Chapter 126
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 126
Chapter Title: The Black Orc Legion Lands on the West Coast - 1
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The scene of the Black Orc forces' staging ground in Shanghai turning into a sea of fire was broadcast live across the globe.
The world, once again, marveled at the name Stilrain, making it a headline.
- ...And once again, it was Stilrain. He has unleashed his steel rain one more time!
- Wait a minute, can we really just call what he unleashed this time 'steel rain'? That was pure punishment!
A radio broadcast played from an armored reconnaissance vehicle parked on the road in front of Seoul Station.
It wasn't a real radio broadcast using frequencies but an American satellite broadcast.
It was America's <Kill the Monster>, the most famous Player current affairs program today.
To an ordinary person, it would have sounded like English, but Players heard it automatically translated.
- And even if it was a surprise attack, you have to admit that's an absolutely absurd exchange ratio, wouldn't you say?
- Yes, in a way, this war will be an opportunity. An opportunity to finish off the Black Orc Kingdom.
- Oh, is that really possible? According to information from the International Erosion Topography Survey, there are still numerous...
Meanwhile, in the passenger seat, Corporal Choi Tae-yong stood polishing an arrow.
"Hey, Choi Tae-yong! You punk, there's a war on, and you're just casually listening to the radio?"
The one who appeared, saying this, was the 5th Squad Leader of the 1st Company, Sergeant Ahn Min-tae.
He slung the shield that had been leaning against the vehicle onto his back and clicked his tongue.
"I've told you, if I'm not around, you need to act as the squad leader. Don't go slacking off just because you've got some seniority."
"Ah, really... They were talking about Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, so I just turned it on for a second."
"Why are you calling that civilian 'Sergeant'? Besides, you hear about him everywhere you turn these days."
"It's just, doesn't it make you feel proud and all puffed up, hearing about our Hyun-wook's achievements?"
"Jeez, he's not someone we can even hope to compare ourselves to anymore. Don't get too lost in the old glory days."
Ahn Min-tae chuckled and looked up.
The flying city of Laputa, the source of the massive shadow cast over Seoul Station, filled his vision.
Two hours ago, they had witnessed the airships of the so-called Steel Fleet taking off from there.
'All of that incredible stuff must be his property, right?'
Though it had never been officially stated, that's what the world was speculating. And having seen it up close, Ahn Min-tae also believed that the only person who could have received the top reward of the 4th Wave was Lee Hyun-wook.
"Sergeant Ahn Min-tae, by the way, what did they say at the strategy meeting? Are we just staying here?"
"Well, those Black Orc bastards are definitely going to aim for Laputa, so they're telling us to hold them off..."
He spoke as he scanned their surroundings.
"Tsk—"
Not long ago, the members of the 1st Company had fought a battle right here.
Their opponents were a Black Orc unit and traitors from the Taesan Guild...
That day, on this very spot, a considerable number of company members had fallen.
'And now we have to defend this place again...'
Feeling an inexplicable anxiety, Ahn Min-tae looked back at his squad members.
Just then, a private standing at the very back raised his hand.
"Uh, Sergeant Ahn Min-tae."
"Yeah, Min-seok, what is it?"
Kang Min-seok. He was a new recruit who had transferred in just three days ago.
"That... Stilrain, Lee Hyun-wook. Is it really true he was our 5th squad leader?"
At the question, Ahn Min-tae let out a smirk and tapped Kang Min-seok's combat helmet.
"You little rascal, what have you been listening to all this time?"
He had explained the long and storied history of this great 5th squad from the moment he arrived.
For him to ask again now, did that mean he hadn't believed it?
Well, it was only his third day. It was a time to be clumsy and confused, and on top of that, a war had broken out. It was no wonder he was out of sorts.
"Ah! S-sorry!"
"No, nothing to be sorry about..."
He placed a hand on Kang Min-seok's shoulder and spoke in a rather weighty voice.
"We were the very core of that Steel Company."
"...I heard that, but it's still amazing to hear again."
Embarrassingly, he felt like he had said this several times already.
"Um, but... so do we have to fight those, B-Black Orcs?"
Ahn Min-tae finally realized. It seemed this was the reason he had brought it up in the first place.
"Huh? Why? You scared you'll have to fight Black Orcs?"
"W-well, more than that... I just think it doesn't make sense."
He shook his head, his gaze fixed on the ground.
"My level is 11. But I heard Black Orcs are at least level 50. I even got to this level using training dummies... If you're telling me to fight B-Black Orcs..."
Indeed, it was a special case for a mere A.M.T. unit to even attempt a gate conquest, so it was only natural to think that defending 'Laputa' against none other than 'Black Orcs' made no sense.
He probably never imagined he would end up in this unit...
"Hey, Min-seok, when you're dealing with monsters, level isn't everything."
At those words, Kang Min-seok blinked his eyes as if he couldn't understand.
"If that were the case, how could A.M.T. soldiers like us have stopped the 4th Wave?"
Of course, being under the command of a once-in-a-generation hero like Lee Hyun-wook was a big part of it...
Regardless, it was clearly an achievement that broke a certain 'mold' defined by the world.
"A raid, you see, isn't done with levels. It's about using everything you can."
"......."
"The environment, items, Players... If we do that, we can take down Black Orcs too, you know?"
He was about to say that it was Lee Hyun-wook who had told him this, but he stopped himself.
He felt like he was mentioning that weighty name too often, like some kind of sycophant.
"Hey, before I went through the 4th Wave, I was exactly your level, you know? But now, I'm 41."
He had indeed experienced an unbelievably steep growth, from E-rank to C-rank Tier 1.
Kang Min-seok muttered, "Wow..." his expression dazed.
"And a while ago, I actually fought a Black Orc... To be honest, I can't win one-on-one."
He looked up with a bitter expression and scanned the main road in front of Seoul Station.
Black Orcs, with a minimum level of 50. As seasoned warriors, a one-on-one fight was impossible.
"So a few of our company members died... but in the end, 'we' won."
He emphasized the word 'we'. Then he looked up at Laputa.
"And above all... Stilrain won't let us lose."
"Ah, so he appeared back then too?"
"Yeah, he did... But you can't rely on that kind of luck."
At this, Private Kang Min-seok's expression seemed to change somewhat.
Meanwhile, the radio continued to play from the armored reconnaissance vehicle.
- Players from all over the world are now announcing they will go to Korea to provide support.
- Haha... Honestly, isn't that a bit transparent? They just want to get a spoonful of a well-cooked meal!
- But is it really a meal? What if the spoon explodes the moment you stick it in?
- That's true. We're joking about it like this, but in the end, there will be many 'game overs'.
- Ah, war is war, after all. Perhaps... there will be more casualties than during the 4th Wave.
"Hey, Choi Tae-yong! Turn off the radio now, will you!"
***
Although he was caught fleeing in haste after being struck by the Black Orc King Stornox at the very end, the result was still a decisive and overwhelming victory for just two people, Lee Hyun-wook and Choi Jeong-cheol.
Because of this, the world seemed to be starting to believe that defeating the Black Orc Kingdom was not impossible.
- [Breaking] Japan's Eien Guild declares 'emergency dispatch of 48 Players' to Korea, including 'Hurricane' Kodo Koshiro
- [Breaking] U.S. Pitbull Brothers lead emergency dispatch of warrior unit, "We will stand at the forefront of the battle on the Korean Peninsula"
- The world's heroes gather on the Korean Peninsula... Will it become a showdown between the United Human Forces and the Black Orc Kingdom?
- The spark of hope ignited by Lee Hyun-wook spreads across the globe, fanning into a flame of resistance against the Orcs!
In addition to these two pieces of news, messages of support and declarations of participation in the war poured in from all over the world.
Was it that their admiration for Lee Hyun-wook's feat had caused a surge of long-faded humanity?
As for Lee Hyun-wook himself, he didn't exactly welcome the world's reaction.
'The reinforcements that come like this... won't be of much help.'
He knew full well that more than half of them were approaching with ulterior motives.
'Some are trying to ride the coattails of this big event... and some will be after me and Laputa.'
The former didn't matter. As long as they didn't get in the way, they would actually be helpful.
The ones to watch out for were, as expected, the latter—the Villain forces.
Time and again, he had torn apart the cards they had laid on the table.
'Which means it's about time a stronger joker comes out.'
For them, there would never be a more certain opportunity than this one. With their advance base, the Taesan Guild, completely fallen, they wouldn't be able to set foot on this land without a war event like this.
But if even the Black Orc Kingdom, their most powerful tool for shaking Korea, was blocked...
'...My plan for Korea to become the final bastion will be complete.'
But this war would be anything but easy.
'With Stornox, the final boss monster, appearing in person, we've jumped straight to Phase 2...'
Like a boss monster raid, war events also have a concept of 'phases'.
Phase 1 had been the 15,000-strong vanguard and the swarm of Black Wyverns gathered at the staging ground.
But since Lee Hyun-wook had wiped them all out, the second stage was about to begin immediately.
This war... it could be won, but even Lee Hyun-wook couldn't guarantee what the level of damage would be.
In the meantime, war preparations continued at a frantic pace.
An A.M.T. operational command was set up in an underground bunker at a secret facility in Namyangju.
There, high-ranking A.M.T. commanders and the heads of each guild gathered for strategy meetings.
And A.M.T. forces from all over the country were secretly moving toward the west coast.
However, Lee Hyun-wook did not participate in that decision-making process.
'It's much more efficient to prepare based on my knowledge of the future.'
He was flying near the western islands where he expected the Black Orcs to land.
And through 'Hugin', he was thoroughly examining any potential variables.
This war would not be a complex operation, but would be concluded with a single clash.
Just then, someone's voice came through his mana messenger.
- I've contacted him three times, but Inferno says they will not move.
The speaker was Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun.
He was aboard an airship, serving as Lee Hyun-wook's contact.
From what he'd heard earlier, Director Woo Seong-mun seemed to be scouting for additional firepower needed for future operations.
If they had one more source of the immense firepower Lee Hyun-wook had displayed, the war would be much easier.
The one and only being who could fill that role was, without a doubt, the savior of Busan, Inferno.
- ...Given that the regional guilds are also saying they will wait in their own areas for now, it's perhaps natural for Inferno to say he will remain in Busan... but he is being a bit stubborn.
If Lee Hyun-wook's predictions were correct, the Black Orc legion would definitely appear on the western islands adjacent to Seoul.
But that fact was a closely guarded secret, not known to the outside world.
In other words, the common belief was that if the Black Orcs invaded, they could come from any of the three sides of the Korean peninsula, so Inferno's decision to remain in Busan for the time being was a rather rational one.
'And above all, Inferno despises leaving Busan.'
If Lee Hyun-wook was the savior of Seoul, Inferno was the savior of Busan.
As such, he had a special privilege that doubled his abilities, but only in Busan.
'...He went outside Busan once and got hit hard, I think?'
That incident was the 'Prophet Assassination Incident' that had occurred three years ago and still remained a mystery.
As far as Lee Hyun-wook knew, Inferno and the Prophet had been close friends since childhood.
For his friend to die right before his eyes, and due to his own lack of power at that, the shock must have been immense.
Since then, Inferno was said to be extremely reluctant to fight outside of Busan.
In any case, things would be easier if Inferno came to the west coast, but...
'It might be better that he's not here. That way, I can monopolize the achievements.'
He would not have dared to make such a judgment if he wasn't confident of winning this war.
- Ah, and Hurricane, Kodo Koshiro, has also just entered the country. You've met him once before, right?
"Yes, it was a good meeting."
And the foreign reinforcements were also arriving one by one.
"What do you think, will we be able to deploy all the foreign Players to the southern coast as planned?"
- We are trying to guide them that way, but these people are quite stubborn.
"Still, since they've come to this country, shouldn't they follow the control of the Korean government? No, they must."
- ...That's absolutely right, but you know how it is with these world-ranking Players. They're not so easily handled. Well, we plan to at least prevent them from approaching the west coast.
It was necessary to hide the fact that some secret work was being carried out there.
It was then.
Rumble—
A low roll of thunder echoed from somewhere...
When he turned his head, a black storm cloud was rolling in from the distant horizon.
But strangely, the sky was a clear, brilliant blue with only a few wisps of cloud.
Perhaps weather changes at sea could be this extreme...
The problem was that the black storm cloud wasn't just in the sky; it stretched all the way down to the sea's surface.
'It's like a black tsunami rolling in.'
As it got a little closer, he could tell. It wasn't a cloud, but a living, moving mass of black smoke.
It filled everything from the sky to the sea, rushing forward furiously as if to swallow this land whole.
"...Team Leader Lee, I think it's starting."
- That thing right now... don't tell me, is that it?
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun, who must have also witnessed it, asked back.
"Yes, the King of the Black Orcs... has come to lead his army in person."
That was a large-scale spatial transfer skill created by demonic sorcery.
'The moment that touches the ground, a spatial overlap will occur. From within... the legion will pour out.'
Soon, the black smoke descended upon Ganghwa Island, transforming into a giant dome-shaped barrier.
As expected, they intended to swallow an entire island as the first step of their conquest.
"Team Leader Lee, all the residents of Ganghwa Island have been evacuated to the mainland, right?"
- Yes, not just Ganghwa Island, but the residents of all the islands on all three coasts have been evacuated to the mainland.
"...Good. We'll set off the welcoming fanfare at a crucial moment, so please keep the relevant personnel quiet."
Lee Hyun-wook said this as he observed the inside of the black smoke as best he could through 'Hugin'.
It was a smoke screen too dense to be seen through with the naked eye, but Hugin made it possible.
A 'superimposed space' had already formed, and something was swarming out from within.
'Let's see, about three hundred Black Wyverns...'
Even though Lee Hyun-wook had reduced their numbers significantly, they had returned more than doubled.
'Ah, and the Ragged Fleet has appeared as well, I see.'
The Ragged Fleet was a unit of airships created with the crude technology of the Black Orcs.
But among them, one stood out for its unique appearance.
It was quite large and had a well-maintained shape that could by no means be called 'ragged'.
'Wait a minute, that looks like... a Gnomish airship.'
It was an 'item-type airship' with a perfect form, much like Prydwen.
But its size was about seven to eight times that of Prydwen, a rather hefty vessel.
At that moment...
- (!) A quest has arrived.
It seemed that witnessing that airship had triggered a quest.
[Exclusive Quest]
- Successor of Laputa, Reclaim the Former Glory!
You have witnessed one of Laputa's lost 'core components'.
Regardless of whose hands that object is in now, you are its true owner.
Use any means necessary to retrieve it and restore Laputa to its true form!
* Reward: Laputa Add-on 'Colossus Research Lab'
Lee Hyun-wook recalled the story Talos had told him long ago when he first set foot on Laputa.
The story of how, in the distant past, after Laputa was attacked by an unknown enemy, the five factions of Laputa took important core components that constituted Laputa and went into seclusion in different dimensions... and so, to unlock Laputa's 'Power Craft' function, he had to complete quests.
'So right now, an opportunity has come to find one of Laputa's lost components.'
And the 'add-on' in the reward could be simply described as an 'attached building'.
'And a Colossus Research Lab... in our terms, it's like a robotics engineering lab.'
Some wars become crucibles of advanced technology, bringing about civilizational progress.
Though it might be in a slightly different sense, if they won this war...
'...I can expect an explosive development in magic engineering, can't I?'