Chapter 183
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 183
Chapter Title: The Second Clash - 1
-----------------------------------------------------------------
==========================
People all over the world were watching and cheering for humanity’s counterattack on Mount Othrys.
- …This is truly an astonishing sight.
The hosts of <Kill the Monster> were also broadcasting the scene live, exclaiming in constant admiration.
- Once again, Steel Rain has done it.
- Yes, I’ve lost count of how many times. This scene, this situation, this feeling… it happens so often, yet strangely, it remains just as shocking every time.
About ten minutes ago, on the first battlefield, Lee Hyun-wook’s Moglay drop had shattered the giant fortress’s magic barrier.
Immediately after, Choi Jeong-cheol’s ‘Semi-Armageddon’ had blazed through, sweeping away the immobilized Titans like bowling pins.
That alone left dozens of Titans on the brink of death, and the ‘Green Wave’ controlled by Vainqueur completely consumed their weakened bodies.
In other words, they were left completely defenseless…
“—Now! All forces, charge!”
The Players, who had been on the receiving end until now, advanced fiercely, unleashing all sorts of skills on the half-dead Titans as if to vent their frustration.
One by one, starting from the edges, the 15-meter-tall Titans collapsed like dead trees.
Following this, the second battlefield, a dozen kilometers away, unfolded in a similar fashion.
- Ah! Let’s now switch over to the second battlefield. To our special correspondent on the second front, Josh Paul, can you hear me?
At the <Kill the Monster> host’s question, the screen switched to the second battlefield, showing a man in sunglasses, Josh Paul.
“Ah, okay— I’m here on the second battlefield.”
- The first battlefield seems to have secured a definite victory. What’s the situation like over there?
“Haha— It’s unfolding in a very interesting way. Just a minute ago, we were getting our asses kicked and preparing to retreat, but after Steel Rain appeared over there, these fucking vines started binding the giants here too!”
Not being a professional reporter, he couldn’t maintain eye contact with the camera and looked around distractedly.
“…But unfortunately, it seems there’s no way to break through the magic barrier here. Hey, Steel Rain— finish up over there and hurry over here!”
It was at that moment.
- Warning! ‘Hecatoncheires’ Authority—Meteor’ is commencing in this area!
“Huh? What’s this now?”
- Josh, what’s happening?
“Uh, well… damn, I don’t know how to explain it, so just watch for yourselves.”
At that, the camera’s focus shifted up to the sky.
- Uh, is that… a hole in the sky?
Just as the host asked, multiple holes were appearing in the sky like mushrooms after rain.
Gwo-o-o-o—
They were black portals.
“Oh, looks like someone’s about to pull off something huge… I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Soon, massive black rocks began to pour down from within like rain.
Whoosh—!
It was a meteor, no, a meteor shower.
Cra-a-a-ash—!
As they fell upon the giant fortress and struck the magic barrier, a strange black smoke billowed as if from a chemical reaction, and the barrier began to melt like cheese.
“Damn— I don’t know what it is, but it’s awesome!”
“Alright, let’s go wipe them out too—!”
The Players waiting on the second battlefield let out a cheer at the sight and began their charge.
But that wasn’t the end of it.
“Ah! The meteors are starting to rise again!”
Atop a hill in the back, a tall mage Player was brandishing a massive staff.
And following his command, weren’t the black meteors soaring back into the air?
“Oh— It seems the Gravity Mage, who has been maintaining a mysterious profile lately, is exercising his authority? Hahaha— what a day full of spectacles!”
It was Lee Seong-yoon, who had reversed the gravity in a specific area to make the ‘meteors’ rise again.
And what goes up must come down.
“Once again, a meteor shower descends!”
He even used fine-tuned gravitational control to adjust the meteors’ trajectories— striking each and every Titan square on the head.
Thwack—thwack—thwack—thwack—!
“…As expected of the Gravity Mage!”
“Damn, his recent inactivity made me forget, but he’s truly the best!”
And so, humanity was able to plant its flag on the giant fortress of the second battlefield as well.
- …We have a report that 145 were hunted on the first battlefield, and 131 on the second! That’s twice the number taken down in the previous great battle, and it was done with much greater ease. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say this is all Steel Rain’s achievement!
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook had already captured the giant fortress and was standing atop it, looking down at the corpses of the giants.
One of them had his Moglay embedded in its neck. It was the most powerful elite monster in this fortress, but like the other Titans, half of its body was entangled in the Green Wave.
Thanks to that restraint, he had been able to end the life of a level 209 elite monster in a single blow.
‘The boss monsters, the named Titans Atlas and Chronos, must be in the fortress in the deepest part.’
They couldn’t be taken down as easily as these, so he would have to join forces with Lee Seong-yoon’s group to tackle them together.
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook’s Mana Messenger rang.
- *Ksshh*— Hello— can you hear me?
The voice belonged to Emilia Müller.
“Yes, go ahead.”
- The ‘valve installation’ is done, so just give the signal whenever you’re ready.
Before leaving for the Dark Elf Kingdom, Lee Hyun-wook had asked her for a few things in preparation for what was to come.
She was now in a completely different location, carrying out a task only she could perform.
“Yes, thank you for your hard work.”
- Okay, Peter is on standby in front of the Mana Messenger, so call anytime.
“But just in case, could you please raise the holy concentration to its maximum, even if it’s a bit taxing?”
- Don’t you worry about that, I’m the expert here.
*Thud—*
Just then, the last Titan Hoplite fell, and cheers of victory erupted from all around.
“—We won!”
The cheers soon turned into a chant of Steel Rain’s name.
“Hah— I believed in you all along, Steel Rain—!”
“I had my doubts, but from now on, I’ll believe unconditionally!”
“As expected, with him, victory is guaranteed!”
But Lee Hyun-wook wasn’t letting his guard down yet.
‘…A bomb could drop from anywhere, at any time.’
He kept Hugin in the sky, carefully surveying the battlefield littered with Titan corpses.
*Sssshhhh—*
On the ground, sand flowed like water between the tendrils of the Green Wave.
Controlling it was the villain known as the Ruler of the Sandcastle, Conor O’Neil.
He was part of the Omega Team, a Player from <Gran Pineto>, just like Alain Giam.
But strangely, he hadn’t followed Alain Giam and was still participating in the battle.
Some media outlets speculated that there was a rift between the two, but the truth was…
‘The reason is, he’s aiming for me.’
The reason Lee Hyun-wook hadn’t dealt with him yet was partly due to a lack of justification, but also because he intended to use the moment of the villain’s attack to properly imprint the existence of ‘Villains’ on the world.
In any case, the Titan forces, the Dark Elf legion, and the Black Orc army—all the overt threats had appeared.
However, one element, the Villains, still hadn't shown their faces.
‘Even though I ruined their plans by conquering the Dark Elf Kingdom, they will never give up.’
They knew that if they didn’t stop Lee Hyun-wook now, they never would… so they would definitely play their final card during this <Titanomachy>.
And that was—
‘—The Necromancer…’
Lee Hyun-wook was anticipating and preparing for his second encounter with that fiend.
***
About 5 kilometers from the Mount Othrys battlefield, a camp had been set up for the Players who had withdrawn from the United Human Forces.
A makeshift broadcast studio was installed there, where Alain Giam and some other famous Players were sitting for a live broadcast.
They had been discussing and commentating on the <Titanomachy> situation since yesterday, but…
“…”
Right now, a rather long silence had fallen.
The reason was the appearance of Steel Rain.
The moment he appeared, the mouths of the panelists, including Alain Giam, had clamped shut and showed no signs of opening.
“…”
The stance of this broadcast had so far been focused on criticizing Steel Rain.
Therefore, the moment he appeared and turned the tide of the battle in an instant, they were left tongue-tied, and the host had to handle all the commentary alone throughout the battle.
Finally, the host, unable to bear it any longer, looked at Alain Giam and spoke.
“Um… Monsieur Giam, this, I mean… how can we explain this? The reason Steel Rain hadn’t appeared until now was because he was conquering the Dark Elf Kingdom… could that be true?”
“…”
“…Ahem, Monsieur Giam, could you please say something?”
Alain Giam couldn’t answer the host’s question.
“…”
He wasn't ignorant of how pathetic it would look to keep clinging to his criticism of Steel Rain at this point.
And the viewers watching this broadcast were also turning on Alain Giam in an instant, criticizing him.
He finally shot up from his seat.
“…Let’s just end it here.”
“Excuse me?”
Indeed, excessive envy and jealousy can cloud one's rational judgment.
But his checks on Steel Rain until now hadn't been due to such petty emotions, but rather a strategic choice based on solid reasoning.
‘This time, it was a structure that Steel Rain absolutely could not overcome.’
That’s why he had actively engaged in media play to control the situation…
“But damn it, who knew the Dark Elf legion would side with him… This is a variable completely beyond common sense!”
Unable to suppress the rage boiling inside him, he spat out a curse and exited the studio tent.
As he walked, fuming, he suddenly stopped and slowly turned around.
“Hm? Did someone just call me?”
But no one was there. Just as he thought he was hearing things due to his anger—
- *Monsieur—*
It wasn't his imagination.
Far away, a voice came from between two tents. But the owner of the voice was nowhere to be seen.
Feeling a sense of foreboding, he channeled mana into both hands.
With a little more force, dozens of magic missiles would be fired.
- *Monsieur, there is no need to be on guard. Now, I have something important to discuss. Would you mind stepping into this tent for a moment?*
Come to think of it, the voice wasn't being heard. In other words, it wasn't a sound wave traveling through the air as a medium.
This was ‘Telepathy,’ a magic that allowed one to speak directly into a specific target’s mind.
“Who the hell are you, approaching me in secret?”
- *Monsieur, clandestine meetings are for matters of great importance and mutual benefit, are they not?*
After a moment’s hesitation, he opened the tent from which the telepathic voice was emanating.
This was a space connected to the studio, seemingly for storing broadcast equipment, but it was empty now.
*Whoooosh—*
Black smoke billowed from a corner, and a man wearing a purple mask appeared.
He slowly approached.
“Monsieur, please take this.”
What he offered was a letter.
- You have acquired a ‘Black Invitation.’
“…What is this?”
[Item Information]
- Name: Black Invitation
- Effect: Unknown
“Monsieur, our organization would like to extend an invitation to you. If you infuse it with mana, you will be able to accept the invitation.”
“…What? What organization are you talking about?”
But the other party didn't answer readily, and in that moment, Alain Giam guessed the organization's identity.
“Don’t tell me… is it that organization Steel Rain exposed?”
“Yes, that’s correct. But it’s a little different from his claims. Once you hear about the cause we embrace and the work we do, I am certain you will not think of us negatively, Monsieur Giam.”
At those words, Alain Giam felt an instinctive revulsion and took a step back.
“What is this nonsense…”
No matter how much he disliked, no, hated Steel Rain, he couldn't get recklessly involved with such mysterious lunatics.
Then the masked man took a step closer and leaned in.
“Monsieur— we are not trying to maintain a precarious society like the current one… we intend to complete a world led by Players.”
At that moment, Alain Giam’s eyebrow twitched.
That was his goal as well.
The reason he operated the private organization <Future> was to create a world led by Players.
In this day and age, Players were practically a new class, but the vast majority were still ‘ordinary people,’ so laws and policies that limited and checked the dominance of Players were taken for granted.
He believed such a trend was jeopardizing humanity’s safety and hindering progress, and he often voiced this opinion.
“However, this goal requires a certain amount of violence. All regime changes are like that, aren’t they? Is that not so, Monsieur?”
“Hmm… that’s an interesting point.”
“Yes, I expected you would agree with this opinion, Monsieur.”
Yes, Alain Giam vehemently agreed with the masked man’s words, but he didn’t show it. However, his revulsion was inevitably beginning to turn into curiosity.
“But the biggest obstacle to that ideal future… is undoubtedly Steel Rain.”
“So you’ve tried to eliminate him several times, but failed, haven't you? Like in Dresden a few days ago.”
At those words, the masked man took another step closer.
“We did, but this time, we will not fail.”
“What? This time? When… you’re planning to strike him from behind during the battle, of course?”
A strange laugh trickled from behind the mask.
“…So, Monsieur, will you help us? We will use every method available to weave a net so that he cannot escape in any way. Now, if you agree with me, please infuse that invitation with your mana.”
At those words, Alain Giam hesitated for a moment before infusing the invitation with his mana.
“A Villain Quest…”
***
- Victory Flag 1 has been captured!
* All stats are temporarily increased. (+10%)
- Victory Flag 2 has been captured!
* All stats are temporarily increased. (+10%)
With the capture of the Victory Flags on the first and second battlefields, a buff effect was granted to all Players participating in the Titanomachy.
Atop a fortress on the first battlefield, the commanders of each group had gathered to discuss future operations.
“…First, we should rendezvous with the Players from the second battlefield at this point, and then proceed to conquer the third battlefield and so on.”
And the architect of this strategy was, of course, Lee Hyun-wook.
“We now have the Dark Elves’ elite unit, ‘Vainqueur.’ And since we can now use the item-neutralizing chains that blocked my Moglay drop, we should also be able to stop the Titans’ javelin barrage.”
The commanders nodded without a word at his explanation.
“If it goes just like that, it would be perfect.”
“…Steel Rain, we’re counting on you.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at each of the commanders. Their eyes held a deeper resolve than ever before.
They too must have doubted him, even for a moment.
But when certainty is regained after doubt, faith becomes stronger.
These men were now Lee Hyun-wook’s weapons.
“Now, let’s move out.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, the commanders nodded and took out their Mana Messengers to issue orders to their respective groups.
But just then—
“…No, you’re not going anywhere.”
A voice cut in, throwing cold water on their plans, and everyone turned to look.
“—Huh?”
“What do you mean?”
The one who had spoken was a young, ginger-haired Caucasian man, Conor O’Neil.
“Ughh— you all are going to be buried here.”
He stretched his arms towards the sky, then smiled as he spread his palms.
“I’ll make that grave for you—!”
In that instant— the giant fortress they were standing on crumbled, and everyone lost their balance and scattered.
“Kuh!”
“Dammit—”
Sand erupted from all directions, forming a giant hand… that fell upon Lee Hyun-wook’s head.
*Craaaash—!*
“Ack! Steel Rain…”
They all understood what this scene meant.
The evil organization was attempting another assassination.
“Oh, no! We have to save him!”
*Rumble, rumble, rumble—!*
But pillars of sand shot up from all sides, descending like drills, forcing them to fend for themselves.
“Dammit, Boss—!”
Kim Se-hee created a gust of wind to push back the sand, trying to find Lee Hyun-wook, but the thick dust cloud obscured her vision.
*Creeaak—*
“Hahaha— Steel Rain, I finally got you! Before you even had a chance to pull out that Moglay and swing it, I’ve pinned you down tight, so you’re finished!”
Only Conor O’Neil’s smug voice echoed.
He was floating in the air, his body wrapped in dozens of layers of sand. Kim Se-hee launched wind blades at him, but they only pierced a few layers.
“You’ll never get through this ‘Sand Armor’ like that, so don’t waste your energy!”
Next, he spread his hands and then clapped them together— *CLAP*— forming two massive hands of sand…
*SQUASH—!*
They slammed together with great force as if swatting a bug, an attack clearly aimed at Lee Hyun-wook.
A total of three sand fists were now gripping Lee Hyun-wook.
“Phew— I’m the one who subdued the great Steel Rain, something no one else could do? Hehehe— well now, I’ve made that pompous Necromancer’s trip a waste, haven’t I?”
And with every wave of his hands, sand spewed from the jar on his back, the Sikyang, wrapping tightly around the three hands that held Lee Hyun-wook.
“You know my sand restraints are something even a Titan couldn’t break, right? Hehehe— you’ll never get out.”
He grinned, filled with arrogance.
But then—
*Thwip—*
“…Huh?”
He felt a strange sensation, an odd sort of pain.
In that moment, blood gushed from his mouth.
“Cough—”
He slowly looked down… and saw a rod sticking out of his left chest, right where his heart was.
It was a silver arrow.
“How…”
This was an incomprehensible phenomenon for him.
The ‘Sand Armor,’ which wrapped his body in thousands of layers of sand, couldn’t be pierced by any ordinary attack.
Of course, it couldn’t block a brute-force strike like Moglay, but a hundred, even a thousand arrows like this shouldn’t have been able to peel off a single layer of his sand barrier.
“A… g-gap?”
Only then did he notice a tiny hole in his Sand Armor, as if drilled through.
“Huh? But why…”
But it was still just as incomprehensible.
His control over sand would never allow for such a gap.
He had never made a mistake like this before.
*Ssshhhh—*
His eyes, now bloodshot, scanned his surroundings, and he noticed some of his sand moving against his will.
It was near the three fists that held Steel Rain…
*Ssshhhh—*
He was walking right through the sand restraints.
“N-n-no… way…”
With his every step, the sand under Conor O’Neil’s control parted to the left and right, clearing a path for him.
“H-how are you, you controlling my sand…”
And the force moving the sand was emanating from an orb floating behind Lee Hyun-wook’s back.
It was…
“Dammit, that’s an Earth Spirit…”
An A-rank, no, an even higher-ranking Earth Spirit was following Lee Hyun-wook.
「Tsk, tsk— you’re a real scrub, aren’t you? With such a lack of detail, can you even build a sandcastle?」
That’s right. For this very moment, to lure Conor O’Neil into a false sense of security, Lee Hyun-wook had kept Maru’s existence hidden.
“Urrggghh—!”
Conor O’Neil let out a guttural scream and tried to control the sand to sweep Lee Hyun-wook away, but Maru’s interference prevented it.
If his body were unharmed, he could have exerted stronger control over the sand than an A-rank Earth Spirit, but with an arrow in his heart…
He couldn’t prevent holes from appearing throughout the flow of sand, and through them, Lee Hyun-wook’s steel weapons passed freely.
*Stab—Stab—Stab—Stab—*
And they embedded themselves all over the villain’s body.
“Gah—”
Finally, the sand curtain that had covered the world rained down, following the pull of gravity.
At Lee Hyun-wook’s gesture, the metal pieces embedded in Conor O’Neil’s body transformed into rings, binding his limbs, and with another gesture, he was dragged over like a dog.
“So…”
He grabbed Conor O’Neil by the scruff of his neck and whispered in a low voice.
“…forget a sideshow like you, where’s the main act?”
“What? What do you…”
Just then—
- Warning! A ‘Death Arrival Zone’ has been declared in this area!
“…Right on time.”
After seeing the system message, he surveyed the area from Hugin’s perspective.
The ground in the vicinity had turned into a black mire, bubbling and boiling.
*Squelch! Squelch!*
The meaning was simple.
‘…The Controller of Death has arrived.’
Lee Hyun-wook snapped Conor O’Neil’s neck, then launched himself into the air and looked down at the ground.
*Squelch! Squelch!*
An area several kilometers wide was surging with the power of death, and the corpses of the Titans lying upon it began to twitch.
“Yes, come on…”
This was the moment he had been waiting for.
“I’ve prepared a gift for you… I hope you won’t be going back empty-handed this time.”