Chapter 58
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 58
Chapter Title: Saviors of Seoul - 1
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"Damn it—what is that!"
Three men stood on the rooftop of a building in Gwanak-gu.
They were staring at the massive sphere of fire floating in the sky, the ‘Semi-Armageddon.’
"Oh, my God..."
It soon plummeted toward Cheongnyongsan Mountain, the breeding ground of the Ironclad Venomous Insects.
The next moment, the entire mountain was blown away.
BOOOOOM—!
A tremendous heatwave washed over them, forcing the men on the roof to drop flat on the ground.
Dirt rained down on them—pitter-patter.
"D-damn it, what the hell was that all of a sudden..."
"Ugh! Lead, are you okay?"
"Ngh, still... the Corrosion Factor is okay, right?" one of the men asked, wiping the dirt from his lips.
"Thankfully, it seems so. The... quest failure notification hasn't popped up yet."
"Crazy, where the hell did that come from?"
These were Choo Kyo-yong's subordinates—in other words, Villains.
Their plan had been to confirm the Steel Company's approach, then lure the Ironclad Venomous Insects to wipe them out.
It was possible using a special item given to the Villains for this Wave. Everything had seemed to be going perfectly... until someone appeared out of nowhere and ruined it all.
"Ah, shit, this is going to be a serious problem..."
- Ksssh— Hey! Hey!
Just then, a voice barked from the Mana Messenger they had placed on the floor.
"Hah! Lead... I-I think it's a call from the Team Manager."
The man called "Lead" picked up the Mana Messenger, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed the button.
"Yes, Team Manager, it's me!"
- Ksssh— Fuck, what was that just now? That was an explosion, right? What kind of explosion is that huge—!
A voice full of anger roared through the device.
It was the Team Manager, Choo Kyo-yong.
"That was probably... the Archmage. I think that man has appeared."
Archmage. The highest-ranking Player currently in the Wave Zone.
- What? ...Are you sure?
"Well, for a mage Player to show up via teleportation and cast a spell with that much destructive power, who else could it be but the Archmage?"
- Damn it, I knew that bastard would be a pain in the ass! We should have found a way to get him out of here...
Before the Wave began, the Villains had worked behind the scenes to lure away any skilled individuals who might interfere. As a result, Seoul was emptier than ever.
Create a power vacuum, then strike and neutralize the remaining forces early on.
That was the Villains' strategy for the Wave.
However, a few, like Choi Jeong-cheol and Kim Kang-seok, hadn't taken the bait.
- Hmph— But... this... yeah, this is actually for the best!
For some reason, Choo Kyo-yong started to chuckle.
"...Excuse me?"
- That bastard Choi Jeong-cheol must have poured everything into that one shot. It'll take him twelve hours to use that skill again.
Choi Jeong-cheol was known by the moniker 'Archmage,' but in truth, he wasn't a master of all magic. His spells were focused solely on immense range and devastating destructive power.
And skills like that usually had an incredibly long cooldown after a single use.
A full twelve hours.
- In other words, without him, they'll have to break through that swarm of insects themselves to eliminate the Corrosion Factor... So I'll join up with them, pretend to lead the charge and break through with them, and then...
"Oh..."
- ...I'll slaughter them all in one go.
The Villains' schemes had a high chance of success because no one knew their true intentions.
"Team Manager, still, that Steel Company... shouldn't we be a little careful with them?"
Strangely, every Villain who had encountered the 3rd Anti-Demon Brigade's 1st Battalion, especially the Steel Company, had gone missing.
They didn't know the details. Not a single one had returned...
But Choo Kyo-yong scoffed.
- Hey, Oh Taek-jin. You punk, you think I'm the same as those guys?
"Ah! Of course not, sir. My apologies."
True, an A-rank Player was on a completely different level.
Choo Kyo-yong, the Demon Tamer. The monsters he commanded would never die.
***
Three days had passed since the Fourth Wave engulfed Seoul.
Major events within the Wave Zone were relayed to the world through various channels.
For the past three days, the world had spoken of nothing but the Fourth Wave.
And the name most frequently mentioned in those stories was, by far, the 'Steel Company.'
'Almost every news outlet has probably put our name in their headlines.'
To an outsider looking in, it might have seemed as if the Steel Company was fighting alone.
After all, until the news of the Anyang Duo's success, only the Steel Company had produced any tangible results.
But that was far from the truth.
A considerable number of Players were fighting in different areas to protect Seoul.
'There are a lot of selfish people, but there are also plenty of Players with a sense of justice or duty.'
Seo Eun-ha and Choi Young-jun alone had cleared two Gates in the Namsan area, and other Players had been active elsewhere, resulting in about twenty Gates being cleared across Seoul so far.
In other words, the number of Players fighting against the Wave was by no means small.
'And right now, we need to gather the strength of all those people who have been fighting.'
The final Corrosion Factor was not a problem the Steel Company could solve on its own.
'To conquer this Corrosion Factor, we have to break through an endless swarm of Ironclad Venomous Insects, and there's only one way to do that... We need powerful, sustainable firepower.'
Although it was just a single shot, Choi Jeong-cheol's 'Semi-Armageddon' had bought them a significant amount of time.
'In that time, we gather as many Players as possible, and more importantly, as many lightning skill items as we can.'
Enough to exterminate the Ironclad Venomous Insect swarm like pests, no matter how many of them gathered...
That was the plan Lee Hyun-wook had proposed, and Choi Jeong-cheol had supported it.
"Ah, ah— Requesting support from all Players in the Wave Zone! Currently..."
Communications specialists gathered in one place, sending out requests for aid in every direction via mana-based communication, and the <Seoul Corrosion Response Headquarters> outside the Wave Zone was also helping to broadcast the message.
Soon, Players from all over the Wave Zone began to appear.
"Three vehicles approaching from the west, from Euncheon-dong!"
"Eleven Players in the Heukseok-dong area have confirmed they will join us."
In less than twenty minutes, over two hundred people had gathered in the designated assembly point, an elementary school field.
Of course, not all of them were useful assets.
"Hmph— Looks like we're getting all sorts of riffraff..."
Go Jin-han grumbled from the podium overlooking the field, scanning the Players.
He clicked his tongue as he looked at a group of young Players.
With their smooth, unblemished skin and unnecessarily fashionable attire, they clearly had little to no combat experience.
Go Jin-han gestured toward them with his chin and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
"Company Commander Lee, do you really think those kids have been fighting the Wave until now?"
"...I doubt it, sir."
They had probably been holed up in some shelter and came out hoping to get a piece of the pie. Everyone knew that a Hero-grade item and a large sum of money were at stake for dealing with the Corrosion Factor...
"Tsk, tsk. The situation has completely changed. With news of Corrosion Factors being cleared every day, their sense of danger is getting dull... Damn, these clueless fools..."
There were also a few people who looked like reporters. Each held a Mana Messenger, their eyes darting around, no doubt broadcasting the situation here to the outside world.
There were many impurities like this, but...
'...Still, we'll gather more useful people than scoundrels.'
Standing on the school field's podium, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head toward Cheongnyongsan Mountain, the location of the Corrosion Factor.
Black smoke was rising. This time, it was real smoke, not a swarm of insects.
After the Semi-Armageddon, Cheongnyongsan Mountain was still on fire.
'But that much heat won't do any harm to the Ironclad Venomous Insects.'
Even now, dozens of them were probably crawling out of the Gate every minute, multiplying their numbers.
'We can't break through yet. Our firepower is woefully insufficient, and more importantly, Choo Kyo-yong is out there.'
Just then, someone came running toward them in a hurry.
It was the Brigade Commander's adjutant.
"—Brigade Commander!"
Choi Jeong-cheol and Kim Kang-seok, who were conversing on one side of the podium, turned their heads.
"Hah— hah— Sir, massive reinforcements are scheduled to arrive."
"...Oh? Is the Anyang Duo here already?"
The dazzling moniker of 'massive reinforcements' made everyone think of them.
But the adjutant shook his head.
"Ah, no, sir. Due to various circumstances, they said it will take them about thirty more minutes."
"Hmm, then who is it?"
The adjutant gulped and opened his mouth.
"The Demon Tamer, Choo Kyo-yong, has arrived!"
Choo Kyo-yong, the Demon Tamer, was the 68th ranked Player in South Korea.
Aside from Choi Jeong-cheol—ranked 38th—he was likely the strongest person here.
Yet, no one cheered at the news of his arrival.
"Massive reinforcements indeed, though the man's a self-centered bastard..."
As such, Choo Kyo-yong's reputation wasn't very good.
Kim Kang-seok, in particular, scowled openly.
True to his title of Demon Tamer, Choo Kyo-yong used cruel binding magic to tame monsters.
For a time, he had appeared in various media outlets, repeatedly mocking and criticizing Players who grew attached to their familiars as foolish.
As a Druid who also communed with his beast familiars, Kim Kang-seok couldn't help but find him distasteful.
In any case, Lee Hyun-wook had an idea why Choo Kyo-yong had come here.
'He's trying to blend in and steer things toward his own objectives.'
It was a classic Villain tactic. Since no one around them knew of their wicked intentions, it would be all too easy to wear a normal mask, mix in with the crowd, and manipulate things to their liking.
'But what he doesn't know is that I know about the existence of Villains...'
He might find it strange that Villains had been consecutively defeated by the Steel Company, but he would never imagine their identities had been exposed.
That's how perfectly veiled the Villain organization of this era was, and how firmly they believed their identities and objectives would never be revealed.
Screech— Screech—
A truck carrying a massive trailer began to enter the elementary school field.
Inside, no doubt, were the 'zombie monsters' that man controlled.
'And somewhere in there is the Heart Box.'
Choo Kyo-yong's undead familiars.
The secret box containing all their hearts...
Lee Hyun-wook actually knew its location.
'I'm the one who subdued him, so I know better than anyone.'
The reason he had still tortured Choo Kyo-yong's subordinates was because the storage location might have been different in the past.
"Ugh, it already stinks. Is this a zoo or something..."
Go Jin-han muttered.
Monsters, and rotting ones at that, were crammed into such a small space, so it was only natural for it to reek. The Players gathered in the field also grimaced and backed away.
Pshhhh—
The sound of the truck's air brakes hissed as it stopped, and the men who got out of the truck threw open the trailer doors.
From within the trailer, red glints of light began to appear.
Thud—
The first to emerge was a muscular giant with the head of a bull, a Minotaur.
It stood well over three meters tall, and it was a wonder how it had managed to crouch inside the trailer.
"Oh, shit..."
"Wow, I've never seen one that big before."
"...Is that thing really safe?"
The Players murmured among themselves like spectators.
Minotaurs were stronger than trolls and comparable to ogres, making them high-tier monsters.
You'd have to be a C-rank, 1st-tier Player to even see one in person, and at least B-rank to attempt to hunt it.
And there were four of them.
Two double-bladed axes were strapped to each of their backs.
At a glance, they looked to be made of Adamant.
Undying monsters, charging at you with those two axes drawn...
'Those four could probably turn twenty trolls into ground meat. But those weapons... they'd be perfect for my Living Armors.'
Lee Hyun-wook found himself practically drooling.
Next, the orcs emerged. There were twelve in total.
Their skin was black, and they were covered in dark blue tattoos.
Black Orcs, the highest-tier orcs from the Orc Kingdom in Shanghai, China.
They were a breed so powerful they could hardly be considered the same species as regular orcs.
'And they're covered in all sorts of enhancement spells, making them even stronger than they look.'
A monster tamer didn't just control monsters.
They could also grow or strengthen them.
'I remember them.'
These twelve were known as the 'Black Orc Assault Team.'
Their hearts had been removed and replaced with 'Mana Generators' made of Orichalcum.
They acted as mana engines, supplying about 25,000 mana.
A formidable assault team whose bodies were constantly wreathed in an unceasing 'aura'—that was their true nature.
'I might not get the axes, but I'm taking those.'
Gulp—
He swallowed hard again.
Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—
"Uh oh..."
As the monsters lined up on the field, the Players began to feel an instinctual fear.
It was natural.
Even if a predator like a tiger or lion is on a leash, its intimidating presence doesn't disappear. It was the same as worrying that the leash might break and it would come charging at you.
But...
"—Uh oh."
A real problem occurred.
CRASH—!
A few of the Minotaurs started crushing the cars the Players had arrived in.
"Wh-what are they doing..."
Among them was an A.M.T. armored reconnaissance vehicle.
CRASH—! CRASH—! CRASH—!
One of them was repeatedly smashing an SUV as if venting its anger.
Since they lacked any sense of reason, they would occasionally act out like this.
But the men who had gotten out of the truck didn't seem to care and just went about their business.
"...W-why are they doing that!"
"Hey, fuck, aren't you going to stop them?"
Some of the Players who couldn't stand it anymore started to protest.
"Hey, fuck, if they were like that, you shouldn't have let them out in the first place!"
"That's right! Put them back in right now!"
It was then.
"Ah, you're so damn loud—!"
The one who shouted was a large, toad-like man.
He was the Black Monster Tamer, Choo Kyo-yong.
He got out of the black sedan that had followed the trailer and walked toward the Players.
"Hey, they can make a mistake, can't they? How much are a few damn cars worth? I'll pay for all of them, so stop your bitching!"
As Choo Kyo-yong yelled, the protesting people clamped their mouths shut.
The Minotaurs and orcs were starting to approach from behind him.
"Can't you see these glazed-over eyes? Huh? Is it so strange that these dumb beasts, who only know slaughter, break a few things? Why is everyone squawking over nothing?"
"..."
"Yeah, you shouldn't shout in front of beasts. They might make a real mistake, you know?"
When no one argued, he scoffed and turned away.
But as fate would have it, right at that moment, someone muttered something.
"Fucking toad-faced bastard..."
It was quiet, but loud enough for someone with good hearing to catch.
Choo Kyo-yong whipped around.
He glared at the Players.
"...Hey! You!"
"Huh? M-me?"
The man looked less young and more like a boy.
"Yeah, you, you little shit! Get over here! You think I didn't hear..."
"...That's enough."
The one who cut him off was Kim Kang-seok.
"What?"
"We didn't gather here to fight."
The two hulking figures faced each other.
"Ah— Kim Kang-seok? Long time no see."
The Minotaurs snorted, glaring at Kim Kang-seok.
As if reading Choo Kyo-yong's emotions, they looked ready to draw their double-bladed axes at any moment.
And behind Kim Kang-seok, dark blue glints of light began to appear.
On the school rooftop.
A White Tiger, a Black Lion, and a Great Condor stood on the railing, looking down at Choo Kyo-yong.
It looked as though the beasts from both sides were about to clash at any second.