Chapter 106
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 106
Chapter Title: Blessing and Disaster, Two Meteors - 1
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Talos, the master AI of Laputa. Its name was inspired by the 'bronze giant' from Greek mythology.
'Which means it actually has a giant's body.'
Lee Hyun-wook recalled the time he infiltrated Laputa during the war.
Back then, Talos was a 30-meter-tall Orichalcum giant,
a top-tier boss monster reaching level 165.
'…It was probably a legendary-grade object, wasn't it?'
That body was also one of Laputa's 'lost treasures,' and he expected a quest to retrieve it would trigger someday.
But now… a slightly different plan came to mind.
It was an inspiration gained from looking at another giant.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
The 'Bronze Sentinel,' a war machine built with gnome technology.
It was equipped with an AI far inferior to Talos.
'Meaning, Talos should be able to control it.'
Lee Hyun-wook slowly backed away as he watched it approach. If he provoked it and its right arm cannon fired, the entire surrounding area could be damaged.
'It's a Gray Dwarf cannon, after all…'
He hadn't seen its firepower firsthand, but he knew it would be formidable. So, he carefully summoned Prydwen, trying not to get on its nerves.
*Woong—*
But as Prydwen was summoned, a commotion erupted behind him.
"Mr. Lee! A battle here could result in casualties! We'll issue an evacuation order for the area, so please wait a moment!"
one of the Bihyeongrang Team's secret agents, who was protecting the Kang Jeong-du Institute staff, shouted. However, Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"No. I'm not going to fight here."
"...Pardon?"
He silently extended his left hand.
The ramp door of Prydwen opened, and from the towing device within—the Adamant Crane—four hooks shot out.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The four hooks automatically latched onto its limbs.
"...No matter how strong you are, you won't be able to break free from that."
[Item Information]
- Name: Hooks of the World Tree (Proficient)
- Effect: Latch the 'hooks' at the end of the vines onto something and imbue them with mana to easily pull it with a mysterious force.
These were the same hooks that had bound the wings of a wyvern flock not long ago.
The machine twisted its body, pulling back against the hooks.
*Giiiing— Giiiing—*
But Prydwen didn't budge an inch. Instead, as Lee Hyun-wook imbued the hooks with mana, the machine's body began to be dragged into the air.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook levitated himself into Prydwen's ramp door and simultaneously used 'Emergency Return.'
'This way, I can take it with me.'
- Emergency Return to 'Laputa: Order Tower'!
*Wooooong—*
In an instant, the surrounding scenery changed to a clear blue sky.
It was a familiar scene transition.
He had teleported to the airship port of Laputa's Order Tower.
*Thud!*
The Bronze Sentinel, tangled in the Hooks of the World Tree, dangled in the air before being dragged down and slammed onto the airship port.
*Clang! Krrrrrrr—!*
At the same time, its eerie blue eyes flashed as it raised its cannon.
*Chzhzhzhzh—!*
Tendrils of red energy seethed from the muzzle—
Even Prydwen's survival wasn't guaranteed if that hit.
"Dammit— Talos!"
「Yes, I am ready!」
Just then, the machine shuddered as if electrocuted.
'Good, Talos will take control of that monster's head.'
But it didn't seem to be happening instantly.
The cannon was heating up as if it had reached a critical point.
'—It's going to fire!'
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook launched Prydwen. The machine's body shook, changing the cannon's trajectory, but a crimson flame still erupted from it.
*Kwa-a-ang—!*
"Ah!"
A red flash shot down toward the upper residential area... and shattered the objects the dwarves were making.
*Kwang—!*
Lee Hyun-wook couldn't confirm what it was, but seeing as it was 5 meters tall, it must have been a fairly large object... Thankfully, no one was caught in the blast, but...
"Oh! Aaaargh! No—!"
"What in the world was that?!"
From the distant residential area, the dwarves' screams could be heard.
They threw down their beer cans and rushed over.
'Well, they'll probably fix it quickly...'
But... it looked like it would need to be rebuilt from scratch, not repaired.
A moment later, the Bronze Sentinel was subdued by Talos.
The eerie blue light in its eyes, once like a monster's, softened and became somewhat rounder.
It was a scene that clearly showed its hostile intent had vanished.
「Master, I have removed the 'unconditional attack response' engraved in the Sentinel. It should now be in a state where it can be subjugated by your control.」
- You can secure 'Master Authority' over the 'Bronze Sentinel'.
Just as Talos explained, a message appeared stating that the 'Centurion Force' of the <Signal Core> was active and he could make it his subordinate. It was the first time he'd used this function since subjugating the Living Armor during the 4th Wave.
"This... it won't lose control again even if it's outside Laputa, right?"
「Yes, I have copied and installed a part of myself, so it will follow the Master's commands. However, as it is a copy, its ability to execute commands will be limited.」
"Right, that's more than enough."
Lee Hyun-wook looked over the Bronze Sentinel's body.
'The body has a bluish tint, but it's not real bronze. It's an Adamant and Mithril alloy. They called this Gnome Bronze, I believe?'
When he encountered it at the gnome ruins, he hadn't dared to think of destroying it. It felt that overwhelmingly tough.
'I've got a proper tank now.'
And it even uses the 'Eight Steeds of King Mu' as its power source.
Its first effect, Absolute Ground, was active.
1) Absolute Ground (絶地): Exerts powerful magic 'output'. When connected to a means of transport, movement speed is greatly increased. (+50%)
"Alright, try running."
When Lee Hyun-wook gave the command to move, the 4-meter, 855kg giant rose and began to sprint across the 150-meter-long airship port.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
It had to be at least 90 km/h.
"And the cannon seems to be made from the other Agni Crystal. It's at least stronger than the Black Rhino..."
It couldn't fire in rapid succession like the Black Rhino,
but it packed the heavy firepower of a true cannon.
"Good..."
With this, he had obtained a level 115 boss monster mercenary.
"Talos, and I think this thing was foldable?"
He remembered it had been rolled up like a ball when it first appeared.
「Yes, it has such a function.」
"Good, fold it up nicely and load it onto Prydwen."
A giant robot was just added to his carrier craft.
***
A few days later, Lee Hyun-wook's Player ranking was announced.
- With this year's Q3 ranking update, the domestic ranking search site crashed. Unprecedented interest in Lee Hyun-wook's rank caused a massive traffic surge...
- The first ranking for Seoul's savior, 'F-Grade' Lee Hyun-wook, is 17th!
- Is 17th place an appropriate first ranking for the legendary rookie Player, Lee Hyun-wook?
'Hmm, 17th place...'
Along with 'Player Grade,' Lee Hyun-wook didn't trust the 'Player Ranking' either. Both were merely artificial systems.
And the method for determining the rankings was quite ambiguous. It was said to be based on a Player's past achievements and their clear records over the last year, but the criteria were unclear, leading to constant questions with every update.
'It doesn't really matter what rank I am, but doesn't this seem a bit harsh?'
He wasn't the only one who thought so.
- Lee Hyun-wook is only ranked 17th? Is this the Player Association's conservative standard? The opaque ranking system controversy surfaces once again...
As such, many reacted with incomprehension.
Just then, a loud roar began to echo from beneath his feet.
*Roo-oo-oo-oomble—!*
He was currently aboard Prydwen, floating in the sky.
The source of the roar was a whirlwind created by Kim Se-hee.
"Is that... a skill she got from reaching level 60?"
He was inside a dungeon, through a gate that had opened in a mountainous region of Gangwon Province.
Two of the Hope Guild's raid teams, Team 1 led by Lee Jeong-jun and Team 2 led by Kim Se-hee, had embarked on a joint raid, which Lee Hyun-wook was observing.
It was now the final stage of the raid, a battle against a group of orcs, and the whirlwind descended upon their heads.
Within it, Hani was dancing joyfully,
and blades of wind shot out, following its movements.
*Sh-sh-sh-sh-sh—!*
They scored the ground, cut down trees, and tore through flesh.
In an instant, five or six orcs were visibly cut down.
Of course, compared to the power of Kodo Koshiro he had witnessed a few days ago, it was a trivial attack, but her growth was undeniably encouraging.
She had recently retaken her grade evaluation and, as a result, had jumped an impressive four steps, from C-Grade Tier 4 to B-Grade Tier 5.
But her full potential had yet to awaken.
'Hmm, it's time to start developing her assassination skills.'
In his past life, the reason she was so formidable was her 'assassination' ability.
'She was a wind spiritmancer and a master of assassination...'
She would appear with the wind, shake the enemy lines like a storm, tear her target to shreds, and then vanish with the wind once more.
That was why her enemies trembled whenever the wind blew.
Until now, she had only faced overwhelmingly difficult opponents, so her unique close-combat skills hadn't been displayed. But now that she was fighting on a level playing field, she was revealing her true fangs.
*Shwa-a-a—!*
Riding the wind, she flew past and slit the necks of four orcs.
'She's fast.'
Lee Hyun-wook observed her movements through Huginn's eyes.
'But she still lacks the core element.'
Striking the optimal point at the perfect time—
in other words, her 'assassination' accuracy didn't feel perfect.
Was it because she hadn't received proper assassination training?
Originally, she should have received assassination training from the <Black Tiger> Unit.
That would have been the catalyst for her skills to improve by leaps and bounds...
'I'll have to think about how to get in touch with them.'
Still, it was true that her current growth rate was faster than back then.
A short while later, the dungeon raid was finished.
Lee Hyun-wook landed Prydwen at the gate's exit.
"Team Leader Kim, how are you growing so fast?"
The one speaking was Lee Jeong-jun, the leader of Hope Guild's Raid Team 1.
He had been working alongside the Steel Company since the 4th Wave and had witnessed Kim Se-hee's skills up close, so he could truly feel her growth.
"Come to think of it, Park Jun-mo is the same. Both of you are incredible. It's like you go up a whole grade every time I see you."
And the two of them had one definite thing in common.
"Well, maybe it's because of who we've been spending a lot of time with?"
"Ah, so it's because you're President Lee Hyun-wook's closest associates."
That thing was Lee Hyun-wook.
Just then, he appeared behind them.
"Good work, both of you. You were much better than I expected."
However, Lee Jeong-jun shook his head with a somewhat bitter expression.
"Hoo, I'm embarrassed that my team and I didn't do much this time. Team Leader Kim's Team 2 had a 74% contribution rate... We will work harder."
"That's also thanks to you supporting us so well from the back, Team Leader Lee."
Kim Se-hee said, waving her hands dismissively.
Lee Hyun-wook also nodded in agreement.
"Yes, I saw from above. The two teams work well together."
"Haha... Thank you. We'll work even harder from now on."
Lee Jeong-jun gave an awkward laugh.
After finishing their equipment maintenance, they exited the gate.
"By the way, President, why did you decide to observe today?"
Kim Se-hee suddenly asked, and Lee Jeong-jun nodded as well.
"That's right. As far as I know, this is the first time."
They seemed to think there was another reason for Lee Hyun-wook's observation.
It made sense. There had been numerous raids before, but he had always just offered a few words of advice and some item support, then left them to it.
"Hmm, surely... you're not spying on us, are you?"
"Ah, did you come to see if we were slacking off?"
The two of them bantered back and forth, questioning Lee Hyun-wook's true intentions.
"Well, you never know when you might get a termination notice, so always be careful."
Lee Hyun-wook joked.
But... it was true that he had another purpose.
'A piece of the <Phaethon Meteor> will soon fall in Gangwon Province.'
Lee Hyun-wook fiddled with an item in his pocket.
[Item Information]
- Name: Oceanus Guidance Device
- Effect: An item of unknown purpose.
- This item can be <Appraised> through the Insight Lens.
A while ago, he had asked Go Jin-hwa to find this item for him.
Five days later, he received information that the item was scheduled to appear as a lot in a Singaporean black market auction. Lee Hyun-wook once again asked Go Jin-hwa to acquire it, no matter what it took.
'And it really ended up in my hands.'
As expected, the Red Hole Village's information and resource gathering capabilities were considerable.
Anyway, this was the item that 'guided' that meteor.
In other words, the meteor would fall wherever this item was located.
'To think something this important was floating around in a black market auction...'
The reason was the same as the 'Ancient Coin of the Underground Kingdom.'
At a glance, its purpose was impossible to determine.
'The person who first obtained it must not have been very perceptive.'
If they had entrusted it to an A-Grade Analyst Player for 'Appraisal,' they might have discovered its hidden value, but they must have just disposed of it instead—
'In my past life, a wealthy Vietnamese businessman bought this.'
As a result, the meteor fell on his private property...
'It was a treasure chest that fell from the sky.'
It was a bundle containing items of truly immense value, and at the same time, it changed the environment of the area, allowing special material items to grow.
'Thanks to that, Vietnam's economic power rose significantly.'
Lee Hyun-wook remembered the interview he gave with a beaming smile.
He said he had a hobby of collecting undervalued items from black market auctions, and the moment he saw this item, he felt a sense of destiny... He called it the greatest stroke of luck in history, and it was all over the news for a while.
Lee Hyun-wook had intercepted that fateful opportunity.
"Actually, I've purchased some land nearby."
Lee Hyun-wook said declaratively.
"Huh? Land?"
"I came to see it today. Let's all go together."
"Ah, a development site? Did you hear some good news?"
"...It's not for speculation."
...Why does everyone assume it's for speculation whenever someone says they bought land?
***
In this day and age, the world never had a quiet day.
That was only natural.
Peace is something that shouldn't exist in a game that pursues entertainment.
Someone once said.
It's only natural for the Villain side to have the advantage in this game.
Because conflict is what makes the game go 'round.
Therefore, the Villains are always one step ahead.
- Breaking news! NASA has just announced that the trajectory of Comet Kim-Walter, which was expected to pass Earth by a margin of 31 million km on the 21st, has been significantly altered, and there is now a 99% chance of impact with Earth...
The world was steeped in fear of the great disaster approaching from space.
And the meteor's true name was <Phaethon>.
It was the name of a boy from Greek mythology, the illegitimate son of the sun god 'Helios,' who demanded to drive his father's sun chariot.
He ended up taking the sun chariot and causing a great disaster. Due to his inexperience, he flew too low and scorched the earth.
In the end, he incurred the wrath of the god Zeus, was struck by lightning, and fell...
'That meteor is an event based on that story.'
Lee Hyun-wook was now in the 'forest land' he had recently purchased in Gangwon Province. It was a remote place with nothing but mountains in every direction.
- Currently, there are 14 minutes until Kim-Walter impacts Earth, but its trajectory is continuously being corrected, and the impact zone remains unclear!
"...What is this? What's happening all of a sudden?"
"What, is a meteor really going to fall?"
Kim Se-hee and Lee Jeong-jun, unaware of the full story, couldn't hide their anxiety.
At this, Lee Hyun-wook decided it was time to confess the truth.
"I apologize for not telling you sooner... but that meteor is going to fall right here. That's why I purchased this large plot of forest land."
Hearing this, Kim Se-hee and Lee Jeong-jun wore expressions of disbelief.
"...Uh, what?"
"What... what are you talking about?"
Lee Hyun-wook took out the <Oceanus Guidance Device> and showed it to them.
Outwardly, it was a small, box-shaped mechanical device.
"This is the item that guides that meteor."
"Uh..."
"To put it simply, this meteor situation is also a kind of 'event'."
Oceanus was the name of a river in Greek mythology, a concept like a 'garage' where the sun chariot would park when night came.
In other words, this 'Oceanus Guidance Device' attracts the part of the Phaethon meteor, which will soon split in two, that corresponds to the <Sun Chariot>.
"Th-then how did you know about this and prepare for it?"
"Well... it's a quest related to Laputa."
That wasn't the truth, but they had no choice but to accept it.
"Ah, as expected of Laputa..."
"Wait, but is it okay for us to be standing here?"
Lee Jeong-jun stared blankly up at the sky. If that disastrous meteor were to fall here as the news warned...
"...Shouldn't we be getting out of here?"
"This will protect us, so don't worry."
Lee Hyun-wook held up the Oceanus Guidance Device.
"Ah... I hope you're right."
Lee Jeong-jun still looked anxious. It made sense; standing in the impact zone of a meteor was, by all common sense, an insane thing to do.
- We have just received an update! The meteor is reported to have split in two after passing the moon's orbit! However, both pieces are still heading toward Earth...
"Huh, it split in two? Are both of them going to fall here?"
Lee Hyun-wook looked up at the sky and shook his head.
"I don't know about that."
No, he did know.
The god Zeus's lightning intercepts the sun chariot driven by Phaethon.
At that moment, the sun chariot shatters, and control of the sun returns to Helios. But Phaethon did not escape unscathed.
Scorched, he falls into the 'Eridanus River.'
In other words, if the <Oceanus Guidance Device> brings down the sun chariot, then the other meteor falling with the <Eridanus Guidance Device> is...
'...Phaethon himself.'
The Flame Giant Phaethon... it was a <World Boss Monster>.
It would crash into the Philippine archipelago, becoming a great catastrophe.
'That too... was part of the Villains' scheme.'
Shanghai, where the <2nd Wave> occurred,
Seoul, where the <4th Wave> occurred,
and the Philippines, where the <Fall of Phaethon> happened,
the Villains would seize control of the Asian sphere, which had fallen into such immense chaos.
That must have been their planned scenario for taking over Asia.
'I know this, but I can't intervene on the Philippines' side.'
For now, Lee Hyun-wook could only watch how things unfolded there. After all, the Eridanus Guidance Device would already be in the Villains' hands.
That's why it was crucial to build up as much strength as possible here.
'The meteor falling here is a treasure trove, so it's safe for now.'
A moment later, the eastern sky began to turn red.
*Gu-u-u-u—!*
A vibration that shook the heavens, making his skull resonate and his mind go blank.
The meteor 'Phaethon' had begun to break through the atmosphere.
- ...This just in! The two fragments of Comet Kim-Walter have suddenly changed trajectory and are now falling toward the Korean Peninsula!
- The smaller fragment's estimated impact point is the mountainous region of Gangwon Province, while the larger fragment is projected to hit Baengnokdam on Hallasan Mountain, Jeju Island... *chzhzh*—
Lee Hyun-wook flinched.
'—Huh? Wait, where did they just say the large fragment was going to fall?'
But he couldn't hear the voice after that. The meteor's approach must have caused mana scattering across the entire Korean Peninsula, leading to communication failures.
But Lee Hyun-wook had heard it clearly.
The large fragment, the 'Flame Giant Phaethon,'
was falling on Baengnokdam on Jeju Island, on the Korean Peninsula...
'...The location of the event has changed.'
A blessing and a disaster falling from the sky.
Both of them were heading for this land.