Chapter 52
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Heroes of Seoul - 1
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KABOOM—!
Amidst the deafening roar of the bombardment, Lee Hyun-wook stood tall on two feet.
The Villains stared at him, dumbfounded.
"......."
How on earth had he managed to break free from those thick ropes?
And where had that spear that skewered the two orcs like kebabs come from?
Countless questions arose, but they had no time to ponder such things.
They could feel that this man was no ordinary foe.
"...Dammit, declare the ring!"
At Choi Min-seong's shout, a bald man in a leather jacket clasped his hands together.
A golden light erupted from his body,
forming a rectangular, translucent box in the ten-square-meter space around them.
*Woong—!*
- A 'Dueling Field' has been declared in this area.
* For 300 seconds, you will be 'cut off' from the outside.
"Ring declared."
The Dueling Field was a fighter-class skill, also known as the 'Ring.'
It was used to 'seal' off a certain area, trapping an opponent to be beaten down.
Meanwhile, the Spear of Achilles that Hyun-wook had thrown was now stuck in the orcs' bodies outside that space.
Hyun-wook tried to pull it back, but…
*Tung—*
As expected, it was blocked by the translucent Dueling Field and couldn't get through.
"Whoa... Where the fuck did that spear come from?"
"Mr. Lee Hyun-wook was so kind as to tell us his ability, so we thought we'd prepared by clearing out all the metal scraps... But you were still hiding an ace up your sleeve. Hahaha... As expected of such a meticulous man."
"......."
"But that spear... you can't pull out another one, right? One is your limit, isn't it?"
Choi Min-seong still spoke with confidence, but he didn't approach Hyun-wook any further.
He didn't rule out the possibility that Hyun-wook might be hiding something else.
He had also noticed the strange phenomenon occurring on Hyun-wook's body.
His skin, which had transformed into something like armor, and a certain aura enveloping him...
Even at a glance, he could tell it wasn't an ordinary defensive skill.
"Ah? Don't tell me... when you said with your own mouth that you were weak because you're a control-type, was that also... a deception?"
Choi Min-seong clutched his head with a look of disbelief.
"But still, even for a control-type, you're going to fight four of us in this cramped space?"
With those words, all four Villains drew their weapons.
It seemed their weapons hadn't been confiscated when they were captured, and not a single one was made of metal.
"Ehehehe—! This is getting more interesting!"
The first to charge was the seemingly unhinged woman, Park Ji-hyun.
She leaped over two of her comrades and lunged at Hyun-wook, thrusting a dagger made of bone.
"Die—!"
Her movements were incredibly fast, like a pouncing feline.
But then...
*Fzzt—!*
"Agh-gya-gya-ga—!"
A crackling blue whip flew out from somewhere and wrapped around her body.
She plummeted, smashing her head on the ground and convulsing violently.
"It's four against two! I'm here too, you bastards—!"
It was Park Jun-mo.
His arms were still tied behind his back, but an electric current extended from his palms, stretching out and moving like a long tail. His control over electricity was clearly improving by the day.
"Dammit! What are you doing? Kill them now!"
Choi Min-seong shouted as he launched 'Magic Missiles.'
*Swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh-swoosh—*
Six projectiles flew toward Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo like guided missiles.
"You—!"
Park Jun-mo spread his electric whip wide like a net, neutralizing two of the magic missiles.
Hyun-wook, on the other hand, simply stood still.
*Thud—thud—thud—thud—*
The magic missiles struck, yet they vanished around his body as if they had evaporated.
"Wh-What!"
It was because a thick 'Mana Shield' was covering his entire body.
It had been upgraded after he absorbed the 'Orichalcum.'
Just then, the shaggy-haired man rushed in, raising a wooden club toward Hyun-wook's head.
"Fuck—let's see you block this!"
A dark red energy swirled at its tip.
'A weapon enhancement skill.'
With that applied, it was no longer a simple wooden club but might as well have been a heavy mace.
Hyun-wook focused Hardening on his left arm and raised his elbow to meet the blow.
*Crack—!*
With a brutal impact, it was the club that broke.
"There, I blocked it."
"...Huh?"
The man hesitated for a moment, stunned.
That was a foolish mistake.
As always, Lee Hyun-wook did not miss the opening.
His left foot shot toward the man's neck.
*Crack—*
A Brazilian kick infused with all his metal control power; the single blow crushed the man's cervical vertebrae.
"You son of a bitch—!"
Hyun-wook spun around, preparing a 'counter back kick' for the bald man who was slipping into his blind spot. But as if reading his movement, the man leaped back.
"Hoo... you know a thing or two about fighting, do you?"
The man seemed to recognize Hyun-wook's close-combat skills and raised his guard with both hands.
"It's been a while since I had to get into a proper stance, huh? Hup!"
The man instantly closed the distance, throwing two jabs with his lead—left—hand.
As Hyun-wook took a step back, he threw a straight with his rear—right—hand.
But Hyun-wook didn't dodge. Instead, he snatched the fist flying toward his face.
*Thwack—*
"...Oh, you caught it?"
"No, I'm going to crush it."
"What?"
*Squelch—!*
"Kuaaargh—!"
And just like that, the man's fist was mashed like a boiled potato.
Though it wasn't visible, sharp spikes had sprouted from within Lee Hyun-wook's palm. Keeping his grip, Hyun-wook twisted his wrist sharply, mangling the man's fist even more horrifically.
*Crunch—!*
"Guuuh..."
As the man reeled in shock, Hyun-wook swung his right hand.
*Swish—!*
Sharp nails sliced across his neck.
That was the end.
It had taken less than thirty seconds for the two men to fall.
"Ah, ah..."
Choi Jun-seong, who had been facing off against Park Jun-mo while preparing his next spell, wore a dazed expression.
Watching the brief fight, he had instinctively realized he had no chance of winning.
Lee Hyun-wook walked up to him.
"The barrier-generating object, where is it?"
"Fuck you, I won't tell..."
Before he could even finish his defiant answer, Hyun-wook slit the man's throat.
It was an execution that was half a beat—no, a full beat—faster than expected.
"Guh—?"
The man, seemingly caught off guard, wore a look of bewilderment before collapsing forward.
'Unnecessary arguments are no good.'
The reason was that the leader, Choi Jun-seong, could have ordered a 'mass suicide' spell.
Villains place various 'safeguards' on their members to maintain secrecy.
Like with the five butchers before, a 'latent spell' that burned the brain was one such measure, and leaders loyal to the organization, like Ki Baek-jun or Choi Jun-seong, held the authority to activate such spells.
In other words, if you eliminated such leaders first, you could interrogate their subordinates.
"Ugh..."
The woman Park Jun-mo had knocked out, Park Ji-hyun, stirred and groaned.
Hyun-wook grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up.
"—Ack!"
"Snap out of it. You're the only one left."
"...S-Save me!"
At her plea, Hyun-wook nodded.
"If you cooperate, I'll of course let you live."
"Is that... really true?"
Judging by her reckless and wild behavior, she didn't seem to be a deep thinker.
In other words, she was the perfect type to manipulate.
"Yes, we're soldiers defending the country. We have no intention of killing unnecessarily."
"Okay, okay, first, please let go of my neck..."
Sometimes, a white lie was necessary.
If you were bound by morality, you couldn't defeat Villains who existed outside of it.
A short while later, Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo tore open all the prison doors and freed the people inside.
There appeared to be at least two hundred of them.
"Alright, everyone, shh—please remain calm and follow our instructions."
Park Jun-mo gathered them in one place.
Most were in a state of panic, but thankfully, no one acted out of line.
'Kim Se-hee should be arriving with the rescue team soon.'
In truth, Hyun-wook had stationed the rest of his troops nearby, aside from the fifteen he brought in.
He had ordered them to storm the department store as soon as the aerial bombardment ended.
This was a third plan that the other Players, including the Taesan Guild, knew nothing about.
Hyun-wook had planned all of this even before making contact with the Taesan Guild.
"Park Jun-mo, you stay here and protect the civilians while waiting for the rescue team."
"Yes, sir!"
"And you know there are still a few more of those terrorists, right? Be careful."
A total of six people had identified themselves as members of the Taesan Guild. Four had come in here, while the other two remained behind. And by interrogating Park Ji-hyun, he'd learned that one more was disguised as a member of another guild.
In other words, there were still three people left to deal with.
"Ah, yes! I'll be on guard."
"I'm going to destroy the barrier generator and then head straight for the rooftop."
"Yes, sir! Please be careful!"
According to what he'd learned from Park Ji-hyun, an 'altar' of the Multi-Race Black Magic Society was set up in the rooftop garden. In other words, the 'boss monster' and the 'source of the corruption' were there.
Hyun-wook immediately entered the department store.
Faint sunlight filtering in from somewhere provided some visibility.
The revealed interior was in such a state of disarray that its original form was unrecognizable.
Tree roots sprouted from everywhere, and insects not of this world crawled about.
'Feels like I've entered a burrow.'
Just then, three goblins holding torches appeared at the far end.
*Kik! Kik!*
The creatures spotted Hyun-wook and shrieked, raising their crude arrows.
But they were never able to fire them.
The arrowheads turned around and pierced their own necks.
Hyun-wook gathered all their iron weapons and moved forward.
After those goblins, however, no more monsters blocked his path.
It seemed they had all flocked toward the Steel Platoon's assault after the aerial bombardment.
'Their intelligence isn't very high, and with so many different races mixed together, they're a disorderly mob.'
They were under the control of a boss monster—a powerful high-ranking black magician—but
since these low-intelligence races were living together, there was no proper system in place.
That's why when chaos erupted, they moved erratically, creating a complete mess.
And exploiting that fact was one of the standard methods for raiding the Multi-Race Black Magic Society.
Thus, Hyun-wook was able to reach his destination with great ease.
- Mechanical Room: Authorized Personnel Only
According to Park Ji-hyun's testimony, the 'barrier-generating object' was in here.
*Click—*
He opened the door to find two large orcs standing there, holding something like sledgehammers.
*Grrr—?*
They appeared to be guards protecting the barrier generator.
The two creatures snorted and blocked Hyun-wook's path.
"Out of my way. I don't have time."
Of course, they were no threat. Hyun-wook knocked them down in an instant and searched the interior.
Soon, amidst a complex tangle of pipes, he discovered a bizarre device emitting a pale blue light.
*Whir— Whir—*
'This is it.'
On top of a rectangular black pillar rested a small sphere.
And a bundle of red roots descending from the ceiling was attached to it.
It seemed to be absorbing the energy emitted from the sphere and sending it to the rooftop.
*Krrrrr—!*
Without a second thought, Hyun-wook tore off the roots and ripped out the entire device.
*Rumble...*
At that moment, the entire building shook once.
To some, it might have been an ominous sign, but to Hyun-wook, it was a good omen.
'That's the sound of the barrier disappearing.'
- You have destroyed the 'Black Magic Barrier Maintenance Device'.
- You have acquired 'Dwarven Greatmountain Engine (Legendary)'.
A destruction message and an acquisition message appeared simultaneously.
But... the item was a 'Legendary' grade.
"Hmm, I really didn't expect to get this here..."
Hyun-wook examined the sphere named 'Dwarven Greatmountain Engine.'
He had destroyed numerous 'barrier-generating objects' before, but most were in the form of 'mana crystals.'
In other words, they were nothing more than batteries, a kind of refined mana like mana stones.
But this was a delicate piece of machinery, designed and crafted with 'magitech.'
And it was a 'perpetual motion machine,' far too valuable to be used for maintaining a mere barrier.
'Come to think of it, didn't the <Gate Sentinel> fly around with these?'
The Gate Sentinel, a super-massive airship known as the aircraft carrier of the sky.
That colossal beast flew between continents with three of these engines.
He'd heard somewhere that they were basically on par with nuclear power plants...
On a whim, Hyun-wook infused it with his metal control power.
It slowly floated into the air.
'It's metal. Does that mean... I can absorb it?'
It was about five centimeters in diameter. If he opened his mouth wide, it was probably a single bite...
But swallowing a power source on the level of a nuclear plant felt a little unsettling.
In any case, if it was sucked in when he tried to swallow it, it was an absorbable item.
If a warning message appeared, it was not. It was worth a try.
Hyun-wook squeezed his eyes shut and put it in his mouth.
*Gulp—*
It worked. It was sucked in.
- Time until metal absorption: (Unknown)
'Unknown time...'
He had seen such a message only once before.
Hyun-wook clicked his tongue as he recalled that time.
'I don't know what's going to come out of this, but I have a feeling it's going to be something terrifying...'
His stomach felt strangely unsettled.
Hyun-wook headed upstairs, toward the rooftop.
***
Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a 20-story apartment building overlooking the department store,
fourteen marksman Players, including Private Choi Tae-yong, were on standby.
"Huh, who's that over there? They don't look like our people..."
Someone spoke up, and everyone turned their heads in that direction.
A convoy of vehicles had appeared from somewhere.
Three K-153 armored scout cars and seven military trucks—the Steel Platoon.
It was the follow-up force that Hyun-wook had set aside, now advancing on the department store. For the Players, who hadn't been told a single word about this, it was an utterly baffling scene.
"A.M.T, isn't that your unit?"
"Ah... yes, it is."
Choi Tae-yong nodded in response to a Player's question.
Then, resentful voices arose from all around.
"What's going on? You didn't mention anything to us!"
"That aerial bombardment just now, too! Why are you deceiving people who are risking their lives to fight?"
"The Steel Platoon, the Steel Platoon... we've heard all about how great you are. Are you just treating us like we're here to make up the numbers?"
Choi Tae-yong shook his head with a troubled expression.
"Ah, it's not like that... I don't know either... My commander will explain later..."
Just then, something happened that drew their resentful gazes away.
"Whoa... everyone, look over there!"
The purple shimmering that had enveloped the department store began to rapidly disappear.
"—It worked! The barrier is down!"
The marksman Players cheered and raised their respective weapons.
The time had come to provide 'sniper' support as planned. It was time to focus.
"Alright, let's give those bastards a taste of what we've got!"
By the time they had each taken their positions and readied their aim, the department store came into full view.
In the space where the rooftop garden should have been, giant, grotesque trees were growing.
And an enormous number of monsters were swarming everywhere.
"Fuck, there are so many of them..."
There had to be at least two hundred, with five-meter-tall giants—trolls—mixed in among them.
But what stood out the most was the pile of black stones in the very center.
It seemed to be a kind of 'altar' where black magicians made offerings to their evil gods...
"Wh-What is that?"
*Gurgle— Gurgle—*
On top of it, a crimson mass was writhing.
Upon closer inspection, it looked like a tangled mess of membranes and blood vessels, resembling a placenta.
And within it, something huge could be vaguely seen squirming.
"That thing gives me a really bad feeling."
"Something... looks like it's about to pop out."
The Players, who had experienced countless raids, knew instinctively.
Such a phenomenon usually meant a terrifying boss monster was about to appear...
But that wasn't the only ominous sign.
'Tentacles' extending from the placenta were writhing and sucking on something.
And that something... was a naked person.
"Gasp!"
Those people were being offered as 'sacrifices.'
The corpses of those who had their bodily fluids sucked out were piled up on one side...
There looked to be over a hundred.
"Son of a bitch..."
The Players felt a deep, gut-wrenching rage welling up from within.
"Dammit, to hell with sniping! Let's just charge in there right now and wipe them all out!"
The problem was that rage and fear washed over them at the same time.
No one uttered the next words.
It was then.
"Huh, that person... who's that?"
The door to the rooftop opened, and a single person walked out.
***
The moment Lee Hyun-wook stepped through the rooftop door,
a magic drone flew past his head and dropped something.
*Thud—*
It was a military backpack.
Inside were his equipment and a Mana Messenger.
With a single gesture, he retrieved his weapons and equipped them, then turned on the Mana Messenger.
*Grrrrooooar—!*
He looked at the dozen or so monsters charging toward him and opened his mouth.
"Mic check, this is the Steel Platoon Commander."
- *Kch—* Loud and clear.
"Mages, are you ready as planned?"
- *Kch—* Ready and awaiting your command.
The secret operation he had prepared even before encountering the Taesan Guild was now in its final stage.
*Grrrrooooar—!*
Ignoring the horde of monsters, Hyun-wook slowly closed his eyes.
He sensed the 'command vehicle' that had approached right up to the front of the department store,
and on top of it, the heavy greatsword, Moglay—he pulled it toward him.
When he opened his eyes, the monsters had reached him.
At that moment—
*BOOM!*
Moglay slammed down, sending up a cloud of dust. The monsters, startled, stumbled back.
Hyun-wook gripped Moglay's hilt with his left hand and raised the Mana Messenger with his right.
And he gave the Steel Platoon a single command.
"From now on... we open the sky."