Chapter 104
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 104
Chapter Title: Okinawa, Unlucky Event - 4
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“...Phew, now I can finally breathe.”
After suffering from the ‘Hellish Heatwave’ for some time, the Players returned to the shelter and visited the ‘Sanctuary’ to cleanse themselves of all debuffs.
"So, I guess it's time to get the operation started again, right?”
“Yeah. We kill him during tomorrow’s raid.”
This conversation was taking place among the members of the <Iron Eagle> guild.
They were a mid-tier guild active in the Texas region of the United States.
But their real job wasn't ‘raiding’.
Taking on requests to assassinate other Players—
That was this team's primary source of income.
They had volunteered for this unlucky event raid because of a ‘request’.
“Honestly, as long as we don’t screw up, there’s no way this operation can fail, right?”
“Right. That big shot from Seoul is as good as dead today.”
The Villains had targeted Lee Hyun-wook several times before.
But each attempt had ended in miserable failure.
This time, however—they believed they were different.
"In the first place, he won't have a clue about our true identities... Heh heh—”
After all, no one would know they were targeting Lee Hyun-wook.
"So, at the right moment, we need to shoot him squarely in the back.”
Moreover, this conversation was taking place within a ‘Silence’ skill.
Meaning their voices couldn't be heard outside a 3x3 meter radius.
And yet… there was someone listening to their voices.
- …With this bullet, he won’t be able to block it.
‘…Hmm, in a way, it’s quite pathetic.’
Their voices were flowing straight into Lee Hyun-wook's ears.
The eavesdropping function of the ‘Fly Eye’ he had planted on their equipment while they were disoriented by the debuffs was now active.
Furthermore…
- ‘Fly Eye (V1)’s 'Cloaking'
* Mana consumption per second: 50
And as a result of an upgrade, it now came equipped with a ‘Cloaking’ function.
In other words, there was almost no risk of them discovering the bug he had secretly planted.
Of course, maintaining the cloak consumed a fair amount of mana,
but with Lee Hyun-wook’s mana recovery rate, he could more than afford it.
‘I’ll have to think of a clean way to deal with them.’
Considering the number of eyes on him, he needed to handle this carefully.
***
- All Players, assemble for the raid!
As soon as the sun rose, an announcement echoed through the shelter.
The first and second rescue teams gathered in the shelter’s main hall.
“Hwaaah—”
Kodo Koshiro, the leader of the first rescue team, appeared among them.
He let out a loud yawn as if he wasn't the least bit tense.
After looking over the Players, he slowly began to speak.
"Alright, as you all know, to tear down this dome covering Okinawa, we must defeat the boss monster.”
His finger pointed out the window toward a low mountain peak.
"The final boss monster is presumed to be over there… so we need to strike that location. We will surround the mountain."
He went on to explain that they would attack the mountain from four different directions.
In other words, they would split into four teams for the raid.
“…Does anyone have any objections?”
He even showed an attitude of wanting to gather others' opinions.
However…
‘Mr. Kodo will handle everything from start to finish.’
‘Well, it’s not like he’d listen to our opinions anyway…’
That was what the majority of them were thinking.
The atmosphere wasn't one where they could dare to raise an objection in the first place.
Between the S-rank Player ranked 2nd in the world and Players below level 65, there was an insurmountable gap. And it was a well-known fact that Kodo Koshiro’s personality was that of a lone wolf.
"Hmm, no objections? Excellent!”
Lee Hyun-wook also remained silent, but he clicked his tongue inwardly.
‘What a foolishly transparent strategy.’
Their total force was a mere 98 people… It was absurd to think they could surround an entire mountain with such a small number of Players. If the boss monster decided to break through the encirclement, it could do so with ease.
And if, by some chance, the number of monsters was greater than expected…
‘…The teams with weaker firepower could be in danger.’
But the world’s 2nd-ranked Player wasn't a fool, so why would he employ such a strategy?
‘His goal is to get to the boss monster as quickly as possible, by any means necessary.’
By diversifying the attack routes, he intended to disperse the number of mobs as much as possible,
and then use his own firepower to its fullest to break through on one front—
It was a ploy to take down the boss monster before Lee Hyun-wook could.
“Ah, and…”
He let his sentence trail off with a smirk, then opened his mouth again.
“…Just because there's a cool contest on the line, don't get distracted.”
He laughed, and laughter spread among the other Players as well.
What he just said was a subtle emphasis on the fact that they were having a ‘duel’.
So that the story would spread even further when they got out into the world…
‘He really sees this whole situation as a show for his own benefit, doesn't he?’
The more Lee Hyun-wook watched him, the more pathetic he found him.
Incidentally, news had spread that even the refugees in the shelter, having heard about the duel, had gathered in small groups to place bets on who would win.
‘Looking at this, Kodo Koshiro has a point.’
The world does, in fact, enjoy this phenomenon as a form of entertainment. That was a fact.
And the betting… was overwhelmingly skewed in Kodo Koshiro's favor.
A short while later, the Players finished gearing up and exited the shelter.
"Alright, the target area, the gate, is about a 30-minute walk from here.”
They proceeded toward the gate, staying vigilant of their surroundings.
Soon, the sound of footsteps that shook the very earth began to approach from all directions.
Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—
“…Incarnations of Eldjotunn are approaching from all sides.”
The mages reported their observations through ‘Magic Drones’.
But the creatures didn't charge in recklessly.
Instead, they moved as if… encircling the Players.
“Uh, I think they’ve noticed our movements.”
As they had witnessed once before, the boss monster here was intelligent.
It seemed to have figured out they were heading for the gate and was trying to stop them. At this rate, the moment they reached the foot of the mountain, the assault would begin.
And it would come from all directions simultaneously—
‘This is bad. If we stick with this foolish plan, a lot of people are going to die.’
Lee Hyun-wook wasn't the only one who felt that way.
“Um… Captain, is it really okay to split the teams in this situation?”
Even Kodo Koshiro’s subordinates seemed to feel anxious.
Carelessly dividing their forces in this state was dangerous.
But…
"Yes, we proceed as planned.”
"But… what if a team gets isolated due to lack of firepower—"
"Hey— Shinji, what do you know at level 63?”
“Ah… I’m sorry!”
Kodo Shinjiro shook his head and clapped the man on the shoulder.
"No, no. It’s fine. You bravely spoke your mind, didn't you? If those things are really bothering you… how about I just wipe them out?”
“…Excuse me?”
He raised his staff with a sly smile.
“Nisha, could you give me a skill enhancement buff?”
He said to the woman standing next to him.
She was the S-rank Player hired as a mercenary from India.
‘Nisha Kaif is the one and only S-rank Buffer.’
Her buffs were famous for strengthening ‘skills’, raising their rank by one or two levels. In other words, drawing out the maximum potential of the highest-level Players—that made a tremendous difference.
That was why top-tier raid teams would spare no expense to hire her when tackling high-difficulty gates.
Woong—
A red energy flowed from her hand and touched Kodo Koshiro’s heart. He shivered as if feeling a surge of pleasure.
"Hah, excellent. Shinji— I'll erase that anxiety of yours......."
At that, his subordinates scrambled as if an emergency had been declared.
"Gasp! The Captain is about to summon the ‘wind’!”
"Everyone, prepare for the tornado immediately!”
The moment Kodo Koshiro slammed his staff into the ground—
Kwoooosh—!
A whirlwind instantly erupted around his body.
Immediately after, a tornado began to descend from the sky.
Growing thicker and more tumultuous as it neared the ground—it was a magnificent sight, like a dragon descending upon the world.
Kwoooosh—!
“Ugh—!”
“Tch, be careful!”
The Players nearby had to drop to the ground or grab onto something to avoid being sucked into the tornado.
The gray tornado that formed then moved, writhing like the giant tentacle of an octopus, following Kodo Koshiro's staff.
A scene that looked like an alien monster ravaging the Earth…
Cra-a-a-ack—!
It crushed the ground beneath it.
Everything that existed upon it—not just monsters, but… buildings, trees, utility poles, roads—it swept everything away completely.
In just over ten seconds, seven two-story houses were pulverized.
"Gasp! The buildings are all flying away!”
"Ugh! Everyone, watch your heads!”
Those watching had dumbfounded expressions.
“Isn’t he destroying a bit too much….”
As a Player, being good at killing monsters was of course important.
But unless it was an unavoidable situation, a raid that caused this much damage was not right. That one skill had just made hundreds of people homeless, disrupting the lives of civilians.
‘No, this isn't a raid in the first place.’
A raid is about finding the optimal strategy to succeed with minimal damage.
‘There is no disaster more dangerous than a Player drunk on their own power…’
Lee Hyun-wook clicked his tongue once more.
Meanwhile, Kodo Koshiro, having turned the area into ruins,
looked back at the Players with a triumphant expression.
His eyes met Lee Hyun-wook’s, and he smirked.
"Now, there's nothing to worry about, is there?”
“I’ve cleared a path, so let’s move forward again.”
Kodo Koshiro left those words behind and started walking forward again.
The Players followed behind him with dazed expressions.
"I mean, that thing… can you really beat it?”
Kim Se-hee asked again, her expression anxious.
The firepower he had just displayed was, frankly, several times greater than Lee Hyun-wook's.
***
At the foot of the mountain, the Players split into four directions as planned.
"Well then, good luck everyone!”
"Yeah! Let’s make it out of here alive and see each other on the outside!”
The Korean team headed for Route 4, the southern face of the mountain.
Nineteen other Players accompanied them.
"Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, we're counting on you.”
“Yes, I’m counting on you as well.”
Most of them were members of the <Iron Eagle> guild.
They had actively volunteered to be on the same team as Lee Hyun-wook.
"Our sniper team is positioned on top of that building overlooking the mountain. We’ll provide cover fire from there, so please, feel free to unleash everything you've got.”
Their team leader said.
He had insisted that since his team had many marksman-class Players, they were perfectly suited to provide cover for a powerhouse like Lee Hyun-wook, and had thus stuck to him.
“Yes, let’s do that.”
"Ah, and about those, uh, flying boxes?”
"Yes, you mean the Airdrop Devices.”
"They might block our snipers’ line of sight.”
"I’ll try to control them, but my damage output comes first.”
"Ah! You're absolutely right about that. Yes, thank you!”
After exchanging a few more words with Lee Hyun-wook, he fell back.
He then turned on his Mana Messenger and whispered softly.
"......As expected, he has no idea, of course.”
The voice of the sniper team positioned in the rear came through his ear.
- He probably won't even know what hit him when he dies.
"Heh heh— He’ll be wondering why he died in the afterlife.”
Just then, a tornado could be seen descending from the sky in the distance.
The massive tornado was visible even from the southern face of the mountain, on the opposite side.
Kwa-ga-ga-ga-ga—!
It tore the mountain to shreds, sending up clouds of pale dust.
“…Wow, he’s already gotten that far? That’s incredibly fast!”
Here on Route 4, they had just entered the mountain's foothills and had only dealt with a dozen or so monsters, yet Kodo Koshiro's Route 1 was advancing at a speed that resembled a tank division bulldozing its way through.
“…It looks like he’s really pouring out mana without holding back.”
"Well, he does have a ‘Buffer’, so his mana supply must be fast.”
"And he has two top-tier mana tanks, doesn't he?”
"In that case, his usable mana must be around… 40,000?”
Lee Hyun-wook listened to the conversation of the Japanese Players behind him.
To be precise, he was hacking—eavesdropping on their Mana Messengers.
Because they were spies planted by Kodo Koshiro.
"I mean, this duel is a foregone conclusion, isn't it?"
“Right? I wonder what Lee Hyun-wook was thinking, accepting this.”
“He seems like a smart guy, from what I can tell…”
While they acknowledged Lee Hyun-wook, they didn't doubt for a second that Kodo Koshiro was a cut above. And that was a fairly objective assessment.
"Ah! I get it. In the end, it must be because of anti-Japanese sentiment, right?”
"Haha— So he’s just showing off because of that?”
"Well, how could he possibly beat Mr. Kodo in terms of firepower? It must be that typical Korean rivalry they feel toward us acting up.”
Everyone was talking about ‘firepower’.
The total amount of damage a single Player could unleash—in that regard, Kodo Koshiro was considered the best, alongside Inferno.
However, firepower required not only ‘power’ but also ‘sustainability’. And ‘sustainability’ here didn't just mean having a lot of ammunition to keep firing without pause.
‘…You have to be able to keep attacking, no matter the situation.’
In other words, a kind of all-weather capability was needed.
No matter how powerful a cannon a tank might have, if it gets stuck in the mud or slips on an icy road, its firepower is effectively neutralized.
‘Kodo Koshiro’s firepower is the same.’
Lee Hyun-wook gazed at the tornado that was tearing the mountain apart.
‘That will soon die down.’
And then, something began.
- The influence of <Muspelheim> in this area is being lifted!
"Huh? What? Is it over?”
Simultaneously, the heat of the ‘Hellish Heatwave’ still lingering in the air was sucked away, drawn into a gate that had opened on another distant mountain.
"Uh, don't tell me he already took down the boss monster?”
"Wow— that’s Mr. Kodo for you!”
However…
The gate on the peak of the mountain they were heading toward began to tremble.
Something erupted from it.
Fwoooosh—!
It was a blizzard.
And an incredible cold.
A widespread disaster capable of flash-freezing the entire world.
- Warning! You are being exposed to <Niflheim>’s ‘Hellish Cold Wave’!
* ‘Abnormal Statuses’ and ‘Stat Reduction’ will begin to rapidly accumulate!
From the mountain peak downwards, the air froze and frost coated the leaves.
“—Ugh! What is this!”
"It's so co-cold!”
And so, Loki’s final prank began.
‘…Phase 2. Muspelheim is replaced by Niflheim.’
In other words, the intense heatwave instantly transformed into a terrible, frigid cold.
This was an absurd climate disaster. In Earth's ecosystem, even a brief abnormal climate event could kill countless living things. For the environment to swing from one extreme to another in an instant, nothing could survive.
“Ugh! My f-fingers feel like they're going to break!”
- Warning! You are afflicted with ‘Hypothermia (Stage 1)’.
* All stats are reduced. (-10%)
* All recovery abilities are greatly reduced.
* Physical functions are greatly impaired and judgment becomes clouded.
- Warning! You are afflicted with ‘Frostbite (Stage 1)’.
* All stats are reduced. (-10%)
* The accuracy of all attacks is greatly reduced.
* Warning! Your health will continuously decrease.
The debuff hell they had just endured had returned in a new version.
“…N-no! It’s that hell all over again!”
“Dammit, what kind of ridiculous event is this!”
Such cries of despair weren't just echoing here.
They rang out on all four routes—including where Kodo Koshiro was.
"Shit, what the hell is happening all of a sudden!”
Kodo Koshiro roared.
His vision was also flooded with all sorts of warning system messages,
preventing him from unleashing his full firepower.
"Tch! Nisha, do something! Don't you have a skill to remove status effects?”
"I told you, there's nothing I can do about something like this!”
This was the same situation as when they first entered the dome.
"Dammit, you know how much money our guild paid you, right?”
"Hah… That’s why I told you to move cautiously! Suddenly a duel, a bet—why are you acting like such a child?”
When she snapped back at him, Kodo Koshiro turned his head away.
“Second rescue team leader, Nagado Tai! Are you there?”
"Yes! I'm here!”
"You said you brought items to prepare for the cold, right?”
"Ah, yes! But… I left them at the dome entrance.”
The triple-layered cold-proof suits made from Ice Troll hides…
He never thought they would actually be useful.
"Dammit! Go retrieve them right now!”
“…Yes? Ah, yes!”
She hurriedly turned back, leading her team.
"Our honor is on the line here! Get back as fast as you can!”
He shouted, glaring at the freezing mountain peak.
No, he was thinking of Lee Hyun-wook, who was beyond the peak.
His heart grew impatient. He wanted to beat that man, no matter what.
‘But he’s in the same situation anyway.’
He ground his teeth.
"It’s just a small delay. Just you wait…”
***
All sorts of monsters poured out from the gate that had opened on the mountain peak.
White wolves with the build of polar bears,
Monstrous birds with huge, pterodactyl-like wings,
All of them were beasts that ruled the snowy mountains of legend.
But what the Players feared more than them was the cold.
"Huhuhu— so, so cold— my, my body…”
And it was the same for the snipers on the distant rooftop.
- Dammit— Bo-Boss! My fingers are stiffening, my accuracy is dropping!
That transmission reached the ears of the Iron Eagle guild leader.
"......."
- I think we should start the operation right n-now! If our condition gets any worse, the shot will fail!
According to their plan, they were supposed to wait for the battle to start and for him to let his guard down completely. But the situation had changed rapidly, throwing all their plans into disarray.
If not now, they might not get another chance to take out Lee Hyun-wook.
“…Alright, we have no choice. Do it.”
- Roger that—
But it was then.
- Beep—Beep—Beep—Beep—
“…Huh? What’s that sound?"
- Huh? What’s this… Mac, your bag, something’s suddenly—
Boom—! Boom—!
…A series of explosions sounded from somewhere.
He turned his head to see smoke rising from a distant building rooftop.
It was where the Iron Eagle guild's snipers had been hiding.
“What the hell! Will! Mac! What’s going on over there!”
But no answer came back.
- Uwaaaah.......
Only screams of agony echoed…
But the real disaster began after that.
Kuaaaaah—!
As if their ‘aggro’ had been drawn by the explosions, the flock of monstrous birds perched on the mountain peak took flight. They flew toward the site of the explosion.
Kuaaaaah—!
Their numbers… seemed to be at least a hundred.
"Gasp! Dammit, the monsters are heading over! Get out of there now!”
But judging by the lack of response, they didn't seem to have the strength to escape.
Soon, those monstrous birds would descend upon the rooftop.
Lee Hyun-wook watched the scene unfold without any reaction.
"Mr. Lee Hyun-wook! Please help my comrades!”
But he shook his head.
“…I’m sorry, but it’s too late.”
"N-no, how do you know it’s too late!”
He shouted, turned his back, and ran toward his comrades.
And inside his bag, too, was a ‘Fly Eye’.
‘With that, the pests are gone.’
It was an incredibly easy disposal.
Just then, Kim Se-hee approached, shivering.
“Dammit, at this rate, we’re all going to die. Don’t you have anything for this?”
It seemed she was now expecting something from him without him even having to say it.
That was probably because Lee Hyun-wook’s expression was as calm as ever.
Sensing this, both Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo were relatively composed.
"Well, I do have something.”
"Haaah— I knew it.”
Lee Hyun-wook summoned a few AD-1s and took something out from inside them.
It was a red, jewel-like material item, the ‘Blazing Heart’, which he had been tirelessly harvesting every time he killed a Muspelheim monster.
As he held it out, an intense heat radiated from it.
- The cold that has seeped into your body is being dispelled.
"Oh… it’s warm!”
[Item Information]
- Name: Blazing Heart
- Effect: Emits intense heat in the surrounding area. (Warning! It may explode if subjected to a strong impact, turning the area into a ‘Magma Field’.)
“Did you collect these knowing they’d be used like this?”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"In traps and puzzles with tricks like this, the solution always exists alongside them. And the most basic one is, of course…”
“…The items you get from killing monsters?”
"Yes, that’s right. Which is why you should never be lazy with looting.”
Lee Hyun-wook then took out a handful of steel beads.
“However, how you utilize them can vary greatly.”
Jjeojeojeok—
A steel bead transformed into a cross shape and enveloped the surface of the Blazing Heart, looking like the mesh used to wrap fruit.
By imbuing it with his Metal Control, the entire thing began to fly.
‘And if I apply pressure to this, it explodes.’
In other words, he could expect an effect similar to planting a detonator.
With that, a decent bomb had been created.
And just in time, test subjects appeared.
Krrraaaah—
Up the mountain path, giant wolves revealed themselves.
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV: 75)
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV: 77)
- Niflheim Frozen Wolf (LV: 78)
Lee Hyun-wook sent a ‘Blazing Heart’ flying toward them.
And right above their heads, he activated the detonator.
Po-o-ong—!
A crimson flame shot up, and a red liquid rained down in all directions.
Yelp! Yelp! Yelp! Yelp!
It was magma.
The cold-attribute creatures, doused in it, collapsed with critical injuries.
Bubble— Bubble—
And a 'Magma Field' formed on that spot, radiating heat.
“Wow… that’s a surefire strategy.”
Just as Kim Se-hee said, it was the most efficient method of attack.
Lee Hyun-wook planted detonators in a total of 46 Blazing Hearts.
He then loaded them into the subspaces of the AD-1s.
‘Alright, it’s done.’
Chik—
"Ah, this is Route 4. All routes, listen up.”
Chik—
"From this moment on, I’m going to… blow this entire mountain away.”
Chik—
“…So, everyone, please stand back.”
His final words were a spectacle in themselves.
“…It might get a little hot.”
To talk about heat in this terrible cold…
Everyone who heard it was bound to be bewildered.
Wooooo—!
Thirty AD-1s advanced, escorted by 175 Adamant Stars. The scene was like watching a ‘bomber squadron’.
Immediately, monstrous birds from the mountain peak flew in to intercept.
But—
The thirty AD-1s, acting like attack helicopters, unleashed thousands of projectiles, forming a barrage of fire that broke through their blockade.
And finally, they reached the mountain peak.
Of the thirty AD-1s, only two lowered their altitude and descended.
They were the ‘bombers’.
Soon, their lower sections—their subspaces—opened, and like a carpet bombing, dozens of ‘Blazing Hearts’ rained down.
It was clearly visible even from here. The writhing of that crimson gunpowder—
Just then, he raised his Mana Messenger and sent a short message.
“…Detonate.”
The world was dyed in layers of crimson.