Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: The Final Erosion Factor - 1
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One hour ago…
“…What? How is that possible? A World Boss is appearing n-now?”
Kang Seo-yoon couldn’t help but be shocked.
A zone-wide announcement heralding the appearance of a World Boss monster had materialized in the sky of the Wave Zone. Outside the zone, the first to receive the news was, naturally, the Seoul Erosion Response Headquarters.
“Yes, that’s correct! It happened just about two minutes ago.”
“But that’s never happened before! Is this information certain?”
“Identical reports came in simultaneously from different areas within the erosion zone.”
Reports were flooding in from all corners of the Wave Zone from people who had seen the announcement in the sky.
That meant the chances of it being a fabrication or a hoax were almost nonexistent.
“No way. What in the world is…”
The terrifying existence known as a World Boss monster had always appeared around the fourth day of the Wave.
But it wasn't even the third day yet; it was only the second.
In simple terms, it was appearing twice as early.
But it was foolish to assume that the few past precedents were the absolute rule.
This game always had a way of blindsiding its Players…
“Damn it! Immediately identify the World Boss monster’s location and issue an evacuation order!”
“—Yes, ma’am!”
“When something like that appears, shelters and whatnot are useless! They’ll all be breached, so people need to get out of the area! If we’re even a little late, tens of thousands could die per hour! Hurry!”
Kang Seo-yoon immediately deployed all personnel to transmit warning messages into the Wave Zone.
‘What on earth is happening in there?!’
It was frustrating that there was no way to get detailed information other than through mana-based communications.
But just five minutes later…
“D-Director!”
“Yes? What is it now?”
“Just now, that World Boss monster…”
“Ah! It’s finally appeared? Damn it, where is it located?”
Kang Seo-yoon shot up from her seat as she asked.
But the emergency communications officer shook his head.
“No, that’s not it… They’re saying it was just defeated.”
Defeated…
Kang Seo-yoon tilted her head, wondering if she had misheard.
“…Excuse me? What did you just say?”
“I can’t believe it either… but reports are flooding in that the zone-wide announcement in the sky was updated just five minutes later. Yes, it says the World Boss monster has been defeated.”
Kang Seo-yoon let out a scoff of disbelief. It was incredible enough that a World Boss had appeared on the second day, but for it to be defeated in a mere five minutes…
That was impossible.
A World Boss monster wasn't some wild boar that could just appear and be instantly exterminated.
‘Either someone is pulling an elaborate prank, or I’m dreaming…’
Even for a seasoned S-rank Player who had seen it all, the situation was utterly incomprehensible.
And a short while later, another piece of unbelievable news arrived.
“D-Director!”
“…”
What now…
This time, she didn’t even bother to answer, just turning her head.
She was prepared not to be surprised by any news that came her way.
But she couldn’t help but stand up from her seat once again.
“They’re saying… the second erosion factor has just been cleared!”
Crazy…
“What—! Wh-where? By whom?”
Though she found it hard to believe after the repeated shocks, she shouted in the hope that it was true.
“It was the Steel-hearted Company again! They say they’re the ones who took care of the World Boss monster, too!”
The moment she heard that, a smile filled with a sense of futility spread across Kang Seo-yoon’s face.
With such incredible hope emerging in succession, it felt more surreal than overwhelming.
‘No, the Steel-hearted Company… What in the world are they?’
It had reached the point of being a mystery.
This organization she had never heard of had saved half of Seoul.
Was this… even possible?
Kang Seo-yoon ordered a more thorough confirmation before sinking back into her chair.
She took a sip of the coffee she had made an hour ago. It had gone from lukewarm to cold.
Just then, a commotion erupted near the entrance.
“Ugh, what now…”
When Kang Seo-yoon turned her head, she saw men in black suits attempting to enter.
“Who are you? H-Hey, you can’t just come in here!”
“Step aside. We are government agents.”
“This is a government facility, what is the meaning of… Show me your access permits!”
These so-called government agents were even armed with submachine guns.
But the Player guards were unfazed by mere guns and blocked their path.
“Ah, it’s okay to let them pass. I know them.”
At Kang Seo-yoon’s words, the guards stepped aside.
From among the suited agents, a middle-aged man with a slender build appeared.
“My apologies. We weren’t granted entry, so we just came in.”
Despite his glasses, his sharp eyes and tiger-like eyebrows stood out, an impression that made others instinctively shrink back.
Not Kang Seo-yoon, of course.
She looked at the man with a displeased expression.
“…Director, what is it? Didn’t you delegate full authority for this situation to me?”
Woo Seong-mun, Director of the Presidential Office’s <National Gate Response Strategy Office>.
He was an A-rank Player, ranked 9th in South Korea.
As the highest-ranking government-affiliated Player, he was one of the most powerful men in the Republic of Korea.
“The successful clearing of the second erosion factor. I came with news of it.”
“Hmm, that information just came in and hasn't even been shared internally. How did you know already? Haha…”
Then again, even if he had delegated authority to Kang Seo-yoon, it was unlikely his people would stop gathering intelligence.
In fact, someone among the specialists in this very room was probably connected to them.
“Anyway, you were so quick to abandon Seoul, so what brings you here? We’re busy.”
Her sarcasm was blatant. The man sitting before her was one of the most powerful figures in the nation, but Kang Seo-yoon was an S-rank Player who could afford to disregard such titles.
“Abandon? That’s an overstatement. We were simply preparing for the aftermath of the erosion.”
“Oh, really? If a VIP had been inside, would you still have prepared for the ‘aftermath’ like that?”
Seoul Station, a 10km radius. The Blue House was included within that area. But as luck would have it, the president and other key figures were away for an external event, allowing them to escape the Wave.
Yet, Woo Seong-mun nodded as if it were obvious.
“Of course. The shelter at the Blue House is very sturdy. Even if the VIP had been inside, he would have given the same orders and held out for five days. That is the most realistic approach. The government is not blind.”
Kang Seo-yoon sighed and nodded.
He was probably right.
These people weren't fools or cold-blooded.
They just… thought so realistically that they sometimes missed out on miracles.
“But this unrealistic event that just occurred… Yes, a variable has appeared, which is why I’ve come.”
In short, since a chance to stop the Wave had luckily presented itself, they intended to get involved.
Kang Seo-yoon found that fact deeply unpleasant, but their offer to help was good news nonetheless.
“Yes, go on.”
“The Steel-hearted Company… I have a message for them. Please connect me.”
Kang Seo-yoon shook her head.
“Hah… I’d love to hear the voices of those fine fellows myself, but I’m sorry, I can’t.”
“Hmm, and the reason is?”
“It’s not me refusing. They won’t accept communications.”
Kang Seo-yoon had been in contact with Kim Kang-seok, the 1st Battalion Commander of the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade, but she couldn’t connect directly with Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, the commander of the Steel-hearted Company.
They had strongly requested to operate independently without outside pressure.
It was an incredible display of nerve, but since they were actually producing incredible results, she couldn’t interfere.
“Is that so? But I believe they will accept this time.”
Woo Seong-mun said with confidence.
Kang Seo-yoon frowned, wondering what his basis was.
Woo Seong-mun smiled faintly and continued.
“Lee Hyun-wook, the commander of the Steel-hearted Company. I plan to provide him with immense support.”
He even knew his name. It seemed he had obtained very detailed information on the Steel-hearted Company.
Come to think of it, a man in an A.M.T. combat uniform stood beside Woo Seong-mun.
‘Cheon Myeong-ho…’
He was an officer of the Black Tiger Unit and a black ops agent of the A.M.T.’s secret intelligence division, <Bihyeongrang>.
Because of this, it wasn't widely known, but he was a top-tier assassination-class Player.
“So, what is this immense support? You can’t send anything in from the outside…”
“I intend to give him the portal that leads to the government’s <Armory No. 2> in the Wave Zone.”
Kang Seo-yoon was taken aback by his words.
Yes, the fastest way to strengthen a Player’s combat power was, after all, ‘items.’
“Damn it, why couldn’t you have done this sooner? Hoarding it will just let it go to waste, you know?”
At her words, Woo Seong-mun spread his arms in a gesture of feigned injustice.
“Haha… What good are weapons without a warrior to wield them?”
The government had judged that a warrior capable of saving Seoul had finally appeared.
***
As the sun began to set, a convoy of vehicles entered the grounds of O Elementary School.
The citizens in the shelter gathered at the windows to watch the scene.
“…They’re here!”
“There are four buses! They must have saved almost everyone!”
“Hah… Thank goodness, really…”
Lee Jung-jun and his group, who had remained here, came out to secure the perimeter.
A hundred people disembarked from the buses and safely entered the shelter.
At that moment, as if their tension had finally broken, several people burst into tears.
“Hic… We’re alive…”
“M-Mommy, don’t cry… Waaah—”
Soon, the school was filled with the sound of weeping.
“Thank you, thank you so much!”
“I really thought my daughter and I were going to die…”
They wept as they repeatedly thanked the Steel-hearted Company.
Kidnapping, confinement, sacrifice… It was a natural reaction after such an indescribably horrific experience.
“It’s all okay now…”
“You won’t get captured again if you stay here.”
The citizens already in the shelter came out to comfort them. Having also trembled in fear from monster attacks, they could empathize, to some extent, with the terror the kidnapped must have felt.
And…
“…Ji-ho!”
“Huh? Hui-mang!”
Hui-mang and Ji-ho, the two little friends, were reunited.
“Is it true you asked these soldier-uncles to save me, Hui-mang?”
“Yeah! That’s right!”
“Thanks! You’re my real best friend!”
At first, it was a heartwarming scene…
“These guys are real heroes! That’s why I made a special request! I did good, right?”
“Yeah! But Hui-mang, to be honest, I know that better than you!”
“…Huh? Why?”
At Ji-ho’s declaration of ‘I know better,’ Hui-mang’s face hardened.
“You didn’t see the soldier-uncles fight, did you? I saw it right up close!”
“Uh, I, I…”
“Right? You didn’t see? Hehe, should I tell you how cool it was?”
“Hey! Shin Ji-ho! Still, I knew these soldier-uncles first!”
Who was closer, who knew more, who knew them first, and so on…
Like typical kids, they started bickering over trivial things.
‘Kids will be kids…’
Just as Lee Hyun-wook was thinking that, Park Jun-mo approached them.
“Now, now, you two shouldn’t fight. You’re on the same side.”
He placed a hand on each of the kids’ heads and smiled warmly.
“Honestly, it’s thanks to Hui-mang that we uncles came out here, right?”
“Yes, that’s right!”
“And Ji-ho, you were brave and held on until we arrived, right?”
“Yes! I was really scared, but I endured it!”
“Wow—then you’re both amazing, aren’t you? If even one of you hadn’t been there, it would’ve been a disaster!”
That guy, he seemed to have a real talent for handling kids.
And in truth, words like that depended on who said them.
If they came from someone untrustworthy, even children would ignore them.
Park Jun-mo, once an endlessly looked-down-upon F-rank soldier.
He now had the undeniable look of a hero.
As the people in the shelter gradually found their sense of stability, night fell.
“Alright, we’re taking a real break for the rest of today.”
Lee Hyun-wook ordered a rest period from a rather early hour.
Tomorrow, an even more hellish battle awaited them.
‘Tomorrow afternoon, the Anyang Duo will clear the third erosion factor.’
And so, only a single erosion factor would remain in the Wave Zone.
‘If that happens… an <Additional Event> will occur this time, too.’
Additional Event. It was one of the phrases Players hated most.
The system’s cheap shot, which inevitably appeared whenever they performed better than expected…
From Lee Hyun-wook’s experience, when three erosion factors were cleared, the growth of the final remaining one would rapidly accelerate. It would then greet the Players as a ‘complete form.’
‘The last remaining erosion factor is the Armored Venomous Insects of Cheongryongsan Mountain.’
The Armored Venomous Insects.
If the Hell Rets were a wave that swept across the land, these things were a storm that blanketed the sky.
A calamity that gnawed away even at concrete buildings, completely erasing any trace of human existence…
Like the ‘Armored Venom Spiders’ encountered during the Unlucky Event at Seoul Station, their carapaces were made of metal.
But their numbers were so vast that Lee Hyun-wook’s metal control wouldn’t be enough to dominate the battlefield.
‘And Choo Kyo-yong… that bastard will subtly obstruct the operation.’
He had already prepared a way to deal with him, but he couldn’t let his guard down.
Choo Kyo-yong was an A-rank Player. Currently, his rank was higher than both Kim Kang-seok’s and Seo Eun-ha’s.
A single moment of carelessness could turn everything to dust.
Just then, the communications squad leader approached and handed him a high-capacity mana messenger.
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, it’s a call from the battalion commander.”
“…Huh?”
He had already reported in about two hours ago, right after eliminating the erosion factor.
For a call to come so suddenly, something must have happened.
“Salute. This is Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook.”
- Sergeant Lee, my apologies but…
Kim Kang-seok’s voice was filled with unease.
“Yes, sir. Please speak.”
- The government is strongly demanding your mana messenger pattern. I’ve been blocking them until now, but, hah—this time, someone quite high up has gotten involved…
Here, ‘mana messenger pattern’ was a kind of phone number.
In other words, they were pressuring him for his contact information.
“Hmm… Yes, sir. I’ll take the call then.”
Honestly, it was a hassle.
Even if he maintained contact with a high-ranking government official, there was almost nothing they could provide in terms of support at this point. Instead, they were more likely to offer useless advice.
‘But for Kim Kang-seok to be this flustered, it must be someone very high up.’
Lee Hyun-wook was achieving incredible things, but merits that fell out of favor with those in power could become a poison.
He had no choice but to play along to some extent…
Soon, an unfamiliar voice came through the mana messenger.
- *Ksshh*—This is Woo Seong-mun, Director of the National Gate Response Strategy Office.
‘A big shot, indeed.’
Woo Seong-mun was considered the number one among government-affiliated Players.
There were public officials with higher ranks, but his influence was second to none.
- I don’t need your self-introduction. Shall we get straight to the point?
“Yes, please do.”
- I will give you the portal entrance address and access authority to the government’s <Armory No. 2>. I want you to use it to successfully clear all the erosion factors and… save Seoul.
It was a short and concise request.
‘The government’s Armory No. 2. Meaning, the second largest and most important among the state-owned armories.’
Its actual location was unknown; even Lee Hyun-wook didn’t know it.
He had heard rumors that it was a space with no physical entrance, accessible only through a portal hidden in a secret location.
‘Just utilizing the battalion armory provided a significant boost in power, but this isn’t a brigade armory, it’s a government armory…’
If used well, it was as good as multiplying their firepower several times over.
- *Ksshh*—Can you do it? I would like you to say you can.
“The last two times were lucky. I will continue to strive forward, hoping my luck holds.”
After that, Woo Seong-mun revealed the location where the secret portal was hidden.
- However, there is one problem.
“Yes, go on.”
- According to the portal manager’s report, for reasons unknown, the area is teeming with an unusual number of undead, including Zombie Trolls. Based on my experience, I predict it will be difficult for your forces to break through alone… Reinforcements will be sent from the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade.
Honestly, he didn’t need any support.
Especially if officers were involved, it could create friction during the operation.
But there was no need to make a fuss about it here.
- …Rendezvous with them tomorrow and proceed with the operation. What do you say, is that acceptable?
“Yes, I understand. But I’d like to confirm one thing, just in case.”
- Go ahead, speak.
“I assume this is a given, but Armory No. 2 must contain many expensive weapons. Even if they are lost during combat… we won’t be held responsible, correct?”
The reason he asked was that he expected quite a lot of them would be ‘lost.’
Raining them down like arrows, maybe tasting a few here and there…
- Of course. But I would like you to make your soldiers aware that there is a difference between loss and embezzlement.
‘But there’s also a difference between embezzlement and absorption… Hmm…’
The armory was bound to be full of high-quality metals.
There would be a good number of material items, too. Maybe even Adamant or Orichalcum.
Not just raw ore, but processed and refined materials of much higher purity…
*Gulp.*
Feeling his mouth water at the thought, Lee Hyun-wook was quite flustered.
To be salivating at the thought of a lump of metal… He felt a sense of self-loathing.
‘Damn, I’ve got a bad case of it.’
***
The next morning.
Three armored scout vehicles departed from the 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade Headquarters in Yongsan.
Aboard were twelve members of the Brigade HQ’s assault company.
They had been ordered to join the ‘Steel-hearted Company’ and actively support their operation.
However, for them, it was a rather pride-wounding affair.
“Damn it, is it true that the commander of that famous Steel-hearted Company is just an enlisted soldier?”
The muscular man in the back seat of the lead vehicle, Sergeant First Class Kim Dong-hoon, asked.
“I mean, our youngest is a Staff Sergeant with five years in, and a private is a company commander? Wow—that’s ridiculous… Aren’t privates called privates for a reason? They’re surplus personnel left behind because they have no skills and weren’t chosen for anything, right?”
Looking at it purely from a rank perspective, being ordered to support a unit composed entirely of enlisted men was understandably displeasing.
At his words, the man in the passenger seat, Platoon Leader Captain Go Jin-han, let out a chuckle.
“Hey Kim Dong-hoon, weren’t you an enlisted man once, too?”
“Captain, that was a long time ago. I’m well-seasoned now, aren’t I?”
“Seems like that time flowed in the completely wrong direction…”
Kim Dong-hoon contorted his fearsome face into a look of profound injustice.
“Anyway, I honestly find it hard to believe! Does anyone think this makes sense?”
“Hey, hey, what can we do? They’re the government-certified heroes of this Wave. We do what we’re told.”
“Argh! Is there even any proof of that? What if those bastards are just messing around…”
“…”
“What if he acts all high and mighty because he’s the commander and sends us on dangerous missions?”
As Kim Dong-hoon continued to whine, Go Jin-han seemed to get slightly annoyed.
“Ah, shut up! Fine, then why don’t you put him in his place when you meet him? Putting people in their place is your specialty, right?”
“Oh! Can I really? I knew you felt the same way, Captain, even if you pretended not to!”
Go Jin-han gave a bitter smile at his words.
He had been hit a little too close to home.
“No, I don’t feel the same as you… but the thought of an enlisted man giving me orders, well, it’s a bit much, you know?”
That was just the nature of a military organization.
No matter the circumstances, ‘rank’ existed as an absolute law.
An enlisted soldier commanding an officer, in particular, was a difficult situation to accept.
“Then as soon as our eyes meet, I’ll start by knocking him on his ass!”
“Hah—Just please…”
In the midst of this, they arrived at their destination.
It was a residential area on the outskirts of Seoul.
“Alright, we dismount and proceed on foot from here.”
The 3rd Assault Platoon equipped their weapons and entered an alley, scanning their surroundings.
They had been briefed that all sorts of undead were lurking in this area, so they couldn’t help but be tense.
“Sergeant Lee, give them a call and see where they are.”
It was then.
- *Ksshh*—This is the Steel-hearted Company. Currently engaged in combat. Do not approach!
It was a rather urgent warning message.
Kim Dong-hoon found even those words grating.
“Hah—Who the hell do they think they are, warning us not to approach?”
Soon after, the sounds of that combat began to reach them.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
Footsteps that shook the very ground, and they were very close.
They tensed and raised their weapons.
At that very moment…
*CR—A——ASH—!*
The wall to their side crumbled as a green giant burst through.
“Damn it! A Zombie Troll! Battle stations!”
The creature, seemingly pushed by something, stumbled backward, crushing everything in its path.
“Tankers to the front! Prepare freezing magic to bind its legs!”
They knew just how dangerous a Zombie Troll was, so they were on high alert.
But then, something strange caught their eyes.
Flying toward the troll was a greatsword far larger than a man’s torso.
*SQU—ELCH—!*
The single blow severed the Zombie Troll’s head, sending it flying to lodge in the roof of a house across the street.
The headless body collapsed backward powerlessly, crushing a building as it fell.
*Rumble, rumble, rumble…*
As the house collapsed, a cloud of dust rose, and blood spurted like a fountain from the troll’s severed neck.
And against that backdrop, the massive black greatsword stood suspended in mid-air.
*Woooong—*
“…What is that?”
Kim Dong-hoon muttered with a dazed expression.
In his not-so-short life as a Player, he had never seen anything like it.
Just then, from the direction of the collapsed wall, someone walked out of the thick dust.
It was a man in an A.M.T. combat uniform. His left hand was pointed toward the greatsword.
And the moment his left hand dropped,
*THWACK—!*
The greatsword plummeted and embedded itself in the asphalt.
Soon, the thick dust cleared, revealing the scene behind the man, through the gap in the collapsed building.
A ruined residential area, where two more Zombie Trolls lay sprawled like butchered cattle.
“Crazy…”
That was right. A total of three Zombie Trolls had been hunted in this area alone.
And the one who had done it, from all appearances, seemed to be that one man.
Faced with that spectacle, the members of the Brigade HQ’s 3rd Assault Platoon were, for some reason, rendered speechless.
- *Ksshh*—This is the Steel-hearted Company. Combat concluded. You may now approach. Over—
“Captain, do you know who that person belongs to? He seems like no joke…”
Kim Dong-hoon whispered.
With that level of skill, he had to be someone of considerable standing within the A.M.T.
Meaning, he should have been quite famous.
But, even for Go Jin-han, it was the first time he had seen that face.
“Excuse me… who are you?”
Go Jin-han asked cautiously, and the man turned to face them and… gave a military salute.
“Ah?”
Kim Dong-hoon, standing next to Go Jin-han, reflexively started to return the salute before hesitantly lowering his arm.
“I am the commander of the Steel-hearted Company, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook.”
“Ah…”
“You’re the 2nd Assault Platoon from Brigade HQ, here to support our operation, correct?”
When he met the man’s gaze head-on, he couldn’t even begin to entertain the thought of putting him in his place.