Chapter 53
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 53
Chapter Title: The Heroes of Seoul - 2
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The very moment Lee Hyun-wook ordered to "open the sky," a variable appeared.
Gu—o—o—o—o—ong——!
Before the portal could form, an unidentifiable roar began to echo from the sky.
At this, every Player and every monster—both sides—raised their heads in unison.
And where their gazes met, something strange was happening.
Crimson letters had appeared in the sky.
- Warning! Due to the Players' remarkable performance, an <Additional Event> will now commence.
"...That's a Public Announcement!"
One of the marksman Players preparing to snipe from an apartment rooftop shouted.
A <Public Announcement> was not a 'System Message' visible only to Players.
It was a message that appeared in 'real space' for an unspecified number of civilians to see, usually in the form of enormous letters floating in the sky.
In other words, the message was now visible to every survivor throughout the Wave Zone.
"What in the world is about to happen?"
"Dammit... whatever it is, it's definitely not good."
Nine times out of ten, a Public Announcement heralded a disaster.
That was a self-evident fact proven by history.
Just then, the message in the sky began to slowly change.
- Warning! A <World Boss Monster: Chimera> is scheduled to appear within the Wave Zone.
"A-a World Boss Monster—!"
Everyone was horrified.
"Crazy, this can't be... Things were going so well, what is this...?"
"Has... has this ever happened before?"
World Boss Monster.
Among the many types of boss monsters, it was the strongest and most terrifying.
A World Boss Monster would normally appear after the Wave's 'Corrosion' to become the ruler of that region.
The 'Agent Red Drake' in California, USA, and the 'Orc King' in Shanghai, China, were prime examples.
But now, such a being was said to be appearing on Day 2 of the Wave.
It was as illogical as the final boss appearing in the first stage.
"W-we have to run, now!"
A man shouted as he got to his feet.
A man who appeared to be his colleague grabbed his arm.
"Sir! The hostages haven't all gotten out yet!"
"Shut up and follow me! Can't you see what's happening?"
"...Huh?"
"You still don't get it? Whatever's in that squirming egg over there is no ordinary being!"
The man said, and the marksmen's gazes turned to the department store rooftop, to the black altar.
Gurgle— Gurgle—
A bizarre mass of flesh, covered in a pulsating membrane and veins, writhed atop it...
It was clearly moving more violently than before.
It looked as if something inside was about to burst out at any moment.
"Dammit! That's the Chimera! If that thing hatches, we're all done for—!"
His words were convincing.
The others were not unaware.
They knew just how powerful a World Boss Monster was...
Everyone remembered the failed attempt to subjugate the 'Agent Red Drake' in California three years ago.
It was an unprecedented event where 30 of the world's top 100 rankers vanished overnight.
In short, that creature was a monster that the Players present here could not possibly handle.
"In that case, I'm sorry, but I-I'm leaving too."
"Yeah, we have to save ourselves first..."
The marksman Players began to flee, one by one.
Choi Tae-yong and the other Steel Company members could only stare blankly at their retreating backs, unsure of what to do. They knew well that without different orders, retreat was not an option.
And still, no other orders came.
This meant the Steel Company's operation would continue.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook... just what..."
Their gazes could only turn to Lee Hyun-wook, who still stood alone on the rooftop.
***
"...I expected this, but it's still a jackpot."
Lee Hyun-wook muttered, looking up at the sky.
While everyone who saw the message was despairing, Lee Hyun-wook, standing closest to the threat, wore a smile. He knew exactly what that message meant.
‘The World Boss Monster, the Chimera, is about to hatch. But it's a full two days earlier than it should be...'
He could see the squirming mass of flesh, the egg sac, on the altar built of black bricks.
Black magic and human sacrifice—the Chimera, a cursed monster born from such horrific rituals...
The creature was originally supposed to be born on Day 4 of the Wave, two days from now.
The barrier and the monsters here were all, in fact, mechanisms to safely nurture the Chimera.
However, following the aerial bombardment, the barrier was destroyed, and numerous Players began to pour in.
Because of this, the 'Multi-species Black Magic Coven's' original plan had been disrupted.
It seemed they had decided it was too early, but too dangerous not to hatch it now.
In other words, they were hastily summoning an incomplete Chimera.
‘If it had been born in its complete form two days from now, I wouldn't have stood a chance, but right now, it's basically premature.’
To put it another way, it was a golden opportunity to easily hunt prey of immense value.
- Chk— Do we... proceed as planned?
A somewhat tense voice—using formal speech, no less—came through the Mana Messenger.
Unsurprising, given that the message in the sky had clearly flustered them.
"Ignore whatever happens. We proceed as planned."
- Chk— Roger that. Commencing Link Magic immediately.
Soon, the Steel Company's mages, lined up in the department store's parking lot, began their casting.
Lee Hyun-wook watched only until that point before turning his head to face forward.
Graaaaah—!
Dozens of monsters were charging toward him.
Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand and swung it lightly from right to left.
Shwaaaack—!
The greatsword Mogeuley sliced horizontally from right to left, cleaving five orcs in half.
Guk—?
At such monstrous strength, the creatures charging behind them faltered.
Yes, it was a scene terrifying enough to make them hesitate.
When Lee Hyun-wook took a step forward, they took two steps back.
But...
Kuaaaaah——
Their eyes suddenly turned red, and they began to drool.
‘The black mages' berserk spell.’
Lee Hyun-wook glanced toward the 'altar.'
Creatures in red robes were gathered around it.
Most of them were injecting some kind of dark energy into the Chimera on the altar.
Three or four of them had their hands stretched toward him, casting the berserk spell.
"A pointless gesture."
Under the berserk spell, they would forget fear and charge like madmen.
But even if their fear was gone, it didn't mean they could stop Mogeuley.
With just a few gestures, Lee Hyun-wook swept them all aside and moved forward.
Just then, a massive shadow blocked his path.
Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—
Since trolls, orcs, and gnolls couldn't stop him, they had sent out the green giant.
The creature held a massive axe, its head alone appearing larger than a man's torso.
Grrrrrrr—!
It let out a monstrous roar and raised the giant axe toward Lee Hyun-wook.
In that instant, Lee Hyun-wook gripped Mogeuley with both hands and activated Body Hardening.
Jjeojeojeojeo——
His physical strength skyrocketed—at the same time, he imbued the tip of Mogeuley with 'Total Metal Control.' He swung the greatsword with all the power he could muster at the descending axe blade.
Klaaaang—!
The two massive chunks of metal collided, creating a formidable shockwave.
"Kuh—"
Lee Hyun-wook's feet lifted slightly off the ground, and he was pushed back 30 centimeters.
'Kuh! I'm still not strong enough to face a troll head-on.'
But he never intended to defeat such a giant with brute strength in the first place.
Gagagaga—gang—!
The moment crimson sparks flew from the clash of the two metal masses,
Lee Hyun-wook used the sparks as a smokescreen and fired a 'Pale Note.'
The creature failed to react in time, and the Pale Note pierced its left eye.
Puk—!
Losing half its vision in an instant, the creature flinched and staggered.
‘Now!’
Lee Hyun-wook dashed to the creature's left—out of its line of sight—and swung Mogeuley low.
Thwack—!
The blow sent the creature's left ankle flying, causing it to lose its balance and fall forward.
Thud—
Toward the defenseless creature's nape, a powerful Mogeuley descended.
Thwack—! Thwack—! Thwack—!
Just three strikes were enough to split its thick neck.
"Hoo......."
Lee Hyun-wook caught his breath and walked around the troll's corpse.
Just then...
Jjeo-eo-eo-eong—!
A pillar of black light began to erupt from the altar.
Simultaneously, the egg sac burst, and crimson blood shot up like a fountain.
The Chimera. It was being born.
"Good. If you're all going to come out one by one, that just makes it easier for me."
The black mages lined up on either side peeled away the membrane with long rods.
A crimson mass of flesh slid out and tumbled down from the altar.
Kke-eh-eh-eh...
- World Boss Monster 'Chimera' has appeared!
It was a shapeless monster, seven to eight meters long.
Its body was covered in clusters of tentacles, making it look like a giant sea anemone at first glance.
The head, visible between the tentacles, resembled that of a newborn chick.
It had pink, rough skin, large eyes, and something like a beak...
Kke-eh-eh-eh——!
When it let out a powerful screech, its beak split into four sections, and eight tongues shot out.
‘Just as I thought. It looks far less developed than the one I remember.’
Having been born two days early, even its appearance was still incomplete.
- Chk— Link deployment complete—!
Just in time, welcome news arrived.
The beams of light fired by the Steel Company's mages converged in the air above the department store.
Soon, with a thunderous roar, a massive passage—a portal—opened.
Finally, the sky was open.
"That thing's about to get a bitter taste of life the moment it's born..."
Lee Hyun-wook smirked.
- Chk— Portal from the battalion armory is open! Effective for 3 minutes!
"Good. Now... I'm going to give that monster a birthday present it will never forget!"
Lee Hyun-wook shouted, extending a hand toward the portal and closing his eyes.
He could feel the cold masses of metal lined up inside the portal, in the battalion armory.
He began to pull them all out of the opening at once.
Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—!
Hundreds of polearms fell, raining down fiercely upon the department store rooftop.
The berserk monsters could only stare blankly at the scene, dumbfounded.
Kwa—gwa—gwa—gwa—gwa—gwa—!
As the rain of steel fell, dozens of monsters guarding the altar collapsed.
It was a devastating strike.
‘But it won't work on the Chimera.’
Five or six spears had pierced the Chimera's body, but it didn't seem to have taken much damage.
As if merely annoyed, it used its tentacles to pull out the spears embedded in its body and tossed them aside.
"But that's not the main event this time."
Mixed in with the rain of steel were several 'massive things.'
- 'Master Authority' over the corresponding Living Armor can be acquired.
That's right. A total of twelve Living Armors were falling with the rain of steel.
They were in a lifeless freefall, like ball-jointed dolls.
But when Lee Hyun-wook extended his hand and granted them his Metal Control...
Woong—
A cold, blue light ignited in the eyes of all twelve units simultaneously.
And just before crashing to the ground, they corrected their posture.
Thud—thud—thud—thud—thud—thud—!
A stable landing.
Clank— Clank—
The paratroopers of cast iron rose to their feet.
Kke-eh-eh——!
Startled by the impact, the Chimera shrieked and pushed itself up.
Being newly born, it couldn't move properly and staggered.
Annoyed by the Living Armors that had invaded its territory, it lashed its tentacles toward them.
"No, not yet. The real present is something else."
Lee Hyun-wook's hand was still pointed at the portal as he pulled out the final item.
Chwa-ra-ra-ra-ra—!
It was a set of chains.
To be precise, they were chains imbued with divine power, with sharp 'hooks' on both ends.
‘Good. They made them perfectly in such a short time.’
This, too, was the work of Kang Jeong-du.
Lee Hyun-wook had requested these chains when he communicated with the battalion commander this morning.
He had said they were to subdue the zombie troll.
But in truth, they were prepared for the giant beast, the 'Chimera.'
Clank— Clank—
The Living Armors picked up the chains and threw them at the Chimera.
A total of six hooks embedded themselves in the Chimera's soft body. When the Living Armors pulled on the chains with all their might, the Chimera's massive body collapsed helplessly. Splat—
Kke-eh-eh——!
It struggled to get up, but it was no use. Being newly born, it was still weak.
Toward the restrained creature, six Living Armors began to hurl powerful spears.
But the black mages were not about to stand by and watch.
They had only hidden for a moment to avoid the rain of steel.
They gathered near the altar again and raised their hands to the sky.
Gooooooh——!
Purple magic circles bloomed from their palms.
Soon, higher than the portal, purple clouds began to form.
Rumble——!
'That's... an area-of-effect lightning spell.'
At this sign, even Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but tense up. Lightning magic was far more destructive and instantaneous than typical shock spells; a moment of carelessness would mean being turned to dust.
The world flashed white for an instant as a lightning bolt struck the rooftop.
Klaaaang—!
One Living Armor, taking a direct hit, was blown to smithereens.
Klaaaang—!
Another bolt struck, and two more Living Armors were horribly dismantled, their parts scattering.
In a brief moment, a total of three Living Armors were taken out.
The many people watching this scene swallowed nervously.
The situation did not look good at all.
But in truth, this was the moment Lee Hyun-wook had been waiting for.
‘—Now.’
The attention of all the black mages guarding the Chimera was focused on the Living Armors.
In other words, their guard against Lee Hyun-wook had loosened.
As always, he did not miss the 'opening' his enemy showed.
He raised his left hand to the sky, then swung it down toward the ground with great force.
Thwaaaack—!
A brutal crash—it was Mogeuley, as expected.
It had pierced the Chimera.
Kke-eh-eh...
But unlike the zombie troll, it didn't die from that single blow.
However, this time, that wasn't the end.
"Shockwave—"
Lee Hyun-wook intoned.
Then, Mogeuley began to vibrate.
Woong—!
Mogeuley's true mass was dozens of tons.
It was merely suppressed by a magical 'seal.'
The skill to momentarily release that condensed mass and generate a massive shockwave—that was Shockwave.
With Mogeuley embedded in the creature's head, Lee Hyun-wook activated it.
For a moment, Mogeuley's massive body trembled as if it were about to explode...
Booooom—!
An immense wave of energy burst forth like an explosion. The air in the area rippled like water, sending all the nearby black mages flying and causing the brick altar to crumble.
Naturally, the Chimera's head was blown to pieces.
Splat— Splat—
Its flesh splattered in all directions, as if an old pumpkin had been smashed.
- Congratulations! You have defeated the World Boss Monster 'Chimera'!
Simultaneously, the text of the 'Public Announcement' in the sky was replaced.
- The 'World Boss Monster (Chimera)' that appeared in this area has been defeated.
"Done."
It all happened just five minutes after the world had been plunged into despair by the news of a World Boss Monster's appearance.
The world would be left bewildered for some time.
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
Having taken down a formidable being like a World Boss Monster, it was only natural that he would earn an achievement.
But there was no time to check the details now.
The Chimera was defeated, but eliminating the source of the Corrosion was the most important issue.
To do that, he first needed to clean up the troublesome black mages.
They were currently unconscious, caught in the Shockwave's blast.
Lee Hyun-wook fired a Pale Note.
Shweek—!
But a black orb flew from somewhere and deflected Lee Hyun-wook's Pale Note.
"So you're the boss monster?"
It was a red-skinned orc wearing a red robe—a Red Orc.
It was undoubtedly the boss monster of the Multi-species Black Magic Coven, a 'High Black Mage.'
The creature glared at Lee Hyun-wook, then suddenly turned its back.
It used Teleport to appear on the railing about 20 meters away.
Was it trying to escape?
But fleeing while leaving the source of the Corrosion behind made no sense.
However, the creature grinned and looked down over the railing.
Lee Hyun-wook followed its gaze and... could only be horrified.
"Dammit—!"
Following Park Jun-mo's lead, hundreds of civilians were exiting the underground parking garage.
"What are you thinking...?"
Seeing its wicked smile, Lee Hyun-wook's suspicion was correct.
‘It's going to kill the civilians and absorb their souls!’
The Chimera itself was a creature created from human life force.
Meaning, that thing was a black mage that dealt with 'life force.'
In other words, its plan was to slaughter humans and use their souls to replenish its power.
If a lightning bolt fell on those hundreds of civilians, dozens would die in an instant.
"Park Jun-mo— Get back, now!"
At the shout, Park Jun-mo looked up.
His eyes met with the black mage looking down at them.
But it was already too late.
Klaaaang—!
A bolt of lightning spewed from the purple clouds and shot down toward the civilians.
But...
Pajijijiji——
The lightning bolt, flying at the speed of light... stopped dead in mid-air.
"......."
Somehow, Park Jun-mo's right hand was pointing at the sky.
A blue electric current was flowing between his fingers.
"Hah—!"
...Even Park Jun-mo himself looked surprised.
Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but be surprised as well.
‘Park Jun-mo... his control over electric currents has reached a considerable level of finesse.’
Park Jun-mo quickly came to his senses and stretched both hands toward the rooftop.
The lightning bolt, which had been frozen in mid-air, was then shot in that direction.
Boom—!
However, its accuracy wasn't very high, and it struck the fourth floor of the department store.
Immediately after, Park Jun-mo staggered and a stream of blood ran from his nose.
It seemed he had overexerted his control, putting a strain on his body.
"Well done—!"
In that time, Lee Hyun-wook had closed in on the creature and fired a Pale Note.
But at that very moment, the creature's palm turned toward Park Jun-mo once again.
Klaaaang—!
A second lightning bolt fell.
Still reeling from the previous shock, Park Jun-mo seemed to lack the strength to block it.
However, after moving far away from the civilians, he guided the lightning toward himself.
Kra-koom—!
The lightning struck, and the asphalt caved in as if a meteor had fallen.
But again, something strange happened.
"Huh, what... what is this...?"
It had clearly been a direct hit, yet Park Jun-mo was completely unharmed.
And a writhing blue current was being absorbed into Park Jun-mo's body.