Chapter 23
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 23
Chapter Title: Seoul Station, F-Rank and S-Rank - 2
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The Seoul Station Tragedy. Lee Hyun-wook remembered the incident known by that name.
A part of Seoul Station was forcibly sealed off by an 'Unlucky Event,' trapping hundreds of people for six hours and ultimately resulting in 745 deaths. It was the most horrific monster disaster of its time.
It could have been recorded as an incident that exposed the flaws in South Korea's 'Gate Response System'....
'But it was overshadowed by the Fourth Wave that occurred right after, killing hundreds of thousands.'
Thus, in the future, the 745 lives lost here were unfortunately not considered very significant. They were merely a few sacrificed as a warning before a greater catastrophe....
But right now, every single one of them was alive.
"Mom, I'm scared...."
"Shh, son, it's okay. Those Players over there will save us."
"Is Daddy coming to get us?"
"Of course. Let's just wait a little longer."
The people who should have become spider food were gathered here in one place.
However, the situation was still far from safe.
"...Can they really hold off the monsters for five hours?"
The fear and doubt that only the weak could harbor....
It was only natural, as their hopes rested on a mere forty 'low-level' Players.
The helpless civilians could only watch their backs and swallow nervously.
Gurgle— Gurgle—
As time passed, the surface of the gate began to ripple violently.
The forty Players held their breath, their eyes fixed on it.
Warriors, knights, and other 'tank' classes blocked the stairs and escalators, while marksmen and mages lined up on the terrace, raising their weapons.
Silence—
Faint but ragged breaths could be heard from all around.
Shhh—
And before long, they were all wearing gas masks.
This was because Lee Hyun-wook had advised them on the type of poison the Venomous Armored Spiders would emit.
How much time had passed? The gate's churning suddenly stopped....
Flash—
The gate erupted in light, simultaneously spewing out two horribly massive spiders.
Flash—
This happened twice, for a total of four spiders.
It was double the number from the first wave.
'...They're here.'
Everyone thought it, but only ragged breaths escaped their lips.
Kreet! Kreet!
Disgusting cries and heavy movements... As they stirred and began to move, the second-floor waiting area of Seoul Station seemed to shrink.
"Hold...."
In the silence, only Lee Hyun-wook's low voice echoed.
Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—
The earth-shaking sound of eight legs rattled their hearts.
"Hold...."
Lee Hyun-wook raised his right hand above his head and extended his left hand toward the creatures.
'Just one shell. On its back, a good spot for the other Players' attacks to land....'
If Hyun-wook were to use his abilities in earnest, he could easily subdue a few Venomous Armored Spiders. But he had no intention of shattering their entire carapaces like he did in the first battle.
'I have to conserve as much mana as possible.'
- Mana (159/159)
* Recovers 5 per minute.
Several times more monsters would appear than in the first wave, so he needed to use his mana sparingly.
'To face the one that comes next, I'll need a considerable amount of mana....'
With that thought, Lee Hyun-wook clenched his left fist.
- Mana (151/159)
8 mana evaporated,
BOOM!
and with a deafening roar, the dorsal carapace of the nearest Venomous Armored Spider exploded.
The creature shuddered in shock, and at that moment, Lee Hyun-wook's right hand dropped.
"...Fire magic attacks at the broken area!"
The crouching mages rose and unleashed the spells they had prepared.
BOOM!
A fire spell exploded,
CRACK!
and a lightning spell erupted.
The spells struck the area around the hole Hyun-wook had created on its back.
A crackling sound followed as fissures spread from that spot, and a large section of its carapace began to crumble away.
Upon the now-exposed patch of 'bare flesh'....
"Now! Fire!"
RAT-A-TAT-TAT-TAT!
At the security chief's command, a volley of physical attacks—bullets, arrows, and more—was unleashed.
Aimed shots poured into the hole in its broken carapace like a summer downpour. Green blood splattered out, and soon, sticky chunks of flesh began to fall away.
"Good! It's working!"
Meanwhile, among those physical attacks, Lee Hyun-wook's 'steel orb' was different.
A typical ranged attack pierces the target's surface and inflicts internal damage once.
But the steel orb controlled by Lee Hyun-wook 'kept' moving even after penetrating the surface.
'Grind its insides to a pulp.'
Hyun-wook could feel the round piece of metal squirming inside the creature's body.
Of course, his control was still lacking, so its movement slowed whenever it got stuck, but regardless of its power, the pain of a steel orb moving around inside its body must have been unimaginable.
Screech! Screech! Screech! Screech!
Inside the Venomous Armored Spider, Hyun-wook's steel orb ricocheted like a 'pinball,' tearing fascia, battering organs, and severing blood vessels.
As long as it could penetrate, it could inflict continuous internal damage.
And then,
'Shatter!'
Crack—
Hyun-wook felt the steel orb explode inside the creature, scattering into dozens of pieces.
The creature writhed in the unbearable agony of its organs being shredded.
And soon....
Splat—
Its massive body collapsed to the floor.
"...We got it!"
A brief cheer—
But that was only one spider. Hyun-wook immediately extended his hand toward the next target, and the others followed his lead, aiming their weapons in the same direction.
BOOM!
Once he shattered the dorsal carapace of another spider, the magical and physical attacks followed in sequence without any specific command, beginning to land effective blows.
"Damn it, they're looking this way!"
The Venomous Armored Spiders began to counterattack.
They approached the third-floor terrace, aimed their abdomens this way, and sprayed something.
Pshhhhhhh—!
"Ugh! It's gas!"
But since they were already wearing gas masks, they managed to avoid inhaling the unidentified gas.
However....
"Ugh...."
"My... my body... it feels like it's stiffening...."
"It's... it's paralysis gas!"
The Players began to complain of paralysis symptoms.
'As I thought, the paralysis gas works not just through respiration but by seeping through the skin.'
This was precisely why Lee Hyun-wook had spent thirty-six hours the previous night ingesting 'poison-attribute' metal.
A poison gas that wasn't life-threatening but could instantly paralyze the body—this was the Venomous Armored Spider's weapon.
As a result, he was the only one who could move perfectly fine.
"I-It hasn't completely stiffened yet, so everyone, f-focus!"
The security chief shouted, trying to turn his stiffening neck.
"Hey! Skeletons spotted on the right!"
A group of skeleton soldiers was suddenly pouring out of a franchise hamburger joint.
But they didn't panic.
This was thanks to Lee Hyun-wook having confirmed the 'Dual Gate' phenomenon beforehand.
"All members of Squad 5, aim and fire at them!"
At Ahn Min-tae's command, the muzzles of Squad 5's guns shifted.
Bang! Bang!
"I'm guarding the stairs, so don't worry and take your time shooting!"
The paralysis gas was slowly stiffening the marksmen's fingers, but trusting that Ahn Min-tae and the other tanks had their backs, they pulled the trigger as calmly as they could, one shot at a time.
Crack— Crack—
With each bullet that hit, the skeletons' fragile bodies crumbled piece by piece.
"They seem to be just regular skeletons! They're very weak!"
"Good, keep wiping them out! Everyone's doing great!"
And since the gate had been opened for a rendezvous with a Villain in the first place, it wasn't particularly threatening.
Meanwhile, the members of Squad 5 felt a strange sense of exhilaration.
The feeling that they could do it... Following the battle at the Kobold Gate, they were once again realizing that they weren't entirely useless.
'To think we could fight like this....'
As their successful experiences piled up, their confidence grew.
'Corporal Lee Hyun-wook was right. Rank doesn't mean anything!'
Then, a certain quality hidden beneath their tension began to function.
They became immersed in their respective roles.
About fifteen minutes later....
Whoooosh—
The gunfire finally ceased.
As the thick smoke cleared, the tattered second-floor waiting area was revealed.
Fragments of corpses were scattered everywhere. Nothing moved.
"...It's over."
They had blocked the second wave pouring from two gates without a single casualty.
One by one, they removed their gas masks.
"I really... I never thought we'd pull it off so perfectly."
The security chief said with a hollow laugh, and a civilian Player stepped forward in agreement.
"I agree. I'm a C-rank warrior myself, and I've been on guild raid teams and helped seal dungeons many times, but haha... I've never experienced a battle this efficient and stable."
Their gazes shifted to Lee Hyun-wook.
"Honestly, this is all... thanks to Corporal Lee."
"I completely agree."
It was an undeniable fact.
It wasn't just his Metal Shatter ability.
Even in such a dire moment, when hiding would have been the natural choice, they hadn't lost their will to fight those monsters, thanks to the cool-headedness that Lee Hyun-wook exuded.
First Lieutenant Lee Hee-min watched this from a distance.
'That bastard....'
He could no longer find fault with the attention Lee Hyun-wook was receiving.
Even the disgruntled expression that used to appear on his face unknowingly had vanished.
'...He's actually amazing, isn't he?'
He had no choice but to admit it.
Before this battle began, Lee Hyun-wook had revealed that he'd achieved some feat and gained an ability boost. But... he never imagined it would be to this extent.
For a moment, Lee Hee-min felt a sense of self-loathing.
'What have I... been doing all this time?'
But his emotions soon shifted to something else: bewilderment.
A system message in red letters had appeared before his eyes.
- Warning! Due to the Players' outstanding performance, a <Bonus Event> has been granted.
"Wh-what is this?!"
"...A bonus event? What's that?!"
The message appeared not only for Lee Hee-min but for everyone inside the dome.
The Unlucky Event, this cursed trial bestowed upon humanity, was never kind or benevolent.
It literally pushed Players to the brink by presenting the worst-case scenario until the very end.
'Of course, it grants great fortune after overcoming everything....'
Lee Hyun-wook retrieved his steel orb and waited for the next message.
- A Boss Monster is scheduled to appear. (00:15:00)
'Just as I thought....'
Lee Hyun-wook had expected this.
It had already been foreshadowed earlier.
- An 'Unlucky Event' has occurred in this area!
* You may enter this area, but you cannot leave.
* An entry level restriction has been placed on this area. (LV. 15)
* To escape, survive for 6 hours or defeat the 'Boss Monster'!
The first escape condition—surviving for six hours—was progressing too easily, so the system was intentionally forcing the 'second condition' upon them.
'It's not fun anymore, is that it?'
No one could understand the system's true intentions.
There was only one thing to do.
Put aside the questions and just survive.
"Ah...."
"A b-boss... Not an elite monster, but a boss monster is actually coming out?"
Everyone wore expressions of shock.
Then, without anyone saying a word, they began to look at Lee Hyun-wook one by one.
"What should we do now?"
But the moment they saw his face, they felt a sense of calm for some unknown reason.
"Everyone, it seems we'll have to prepare for battle again without any time to rest."
It was because Lee Hyun-wook's expression as he spoke was just as calm as before.
***
Ruuuumble—
Seoul Station Plaza. A deafening roar and vibrations erupted from somewhere, shaking the entire area.
"Ugh, wh-what's happening all of a sudden?!"
People ducked down and turned their heads.
"Hey! Look over there!"
Someone pointed at the dome.
The dome was roaring.
- 05:01:12
* A Boss Monster has appeared!
And below the numbers on the dome's surface, those words were added.
A boss monster....
The situation inside the dome was being broadcast, however vaguely.
"A boss monster... appeared? Does this kind of thing happen?"
Boss monsters rarely emerge from 'Gates'.
They were the strongest monsters one could only encounter during a 'dungeon raid'.
So, what in the world was happening in there?
A short while later, Kim Kang-seok stood before a microphone to address the matter.
As the commander, he gave a brief summary of the current situation....
"Commander, I have a question!"
"Over here, I have a question too!"
A barrage of questions from reporters immediately began.
"Is it true that countless civilians are being sacrificed inside the dome, and there's nothing you can do?"
"And what are we to make of the fact that a boss monster has appeared?"
"Well? Please tell us!"
It was an undeniable fact that civilians were dying in there.
A great many of them....
But to say so publicly was too sensitive a statement.
"As I mentioned earlier, our rescue team entered the dome thirty minutes ago. They are currently conducting a civilian rescue operation. I cannot disclose any further details regarding the operation."
Thus, Kim Kang-seok intended to give only formal answers like this.
"But I heard that the entry level for the dome is 15 or below. Uh, in that case, isn't that insufficient combat power to carry out a proper rescue operation?"
"...They are professionally trained soldiers. They will carry out their mission with their lives on the line."
"In that case, what is the estimated number of civilian casualties?"
"...We cannot speculate at this time."
He steadfastly refused to give a specific answer regarding civilian casualties.
Despite this, the news was already reporting that numerous casualties had occurred.
Some outlets were even running unsubstantiated breaking news that over 800 people had already been sacrificed, and experts appeared on air to suggest the possibility that the rescue team could be annihilated as well.
Of course, their words were not entirely without reason.
It just couldn't be confirmed at the moment.
Everyone thought it was inevitable.
"I heard that the dome will only disappear in five hours! Does that mean we have to just wait like this without taking any further action until then?"
"Ah, that's not the case. We plan to dispatch an additional rescue team."
An additional rescue team? The reporters tilted their heads.
"What? It will be another team composed of level 15s, which is just as useless...."
Kim Kang-seok raised his hand, cutting the reporter off.
He then exchanged a look with someone and nodded.
"Ahem, this is something I couldn't mention during the briefing as it wasn't decided yet, but I've just received a report that it has been confirmed, so I will share it now."
Kim Kang-seok paused for a moment before speaking again.
"...We will soon be dispatching a rescue team with no level."
The reporters' clamor fell silent for a moment.
"Huh? N-no level means...."
At that moment, a gust of wind swept in from somewhere.
Thwump-thwump-thwump-thwump-thwump—
From beyond the buildings in front of Seoul Station, a large transport aircraft with two propellers flew in.
On its white-painted body was the blue flame insignia of the Cheonghwa Guild.
"...Right on time."
As Kim Kang-seok said that and looked up, all the cameras turned in that direction.
Even before the transport landed, its door opened and someone leaped down to the ground, a dozen meters below.
And landed very lightly on the ground.
"...Oh!"
It was a large man with long hair tied back with a strap.
He was wearing a green tracksuit from a famous sports brand, under which a glimpse of black scale armor could be seen. He carried a sports duffel bag over one shoulder.
"Hey! Look over there! It's... it's Han Tae-san!"
As the reporters swarmed in that direction, Kim Kang-seok let out a long sigh.
'Han Tae-san. Thank goodness he came.'
Han Tae-san, the man the world calls the 'Fist King'.
He was South Korea's number 2 ranked, the world's number 9 ranked S-rank Player, and as the black scale armor under his tracksuit proved, he was also a 'Drake Slayer'.
"Right! S-ranks don't have levels, so he can enter the dome!"
"Wow! Even someone as precious as an S-rank steps up at times like this!"
But despite his incredible fame, he was rarely seen in public, as he never personally intervened unless a gate of considerable scale opened.
"Hello? Yes, chief! Breaking news! The Taho is out of his den! Yes, it's been six whole months!"
That's why he was called 'Taho' (惰虎), the Lazy Tiger.
Of course, his laziness didn't mean his growth had stopped.
As an S-rank with 'non-level-based growth traits,' he could continue to grow through a 'special method' known only to him, even without engaging in actual combat.
Thus, whenever he made a rare appearance, he was always a step stronger.
How much stronger had he become this time....
The reporters specializing in Players couldn't help but be thrilled.
"M-Mr. Han Tae-san! Are you entering the dome immediately?"
Han Tae-san frowned at the reporter's question.
"Well, they said I'm the only one who can. It's a pain, but what can I do."
A pain? No one else could speak like that in the face of such a disaster.
But Taho (惰虎) was different.
He had long since cultivated an image as an eccentric or a troublemaker, so his bizarre antics were seen as a unique charm rather than a target for criticism.
"Ah! Mr. Han Tae-san! Does this mean you'll be working with the Cheonghwa Guild again?"
"I-in that case, is the compensation for this activity...."
At that question, Han Tae-san scowled and snapped.
"Fuck, get out of the way."
His single phrase brought the trailing reporters to a screeching halt.
"People are dying in there, and you think I should be standing here holding a microphone?"
After he said that, the reporters started to back away.
"Buzzing around me like a swarm of flies, so annoying...."
Reaching the stairs leading up to Seoul Station, Han Tae-san took a pair of brass-colored gauntlets from his bag.
He then turned his head, looking for someone.
His eyes landed on a woman wearing sunglasses with purple lenses—Yoo Hae-na.
"Hey! Yoo Hae-na! We're getting dinner after this is over, you promised!"
"...."
He shouted that and then leaped into the dome.
Yoo Hae-na was wearing sunglasses, but she was clearly scowling.
***
The Fist King, Han Tae-san, didn't much care whether civilians lived or died.
'More people starve to death than get killed by monsters anyway, so what's the big deal....'
That wasn't to say he was an immoral villain or a cynic.
He simply believed that, in the grand scheme of things, the future of humanity was more important than the immediate humanitarian crisis.
'It's obvious that some fucked-up shit will go down someday that'll grind even S-ranks to dust. Getting emotional over a few deaths now is a stupid waste of energy. We should be preparing for the future....'
When that moment came, Han Tae-san knew he wouldn't be safe either.
With that in mind, he was constantly strengthening himself every single day.
"I should be raising my stats right now, dammit!"
But what could he do? They said Han Tae-san was the only one who could solve this....
He had no choice but to break his six-month-long secluded training.
But honestly, on the other hand....
'The rewards here are at least Rare grade, and if a boss monster appeared, there might even be a Hero grade item, right?'
The rather lucrative rewards of these Unlucky Events were also tempting.
No matter how high one's rank was, they were useless without good items.
Han Tae-san stretched his neck and shoulders as he entered the dome.
But....
"...What is this?"
The moment he stepped into the second-floor waiting area of Seoul Station, he couldn't help but frown.
"Ah, shit.... If this was all it was, why did you even call me?"
The thought that he had come all this way for nothing made his irritation spike.