Chapter 108
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 108
Chapter Title: Blessing and Disaster, Two Meteors - 3
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This land, the Korean Peninsula, was cursed.
That was the story circulating online.
Ever since the Fourth Wave, that most dreadful event, had been conquered, a series of incidents beyond mere misfortune—calamities, really—had continued to plague the entire peninsula.
The summoning ritual for the demon Abaddon, the demon-worshipping cult in the alchemy factory, the Black Orc Kingdom’s declaration of war… and now, the collision of two meteors…
This land was surely cursed. There was no other explanation.
Yet, on the other hand, people were also saying this:
“Yes, it was cursed! But a savior descended along with it!”
The name of the savior who appeared with the curse was… Lee Hyun-wook.
Since he was the one who had resolved every one of those incidents, it was only natural for people to see him that way.
Amidst this atmosphere, another disaster began on Jeju Island, and the reflexive thought of Lee Hyun-wook was, perhaps, a natural consequence.
“…Maybe Lee Hyun-wook will show up this time, too?”
As if in answer to that expectation, ‘Prydwen’ appeared in the skies over Seoul.
*Woooooosh—*
“That’s… Lee Hyun-wook’s airship, right?”
“…You mean Prydwen? Huh? It is!”
But this time, that wasn't all.
“But… what are all those?”
Following behind it, a formation of twelve airships filled the sky.
*Woooooosh—*
Their steel bodies, their silver-white fuselages, reflected the sunlight, shining with a noble gleam. As they swiftly traversed the Seoul sky, emitting only a low hum without any loud noise, they looked like a pod of whales gliding through the ocean.
Yes, it was a scene that could certainly be called a ‘fleet.’
“Wow… I’ve, I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“Of course you haven’t. Nothing like that has ever appeared before.”
Photos and videos of the strange and magnificent procession of the thirteen-airship fleet, led by Prydwen, spread across the internet.
- [Breaking] Unidentified Airship Fleet Appears in Jung-gu, Seoul (1st Report)
- [Breaking] 13 Airships Appear in Seoul Sky, Source Laputa?
Reporters scrambled to find out which organization the fleet belonged to.
However, they couldn't obtain any concrete information.
“Sir, I just contacted the Seoul A.M.T. Air Defense Command, and they said it’s an authorized flight. But the, uh, affiliation is classified…”
“Are these bastards out of their minds? They’ve got something like that floating in the sky over Seoul, making the public anxious, and they’re still playing dumb? Does that make any sense?”
Since they came from Laputa, they had to be connected to the government, but inquiries to related departments only yielded the response that there was nothing they could share yet.
However, there was one solid piece of information they did have.
“Forget it. Hey! Speaking of which, isn't Prydwen in that fleet?”
“Ah? So that means Lee Hyun-wook is definitely in that fleet?”
“Exactly, and he’s even leading the way, isn’t he? This is huge!”
In the end, the headline of the article, generated purely from speculation, was…
- Unidentified Airship Fleet, Presumed to be Led by Lee Hyun-wook (1st Report)
“…Oh, the view count is absolutely exploding.”
Just mentioning Lee Hyun-wook in a headline like this added a sensational flavor.
“Good, it would be great to insert some more provocative keywords here.”
“Sir? What kind of keywords should we add?”
“I mean a single word that can really grab people’s attention.”
After the prediction that Lee Hyun-wook was part of the fleet emerged, reporters churned out all sorts of speculation, and some even began to arbitrarily assign nicknames.
- Lee Hyun-wook’s <Steel Fleet>—A Sortie Towards Jeju Island?
***
- The so-called ‘Steel Fleet,’ which has now left the capital region, has currently halted its movement at Gyeryongdae in Gyeryong City, Chungcheongnam-do, where the flagship Prydwen has landed…
Inside Prydwen, a radio news report was playing.
“Wow, the Steel Fleet… Do you like it?”
Kim Se-hee asked with a grin.
“…Not a chance.”
From the Steel Platoon onward, it was the most one-dimensional naming imaginable.
Honestly, looking at it objectively, it was a pretty terrible name.
‘Still, I put up with being called the Steel Great Emperor…’
It seemed nicknames given by the public were bound to be childish.
“Team Leader Kim, let’s see what kind of cool nickname you get when you become famous.”
“Sorry, but I’m not confident I’ll ever get that famous.”
Just then, he saw people approaching in the distance. Among them were Director Woo Seong-mun and CEO Kang Seo-yoon. They were joining the fleet.
But Kang Seo-yoon, whom he hadn't seen in a while, had a deep frown on her face.
And instead of a greeting, she threw an abrupt question at Lee Hyun-wook.
“Just what in the world is going on?”
“Pardon? What do you mean…”
“What do I mean? All of this! Where did this fleet suddenly come from?”
She glanced around, glaring at Lee Hyun-wook and Woo Seong-mun.
“Right, you two have been plotting this all by yourselves, haven’t you? I thought we’d bonded as a team during the Fourth Wave, you know? And Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, you’re a sub for our guild, aren’t you?”
“Haha… Maintaining secrecy makes it hard to keep one’s loyalties straight.”
Lee Hyun-wook gave an awkward laugh.
‘Kang Seo-yoon is a trustworthy person… but she’s a Guardian.’
She was ultimately a Guardian, and the Guardians were not safe right now. Anything she saw or heard had a high probability of reaching the Villains.
‘…It’s dangerous until I eliminate that bastard, Gordon Price.’
That man was currently more trusted than anyone else within the Guardians.
It was because he was using his immense wealth to support the Guardians' missions.
“So you’ve been secretly building these in Laputa all this time?”
“Haha— Yes, well…”
“Well, anyway… it’s a good thing. This is quite impressive.”
She grumbled as she looked around Prydwen and the rest of the fleet.
“But the airship pilots, were they properly trained in such a short time? Piloting those can’t be similar to flying a plane or a helicopter.”
“Well… it’s all the result of diligent research. You don’t need to worry.”
It was too early to reveal the existence of the ‘Gray Dwarves.’
For that reason, the entrances to each airship's cockpit were securely sealed.
“Hmm, in any case, these secret weapons have opened up a path for the operation, but wouldn’t it still be better to borrow the <Blue Tree> airships as well?”
Despite her suggestion, Woo Seong-mun’s reaction was lukewarm.
“…For now, we plan to carry out the initial operation with our own strength.”
“Why are you being so conservative? They’ve offered to help.”
“It’s not good to bring in more foreign power than necessary.”
Having heard from Lee Hyun-wook that this meteor impact was caused by some kind of ‘guidance item,’ Woo Seong-mun judged that this incident was also highly likely to be a ‘terrorist attack’ and was sharply guarding against outside access.
If it weren't for that, he too would have accepted Gordon Price’s goodwill.
That was how deep Gordon Price’s global reputation was.
‘That’s why I can’t recklessly reveal him as a Villain.’
Gordon Price’s greatest weapon was precisely that false image.
“Well then, we will depart for Haenam, where the base camp is located.”
Yeo Sang-min, who was piloting Prydwen, announced.
At first glance, the airships' heavy appearance might suggest they weren't very fast, and it was true that their structure was aerodynamically inefficient.
However, the output of the Dwarven mana engines was powerful, and they could form a streamlined mana shield to minimize air resistance.
*Woooooosh—*
Thus, the fleet maintained a speed of 600 km/h as it headed south.
***
In Haenam City, Jeollanam-do, an A.M.T. assembly point was set up in a wide, open field.
It was the base camp for the Jeju Island operation.
“—Move it! We got word that the Steel Fleet has passed!”
Right now, A.M.T. soldiers were working to level the ground for the airships' landing.
A short while later, the Steel Fleet arrived.
“Whoa…”
The troops of the A.M.T. 7th Anti-Demon Brigade stared up blankly at the sight.
Thirteen magical vessels, approaching with dignity from the northern sky…
“Doesn’t that feel completely different from a helicopter squadron?”
“Yes, sir, it certainly does. For some reason, it’s much more majestic.”
If one were to define that feeling, it would be ‘mystique.’ A strange mix of apprehension and curiosity felt when encountering something unfamiliar…
“Hey! Stop gawking and finish your work!”
Next, eight of the A.M.T.’s wide-area magic controllers gathered to prepare for the deployment of ‘two-way portals.’ Players from all over the country were scheduled to arrive soon.
“Team 2, have you received the ‘link pattern’ for the Gyeongsang-do side?”
“Yes, received!”
“Only twelve are expected from that side, so don’t make it too big.”
“Yes, sir!”
Soon, multiple two-way portals opened simultaneously.
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook was perched on Prydwen’s ramp door.
‘I need to check each and every person mobilized for this operation.’
He had a rough list of participants for this operation, but he needed to check if any unexpected individuals—that is, Villains—had slipped in.
Soon, the first two-way portal opened.
“—Anyang-bound two-way portal deployed!”
Fourteen players walked out from it.
“…Seriously, you really didn’t cast a defense buff on me back then.”
The woman at the front, holding a kite shield, complained irritably.
At that, the man with glasses behind her snorted as if in disbelief.
“Come on, I’m not an amateur… Won-jun said he saw it clearly.”
“I was the one who took that ogre’s hammer, so I know best!”
“Huh? Took what? Weren’t you sent flying like a golf ball after getting hit?”
“Ha, you son of a bitch… Don’t expect any dedicated support from now on!”
The man and woman were the so-called ‘Anyang Duo,’ ranked 18th and 19th among Players.
They were the only ones, aside from the Steel Platoon, who had eliminated an erosion factor during the last Fourth Wave, but he had never met them as they had joined the final battle late.
‘19th rank Lee Hye-min, 18th rank Kang Jun-seong, both are mage-type Players.’
But unusually, Lee Hye-min took the tanker position and Kang Jun-seong the marksman position, both using extreme ‘variant armaments’ to work as a duo.
The reason this was possible was that they were both masters of buffs and enchantments.
‘They achieve efficiency by plastering their respective weapons with defense and attack options.’
Although their innate trait was magic, they had realized early on that their natural talents lay in close-quarters combat and marksmanship, and this was the result of developing their abilities in that direction.
Next, the two-way portal from Gyeongsang-do opened.
A total of twenty-one players walked out.
‘The <Cheonsu> Guild, known as the Witches of the Nakdong River?’
Do Hee-seon, ranked 22nd, was a Player who specialized in water-attribute magic.
And the other eleven, her disciples, were also water-specialized mages.
Since the boss monster for this operation, the ‘Flame Giant Phaethon,’ was a fire attribute, it seemed they had summoned a large number of mages who wielded the opposing water attribute.
Following them, paladins and priests were summoned from all over the country.
“Total paladins mobilized so far, 21. Priests, 31!”
Phaethon appeared to be a fire-attribute monster on the surface, but its core nature was ‘undead.’ Going into the fight without knowing that would be a headache.
Fortunately, it seemed Kang Seo-yoon had figured that out early on.
In total, 149 players responded to the government’s summons.
Considering they had summoned B-rank and higher players, it was a significant number.
In addition, two brigades of A.M.T. troops were mobilized for combat support.
“Team Leader Park! Is everyone who’s coming here?”
Kang Seo-yoon’s voice boomed from a distance.
She was serving as the ‘Jeju Operation Field Commander’ for this mission.
“Actually, one person from Seoul has yet to arrive.”
“Huh? The Seoul gate closed a while ago.”
“Yes, but he said he was running a little late.”
“What? Who… Ah, it’s Han Tae-san, isn’t it?”
The man called Team Leader Park nodded at her question.
Just then, the Seoul gate began to open again.
“…That bastard, seriously!”
A burly man sauntered out from it.
It was Han Tae-san, the man known as the Fist King (拳王) or the Fighting Tiger (戰虎).
His long hair was tied back with a string, and he wore a green tracksuit.
And as always, a duffel bag was slung over his right shoulder.
“—Hey!”
Kang Seo-yoon yelled at him.
“Huh?”
“Do you have any idea how much mana we have to waste because of you! Do you know how much the mana and labor cost for opening a two-way portal is in cash?”
Recognizing her face, Han Tae-san put on an expression of utter annoyance.
“Ha… Why are you yelling at me the moment you see me after so long, lady?”
“What? La-lady…”
“I mean, honestly, to mobilize someone of my caliber, isn’t that much mana worth it?”
As expected, his very first words were those of a hooligan.
“Honestly, do you know how much it would cost to hire an S-rank Player like me as a mercenary? If I were working as a merc in Chad right now, I could buy an airship!”
“You bastard, you should know that you’ve grown this strong thanks to this country!”
“What does the country have to do with the abilities I got through my own luck?”
On the surface, he seemed like the type to give people a headache, but as the nation’s top fighting power, he always stepped up when it mattered.
‘…The only problem is that he complains to an infuriating degree.’
There was a time when Lee Hyun-wook had worked with Han Tae-san as a duo of sorts.
In his past life, before Seo Eun-ha, Han Tae-san had been Lee Hyun-wook’s dedicated tanker.
But… he had died before Lee Hyun-wook could fully mature.
“Oh, is that the Steel Fleet? Whoa…”
Just then, Han Tae-san approached the airships, looking intrigued.
“Hmm, looks like it’d shatter with a single tap up close.”
That… might have been somewhat true, by Han Tae-san’s standards.
“Oh… this one’s pretty sleek. Looks decent.”
The one that received such an evaluation was Prydwen. He slapped its fuselage with his palm and whistled. Then, he spotted Lee Hyun-wook.
“Hmm, with the owner sitting right there, it’s a bit awkward to look around.”
“…Mr. Han Tae-san, it’s been a while.”
He smirked and strode over.
“Seoul’s big shot, Lee Hyun-wook… we’ve met before, haven’t we?”
“Yes, during the Unlucky event at Seoul Station.”
“I didn’t know then, but I found out later. That I almost decked the savior of Seoul because you ignored my command to move out of the way several times.”
He spewed insults as he extended his hand.
‘There’s only one reason a rude bastard like this would offer a handshake.’
Lee Hyun-wook focused all his hardening ability into his gloved fist, and Han Tae-san’s brutish hand clamped down on his like an alligator’s jaw.
*Crack—*
A cracking sound from a handshake…
“Oh, you’re stronger than I thought.”
His eyebrows twitched, surprised by Lee Hyun-wook’s grip strength. However, if Han Tae-san had used his full strength, Lee Hyun-wook’s hand might have been crushed. This monster was, at the very least, world-class in terms of sheer power.
‘But messing with this guy was my specialty.’
Lee Hyun-wook grinned and activated his metal control.
And then…
“—Ugh!”
Han Tae-san let out a groan and clutched his head.
“…Is something wrong?”
“Ah, damn it, why is my head suddenly killing me?”
He shook his head as if something was off.
‘Han Tae-san’s bones are made of metal, so I can grab and shake them.’
It was one of Han Tae-san’s passive skills, the so-called ‘Steel Skeleton.’
Of course, since it was a unique body part imbued with his very essence, he couldn’t shatter or deform it like ordinary metal; at most, he could lift his body into the air.
‘That’s probably allowed for the sake of player synergy.’
But even that could be easily restricted if Han Tae-san himself noticed and tried to resist… but this guy hadn't noticed in his past life either.
Seeing that, he was surprisingly dull in some aspects.
“Anyway, you… you stole my first place last time, didn’t you?”
He was talking about the Unlucky event at Seoul Station.
That was when Lee Hyun-wook had obtained the ‘Secret Armor of Manannán mac Lir.’
“When I got home and thought about it, I remembered you scurrying like a rat and shoving some kind of needle into that boss monster’s heart.”
“Haha— So you noticed?”
“Don’t even dream about it this time. Even if you rack up contribution points by pouring down thousands of rounds of your steel rain or whatever, my one punch will be enough to catch up.”
He made such a childish threat with a triumphant expression.
And Lee Hyun-wook nodded, subtly activating his metal control.
“Ack! Ah, damn! Why is my condition so bad today?”
He seemed about to say something more, but then looked like he forgot, scratching his cheek before turning away.
“...Ugh!”
***
And the next day, at the crack of dawn, preparations for departure began. Hundreds of players moved with perfect coordination, boarding the thirteen airships.
- …Steel Fleet, taking off!
The departure signal came from the base camp command. Lacking an official call sign, the nickname had been adopted as one.
And so, the thirteen airships soared towards the South Sea.
As the altitude steadily increased, the archipelago of the South Sea spread out below.
“This is Prydwen, Operation Commander speaking to all fleets.”
Beside Lee Hyun-wook, Kang Seo-yoon picked up the mana messenger.
“As briefed yesterday, our objective is not yet the assault. First, we will land at Jeju International Airport and sanctify the area to create a ‘stronghold’ connected to the mainland, preventing the approach of spirit-type monsters.”
The biggest problem with this operation was that the target area was an island.
This made infiltration, supply, and escape all difficult.
Most importantly, even the path to evacuate the island’s residents was blocked.
“…By doing so, we can evacuate the island residents to the mainland and secure a route for future transport of troops and supplies. That is our primary objective.”
The number of civilians isolated on Jeju Island was 700,000.
If they established a base at Jeju International Airport and sanctified the area, they could block the approach of the troublesome spirits known as ‘Red Wisps.’
If they could do that, the sea and air routes would regain their function.
After some time had passed, gray smoke became visible in the distance.
“Hmm… Normally, we should be able to see Jeju Island from here.”
But now, the sky over Jeju was shrouded in gray smoke, making it impossible to see what was happening there, even by satellite.
However, a swarm of red lights began to spread out from within.
It was…
“Red Wisp swarm spotted ahead, approximately 10km and approaching fast!”
“Hah! It’s finally starting… Sound the air raid alarm for the entire fleet.”
Kang Seo-yoon gritted her teeth and gripped the bow slung over her shoulder.
*Wee—! Wee—! Wee—! Wee—!*
Red Wisps. They flew in swarms, and upon finding a moving object, they would latch on and emit extreme heat. Just yesterday alone, dozens of aircraft had crashed and ships had sunk because of them.
And now, they were charging furiously.
Soon, the surroundings were filled with crimson lights.
“—Impact imminent!”
*Th-th-th-th-th-thud—!*
They crashed against the magic shields, creating a deafening noise.
*Gulp—*
Everyone looked out the windows with tense expressions.
It was as if they had flown into a fire; the world outside was a sea of red.
But… that was it.
“Huh?”
“Whoa, what the… Airships really are amazing, huh?”
Watching the scene, the players couldn't help but be impressed. Thousands of Red Wisps had swept past, but there was no damage whatsoever.
“It’s not just that, there’s a ton of divine power infused in this airship.”
A priest player who could sense divine power added.
It was true.
Lee Hyun-wook had arranged beforehand to have the fuselage repaired with metal enchanted with divine power. Those spirits would never chase the Steel Fleet again.
But from inside, Han Tae-san’s snort could be heard.
“Hah, what’s so scary about a bunch of cigarette embers?”
Then he leaned back in his chair and started to doze off.
‘…He’s still just as obnoxious as I remember.’
When the prideful Han Tae-san had been assigned as Lee Hyun-wook’s ‘dedicated tanker,’ Lee Hyun-wook was just beginning to rise as a top-tier dealer.
‘I had a tough time with that guy’s rotten temper back then…’
In any case, after breaking through the Red Wisps, they reached the waters off Jeju.
They would soon reach the coast.
…It was then.
*-chhk—*
“Huh? I think we’re getting a mana transmission.”
*-chzhzhzh—*
Harsh static crackled from the mana messenger installed in Prydwen.
- This is the Jeju International Airport shelter! Steel Fleet, do you copy?
A transmission from their destination… The voice was extremely urgent.
“This is the Steel Fleet, what is the situation?”
- Turn back immediately!
“…Please clarify what you mean.”
- Do not, under any circumstances, come this way— *chzhzh*— Something, suddenly— massive— *chzhzh*— …You must not attempt to land here!
The message, fragmented by static, was a clear warning.
“…What? Requesting retransmission!”
*-Chzhzhzh—*
“Jeju International Airport, requesting retransmission! Jeju International Airport, respond!”
They tried to make contact several more times, but the connection was never re-established.
And by then, Jeju International Airport was already coming into view.