Chapter 119
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 119
Chapter Title: The War Ender - 2
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"So, let me get this straight… The 24 enchanted tanks we sent just exploded simultaneously, like firecrackers?"
The massive black man spoke, then chuckled with a cigar in his mouth.
He was the second-in-command of the Ndohz Federation, the Armored Commander, also known as ‘Lyon Noir.’
“And you think that’s a report that makes any sense to be spouting in front of me?”
At his aggressive question, the man in military uniform standing at the door snapped to attention and opened his mouth.
"Sir… Commander, that was the testimony from a survivor of the 11th Armored Division, which went to the South Sudan border."
"Hey, Ninth Captain… that's not the important part, you useless bastard!”
Lyon Noir exhaled a puff of cigar smoke, revealing his yellowed fangs.
"Fuck, shouldn't you have found out how such a ridiculous thing was even possible?”
"Ah, well… we don't have precise information. It all happened so fast…"
“Hey! If you don't know, shouldn't you at least make an estimate? Huh? Isn't that what a report is?”
"......."
"Ha, the reason this land is still in this state is because of savages like you, whose way of thinking is primitive. Even my 13-year-old nephew could tell me the tanks suddenly exploded, you moron!”
The man called the Ninth Captain stared blankly into the air.
After a moment of rapid thinking, he began to do as Lyon Noir said and made an estimation.
"W-well, according to the survivor's report, it looked like they were using… telekinesis!"
"Telekinesis? Oh, interesting. And what's your basis for that? Go on.”
“...He said the person deflected the tank shells and severed the caterpillar tracks just by moving their hands.”
"Right, and what's the one conclusion you can draw from that information?”
"S-so, it's judged to be an ability like ‘Steel Rain.’ Uh… yes, that's right.”
In other words, metal control.
A brief silence followed his words… then Lyon Noir’s lips twitched.
"Hahahaha—! Are you telling me Steel Rain is in this country right now?”
Steel Rain, the nickname of the South Korean Player, Lee Hyun-wook, who had shaken the world.
And as of now, no other metal controller besides Lee Hyun-wook was known to exist.
“...That name just came to mind. I also think the possibility is slim.”
"You bastard, state the obvious! Why would a big shot like that be in this land! What, did he come for a tour?”
It was common sense that such a man wouldn't be supporting the resistance forces of a distant foreign country.
"It'd be more believable for a player from the English Premier League to get loaned to our unit's soccer team.”
As Lyon Noir rose from the sofa, a deep shadow fell over the Ninth Captain's face. At 202 cm tall and clad in black iron armor, he looked like a gorilla standing before him.
*Clank—*
No, he was a monster beyond comparison to any gorilla. A Level 71 Barbarian class who could crush a man's head with his bare hands… a scene that, in fact, played out quite often.
Thus, the Ninth Captain’s breath quickening in his shadow was a conditioned reflex.
"Anyway, whatever trick they're pulling, and whoever they might have brought in…"
His thick hand came to rest—thump—on the Ninth Captain's head.
"—!"
The man’s body trembled uncontrollably… but thankfully, the hand slowly moved down to his shoulder.
“...Don't forget that the secret faction supporting us is far larger. Push forward with confidence.”
"Y-yes, of course!”
"By the way, you said that unidentified Player blew up 24 enchanted tanks in an instant?”
Lyon Noir said, looking out the window.
*Rumble—*
In the distance, enchanted tanks could be seen kicking up dust as they sped across the plains.
Hangars were packed tightly around them.
This place was the Ndohz Federation's greatest military base, known as the ‘Central Hangar.’
“Ninth Captain, how many enchanted tanks do we have in total right now?”
"Yes, sir! We currently have a total of 269 operational enchanted tanks.”
"We have other assets too. List them for me.”
"Yes, sir! We have 21 enchanted combat helicopters and 131 puppet weapons!”
Lyon Noir nodded, a look of satisfaction on his face.
"Hehehe… this is an unprecedented force on this African continent.”
After the world turned into a game, the value of conventional weapons plummeted.
The same was true for expensive armored weapons like tanks.
The Ndohz Federation had purchased them cheaply and ‘enchanted’ them.
Of course, that would have been impossible without the Enchantress Twins.
As if by a blessing from the heavens, the sisters had been born as the nieces of the Ndohz Federation's supreme leader.
"Hmph— Ninth Captain, our military might is like a raging river.”
Lyon Noir suddenly began to speak in a pedantic tone.
"But those rebel bastards have dragged in something like an excavator to try and dam the river… So what if he blew up 24 enchanted tanks in an instant? That's a mere stream; our main force is the damn Nile! No matter how good the excavator, it can't stop the Nile, can it?”
"Yes, that's right!"
“I don't know how the 11th Armored Division was defeated, but the report that they were all destroyed at once has to be a lie.”
He didn't believe the report.
‘What? Blowing up 24 enchanted tanks like firecrackers without even touching them? You've got to be kidding me…’
It was like saying you'd seen a ghost.
Eyewitness accounts from the mentally unstable often devolved into ghost stories.
“...So make sure that baseless rumor doesn't spread and shake the morale of our army.”
He stood with his back to the window, his hands clasped behind him.
His eyes were filled with confidence.
"And tomorrow, all forces will advance and crush the rebel leadership.”
Just as he declared the end of the war…
*BOOM—!*
A loud explosion erupted behind him, and a red light flashed.
“Damn it, what was that!”
He turned his head and looked out the window.
*BOOM—!*
Another explosion roared, shaking the building.
Unable to see the source, he irritably ripped the blinds from the window.
In that very moment, his vision, the entire Central Hangar, began to turn crimson.
*BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!*
"W-what is this…"
Only then did he see it.
Dozens of enchanted tanks, truly exploding like ‘firecrackers’…
And this time, it didn't look like it would end at just 24.
From behind him, the Ninth Captain whispered in a small voice.
“...He’s here.”
***
After revealing his identity, Lee Hyun-wook immediately declared a ‘preemptive strike.’
“...I heard earlier that the Ndohz Federation's greatest military power is gathered in one place. And from what I've been told, if we just destroy that Central Hangar, the Ndohz Federation will collapse, correct?”
The target was the ‘Central Hangar,’ which was effectively the Ndohz Federation's main base.
"And it's more advantageous to strike first, before they realize I'm here and prepare for it.”
Just as he had told Sophie in Chennai, he intended to intercept the enemy's core forces.
No one opposed his bold decision.
After witnessing him destroy 24 enchanted tanks, there was no room for doubt.
They must have also felt that this was their last hope to turn the tide of an unfavorable war.
Even Bowie Bertrand, who had pointed a gun at Hyun-wook, readily accepted his demand.
“...I apologize for my rudeness. I was not aware that such an esteemed individual had come to our aid.”
Hyun-wook’s appearance seemed to have been quite a shock, as his expression was beyond bewildered, almost dazed.
In any case, Hyun-wook now stood before the military base known as the <Central Hangar>.
And upon his arrival, he had blown up every ‘enchanted tank’ in sight.
*Fwoosh…*
Watching the black smoke rise from the green plains, Lee Hyun-wook walked forward.
*WEE-WOO-WEE-WOO—!*
Soon, loud sirens blared, and the Central Hangar, where thousands of troops were stationed, burst into activity.
Through Hugin, he sensed more enchanted tanks deploying from the hangars packed inside the iron fence, and enchanted combat helicopters taking off from a makeshift runway deeper within.
‘These bastards really have collected all sorts of things, haven't they?’
Enchanting armored weapons that had lost their value was a rather innovative method.
It would be enough to push back any mid-level Players.
However, in front of Lee Hyun-wook, any low-grade lump of metal, regardless of its size, was no different from a piece of paper.
He strode boldly toward the enemy camp.
- *Chkk—* Mr. Hyun-wook, be careful of the Sentinel Tower! You're about to enter the snipers' range!
Sophie's urgent voice came through the Mana Messenger.
A 25-meter watchtower stood tall in the center of the facility; he had been briefed on it before the operation. A full 30 sniper Players were stationed there, constantly monitoring the surroundings.
Approaching recklessly would mean getting turned into a ‘honeycomb,’ so to speak.
“Don't worry about that. I've already taken care of it.”
- What? Uh… from here, it looks like the snipers are starting to aim at you!
"Yes, I know.”
- So, I'm saying you shouldn't get any closer, right?
"I'm going to snipe the tower first and bring it down.”
- ...Snipe the tower?
It was then.
*Whoooosh—*
A sharp whistling sound echoed from the sky as a streak of light—Moglay—came crashing down.
*CR—A—A—ACK—!*
A direct hit—the 20-meter tower collapsed vertically, as if brought down by a controlled demolition.
*Crumble…*
He had heard that a fairly sturdy ‘magic barrier’ was cast over it.
But it couldn't withstand a 2-ton Hero-grade greatsword falling from 2 kilometers above.
In a single blow, the Central Hangar's best defensive structure was reduced to a cloud of pale dust.
"Tower snipe, successful.”
- *Gasp*…
Sophie's side must have witnessed the scene, as a gasp escaped from the Mana Messenger.
*Thud-thud-thud-thud—*
At that moment, a squadron of enchanted combat helicopters flew through the billowing dust cloud.
‘A total of 21. They must have worked hard to gather them from all over the world. A shame.’
But dealing with them was no different.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
That was the sound of the ‘propellers’ bending at right angles.
Immediately after, like bees hit with insecticide, the enchanted helicopters lost their balance and crashed to the ground…
*BOOM— BOOM— BOOM— BOOM—*
Explosions followed the crashes here and there.
Shrapnel flew toward Hyun-wook, but it stopped mid-air before dropping to the ground with a thud.
Hyun-wook walked calmly through the explosions without breaking his stride.
As he neared the barracks, a volley of arrows rained down from all directions.
Hyun-wook continued to walk in a straight line without the slightest waver.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
The 'Adamant Stars' that flew up from his waist deflected the arrows.
*Whizz—Whizz—Whizz—Whizz—!*
They spun violently around Hyun-wook's body, intercepting everything that flew toward him.
‘As expected, with Hugin, I can easily detect most sniper attacks.’
The Adamant Stars were connected to Hyun-wook's intuition through Hugin, forming a kind of active interception system.
Hyun-wook continued to walk deeper.
*Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-tang—!*
This time, a hail of machine-gun fire flew at him.
‘Even so, deflecting bullets is a bit difficult, but…’
But even enchanted bullets were ultimately limited by their nature as conventional weapons.
They weren't enough to pierce Hyun-wook's ‘Body Hardening.’
*Ting—ting—ting—ting—*
The bullets bounced off him harmlessly, as if hitting an armored vehicle… The enemies were aghast.
"Hah! D-damn it! What the hell is that monster!”
“Crazy, what are we supposed to do! Nothing works!”
To them, it felt as if some divine being was slowly approaching.
Their morale already shattered, the infantrymen began to drop their weapons and flee.
More Adamant Stars flew up from the backpack on Hyun-wook's back.
Now that all the armored weapons were dealt with, it was time to clean up the infantry.
"—Gack!”
"Aaaargh!”
His senses, riding on Hugin, reached far away, behind walls, and inside buildings.
Therefore, no matter where they took cover, they were within Hyun-wook's range.
Soon, the entire Central Hangar began to fill with desperate screams.
"Gaaah…"
"Damn it, just run—Gak!”
A single Player was thoroughly destroying an armored division.
- Unbelievable…
No one would have believed it if they hadn't seen this scene for themselves.
And finally, the Ndohz Federation's last force appeared.
*Clank— Clank—*
They were the ‘Puppeteer's’ puppet weapons.
‘Which means the Puppeteer's avatar is nearby… There it is.’
Hyun-wook detected a solid piece of metal moving independently.
He turned his head and saw a blonde girl in a pink dress sitting atop a hangar.
"Hello!”
Looking closely, he could see it wasn't a human, but a robot.
It was the Puppeteer's avatar, a ‘Mana Doll.’
"You're Lee Hyun-wook, right? I know all about you!”
"Ah… Was it a little obvious?”
As Hyun-wook scratched his head, the Puppeteer giggled.
"You moron, did you really expect to not get caught while showing off such a terrifying ability?"
The girl-shaped doll hopped down from the wall, landed on the ground, and straightened her skirt.
"And you think wearing a stupid mask like that will hide your face? Moron—”
She spoke vulgarly, then covered her mouth with her palm and giggled, a rather bizarre sight.
"Then do you think hiding behind an avatar like that will keep anyone from knowing who you are?”
“...What? Please, anyone would think you know me so well.”
At the sarcastic question, Hyun-wook nodded nonchalantly.
"Well, I know a little.”
At that, the thing's eyes turned red.
"Bullshit… Don't mess with me, you idiot! Even my own mother doesn't know who I am, how could you?”
At that remark, Hyun-wook smirked and delivered a decisive blow.
“Hey, let's not be so cold to a fellow Korean.”
At his words, the girl doll froze as if its gears had jammed.
"......What? Y-y-you, what are you? Do you really know me?”
Hyun-wook knew this thing, the Puppeteer's identity, very well.
"You're still young, but you've got a bit of a foul mouth. Should I tell your parents?”
"And for a guy, why'd you pick that design of all things? If I told your friends…”
“—Hey! I don't think I can let you live.”
17 years old, Korean, a male high school student. That was the thing's true identity.
Through the ‘Mana Doll,’ he hid his identity and continued his bizarre hobby.
"But do you think I only know your identity?”
"What's that supposed to mean! You're really getting on my nerves!”
Hyun-wook was now holding Mjolnir in his right hand.
And drawn by Mjolnir's power, dark clouds were gathering from the northern sky.
"I also know the weakness of your puppet weapons.”
*Rumble—*
"D-don't tell me you're… planning to call down lightning?”
The Puppeteer's main body, the ‘Player,’ was on the opposite side of the globe, in Daejeon, South Korea.
The reason he could wage war from here was thanks to the Puppeteer's ‘Avatar Creation’ skill.
‘He's possessing that clockwork doll and enjoying this war like it's a VR game.’
But that girl doll was made of Adamant, so it couldn't be easily destroyed.
‘But even that overpowered remote system has a weakness.’
Being a robot, if it was electrocuted by a powerful enough current, the ‘connection’ would be severed.
‘A normal current wouldn't work, but this is no normal current.’
Sensing this, the thing's arms transformed into blades as it charged toward Hyun-wook.
“N-no! You crazy bastard— Stop!”
But Mjolnir shot from Hyun-wook's grasp and struck the thing's head.
*Thwack—!*
“Kyaa!"
The small doll flew like a ball and slammed into the wall of a hangar.
Still, as expected of Adamant. Aside from a few scratches, it was undamaged.
“Ugh, I'll tear that bastard to shreds—!”
At its cry, the Living Armors and cloth combat dolls charged at Hyun-wook.
“—Too late!”
Hyun-wook raised Mjolnir and slammed it into the ground.
*CRACK—LE—LE—LE—LE—!*
The dark clouds that had gathered overhead turned a pale white.
*CR—A—A—A—ACK—!*
Hundreds of lightning bolts rained down mercilessly on the girl doll.
"Kyaaaaah— L-Lee Hyun-wook— I'll k-kill—”
Its Adamant body, pressed to the ground, trembled violently before the light in its eyes faded.
With the Puppeteer's avatar ‘disconnected,’ the 131 puppet weapons stopped moving in unison.
With that, the Ndohz Federation's final force was cleanly retired.
Hyun-wook gained master rights over the 43 ownerless Living Armors.
He also secured the girl doll, which had been flash-fried by lightning but was not severely damaged.
[Item Information]
- Name: Cute Blonde Aristocrat Girl Cosplay Unit 1 ★ (Proficient)
- Effect: A ‘Mental Link’ is possible through a specific method.
Seeing as it was Unit 1 and even had a star, it was probably the one that guy cherished the most.
"Hmm, I wonder if Talos would like this if I brought it to him?”
Just then—the ground began to shake.
*Crack—crack—crack—crack—!*
“Huh?”
Hyun-wook instinctively used his metal control to lift his body into the air.
The ground, crushed by the hundreds of lightning strikes from ‘Wrath of the Thunder God,’ was cracking like a spiderweb.
*CRASH—!*
The ground suddenly collapsed, and a cloud of pale dust billowed up.
*Rumble…*
A massive sinkhole was formed, and beneath it, a secret location was revealed.
‘An underground facility. And it's quite large.’
Hyun-wook carefully descended into the hole.
At first, he thought it was just some kind of underground shelter.
But judging by the interior design, he could tell the architect was not a modern human.
The first thing that caught his eye were the tall stone pillars supporting the ceiling.
There were 12 in total, each so thick they had to be at least 10 meters wide.
The walls were carved with all sorts of reliefs, and an altar was visible in the distance.
*Wooooo—*
…How should he put it? It gave off the strong feeling of an ancient, secret temple.
Sure enough, the moment his feet touched the floor—
- Warning! You have entered <Player Domain: Temple of Death>.
* This is a personal domain formed by the power of another Player.
"......."
This place was quite familiar to Lee Hyun-wook.
He unconsciously made the Adamant Stars rotate at maximum speed, surrounding his body.
It was an instinctive defense mechanism from an old memory.
The memory from his past life, of countless heroes who had stepped into this place only to die, resurfaced.
‘...This is one of the skills of the Commander of the Death Legion, the Necromancer.’
The strongest, the worst Villain…
That bastard had already begun to make his move.