Chapter 114
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 114
Chapter Title: New Business, The Armory - 2
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"So… should I… should I fire it?"
The one speaking with a trembling voice was Park Jun-mo.
He was standing at a weapons testing site set up in a field in Gangwon Province, with Lee Hyun-wook, Kim Se-hee, and Kang Hee-seol watching from behind.
"Fire it? Didn't you say it was a melee weapon?"
Kim Se-hee folded her arms and scoffed.
"Uh… then I'll draw it."
*Zzzzzzzzt—!*
The moment he said that, a stream of light—an electric current—shot out from the metal rod Park Jun-mo was holding, forming a shape much like a lightsaber from *Star Wars*.
In short, it was a sword made of electricity.
It was a weapon specially crafted for Park Jun-mo by Kang Hee-seol.
She continued her explanation with a proud expression.
"Alright! The name of that item is the 'Lightning Saber,' and you can increase its output by infusing it with mana, so give it a try!"
"Ah, yes!"
"And the 'Celestial Iron Generator' installed inside is so efficient that you can maintain it for about five minutes! The current generates on its own, and it fully charges in just ten minutes! It has a high-speed charging option thanks to the Hammer of Hephaestus!"
Just as she said, Park Jun-mo infused his mana into it. A greater amount of current surged out, beginning to form an even longer 'sword of electricity.'
Although Park Jun-mo had been steadily increasing the amount of electricity he could store in his body by getting struck by lightning, his capacity was still insufficient.
Therefore, a device that could discharge electricity for a full five minutes would be incredibly useful.
"Hmm, and last time I saw you, you were making things like nets or whips out of electricity. This can easily change shape too, so try that out!"
"Ah… then this is the perfect weapon for me. Thank you so much."
"Ahem, I designed these weapons after analyzing all of your combat patterns."
Next, Park Jun-mo began to adjust the shape of the Lightning Saber. The 'blade,' which had been standing straight like a sword, started to split left and right.
*Crackle! Crackle!*
It then divided into dozens of segments and began to writhe about.
"Good! If you use that well, you could attack dozens of people at once."
However, he was still not quite used to controlling such a form. Sparks flew everywhere, and Park Jun-mo flinched and took a step back.
"Geez… Park Jun-mo, stop being so jumpy! I mean, it's not like you'd get electrocuted even if it grazed you, so what are you so scared of?"
Kim Se-hee clicked her tongue and chided him.
She often lamented that Park Jun-mo still acted like a private, a trait that hadn't changed much even after several months.
It seemed his natural disposition was just timid.
"No, I'm not being jumpy! It's just… a person's instincts are…"
"Oh, for crying out loud… how are you going to get by being so chicken-hearted?"
But Lee Hyun-wook wasn't too worried about Park Jun-mo.
'Even if he looks clumsy, he's doing fine on his own now.'
It had already been eleven days since the battle at Seoul Station. On that day, if it hadn't been for Park Jun-mo, there would have been many more casualties.
Even without specific orders from Lee Hyun-wook, he had gone down to the surface with Talos and electrocuted the Black Orcs, saving the members of the 1st Company from crisis.
In other words, he was definitely growing well.
"Alright! Now it's your turn, unni."
Kang Hee-seol brought out a metal box.
"Huh? You had something for me too?"
"Of course, I have something for all three of you, to be fair!"
Kim Se-hee opened the metal box.
Inside was a robe.
"…Huh, it's clothes?"
At that, Kang Hee-seol unfolded the robe and began to explain.
"Ta-da! It's a robe woven from griffin feathers and mithril, coated with a wind-attribute orb. So, when you face the wind and imbue it with mana, your body will float on its own, and you can even fly on the wind like a griffin. I also added this cute griffin-shaped embroidery. What do you think? It's kind of hip, right?"
To Lee Hyun-wook, it looked less like a griffin and more like… a chick.
"Wow, it's cute! Hee-seol, I didn't know you could make more than just weapons."
"Well, I just gave it a try, and something good came out of it. Is this what they call talent?"
After praising herself, she let out a hearty laugh, "Wahahaha—!"
Kim Se-hee put on the robe and summoned Hani to create a gust of wind.
*Whoosh—*
Her body lifted lightly into the air.
"Wow, it really floats well! Hani, use a little more power!"
She rode the wind, dashing forward and covering dozens of meters in an instant.
With that item, her assassination abilities would be amplified.
"And now, for the grand finale—!"
Kang Hee-seol's eyes sparkled as she pointed somewhere.
On the mountainside, an airship was landed.
It was the Gray Dwarf airship she had arrived in.
"But could you get that for me? It's too heavy for me to lift."
Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand and lifted a metal case that was over two meters long.
*Thud—!*
It was so heavy that just setting it on the ground kicked up a cloud of dust.
"Everyone, please step back as far as you can! And put these on!"
Kang Hee-seol handed out safety goggles to each of them.
"…Huh? What is it this time that we need these?"
"It's probably going to be a bit flashy. Something might fly off. To be honest, I haven't tried it myself, so this is just a guess, but I'm really looking forward to it."
"Wow, as expected… our boss's stuff is on a whole different scale."
"Well, you always bring back top-tier, expensive materials, don't you?"
Lee Hyun-wook opened the metal case.
*Clank—*
What emerged from within was none other than… Mogleigh.
But for some reason, it felt distinctly different.
Lee Hyun-wook checked its detailed information.
[Item Information]
- Name: Mogleigh (Hero)
- Effects
1) Mass Release (1-5): Releases the sealed 'mass' and grants the user 'Reinforced Skeleton'.
2) Shockwave: Generates a powerful shockwave. Its destructive power is proportional to Mass Release level 1.
3) Helios Heat Ray: The blade of the weapon is imbued with the 'power of the sun', entering a 'superheated' state for 30 seconds.
4) Flare Whip: Emits 6 'plasma whips' from the blade, randomly attacking the surroundings for 5 seconds.
'Two new skills… The Salamander's Orb was applied successfully.'
But that wasn't all.
- Currently Controllable Metal Weight: 2499kg
He had significantly increased his metal control over time.
And so…
- Mogleigh's mass has been released to <Level 3>!
* Reinforced Skeleton stats increased. (+30%)
'Good, I've finally reached Level 3, same as in my past life.'
This meant that the two-meter-long iron sword now weighed a staggering two tons.
For a weapon that still had a sharp edge, two tons was…
It now possessed a power on a completely different dimension.
"…Everyone, I think you should move a little further back."
Lee Hyun-wook had the group take cover a bit farther away.
Then he slowly lifted Mogleigh.
*Woooong—*
From a distance, it looked like he was just controlling a slightly large sword, but it was actually no different from levitating a medium-sized truck.
'Helios Heat Ray—'
As he activated the new skill, the blade began to glow as if it had just been forged.
*Vweee—!*
Lee Hyun-wook moved it and lightly touched a nearby boulder.
*Ssssss—!*
Despite applying almost no force, the rock was sliced as if it were clay. The air around the sword even began to shimmer with a heat haze.
"Ah… you applied that named-grade orb from back then?"
"Yes, it's the one I got from Kodo Koshiro."
Lee Hyun-wook raised it higher.
And let it fall to the ground.
*Cra—ash—!*
Simply dropping it created a crater several meters in radius.
'And if I drop this from a higher altitude…'
It was the concept of what was commonly called a 'mass weapon.'
In his past life, he had actually used it to instantly kill a Black Dragon. But now, its options were better and would continue to improve.
'And if I could put it into orbit and drop it…'
If he could perfect that, he could take down most boss monsters in a single blow.
In essence, it would be like having a super-large sniper weapon in orbit.
"Now, on top of this, finally… Flare Whip—"
At the skill activation command, Mogleigh, which was embedded in the ground, began to glow hotter. Then, as if wings were sprouting, red lines of heat rose up. There were six in total.
And then…
*KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA—!*
They began to whip around manically, tearing the entire area apart.
*KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA-KRA—!*
"—Gasp!"
"Wha-what the!"
Not long ago, the ground had been hardened by the heat of a meteor impact, yet it was now being shattered with ease, kicked up into the air… and torn to shreds like paper.
To be precise, it was being melted and severed by superheated plasma.
Soon, the entire world was shrouded in a haze of dust and acrid smoke.
*Patter, patter…*
After five seconds, the commotion ended. However, they had to cover their heads for a while as chunks of rock that had been thrown into the air rained down like hail.
"Whoa— that's… that's insane…"
"Wow, if you used that on a living thing… it would be too horrible."
Lee Hyun-wook's thoughts were similar.
'If you were to stick that into someone and activate it…'
Just then, an unfamiliar shout came from somewhere.
"Hey, are you alright over there? What was that explosion just now?"
Right, there were government agents here in this mountainous region of Gangwon Province.
They were in the middle of surveying, the groundwork for the construction of the armory.
"Ah, it's nothing. Just testing some weapons."
Experiments of this kind would become a frequent occurrence here.
***
The next morning, a call came from Park Cheol-su.
- The total return is around 459% right now, and it's rising every day.
Just as Lee Hyun-wook had predicted, stocks in the 'magic mobility' sector had skyrocketed. This was due to the expectation that 'item-type airships' would be mass-produced following the major news of the 'Steel Fleet's' appearance.
On Lee Hyun-wook's order, Park Cheol-su had invested about 5.6 billion won, and that amount had more than quadrupled in just a few days.
"Hyung, can you pull that out and look into the African mining development industry?"
- Huh? Hey, what's that about now?
But once again, there were things he couldn't explain.
"This is a bit of a sensitive matter, so I can't tell you right now."
- Right, I guess this whole stock market situation is a board you set up anyway…
Park Cheol-su reluctantly agreed.
Everything Lee Hyun-wook had thought of had been right so far.
It was practically prophecy at this point.
A few hours later, a call came from Go Jin-hwa.
- I've secured the admission tickets for the Red Wood Auction House in Chennai. And that strange item you mentioned is scheduled to be auctioned three days from now.
"Yes, thank you for your hard work. And my passport, is it ready?"
To be precise, it was a passport with a fake identity.
- Yes, that's ready too.
"You've been a great help in many ways. Thank you."
- But we can bid on your behalf, so why go to the trouble of…
She was asking why he insisted on going all the way to Chennai, India himself.
"There's an item I absolutely must have."
And there were people he needed to meet.
***
Three days later, Lee Hyun-wook entered India under a false identity.
'If I cross borders with my real identity, rumors will spread.'
He couldn't afford to have a string of articles like '[Breaking News] Lee Hyun-wook's entry into India confirmed…' trailing his illegal movements in the black market.
Famous Players were often caught by paparazzi in foreign black markets, becoming subjects of gossip. It was a huge blow to their heroic image.
All the illegal work to prevent this was handled in Red Hole Town. Having connections with the underground economy was convenient in many ways.
"Today, the world's largest black market is right here."
Go Jin-hwa, who was guiding him on this trip, said as she led the way.
Both she and Lee Hyun-wook had their faces covered with sunglasses and masks.
However, the Chennai black market was far from being 'black' or dark.
It had the feel of an exotic and vibrant night market.
Loud music and touting could be heard from all directions.
"Hey, oppa! You're a Player, right? Come rest here! The hot massage from our fire spiritmancer unnis will melt all your fatigue away!"
"Here! We have hallucinogenic herbs from the Spirit Forest. Experience the ultimate pleasure!"
All sorts of illegal items were being sold openly.
"What do you think? It's a bit too flashy to be called a black market, isn't it?"
"That's because the Indian government can't touch it."
It wasn't the federal government of India that controlled the southern part of the country, but the guilds.
'The <Indra's Spear> Guild, in particular, has immense power.'
They were an organization formed by two S-rank Players in the early days when the world changed into a game. They expanded their influence faster than any other guild and have now become a force that even the Indian government cannot ignore.
The Chennai black market flourished openly under their protection.
When Lee Hyun-wook explained this, Go Jin-hwa looked quite surprised.
"What, I was about to tell you that. As expected, you know a lot."
"Well… I did some studying before my business trip."
"Aha… but wasn't this a shopping trip, not a business trip?"
The two walked through the black market, which was as complex and tangled as an ant farm. After walking for some time, they came upon a five-story building made of red brick.
"Here we are, the Red Wood Market. This is the auction house."
In front of it stood six warrior-class Players holding shields. They were fully clad in iron armor, like guards protecting a royal castle.
And in the windows of the building, archer-class Players were on standby.
'They've even wrapped the entire building in layers of magic defense barriers.'
This was the most securely guarded place in the entire black market.
"Well, I only have one ticket, so I can't go in. Please don't get lost."
Go Jin-hwa took a black 'ticket' from her wallet and handed it to him.
"And the item you mentioned will probably appear in the 4th auction session."
"It's the 2nd session now, so there's about two hours left?"
"That's right. But… what is it that you want so badly?"
She whispered the question. She was curious what kind of item this giant, Lee Hyun-wook, desired so much that he would come all this way in person.
"And most of the items that show up here are latent items whose true value isn't revealed, so most people who buy them are taking a gamble."
Latent items, items with hidden options.
But that didn't mean they were all good.
They were literally 'hidden.' While the true option might be better than the initial one, there was no guarantee it would be worth the investment.
That's why latent item auctions were conducted like a form of gambling.
'In fact, to be precise, it's like a <random box> concept.'
Furthermore, since the method to unlock the potential was kept tightly under wraps, there was a high probability that even after winning the bid, one might never discover its true value.
"What it is… I'll tell you later."
Lee Hyun-wook smiled faintly and turned away.
"And please be careful. This place isn't just filled with thugs who'll snatch a few bucks; it's ruled by guild-level violent organizations. If you get into a fight, it'll be more than just a headache… it could lead to serious bloodshed."
She didn't think Lee Hyun-wook would be defeated by anyone.
But it was never good for an incident to escalate while he was using a fake identity.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and entered the <Red Wood Market>.
***
"—And now, ladies and gentlemen, thank you for visiting the <Red Wood Market>. We will now begin the final session of the day, the 4th auction!"
In a dark space reminiscent of an opera house, a man on stage with a microphone was hosting the event.
One by one, the auction items appeared on the stage.
"This item, I can tell you, was farmed from an A-rank gate that appeared on Borneo Island, Indonesia, and it's in the form of a bracelet. The detailed information is somewhat unclear, as you can see on the screen, but…"
[Item Information]
- Name: Dead Man's Rusted Bracelet
- Effect: Unknown
"But everyone, it's from an A-rank gate, and the boss monster of that gate was a 'Mid-tier Lich.' Just by looking at it, you can tell there's something to it, right? This was farmed by South Korea's number one ranked gravity magician, Lee Seong-yoon…"
However, Lee Hyun-wook had no interest in the auction itself.
'First, I need to find those people.'
There were others who were after the same item as Lee Hyun-wook.
That's why right now, he was listening for entirely different voices.
Even in this quiet room, there were whispers. Lee Hyun-wook hacked into the 'Mana Messengers' scattered around and eavesdropped on their secret conversations one by one.
- *Tsk, I'm getting a feeling about that one. If it's an A-rank dungeon…*
- *Hey, not every item from a high-level dungeon is a jackpot.*
- *Come on, boss, trust my gut this time. I've got a good feeling.*
- *Ha, you brat… if that great gravity magician, Lee Seong-yoon, couldn't figure out its true nature, how are we supposed to unlock its potential?*
'These are just typical fences…'
- *Chhk— Two entering Gate 3.*
- *Three exiting Gate 1, looks like the winner of the 2nd auction.*
'This is the market security…'
He switched targets and connected to another Mana Messenger.
It was a group of three, a man and two women, sitting in the far-right, back row.
- *…It's coming up in this 4th session, right?*
This conversation was suspicious.
'That sounded like they knew what was coming up in advance.'
This meant they were likely not fences or gamblers, but people with a plan.
Lee Hyun-wook was looking for people like that.
- *Yeah, it's solid intel from the 'CAR' side.*
'Found them. Members of the African branch of the <Humanitarian Players Association>.'
They were an organization that fought against Player-inflicted violence around the world. They were also a radical armed group that didn't hesitate to engage in armed struggle, particularly advocating for the dismantling of the 'Player military juntas' that ruled over the third world.
- *Are you sure that's the key to the <Vishnu's Labyrinth> in CAR?*
- *Yeah, we followed the compass given in the quest, so it's certain.*
Here, CAR meant the 'Central African Republic.'
'And Vishnu's Labyrinth is where the <Sudarshana> comes from.'
Lee Hyun-wook once again recalled the tragedy before the conquest of Laputa in his past life.
The super-massive weapon mounted on Laputa, the <Sudarshana Cannon>.
A single shot from it had sunk the entire naval fleet of the allied nations.
'That was truly… one of the worst scenes.'
Surprisingly, the item that formed its basis was a single 'arrow.'
That arrow came from <Vishnu's Labyrinth>, and the 'keys' to enter it were scattered across the world in the form of a puzzle.
'They've now reached the final piece of that puzzle.'
It had probably taken them years and a vast number of personnel. But Lee Hyun-wook… he had easily found the location of the puzzle piece thanks to the memories of his past life.
Which meant he could also deduce that they would appear here today.
- *Hmm… what was the order?*
- *I think it was two items before the main event.*
- *So, the starting bid will be around $100,000?*
- *Probably. Ugh… we can't go over $5 million…*
- *Nah, it'll never go that high.*
- *Hey, you two, keep it down. Someone might hear.*
'Did he just say $5 million?'
Lee Hyun-wook had prepared more than the amount they had.
Meaning, unfortunately for them, they would never win the bid.
'But since it's an item they desperately need, they'll approach me separately.'
Lee Hyun-wook's operation would begin then.
He would approach them, conquer <Vishnu's Labyrinth> together.
And obtain the 'Sudarshana.'
Lee Hyun-wook was planning to wait until that 'puzzle piece' appeared.
But then…
"Alright! The next item you'll see was farmed from a Red Gate that appeared in Quebec, Canada. Uniquely, it is a belt-type item."
His eyes shot wide open.
'Wait, why is *that* here?'
[Item Information]
- Name: Belt of the Northern Strongman
- Effect: Increases Strength by 2% when worn.
It was… Thor's belt, 'Megingjörð.'
The opportunity to complete his set item had just appeared, out of nowhere.