Chapter 122
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Absolute Firepower - 2
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Lee Hyun-wook sat across from Sophie Green and Riango Bertrand in a hotel lounge in Bangui.
“This is a small gift from us to Stillein.”
Riango Bertrand, the younger of the two brothers who were the second-in-command of the provisional government, said as he offered something.
It was a small gray box containing a piece of orichalcum the size of a fingernail, weighing 28 grams.
“...It’s truly not much, but we would appreciate it if you would consider it a token of our sincerity.”
It was definitely not ‘not much’; it was quite an expensive item, worth hundreds of millions on the market.
But by now, Lee Hyun-wook was rarely impressed by most magical metals.
This was because even this pricey orichalcum could be easily obtained from the <Gnome's Subspace Vending Machine>.
“I’m not sure I should accept this. You’ll need a lot of funds to establish the new administration.”
“We’re just sorry that this is so little in return for saving our future.”
The CAR was one of the poorest countries in the world, so an expenditure of this level showed they had put considerable thought into it.
Of course, ‘Gates’ appeared in this country from time to time, and ‘conquests’ were carried out.
Consequently, immense added value in the form of ‘items’ could be obtained without any industrial base.
But all the money they had accumulated was spent by the Ndoze Federation on building its armored corps.
“By the way, you mentioned you’re leaving tomorrow, right? From here to Korea… that must be a very long journey.”
That was Sophie Green.
“I looked it up, and it seems you have to make 3-4 transfers even by plane to get to Korea.”
Well, it was only natural that traveling from Africa to the Korean peninsula would be exhausting. Moreover, in this central part of Africa, proper means of transportation were practically nonexistent…
‘Well, with Prydwen's emergency return, I can be back in a single second anyway.’
Since he couldn't easily divulge such detailed skill information, Lee Hyun-wook simply nodded.
“And did you know? Now that Stillein, the savior of the CAR, is leaving, everyone is getting anxious.”
As she said, they seemed genuinely disappointed that Lee Hyun-wook was leaving this land.
‘My very presence here must have served as a source of reassurance…’
Of course, thanks to his actions, the Ndoze Federation was completely destroyed, so there were no remaining threats.
Yet, even after exchanging such pleasantries, Riango fidgeted as if he had something more to say.
‘I knew it. He came to tell me something today.’
Lee Hyun-wook was inwardly waiting for Riango to speak.
Because he had already anticipated what it would be about.
And it might turn out to be a huge benefit for Lee Hyun-wook.
“Um, by the way, before you return to Korea… may I ask you for a favor?”
As expected, Riango brought it up with an awkward expression, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“Hmm, I don’t have much time, but I’ll hear you out.”
Riango took something out from his inner pocket and slowly held it out. It was a photograph.
“I know we already owe Stillein a great debt. A small piece of orichalcum like that can’t possibly repay it. But at the risk of sounding shameless… there is something I must ask of you.”
Lee Hyun-wook examined the photo closely.
He saw several holes in the center of a rocky mountain, and a railway leading to them.
“This photo… it looks like a dungeon steel mine created by erosion, is that correct?”
“Yes, it is. The CAR has quite a few of these.”
In the early days when the world changed into a game, an unusual number of ‘Kobold Gates’ appeared in the savannas of the CAR.
However, the CAR was in the midst of a civil war at the time and failed to clear the Kobold Gates in time.
‘As a result, erosion occurred in various parts of the CAR's territory.’
If a Gate is left unattended for a long time, ‘erosion’ occurs, turning a local area into a part of another world.
But sometimes, certain erosions can turn out to be an unexpected stroke of luck.
Leaving the Kobold Gates unattended had resulted in the creation of ‘dungeon steel mines’ in the area.
‘I know that a total of 31 dungeon steel mines have been created in this country alone.’
However, mining dungeon steel was difficult in many ways.
‘Because, just like hunting monsters, only Players can mine it.’
That darn ‘barrier’ was also on the ore, so no matter how hard the drill, it couldn't be mined.
That was why the ‘Ndoze Federation’ had captured Players and forced them into labor.
‘And on the other hand, the demand for dungeon steel isn't very high.’
These days, item manufacturing is done in a handicraft style, so mass production is a distant dream.
In other words, the demand for dungeon steel was so low that the profitability of dungeon steel mining was bound to fall.
However, the situation was about to change one hundred and eighty degrees.
‘Because magitek will soon develop at a dazzling pace…’
Consequently, the demand for ‘dungeon steel,’ the most basic magical metal, was bound to explode.
When that time came, people would even intentionally neglect Kobold Gates to induce ‘erosion.’
Lee Hyun-wook planned to secure influence over the dungeon steel mines before that time arrived.
“But some of the mines had to be closed down due to monsters that suddenly appeared.”
“Hmm… monsters that would suddenly appear in a mine, would that be Golems?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s question, Riango nodded.
“You knew right away? The report says multiple Iron Golems have appeared.”
The Iron Golem was a high-tier entity among Golems.
“Since Iron Golems are also metal, if Stillein were to step in… I think they would be easily taken care of.”
After hearing that, Lee Hyun-wook remained silent for a moment.
“Hmm… that certainly sounds like a hassle.”
He even showed a look of displeasure, as if he had no interest.
At that, Riango's expression visibly hardened.
“I see… you must be very busy. I understand.”
But Lee Hyun-wook’s inner thoughts were completely different.
‘Today, I will obtain the mining development rights for this country.’
This situation was a scenario Lee Hyun-wook had anticipated.
Besides mining, the CAR had virtually no future industry to revive its economy.
And of all things, Iron Golems had appeared… just when Stillein was nearby.
‘If they don't ask for my help at this very moment, they don't have what it takes to run a country.’
That was why Lee Hyun-wook had been waiting for them to make the first move.
“But, it’s true that it’s not a difficult task for me. Yes, I will help you.”
“I-Is that really true?”
“In return, I’d like to set one condition, if that’s alright?”
A condition, or a price. Riango had been waiting for those words.
“Yes, of course. There’s no such thing as a free lunch.”
Riango nodded his head. He had heard from Sophie earlier that Stillein was a skilled businessman. After all, he had helped this country to gain access to a ‘hidden stage.’
However…
“The mining rights to a total of 10 dungeon steel mines, could you give them to me?”
“Uh… pardon? Mining rights, what do you mean by that…?”
As Riango hesitated, Lee Hyun-wook leaned forward and spoke in a whisper.
“…As you may already know, I have connections with those at the forefront of magitek.”
Riango realized that Lee Hyun-wook’s words were an allusion to ‘Laputa.’
And he recalled the ‘Steel Fleet’ that had recently set the world abuzz.
‘The whole world suspects that Lee Hyun-wook is the administrator of Laputa.’
Riango suddenly felt that the man sitting before him was immensely larger than life.
Not long ago, he had witnessed this man’s unbelievable feats with his own two eyes.
‘He laid waste to the central hangar in just over ten minutes…’
And even that overwhelming destructive power was likely just a fraction of the strength he possessed.
‘Maintaining a connection with this man, by any means necessary, will benefit our country's future.’
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook spoke again.
“So, if we use the magitek I possess, we can significantly increase the profitability of all 31 dungeon steel mines. And… we would like to import large quantities of that dungeon steel. The amount will probably be incomparable to what the CAR has ever exported.”
Hearing that, Riango’s heart began to pound.
“Uh… is that, really true?”
The Central African Republic had never once been prosperous in its history.
And it had never been given any opportunity to develop.
The neighboring country, Chad, had the accidental blessing of the ‘World Tree,’ but…
‘At this rate, we’ll never be able to improve our lot.’
But now, the man presumed to be the administrator of Laputa was proposing an incredible deal.
It felt as though a ray of dawn was shining on the future of this country, which had been nothing but dark.
***
Among Golem-type monsters, the ‘Iron Golem’ was a rather tricky opponent.
A monster over 3 meters tall, its entire body made of hard steel… its defense was overwhelming, and it even had regenerative abilities, making it difficult to kill even if a decent damage dealer went all out.
“S-So… the Ndoze Federation didn't even dare to attempt a conquest…”
The man saying this was the manager of this dungeon steel mine (hereafter DS Mine).
He looked up at something, his mouth agape, and shook his head.
“No— this is, impossible…”
An Iron Golem, each weighing over 7 tons, had its upper body separated with a clang— as if it were a toy.
Then it spun around and floated into the air, a scene that made it seem as if gravity had been reversed.
*Kagagagagang—!*
Next, with a sharp, ear-piercing roar, it was ‘deformed,’ ‘melted,’ and ‘shattered.’
*Kagagagagang—!*
The Iron Golem was torn to shreds like a paper doll… this was already the seventh one.
“I-I mean, is that even a plausible scene?”
“Well… it’s an era full of strange things.”
Riango replied to the DS Mine manager's question with a smirk.
He could remain calm because he had seen things even more incredible than this.
“Even so, that seems too unbelievable. Huh…”
These were the Iron Golems that had rendered this DS Mine useless for over a year.
But to think they could be dispatched so easily with a single gesture from one person, it felt almost anticlimactic.
“Well, that’s because that man is none other than Stillein. It’s a blessing for us.”
Just then, the Iron Golem’s chest was torn open, and something shot out from within.
*Whoosh—!*
It flew into Lee Hyun-wook’s hand like a game of catch and landed lightly.
It was a metallic sphere, about 10 cm in diameter, with a rugged surface.
- You have acquired the Core of an Iron Golem!
[Item Information]
- Name: Core of an Iron Golem (Rare)
- Effect: When infused with mana, it attracts nearby metal to become a ‘Golem.’
‘Come to think of it, this was a pretty useful item, wasn't it?’
The one and only way to defeat a Golem-type monster was to destroy its ‘core.’ As long as the core was intact, no matter how much you broke it, it would just pull in the ‘materials’ that made up its body and restore itself.
In that respect, obtaining a core in the form of a complete ‘item’ like this was a difficult task. It was hard enough to shatter it with powerful external force, so how could one possibly tear it out intact?
But for Lee Hyun-wook, it was an incredibly easy task, as he had just demonstrated.
Lee Hyun-wook lightly tossed the ‘Core of an Iron Golem’ forward and infused it with mana.
Then…
- Creating an Iron Golem!
At that moment, the scattered metal fragments flew towards the ‘core’ and began to merge into one.
*Tididididi—*
“Whoa—?”
Soon, a single Iron Golem stood tall in that spot.
Although the crushed metal was tangled together, making it look a bit rougher than its original form…
‘If I touch it up a bit, it’ll look better.’
When Lee Hyun-wook tweaked it a little with ‘Metal Dissolution’ and ‘Metal Deformation,’ it was sculpted into a rather polished form.
- You have secured ‘Master Authority’ over the Iron Golem. (1/43)
*Thud— Thud—*
“What! Why is it suddenly coming back to life?”
“You don’t need to worry. I’m controlling it.”
“Ah… is it like, a Living Armor?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
‘But the useful thing about this guy is that you can pull out the core and store it as an item.’
And as long as there was enough ‘metal’ in the vicinity of the summoning area, it could be reassembled perfectly anytime, anywhere. In other words, the fact that it was a portable ‘minion’ made it more appealing than a Living Armor.
“Now, let’s go deeper.”
Lee Hyun-wook advanced into the mine, effortlessly dispatching dozens of Iron Golems.
He obtained 41 ‘Cores of an Iron Golem’ in the process, gaining a whole host of useful minions.
Farming these precious items to his heart's content while carrying out the CAR provisional government’s request was killing two birds with one stone.
But when they reached a wide area, he encountered a completely different type of Iron Golem.
*THUD—*
The sound of footsteps that shook the very ground announced the arrival of a being on a different level from the ones before.
Soon, from the darkness beyond, a pair of cold blue eyes flared up from a height of 12 meters.
*THUD—*
Lee Hyun-wook used his metal control to accurately scan its body.
…It was a monster weighing 1,021 tons.
“Whoa… that one is three or four times bigger than the ones we’ve seen so far.”
“It’s probably an elite monster. It’ll be over once we take care of that one.”
What’s more, Lee Hyun-wook’s metal control didn’t work on it.
This meant it was of a different ‘class,’ likely an ‘elite monster.’
However, Lee Hyun-wook was still completely at ease.
‘Well, I’ll just have to smash it then…’
Lee Hyun-wook summoned one AD-1 he had inscribed on his left wrist and took out only three swords.
*Crack— Crack— Crack—!*
Three greatswords, the Mogeleys, fell from above and slammed into the ground one by one, right in front of Lee Hyun-wook.
- Current Controllable Metal Weight: 6,791kg
* Transcendent Senses (+40%) is active.
* Hardened Body (+30%) is active.
* Hardened Body - Replica (+15%) is active.
* Hardened Body - Replica (+15%) is active.
* World Boss Monster Slayer (+5%) is active.
* You are in a region where Savior of Seoul (+100%) does not apply.
This… was a list that even Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t help but be impressed by.
‘No matter how I look at it, this is a real jackpot. Three Hardened Body effects stacking…'
This was thanks to the two ‘Mogeley (Replicas)’ he had recently obtained. Although their abilities were half that of the original, getting two at once meant it was effectively doubled.
‘And even if it’s half, it’s still a 1-ton sword.’
Who would consider a blow from such a monstrous weapon to be subpar just because it was half-strength?
Lee Hyun-wook raised both hands.
*Jjeojeojeojeo—*
The three Mogeleys embedded in the ground slowly took flight.
‘Helios Ray—’
As he imbued them with the skill, three red lines bloomed in the darkness.
And the moment Lee Hyun-wook lightly lowered his hands, they shot out in three directions, stirring up a gale.
Then they converged from three directions simultaneously—the 2-ton, 1-ton, and 1-ton greatswords struck the giant’s body.
*CRACK—! CRACK—! CRACK—!*
The massive metal body began to be chopped off in chunks, as if someone were striking a potato.
If he used ‘Shockwave’ or ‘Flare Web’ here, he could have minced it coolly.
But if he did, the mine itself could collapse and bury them, so he had to hold back.
‘And to get the core, I need to slice it delicately.’
Before long, the creature's limbs were completely severed, and its massive body toppled over.
*THUD—!*
With its characteristic regenerative ability, it tried to pull in metal in real-time and re-fuse itself, but…
‘Even so, its recovery speed is too slow to withstand my damage.’
Just then, two Mogeleys successively plunged into the creature's chest.
*Crack— Crack—*
Lee Hyun-wook moved the two Mogeleys like levers, prying open the area around its chest.
Then, he melted and deformed the metal scraps scattered on the floor, creating ‘chains—with hooks.’
‘Go—’
*Chwararara—!*
The hooks slithered forward like snakes, squeezed through the crack in the chest opened by the two Mogeleys, and the moment they wrapped around the core inside—Lee Hyun-wook pulled with all his might.
*Jjeong—!*
And just like that, he succeeded in tearing out the core with incredible ease.
[Item Information]
- Name: Core of an Ancient Iron Golem (Heroic)
- Effect: When infused with mana, it attracts nearby metal to become a ‘Golem.’ (Depending on the amount of mana infused and the amount of metal nearby, the size of the created Golem can be magnified up to 2 times.)
Lee Hyun-wook tucked it away and turned back to Riango.
“Alright, you said Iron Golems appeared in other mines too, right? Let’s head there right now.”
The time it took Lee Hyun-wook to deal with all the Iron Golems in the CAR was a mere 14 hours.
***
After thoroughly relieving the CAR of its worries, Lee Hyun-wook finally returned to Seoul.
‘How many days has it been…'
But right after he arrived at the Laputa Order Tower, Yeo Sang-min rushed over with some news.
“The-The blacksmiths have been calling dozens of times a day, desperately looking for you, Master.”
“Huh? Why, did something big happen?”
“It doesn’t seem like a big deal to me, but I think they succeeded in making something pretty amazing.”
He said they were currently at the Gangwon Province ordnance depot for some kind of weapon experiment.
Lee Hyun-wook flew there immediately.
“Hey— why have you been so hard to reach!”
The one shouting was Kang Hee-seol.
“Why? What’s going on that you were looking for me so desperately?”
“Why else would we be looking for our sponsor?”
“Huh? Don’t tell me you ran out of money? I’m pretty sure I gave you plenty of research funds…”
“Hey, when have we ever looked for you for that reason?”
She said, letting out a rather wicked “Ehehehe—” laugh.
“You know, that thing you asked us to make before you went missing.”
“I wasn’t missing, I was working… Ah, is the super-large aerial deployment device complete?”
“Yes, it’s a total game-changer, I’m telling you! Prepare to be amazed, let’s go see it right now!”
Before leaving for India, Lee Hyun-wook had entrusted the blacksmiths with the ‘Core of the Sun Chariot.’
And he had asked them to use it to create an aerial deployment device instead of an airship.
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook had even given a specific description.
“—I need a giant aerial hangar that can float above the battlefield, loaded with an overwhelming number of weapons.”
He was eager to see to what extent the blacksmiths had been able to satisfy that wish.
“There, that’s it!”
In the distance, on an empty lot, he saw a square-shaped object covered with a blue waterproof tarp.
But its size was enormous. At a glance, the length of one side seemed to be at least 15 meters.
As a few blacksmiths pulled at the tarp to uncover it, Kang Hee-seol shouted.
“Now, we present the orbital drop device capable of ascending to low orbit, nicknamed the <Warbox>!”