained acceleration with each passing moment.
*Whirrrrrrrrr—!*
They spun at high speed, letting out a menacing roar.
The air around them distorted, creating a gust of wind.
Kim Se-hee matched his timing and conjured her Swords of Wind.
*Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—*
Hani, the wind spirit, danced on her shoulder.
A dozen small whirlwinds formed in the air.
Within them, the wind condensed—shaping itself into translucent blades.
“Hyaaaah—!”
Next to her, Park Jun-mo also unleashed torrents of electricity from his ten fingers, weaving them into a net-like form and lifting it.
*Krrrr-ack-le—!*
Steel, wind, and electricity.
All of them gathered into one, spinning, surging, and flashing.
“…Wait.”
And they began to entangle more violently, at an ever-increasing speed.
Just as the swarm of Magma Horseflies drew near overhead,
“—Shred them all!”
The hands of all three shot toward the sky simultaneously.
The storm they had created in concert engulfed the swarm of Magma Horseflies.
*Kwa-da-da-da-da-da—!*
And this attack wasn’t an indiscriminate barrage.
He closed his eyes.
And synchronized with Hugin, which was mixed in among the AD-1s.
- Your senses are ‘unifying’ with ‘Hugin’.
His senses expanded fiftyfold. With this, he could feel the movement of each of the 175 ‘Adamant Stars’ with delicate and vivid clarity, embodying them. The pieces of metal moved as if they were living birds of prey, expertly hunting their targets. They shredded and shredded again, mercilessly.
To sweep away the hundreds of Magma Horseflies…
*Kwa-da-da-da-da-da—!*
—a mere 15 seconds was enough.
Red flesh rained from the sky, and magma poured down.
Amidst the acrid smoke that rose as it hit the asphalt, Lee Hyun-wook and the other two members of the Korean team were sweeping through the battlefield.
Next, they took down and tore apart the Incarnations of Eldjotunn one by one.
“…”
The other Players watched the scene, utterly mesmerized.
‘Items, abilities, and the right strategy… it’s perfect.’
It was a harmonious offensive, where the three essential elements of a raid came together.
“You crazy! How dare you, you mere human—!”
The boss monster, Trickster’s Minion-1, roared in fury.
But even it could not escape the trio’s all-out assault.
The storm of steel, wind, and lightning poured down on it.
“Grrrraaaah—!”
The creature generated layer after layer of red barriers around its body.
But Murgleis was already falling upon its head.
*Cra—aa—aack—!*
The moment the tip of the massive greatsword struck the barrier, a ‘shockwave’ erupted, crushing the area with immense force. A crack appeared on the red barrier, and the next moment, it shattered.
“No!”
Murgleis forced its way through the crack.
It plunged down and pierced through the creature’s body.
“—Gack!”
*Bzz—zz—zzt—!*
Then, Park Jun-mo’s electricity morphed into a whip and coiled around the creature.
“Sergeant Lee, I’ve got it held tight!”
And by then, Lee Hyun-wook was hovering in the air above the creature’s head.
The shotgun, Black Rhino, was aimed right at it.
*BOOM—!*
A targeted shot. The creature’s body slammed into the ground.
*BOOM—!*
A second shot. The asphalt cratered, and the creature’s body was crushed.
*BOOM—!*
A final shot. The red light in the creature’s eyes… evaporated.
That was the end.
- You have defeated the boss monster ‘Trickster’s Minion-1’!
Its body dissolved into dust.
A single black stone lay there alone.
[Item Information]
- Name: Unidentified Black Core
- Effect: Unknown
‘This is an item that creates doppelgängers.’
However, it required a considerable level of alchemy to use.
‘…It could be useful someday.’
But this wasn't the end of the Unlucky Event.
- Congratulations! The escape conditions have been ‘updated’.
* Boss Monsters Defeated (1/2)
* The ‘Hellfire Blaze’ of Muspel Harbor will be neutralized. (-80%)
‘Right, there wasn’t just one boss monster here.’
Lee Hyun-wook already knew this fact.
“Uh… it’s not over yet?”
“No, probably not.”
Still, the situation had undeniably improved.
“Oh, the debuff has weakened significantly!”
“Phew… I can finally breathe.”
With the defeat of the boss monster, the heat inside the dome had subsided noticeably.
“Wow… we survived all thanks to you, Mr. Lee!”
“Yes, that’s right! Thank you so much!”
They expressed their gratitude to Lee Hyun-wook, their faces showing their relief.
“Well, you can skip the thanks and just help me with my work.”
“Yes? Uh… what should we do?”
Lee Hyun-wook silently pointed at the monster corpses.
*Slice—slice—*
And so, once again, they began carving out hearts.
“Seriously, why on earth are we doing this…”
***
“—Over here!”
Near the Urasoe Second Shelter, they met the real first rescue team.
They had heard the sounds of battle nearby and, sensing that the second rescue team had arrived, were rushing to provide support.
“But this time… they’re not doppelgängers, right?”
Nagano Tai whispered. Lee Hyun-wook shook his head as if he didn't know, but the Insight Lens wasn't picking anything up.
Upon entering the shelter, they found numerous evacuees gathered inside.
“…Look, another rescue team came?”
“What good will that do? They’ll just get trapped here like the rest of us.”
They still couldn’t shake their anxiety. After all, even S-rank Players were trapped with them, so it was only natural to be pessimistic.
And from among them, someone walked out.
A man with long hair that reached his shoulders and sharp features.
He was Japan’s number 2 ranked Player, Kodo Koshiro.
“Ha, I never imagined you would be the one to come as the second rescue team…”
He couldn’t hide his surprise upon seeing Lee Hyun-wook.
“Mr. Kodo, a pleasure to meet you. I heard Japan was safe, so I was planning a trip someday. I never thought I’d end up visiting like this.”
Kodo Koshiro’s eyebrow twitched at Lee Hyun-wook’s words.
It was a jab at what he had said in an interview before the dome appeared, where he had snidely remarked, “Japan is safe,” mocking Lee Hyun-wook.
“Ahem—”
But he couldn’t show that he was offended.
After all, Kodo Koshiro himself had started it.
And more importantly, ending this situation was the priority.
The two men ended their war of nerves and shared a brief handshake.
“…Anyway, you said you defeated a boss monster?”
“Yes, but according to the system message, one remains.”
“Hmm… there’s something I need to show you. Please come with me.”
Kodo Koshiro led Lee Hyun-wook to the roof of the shelter building.
“There, do you see?”
He said, handing him a pair of binoculars.
“That mountain and that mountain, there are two portals in total. It’s a dual gate.”
Just as he said, there were gates on two peaks of a low mountain range.
This was a phenomenon that had also occurred during the ‘Seoul Station Unlucky Event’.
“From our observations here, all the monsters so far have only appeared from the left one. Meaning, one is still on standby.”
“Then the remaining boss monster must be in the right gate?”
He nodded.
“Now that the Hellfire Blaze has subsided, we will resume our attack. The sun will set soon, so we plan to move at dawn. What do you think?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at his proposal.
“By the way, Mr. Lee…”
“Yes?”
“…I have a request to make.”
He glanced around at the people gathered, most of whom were Japanese Players, and began to raise his voice.
“This trial that humanity is facing, isn’t it a kind of game?”
He began with a rather grand opening, his intentions unclear.
“And people are enjoying this game as entertainment. Not just Players like us, but the civilians watching as well.”
“…Well, I suppose there are people like that.”
He smirked at Lee Hyun-wook’s reply and shrugged.
“No, it’s most of them. The residents of Okinawa trapped here are in despair, but what about the people outside? Sure, they pretend to be worried and sad on the surface, but in reality… they’re probably gathered in front of their TVs, chattering with their friends to properly enjoy this spectacle.”
Come to think of it, Kodo Koshiro was this kind of eccentric. He often argued that this terrible disaster was ultimately a form of entertainment and that people should just enjoy it.
“So, here’s my point. How about you and I, as the stars of this TV show, provide the viewers with one more piece of entertainment? After all, without the ‘Hellfire Blaze,’ the raid won’t be that difficult.”
“…I’m not sure I understand what you’re saying.”
He grinned, looking Lee Hyun-wook straight in the eye.
“…A contest between you and me. Isn’t it magnificent?”
“…”
“It will be especially stimulating for both Korea and Japan.”
“Are you suggesting we see who can kill the boss monster first—”
“Yes, I’m proposing a wager. With our items on the line.”
A wager in a situation like this? It was absurd.
“Well, if you don’t want to, I have no intention of forcing you.”
Right now, Japan’s pride was severely wounded.
The first rescue team, which had set out with such ambition, had failed.
And of all people, Korea’s Lee Hyun-wook had joined as the second rescue team.
Worse, he had performed astonishingly well and saved everyone.
‘…If it ends like this, it’ll be a total disgrace.’
That’s what Kodo Koshiro thought.
No matter how well he performed from this point on, even if he achieved the highest contribution rank, the context would ensure that Lee Hyun-wook would get the spotlight.
And his own honor, along with Japan’s, would be tarnished.
So, what could he do to dilute this situation?
‘…Create a more sensational story.’
First, Kodo Koshiro would propose a duel to Lee Hyun-wook.
The outcome would be one of two things.
First, he lacked confidence, so he tucked his tail and refused.
Second, he accepted the proposal but was ultimately defeated miserably.
The moment he made this proposal, one of these two outcomes was guaranteed.
‘What the entertainment-loving public cares most about isn’t who was heroic, but who beat whom and how. That’s it.’
That was precisely why people were so fanatical about PVP.
Pitting the heroes leading this world against each other with a ‘VS’,
what could be more entertaining gossip than that?
In other words, by simply making this proposal, he would attach his own name to the back of Lee Hyun-wook’s accomplishments as “The one who lost to Kodo Koshiro.”
‘Lee Hyun-wook, I will remain forever behind your name!’
Kodo Koshiro was a man who wanted to be the protagonist of this game.
“…What are we betting?”
“How about any hero-grade weapon we each possess?”
“…”
“I, for one, would like to have that enormous sword of yours.”
Gasps erupted from the crowd.
A wager with a hero-grade weapon on the line was on a completely different level.
“…”
Lee Hyun-wook pretended to think for a moment, then extended his hand.
“Hahaha! Mr. Lee, you truly are a man of great spirit!”
And just like that, a mini-game had begun out of nowhere.
***
“…Are you really confident about this?”
Kim Se-hee asked with a worried expression.
Although Lee Hyun-wook had攻略d one boss monster with incredible ingenuity and firepower, he couldn’t beat Kodo Koshiro in terms of pure offensive power.
“You know that man is top-class when it comes to single-target firepower, right?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
Kodo Koshiro, the S-rank Player with wind control abilities, ‘Hurricane’.
True to his nickname, he could conjure a hurricane and sweep everything away.
Two years ago, during a raid on a gate that opened in Hokkaido’s Akan National Park, he had obliterated 100 hectares of mountainous terrain in just 10 minutes—it was that destructive madness that had earned him the nickname ‘Hurricane’.
“As a wind spirit master, I’ve done a lot of research on him, and he’s not called Hurricane for nothing. His firepower is no less than Inferno’s. It’s going to be tough.”
But Lee Hyun-wook just nodded silently.
“So why did you accept such a ridiculous bet?”
Lee Hyun-wook merely shrugged, offering no real answer.
“Man, our boss is being frustrating for the first time in a while…”
But inwardly… he was celebrating.
‘Kodo Koshiro, what hero-grade items did he have again?’
He had no intention of losing this absurd bet.
‘…Loki’s prank, that deceptive trap, isn’t over yet.’
In the original history, the second rescue team is tricked by the doppelgänger and fails.
After that, the Fist King, Han Tae-san, is sent in as the third rescue team.
By then, they were aware of the ‘doppelgänger’s’ existence, but…
‘Even Han Tae-san’s team struggled.’
The reason was that another ‘deception’ was still in store.
The moment they let their guard down as the ‘Hellfire Blaze’ subsided, just like now, the final, large-scale trap that no one expected would spring open.
It was for that very moment that Lee Hyun-wook had been making ‘certain preparations’ ever since he entered the dome.
And now, for him to propose a bet at such a perfect time…
‘…If anything, I should be grateful.’
It seemed the name Lee Hyun-wook was about to be etched into the Japanese archipelago with infamy.