Chapter 59
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 59
Chapter Title: Saviors of Seoul - 2
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Kim Kang-seok and Choo Kyo-yong, two giants of men, faced off, glaring at each other.
Both stood over 190 cm tall, their presence overwhelmingly intimidating.
But on closer inspection, compared to Kim Kang-seok with his sturdy build and sharp features,
Choo Kyo-yong, with his slovenly frame and toad-like face, looked rather shabby.
‘But in reality, Choo Kyo-yong’s combat power is rated a notch higher.’
Of course, in a one-on-one fight, Kim Kang-seok, a druid, might have the upper hand,
but he would likely be unable to overcome the horde of zombie monsters Choo Kyo-yong commanded.
However, Kim Kang-seok refused to back down.
“...Team Leader Choo Kyo-yong, we have an important battle ahead. You should conserve your strength.”
Choo Kyo-yong snorted at his words.
“Strength? Haha! When have I ever been short on strength? You seem to have forgotten who I am.”
“Hey, I gave you some advice once. I told you that if you keep coddling those beastly bastards like they’re your own children, you’ll never get anywhere... You’re one of the first Players, yet you’re still only a B-rank?”
It was a blatant dismissal.
The sparks flying between them intensified,
and the low-frequency growls emanating from their respective familiars grew deeper.
It looked as if they might erupt into a bloody brawl at any moment.
Just then, someone stepped between them.
“Hey, Team Leader Choo, you need to maintain some dignity. What’s with getting angry all the time?”
It was Choi Jeong-cheol.
“...General Choi, tsk—it’s been a while.”
“It has. You’re getting on in years, you know. You have kids—oh, wait, you don’t, do you?”
Choo Kyo-yong snorted again, as if he’d just heard a terrible joke.
“I’m sorry about last time. I’ll make sure your familiars don’t get caught in my flames this time.”
“Yes, you’d better. Isn’t that basic courtesy?”
It seemed Choi Jeong-cheol’s fire magic had once incinerated Choo Kyo-yong’s monsters.
“Of course, of course. But how about we take this inside? There are a lot of eyes on us.”
“...Yes, let’s.”
Even Choo Kyo-yong couldn’t treat Choi Jeong-cheol disrespectfully.
“Hey, Kim Kang-seok, you watch your back...”
He said to Kim Kang-seok before brushing past him.
***
Inside the elementary school, a dozen or so Players had gathered in the teachers’ conference room.
They were the commanders of the A.M.T and the leaders of each group.
They were discussing the strategy for the impending ‘final battle.’
In their midst, Choo Kyo-yong was raising his voice.
“Think about it, people! If the bugs have gone quiet because General Choi just hit them with a big one, doesn’t that mean their numbers are at their lowest right now? Why are we waiting for that Anyang crew? Every second counts!”
His words were somewhat aggressive, but everyone listened in silence.
Surprisingly, his point was valid from start to finish.
“I’ll clear a path myself. The rest of you, just aim all your firepower at the sky, take down every bug that comes flying in, and let my beasts charge in and smash the Corrosion Factor before it’s too late! Damn, you people are too complacent, so frustrating...”
He was insisting they attack immediately, without waiting for the Anyang Duo.
Lee Hyun-wook saw through his words.
‘He’s trying to lure all our forces into a trap and annihilate them before the Anyang Duo arrives.’
The Anyang Duo were both A-rank Players.
Once they arrived, Choo Kyo-yong would have twice as much to worry about.
This was his move to eliminate one variable before it could grow.
But to those unaware of his true intentions, it sounded like a perfectly reasonable plan.
With Choo Kyo-yong’s powerful familiars leading the charge and hundreds of Players providing covering fire from behind, reaching the Corrosion Factor wasn’t impossible.
‘Even I think it’s the fastest and most certain method.’
...If, that is, Choo Kyo-yong were truly an ally.
“Look, we can just charge in now and have them join us when they arrive! We don’t have time to sit around here when every minute counts! Soldiers and their damn armchair strategizing, I swear.”
Hearing his words, the Players from the private guilds began to nod one by one.
Their own impatience made Choo Kyo-yong’s argument sound persuasive.
“Hmm... I’m in favor.”
“Our Seoul Shield Guild agrees with this plan.”
“Yes, I agree. It seems entirely possible.”
The Players from the private guilds agreed to the plan one after another. Choi Jeong-cheol and Kim Kang-seok hadn’t voiced their approval yet, but they too thought Choo Kyo-yong’s proposal was feasible.
But then...
“...I object.”
The one who spoke was none other than Lee Hyun-wook.
“—What? Why!”
Choo Kyo-yong shouted in disbelief, then looked at Choi Jeong-cheol.
“General Choi, who is this kid?”
“Ah, that’s the commander of the ‘Steel Company.’”
At this, the private Player leaders present looked at Lee Hyun-wook with newfound interest.
They hadn’t expected the commander of the famous Steel Company to be so young.
“...Oh, it’s him?”
Choo Kyo-yong said with a smirk.
Every time they had encountered that damn Steel Company, Villains had gone missing.
His expression seemed to say, *So this little brat was the cause of it all?*
“Hey, you’re just a soldier, right? What’s your Player rank?”
“...”
“This kid is the one who eliminated a Corrosion Factor? Haha... You were either lucky, or you stole someone else’s credit. And you look like you have barely any experience...”
“Have you ever even been near a Corrosion Factor?”
Lee Hyun-wook cut off Choo Kyo-yong’s tirade with his question.
Choo Kyo-yong’s face flushed red.
“...What? Did you just call me ‘you’?”
“Weren’t you the one saying we’re short on time? Let’s get straight to the point.”
“You little son of a—”
Lee Hyun-wook ignored him and looked at General Choi Jeong-cheol.
“Brigade Commander, given the circumstances, I hope you’ll forgive my impertinence.”
Choi Jeong-cheol nodded as if it were a matter of course.
“Has anyone here eliminated a Corrosion Factor? Or even been near one?”
As expected, no one had.
“In this Wave Zone, the only ones who have eliminated—no, even approached—a Corrosion Factor are my Steel Company and the Anyang Duo. So on what grounds are you so rashly deciding to charge in?”
Lee Hyun-wook raised his voice, scanning the faces of those sitting around the table.
Commander of the Steel Company, the only one to have eliminated a Corrosion Factor.
With those two titles attached to him, the way they looked at Lee Hyun-wook had completely changed.
“Everyone! This very situation was created by a variable. This is an additional event that opened up after we cleared three Corrosion Factors, is it not? To try and break through this unknown space, something we’ve never experienced before, by interpreting it with old experience... is that courage born of experience? No...”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head and said in a low voice.
“That... would be the complacency of an old man.”
At that point, a few people began to nod. Hearing it laid out like that, there was certainly a degree of carelessness in the plan.
“What we witnessed when we reached the Corrosion Factors twice were various traps. And countless unexpected elite monsters appeared. We haven’t even identified what the ‘boss monster’ is yet. If we were to charge in recklessly under these conditions... we, a group gathered from all over, a group with, to put it bluntly, the cohesion of dust, will be annihilated.”
At his words, Choo Kyo-yong shot to his feet.
“Bullshit—! What elite monsters? There’s no such thing!”
“Oh? And... how would you know that?”
“...”
Indeed, as a Villain, he would naturally know best. But he couldn’t reveal that, so his objection now seemed like a baseless tantrum.
“Ah, no, I mean...”
“Yes, you honestly have no idea, do you? I know you’re a great Player with a lot of experience. But... you know nothing about this Wave. Yet you’re making reckless predictions and telling us to bet all our lives—no, the fate of Seoul—on a single charge.”
“...”
Choo Kyo-yong couldn’t answer. Lee Hyun-wook gave a hollow smile and continued.
“What everyone here is worried about is time.”
Yes, it was time.
There was only a day left until the full corrosion.
And with each passing moment, the number of Armored Venom Beetles increased.
“But time might actually be on our side.”
“...What do you mean by that?”
A woman, the master of some mid-sized guild, asked.
“Right now, it’s not just the bugs that are increasing. More and more Players are gathering. Our greatest assets, the Anyang Duo, are on their way. And most importantly...”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Choi Jeong-cheol.
“The time we’re using now was bought for us by a powerful strike from General Choi Jeong-cheol. And right now... the cooldown on that skill is continuously decreasing.”
At his words, Choi Jeong-cheol nodded.
“Yes, I can vouch for that. My skill will be ready in 11 hours.”
With that, Lee Hyun-wook delivered his final line.
“That’s right. Our best moment might actually be... 11 hours from now.”
“Ah—!”
Everyone understood what Lee Hyun-wook was saying.
In 11 hours, there would still be about 7 hours left until the corrosion was complete.
At that exact moment, Choi Jeong-cheol’s ‘Semi-Armageddon’ would be ready,
and he could unleash it on Cheongryong Mountain once more to drastically reduce the number of Armored Venom Beetles.
If the largest possible assembly of Players were to charge in at that very moment...
Yes, they would be able to fight under the best possible conditions.
After hearing all that, everyone began to side with Lee Hyun-wook’s opinion.
“I think... this opinion seems better.”
“I think so too.”
“Yes, that’s right. We only have one chance left, don’t we? Rather than rushing into an uncertain method, it seems much more reliable to take a little more time and go with this approach.”
Choo Kyo-yong trembled, glaring at Lee Hyun-wook.
His first plan had been completely shut down.
***
“Hey, Steel whatever-your-name-is—!”
When they came out into the hallway after the meeting, Choo Kyo-yong approached Lee Hyun-wook.
He leaned in close and whispered in his ear.
“Damn, you’ve got a silver tongue for a fresh-faced little brat...”
He placed a hand on Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder.
*Squeeze—!*
He intended to hurt him by tightening his grip.
But Lee Hyun-wook showed no sign of pain.
“This bastard—your body is...”
Hard as steel.
When only his own hand began to ache, he finally let go and patted Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder.
“Anyway... you’d better watch yourself.”
Now he was resorting to open threats.
“My beasts can get a little out of control sometimes. Accidents happen, you know?”
It was a warning that he could be killed at any moment.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and replied.
“I’m still a bit clumsy with my abilities, so I’d watch out for stray pieces of metal if I were you.”
“...What? Pieces of metal? You think a mere piece of metal could do anything to me?”
It was at that very moment.
“Everyone, look... look over there!”
“Huh, what... is that?”
Outside the window, the schoolyard suddenly grew noisy.
Soon, someone’s frantic shout was heard.
“Damn it! A swarm of bugs is coming down!”
...What?
Lee Hyun-wook hurried to the window.
‘What the...’
Sure enough, in the distance near Cheongryong Mountain, a black shimmer rose into the air.
This time, it wasn't smoke from a fire.
‘They’re really... here.’
Another unexpected timing. It seemed the Villains had used the ‘lure item’ again.
‘...Are they going for broke?’
Choo Kyo-yong came up beside him and smirked.
“...Ha, well, looks like your bullshit time-wasting plan is ruined. What are you going to do now?”
“...”
“I told you we should’ve struck first. Tsk, tsk, should’ve listened to me... Hehehe—”
It seemed that Choo Kyo-yong, his original plan thwarted, had resorted to a more extreme measure.
To summon the Armored Venom Beetles when their numbers hadn’t fully accumulated...
His intention was to create chaos and scatter the gathered Players.
“Prepare for battle—!”
Kim Kang-seok’s shout came from somewhere.
But only the A.M.T soldiers and some veteran Players reacted properly to his voice.
The majority, unprepared for such a situation, were just milling about in confusion.
Choo Kyo-yong watched the scene with amusement.
“Man, aren’t they all just standing around like idiots?”
“You should wipe your own drool, pal. Hehe, I’m heading out.”
Choo Kyo-yong threw open the window and launched himself out.
“You morons—! Stop gawking and fight properly, will you!”
Choo Kyo-yong shouted as he crossed the schoolyard.
At the far end, his familiars were lined up in a row.
*Grrrrr—*
At his gesture, they drew their weapons and began to run forward.
*Thud—thud—thud—thud—!*
They violently shoved aside the cars parked in the schoolyard and charged furiously somewhere.
But their movements were strange.
Ignoring the swarm of bugs approaching from the sky, they leaped over the school wall... and vanished from sight.
Choo Kyo-yong’s thinking was simple.
‘The Armored Venom Beetles will keep spawning endlessly. It’s fine to lose a few here.’
A rally point had been declared here, and Players were flocking from all over Seoul.
If word got out that the rally point was under attack, their advance would halt.
He could ruin the Players’ preparations for a powerful offensive.
It was, in a word, a preemptive disruption.
‘If I don’t make them expend their resources now, we’ll eventually be breached...’
And...
‘Go, and spread the enhancement magic.’
Choo Kyo-yong’s familiars, having disappeared over the wall, were casting an ‘Enhancement Spell’ on the Armored Venom Beetles somewhere far off. It was a very rare skill that Choo Kyo-yong possessed.
- Your familiar ‘Minotaur’ sacrifices its health to radiate ‘Wild Exaltation’ over the area.
Along with the system message, a gray smoke could be seen rising in the distance.
The moment a friendly monster was enveloped in that smoke, it could become up to three times stronger.
“Damn it, the bug swarm is about to hit, where did all the Minotaurs go?”
Someone approached him and asked demandingly.
It was Captain Go Jin-han.
“What? They’re naturally wild creatures, so don’t worry about them and do your job!”
“What do you mean, you can’t control them? They should be defending this place!”
“Ah, for—I said don’t worry about it... You wanna die?”
Go Jin-han muttered a curse under his breath and backed away.
‘Yes, once the enhanced bug swarm builds up, this handful of troops will be nothing.’
Choo Kyo-yong scanned the Players and smirked coldly.
‘And once their forces are weakened, I can just wipe them out openly. Even if someone sees me...’
He was willing to be branded a terrorist to ensure the success of the Villains’ plan.
*Thump— Thump— Thump— Thump—*
As he thought this, a massive tremor approached from his side.
It was a ‘Golem Turtle,’ a monster resembling a five-meter-long turtle with a crimson shell.
“Team Leader, I’ve brought out the Golem Turtle.”
“Good, keep a close watch on that thing.”
“Yes, sir!”
Three Black Orcs then approached and stood around him. They were his bodyguards.
“However, sir... as I mentioned before, I will keep a close eye on the Steel Company.”
“It’s fine, man—what could they have figured out? They were just lucky.”
Choo Kyo-yong believed the Steel Company knew nothing about the Villains.
The Five Butchers were caught by Kim Kang-seok and Seo Eun-ha before Ki Baek-jun activated the suicide spell.
Gong Hyun-jun was always a bit of an eccentric and lacked composure, so he was likely defeated because of that.
As for Choi Min-sung's group, they were probably captured before activating the suicide spell all at once.
“And with so many eyes here, how could they attack me without any evidence?”
The Steel Company, they were soldiers.
They were unlikely to do anything that deviated from proper conduct.
“In other words, we are safer right now than we could ever be.”
He was in the heart of the enemy camp, under the enemy’s protection.
It was like being a cuckoo in a warbler’s nest.
“Haha—what is this... this is easier than I thought.”
He was now smiling openly.
But just then.
*CRAAANG—!*
A loud noise echoed from above his head.
He instinctively looked up to see a ‘greatsword’ collide with a ‘mana drone.’
“What the?”
The mana drone plummeted to the ground, and the greatsword was sent flying.
*Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!*
The greatsword, having lost its original flight path, spun wildly through the air...
*CRUUUUNCH—!*
...and embedded itself in the back of the Golem Turtle.
“Huh—?”
Choo Kyo-yong tilted his head.
He couldn’t quite comprehend what had just happened before his eyes.
“H-how...”
The Golem Turtle’s shell was incredibly hard.
It would take an A-rank warrior Player dozens of strikes to even crack it.
So how could a stray sword like that...
‘Ah, of all the places, in the gap—!’
But as the turtle aged, its shell hardened, and the gaps between the plates widened.
And that was precisely how one was supposed to defeat a Golem Turtle.
However, the fact that it was a weak point was by no means common knowledge.
Even Choo Kyo-yong had only learned it through continuous research on his own familiars...
And right in that very spot, a massive greatsword was now firmly lodged.
It was a dangerous moment.
*Groooaaan—*
Of course, the Golem Turtle wouldn’t die from that much damage alone.
No, it would never die. As long as its heart was safe.
“Phew...”
Choo Kyo-yong clutched his chest in relief.
Because its hearts, the ‘Heart Boxes,’ were located deep inside its body.
“Hey! What are you staring at! Get that thing out!”
“Ah! Right away!”
The moment Choo Kyo-yong shouted at his subordinate—
*BOOOOOM—!*
A tremendous shockwave erupted out of nowhere,
*Crumble—*
and the Golem Turtle exploded into countless pieces.
Choo Kyo-yong himself was thrown five or six meters by the impact.
Just then, someone approached his head, helped him up.
“...Are you alright?”
It was the commander of the Steel Company, Lee Hyun-wook.
And he whispered, so only he could hear.
“Oops, my mistake...”
Choo Kyo-yong was still dazed.
He pushed Lee Hyun-wook away and stood before what... had been the Golem Turtle.
“My, my...”
Heart Boxes...
He couldn’t say the words out loud.
That was a secret no one else knew.
System messages appeared before his eyes, one after another.
- Your familiar has returned to death.
- Your familiar has returned to death.
- Your familiar has returned to death.
- Your familiar has returned to death.
- Your familiar has returned to death.
.
.
.
And his bodyguards, the three Black Orcs standing around him, collapsed.
The next moment, he felt a deep rage boiling up from within,
and he spun around, swinging a fist at Lee Hyun-wook.
But Lee Hyun-wook dodged the punch with incredible ease.
“A m-mistake? Y-y-you bastard, are you crazy calling this a mistake?”
Lee Hyun-wook shrugged with a nonchalant expression.
“Ah, I did mention it earlier. I’m still clumsy with my powers, so you should watch out for stray... pieces of metal.”
Pieces of metal... pieces of metal... calling that massive sword a piece of metal...
Choo Kyo-yong’s face didn’t just turn red this time; it turned a deathly pale.
Lee Hyun-wook wore an expression of utter helplessness.
“It’s alright, how much is a monster like that worth? I’ll pay you back.”
Yes, to an uninformed observer, it might just look like an accident caused by poor ability control. Above all, the initial cause was an unfortunate collision with a ‘mana drone’...
“Ah...”
A-rank Player Choo Kyo-yong looked up at the sky and sighed.
All of his familiars’ ‘hearts’ had been inside that thing, and they had all been destroyed.
He was nothing now.
Lee Hyun-wook placed a hand on his shoulder.
*Squeeze—!*
As if gripped by a hydraulic press, an immense pain shot through him.
“—Ugh!”
Choo Kyo-yong bit his lip, enduring the pain, as Lee Hyun-wook whispered in his ear.
“You should have just stuck to my plan...”
He never would have imagined that someone would use a supposed mistake to openly destroy it.
And just like that, one threat had been completely neutered.
It was time for the final assault on the last Corrosion Factor to truly begin.