Chapter 62
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 62
Chapter Title: Wave's End, Shocking Declaration - Part 2
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Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo stood facing each other on the roof of the First Barracks.
For some reason, Park Jun-mo was catching his breath, his expression tense.
“Phew—I’m ready!”
As Park Jun-mo spoke, Lee Hyun-wook raised his left arm.
*C-C-Crack—*
His hand underwent Rigidification, and a strange, deep blue energy began to seep out.
*Crackle—*
It was an electric current.
“Wow… You can do that now, sir?”
“I guess so. To be honest, this is my first time using it too.”
This was a new skill he had acquired after swallowing a Heavenly Iron ring named ‘Lesser Flash.’
It allowed him to generate and discharge an electric current from any rigidified part of his body.
It wasn't particularly powerful, but he figured he could use it like a taser.
“So, you’re using that on me for the first time….”
The moment Park Jun-mo asked with a hint of anxiety, Lee Hyun-wook grabbed his forearm.
*Zap—!*
“Aaargh—!”
Park Jun-mo screamed and collapsed to the floor.
“Hey, stop being so dramatic. How is it?”
Park Jun-mo was supposed to have ‘Electric Shock Immunity,’ so there was no way he took any damage.
He got up, dusting off his pants with an embarrassed look.
“Ugh, well, it didn't hurt, but the feeling of electricity passing through me is still pretty unpleasant.”
“No, not that. Did you get a system message or anything?”
“…Ah! I’ll check right now!”
Park Jun-mo’s expression went blank as he checked the system message appearing before his eyes.
“Uh, well, it’s definitely charging. But, um… the total amount is still the same.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and lowered his hand.
He had expected as much. A current of this level was only enough to ‘charge’ him.
‘I guess the answer really is a lightning strike….’
Park Jun-mo had said that when he was struck by lightning, his ‘ability stats’ had quadrupled in an instant.
Considering that, it seemed his trait wasn't a mechanism of slow, steady growth like Lee Hyun-wook's, but one that grew massively in one go, albeit with very difficult growth conditions.
“But is it really true that I’ve become an S-rank?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at Park Jun-mo’s cautious question.
“Yes, but this is a secret for the time being, so you can’t tell anyone.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll keep that in mind.”
Three days ago, when he met with Kang Seo-yoon and Woo Seong-mun, Lee Hyun-wook had made a shocking declaration.
He claimed that as a result of his incredible feat of clearing a wave for the first time in history, he had unlocked an ‘accomplishment’ that allowed not only himself but also Park Jun-mo to awaken as S-ranks.
‘Somehow, it feels like my lies are piling up day by day….’
Immediately after, those present agreed to keep the emergence of the new S-ranks a secret for the time being.
‘Well, that was the obvious choice.’
Publicly announcing that South Korea had new S-ranks was tantamount to leaking military strength.
There was no telling what schemes forces trying to check the country’s growth might pull.
They might even try to eliminate the new S-rank Players before they could become top rankers.
In other words, the secret would be maintained for a while to protect the two of them.
And until then, he needed to maximize Park Jun-mo’s growth.
‘Hmm, I should look for a lightning mage powerful enough to cast a lightning strike spell….’
Just then, something occurred to him.
“Ah, the Mace of the Thunder God….”
Right, there was the Mace of the Thunder God.
“Sir? I didn't quite hear you.”
“No, it’s nothing.”
Lee Hyun-wook grinned, and for some reason, Park Jun-mo felt a sense of unease.
“Sir… it’s getting dark. Shouldn’t we be heading down soon?”
At Park Jun-mo’s words, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and looked at the sky.
His gaze was stolen by a massive object floating in the western sky.
‘Laputa….’
It had been three days since its appearance, but the sight was still as awkward as it was magnificent.
A hemispherical lower section about half the size of Yeouido, with dozens of skyscrapers built on top….
The sight of it floating about 1.5 kilometers above Seoul was indescribably mystical.
Just then, the sun dipped below the western horizon and was hidden by its shadow….
“Wow….”
For a moment, darkness fell as if during a solar eclipse.
Simultaneously, lights of various colors began to shine from Laputa’s surface, illuminating the area.
This was the new nightscape of Seoul, now home to a magitech city.
“Man… won’t that also bestow an incredible blessing on Seoul, just like the World Tree?”
Park Jun-mo remarked, clicking his tongue in fresh wonder.
The ‘Republic of Chad,’ once nothing but a wasteland, had developed dazzlingly with the appearance of the ‘World Tree.’
But since Seoul was already one of the world's top cities, even greater growth was expected. And though only three days had passed, a massive wave of investment was already pouring into the city.
Simply put, an enormous amount of money was flocking to Seoul.
‘Right, it’s quite different from the Laputa I remember… but it will be beneficial.’
The Laputa Lee Hyun-wook remembered was a ‘Devil’s Fortress’ floating in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
It had been used as a research facility by the Villain mad scientist group, <Black Door>.
Lee Hyun-wook had infiltrated Laputa back then, so he remembered its interior to some extent.
The upper part was truly a developed city, a sort of ‘residential area.’
The truly important facilities were presumed to be inside the hemispherical lower section, in other words, underground….
‘At the time, I couldn’t get in because I didn’t have clearance.’
And yesterday, the <National Gate Response Strategy Office> officially announced the results of their investigation into Laputa.
They stated that, just as before, it was impossible to enter Laputa’s interior.
‘…I think I have an idea why they can’t get in.’
He clutched a key in his pocket.
[Item Information]
- Name: Master Key of the Ancient Heritage
- Effect: Unknown
Contextually, it was clear that this key was related to that place.
‘I didn’t know it then, but the Villains probably obtained it as a reward for succeeding in the Seoul Corrosion quest.’
And this time, Seoul—no, Lee Hyun-wook—had obtained it.
***
Lee Hyun-wook constantly pondered his future plans.
‘Now that I’ve successfully stopped the fourth wave, I need to prepare for what’s next.’
His biggest concern was, of course, the ‘Villains’ next move.
Their movements had already shifted noticeably when he had interfered with Unlucky at Seoul Station.
But now that he had stopped the entire fourth wave… an enormous variable was bound to come into play.
‘If the corrosion had proceeded as originally planned, their next target would have been the Saintess’s assassination.’
The Saintess was the title for Emilia Müller, an S-rank Priest.
She rarely left the ‘Saint Dome,’ the world’s largest sanctuary in the Republic of Chad, but in the original timeline, she had entered Korea with her personal guard to ‘purify’ the corroded Seoul, only to be assassinated.
For the Villains, whose main strength lay in dark-type powers, it was one of their greatest achievements.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the corrosion of Seoul was orchestrated just to kill her.
But now, the Saintess had no reason to leave the Saint Dome, so her assassination would be impossible.
‘In that case, they… will probably lay low for a while.’
The Villains’ greatest weapon was their ‘secrecy.’
The subtle destructive power that came from no one knowing their true identities…
They wouldn’t want to lose that. And in that respect, they would be anxiously worrying that their identities might be exposed due to this failure, and for a while, they would be watching the world’s reaction and focusing on cleaning up their mess, but…
‘That will only be for a moment. I need to grow as fast as possible before they make their real move.’
He had to build up his forces and gather items for the next confrontation.
And to prepare for that, he was scheduled to go on leave tomorrow.
‘There’s nothing I can do if I stay inside the base.’
In a situation like this, it would be natural for leave and vacations to be restricted.
But Lee Hyun-wook was the savior of Seoul and now an S-rank Player, so permission was granted without much difficulty.
That afternoon, Lee Hyun-wook stopped by the PX, intending to cash in his reward points.
As he was buying a few ‘Orbs’ as usual and about to pay, someone approached him from the side.
“Buying so much?”
It was Kim Se-hee.
“Ah, Sergeant Kim. It’s been three days, hasn't it?”
“It has. This is the first time we’ve seen each other looking clean, not covered in blood and sweat, right?”
“As clean as you can get in a combat uniform, anyway.”
“I’ve been told that even a combat uniform looks good on me as long as I put on some lotion.”
So she was the type to compliment herself. Lee Hyun-wook chuckled.
“Ah, you know that about yourself? That kind of ruins it….”
“I’m kidding. Ahem, anyway, I have something to say. Can we sit for a moment?”
As the two sat facing each other, the surrounding gazes were drawn to them.
Not long ago, Kim Se-hee, known as the goddess of the 2nd Company, would have been the center of attention.
But now, the aura of Lee Hyun-wook, the commander of the Steel Company, was far greater.
Officers and soldiers alike glanced at Lee Hyun-wook and whispered among themselves.
If it was like this in this small base, it would be quite tiring to go out into society with a known face.
“Uh, um….”
But for some reason, Kim Se-hee was hesitating, scratching her cheek.
“I’m, uh, getting discharged soon.”
Come to think of it, Kim Se-hee was a senior sergeant nearing the end of her service.
“You still have another month or two until you’re discharged, right? So there’s something I want to ask you.”
Kim Se-hee was subtly beating around the bush.
“It’s about… are you going to stay with the A.M.T? Or are you going to a guild?”
Countless offers had come Lee Hyun-wook’s way, but he had yet to make a clear decision.
“Hmm, why are you asking something so sensitive? Did… someone ask you to find out?”
“No! I was just… trying to get some ideas, for reference.”
Lee Hyun-wook understood what she meant.
‘Kim Se-hee is trying to figure out where to go.’
Originally, after the fourth wave, she was supposed to be selected by the Black Tiger Unit and become a non-commissioned officer.
But this time, the major variable named Lee Hyun-wook had come into play. Perhaps she had felt something in the process, as she seemed to want to walk the same path as him.
That must be why she was asking so bluntly….
‘This is a bit unexpected.’
He had thought that, given Kim Se-hee’s personality, she wasn’t the type to seize ‘opportunities.’
But in a way, the feats Lee Hyun-wook had shown were so far beyond common sense that it was natural for people to follow him.
Even the soldiers of the Steel Company had expressed their hope for the company to continue.
‘In any case, this is a good thing. There’s no need to keep such talent in the military….’
Lee Hyun-wook chuckled and answered.
“In that case, Sergeant Kim, how about you keep working with me?”
At his question, the corners of Kim Se-hee’s mouth neither rose nor fell.
But it must have been the answer she wanted.
Given her pride, she probably couldn’t bring herself to say directly that she wanted to be by his side….
“Oh? Yes! Sure! Sounds good! We had good chemistry in the Steel Company, didn’t we?”
“Actually, I think I had better chemistry with Ha-nui….”
Kim Se-hee’s expression soured.
“Haha—calm down. I’d be happy to work with someone like you, Sergeant Kim.”
“Ahaha… I’m honored.”
“Great, this works out perfectly. There’s a guild I want to introduce you to.”
Kim Se-hee looked genuinely surprised.
“A guild? I honestly thought you’d stay with the A.M.T….”
It seemed she had asked so urgently, planning to stay in the A.M.T if he did.
“Well, it’s a bit much to talk about the details here….”
Lee Hyun-wook stood up from his seat.
“As of today, limited movement within Seoul has been permitted, so let’s go on leave together tomorrow.”
“…What?”
“If I ask, the battalion commander will approve it. I’ve already gotten permission.”
Things seemed to be moving too quickly, and Kim Se-hee looked dizzy.
“Wait, but, if people hear that the two of us are going on leave together, won’t that look a bit… strange?”
Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head at her question.
“What? No, it’s not just the two of us.”
“Ah….”
***
The next day, Lee Hyun-wook, Kim Se-hee, and Park Jun-mo were granted special leave.
They chartered a shuttle bus and got off not at Seoul Station, but at Singil Station.
Although limited passage had been permitted since yesterday, the streets were not just quiet, but completely empty.
The government had announced that almost all monsters in the city had been eliminated, but it was still dangerous.
“Um, where… are we?”
In front of the Hope Guild, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo had blank expressions.
“We have a few places to visit today, and this is our first stop.”
Fortunately, Park Cheol-su’s residence was not in Seoul, so he had been spared the disaster of the wave.
And luckily, the Hope Guild’s office had also suffered no damage.
As they went inside….
“Yes, please sign here, and here too….”
“For those who have finished the contract, please bring it to me!”
“Alright—next person, please come this way!”
For some reason, the place was far more chaotic than when he had last visited.
Park Cheol-su and his staff were dealing with over a dozen Players.
And….
“Oh, Mr. Hyun-wook!”
That voice belonged to Lee Jeong-jun, an acquaintance he made during the fourth wave.
When he called out to Lee Hyun-wook, everyone in the office turned their heads.
“Gasp! Hello!”
“Wow! To see the heroes of the Steel Company, the heroes of Seoul, again like this!”
They all greeted him one by one.
Having fought together for four whole days, they were all happy to see each other again.
Lee Jeong-jun rushed over and extended his hand, which Lee Hyun-wook shook.
“Thank you so much. Thanks to you, Mr. Hyun-wook, I’ve been saved from unemployment.”
On the first day of the wave, Lee Jeong-jun and his colleagues had been fired from their guild for ignoring their guild master’s orders and going to save the citizens at the Jangchung-dong Community Center.
Lee Hyun-wook had recommended the Hope Guild to them on a whim, and they, trusting only in Lee Hyun-wook's name, had all decided to join together.
“Not at all. I should be the one thanking you for readily joining such a small guild.”
“Haha—with someone like you backing it, how could we judge it by its appearance?”
Thus, the Hope Guild was experiencing an unprecedented boom.
“Hey, Hyun-wook….”
Park Cheol-su was in a half-dazed state.
“Wh-what in the world is going on? I’m not dreaming, am I?”
This morning, as soon as he heard on TV the absurd news that Lee Hyun-wook was the hero of the fourth wave, the protagonist of the Steel Company, a whopping 18 Players had shown up, chanting his name and asking to join.
And they were of a quality incomparably superior to the existing Hope Guild members.
“Hyun-wook, you’ve really pulled me up from the pits of hell to heaven….”
Park Cheol-su was so moved that his eyes were welling up with tears.
“See, I told you to just trust me.”
“Thank you so much. Oh, and like you said, those stocks are soaring, haha….”
Holy water manufacturing, divine weapon workshops, magitech.
The stocks Lee Hyun-wook had pointed out were hitting new highs every day.
They were all stocks that had benefited from the fourth wave.
However, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo were still dumbfounded.
“Excuse me, what is this place….”
Kim Se-hee had followed Lee Hyun-wook on his word that he would introduce her to a guild.
But the Hope Guild….
She had never even heard of it, and it looked quite small and shabby.
She couldn’t help but feel a little bewildered.
“Sergeant Kim, you do want to work with me, right?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s rather serious question, Kim Se-hee nodded.
“Um, well, yes.”
“This is the guild I’m building.”
“…What?”
She was just puzzled as to when he had started building a guild while being so active.
“It’s still small, but a lot of money will be invested soon, and there will be plenty of good jobs.”
She didn’t need to be told where that big money would come from.
Lee Hyun-wook, as the greatest contributor to the wave’s success, was bound to receive an enormous reward.
“So… would you be willing to help lead this guild in its early stages, Sergeant Kim?”
“Lead? Wh-what could I possibly do….”
“What do you mean? Just do what you did at the base and yell a little.”
As expected, Kim Se-hee’s face crumpled. She was the type who couldn’t hide her emotions.
“Anyway, you really can’t take a joke. You came here because you trust me, right? So I’m going to trust you and entrust you with things like the guild’s raid strategies from now on.”
Kim Se-hee hesitated for a moment before nodding.
Right, she had followed him here because she trusted him in the first place.
‘This person is different.’
She could feel it from watching him over the past few days.
‘He’s different in every way.’
She wasn't the type to cling to someone like this. But ever since the Steel Company’s mission ended, she had felt an anxiety that she shouldn’t stray far from this person named Lee Hyun-wook.
“Alright. But in return… just like you promised before, make sure no one dies.”
Kim Se-hee had bad memories concerning the death of her comrades.
That’s why she made sure to emphasize that point.
“I’ll do my best, but now you have to do your best too, Sergeant Kim.”
“Yes, I will….”
Kim Se-hee ultimately promised to join the Hope Guild after her discharge.
But at the same time, she couldn’t hide her bewilderment.
“But wait, you must have received some incredible offers, right? Did you turn them all down?”
She didn’t know the specifics, but it was an obvious fact.
It was already well-known that the A.M.T was recommending him for an officer’s commission.
And just three days ago, Kang Seo-yoon of <Zmeun-narae> had visited the base.
That meant that they, too, had requested something of Lee Hyun-wook.
To turn all that down and establish a guild… that in itself was quite amazing.
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
“No. I’m going to accept their conditions as well.”
“What? Is that… possible?”
“It’s still a secret, but just between us….”
Kim Se-hee’s ears perked up.
“The Hope Guild here will become a sub-guild for Zmeun-narae.”
Sub, in other words, it meant becoming a subsidiary of Zmeun-narae.
“What? I-is that, for real?”
“Yes, I’ve been in talks with CEO Kang Seo-yoon for the past three days.”
“But… isn’t Zmeun-narae’s ironclad rule to have a small, elite force?”
“Well, the Steel Company had a pretty small, elite feel to it, didn’t it?”
“Even so, that’s just unbelievable….”
Kim Se-hee felt like she was clinging to an incredibly thick lifeline.
Zmeun-narae was practically the top guild in South Korea, no, in the world.
But not just anyone could get in; it was an elite force composed exclusively of A-rank or higher Players.
However, for Lee Hyun-wook, it wasn’t a very difficult deal.
To acquire two S-rank Players, even a guild like Zmeun-narae would offer anything.
“Alright, we should get going. We still have more places to visit. We’re busy today.”
“Where are we going this time? Could you give me a heads-up so I’m not so caught off guard?”
Just a few days ago, he was a cool-headed commander, but today he felt like a young entrepreneur.
“Now that we’ve arranged for a guild to work at after your discharge, we need to go pick up some discharge commemoration items.”
But at that moment,
“Hk—”
For some reason, Lee Hyun-wook’s face hardened.
A single system message had appeared before his eyes.
- Metal Absorption Complete: Dwarven Great Mountain Engine (Legendary)
* Controllable metal weight has increased: 2,544g
Finally, the ‘Dwarven Great Mountain Engine (Legendary)’ had been absorbed.
It was certainly something to be happy about, but….
- 'Infinity Engine' is forming in your heart. (1%)
* Extreme pain may occur!
‘…My heart?’
This time, following his stomach and central nervous system, a new organ had begun to form in his heart.
“Huh? What’s wrong?”
“It’s nothing.”
“Your expression says it’s not nothing.”
The pain that came was far more intense than the previous two.
As always, the excruciating pain would become a steep growing pain.