Chapter 37
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: Rain Over the Waves - 4
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“...Yes, they’re dead.”
The man in the fedora spoke as he descended from the tree.
“Both of them?”
Leaning against a tree across from him, Carol, the leader of the Five Butchers, asked as she smoked a cigarette.
But something about it was unnatural. The hand holding the cigarette was not her own.
Her arms were crossed, and a third hand, sprouting from her back, held the cigarette.
“Yang Hee-joo at Gate 2 isn't dead, but it seems she's lost consciousness.”
The Five Butchers were connected, able to sense each other's presence.
But for some reason, the connection to two of them had been severed simultaneously.
“...”
It was something they simply couldn't comprehend.
“...Didn't you say the Mountain Lord wasn't here right now?”
“Correct. We confirmed that before infiltrating.”
“Then... was it Seo Eun-ha, that woman?”
“As of now, there are no other likely suspects, are there?”
Within the 1st Battalion, only two Players were capable of standing against the Five Butchers.
Kim Kang-seok, the B-rank Druid known as the Mountain Lord of Namsan.
And Seo Eun-ha, the B-rank Paladin and daughter of the Holy Knights' Commander.
Other than them, there were no names worth mentioning.
“Whatever. After we finish things here, we can just use a few of the lives from the kids we capture to bring them back.”
“Yes. It seems Gate 3 hasn't been noticed yet, so the plan should proceed without a hitch.”
They were on the mountainside of Namsan, overlooking the Namsan Tower.
An additional gate had opened there.
A purple light flickered between the dense trees.
“Hmm, I wonder if the Master anticipated this and increased the number to three?”
“My sense is that it was simply an order to ensure total annihilation. There's also the item we need to find...”
Originally, they were supposed to induce the creation of two gates here.
But their master, Ki Baek-jun, had suddenly added one more.
Just then, a deep voice echoed from somewhere.
“...Hey, Carol! Is this the right place to set it up?”
In a valley about twenty meters away, a hulking man stood, carrying something on his shoulder.
When Carol nodded, the large man began snapping nearby trees with his bare hands.
*Crack! Crack!*
He did it as easily as if he were pulling weeds.
After leveling the terrain with his own hands, he hauled down the massive green stone monument he had been carrying.
And he slammed it into the ground.
*Thwump—!*
And then...
*Whaaaaaaaa—*
- Warning! A 'Nexus of Evil' has been declared in this area!
* Dark-type stats will increase. (50%)
* Undead-type recovery will increase. (50%)
* The number of monsters spawning from the gates will increase. (100%)
The man grinned and dusted off his hands.
“It's installed! Works like a charm!”
This game featured a truly diverse array of items, some of which possessed bizarre effects. Such things were not only useless to 'humanity' but also required careful handling.
Of course, the outcome always depended on the user's intent...
“Now the zombies will come crawling out in droves and devour all those Seoul bastards, right?”
The purpose for which it was being used here did not seem benevolent.
*Gurgle— Gurgle—*
The third gate that had opened behind them began to react. It was an eruption.
Soon, knights clad in heavy armor began to walk out one by one.
*Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—*
A weight that shook the very earth...
But there was something strange about them.
There was nothing inside the armor.
Literally, only the 'armor' was moving on its own.
At a glance, they looked like 'Living Armor,' suits of armor animated by magic.
The kind a mage would cast a 'control spell' on to make them move and guard a house...
However, these were 'Haunted Armor,' possessed suits that were a product of 'death magic'.
They were a considerably high-rank monster among the undead.
*Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—*
“Impressive. Even that B-rank Paladin, that high-and-mighty woman, won't be able to handle these.”
Carol said with a smirk.
A legion of undead 'Haunted Armor' in steel plate lined up on the mountainside, and behind them, a horde of zombies crawled out in teeming masses.
“Oh, and Oh Gang-muk! I have a job for you!”
“Huh?”
The large man who had installed the monument looked up.
“How about you go down there and wipe out the command center for those soldier fucks?”
“Why me? Didn't we assign that to the kids?”
Carol sighed heavily and pressed a hand to her forehead.
“The connection to both of them was suddenly cut. We have no choice.”
“Ah, they both bit it? Hah, fucking useless brats. What a pain in the ass...”
Though his words were crude, coming from a man over two meters tall and weighing more than 250 kilograms, they sounded incredibly menacing.
“Can't be helped. Since it's come to this, maybe I'll make myself a thrall out of that paladin?”
“No, I told you to annihilate the command center, not the paladin.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know. I meant I'll do it on the side.”
“Don't be careless. The fact that both Heo Young-tae and Yang Hee-joo were taken down is strange.”
“Come on, Carol. What's with you? You don't know me? You think I'm like them?”
Indeed, even among vampires, there were differences in level.
If the two vampires taken down earlier, Heo Young-tae and Yang Hee-joo, were 'low-tier', then this man, Oh Gang-muk, was 'mid-tier'.
It was only a single tier difference, but the gap between them was immense, requiring hundreds of 'blood drainings' to cross.
Oh Gang-muk had drained 301 people so far.
He figured he might as well raise that number a little today.
***
The moment the Totem was planted somewhere on Namsan, a red warning message appeared before the eyes of every Player in the vicinity.
- Warning! A 'Nexus of Evil' has been declared in this area!
* Dark-type stats will increase. (50%)
* Undead-type recovery will increase. (50%)
* The number of monsters spawning from the gates will increase. (100%)
“This is...”
Everyone in the underground command center stared into the air and swallowed dryly.
“...It's a Totem.”
“...It's a Totem.”
Lee Hyun-wook and Seo Eun-ha spoke at the same time.
A Totem was a placeable item that exerted a magical influence over an area.
The warning message clearly explained what kind of Totem had just been installed.
Everyone wore expressions of despair.
But Lee Hyun-wook was smiling inwardly.
'If it's a Totem... it's an item embedded with a Devil's Medal.'
He remembered the 'Devil's Medal (Inferno)' he had gotten from killing the Kobold Warlock. After absorbing it, he had gained the incredible skills 'Fire Breath' and 'Internal Furnace'.
Now, another opportunity to obtain one had presented itself.
He licked his lips without realizing it.
He wondered what kind it would be this time... probably something related to life force or control.
In truth, Lee Hyun-wook had somewhat anticipated things turning out like this.
It was because of Heo Young-tae's appearance, a man who shouldn't have been here in the first place.
That meant there could be a few more unexpected threats.
Like a 'third gate', for instance...
'But to plant a Totem, too? They're serving up a meal on a silver platter.'
As far as Lee Hyun-wook was concerned, this was nothing short of a godsend.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Seo Eun-ha.
“Squad Leader, that guy from before... he wasn't alone.”
Seo Eun-ha nodded at his words.
She had suspected as much.
“This is some kind of organized terrorist attack, isn't it?”
“Yes, it seems we have to see it that way.”
“...But using monsters... is that even possible?”
Seo Eun-ha couldn't understand it. A terrorist attack using the System...
If this phenomenon became public knowledge, it would turn the world upside down.
But that wasn't what was important right now.
“Whatever it is, we have to destroy that Totem immediately. Otherwise, we won't be able to handle this.”
“You're right. We need to form a search party at once.”
If the Totem remained active and its effects persisted, an overwhelming number of monsters would soon emerge from the gates and gather near the 'Nexus of Evil'.
That would mean the birth of a 'legion'.
“Officer on Duty, I will go find the Totem immediately.”
At Seo Eun-ha's words, the officer on duty, Major Moon Tae-ho, nodded.
“How many people do you think you'll need for this operation?”
“For now, myself, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, and... we'll need Sergeant Choi Young-jun as well.”
News of Choi Young-jun's return had already reached them.
“Oh, and as it happens, several members of the 1st Company are armed with holy weapons.”
This time, it was Lee Hyun-wook who spoke.
The former special assault squad members who had acquired holy weapons—he had trained them for a time just like this.
“Is that so? Signalman, get me Captain Gwak Yong-jun on the line, now.”
“Yes, sir!”
Major Moon Tae-ho immediately contacted Captain Gwak Yong-jun at the guard post and had the requested personnel dispatched.
“...It's done. His men will be here within five minutes.”
And just like that, a 23-member 'Totem Search Party' was organized with lightning speed.
“Then we'll depart immediately.”
“Hoo... Lieutenant Seo, you must succeed. All our lives are on the line.”
“Yes, of course. I'll see you later.”
It was then.
*THUD—!*
A vibration rumbled from somewhere, and the fluorescent lights flickered.
“...”
The bustling command center came to a sudden halt.
It seemed a major impact had occurred on the floor directly above them.
“What was that?”
*THUD—! THUD—! THUD—!*
More impact sounds—but this time, not from above.
Their gazes turned to the wall.
The sound was coming from the same floor, from within the basement.
“...”
The next moment...
*Splat—*
“...Huh?”
The signalman's bewildered voice rang out.
“Th-there...”
Outside the steel door, in the hallway, lay the lower half of a body, still in combat boots.
The problem was... it was literally *only* the lower half.
It appeared to be the corpse of the guard from the crypto room.
Lee Hyun-wook and Seo Eun-ha exchanged a look.
*Shing—*
Seo Eun-ha drew her sword, and the sword on Lee Hyun-wook's back unsheathed itself.
The two of them were the first to rush out.
“...”
In the darkness at the end of the hall, a giant of a man stood.
He wore something like a raincoat over a black suit.
He was holding a flail, a spiked iron ball on a chain the size of a human head.
But the length of that chain... was truly immense.
“...”
Neither of them bothered to ask the brute who he was.
Lee Hyun-wook knew, of course, that this man was the same kind of being as the vampire Heo Young-tae he had just faced, and Seo Eun-ha had also figured it out.
“...Wh-who are you?”
But Moon Tae-ho, who followed them out, had no choice but to ask.
There was no answer.
The man just chuckled, seemingly amused by something.
Seo Eun-ha lowered her shield and stepped to the very front. She was preparing for the possibility that a single swing of the brute's flail could crush all three of them at once.
“Squad Leader, this is part of their plan to buy time.”
Lee Hyun-wook whispered.
“And in this narrow hallway, even for you... it will be difficult to end this quickly.”
“...”
No, in fact, it wasn't a matter of ending it quickly or not.
Facing an opponent with such monstrous strength in a confined space was suicide.
“I think you should go on ahead, Squad Leader.”
“...What?”
“Please leave this to me again.”
“But...”
“If we're late in finding the Totem, we won't be able to protect anything.”
Seo Eun-ha hesitated for only a moment before nodding.
Once again, his words were the closest thing to the right answer.
“I'll finish this quickly and join you.”
“...Just don't die.”
Seo Eun-ha turned to look at Moon Tae-ho.
“Officer on Duty, I'm going to find the Totem. I'm leaving this... to you.”
Moon Tae-ho was taken aback, but he nodded silently.
Seo Eun-ha gave Lee Hyun-wook one last look, then ran up the adjacent stairs.
“...”
With the shield gone, the two men stood facing the brute with the flail, completely exposed.
The brute chuckled again and moved his tree-trunk-like legs, taking a step forward.
*THUD—*
A person walking shouldn't make a 'thud' instead of a 'step'...
“Damn it, move! You! One more step and I'll open fire!”
Moon Tae-ho shouted, raising both hands.
He was, after all, a C-rank, Tier 1 mage.
His position as an Area Magic Controller meant he wasn't particularly skilled in single-target magic, but he believed he was the one who had to face this monster right now.
*THUD—*
But the brute paid him no mind and took a second step.
*Whoom—*
A magic circle began to form in Moon Tae-ho's hands.
At that very moment, the brute's flail shot forward as if flicked.
*WHOOSH!*
“Wha—”
*CRACK!*
Moon Tae-ho couldn't react.
In that split second, Lee Hyun-wook exerted his metal control on the tip of the flail. The spiked ball veered just slightly, striking Moon Tae-ho's left shoulder instead of his head.
But even that was enough to send Moon Tae-ho's body flying into the back wall.
*THUD—*
...He seemed to have been knocked out cold.
'The Vampire Bear, Oh Gang-muk. His strength is just as insane as I thought.'
Lee Hyun-wook recognized him.
That flail was also made of metal, but controlling it seemed difficult.
It wasn't because of some magical effect that interfered with his control, like the Queen Spider's shell or the Gnoll Old Alpha Male's kukri. The brute was simply overpowering his control with sheer, overwhelming force.
As for just blowing it up with 'Shatter,' the flail seemed to be a product of magic engineering, compressed to an incredible density. In other words, its mass was so great that 'Shattering' it would require a significant amount of mana.
'I can't drain my mana just to destroy that thing.'
Lee Hyun-wook thought of a different strategy.
“You, take care of the Officer on Duty.”
“Huh? Ah! Yes!”
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, a signalman rushed out and dragged the unconscious Major Moon Tae-ho back inside.
“...Wow, you saw that and you're still planning to fight me?”
“...”
“You're a brave one, aren't you?”
Oh Gang-muk said as he approached.
“And you were the one who just nudged the tip of my weapon, right? I'm right, aren't I?”
To notice the metal control Lee Hyun-wook had exerted in an instant—he clearly had exceptional senses.
“You're sharp. Thank you for noticing.”
“Polite and admirable, aren't you? This old man should give you a little gift.”
Oh Gang-muk chuckled as he spoke.
A gift? Why were all vampires such perverts...
As Lee Hyun-wook thought this, he drew his Cloud Sword and used the Water Mist skill.
*Fwoooosh—*
A large amount of water vapor spewed from the tip of his sword.
The narrow hallway quickly became shrouded in mist.
“Oh, playing with smoke and mirrors, are we?”
The last thing he saw before his vision was completely obscured was the brute raising his flail.
But Lee Hyun-wook knew the flail's position.
He fired thirteen steel pellets and the Pale Note, and at the same time—
*Tap!*
He kicked off the ground and charged forward.
*Th-th-th-th-thump—*
He heard something—probably the steel pellets—striking in succession.
When he broke through the vapor, Oh Gang-muk had his left hand raised, shielding his head.
He had blocked both the steel pellets and the Pale Note.
Immediately after, the brute's right hand—the one holding the flail—moved.
*Whoosh—*
The heavy lump of iron shot toward Lee Hyun-wook's head.
Lee Hyun-wook leaned back and slid across the wet floor.
Dodging the flail, he slid between Oh Gang-muk's legs and drew the KG19.
*Shhhlick—!*
“Gaaack!”
Lee Hyun-wook slashed the brute's groin as he passed, then got to his feet and sprinted in the opposite direction.
He exerted his metal control, flinging open the four warehouse doors on both sides of the hallway all at once.
*Clang— Clang— Clang— Clang—*
The doors opened into the hallway.
Just then, the brute swung his flail.
*CR-CR-CR-CRASH—!*
The four doors crumpled like cardboard.
Still, his quick thinking had allowed him to nullify one attack from the flail.
“Ugh... stop right there! Are you running away?”
In that time, Lee Hyun-wook had reached the end of the hall.
It was... a dead end.
Oh Gang-muk tore away the crumpled warehouse doors and stomped toward him.
*Sizzzzzle...*
Smoke was rising from between his legs.
The brute cursed and pulled out a gourd-like flask.
As he drank from it, black smoke billowed from his mouth, and the smoke between his legs subsided.
Amazingly, he had instantly healed the wound inflicted by a holy weapon.
'A Potion of Death...'
It was a healing potion created through death magic, using human souls as an ingredient.
Not just anyone could drink it; when consumed by 'beast-type' or 'undead-type' beings, its healing properties were dramatically enhanced. It could even heal wounds inflicted by holy power.
“Hoo... kid, looks like you have nowhere to run now. Is this all you've got?”
Oh Gang-muk's face twisted into a vicious scowl.
But Lee Hyun-wook just smiled faintly.
At the expression, so out of place in this situation, Oh Gang-muk tilted his head.
“...What are you smiling about?”
“Sorry, but you're the one who needs to find a way out, not me.”
As he spoke, Lee Hyun-wook stood with his back to a massive steel door.
It was a thick, dark green steel door, incomparable to any other in the battalion.
- 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade, 1st Battalion Armory: Restricted Access -
*Click—*
The steel door began to open on its own, sliding to the left and right.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble—*
A cold draft flowed out from within.
Unlike a natural breeze, it was thick with the musty, damp smell of a warehouse...
“Huh?”
The lights were off, but Oh Gang-muk's eyes could pierce the darkness.
In the center of the armory, a deep hole had been bored into the floor.
It was a massive passage, a staircase leading down to the floor below.
It was then.
*Rumble-rumble-rumble-rumble—*
A vibration began to rise from beneath their feet.
“What the...”
Feeling a sense of foreboding, Oh Gang-muk stopped in his tracks.
At that moment, something shot out from inside the armory.
*Swish—*
It was a single spear.
Oh Gang-muk easily dodged it with a slight lean of his shoulder.
“Shit, what the hell is this? Just some stupid trick...”
He couldn't finish his sentence.
He soon realized something was wrong.
And then—
*SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SHING—!*
A fierce whistling filled the hallway as dozens of metal weapons of all kinds—spears, swords, axes—poured out from the darkness of the floor below like a pack of wild beasts.
“FUCK! WHAT IS THIS!”
They naturally flowed past Lee Hyun-wook, turning their heads toward Oh Gang-muk.
*Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!*
Sharp metal began to embed itself all over his body.
“Ugh! Ugh! Damn it!”
With no room to counterattack, Oh Gang-muk shielded his head and stumbled backward.
But he could feel his body growing heavier.
It wasn't that his strength was failing; it was due to the weight of the metal weapons piercing his body.
*SH-SH-SH-SH-SH-SHING—!*
“Wh-what is this—Ugh!”
It was as if hundreds of people were simultaneously firing arrows and javelins at him.
Or like being swept away by a massive current; he couldn't control his body at all.
In an instant, his body was transformed into something resembling a porcupine.
Lee Hyun-wook walked slowly toward him.
'In front of the armory, my ability can be used to its maximum potential.'
There was a clear limit to the weight Lee Hyun-wook could control.
Accordingly, the number of weapons he could move at once was also limited.
But if he launched them, and launched more, and then launched even more...
'It can seem infinite.'
Once a piece of metal gained momentum, it would fly and embed itself on its own without needing to be 'controlled'.
In other words, as long as his mana held out and he had enough weapons, the assault could be endless.
He had gained control of the armory to make use of its many weapons.
But using the armory itself was on a different level.
'This strategy is only possible because he came here himself... I was lucky.'
Of course, even this wouldn't kill Oh Gang-muk.
“Ugh—argh! Argh—euk!”
The finishing blow had to be delivered differently.
Lee Hyun-wook walked toward Oh Gang-muk, blending into the stream of metal weapons.
He extended his left hand toward the brute.
At that moment, a single spear shot out from his wrist, flying in a straight line.
*Thunk—*
“—Gack!”
It struck Oh Gang-muk in the left side of his chest.
Unlike when the other weapons hit, the brute's massive frame shuddered violently.
The spear's name was the 'Spear of Achilles'.
A hero-grade spear with an irrecoverable effect had just pierced Oh Gang-muk's chest—his heart.
“...Go on, try and recover from that.”