Chapter 105
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 105
Chapter Title: Okinawa, Unlucky Event - 5
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Before the tornado Kodo Koshiro had summoned could even begin to eat away at the mountain, the people surrounding the area from four directions stood mesmerized for a moment.
A miracle where a single man commanded a disaster that shook nature itself.
Who could look up at such a scene and not feel a sense of awe?
But then…
*CRACK—CRACKLE—CRUNCH—!*
Now, that very mountain was evaporating in its entirety.
This scene… was on a completely different level.
As if a volcano had erupted.
Vibrations, explosions, smoke, and flames blossomed into the air.
*FWOOSH—!*
And finally, even magma came pouring down.
“...What, what is that!”
The one who shouted was Kodo Koshiro. The others could only stare with their jaws agape, marveling at the destruction unfolding before their eyes.
*RUMBLE—*
They all realized that the one who caused it was Lee Hyun-wook.
Even Nagano Tai, who had been on her way to retrieve the ‘winter clothing’ on Kodo Koshiro’s orders, had stopped in her tracks to gaze at the sight.
“D-Don’t tell me… he used those hearts?”
She recalled the ‘harvesting’ work Lee Hyun-wook had been so obsessed with.
“S-So, when he said he was preparing…”
Like so many others before her, she felt a renewed sense of admiration for the man named Lee Hyun-wook, along with a powerful sense of otherness.
‘Just what is that man’s true identity?’
Then, she realized one more thing.
“Mr. Kodo… has lost completely.”
He had already been outmaneuvered by several moves, yet he had remained oblivious.
Something then caught her eye.
A thick stream of black smoke billowed from the mountain peak, and bisecting it vertically like a blade through carpet was a single streak of light—
It was Lee Hyun-wook’s greatsword, Moglei.
Its target was obvious…
*BOOM—!*
With that final attack, the situation was concluded.
- Congratulations! You have survived the <Unlucky Event>! With that system message, the dome began to disappear.
***
Lee Hyun-wook stared at the message floating before him.
- Congratulations! A lucky reward will be given! (1st Place)
In his hand, a hammer had appeared.
- You have acquired ‘Mjolnir (Legendary)’.
[Item Information]
- Name: Mjolnir (Legendary)
- Effects
1) Steel Thunderbolt: Destructive power is greatly increased when thrown.
2) Returning: Returns to the owner when commanded.
3) Wrath of the Thunder God: Emits a powerful electric current.
This was the weapon of ‘Thor’, the god of thunder from Norse mythology.
‘...Sorry, Han Tae-san, but I’m taking this too.’
If history had proceeded as it should have, the ‘Third Rescue Team’ that Han Tae-san was a part of would have played a major role in clearing this Unlucky Event, and he would have obtained this.
Just like the ‘Secret Armor of Manannán mac Lir’ from the Seoul Station Unlucky Event, Lee Hyun-wook had claimed all of his key equipment.
‘To think I’d be the one to wield Mjolnir, the hammer of the thunder god…’
For once, Lee Hyun-wook felt an uncharacteristic sense of thrill.
This thing was just ridiculously powerful.
‘I remember when Han Tae-san threw this while falling from thousands of feet in the air to take down the Black Dragon that appeared in Suwon.’
Back then, Mjolnir had struck the beast’s torso—bounced off and crashed to the ground. A 20-story office building had collapsed completely as a result.
Although it was Lee Hyun-wook’s Moglei that had killed the Black Dragon, Han Tae-san’s one shot had played a huge part in shattering its mana shield.
“Wow… what is that?”
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo stared at Mjolnir with expressions of awe.
As a Legendary-grade item, it radiated an extraordinary aura even at a glance.
Meanwhile, the two of them had placed 3rd and 4th, respectively, earning them a few chunks of Orichalcum. While that in itself was an incredibly valuable reward… it was hard not to feel it paled in comparison.
“I-I can feel an incredible amount of energy coming from it, strangely enough.”
With his ability to control electricity, Park Jun-mo could sense Mjolnir’s power.
‘With this, my synergy with Park Jun-mo will increase even more, huh?’
A short while later, the JSDF’s A.M.T forces entered the dome.
They checked the shelters and managed the civilians.
The 1st and 2nd rescue teams returned to the <Okinawa Rescue Operation Headquarters>.
There, Lee Hyun-wook came face to face with Kodo Koshiro.
“...”
He stared at Lee Hyun-wook with a somewhat dazed expression.
Then, in a clipped and rough tone, he asked.
“Lee Hyun-wook… what in the world did you do?”
His tone was almost accusatory.
He seemed to be suppressing a rising wave of irritation.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Damn it, how did you even think of blowing away that cold air?”
“Haha— It’s simple. You just have to always be thinking about how to clear it.”
“...What?”
“And that is what a raid is.”
He let out a hollow chuckle.
“Ha— A raid… How absurd… Do I look like an amateur to you? You think I’m asking you because I don’t know that…”
It seemed he was about to launch into a long-winded speech, so Lee Hyun-wook cut him off.
“—Ah, I’ll tell you what I want.”
“...What?”
“Have you forgotten about that interesting bet you proposed yourself?”
He had obtained the Legendary-grade Mjolnir from this clear.
And now, it was time to collect his bonus prize.
***
- Ah! The rescue team members are now coming out of the dome! Look over there! The members of the 1st rescue team… Ah! It’s Kodo Koshiro!
At that moment, the Japanese archipelago erupted in cheers. A swarm of cameras rushed about, broadcasting the return of their proud heroes to the world.
Lee Hyun-wook listened to the radio in the car on the way to the runway.
It was a Japanese current affairs program, being translated into Korean.
- Seeing them now, it seems the 2nd rescue team’s operation, that is, delivering the debuff-clearing items to the 1st rescue team, was a success.
- Yes, that’s how it appears for now. Also, considering how quickly the clear was completed, it seems Kodo Koshiro was able to use his full power.
They looked at the surface-level facts and concluded that everything had gone according to plan.
- Ah! As expected of the man called the ‘Hurricane’, isn’t it?
- Yes, he may be a bit of an eccentric, but he is certainly the pride of Japan.
However, the real truth that followed left them flustered.
- We have some breaking news. Ah, this is unbelievable. The top contributor was not Kodo Koshiro, but… L-Lee Hyun-wook!
The name Lee Hyun-wook had once again made a powerful impact.
- Ha… this is not good. This is really not good.
- If this is the case, that incredible reward everyone was anticipating, that…
- Yes, we can only assume that Lee Hyun-wook has swallowed it up—so to speak.
- This, this, this is a situation where questions will inevitably be raised as to why we accepted Lee Hyun-wook’s support in the first place. Japan is in a very difficult position.
Among the topics was the ‘duel’ Kodo Koshiro had proposed to Lee Hyun-wook. Since he had practically advertised it all over town himself, there was likely no way to stop the story from spreading.
“By the way, what did you get from the bet? Earlier, that Kodo guy’s face was beet red, and he was adamant that you couldn’t have it.”
Kim Se-hee said with a chuckle, amused by the memory of the scene.
In response, Lee Hyun-wook took something out.
*Woong—*
It was a red orb, from which a dense concentration of mana was radiating. A faint heat could also be felt.
[Item Information]
- Name: Salamander’s Orb (Heroic)
- Effect: Imbues an item with the power of the ‘Salamander’.
“Wow… A Heroic-grade ‘Orb’ is really rare, isn’t it?”
Generally, the grade of an ‘Orb’ was divided into 1 to 5 tiers.
The orbs Lee Hyun-wook had bought from the PX item shop to cash out were low-quality 5th-tier ones, which would be equivalent to the lowest ‘Normal’ item grade. Above that, 2nd and 1st-tier orbs were about ‘Rare’ grade.
“Yes, orbs with the ‘name’ of a spirit like this are truly precious.”
It was a top-tier orb, also known as a ‘Named Orb’.
And this was more valuable than most Heroic-grade items.
That was because it was an item that could add a tremendous option to a Heroic-grade item, making it the benchmark for ‘end-spec’ gear now that obtaining Legendary-grade equipment was considered virtually impossible.
“I remember two years ago, that man brought it on TV and was letting all the panelists touch it. I can’t believe I’m seeing it like this…”
Just as Kim Se-hee said, Kodo Koshiro had boasted about this on TV when he first obtained it, which had been a great help in Lee Hyun-wook’s decision.
“Still, it’s amazing that guy kept it without using it.”
“He was probably waiting until he got a suitable item for it.”
“Anyway, what are you going to use it on?”
“Hmm… Probably. I think I’ll use it on Moglei.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s explanation, Kim Se-hee clicked her tongue as if imagining it.
“Wow, that’s insane…”
To think that the greatsword would be imbued with the power of the fire spirit ‘Salamander’…
“...Just thinking about it is incredible.”
“Yes, I’m looking forward to it too.”
In his previous life, he had applied the orb of the wind spirit, ‘Undine’.
As a result, a storm-like sword wind would burst forth whenever he swung it.
‘But now I have Kim Se-hee, so the power of wind is covered.’
And since he had just happened to obtain the ‘Salamander’s Orb’, he decided to try imbuing Moglei with the power of ‘fire’ this time.
Lee Hyun-wook himself was curious to see what kind of skill would be born from it.
“But he really didn’t want to give it up. How did you manage to get it?”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled slyly.
“Well, when I told him I’d give a very detailed testimony about what happened during my interview back in Korea, he got all antsy and handed it over.”
Then he had disappeared, grinding his teeth and telling him to watch his mouth.
“What… Does he hate the fact that he lost being known that much?”
Lee Hyun-wook shrugged as if he didn’t really know.
“Wow… that guy really is just a bundle of vanity.”
She had once considered Kodo Koshiro her role model. After all, among players who used wind, he was the best.
“Now, well… I can just watch and learn from someone right next to me…”
“Sorry?”
“No, I’m just saying I’ll work hard from now on.”
***
- Hero of Seoul Saves Japan and Returns in Glory! Lee Hyun-wook’s Arrival Met with a Frenzy of Media Coverage and Cheering Fans, Leaving No Room to Move!
- Lee Hyun-wook Becomes a Troubleshooter for the World, Not Just Seoul! Finally Enters the ‘Korean Player Rankings’! What Will His First Rank Be…?
He had gone beyond saving the country to boosting its pride.
The name Lee Hyun-wook had now become a source of pride for the Republic of Korea.
And this country had a habit of treating its heroes exceptionally well.
- Do You Know Steel Rain? Lee Hyun-wook Joins the ‘Do You Know’ Club!
The only problem was, sometimes they treated them a little too well.
“I never joined anything like that…”
However, as his fame grew, there was something he needed to be wary of.
‘This time was no different. The risks are getting bigger.’
The Villains. It was certain they were preparing another dark scheme.
He had seen heroes fall to the Villains’ insidious plots.
‘…I can’t let my guard down.’
Therefore, Lee Hyun-wook requested that Director Woo Seong-mun strengthen the security not only for himself but also for those around him, like Park Cheol-su and Kang Jeong-du.
‘Still, Team Bihyeongrang should provide the best security.’
After that, he stayed in Laputa for a while.
He steadily consumed metal…
- Current Controllable Metal Weight: 1,059kg
Finally, though limited to Seoul, he could now control over a ton of metal.
And so…
- Congratulations! You have succeeded in the 3rd Potential Breakthrough and acquired a ‘Characteristic Skill’.
[Skill Information]
- Name: Metal Fusion
- Grade: D
- Effect: Consumes mana to ‘fuse’ a certain amount of metal.
* Mana consumption varies depending on the amount of the target metal.
Following Shatter and Morph, it was now Fusion.
Literally melting it down.
And that molten ‘iron’ was also metal.
‘In other words, I can now control metal in a liquid state at all times.’
That had very high utility. In combat, it could become a bizarre, unpredictable weapon, and by combining Metal Fusion and Metal Morph, he could instantly create any shape with complete freedom.
“Combat should get a little easier from now on, huh?”
Meanwhile, he retraced his memories of the war, compiled current events, and used that as a basis to check his future plans and predict variables.
Just then, a TV news report drifted into his ears.
- …The brightest comet of the century, Kim-Walter, is approaching Earth. It is expected to be visible in a week.
This news was about an astronomical phenomenon that had been mentioned intermittently for a few days, a story from the outside world that no one was paying attention to yet.
But its extraordinary true nature was known only to Lee Hyun-wook.
‘…The meteor <Phaethon>. It’s about time for it to arrive.’
Another event was flying in from outer space.
This world had changed, as if it were a ‘game’.
And that phenomenon was not limited to Earth.
Far away, somewhere in space, an event was approaching.
That was the true identity of that comet.
- …On the 21st, Kim-Walter will make its closest approach to Earth, passing by at a distance of 31 million kilometers. NASA has deemed this object a potentially hazardous cosmic body and has been monitoring its movement, but they say the risk of collision is almost nonexistent, and an unprecedented cosmic show is…
No, it doesn’t pass by.
It slams right into this land.
‘And that meteor wasn’t one, but two.’
Right now, it was being observed as a single object. But at a certain point, it would split into two. And those two were events with completely different properties.
‘One was a disaster, the other a blessing…’
Where one meteor fell, a great catastrophe would occur.
But the other meteor would bring immense wealth.
In this game, many elements were divided in such extreme ways.
In a way, fate was determined purely by ‘luck’.
But if you knew in advance… you could ‘pick and choose’.
In other words, he could draw the meteor of blessing to him.
Lee Hyun-wook made a phone call.
“Ms. Go Jin-hwa, are you well?”
“There’s something I need you to acquire from the Southeast Asia region. Its name is probably… the <Okeanos Guidance Device>.”
***
Lee Hyun-wook asked Park Cheol-su to purchase a forested area in the mountainous region of Gangwon Province. The area was quite large, and a surprised Park Cheol-su called him.
- But… this land has absolutely no value. The residents have all left because it’s hard to control the monsters coming down from the mountains, so this area is practically dead land. Y-You know this, right?
“Hyung, does buying land always have to be for speculation?”
- You’re buying land like this… for a specific purpose?
“Yeah, we have the clearance rights in that area anyway.”
Not long ago, they had negotiated with the Gugwang side and obtained the clearance rights for the mountainous region of Gangwon Province. And within the Hope Guild, Team 1, Kim Se-hee’s team, and Team 2, Lee Jeong-jun’s team, had already cleared gates that appeared there twice.
- Hmm… even so, it’s a bit too far, isn’t it?
“I… have another plan.”
He couldn’t tell him that a meteor was going to fall there.
*Vibrate— Vibrate—*
“Hyung, I’m getting a call on my Mana Messenger, hold on a sec…”
Lee Hyun-wook hung up and opened his Mana Messenger—
- …Sponsor! Kyaa! This is the lab, we have a huge problem!
It was Kang Hee-seol’s voice.
“Huh?”
- The, the robot! I-It’s— Aaaah! I-It’s moving!
“What are you talking about?”
Lee Hyun-wook immediately summoned Prydwen and returned to Laputa—then used the wide-area descent device to arrive at the Kang Jeong-du Item Production & Research Lab.
*CRASH—!*
The moment he stepped out of the teleport, he heard a loud explosion.
He turned his head to see one of the warehouse buildings collapsing.
“...Uh, what the?”
He floated Failnaught in the air and ran towards it.
“...Over here!”
Kang Hee-seol’s voice came from somewhere.
The blacksmiths, including Kang Hee-seol, were gathered near the office building. Fortunately, the secret security agents had intervened and evacuated them.
*Thud— Thud—*
Heavy footsteps began to echo from the direction of the warehouse.
*BOOM—!*
With a roar, something tore through the outer wall of the warehouse and emerged.
*Thud— Thud—*
It was a familiar sight, a metal giant about 4 meters tall. A head as wide and long as a tower shield, magical circuits etched all over its body… it was the ‘Bronze Sentinel’ that Lee Hyun-wook had defeated in the Gnome’s ruins.
But its appearance was quite different now.
All sorts of devices were attached to its back, shoulders, and arms.
It seemed to have been plastered with all kinds of magitech items.
And in particular, a massive ‘cannon’ on its right arm stood out.
‘Damn it, that’s the work of a Gray Dwarf.’
If it was a weapon from a Gray Dwarf, who specialized in creating super-large weapons…
‘…If that thing fires, all hell will break loose!’
Furthermore, an unusual energy was flowing from its chest area.
It meant that the power source moving that giant body was no ordinary thing.
“...What is that monster?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s question, Kang Jeong-du became flustered.
“S-Sir, you remember that engine you gave me last time?”
“Ah, you mean the Mokwangpaljun?”
He had recently entrusted the ‘Mokwangpaljun’ he had obtained to Kang Jeong-du.
No matter how precious the item was, it would be more beneficial to technological advancement if it were used for research rather than him just holding onto it.
But…
“You used that to… revive that giant?”
“Yes, it was just a test. I never thought it would actually come to life.”
“And you attached… all sorts of weapons to it?”
“Yes, that’s right too.”
Lee Hyun-wook clutched his head.
- Strangely Modified ‘Bronze Sentinel’ (LV. 120)
‘Ha… and its level is 120…’
Considering that the ‘Incarnation of Molech’ he had recently fought was level 95, this meant that this thing was ridiculously strong.
‘My firepower might not even work well against it.’
If he unleashed his full power, he could probably retire it somehow, but it would inevitably cause great damage to the nearby city.
In other words, he might have to request support from someone.
‘And it would have to be a pretty high-ranker.’
But then, a thought occurred to him.
“Ah, perhaps…”
He turned on his Mana Messenger and contacted Yeo Min-sang in Laputa.
“Tell Talos to connect to this mana pattern right now!”
- Yes? Ah, yes!
*Zzzzzzt—*
Static crackled, and then another voice came through.
「Yes, Master! Mana Messenger connection complete.」
“Talos, you are the greatest artificial intelligence created by the Gnomes, right?”
「Yes, that is correct!」
“In that case, can you control a lower-level artificial intelligence? Of course, it also seems to be a creation of the Gnomes, but it’s a guy that can’t speak.”
「That… I would have to check, but it shouldn’t be too difficult. If it lacks the ability to speak, it is unlikely to be a very high-level AI.」
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the giant approaching him.
“Hmm, in that case…”
*Thud— Thud—*
‘…This might have actually turned out for the better.’