Chapter 175
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 175
Chapter Title: Revelation - 1
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In any era of upheaval, there are always those who are called ‘heroes.’
Leaders of revolutions, war heroes, founders of nations—they display a brilliance that seems impossible for a single person, subjugating their contemporaries and achieving great feats.
But what if you were to consider it from the perspective of their opposition? How could one possibly stop such a ‘hero,’ who has become an unstoppable threat through their overwhelming exploits?
The easiest method is, of course, to eliminate the hero themself…
In other words, assassination.
Right now, in the Omega Team camp in Dresden, just such a hero-elimination operation was taking root.
“...Until now, there have been several operations to eliminate Steel Rain, but every one of them has failed.”
A man spoke to the assembled group in the darkness. The room they were gathered in was shrouded in a strange flow of mana, and bizarrely, there was no movement of air at its boundary.
The reason was that a triple-layered ‘Silence’ spell had been cast, completely blocking all sound from its source.
“Seriously, what kind of item does he have to be able to counter everything like that?”
“...Choo Kyo-yong, Ki Baek-jun, the Red Berserker, the Sword Saint, even the Shadow Baron—they were all defeated.”
Steel Rain, Lee Hyun-wook. That name had now become the biggest thorn in the Villains’ side.
Just how many times had they tried to strike him down? But they had only tasted defeat.
And with each failure, the Villains’ power inevitably dwindled.
In that sense, any operation targeting Steel Rain had become a poisoned chalice for the Villains.
“But this time will be different. In all our past attempts, we targeted him on the battlefield... in other words, when he was fully armed and on high alert. I believe that was our mistake. The legendary-grade information-gathering item he operates, ‘Hugin,’ seems to have performance beyond imagination.”
The man calmly analyzing the problem was one of the Villains’ initial members, a man named William Kane.
Having infiltrated the EPU long ago to establish a beachhead for their conquest of Europe, he was a high-ranking member who understood in detail how the Villain organization had targeted Lee Hyun-wook and how they had failed.
“And since he usually stays in Laputa, we never had a proper chance to target him…”
“But now... he’s spending the night right in front of us, completely off guard.”
“Yes, and he has entrusted his safety entirely to someone else.”
This time, William Kane believed, was a perfect opportunity sent from the heavens.
“...So, is the Hellfire magic scroll, the one that will melt steel, ready for activation?”
At his question, a man standing in a corner stepped forward.
“Yes! They say it will activate as soon as we infuse it with mana.”
“Good. It’s 1 AM now... let’s begin the operation.”
In the dim light of dawn, he was likely to be asleep, and even if not, it was the time he would be most careless.
Of course, the Omega Team camp here was illuminated by dozens of searchlights, patrolled by numerous guards, and the entire area was shielded by multiple layers of magical barriers, making outside infiltration impossible.
“But no one will expect a problem to arise from within. We will exploit that blind spot.”
“Heheheh—and with Hellfire, of all things... even he won’t be able to handle it.”
Hellfire, as its name suggested, was the highest-tier offensive magic of the flame element, a literal inferno from hell. It was an ultimate skill of such difficulty that even a typical A-rank mage would struggle to cast it alone.
But when contained within a ‘magic scroll,’ anyone could use it simply by infusing it with mana.
Of course, sealing such a monstrous skill into a magic scroll was not something just anyone could do.
‘It was completed by eight A-rank mages, wringing out their mana to the point of endangering their own lives.’
It was an item specially prepared to wipe out the entire Omega Team at the end of <Titanomachia>. But William Kane had judged that dealing with Steel Rain was a higher priority.
A moment later, a voice flowed from William Kane’s mana messenger.
- Life detection magic results show that Steel Rain’s party is all in their quarters and has not yet gone to sleep.
The fact that they were still in their quarters meant they were completely unaware of the threat bearing down on them.
“Good. Ascertain that much and no more. Don’t surveil them too closely. That bastard... as I said before, he can figure out our intentions through strange means like Hugin, so we must be as careful as possible.”
- In that case, should we activate the Hellfire magic scroll right now?
“...Use it.”
- Yes!
“……”
About ten seconds later, a crimson light outside the window pushed back the deep darkness of the dawn.
KRA-KOOOOM—!
A deafening roar and vibration, as if the whole world were turning upside down, followed. Despite being a good five to six hundred meters away, the windows of the Villains’ quarters shattered in unison, and the air grew scorching hot.
“Hah—it’s like a volcano just erupted right in front of us.”
“...With this level of destructive power, nothing will be left.”
This was the power of Hellfire, the strongest flame skill... even those who had unleashed it were in awe.
“D-Damn it, a fire!”
Soon, the area outside the window grew chaotic as Players rushed out to extinguish the blaze.
However…
“Th-That’s... not just a fire, it’s magic!”
“What? Does that mean it was an attack, not an accident?”
A single blow had obliterated five buildings, and the flames were rapidly consuming the wreckage, growing in size... The Players who felt the extraordinary nature of the fire could not help but be horrified.
If it were an ordinary fire, no matter how large, it could be extinguished with various spells.
But a fire born from magical power... and a high-level skill at that, was a different story.
Before long, high-ranking mages of B-rank or higher saw through the identity of the magical fire.
“—Damn it, everyone, don’t get close! Th-That’s ‘Hellfire’!”
Hellfire. Few had seen it in person, but none were ignorant of its infamous reputation.
“H-Hellfire... No way!”
“Why would something like that go off here!”
A hellish flame, more powerful than any other and not easily extinguished…
“Is he still trapped inside?”
“...The epicenter is S-Steel Rain’s quarters!”
As his name was uttered, the murmuring among the crowd intensified.
“What? Damn it, then who targeted him?”
“Yes, and with a Hellfire skill, no less…”
Soon, war correspondents rushed to the scene and began broadcasting live.
“—This is a breaking news report! We are live from the Omega Team camp in Dresden…”
And so, the tragic news that the hero who had saved the world just yesterday was caught in an explosion spread across the globe.
“Gasp—he’s still inside! We have to save him!”
“Move it! We can’t lose Steel Rain!”
Most of the Players staying here at the Omega Team’s quarters held ill feelings toward Steel Rain, but even so, none of them wanted to see the man currently regarded as humanity’s strongest warrior die.
Soon, a dozen or so mage Players began chanting together, and a massive magic circle formed in the sky.
“Now, pour all your mana into it and put out the Hellfire in one go!”
SHWAAAAAA—!
A torrential downpour began to fall from the magic circle, a stream of water more powerful than any firefighting equipment. But the moment the water touched the Hellfire, an explosion occurred, causing the flames to spread even wider.
BOOOOM—!
It was a steam explosion, and with it, sparks of Hellfire scattered in all directions.
“Ugh! St-Stop! At this rate, the Hellfire embers will spread to other buildings!”
In the end, the firefighting effort had to be halted after just one attempt.
“...Is that even possible?”
“Hah, it’s no use after all…”
The fact that Hellfire could not be extinguished by any means was proven once again.
They watched with dazed expressions as the building debris quickly turned to ash.
“But... couldn’t he have escaped?”
A woman muttered with a strange hint of hope in her voice.
“Yeah, now that you mention it, I think I saw Steel Rain walk into flames before!”
“Ah—that’s right! It was a long time ago, during that meteor event, wasn’t it?”
He had shown them scenes of him breaking through flames several times before.
For instance, hadn’t he overcome the inferno of ‘Phaethon’ on Jeju Island?
“If it’s that peerless hero, he can surely work a miracle.”
However, an A-rank mage Player shook his head.
“...I hate to be a wet blanket, but Hellfire isn’t just a strong fire.”
“Pardon?”
“The reason it’s so terrifying... is because it practically ignores ‘flame resistance.’”
Even the most powerful tanker would melt like plastic the moment they touched Hellfire…
“……”
In the end, the Players could only prepare to retreat further away to escape the spreading Hellfire.
“It has been about ten minutes since the unidentified Hellfire attack exploded at Steel Rain’s quarters, but his status is still unknown. Many experts believe that Steel Rain is likely dead—”
As time passed, only the voices of the reporters conveying this terrible moment grew more somber.
But then—
“Huh? But the movement of those flames seems a bit... strange, doesn’t it?”
Indeed, at some point, the Hellfire flames had stopped spreading outward and were being sucked inward. It wasn't the movement of flames dying down, but rather of them flowing somewhere.
“...Does Hellfire normally have a characteristic of shrinking like that?”
Someone asked the A-rank mage Player who had just explained the skill.
But he too wore a look of incomprehension before shaking his head and speaking.
“Uh, well. That... honestly, I don’t know either.”
FWOOOOSH—
But the bizarre scene became clearer. Yes, the flames were definitely flowing toward the center.
“I don’t know what kind of phenomenon that is, but won’t the fire go out at this rate?”
Meanwhile, the Villains mixed in with the crowd began to feel a mix of curiosity and foreboding.
‘What in the world is that phenomenon? I’ve never heard of it.’
The Villains’ leader, William Kane, also felt a sense of dissonance and used his vision-enhancing skill, ‘Hawkeye.’
“Ugh!”
Staring into the intense light made his eyes sting, but he endured it and peered into the flames.
Soon, deep within the red shimmering, he spotted a black silhouette.
‘…That’s a person.’
A person was standing tall amidst the flames of karma that could neither be extinguished nor withstood.
“N-No way…”
Before long, other Players also caught sight of the scene, and murmurs spread throughout the crowd.
“—Look over there! It looks like someone is standing there!”
“...It’s a person? Could it be Steel Rain?”
“What? N-No way! What’s going on?”
And as the Hellfire subsided a notch, cheers began to erupt from all over.
“Gasp! It’s him! It’s really him! He’s standing there!”
“H-How is he perfectly fine inside Hellfire?”
“...Could it be that he died standing up?”
And in his right hand, a massive sword... Hellfire was being sucked into it.
At first glance, it looked like Mog-lay, and many naturally assumed it was.
But the sword he held was a completely different item, obtained from Deputy Chief Hwang Yeon-soo’s ‘Panic Room.’
[Item Information]
- Name: The Completely Cooled Sword
- Effect: Can absorb heat to release ‘Heat.’
‘Even I didn’t know this sword could be used this way.’
Hyun-wook knew this potential item’s true identity was ‘Laevateinn,’ but he didn’t know how to awaken its potential. That’s why he had been trying various methods in his spare time…
‘...The first thing I tried, of course, was applying heat.’
As the item’s description stated, it could absorb heat to release it.
That meant the formula for awakening its potential was likely related to ‘fire.’
‘So I consistently exposed it to various types of fire.’
The result…
- The Completely Cooled Sword desires a stronger ‘flame heat’!
* Warning! The sword will now absorb all ‘fire’ attributes in its vicinity!
After about a dozen attempts, that system message had appeared.
However, there was a limit to the powerful flame magic Hyun-wook could obtain. He had planned to ask General Choi Jeong-cheol for help when he had time, and if that didn't work, he had even considered seeking out Inferno.
But now, the Hellfire that had suddenly fallen upon him had become the ‘key.’
‘Once again, their scheme has turned into a benefit for me.’
FWOOOOOSH—
After devouring the Hellfire whole for about ten minutes…
- Congratulations! A portion of the potential of The Completely Cooled Sword has been released, and it has become the ‘Sword That Has Regained Its Heat’!
[Item Information]
- Name: Sword That Has Regained Its Heat (Heroic)
- Effect: Becomes a ‘Magma Sword’ when it absorbs heat.
...Instead of the legendary-grade ‘Laevateinn,’ it had become the heroic-grade ‘Sword That Has Regained Its Heat’?
‘What? Even after swallowing Hellfire, its potential still isn’t fully awakened…?’
Still, a certain degree of upgrade had occurred, but it meant he would have to absorb fire on the level of Hellfire a few more times. That was how much firepower this sword, Laevateinn, would possess once completed.
“Phew—I thought I was going to die from the heat.”
“Hah, and I thought I was going to burn to death.”
Behind Lee Hyun-wook, from behind a steel barrier sculpted from adamant, spoke Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee.
They had suffered minor burns, but it was nothing a healing potion couldn't fix.
“Now, we need to find the arsonist, right?”
Kim Se-hee said, having Hanui blow away the surrounding toxic gases.
“I’ve already found them.”
“Ah... you’re fast, as always.”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly walked forward. The ground he stepped on crumbled with a thud.
It had been only a brief blaze, yet the heat was so intense that bricks had turned to dust and steel rebar had melted.
He pushed through the smoke and ash and stood before hundreds of Players and dozens of cameras.
“Uh... S-Steel Rain... are you alright?”
Someone asked from somewhere, but Hyun-wook walked forward without answering.
The Players naturally parted to the left and right, clearing a path for him.
The metal covering his body—his Hardening—was perfectly fine, save for a few soot marks.
A black crow sat on his shoulder, its eyes scanning the surroundings.
Behind him, the greatsword, glowing red-hot, radiated waves of heat.
Meanwhile, the Villains couldn’t help but take a step back as they watched him.
“...Everyone, don’t make any rash moves.”
In the end, William Kane had no choice but to whisper to his faltering subordinates.
“No one knows we did this, anyway.”
The ‘Dark Elf Shadow Hunter’ who had cast the Hellfire magic scroll had already escaped the area.
And the time they had secretly met with him to deliver the scroll was extremely brief and secretive.
In other words, William Kane was certain there were no witnesses.
“Right now, there’s no way our actions will be discovered.”
At his whisper, the Villains collected themselves and forced their expressions into neutrality.
However…
Thud— Thud—
Strangely, Steel Rain was walking straight toward them, his eyes fixed on them.
The implacable foe, walking out of the flames of hell... he was getting closer.
Gulp—
William Kane, his eyes meeting Hyun-wook’s, almost broke into a business smile out of nervousness.
But smiling at a time like this would be extremely odd, so he forced the corners of his mouth down.
“...Steel Rain, are you alright?”
He even spoke first. In times like these, one had to feign nonchalance.
“Ah, I am William Kane, Director of the EPU Guild Strategy and Support Division, responsible for logistics in this operation.”
And since he was one of the people in charge of this site, it wasn't strange for him to step forward like this.
However…
“I was hit with Hellfire at 1 AM. Do I look alright?”
“Ah... of course, you wouldn’t be. But I’m glad you’re safe—”
“And I... know who did this.”
The moment he heard those words, William Kane’s instincts screamed at him to turn and run.
His gaze fell on the greatsword floating behind Lee Hyun-wook. It wasn't Mog-lay.
‘I don’t know what that is, but it’s a sword that swallowed Hellfire. If he swings that, we’re all dead.’
The heat radiating from the sword was so intense it felt like it would burn the skin of those standing nearby.
“...S-So, you mean you know who used the Hellfire skill?”
Just then, the black mechanical crow sitting on Steel Rain’s shoulder—Hugin—took flight.
Whoosh—
It soared high into the sky in an instant, looking down on everyone.
That meant Steel Rain had detected a target and, furthermore, had begun the hunt.
“……”
For a moment, only silence hung over the crowd of hundreds.
Their gazes were fixed on just one person, Lee Hyun-wook.
They had all heard what he said... that he knew who the culprit was.
“...That Hellfire, it wasn’t a skill. It was a magic scroll.”
Hyun-wook answered belatedly, and one of the Villains let out an involuntary, low groan.
‘How did he…?’
If he knew that much, it was possible he knew their identities as well.
Because of that, Hyun-wook’s every movement, glance, and word began to feel like daggers.
“Did you really think I couldn’t kill you if you just blended in here and played innocent?”
He wasn't addressing anyone in particular, but his gaze lingered pointedly on the Villains.
To them, it felt like a silent warning, an indescribable pressure.
“If so, then I’m sorry to say... you’ve underestimated me.”
At that moment—
Pshhhh—!
The greatsword floating behind Lee Hyun-wook suddenly started to emit smoke. Like a steam locomotive starting up, gray smoke billowed out, a rather menacing sight…
“D-Damn it!”
In the end, one of the Villains couldn’t take it anymore. He twisted his body, pulled out a wand, and attempted an escape spell.
“—Don’t!”
At that instant, the greatsword standing behind Hyun-wook, the ‘Sword That Has Regained Its Heat,’ glowed red.
A vivid red flame blossomed from the tip of his sword, expanding its power as if spreading its wings.
FWOOSH—!
The four Villains standing in its path were consumed by the inferno, crumbling into ash.
“Kuaaaargh—!”
Even so, William Kane managed to twist his body in that split second, losing only an arm…
Swish—
Two silver arrows flew in, severing both of his Achilles tendons at the same time.
He fell face-first to the ground with a thud and held out one arm toward the approaching Hyun-wook.
“P-Please! What did I do wrong for you to suddenly attack me?”
“Hmm, don’t tell me... you still see me as soft?”
“Ugh! N-No, I really have no id-idea why you’re doing this…”
At his words, Lee Hyun-wook smirked and stomped on his ankle.
“...There’s a saying in Korea. ‘A thief gives himself away.’ It describes a situation just like this.”
“Uh…”
“I didn’t do anything, yet you tried to run. Can you explain why?”
But at that moment—
Pop—!
Suddenly, William Kane’s head exploded, and his eyes rolled back.
‘Just as I thought. They activated the latent spell.’
The Villain leadership must have been watching this scene.
They decided it was better to kill him than to let him be captured.
Hyun-wook exhaled and raised his head, surveying his surroundings.
“……”
Everyone in the area had a dumbfounded expression.
And the entire world had just witnessed that scene.
“...Steel Rain, you will need to explain what just happened.”
Brian Teal, the leader of the Omega Team, who had approached him at some point, said.
Hyun-wook nodded and looked around at the Players and cameras surrounding him.
‘Yes, the time has come.’
This timing wasn't bad.
‘...Right now, I will reveal the name, Villain, to the world.’
He had saved the world multiple times, earning the image of a hero.
Thus, he was more trusted by the world than ever before.
He had even just survived an assassination attempt.
‘And I shared that entire story with the whole world.’
If he were to mention that unbelievable secret in this context…
‘...The world will believe me.’
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the lens of one camera and slowly opened his mouth.
“For a long time, a very long time... I have been fighting against a certain organization.”