Chapter 171
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 171
Chapter Title: Rome, the Giant Slayer - 3
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At that moment, the eyes of the world were fixed on the European Players Union (EPU) headquarters in Brussels, Belgium.
Representatives from every European nation and masters of key guilds were gathering at the magical fortress, protected by no less than eight layers of mana barriers. A 4th emergency summit of EPU member states and guilds had been convened to respond to the Titanomachia.
Meanwhile, the press was in a frenzy.
“Master Heinrich, a word before you go in! How do you plan to respond to this crisis?”
“Will the EPU joint forces be mobilized immediately after today’s meeting?”
“So many civilians are isolated and losing their lives across Europe. What is the rescue plan?”
Just then, every reporter’s gaze shifted in one direction.
“Look, it’s Alain Giam!”
Alain Giam was the deputy master of France’s representative guild, Grand Pinette.
He also served as the EPU’s Director of Foreign Affairs and was a prominent Player, considered a top candidate for the next Chairman of the EPU Guild Alliance.
In other words, he would certainly know the response plan for this crisis. For reporters who needed to get any scrap of information before their rivals, his appearance was a major event.
“Please, just one word!”
“Monsieur, how will you handle this situation—”
The reporters swarmed him with pleas, but as expected, he remained silent, buttoning his jacket as he walked toward the EPU headquarters.
But then—
“Monsieur Giam, you strongly criticized Steelrain recently. Do you not need his help in this situation?”
A female reporter shouted the question, and Alain Giam’s steps came to a halt.
Everyone could tell the question had struck a nerve.
Not long ago, he had made a point of criticizing individuals who acted independently despite possessing special powers, such as the Guardian of the World Tree, Steelrain, and the Saintess, only to face a public backlash immediately after.
The incident was a stark reminder of how the world viewed Steelrain, and it gave established Players yet another reason to resent him.
“…….”
Seeing his reaction, the reporter pressed on as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“Steelrain is said to have defeated an unidentified dragon that appeared in Yggdrasil Cityn just a few days ago. The prevailing opinion is that the reason you aren’t asking for his help in a crisis like this is because of the established Players’ efforts to keep him in check.”
“…….”
“Hmm, what are your thoughts on this?”
Finally, Alain Giam slowly turned his head to look at the reporter and opened his mouth.
“...This is my personal opinion, but yes, it is true that we need Steelrain’s help.”
It was an unexpected answer.
“And through today’s summit, the EPU will make an official request for his support.”
After all, no matter how poor their personal feelings were, they couldn’t afford to push away one of the world’s top Players during such a catastrophe.
However…
“Furthermore… in a crisis like this, I intend to request the full extent of his true power, including the support of Laputa. If he is a true hero, I believe he will bring Laputa to us for the sake of Europe.”
Laputa. To bring it to Europe was a rather radical suggestion…
His statement could be seen as containing a highly impure motive. A public declaration from someone of Alain Giam’s stature was bound to be reproduced by the media and capture public attention.
In short, it would become a global topic.
And to Europeans, how sweet would the words ‘Laputa support’ sound?
But if Steelrain were to refuse… he would inevitably be branded with a selfish and heartless image.
Alain Giam was aiming for precisely that, intentionally mentioning Laputa support.
It was a calculated media play.
“Ah, Laputa as well… It would certainly be a great help, but is that even possible?”
When the reporter asked, he nodded firmly.
“Why would it be impossible? It is an obvious fact that more people could be saved with just one decision from Laputa’s administrator.” Alain Giam said, a smirk playing on his lips.
Just then, another reporter raised his hand.
And the words he spoke shook the foundation of Alain Giam’s intended media play from the very start.
“…Uh, Monsieur Giam, this is breaking news, but we’re hearing that Steelrain has already arrived to provide support. Were you aware of this?”
At those words, Alain Giam tilted his head.
It was the first he was hearing of it.
“…Is there any basis for that claim?”
“Well, eyewitness accounts are continuously surfacing that Steelrain is currently hunting Titans in Rome, Italy. Uh, and… he’s said to have saved numerous shelters, that is, civilians.”
If Steelrain had not only arrived early to help but had also carried out civilian rescues that even the EPU hadn’t dared to attempt… Alain Giam’s media play was essentially dead on arrival.
Perhaps because of this, his eyebrows twitched twice.
“…….”
Without another word, he turned and entered the EPU headquarters. As he ascended the stairs, he questioned his aide.
“Hey, is that ridiculous story true?”
“…Yes, I’ve confirmed it. It’s true.”
Steelrain was indeed in Europe and was already making an overwhelming impact.
“At this rate, he’ll be the only one to profit from this situation again. And in our territory, no less…”
Alain Giam suppressed the animosity boiling within him. The summit was about to begin; he had to maintain his poker face.
“Damn it. In any case, with the ‘card’ we’ve prepared… we’ll be able to crush that bastard in this big event.”
His aide chimed in, echoing his determined words.
“Yes, of course. The giants of Europe have pooled their strength and revealed all their hidden cards. What can one man like Steelrain possibly do? The world will now see who the truly strong are.”
***
Of course, not every member of the EPU was wary of Steelrain.
Within the EPU, the ‘National Council,’ composed of various governments, was far from displeased by Steelrain’s sudden support; they welcomed it wholeheartedly.
But the other major faction, the ‘Guild Alliance,’ composed of giant guilds, couldn’t hide their sourness.
They prioritized their own interests over national security.
And among them were those with extreme and radical ideologies.
This group, known as `Futurae`, argued that the world should be reorganized around Players, and quite a few held dangerous, neo-fascist beliefs.
*Thud!*
“Hah, those old fools still trying to cling to their outdated concept of nation-states…”
After the EPU General Assembly concluded, Alain Giam muttered to himself as he left the conference hall.
“…In a world that has turned into a game, how long can they cry about the rule of law and liberalism? Damn it, why don’t they understand that those with power must ultimately hold the reins of this world?”
Walking beside him, his aide sighed and nodded.
“Still, once this Titanomachia is over, won’t a world open up where our guilds have a clear advantage over those old-fashioned governments?”
“Yes, it has to be that way… Damn it, assemble the `Futurae` members right now. If we leave things as they are, that bastard Steelrain will be the only one to benefit again.”
A short while later, Alain Giam gathered the guild masters of his secret organization, `Futurae`, who shared his ambitions, for a separate meeting.
They too were on edge after hearing the news of Steelrain’s appearance.
“Hmph, I heard Steelrain is running rampant. Is this true?”
“Then it seems we have more to worry about than just Titans and Dark Elves?”
“Well, didn’t we all predict that meddlesome hothead would interfere eventually?”
The representatives of each guild let out their complaints one by one.
“Damn it, I can’t stand to see that bastard Steelrain walk away with the rewards of another big event!”
To be discussing ‘rewards’ first and foremost while countless victims were appearing across Europe—that was a perfect illustration of the `Futurae` organization’s character.
“Now, now, let’s all calm down. Don’t you all know that we possess a weapon far more powerful than him?”
Alain Giam spoke, and everyone nodded in agreement.
“None of us intended to play this card so hastily… but since Steelrain has joined the fray earlier than expected, it is time for us to warm up the engine of our new weapon.”
His words were met with murmurs of ‘Hear, hear’ from around the room.
“Heh heh, indeed. Now that we’ve decided to reveal our hidden card, it won’t be too difficult to show that rampaging yellow monkey who’s superior.”
“The pathetic humans of the world seem to think we’ve been standing by watching these youngsters run wild because we lack power. Tsk, tsk… there’s a time for everything.”
A common conspiracy theory about the world’s leading tech companies is that they have already developed technologies straight out of sci-fi movies but are holding them back from the market.
They save them like trump cards, watching their competitors’ progress to control the pace of innovation.
And that conspiracy theory could also be applied to some of the giant guilds.
They had already obtained incredible items but held off on revealing them, waiting for the right moment… both to conceal their full strength from rivals and to dramatically unveil them during an event like this.
“Everyone, I declare that this Titanomachia is an unprecedented opportunity for us to mobilize the numerous legendary-grade items we’ve saved up and create an insurmountable gap.”
As Alain Giam spoke, he pressed a remote control.
On the large screen behind him, a video appeared.
“Now, please compare the two pieces of footage I’ve prepared, and I ask each guild master to decide whether to execute our ‘Omega Team Project.’”
*Beep.*
The video began to play.
“The location you are now seeing is Rome… and this was about two hours ago.”
*Thud— Thud—*
On the screen, a group of Titan Hoplites appeared.
A total of four. It was already known that they moved in groups of three to four.
However, it took over a hundred Players just to take down a single one of those groups.
But then—
*Cra—ack—!*
“I-Insane…”
A giant of metal charged and slammed into the Titan Hoplites. The creatures formed a shield wall to brace for the impact, but they were sent tumbling helplessly.
Knowing that each of them was a giant over 15 meters tall made the scene all the more dumbfounding.
“And that metal giant over there… twice the size of the Titans, is, as you all know, Steelrain’s subordinate.”
It was a truly overwhelming sight, like a large adult beating up small children.
Combined with the performance of Steelrain’s signature greatsword, Mogeuley, the four Titan Hoplites were dispatched in an instant.
“Hah—”
“Good grief…”
Even the battle-hardened masters of giant guilds could only let out sighs that were more like deflated gasps.
The display Lee Hyun-wook put on was less of a fight and more of a ‘hunt.’ No, it could even be called a ‘massacre.’
“…Damn it, what is that bastard’s real identity? How does he show up stronger every single time?”
He had clearly surpassed the limits of what a single Player could achieve, prompting groans and complaints from all corners.
At this, Alain Giam paused the video.
“Now, now, there’s no need to lose heart. You feel anxious because you have yet to experience the full extent of our unified power.”
*Beep.*
With a smile, he operated the remote again, switching to the second video.
“This location is the Red Ground zone in Vienna, Austria, three days ago.”
Soon, the `Omega Team`—a single raid team created by the combined efforts of the `Futurae` guild masters seated here—appeared on the screen.
This time as well, the process of taking down four Titan Hoplites unfolded…
“Whoa, it’s so much faster!”
“Ooh, truly magnificent!”
Yes, even at a glance, it was much faster than Steelrain’s raid. So much so that one could call it overwhelmingly superior.
“Haha, that’s my ‘Hercules Armament Set’ for you! Do you have any idea how hard it was to collect it?”
“Hmph, what would you have done without the ‘Xirang’ I provided?”
“Hahaha! Let’s not fight. This is a truly top-tier raid team, made possible only because everyone here gave without reservation!”
When they combined the trump cards they had hidden away, they created a truly tremendous firepower.
“At this rate, we won’t have to worry about that monkey Steelrain running wild, will we?”
As a strange excitement filled the room, Alain Giam stepped forward again.
“Now… Steelrain has suddenly joined the war, putting on a performance that will shock the world. But in the end, his hard work… will be nothing more than a prelude to make our power shine even brighter.”
In other words, if the Omega Team showed a performance superior to Steelrain’s, their fame would soar to the heavens.
“But who cares about fame… the only thing we should pursue is power.”
All of `Futurae` nodded.
“I dare to predict that the reward for the Titanomachia… will be greater than Laputa.”
The sound of swallowing could be heard from here and there.
“Based on that, we will reshape the world in our own way.”
In truth, the destruction of humanity that Lee Hyun-wook experienced in his past life… was the result of a complex set of problems, not just the existence of Villains.
***
“…Done.”
Perched on Talos’s shoulder, Lee Hyun-wook was reading the system message that had appeared before him.
He had hunted a total of 14 Titan Hoplites so far.
To earn the ‘Giant Slayer’ achievement, landing the final blow was crucial. Lee Hyun-wook had done so 10 times, Kim Se-hee twice, and Park Jun-mo once.
And so…
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
[Achievement List]
8) Giant Slayer
- Condition: Hunt 10 or more Titans.
- Effect: All Abilities (+20%), Total Mana (+20%), Stun Immunity (+30%)
With all his abilities increased by 20%, his Metal Control surpassed 50 tons.
*Woong—*
At that moment, the four Mogeuley swords began to tremble before suddenly emitting a vibration like a heartbeat.
*Woong— Woong— Woong— Woong—*
Then, they broke free from Lee Hyun-wook’s Metal Control, plummeting toward the ground, crushing the earth and burying themselves deep within it.
*Crash— Crash— Crash— Crash—*
The reason was…
‘They suddenly got so heavy, I couldn’t hold them all.’
This phenomenon meant they had exceeded the limits of Lee Hyun-wook’s Metal Control.
Because…
- The mass of Mogeuley (Legendary) is liberated to <Stage 4>!
* `Hardened Bones` stat increases to (+50%).
- The mass of Mogeuley (Heroic) is liberated to <Stage 4>!
* `Hardened Bones` stat increases to (+40%).
- The mass of Mogeuley (Replica) is liberated to <Stage 4>!
* `Hardened Bones` stat increases to (+20%).
- The mass of Mogeuley (Replica) is liberated to <Stage 4>!
* `Hardened Bones` stat increases to (+20%).
‘I’ve finally reached Mass Liberation Stage 4.’
Stage 4 of Mass Liberation, something he had never achieved in his past life…
It was a moment where Lee Hyun-wook’s firepower skyrocketed.
And…
‘…With this, I should be able to slice through most Titans like they’re regular monsters.’
Perhaps, Lee Hyun-wook thought, he could clear the Titanomachia more easily than expected.