Chapter 65
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Conspiracy, Quest, Demon - 2
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About 30 seconds ago,
Lee Hyun-wook boldly threw himself through the illusion-magic-veiled wall and into the event zone.
Then, he infused mana into the 'Ring of Gyges'.
- The 'Invisibility' magic of the Ring of Gyges is active. (Time remaining: 29 seconds)
Lee Hyun-wook only had 30 seconds, but he wasn't rushed.
First, he simply walked past the two shield-bearers blocking the entrance.
"What? Didn't you say someone just came in?"
"I thought so, but there's no one... Ah! It's invisibility magic!"
They noticed faster than he'd expected.
It was unavoidable since they had seen him enter in the first place.
But Lee Hyun-wook paid them no mind.
'Moving hastily will only create more presence.'
He calmly walked deeper into the cave, examining every part of the 'event map'.
An event map was a supernatural space formed under special circumstances.
Unlike 'dungeons', which existed in a completely different dimension, this was a physical space in reality that had been transformed into something entirely different.
That was how this 'secret cave' had formed in the basement of the shopping center.
'And the opening of an event map is an omen of some incident.'
To grasp the finer details, he began to identify the cave's characteristics.
'Metallic ore terrain, bizarre murals, the smell of sulfur...'
Event maps also had a kind of 'theme'.
And the theme here was...
'...a secret demonic altar.'
Just as he'd overheard in the previous phone call, it was related to 'demons'.
And the various symbols carved in relief on the walls... most of them depicted 'swarms of insects'.
Lee Hyun-wook knew very well the name of the demon they signified.
'Abaddon...'
Abaddon, a demon from the Book of Revelation, was the king of locusts, the bottomless pit itself, and a symbol of the calamity that would bring ruin to the world.
In other words, he could deduce that a quest to summon it in Seoul was underway.
'There was a time when Abaddon and two other demons descended upon Paris, France.'
In Lee Hyun-wook's memory, it was right after the 4th Wave occurred and the Saintess was assassinated.
It was a large-scale offensive timed for the moment the most powerful holy weapon, the Saintess, had disappeared.
'Meaning, they've moved up some pre-arranged plan. I need to find out what's going on.'
He quickly advanced deeper into the cave and soon reached the end of the passage.
Three men were blocking that point.
Two archers, one mage.
He could hear their voices.
"...The guy's probably an assassin-type Player who can use stealth skills, so be careful."
"In that case, he could be approaching with muffled footsteps. Set the floor on fire—"
At those words, the man standing at the very back—the mage—raised his staff,
Fwoooosh—!
Flames poured from the tip of the staff, turning the narrow passage floor into a sea of fire.
It was a plausible countermeasure based on a plausible deduction, but...
"Hmm... doesn't look like anything's there."
"They definitely said someone came in, but where the hell is he?"
The reason it was a futile effort was simple.
Lee Hyun-wook had cast 'Rigidify' on his entire body and used his metal control to levitate and stick to the ceiling.
Just as he was leisurely passing over their heads...
- The magic of the Ring of Gyges is active. (Time remaining: 2 seconds)
Unfortunately, the skill's duration expired.
As Lee Hyun-wook slowly descended behind them, he simultaneously attempted 'Metal Creation' with both hands.
Krrrrk—
The strange sound slowly echoed throughout the cave.
"—Huh?"
The two archer Players, who had keen senses, caught the sound and quickly turned,
but it was too late.
Thunk—! Thunk—! Thunk—!
"—Ghk!"
Black awls plunged into the necks of the three men one after another, killing them instantly.
But with his invisibility gone, he could no longer hide.
"—Who's there!"
A shout erupted from the wide cavern deeper inside the cave.
"There, he's standing over there!"
Lee Hyun-wook cast Rigidify on his face, making it look as if he were wearing an 'iron mask',
and slowly turned, levitating all the arrows scattered on the floor.
Eight people emerged from inside the cavern, a far greater number than he had expected.
Some of them weren't carrying any metal on their bodies, which was why Lee Hyun-wook hadn't detected them.
And with the two he'd passed at the entrance, there were ten in total.
"What are you doing! Surround that bastard!"
At the command of a man with a mustache who appeared to be the leader, nine people began to surround Lee Hyun-wook.
'What, they're foreigners.'
The men looked to be of Hispanic descent.
However, there was no problem with communication.
The system automatically translated conversations between Players.
"Hey, you son of a bitch, who the hell are you?"
The mustached man said, pulling something from his coat.
A mana messenger. It seemed he was trying to send a mana communication somewhere...
"Huh? What the? Why isn't this working, shit!"
For some reason, it didn't seem to be working.
That, of course, was because of Lee Hyun-wook.
Lee Hyun-wook had synchronized with it and was forcing a 'communication termination'.
"Why? Trying to call the police?"
At Lee Hyun-wook's trivial joke, the man put away the mana messenger and glared.
"You, fucker, where the hell did you just crawl out from? And what's with that goddamn mask..."
Lee Hyun-wook had used Rigidify to create a mask to hide his identity.
Now that he was a celebrity, he needed to be as careful as possible about exposing his identity.
"A Korean on Korean soil, and you ask where I crawled out from? That's a question I can't quite understand... You're the ones who seem to have illegally entered our country. You know that illegal entry by a Player is a serious crime, right?"
As Lee Hyun-wook said this and took a step forward, the mustached man scoffed.
"Hey, you're completely surrounded. Don't tell me you're acting tough because you think you can get away?"
Lee Hyun-wook shrugged and slowly looked around.
Inside a cave barely three meters wide, his opponents numbered ten.
Indeed, he was surrounded without any gaps.
However...
'This terrain is full of metal.'
This cave was a metal ore mine.
Meaning, it was a place where a great deal of dungeon iron ore was buried.
"Wake up, you weird-masked yellow monkey bastard! You're completely surrounded!"
"Heh heh heh— You won't be getting out now, even with stealth!"
The men slowly closed in, shouting taunts one by one.
To this, Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"...No, actually, the ones who are surrounded aren't me, but you."
As he said this and slowly raised his hands, mocking laughter erupted from all sides.
"What kind of nonsense is that! Just kill him—"
Just as the mustached man shouted and was about to give the order to attack—
Rumble—rumble—rumble—!
Suddenly, the entire cave began to vibrate.
The men who were charging in reflexively came to a halt.
"Whoa! What's this?"
"...An, an earthquake?"
Lee Hyun-wook reached a hand out above the men's heads.
"No, it's not an earthquake."
"...What?"
"You were in my mouth from the very beginning."
"That crazy bastard, just shoot him—!"
The moment the mustached man's words fell, all sorts of magic flew toward Lee Hyun-wook.
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
Fire, electricity, magic missiles, and more mixed together, creating a strange current.
But when the smoke cleared, they could only stare in horror at the scene revealed.
"What, how..."
Because Lee Hyun-wook was standing tall, completely motionless.
His body had turned hard as metal, and a shimmering blue 'mana shield' crackled all over him.
He had taken damage from the magic attacks, but in the end, the shield hadn't broken.
'Rigidify... if it levels up a few more times, I won't have to rely on Seo Eun-ha anymore.'
Lee Hyun-wook smiled as he looked at them.
"Then it's my turn. I'll chew you up, bones and all—Crush—!"
Craaash—!
With a deafening roar, the ceiling suddenly collapsed, crushing two men under its heavy debris.
The rest hastily retreated and took defensive stances.
But in this narrow cave, there was nowhere to run.
Crack—! Cra-ack—!
The ceiling, walls, and floor cracked, and chunks of rock came pouring down.
"Ugh, damn it, retreat for now!"
As the men backed away, something flew out from within the thick smoke.
Thwip— Thwip— Thwip— Thwip—
'Dungeon iron ore', which had been sharpened through 'Metal Transformation', flew like throwing stars and embedded themselves all over their bodies.
"—Ugh!"
"Damn it! He's throwing something! Protect your vitals!"
But in this narrow cave, there was nowhere to hide.
Lee Hyun-wook positioned a massive number of dungeon iron ore chunks above the men's heads,
'Crush—!'
and detonated them all at once.
Ka-boooom—!
A chain explosion.
As if dynamite had been set off inside a mine, thick white smoke billowed down the passage.
"Aaargh..."
"Guh, ghk— Sa-save..."
When the explosions subsided, all that remained were miserable groans.
Lee Hyun-wook slowly walked into the smoke.
***
Lee Hyun-wook stood at the end of the cave.
In a wide cavern illuminated by a lantern, three 'magitech drills' were placed against one of the walls.
It seemed they had been mining for something here.
"Is this it...?"
Mixed in among the ordinary dungeon iron ore was something that gave off a shimmering purple aura.
Lee Hyun-wook placed his palm on it.
- You do not have the authority to mine the 'Fragment of Disaster (4th Wave)'!
'A Fragment of Disaster...'
Contextually, it felt like some kind of evil power scattered after the end of the 4th Wave.
And it seemed the mechanism was to collect these to resurrect the demon 'Abaddon'.
"...Now, I'll ask one more time."
Lee Hyun-wook said, looking down at the person pinned beneath his foot.
"Ughh..."
It was the leader of this operation, the man with the mustache.
The man's limbs were bound by sharp restraints created through 'Metal Transformation',
and Lee Hyun-wook's own 'special torture technique' had been injected into the man's stomach.
Lee Hyun-wook stepped on the back of his neck and spoke,
"...So, you've been doing this work for two days now?"
"Ye-yes..."
The 'Hands of Hell' that had filled the underground parking lot were prepared for this operation.
They served to empty out the entire shopping center and, at the same time, acted as a kind of guard.
"The only reason to collect that junk would be a quest. What are the details?"
"...I-I don't know."
Lee Hyun-wook sighed and raised his finger, twirling it.
"Gyaaaargh—"
The man's mouth fell open as he trembled violently.
A dozen or so metal fragments inside his stomach had begun to move in an arc.
"Ghk, I-I really d-don't know— I-I'm just a grunt, I don't know anything!"
"Hah... I thought I told you, if you lie, you won't die a clean death..."
Through the mana messenger tap, he had already heard this man ask someone about the quest's progress.
Meaning, even if not in detail, he would know the general gist.
"...Abaddon. You're trying to resurrect it, aren't you?"
When Lee Hyun-wook mentioned the name, a look of bewilderment spread across the man's face.
"Ghk— H-how did you... Right, you-you really are a Guardian—!"
Guardian... Well, from a Villain's perspective, there was nothing else he could have deduced.
"No. The Guardians, those oh-so-great folks, probably don't know a damn thing."
Unfortunately, the noble organization known as the Guardians couldn't even properly tail the Villains.
This was because an insider named Gordon Price had been subtly obstructing their efforts.
'Especially at this time, the individual Guardians were strong, but the group as a whole was far too powerless.'
But at that moment, something appeared before his eyes.
- (!) A quest has arrived.
'A quest?'
[Event Quest]
- Witness to Sprouting Evil, Become the Vanguard of Justice!
You are the first to have witnessed the sinister plot unfolding underground,
and you have succeeded in thwarting their first plan.
If you wish, you may continue to track the root of this evil.
* Do you wish to accept the quest? (Y/N)
'What the...'
Lee Hyun-wook frowned at the suddenly appearing event quest.
No, the mechanism for triggering quests was originally like this.
Touch a hidden 'switch' of some kind, and it would pop up.
It seemed that mentioning or hearing 'Abaddon' was the switch.
'...I have no choice but to accept this.'
Lee Hyun-wook selected 'Y', and the detailed quest information appeared.
[Event Quest]
- Witness to Sprouting Evil, Become the Vanguard of Justice!
1) Stop the resurrection of the demon 'Abaddon'! (In Progress)
2) Eliminate as many 'Demon Worshippers (Players)' as possible! (In Progress)
3) Destroy as many 'Secret Demonic Altars (Event Maps)' as possible! (In Progress)
* Reward: Will be distributed according to performance.
- The event buff 'Demon Chaser' is now active for the player.
1) You can identify the 'dark energy' flowing from Secret Demonic Altars.
2) You gain 'Resistance' to dark-type curses below a certain level.
Lee Hyun-wook slowly reviewed the details.
'This is definitely a crisis I know nothing about. But...'
His mind held the knowledge and experience to overcome any situation,
so a method to break through this unknown crisis began to form, step by step.
'...As expected, if I use this well, I can gain another huge advantage.'
After organizing his thoughts, he took out his phone and made a call.
After a few rings...
- Yes, this is Director Woo Seong-mun.
Woo Seong-mun, Director of the National Gate Response Strategy Office, answered the call.
"Director, it's Lee Hyun-wook."
- Ah, what can I do for you?
"Director, you know where I am right now, don't you?"
- ...
At the sudden question, Woo Seong-mun was at a loss for words.
"I knew you had me tailed."
Lee Hyun-wook knew that two black ops agents had been on his tail since he left for his day off today.
- ...So you noticed. I apologize, but I must say that it's my job.
The purpose must have been to monitor and protect the two new S-rank Players, Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo.
'Well, honestly, I don't care.'
It was an annoyance he had anticipated even before revealing he was S-rank.
"Haha— That's fine. A while ago, you asked me what I thought about working for the country, didn't you?"
Woo Seong-mun was a patriot to the bone, a man who dedicated himself to his country until the moment he died.
Therefore, it was only natural that he didn't hide his intention to bring Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo under the nation's wing.
In other words, he was a man who could be trusted when it came to matters concerning the Republic of Korea.
- Have you perhaps had a change of heart? I am aware that you've started working with Zmeun-narae, but...
"Hmm... Before I go into detail, I'm going to need you to come here."
Those words were an A.M.T sergeant summoning the head of an agency directly under the President—an absurd situation.
'But things are different now.'
His rank and name were now preceded by the grand titles of S-rank Player and Savior of Seoul.
- It would be helpful if you could give me a general idea of what's going on. You must know that I am a busy man.
"Seoul, which we fought so hard to protect... is once again in peril."
It was something Woo Seong-mun could not ignore.
***
Woo Seong-mun arrived just five minutes after the call ended.
Though unseen, he had likely used 'Teleport'.
And he had brought a large number of specialists from various fields with him.
"Director Woo, thank you for coming."
Lee Hyun-wook greeted them at the entrance to the underground parking lot.
"When the nation's security is at stake, of course I have to come."
At Woo Seong-mun's appearance, not only the A.M.T forces, including Lee Tae-kyung, but also,
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo couldn't help but be surprised.
They thought they were just dealing with a somewhat tricky monster, but the situation had escalated immensely.
Lee Hyun-wook led them into the event map.
"Director Woo, it's here. I found it by chance."
"Hmm... Was it really by chance?"
Woo Seong-mun had a suspicious look in his eyes, but Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"Well, when you live on edge, even things you might normally pass by can seem special."
Honestly, finding this place at just the right time could only be described as pure luck.
But on the other hand, if he hadn't known about the 'Hands of Hell', he would have just passed by.
The saying 'seven parts luck, three parts skill' was a perfect fit for the situation.
Lee Hyun-wook briefly explained that there was a conspiracy to resurrect the demon called 'Abaddon'.
Since the existence known as a demon had appeared twice before, Woo Seong-mun quickly understood.
"Good heavens, it's only been a few days since the Wave ended, what is this..."
And knowing the extent of a demon's power, Woo Seong-mun's expression quickly hardened.
They went deep into the event zone and examined the bodies of the assailants.
"Hmm, these men must be connected to the terrorists who threatened Seoul during the Wave."
"Yes, I think so too."
"Hmm, I wonder why they're so bent on devouring Seoul..."
The terrorists who appeared during the Wave—information about them had not yet been made public.
And it was information that shouldn't be made public in the first place.
'Spreading information about the Villains and provoking them will do no good.'
They would only hide deeper and act more violently.
However, he and Woo Seong-mun already shared some knowledge of their existence.
Of course, Woo Seong-mun did not know that their true identity was 'Villains'.
"Director! You need to come see this!"
The one who shouted was Choi Han-na, an A-rank Priest accompanying Woo Seong-mun.
She was observing some kind of scorch mark on the floor in a corner of the cavern.
"This here is a trace of Shadow Link."
Shadow Link, a long-distance travel method that used shadows.
It was a unique skill that allowed one to open a two-way portal by planting a 'mark' in a person's shadow.
In other words, even if only one person infiltrated, they could move a large number of troops.
And there was only one person in the entire world who could use it.
"Meaning... it seems the 'Shadow Baron' has entered Korea."
The Shadow Baron, a 'Red Player' on the international wanted list as one of the worst criminals.
The moment he heard that name, Lee Hyun-wook couldn't help but make a sour face.
'If they've even mobilized the Shadow Baron, this is going to be more annoying than I thought...'
He was an S-rank Player whose detailed abilities were not well known,
a figure who moved elusively around the world, involved in all sorts of crimes.
He was a mercenary who could be hired for the right price, and it seemed he had been hired by these people this time.
"Damn it, so that's why he wasn't caught in our intelligence network..."
Woo Seong-mun said bitterly.
It was proof that there was a massive hole in the national intelligence agency's network.
"But Director, as you know, no country's intelligence agency would be able to catch this. Isn't the reason the Shadow Baron hasn't been caught for the past ten years precisely because of this fraudulent skill?"
Woo Seong-mun nodded at Lee Hyun-wook's words.
"That's right. In other words, whatever they're plotting all over Seoul, it will be difficult to track them. This is a serious problem... It seems we'll have to commit an unimaginable amount of manpower."
If they infiltrated via 'Shadow Link' rather than entering the country through normal channels like the Hispanic foreigners here, their movements would not have been caught by any surveillance network.
But it wasn't as if they could search all of Seoul with a fine-toothed comb,
and even if they did, it was doubtful whether there would be enough time.
But...
"...I can find them."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, everyone looked at him.
"Pardon?"
They all wore expressions of incomprehension.
"I can find the locations where those terrorists are hiding, the 'event maps'."
"...Pardon? How is that possible?"
"Right after the battle with those terrorists ended, I received a 'quest' and a 'buff'. Among them is an ability that allows me to 'track' their locations."
As he explained the details, Woo Seong-mun couldn't hide his surprise.
"In other words, right now, I am the only one who can track those terrorists."
"Ah..."
After the Wave, Seoul had once again fallen into crisis.
But the hero who had ended the Wave and saved Seoul,
was now stepping up to save Seoul once again.
Lee Hyun-wook looked Woo Seong-mun straight in the eye and delivered his master stroke.
"Director Woo, give me the power of the government."
"Hmm, when you say the power of the government, what do you mean...?"
"Information, a team, and even weapons—entrust them all to me."
"Does that mean... you'll be joining the government?"
But Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"I'm afraid not. For now, let's just say I'll be a freelance black ops agent."
It was a truly absurd demand.
Asking for the government's classified information and assets while refusing to be a part of it...
It was a demand for immense special privileges for himself alone.
'Yes, I'm openly demanding special privileges. But he won't be able to refuse.'
Lee Hyun-wook had made the Hope Guild a subsidiary of the Zmeun-narae Guild, forming a close relationship with them. As Zmeun-narae was the top guild in the country, there were many advantages to being close to them.
And after that, he planned to build a close relationship with the government organization, especially the secret intelligence department, Bihyeongrang.
'No matter how strong Zmeun-narae is, the government's intelligence network is a step above.'
Intelligence is a power more important than any other.
Lee Hyun-wook, who had experienced the future once, knew this best.
But he had planned to do this slowly, over some time...
'An opportunity has presented itself like this.'
A crisis is an opportunity.
That saying applied to this situation as well.
Woo Seong-mun had a conflicted expression.
He was a man of conviction. No matter how powerful a guild became, he was a bureaucrat who worked tirelessly to strengthen the government's power, believing that it should never be surpassed by public authority.
Therefore, he wouldn't want the situation to be dictated by a single Player, but...
'This is an exception.'
The nation's security and the lives of its people came before anything else.
In the end, he nodded.
"Very well. As you wish, I will provide full support for this incident."
Lee Hyun-wook smiled brightly and, as if he had been waiting for this, uttered one last sentence.
"And... I'd like access to the <Government Armory No. 1>."
Government Armory No. 1.
It was an armory a cut above the <Government Armory No. 2> that had been opened previously.