Chapter 181
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 181
Chapter Title: Rebellion, Counterattack - 2
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The moment the greatsword materialized in Lee Hyun-wook’s left hand, the air in the vicinity was pushed aside, stirring a gust of wind within the cavern.
"Huh?"
"...What?"
The Dark Elf guards failed to react quickly. They could only wear expressions of bewilderment, like deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming truck.
Of course, this reaction lasted only a second or two, and in that brief time, a few of them had already gripped the hilts of the swords at their waists.
However, Lee Hyun-wook was faster.
*Fwoosh—!*
His left hand swung to the right.
In that instant, the greatsword shot forward.
*Splat—splat—splat—splat—!*
Immediately after, with a series of wet thuds, the sixteen guards, including the head guard, collapsed to the floor.
He had bisected sixteen of them in a single strike.
“…”
That was the end of it.
The head guard and his subordinates, who had made them all tremble in fear, lay motionless, reduced to mere chunks of meat, painting puddles of blood on the floor.
After a moment of silence, shocked murmurs erupted from all around.
"Gasp— N-No way..."
"What did I just see?"
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head to look at Joachim Wolff. Just then, Murgleys slowly approached and stopped behind him. Everyone’s gaze was drawn to it.
'That sword...'
Joachim Wolff, a level 69 Player who had once been ranked 11th in Germany, could sense the 'caliber' emanating from it.
'Power of that magnitude... it has to be Legendary-grade.'
This man, though said to be S-rank, was unknown six years ago, so he had dismissed him as a newly emerged rookie.
But to possess a Legendary-grade weapon meant he was no ordinary individual.
'He might actually be able to kill the Grand General.'
As if reading his thoughts, the man looked at Joachim Wolff and uttered a single sentence.
"This is how I will assassinate the Grand General."
In other words, the scene that had just unfolded was nothing more than a performance staged to persuade them.
And with that one display, Joachim Wolff and the other prisoner leaders had no choice but to trust in Lee Hyun-wook’s plan for 'rebellion.'
***
A short while later, in the largest open space within the slave quarters, Lee Hyun-wook summoned Prydwen and began pulling out all sorts of weapons from the AD-2 stored inside.
The prisoner Players gathered around watched the process with wide, startled eyes.
"That's an... an airship, right? But what's that metal box?"
"Gasp— Items are pouring out of it endlessly! Don't tell me... they're all subspaces?"
"Wow, this amount of weaponry... it's probably more than what most guilds possess."
To them, the technology of 'magitech' was entirely foreign, making every item Lee Hyun-wook produced a source of wonder.
Next, Joachim Wolff selected the Players from among the prisoners and began distributing the weapons.
"Alright, come up one by one and take what you need."
"Can I have that spear over there?"
"Ah, Oliver, you used to wield a spear?"
"Yes, I specialized in spear techniques as a warrior class."
There were about three hundred in total, selected primarily from those who had combat experience six years ago.
"Whoa— this sword is so much better than the one I used to use. And to think it's a crafted item..."
"Are crafted items of this quality being mass-produced now? This level was unimaginable six years ago..."
The items were all at least 'Expert'-grade, produced by the Kang Jeong-du Research Institute. By the standards of six years prior, they were of a quality that even Tier 1 C-rank Players would have found difficult to obtain.
"Hah, this feeling..."
As they held weapons for the first time in six years, their expressions turned somewhat emotional. They had all once been Players who hunted monsters, and their past courage was being rekindled.
But...
"Was a sword always this heavy?"
"Ugh! You're right, my muscles feel like they're going to tear!"
Having spent so long without seeing sunlight and on meager rations, their bodies were far from their normal condition.
At this rate, they would struggle even to run while holding their weapons, let alone fight.
*Thud.*
"Here, could you distribute these evenly?"
Just then, Kim Se-hee pulled a box from Prydwen and set it on the ground.
It was a case of recovery potions.
"There are 75 in total. It's not a lot, but even a small dose will improve your condition significantly. Have five people share one bottle."
The recovery potions Lee Hyun-wook carried were of the highest quality, so even a single sip would be enough to restore them to a somewhat normal state.
It was around the time half of them had finished arming themselves.
"—Everyone, hurry! The guards are coming!"
A man came running and shouting, causing the arming Players to turn their heads.
"What! The guards already found out?"
"I-It seems a patrol was dispatched since the head guard didn't return! There are quite a lot of them! They'll be here soon!"
At those words, Joachim Wolff raised his sword and shield and stepped forward.
"...There is no need to hide any longer."
Behind him, a number of armed Players gathered.
They were once the raid team members of <Löwe>, formerly Germany's top guild.
"...Finally, a real fight after so long."
The time had come to unleash the violent urges they had suppressed for so long.
***
"Everyone, get out of the way—!"
A group of Dark Elf guards shouted as they stormed through the slave quarters. The people moving through the cavern flinched in surprise and pressed themselves against the walls.
Getting noticed by the guards could easily earn them a beating.
"Hey! Did the Head Guard pass through here?"
The lead guard grabbed a man by the collar and asked.
"Y-Yes! He passed by a little while ago! Is something wrong...?"
"Who the hell do you think you are, asking me questions? Get lost, you piece of shit!"
*Thwack!*
Such violence was a daily occurrence for the prisoners.
"Dammit, where the hell is the Head Guard? Not that anything could happen to him at the hands of these slaves..."
"Of course not. He's probably inspecting a rotten section of the Green Wave somewhere. Besides, he knows what he's doing. Why the hell did the deputy head guard insist on sending us to check?"
Grumbling about their interrupted rest, they pushed deeper into the slave quarters.
Just then, they saw a group of slaves approaching from deeper within the cavern.
The guards looked on, bewildered.
"Huh? What's that?"
"Wow, have they lost their minds...?"
One of the guards stepped forward, raising the club in his hand.
"Hey! Why are you all gathered there? Don't you know that collective action by slaves means collective execution?"
But the group paid him no mind, continuing to surge forward. The guard finally recognized the face of the man at the front and sneered.
"Hey, Joachim... is that you? You bastard, didn't you get whipped enough last time? Still playing leader of the slaves... huh?"
It was only then that the guard noticed what Joachim Wolff was holding in his hands: a sword and shield.
"—You, you bastard, where did you get those!"
In that instant, Joachim Wolff kicked off the ground. A red aura flared from his feet, propelling his body forward with great force.
*Whoosh!*
It was one of the charge skills of the Knight class.
*Cra—ack—!*
In the blink of an eye, he closed a dozen meters and slammed into the two foremost Dark Elves with his shield like a raging bull, sending them flying. He then swung his sword indiscriminately at the Dark Elves standing behind them.
*Slash! Slash!*
Four of them fell in an instant. The guards, shocked by the power of the slaves they had always looked down on, stumbled back in a daze.
"You bastards— Die—!"
In that moment, a dozen armed Players rushed in and swiftly slaughtered the remaining guards.
"Dammit, get re-reinforce— Gack—"
A Dark Elf at the very back summoned a 'Forest Spirit' and stretched his hands toward the ceiling.
"Awaken, Green Wave—!"
At his gesture, the vines began to stir, looking as if they would cascade down and entangle everyone at any moment.
In this place, a single Forest Spiritmancer could subdue dozens of Players.
But—
*Thwip-thwip-thwip—*
"—Gah!"
Six arrows pierced his body, and he pitched forward. The spiritmancy was left incomplete.
In the rear, two Archer-class Players cheered and high-fived.
"Ha! It's been so long since I've felt this!"
"I still hit him first!"
It had been a long time since they had drawn a bowstring, but they were once the top Players who had faced the great disaster known as the Third Wave.
Their old senses were quickly reawakening.
"Now let's go kill every last one of those damn pointy-eared bastards!"
Fueled by six years of suppressed rage, they advanced, killing another dozen guards who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion.
Meanwhile, the Mage-class Players had gathered at the rear.
Kim Se-hee was leading them.
"Alright, you four can start here."
At her words, four of them conjured flames in their palms.
"Ugh, it's been so long since I've used magic, I'm not as good as I used to be."
"That's good enough. Now, Hanee—"
At her command, Hanee whipped up a wind that carried the flames toward the ceiling.
*Fwoooosh—*
The fire spread along the 'Green Wave' vines on the ceiling, causing them to writhe and become neutralized.
The fire-suppressing plants should have sprayed water, but their power was being suppressed by the 2nd Prince and the other Forest Spiritmancers.
"Good, everything is going according to plan."
And so, they reached the entrance.
And then...
*Clank— Clank—*
The Iron Golems Lee Hyun-wook had prepared beforehand moved forward to block the entrance, each carrying a massive steel plate.
*Thud— Thud— Thud—*
They slammed the plates into the ground, creating a steel wall—a barricade of sorts.
"Alright, bring it over now!"
Kim Se-hee shouted.
From the rear, several people came running, carrying a massive cylindrical object.
*Click-clack—*
It was none other than the magitech machine gun, the 'Graver Buffalo.'
[Item Information]
- Name: Graver Buffalo V2 (Advanced)
- Effects
1) Subspace Magazine: Can 'load' 10 'ammo belts' into subspace.
2) Subspace Magazine: Can 'load' 10 'ammo belts' into subspace.
They installed them on top of the barricade.
"There— they're coming!"
Soon, the remaining guards began to swarm toward them.
"Alright, let's wipe them out!"
Even if the Players were weakened, magitech items performed at their peak regardless, requiring only a small infusion of mana.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!*
A total of fourteen Graver Buffalos opened fire, tearing a group of charging Dark Elves to shreds.
"Gah!"
"Ack!"
The ones lucky enough to escape the hail of bullets were startled by the overwhelming firepower and turned to flee.
"This thing really works!"
"Wow, I can't believe this is possible..."
However, the ones who had just fled would surely return with more forces, and at that point, this level of firepower might not be enough to hold them off.
"Alright, from now on, we have to hold out here for as long as possible!"
Joachim Wolff shouted, looking back at the prisoners—no, the Players.
"Our advance ends here. From now on..."
He gripped his shield and turned to face forward.
"...we have no choice but to trust that man."
In the distance, a massive swarm of insects was approaching.
*Buzzzzzzzzz—!*
Green Hell Venomous Insects. The Dark Elf Druids had unleashed a swarm of man-eating bugs.
"All units, prepare for battle—!"
***
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook, along with the 2nd Prince's guardian knight, Argenti Arcume, had left the slave quarters and moved to a district called the 'Citadel.'
This was what could be called the capital of the Dark Elf kingdom. As such, security was tight.
- Dark Elf Elite Knight (LV: 76)
- Dark Elf Elite Forest Hunter (LV: 71)
Monsters of such a high level, fully armed, patrolled everywhere, their sharp eyes scanning the Dark Elves coming and going.
As he had heard before, the royalist loyalists had not yet been fully purged.
"...That is the royal castle."
Argenti Arcume gestured with his eyes, a bitter expression on his face. Lee Hyun-wook continued walking naturally, glancing in that direction.
He saw a massive white gate.
Inside lay the Throne Room.
"First, we move to a spot with a good view and wait."
*Bwoooooo—*
Soon, something like a horn blast echoed from somewhere, and the guards around the capital began to move.
"—It's a rebellion!"
"What? Remnants of the royal family?"
"No, the slaves have risen up!"
"How is that possible?"
For now, only the guards were moving, but the scale of the rebellion was likely larger than expected, which would require mobilizing the forces from the Throne Room as well.
About twenty minutes later...
*Rumble—*
Finally, the castle gates opened, and a contingent of soldiers emerged.
They marched in formation toward the slave quarters.
Once they were out of sight, Lee Hyun-wook stealthily rose from between the thick tree roots.
"Now it's finally empty."
He used 'Kynaeë,' and his body vanished.
***
In the Throne Room, a vast space bathed in a dark blue light, hundreds of Dark Elves stood in formation.
Even though more than half had been urgently dispatched due to the slave rebellion moments ago, their numbers were still immense.
From the ceiling, a countless number of green vines writhed, creating a scene reminiscent of a sea anemone colony.
All of this existed for one reason—for the 'throne' located in the innermost part of the chamber, where gray statues stood in rows, protected by a four-layered magic barrier.
And the large Dark Elf seated there was the 'Grand General,' the current supreme ruler of the Dark Elf race.
*Wooooo—*
His eyes were currently closed, and a dark blue smoke was flowing from the throne and his body, a phenomenon indicating that he was controlling the 'Vineguard.'
In other words, the Grand General was currently directing the war against the humans happening far away.
“…”
An elderly Dark Elf stood with his hands clasped behind his back, gazing at the scene with a worried expression.
"...The Grand General has no capacity to be concerned with matters here. Observer, what is the status of the rebellion's suppression?"
A reply came from behind him.
"Yes, Legion Commander! We deployed the Green Hell Venomous Insects... but they were reportedly all annihilated by some kind of electric current and wind."
"Dammit, what are they doing? They can't even suppress mere slaves?"
"Nevertheless, the 3rd Company of Forest Spiritmancers has advanced, so it should be suppressed soon."
"And have you found out how they were able to rebel, or where they got their weapons?"
But the immediate replies suddenly ceased. The Dark Elf called Legion Commander frowned and turned around.
"Did I not ask—"
He fell silent as a silver arrowhead touched his chin. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the crumpled body of the 'Observer.'
*Step— Step—*
From the shadows of a corner, a Dark Elf walked out.
"Kuh, who are you?"
"...Is that the throne?"
The unidentified Dark Elf spoke, looking past the four-layered barrier.
"Ah, right... you're human, aren't you? But that polymorph has the same pattern as our magic..."
"Does that mean you came here knowing what power that throne possesses?"
He did not answer.
Yet, the Legion Commander smiled leisurely, despite the arrowhead at his throat.
"And this slave rebellion, it was your doing, wasn't it? Hehehe— You managed to sneak all the way in here without being detected, but it seems you've hit a wall, haven't you?"
The unidentified Dark Elf placed a hand on the magic barrier.
"Heh heh— For your information, that magic barrier is four-layered and, of course, can never be opened from the outside. It's impossible unless you kill the high-ranking mages sitting around the throne."
As he chattered on, the Legion Commander snapped his fingers.
*Woong—*
In that instant, his body vanished from its spot and reappeared about ten meters away.
*Woong—*
He snapped his fingers again, and a dark blue energy flowed out, forming a magic barrier that enveloped his entire body.
"So you wanted to take me hostage and find a way to open that barrier, but what a shame. You've failed completely, haven't you? Hahaha—"
"...You certainly talk a lot."
"What?"
"I already knew everything and came prepared."
As he spoke, he deactivated his polymorph.
A single human stood before the Dark Elf legion.
"You... Steel Rain? Why are you here... Dammit, what are you all doing? Seize him at once!"
At his shout, the Dark Elf soldiers, who had already drawn their weapons upon hearing the commotion, quickly closed their encirclement.
*Creeaak—*
The Green Wave was already descending from the ceiling.
"Yes, come a little closer..."
Lee Hyun-wook said, spreading his hands.
At that moment, from the sigils on both of Lee Hyun-wook's wrists, two AD-2s were summoned, and each spat out a greatsword.
'Murgleys to the left, Laevateinn to the right...'
Lee Hyun-wook first moved Laevateinn, the 'Sword That Reclaimed Its Heat.'
'It contains Hellfire itself.'
Not long ago, in Dresden, when he was struck by a Hellfire magic scroll, he had used this greatsword to absorb all of the infernal flames.
Although he had released some of the heat once since then, a large amount of Hellfire was still stored within...
'Magma Sword—'
The thick blade glowed crimson red, first radiating heat, then erupting into flames.
*Fwhoooooosh—!*
Like a giant phoenix spreading its wings, flames shot out in a cross shape, engulfing not only the Dark Elf soldiers charging toward him but also the Green Wave extending from the ceiling.
"Kuaaaah—"
"Q-Quickly, bring water!"
The Forest Spiritmancers began to pull down water-bearing plants from the ceiling, but there was no way they could extinguish Hellfire with ordinary water.
And that wasn't all.
'Now.'
Lee Hyun-wook's left hand gripped the hilt of Murgleys.
*Woooooo—*
In that instant, all the mana in the area began to be drawn into the tip of Murgleys's blade.
'Mana Burst Sword—Space Cutter—'
First, a powerful mana pressure wave erupted.
It pushed the previously unleashed Hellfire even further, turning it into a much more powerful storm of flames that swept through the Dark Elf legion.
Just as they crouched down and generated magic barriers, focusing solely on blocking the flames—the 'Space Cutter,' which had been hidden within the firestorm, shot forward, bisecting space itself.
*Sh-sh-sh-sh-shiiing—!*
In a single strike, well over a hundred Dark Elves were sliced in half and collapsed—an unbelievable display of power.
Even the Legion Commander, watching the scene, was speechless.
A single human, wiping out the most elite troops in the deepest part of the Dark Elf kingdom... it was a truly shocking and bewildering sight.
"...Y-You bastard, did you plan this, waiting for my soldiers to get closer?"
"H-However, no matter what, this is our heartland. No matter how strong that fire is, it will eventually be extinguished, and you'll be swept away by the Green Wave while trying to break that four-layered magic barrier— Gack! Wh-What is this..."
He touched his neck with a dazed expression.
There, a silver arrow, Failnaught, was embedded.
"H-How did it get past my magic barrier..."
It had ignored the magic barrier and lodged itself in his neck.
"I told you."
"Kurgh..."
"I knew everything, and I came prepared."
The reason that single arrow was 'Hero'-grade was because it ignored all magic resistance and even magic barriers, guaranteed to hit its target.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at him and gestured. Failnaught completely severed his neck and shot into the air.
Next, his finger pointed toward the throne—
*Shwiii—*
Two Failnaughts were fired, piercing through the four-layered magic barrier as if parting water.
'But this Failnaught cannot kill the Grand General instantly.'
However, the high-ranking mages maintaining the four-layered barrier were a different story.
*Thwip—thwip—thwip—thwip—!*
The two arrows skewered the necks of the mages in a straight line, and in the instant the four-layered magic barrier flickered and vanished—
*Hoooong—*
The 100-ton greatsword charged forward like a runaway locomotive.