Chapter 132
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 132
Chapter Title: Ancient God, Main Quest - 2
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‘Main Quest…’
The moment my metal control surpassed what I had achieved in my past life, the Main Quest arrived.
Lee Hyun-wook reviewed its contents once more.
[Main Quest]
- A Second Chance at Life, a Duty, a Destiny…
Congratulations! You are making excellent use of your second chance at life.
Thus, you have been granted a destiny that can lead to the ‘Conclusion.’
Witness the core elements of this world and take a step closer to the truth!
1) Track down the ‘Black Gate’ that has opened somewhere in this world.
2) Eliminate the ‘Dimension-Crosser’ who will arrive from your past life—the first world.
3) Encounter ‘■■■’, who knows the truth of this world.
The conclusion, the end of this hellish game… who would refuse the chance to see it?
‘But since all the objectives were vague, I’d been wondering how to even begin tracking them…’
For the Main Quest to update at this exact moment meant some trigger had been activated.
‘And it says to take down Sumaktu—the faithful servant of an ancient god. Does this mean it's related to the ancient gods?’
Other than that, nothing else came to mind.
As far as Lee Hyun-wook remembered, the existence known as the ancient gods didn't reveal their true identity until much later in the future.
After all, in his past life, the full-scale war with the Black Orc Kingdom had occurred much later than this.
He never expected to deal with the Black Orc Kingdom's boss monsters so quickly.
In any case, a massive event related to the ancient gods had been scheduled to start in his past life as well…
‘…It was pushed to the back burner when the great war between Players broke out, I think?’
Perhaps the event related to the ancient gods only proceeded after he died and the Villains won.
In other words, the true nature of the ancient gods was shrouded in mystery, even with Lee Hyun-wook’s knowledge of the future.
But for now, defeating the enemy before him was more important than pondering unanswerable questions.
*Thump— Thump—*
The footsteps of the giant named Sumaktu, or more accurately, the faithful servant of an ancient god, were drawing closer.
He had prepared his ultimate strike, the Gae Bolg, to put the beast down, but he only had one chance.
Given the opponent, if he couldn't kill it in one shot… everything could go up in smoke.
‘I only get one shot.’
Therefore, to ensure that one shot was decisive, he needed to put in some effort…
The first step was to get as far away from the creature as possible.
"Dammit, step on it!"
A convoy of A.M.T military trucks was racing through the empty city at full speed.
*Vroooooom—!*
"We're going to be in range! Go faster!"
"S-Sir, the lead vehicle is right in front of us! We can't!"
"Dammit… why is something that big so fast?"
Major Gwak Yong-jun, the 1st Company commander, shouted as he glanced at his side mirror.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
A giant monster racing through the city, shaking the very earth…
This was a scene straight out of a Hollywood monster movie.
"A-All troops, listen up! D-Don't get close like before, no matter what!"
After seeing it obliterate Seoul Station in its entirety, no one had the courage to approach it. The debris from that building had rained down on Cheongpa-dong like meteors, devastating the area.
Meanwhile, the 5th Squad of the 1st Company was riding in one of the trucks.
"..."
They all wore terrified expressions, though there were varying degrees of fear among them.
The more senior the soldier—more specifically, those who had experienced the 4th Wave—had a strange sort of composure mixed in.
"Hey, Kang Min-seok, you're not about to puke, are you?"
"N-No, sir!"
"I'm asking because you look like you're about to spew your rations all over the place."
Ahn Min-tae said, patting Private Kang Min-seok, the squad's youngest member, on the shoulder.
Despite the thumping sound of death approaching from behind, Ahn Min-tae was unusually calm.
"Um… S-Sergeant Ahn Min-tae, a-are you not worried?"
At that question, Ahn Min-tae considered bluffing for a moment but answered honestly.
"Nah, I'm not gonna puke, but I feel like I might piss myself."
How could he not be scared in a situation where their truck could be sent flying into another neighborhood?
"With a monster like that chasing us, and me being able to do nothing about it, it'd be a lie to say I'm not scared, right?"
"Ah…"
"But… you heard, right? We're not running away; we're relocating to the operational area."
He showed a hint of confidence with his last words, a slight smile on his face.
Colonel Kim Kang-seok had previously announced that this retreat was part of the next operation.
"…Which means there's a definite plan."
He spoke grimly, and Corporal Choi Tae-yong, who was listening beside him, chimed in.
"That plan… it's gonna revolve around our boy Hyun-wook again, right? We all know the feeling."
At that, a few soldiers chuckled, inappropriately for the situation, while Kang Min-seok remained bewildered.
"I-Is that really true? A way… to take down that monster?"
He, too, had witnessed Lee Hyun-wook dismembering the monster called the Hydra earlier.
But even a private like him could tell… Sumaktu was on a completely different level.
"Yeah, a proper raid is about to start, so watch closely. It'll be a good experience."
Just then, something flew past over their heads.
*Whoooosh—*
It was a square-shaped flying object, an AD-2, commonly known to outsiders as Steel Rain's 'Weapon Box' or 'Iron Cloud.' A total of 22 of them were advancing against the convoy's direction, heading straight for Sumaktu.
"Well, looks like it's about to start."
They all opened their sub-space inventories in unison, firing steel weapons like missiles.
*Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh—!*
But that alone couldn't even scratch the creature's tough hide. As it swatted its hands back and forth like shooing away insects, a powerful gust of wind erupted, sending the AD-2s flying into distant buildings.
*Crash—!*
One of them even crashed right next to the truck carrying the 5th Squad, a dangerously close call.
"..."
Kang Min-seok's face hardened even further, and Ahn Min-tae laughed awkwardly.
"Uh… I guess it hasn't started yet? Hahaha—"
They had already passed Sookmyung Women's University Station and reached Samgakji Station.
- *Ksshhk—* Commence delaying action here.
The voice of Colonel Kim Kang-seok echoed from the Mana Messengers in every vehicle.
The 1st Battalion troops disembarked from their vehicles and moved with perfect coordination.
- All troops, prepare for a wide-area skill!
The Player troops were superior in both quantity and quality compared to when Lee Hyun-wook had been in the unit.
After the 4th Wave, they had been expanded and reorganized into a unit specializing in counter-terrorism, and they were certainly stronger.
- Assault Platoon 2, enter the subway!
Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook was in the lead vehicle with Colonel Kim Kang-seok.
The two got out together, watching Sumaktu's approach from the direction of Seoul Station.
"Hmm, it seems our team needs more time to finish their work."
"Yes, I'll buy us some time, but… please be as quick as possible."
With those words, Lee Hyun-wook soared into the sky.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
Despite having put distance between them at full speed, the creature was already just a few hundred meters away.
He raised his Mana Messenger and spoke.
"Han Tae-san, are you ready?"
- Ready for what? I'm always ready.
Han Tae-san, at the forefront, was wearing the 'Megingjörð' that Lee Hyun-wook had lent him.
- Hey, where in the world did you get something like this? This thing's the real deal…
He coveted it, rubbing the Megingjörð with his hand.
"…I'm only lending it to you for a moment."
Lee Hyun-wook emphasized again, then took out the Hook of the World Tree from an AD-2 and placed it at Han Tae-san's feet.
"I'll find a way to tie this to its body, so I'm counting on you for what comes next."
With the combination of Megingjörð and the Hook of the World Tree, Han Tae-san's monstrous strength would be multiplied several times over.
He would be strong enough to drag around a passenger jet like it was a handcart.
"Alright, let the raid begin."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, mana began to surge from all directions.
- Okay, I'm ready too!
First, Oh Gyeong-pyo manifested a magical javelin about four meters long.
Next, Kang Seo-yoon drew her bowstring, and mana churned around her.
Then, the Anyang Duo combined their mana, creating sixteen magic circles.
Each of them was preparing the most powerful skill they could use.
Soon, the 1st Battalion troops joined in, preparing all sorts of magic.
And the very moment Sumaktu reached the 'Samgakji Intersection'—
"—Fire!"
A barrage of magic rained down upon it, creating a multi-colored cloud of smoke.
*Boom—ba-ba-ba-boom—!*
But strangely, the creature's advance didn't slow down much.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
No, if anything, it was speeding up, breaking through the entire onslaught head-on.
"Huh?"
Blood was pouring from its body like a waterfall, indicating it was taking damage, but it was simply ignoring it and pushing forward.
"Dammit, it's like Godzilla or something…"
Just then, a black vortex began to swirl around the bone hammer in its right hand.
"I-It's coming, that's it!"
This time, it wasn't a simple pressure wave attack, but a magical storm filled with a black shimmer.
As if on cue, mana barriers rose up everywhere.
*Kwa-a-a-a-a-a—!*
As the storm scraped the ground and surged upward, buildings in the area were lifted like toys and shot into the sky.
As if scooped up by a plow, Yongsan Elementary School, which was directly in its path, was completely erased.
"Aaargh—"
Some of the magic barriers melted away, and clumps of A.M.T soldiers were lifted into the air.
- No!
Kim Se-hee, who was already airborne in the Prydwen, threw herself out.
The victims were her subordinates, the soldiers of the 2nd Company.
She and Hani controlled the wind, catching those who had been tossed into the air.
But even if they were rescued, not all of them would have survived.
- Lure it up to the Line 6 tracks.
At Colonel Kim Kang-seok's calm command, the troops began to retreat quickly on foot.
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook lifted five A.M.T transport trucks and hurled them at the creature.
They were filled with various metal weapons, making them heavier than they looked, but…
‘This much is easy now.’
He had just absorbed the Nectar, temporarily boosting all his abilities by 310%.
- Current Controllable Metal Weight: 46,108kg
The transport trucks flew toward the monster, then crumpled like paper, forming into balls.
Then, in a bizarre phenomenon, they unraveled like threads of yarn, becoming… iron chains.
*Ch-r-r-r-r-r—!*
Due to its large size, the creature's reaction speed was slow, and sixteen chains entangled its limbs.
But…
*K-clang—!*
With a simple twist of its body, the thick chains snapped futilely.
‘…Just as I expected.’
It was absurd to think that chains made of ordinary metal could restrain a monster like that.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't stop. When it broke one, he attached two more.
And even if they broke, he used 'Transmutation' and 'Fusion' in that fleeting moment to weave them back together.
The creature shook its body back and forth in annoyance, its attention naturally divided.
‘Good, that's it.’
In the meantime, he subtly sent the Hook of the World Tree crawling forward and succeeded in wrapping it around both of the creature's arms.
And then, the creature finally reached the 'Line 6 tracks.'
- *Ksshhk—* The target has reached the checkpoint.
- Roger that. Detonating.
In that very instant—
*BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—!*
A series of explosions erupted from underground, shaking the entire area. Simultaneously, three Moglays fell from the sky, slamming into the ground around Sumaktu. The moment they hit—the ground beneath the creature gave way.
*Rumble—rumble—rumble…*
The Samgakji Station on Line 6 was four floors underground. They had set off bombs there to make the whole thing collapse.
And so, the 14-meter-tall giant sank into the deep underground facility as if falling into a pit.
*Groooaaar—!*
Like a brown bear trapped in a hole, only part of its upper body was visible above ground.
"Han Tae-san, pull its arms down!"
At that moment, Han Tae-san grabbed the vine part of the Hook of the World Tree attached to the creature's right hand and pulled with all his might.
*C-r-r-r-r-runch—!*
The asphalt he was standing on buckled like mud.
「Master, we'll begin as well!」
On the left arm, Talos and the Living Armors clung on, pulling the vine as if in a tug-of-war.
And so, with its arms pulled out to either side, the creature's body was left completely exposed.
- Hngh! Lee Hyun-wook, isn't this spread out enough for you?
Han Tae-san's urging voice came through, suggesting he was struggling to hold on.
But he couldn't be hasty.
‘…There are no second chances.’
He had to kill it in a single strike, no matter what.
‘Aim for the heart, precisely!’
Lee Hyun-wook exhaled and gripped the Gae Bolg, which he had kept floating beside him.
"Emilia, focus on me."
- I'm watching you more soberly than I've ever been!
The Saintess, Emilia Müller, was currently aboard the Prydwen.
*Zzzzzzzzt—*
Lee Hyun-wook channeled his mana into the Gae Bolg, and an immense pain shot up his arm.
"Hrk…"
But for Lee Hyun-wook, who had endured the pain of having his entire body remolded, it was a tolerable ordeal.
‘Good, it's working.’
He slowly raised his arm, taking a throwing stance.
It was a struggle just to pull it back, as if it were tied to a spring.
It felt as though tough chains of mana were binding the spear all over.
*Zzzzzzzzt—*
But he managed to pull it back and aim the tip at the creature.
- Warning! Using Gae Bolg's skill 'Spear of Death' may result in severe physical damage!
A red warning message filled his vision.
Lee Hyun-wook pierced through it with his gaze.
He threw the spear with all his might.
*Thoo-CRACK—!*
With a roar that didn't just tear the air but disintegrated it, a red line shot from Lee Hyun-wook's fingertips, stretching for hundreds of meters. The recoil crushed his left hand and dislocated his shoulder.
In that moment, Lee Hyun-wook knew intuitively.
With this one blow, the war would be over.
‘…!’
But then, wasn't that the creature's right hand rising?
「Gasp! No—!」
The Living Armors were already rolling on the ground, and three of Talos's four arms had been torn off completely, spinning in the air. The creature had ripped its bound left arm free.
That massive hand reached forward to block the Gae Bolg.
If the Gae Bolg hit that hand, it would, at best, only blow off one of its arms.
‘No… I can control it.’
Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes and fully sensed the Gae Bolg as it sped away.
And he intervened in the trajectory of that lump of steel—gently adjusting it.
In that instant, the Gae Bolg, which had been flying in a straight line, carved an elegant arc, dodging the creature's left hand.
And—
*Cra-a-a-ack—!*
The body imbued with divinity, which even the all-out assault couldn't penetrate—the black spear shaft burrowed into its chest.
A brief silence followed.
*Boo-oo-oo-oom—!*
Then, thorn-like streaks of black light pierced through the creature's chest.
Next, black streaks of light erupted like mushrooms after a rain, piercing its nape, its eyes, its forehead, and the crown of its head.
Throughout this gruesome process, the creature couldn't even scream.
Its head vanished entirely before any sound could escape.
"..."
No one could move or speak.
Everyone just stared blankly into the air.
That reaction… was them waiting for a certain system message.
- Congratulations! You have successfully completed the War Quest <An End, or Prosperity?>!
* Rewards will be distributed according to contribution points. (1st Place)
Finally, the system message that intuitively announced the end of the war appeared.
"Woooah—!"
At that moment, cheers erupted from all sides.
Lee Hyun-wook fell to the ground as if in a freefall.
"Hah—"
And he let out a breath like a dying gasp.
A downpour of healing magic rained down on him.
‘…I did it.’
His whole body felt shattered, but he endured thanks to the Saintess's focused care.
Now, it was time to claim his massive rewards.
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
[Accomplishment List]
6) War Hero
- Condition: Achieve the highest contribution in a War Event.
- Effect: All abilities increase during War Events (+50%)
‘War Hero… I hope I don't have to use this again…’
Next, the 1st place reward for the highest contribution began to appear before his eyes.
- You have obtained Airgetlám (Legendary).
It was a gauntlet, exuding a subtle, elegant silver light.
One peculiar thing was that it was only for the right arm; there was only one piece.
[Item Information]
- Name: Airgetlám (Legendary)
- Effects
1) Noble’s Command: Grants a ‘Tier 3 Divinity’ effect to all weapons and all subordinates.
2) Healing Authority: Exerts a ‘Tier 2 Healing’ effect when placed on a wound and infused with mana.
3) Claíomh Solais (Conditions Required): Currently not activated.
A gauntlet modeled after the prosthetic arm that replaced the severed arm of Nuada, the king of the gods in Celtic mythology. As an item imbued with the power of that great god, its options were truly tremendous.
‘And it grants divinity… isn't this exactly the option I wanted?’
Then, the second reward appeared.
- You have acquired ‘Relic of an Ancient Nation.’
* This item becomes bound upon acquisition.
It was a star-shaped lump of metal with bells attached to the ends of its eight branching points.
*Jingle— Jangle—*
It was an ‘Eight-Branched Bell,’ commonly known as a bronze bell.
[Item Information]
- Name: Relic of an Ancient Nation
- Effect: Unknown
‘What is this?’
Since its effects weren't immediately obvious, it seemed to be a puzzle-type item.
But for some reason, this whole situation felt familiar.
‘This… feels similar to when I first got the Master Key of Laputa.’
This war event was as large-scale as the 4th Wave.
That meant the rewards should be on a similar level.
But the rewards didn't end there, so he tucked the item away for a moment.
- Congratulations! You have successfully completed the exclusive quest <Reclaiming Laputa's Former Glory>!
* ‘Master Authority—Colossus Research Lab’ for the ancient ruin Laputa has been unlocked.
In the distance, he could see the gnome-made airship that had crashed near Seoul Station rising into the air.
The airship itself was the 'Add-on' Colossus Research Lab, and it would probably merge with Laputa on its own.
But that wasn't all.
‘Come to think of it, I completed three quests at once this time, didn't I?’
- Congratulations! You have obtained a hint for the Main Quest <1: Tracking the Black Gate>.
Finally… it was the moment he obtained the first hint for the Main Quest.
A black, orb-like object fell onto Lee Hyun-wook's hand with a soft *thud*.
- You have obtained an Unidentified Black Fragment (Special).
But just before he could check its information, an urgent voice came from his Mana Messenger.
- *Kssshk*— Lee Hyun-wook, can you hear me?
It was Colonel Kim Kang-seok.
"Yes, I can hear you clearly."
- I just received an urgent call from Director Woo over on Ganghwa Island…
A system message announcing the end of the war event must have reached them as well.
- The information isn't confirmed, but she said it seems a ‘Transcendent-Grade Object’ has appeared there, and she's asking you to come quickly.
"...Excuse me?"
- It seems a lot of wolves have gathered there, so we probably shouldn't be late…