Chapter 64
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 64
Chapter Title: Conspiracy, Quest, Demon - 1
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The Steel Company that saved Seoul and their commander, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook...
Those two names were the most talked-about in the world right now.
The media had been churning out reports about the Steel Company all week,
celebrities were chiming in on their social media,
and on the internet, it was naturally the hottest topic of conversation.
As a result, an incredible number of rumors were being generated.
That the Steel Company was actually a special forces unit secretly trained by the government,
that they were all S-rankers hiding their power who had been forced to reveal themselves,
there was even a conspiracy theory that the 4th Wave itself was a fabrication and the Steel Company was fake.
But since they never appeared before the cameras, there was no way to confirm the truth...
"...Did that man just say he's from the Steel Company?"
“Yes, and didn't he say he was the commander?”
The entire 2nd Platoon of the 3rd Battalion, 2nd Anti-Monster Brigade, located in Incheon, was staring at Lee Hyun-wook's face.
"Wait, if he's the commander of the Steel Company..."
"Isn't that the hero who saved Seoul, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook?”
At first, they were skeptical...
“...Oh, that's right. That's his face!”
Soon, people who recognized Lee Hyun-wook's face began to appear.
*'Hmm, I didn't expect them to recognize my face already...'*
Lee Hyun-wook was extremely averse to exposure, but his personal information had already spread like wildfire.
Face, rank, affiliation, past activities, and so on...
Naturally, in this day and age, it was nearly impossible to hide one's identity completely.
A sense of fatigue already washed over him, but there were some advantages to being famous.
"Platoon leader, that man is Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook."
"Yes, he looks exactly like the face I saw on the news this morning.”
Since they figured out the situation on their own, there was no need for him to waste his breath explaining.
Hearing her soldiers' reactions, Lieutenant Lee Tae-kyung's face stiffened.
She checked Lee Hyun-wook's name tag again.
*'Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, 1st Battalion, 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade...'*
Yes, his identity perfectly matched that of the savior of Seoul she knew of.
The wariness on her face vanished, replaced by a sense of awe.
They had been unable to suppress even this small underground parking garage and had to request backup, yet wasn't this man the hero who had rampaged through the 4th Wave, accumulating the greatest achievements...?
"Ah, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook... How did you get here...?"
"Would it be alright if I took a quick look?”
"Uh? Oh, yes..."
Lee Tae-kyung and the other A.M.T soldiers hesitantly stepped back.
“Excuse me, but could I possibly borrow a weapon?”
At that moment, a soldier rushed forward, offered his longsword, and bowed his head deeply.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, if you use a longsword, would my weapon be acceptable?”
He even wore an expression of honor as he spoke.
*'What is this...'*
It was a bewildering reaction, but on the other hand, he could somewhat understand how they felt.
An A.M.T soldier, the most looked-down-upon in the Player world, was being hailed as a hero.
As fellow soldiers, they couldn't help but feel a special sense of admiration.
"Mm... No, thank you. This will be enough.”
As Lee Hyun-wook said that and slightly raised his hands,
the standard-issue 'M9 (Enchanted)' bayonet floated up from the soldier's hip.
“I'll just borrow a few of these.”
Soon, a total of 17 bayonets rose into the air from the waists of all the platoon members.
*Whoosh—*
Everyone looked up and stared blankly at the scene.
“Wow...”
“This is that...”
In truth, it wasn't a particularly spectacular sight.
In a world with magic where flames erupted and ice walls shot up, levitating a few bayonets wasn't all that impressive.
But having heard the terrifying rumors that Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook commanded a 'rain of steel,' even this minor scene couldn't help but feel extraordinary.
Under their somewhat burdensome gazes, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo approached Lee Hyun-wook's side.
"Hmph, you know they're staring at you like you're a celebrity, right?”
“...I'm already tired.”
"So, what are you going to do now?”
Even to Kim Se-hee, entering the underground parking garage looked far from easy.
"Those vines are completely blocking the entrance. If you get close, you'll be grabbed and dragged inside immediately."
Writhing movements could be seen in the darkness inside the parking garage.
If one got any closer, dozens of vines would rush out and bind their limbs.
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
“It's dangerous. So I'm not going in directly.”
"What? How can you... without going in?”
Just then, Lee Hyun-wook took something out of his pocket.
*Whirr—*
It was the magitech item developed by Kang Jeong-du, the 'Fly Eye.'
Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes, performed 'Mana Transfer' on it, and then 'Mana Link.'
- 'Mana Link' with 'Fly Eye (Prototype)' is initiating.
* Mana Depletion: 2 per second
Then, his vision synced with the Fly Eye's camera.
- 'Synchronization' with 'Fly Eye (Prototype)' is complete.
* Available actions are as follows:
1) Night Vision
2) Self-Destruct Command
The magic circuits engraved inside the small mechanical device—it felt as if he could now read them.
No,
it wasn't that he was reading and 'understanding' them; it was more like he was 'intuiting' them instinctively.
Just like moving his own limbs, he could do it automatically without any process of comprehension.
*'It's still a bit dizzying, but I think I'll get used to it.'*
Lee Hyun-wook moved the Fly Eye around. He felt like a small bee.
*Buzzz—*
It flew quietly and swiftly into the entrance of the underground parking garage.
The interior was dark, but he effortlessly pierced the gloom using the Fly Eye's 'Night Vision.'
*Screeeech—*
Hell's Grasp, its red vines, filled the space, writhing and making a strange sound like twisting rubber gloves.
It was a grotesque scene, like peering into a jar full of snakes.
Fortunately, they didn't seem to react to the Fly Eye's small, quiet movements.
*'Good, I'll go a little deeper.'*
He soon found the single point from which all those numerous vines were extending.
*Thump— Thump—*
It was a heart-shaped mass of flesh.
*'That's the core of the Hell's Grasp.'*
It had extended vein-like roots into the 'pink moss' scattered on the floor.
*'Just as I thought... Someone intentionally created a self-sustaining environment for the Hell's Grasp.'*
Who, and why... he didn't know the reason yet, but it was certain that destroying that core would neutralize all the vines.
*'Hmm, should I try the self-destruct function? Hmm...'*
However, Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but hesitate.
The current value of a 'Fly Eye' was quite high.
A rather rare flight stone, a mithril alloy body, the magic circuits engraved for its operation...
It would probably fetch hundreds of millions per unit.
*'Still, I should test it at least once. There could be a problem at a critical moment...'*
So, as he approached the core and gave the self-destruct command—his vision returned to his body outside the parking garage.
And...
*KABOOOOM—!*
A blue light erupted from the entrance of the underground parking garage, and the building shook violently.
“Whoa, what was that...”
"Yeah, what on earth just exploded?”
Behind him, the A.M.T soldiers murmured in confusion. They had no idea what kind of explosion it was.
But it seemed Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo were just as surprised.
"Was that you just now, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook? Or...”
"Yeah, just testing some new tech.”
“Ah...”
"The thing blocking the entrance is dead, so we should be able to get in now.”
Anyway, the destructive power was better than he'd expected.
It seemed an explosion spell had been engraved into its magic circuits.
*'As expected of Kang Jeong-du. He must not handle magitech often, but his skill is considerable.'*
Lee Hyun-wook approached the entrance to the parking garage, with the 17 M9 bayonets leading the way.
"Oh, but you two should wait back here. I'll go in alone for now.”
“...What? Why?”
“Neither of you can deal damage to 'Wood-type' attributes.”
Kim Se-hee was 'Wind,' and Park Jun-mo was 'Electric'—both attributes were useless against wood.
To be honest, the same was true for 'Metal,' but Lee Hyun-wook had the power to overcome such disadvantages, so it was fine.
"No, but going in alone is a bit...”
Lee Hyun-wook always handled things well on his own. Kim Se-hee knew that well.
Especially the sight of him throwing himself towards Cheongryong Mountain was truly...,
But having just seen him faint, she couldn't help but worry.
"It's fine. If anything happens, I'll signal you immediately.”
"Still, wouldn't it be better if we followed right behind you?”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"It's dark inside, and those vines are stuck everywhere. It could get complicated in many ways.”
He meant they could be a hindrance rather than a help.
Kim Se-hee pouted.
"Ah, yes— but just those bayonets might not be enough. Shouldn't you take a proper weapon?”
She offered a longsword she had brought from the workshop.
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head again.
And then he opened his hands...
*Kssshhh—*
Metal began to sprout from his palms.
It twisted into a spiral, growing longer and longer, until it became a single, solid spear.
At a glance, it was clear he had produced steel from his own body.
"Wha- what in the world... What are you?”
Watching the magical scene, Kim Se-hee was once again left speechless.
In Lee Hyun-wook's case, a new skill is granted each time he surpasses the 10kg, 100kg, and 1,000kg marks.
And this was the skill he had obtained recently when his Metal Control surpassed 100kg.
[Skill Information]
- Name: Metal Generation
- Rank: D
- Effect: Consumes mana to 'generate' a certain amount of metal.
* The quality of the metal is proportional to the level of 'Body Hardening.'
* Mana consumption varies depending on the amount of the target to which the skill is applied.
*'At my current Body Hardening level, its strength should be higher than a rare-grade weapon.'*
- Currently Controllable Metal Weight: 131,451g
***
Lee Hyun-wook kept the 'Fly Eye' right in front of his forehead, using its vision to advance into the darkness.
The floor near the entrance was littered with red vines, which seemed to have withered and died when the 'core' exploded just now.
*'But there won't be just one.'*
Seeing the enormous number of vines that had overrun the parking garage, he could guess there were several more.
Sure enough, three red vines were slithering toward his ankles like snakes, and Lee Hyun-wook quickly shot four bayonets at them.
*Thunk—! Thunk—! Thunk—! Thunk—!*
The bayonets pierced the vines and embedded themselves in the floor, restricting their movement.
But that wasn't all the vines had.
*Fwip—!*
Five or six vines shot down from the ceiling simultaneously, instantly binding Lee Hyun-wook's left and right arms.
“Kgh—!”
But Lee Hyun-wook wasn't easily dragged away.
He had already applied Body Hardening to his entire body, multiplying his physical strength several times over.
In that state, he channeled all his Metal Control into his arms and pulled back.
*'Good, I can hold on.'*
*Krrrrr—!*
Instead, the vines attached to the ceiling began to be torn off. While pulling the vines taut, he controlled the M9 bayonets—striking the middle of the vines and severing them.
"Hoo... my physical strength is pretty decent now, huh?”
His strength was now at a level where he could compete in a power struggle with a B-rank warrior-class Player.
Of course, if that type of Player used a 'skill,' it would be a different story.
*'Found it.'*
He soon discovered the second 'core.'
He attempted 'Metal Generation' above his left hand.
*Kssshhh—*
Steel shot up from his palm, instantly forming into a sharp harpoon.
He threw it like a javelin, and though he had thrown it carelessly, the harpoon flew like a guided missile and struck the core precisely. And at that very moment—
*'—Shatter!'*
*CRACK—!*
With a perfect skill combination, he instantly shattered the second 'core' to pieces.
The third Hell's Grasp was unusually hanging from the ceiling.
However, having eliminated the previous two, the number of vines had decreased significantly, making it much easier to finish off.
*'That's it, three of them.'*
After reconfirming that the threats were gone, he spread out the Fly Eyes to search the parking garage.
He soon found the kidnapped people against a wall in one corner.
They were hanging there, entangled in red roots.
*'Thankfully, they're all still alive.'*
They were poisoned with a paralyzing toxin, which had slowed their circulation and lowered their body temperature, but they weren't in critical condition.
*'But I can't just tear these off recklessly. A healer is needed.'*
Fine, root-like tendrils had penetrated their bodies and were entangled with their blood vessels, so healing magic was needed at the moment of removal.
Otherwise, their lives could be endangered by excessive bleeding.
But just then, Lee Hyun-wook felt something out of place.
A movement—that is, he felt the movement of metal.
*'As I thought... someone is here.'*
Since he had assumed someone was behind this from the start, it was something he had expected.
He followed the movement of the metal and turned his head. Deep inside the parking garage, he saw a steel door.
It was the entrance to the mechanical room.
Inside, multiple pieces of metal were moving about busily.
Lee Hyun-wook took out another Fly Eye and sent it flying in that direction.
But then...
- You can synchronize with 'Mana Messenger (Intermediate)'.
*'...What?'*
A system message related to Mana Link appeared.
But a Mana Messenger, out of nowhere...
He could only wonder where this Mana Messenger was and what it was referring to.
*'Ah! Could it be the Mana Messenger being used by the person inside?'*
Come to think of it, a Mana Messenger was also a magitech item.
Performing a 'Mana Link' with it... perhaps it meant he could 'eavesdrop.'
*'...If that's true, this is an absolutely ridiculous ability.'*
Mana-based communication was slower and more limited compared to radio wave-based communication.
Thus, it was rarely used unless radio waves were being jammed.
However, it had one overwhelming advantage... it was not easy to eavesdrop on.
*'Eavesdropping on mana communications requires a high-level mage... no, a top-tier mage.'*
It was only possible for a mage Player who was highly specialized in 'Mana Detection' and 'Flow Analysis.'
It was a technique so difficult that even Major Moon Tae-ho, the Wide-Area Magic Controller specialized in that field, wouldn't dare attempt it.
*'But if I can listen in as if I'm hacking it...'*
Lee Hyun-wook slowly approached it.
- 'Mana Link' with 'Mana Messenger (Intermediate)' is initiating.
* Mana Depletion: 1 per second
*'It actually works.'*
- 'Synchronization' with 'Mana Messenger (Intermediate)' is complete.
* Available actions are as follows:
1) Connect Communication
2) Terminate Communication
And soon, he began to hear a conversation.
- Yes, the Hell's Grasp we set up at the entrance was just breached. But we've cast 'Illusion Magic' here, so they won't be able to find us. Yes, the work is in its final stages.
A secretive voice...
This seemed to be the voice of the person inside the mechanical room.
- Right, the work here is also wrapping up. We'll rendezvous at the meeting point in 20 minutes.
This was the voice of the person on the other end of the call.
- Yes, have you heard about the current quest progression?
- Don't worry about that. The master will take care of it... We just need to do what we're told. The 'demon' will be summoned in Seoul soon enough anyway.
- I apologize. I almost overstepped my bounds. I'll focus on mining the 'Shard of Disaster.'
As expected, the content of the call was extremely suspicious.
*'Anyway, a quest...'*
As always, this 'quest' thing wasn't something easily granted.
Especially for a group. A group that would be plotting a conspiracy in Seoul at this very moment...
*'Are the Villains moving faster than I thought...'*
While it wasn't certain yet, he had a gut feeling that a 'variable' had occurred.
*'First... I need to confirm it for sure.'*
Lee Hyun-wook approached the mechanical room and stopped about 10 meters away.
*Clank—*
Using his Metal Control, he opened the door and sent the Fly Eye inside.
*Whirr—*
However, there was no one inside the mechanical room.
No, they were just not visible.
It seemed the 'Illusion Magic' mentioned in the earlier conversation was active.
- ...Someone seems to have approached. I'll call you back.
It seemed they had noticed Lee Hyun-wook's approach.
*'They must have set up a surveillance device at the entrance to the mechanical room.'*
Anyway, the mana communication was cut off...
- ...He's close. Everyone, not a sound.
*'...What, I can still hear them?'*
Surprisingly, even when not in a call, he could hear the surrounding voices through the Mana Messenger's 'speaker.'
It was truly perfect eavesdropping.
- ...Hmm, it's still just one guy. What do you say, should we take care of him quickly?
- No, it looks like there's a crowd outside. If we mess with him, it'll become a headache. Our primary objective is to move stealthily. However... if he gets too close, we might be discovered, so we'll take him out in an instant and hide the body in here.
- Yes, I'll get ready then.
So that's how it is...
Lee Hyun-wook took out an item.
[Item Information]
- Name: Ring of Gyges (Heroic)
- Effect: Upon infusing with mana, grants invisibility for 30 seconds.
This was the item he had obtained after conquering the last Erosion Factor.
Trusting this item, Lee Hyun-wook decided to advance a little further. He walked slowly into the mechanical room.
It wasn't a very large space, and as expected, no one was there.
*'...Right, inside the wall.'*
The movements of five metal objects were being detected from beyond the wall.
- The guy just entered the mechanical room. If he gets any closer, we take him out stealthily.
Lee Hyun-wook pushed a 'Fly Eye' into that wall.
As expected, it passed through the wall naturally. It seemed this wall was an 'Illusion Magic.'
Soon, the scene inside, beyond the wall, unfolded before his eyes.
It was a dark cave, with torches lit on both sides of a passage.
*'This... seems like an event map...'*
There was no way a space like this could exist under an ordinary commercial building.
It was clearly a special 'event map' created for some reason.
*'And it's probably related to their quest.'*
The word 'demon' from the previous conversation bothered Lee Hyun-wook.
If it was the kind of demon he knew... it was by no means a matter to be taken lightly.
*'It's a monster as tricky as a world boss monster.'*
But an unidentified man had said that one was scheduled to be summoned in Seoul.
To get accurate information, he needed to go inside.
He boldly threw himself into the wall, infusing mana into the Ring of Gyges.
- Oh! I think he came inside!
- Crazy bastard. He seems to have good instincts, but no luck!
But...
- Huh? His form... it's vanished without a trace!
- What? What kind of nonsense is that? Uh...
The next moment, the entire group held their breath.
They were on high alert, their five senses sharpened to find the intruder.
However, they couldn't find anything,
and could only hear a single sound.
*Ksssshhhhh—*
From behind them, a strange sound, like something hard sprouting up.