Chapter 120
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 120
Chapter Title: War Ender - 3
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There were about two hundred Players who, once buried under the stigma of being F-rank, had grown powerful late in the game.
Among them, the Steel Great Emperor, Lee Hyun-wook, was often considered the second strongest.
‘The first, of course, was the Necromancer, the legion commander of death.’
He was vastly more powerful than even the S-rank Players who were far ahead of the curve.
‘Even when S-ranks teamed up to attack him like a raid boss, they couldn't defeat the bastard…’
This led many to harbor doubts.
How on earth could a late-blooming F-rank Player be so strong?
Was he even an F-rank Player to begin with? Could he have been lying?
‘Yes, there were quite a few questions like that.’
But there was no way to confirm it. The bastard's true identity remained shrouded in mystery until the very end. His name, gender, race, and nationality were all unknown, and since he always wore some kind of mask item, not even his face was known.
‘In other words, it's a mystery when exactly the bastard figured out how to grow stronger.’
The prevailing theory was that he must have awakened after the 'Rediscovery of F-ranks' incident... but the presence of the Necromancer's <Domain> here was definitive proof that he had been active even before that.
Lee Hyun-wook felt his thoughts becoming tangled.
‘Now that it's come to this, I have to find evidence to track him down.’
He spread his 'Fly Eyes' in all directions, surveying the inside of the <Temple of Death>.
He examined the bizarre murals on the walls that stretched out on both sides and proceeded deeper.
This entire structure was created by the Necromancer's 'Domain' skill.
‘Usually, temples like this were used as places to create high-ranking undead, right?’
The Necromancer was a Player who could command more minions than anyone else. If there were corpses nearby, he could simply infuse them with mana to turn them into skeletons or zombies that would obey him absolutely.
But that wasn't the Necromancer's main strength. No matter how many ordinary skeletons there were, they were nothing but easy prey before the wide-area firepower of someone like Lee Hyun-wook or Inferno.
‘But the powerful, high-ranking undead made from the corpses of boss monsters... those were unstoppable.’
As those creations piled up one by one, the Necromancer's legion became an unstoppable tide.
Soon, he spotted a towering altar in the darkness deep inside the temple.
It was a pyramid-like structure, reaching a height of three meters, with stairs on all four sides.
And what rested on top of it... was a set of giant bones.
“...Those are the bones of a drake.”
The 'Red Drake' species, a colossal monster that ruled the eroded terrain of the Californian volcanic region.
Each one was a top-tier monster, effectively treated as a boss monster in its own right.
‘There's only one reason for something like that to be here.’
He must have been in the process of reinforcing those bones to resurrect them as a high-ranking skeleton.
The official name was unknown, but the Guardians called it 'Crimson Ossification'.
Looking closely, he could see red sigils being carved into every joint of the Red Drake's bones.
‘It's not finished yet. It seems my attack interrupted the process…’
To reinforce the bones like this, a living sacrifice was needed—a living human.
Sure enough, tanks filled with a red liquid lined both sides of the altar. It was a scene reminiscent of a giant fish market... but what was inside them wasn't fish for sashimi, but people.
"Dammit..."
At least a hundred civilians—men, women, and children alike—were slowly dissolving in the magical solution.
This number of sacrifices could not be procured in a developed country where the social safety net was functioning properly.
‘In other words, this is an undead factory, set up in a country where it wouldn't be strange for hundreds of people to go missing.’
He had deliberately approached a nation in civil war, supporting the Ndozi Federation while carrying out this atrocity.
"These sons of bitches... they've always been consistent with their trashy deeds."
That wasn't all. Huge jars were placed in one corner of the Temple of Death.
‘Those are containers for collecting the Breath of the Abyss, a byproduct of the Crimson Ossification process.’
The Breath of the Abyss was a type of gas weapon extracted from freshly deceased corpses.
It enhanced the abilities of the undead while acting as a poison to the living.
The Necromancer always spread it across the battlefield first before deploying his undead legion.
‘Though, with poison resistance like mine, I could withstand it easily enough…’
But most Players wouldn't have anything like that.
Just then.
*Rumble—*
The massive stone door on the wall behind him was opening.
It seemed to be the proper entrance to this 'Temple of Death'.
Following that, about twenty black soldiers rushed in with perfect coordination.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
"There he is! Surround him!”
A burly figure in iron armor stepped out from among them. The massive war hammer in his right hand caught the eye; it was much longer than Mogeley, looking to be well over three meters.
‘Lyon Noir, second-in-command of the Ndozi Federation and the man in charge of this central hangar.’
In the CAR, where no official Player rankings existed, he was considered the de facto number one.
And the special forces unit he led, the 'Black Lions', was the strongest Player force in this land.
"Hah... This is insane. To think the famous Steel Rain really came to our land."
He said, facing Lee Hyun-wook. His bloodshot eyes were filled with a deep, dark rage.
It was understandable, given that Lee Hyun-wook had turned the Ndozi Federation's nearly realized dream to ashes in an instant...
"Let me ask you one thing... what the hell do you have against us to do something like this?"
Lyon Noir asked as if he couldn't comprehend it.
Lee Hyun-wook didn't answer. Instead, he threw a question back at him.
“...Who created this space?”
"What? Why the fuck would you be curious about something like that, huh?”
Lee Hyun-wook glanced around the Temple of Death as if sightseeing, then spread his arms.
"Well, it just looks so fascinating and suspicious. I was wondering if it might be part of your people's cultural heritage."
At that, Lyon Noir's eyebrows began to twitch uncontrollably.
"You must be so interested in this country to show up out of nowhere and raise all this hell, and now you're thinking of a leisurely tour? Hmph— I have no intention of talking to you anyway! Everyone, unleash all prepared magic!"
Despite having been thoroughly beaten so far, Lyon Noir seemed to think he could still capture Lee Hyun-wook.
It couldn't be just baseless vanity; he must have come down with some formidable preparations.
Just then, the man raised a finger and pointed to the sinkhole in the ceiling through which Lee Hyun-wook had entered.
“—Block that hole first!”
At that moment, three mage Players raised their staves above their heads and cast a spell.
The piles of dirt on the surface began to move on their own, clumping together like clay and filling the sinkhole.
*Crrrackle—*
Soon, the hole in the ceiling was sealed, and the sunlight was completely blocked out.
Lee Hyun-wook activated the night vision function of the 'Fly Eyes' he had scattered around.
“...Ah, so you're trying to cut off my weapon supply?”
If they could do that, they believed the Steel Great Emperor's main body could be subdued without much trouble.
It was a rather traditional method employed by the many enemies who had faced Lee Hyun-wook.
‘It's true that method worked in my past life... but things are different now.’
Lee Hyun-wook activated Body Hardening and simultaneously shot thirty Adamant Stars at them.
*Sh-sh-sh-sh—!*
"—Green Shield, deploy!”
Lyon Noir's shout echoed in the darkness, and at the same time, wooden vines shot up from the floor.
The Adamant Stars sank into the soft, green barrier with a *thud*.
Immediately after, smaller tendrils sprouted from the vines, ensnaring the Adamant Stars that were trying to pull free.
"—Seal it again!”
Then, other mages shot freezing magic, encasing the entire bundle of vines in ice.
They had completely neutralized the Adamant Stars, the few weapons Lee Hyun-wook had brought inside with him.
‘These guys have pretty good teamwork, don't they?’
It was a surprisingly systematic, coordinated attack.
‘Well, they are considered the top strike team in this country, after all.’
They must have trained day and night with the full support of the Ndozi Federation. Letting his guard down was not an option.
“Now, attack—!”
The tankers who had scattered in all directions, now wearing night-vision goggles, slowly closed in.
From the front, left, and right, the Black Lions charged in a line, shields at the fore.
*Boom—!*
Fire magic shot by the mages in the rear exploded near Lee Hyun-wook.
Lee Hyun-wook retreated, pulling the 'Black Rhino' from his back.
*Clack—*
A low pumping sound echoed in the quiet darkness... followed by a flash of light.
*BOOM—!*
"—Ugh!"
The two tankers at the front were sent flying, rolling across the floor with a clatter like empty cans.
"Dammit, it's that shotgun! Everyone, be careful!”
The fact that Lee Hyun-wook possessed a monstrous shotgun was already known.
"It's only got one barrel! Ignore it, break through, and overwhelm him!”
*BOOM—!*
He fired again, but this time the muzzle was aimed somewhere else entirely.
*BOOM—!*
It was the same again. Lee Hyun-wook was suddenly firing toward the rear.
"What the! Where the hell is he shooting!”
*Hsssss...*
But then, a sound like leaking gas began to be heard from somewhere...
"—*Gasp!*”
"Cough! Cough!”
Soon, violent coughing erupted from all over.
They had indeed inhaled some kind of gas.
"Dammit, what is this!”
"—It's... poison gas! He released poison gas!”
Lee Hyun-wook had aimed at and shattered the jars of 'Breath of the Abyss' piled up in the corner.
"You prepared those expensive night-vision goggles, but not the most basic of basics, a gas mask?"
And there would be almost no Players with 'Poison Resistance' like Lee Hyun-wook.
"Ugh... my... my body feels weak..."
"Kuh, I can't... can't use my skills!”
No matter how well-trained a Player was, they couldn't perform at their best while under a wide-area debuff.
The priests quickly cast purification magic, but there was no way Lee Hyun-wook would miss such a huge opening.
*BOOM—!* *BOOM—!*
Lee Hyun-wook advanced on the staggering men, pulling the trigger repeatedly.
Meanwhile, Failnaught, fired from his hip, sniped the priests.
But one man, Lyon Noir, seemed perfectly fine.
"Everyone, get out of the way! I'll kill the bastard myself!"
*Clank! Clank!*
Lee Hyun-wook used the Black Rhino's 'Annihilation Blast' on the man approaching in a straight line.
*KRA-KA-KA-KA-BOOM—!*
In that instant, the man covered his face with his arms, lowered his stance, and took the blast head-on.
"Kuh, shit..."
He was pushed back about five meters, but that was all.
"Oh, to think you withstood that..."
Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but be genuinely surprised. The man was much tougher than he'd expected.
He was likely over level 70, and the armor he wore seemed to be made of an adamant alloy.
"S-Steel Rain, no matter how strong you are, without your weapons, you're no match for me in close combat!"
"..."
"I'll kill you right here, broadcast your corpse, and make my name known to the entire world!”
Lyon Noir strode forward, his voice filled with resentment.
*Crrrack— Crack—*
And then, the man's body began to swell, eventually growing to about 1.5 times its original size.
It was 'Gigantification', a key late-game skill for the Barbarian class, which would increase his strength and defense by about three times for the next five minutes.
*Thud— Thud—*
His heavy footsteps sounded like a giant approaching.
Lee Hyun-wook backpedaled, putting as much distance between them as possible.
"You're a rat in a trap, Steel Rain—!”
With a harsh roar, the massive war hammer flew like a thunderbolt.
*CRASH—!*
Lee Hyun-wook rolled to the right, narrowly dodging the blow.
The spot where he had been standing a second ago was gone.
A few more swings like that, and this entire place might collapse.
"You idiot, there's such a thing as matchups between Players!”
*CRASH—!*
"In a confined space like this, if you face me... you can't do a thing!"
*CRASH—!*
"You cowardly rat, all you can do is run!”
*CRASH—!*
Lee Hyun-wook, who had only been dodging without any notable attacks, suddenly threw out a word.
"Do you think I'm running because I can't break through that ceiling?"
"What?”
“...It's gone up high enough. Now, it's coming down.”
In that instant—
*KRA-BOOM—!*
The ceiling collapsed once again as a bright light burst through.
The two-ton greatsword, which had risen into the sky and accumulated potential energy, had broken through the ground and entered the chamber.
Lyon Noir leaped back, avoiding Mogeley.
But then, he let out a smug grin, as if something pleased him, and shouted to his men.
"That's it, now! Block the ceiling again!”
*Crrrackle—!*
The ceiling began to close once more. The mage Players, who had been the first to receive 'Purification' magic and overcome the 'Breath of the Abyss', used the 'Petrification' magic they had prepared in advance.
"Heheheh..."
He chuckled smugly, lifting the war hammer with both hands.
"I expected you to drop it from the sky to break the ceiling. But so what? You think you can beat me in here with just that one sword? I told you. Matchups, that's what it's all about.”
Lee Hyun-wook silently pulled Mogeley, which was deeply embedded in the floor.
"Yes, matchups are certainly important..."
"Heheheh— You finally get it?”
"But are you sure you've accurately assessed this matchup right now?”
At that, Lyon Noir tilted his head.
"What are you trying to say?”
"I'm telling you that you might be a little stupid.”
"This bastard, talking so arrogantly until the very end, are you?”
Lee Hyun-wook gripped Mogeley, a sword larger than his own body, with both hands.
It was rare for him to use this weapon like a real sword.
‘Helios Heat Ray—’
The blade began to glow as if it had been quenched.
*Vwooom—!*
Lee Hyun-wook had already crossed swords several times with Okita Kaito, the man called the Sword Saint.
Matchups were a key factor, but not an absolute law.
Some talents could simply ignore matchups.
And in a battle of swordsmanship, no matter how large the opponent, nothing changed.
“...You bastard, sounds like you want to leave some cool-sounding last words. Go on, prove it!"
Lyon Noir said, then charged with his war hammer raised.
But he would not be able to witness that 'proof'.
Because in a single strike, his head was severed, along with his war hammer.