Chapter 78
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: Magical Engineering City, Laputa - 2
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“So, are we to understand you’re just abandoning our squad now?”
Ahn Min-tae grumbled at Lee Hyun-wook, who was tightening the laces on his combat boots. He seemed displeased that Hyun-wook was constantly out and about these days.
“Not at all. It’s not abandonment, it’s a changing of the guard.”
“Huh? Sir?”
“Squad Leader Ahn Min-tae, the time has come for you to take responsibility.”
As Lee Hyun-wook hyped him up like that, the corners of Ahn Min-tae’s mouth began to twitch.
“Haha—oh, come on. Not yet.”
In reality, Ahn Min-tae’s level was now among the highest in the battalion, and he was set to play a significant role in this unit going forward.
Surprisingly, he was also demonstrating a subtle competence, so if he continued to grow, he could become an unexpected ally.
“Well… I mean, I have been filling Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook’s shoes quite well, but I’m just saying it’s a bit disappointing how much you’ve been straying lately.”
Lee Hyun-wook tapped Ahn Min-tae’s shoulder, on his squad leader’s insignia.
“I’m sorry about that, but in any case, I’m heading out because I trust you.”
“Yes, sir! Don’t you worry about a thing… Yes, be safe out there.”
Right, the time had finally come to leave the military base for good.
He had a packed schedule of outside appointments for today alone.
And one of them was a task requested by Woo Seong-mun.
‘Well, I have to earn my keep for receiving Hugin…’
That’s right. Today, he had agreed to help the Special Secret Police Bureau.
Lee Hyun-wook reported his departure to the administration office and left.
Just then, someone approached from the end of the hall, waving.
“—Whoa, look who it is! If it isn’t the Savior of Seoul!”
It was Choi Young-jun, approaching with such a fuss.
He pushed up his glasses and scanned Lee Hyun-wook from head to toe.
…He had the look of someone who had discovered something fascinating.
“Ah, Sergeant Choi Young-jun, it’s been a while.”
“I know, right? The Savior of Seoul is a busy man, after all…”
“Haha…”
At this point in time, the two of them weren’t particularly close.
Which meant that if he was approaching like this, there had to be a reason.
“By the way, Hyun-wook, there’s something I wanted to ask you…”
Just as I thought…
“That, uh, rumor about the ‘Sword Saint Beater,’ is it true?”
“Ah… that’s an exaggeration.”
Lee Hyun-wook wore a sheepish expression.
‘Damn it, how did that get out…’
Sword Saint Beater…
But in truth, that word should never have spread. Everything that happened at the Great Hallow on Mount Bugak was strictly confidential.
‘Honestly, that White Tree Guard…’
There was no way government agents would blab about a classified operation, so the rumor had likely leaked from their side.
And for Choi Young-jun, who had a burning passion for the ‘sword’, such a rumor must have been incredibly distracting.
“But what’s this? Don’t tell me you’re going on leave again today?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“Ah—that’s a shame. I was going to ask you to train with me…”
Choi Young-jun looked genuinely disappointed.
He had a somewhat immature, boyish feel to him now, but in the future, he would possess the qualities of a seasoned hero…
‘Did I steal Choi Young-jun’s chance to grow…?’
The 4th Wave was a crucial event for Choi Young-jun’s development.
But thanks to Lee Hyun-wook’s actions, it had been completely nullified.
‘…But this isn’t the time to be thinking about things like that.’
Lee Hyun-wook wasn’t particularly concerned that the future was changing because of him, or that someone’s destiny might be altered. By monopolizing all the fortuitous encounters and experiences, a good number of heroes might disappear, but…
‘And in the end, none of them managed to protect the world.’
Ultimately, it was a job that only Lee Hyun-wook could do.
‘And Choi Young-jun is a true genius. He’ll grow into a hero one way or another, and I can just help him then.’
Choi Young-jun had said that Lee Hyun-wook was a greater genius than himself.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn’t agree with that.
At least when it came to the sword, he couldn’t match Choi Young-jun’s senses.
‘Speaking of which, the internet must be in an uproar again, huh?’
On the way out of the base in the car Woo Seong-mun had sent, Lee Hyun-wook looked up articles related to himself on his smartphone.
- Rumors of Lee Hyun-wook’s new title, ‘Sword Saint Beater’? The Hidden Truth? Lee Hyun-wook himself remains silent, maintaining his mystique…
- Revenge for the late Guk Pyo-seong? Lee Hyun-wook rumored to have beaten Okita Kaito, the Sword Saint Slayer. Just how much of the rumor is true?
“Hah…”
This issue was spreading like wildfire across the globe.
‘I’d better watch my back…’
With such a humiliating story circulating, Okita Kaito’s pride must have been crushed; he was probably grinding his teeth in frustration.
Of course, Hyun-wook had already confiscated a few of those teeth…
- Savior of Seoul Lee Hyun-wook defeats the Sword Saint Slayer? Domestic swordsmanship-class Players unanimously refute, “It’s absurd!”…
And as expected, people who didn’t believe in Lee Hyun-wook’s feat had appeared, with Han Hee-yoon, the disciple of the former Sword Saint Guk Pyo-seong, at the center.
She had publicly declared that she would avenge her master, and last night, she had taken to social media to criticize the rumors about Lee Hyun-wook.
- Seriously, I tried to let it slide, but these rumors are getting out of hand lol. It’s a fact that Lee Hyun-wook is the hero who saved Seoul, but beating Okita Kaito? lol Bullshit. This kind of talk is just going to get him hate, you guys lol.
- I can’t stand watching you all get high on that damn Steel Rain you’ve never even seen and worship him with all your baseless theories hehe. Why not just call him the Dragon Slayer while you’re at it?
- Anyway, Okita Kaito will die by my sword soon ^^
‘…Well, to be honest, it’s understandable why they’d think that.’
For Players with sword-related abilities, the idea that Lee Hyun-wook, a Control-type, had defeated Okita Kaito in a head-on fight would be unacceptable, and on some level, it would hurt their pride.
Lee Hyun-wook checked the comments on the post.
As expected, it was a complete mess.
‘Hmm, hardcore Steel Fanatics… What’s this now?’
Steel Fanatics… That was the term for Lee Hyun-wook’s die-hard fans.
Just as Lee Jeong-jun had said yesterday, Lee Hyun-wook had a substantial fanbase online. And where there are fans, there are haters. A warzone had erupted in the comments of that post, with both sides tearing into each other.
‘Still, this kind of public opinion will be helpful someday.’
He had stepped out of the shadows and into the light. And one day, the time would come when he would have to step forward, announce the existence of Villains, and confront them.
At that moment, this public image would be a great source of strength.
***
Lee Hyun-wook used Hugin to finish his surveillance of the Taesan Guild’s facilities. However, he couldn’t find any particular issues.
But since it was necessary to conduct such detailed surveillance periodically, he was scheduled to be mobilized once or twice a week.
‘It’s a pain, but it’s something I have to do for a while.’
Afterward, Lee Hyun-wook headed to the Hope Guild office in Singil.
He found Park Jun-mo already there at the guild office.
“Ah! You’re here!”
“…Hmm? Park Jun-mo, why are you here so early?”
“Haha—well, I didn’t have anything else to do, so I came straight here after seeing my grandmother.”
Park Jun-mo had taken an eight-day, seven-night leave, but he had come because Lee Hyun-wook had asked him to spare just one day.
“Right, is your grandmother doing well?”
“Yes! I had the boiler and windows all replaced this time. Hehe—”
The dutiful grandson had apparently used all his reward points, converted them to cash, and had his grandmother’s old house completely renovated during his leave.
“Um, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook…”
“Yeah?”
“So, what is it this time that you called for me…”
Park Jun-mo’s expression was somewhat shadowed as he asked.
“Hmm… you don’t look too thrilled that I called you?”
“Oh, no, of course not! You’re my benefactor…”
Still, a major incident had erupted every single time he was with Lee Hyun-wook.
It was only natural that he would feel a reflexive sense of anxiety.
“Don’t worry, nothing much will happen this time. Let’s go somewhere first.”
“Ah, yes!”
A few days ago, Kang Jeong-du’s workshop had finished moving to a location near the Hope Guild office. It was about a five-minute walk from here, and Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo headed there.
“Aigoo, you’ve arrived! Haha—”
Kang Jeong-du’s face was exceptionally bright as he greeted Lee Hyun-wook.
“Sir, no, I should call you Director now.”
“Haha, don’t mention it! This is all thanks to you, President Lee!”
<Kang Jeong-du Item Production & Research Lab>
Such a sign was hanging prominently on the third floor of the building. The place was originally a logistics warehouse, so the facility was more than spacious.
Along with the expansion and relocation, he had also hired six new employees—blacksmiths who, like Kang Jeong-du, had fallen out of favor with the Blacksmiths Guild and were getting the cold shoulder.
“Haha, by the way, I brought quite a bit of work for you yesterday, didn’t I?”
Lee Hyun-wook said, turning his head.
Two trailers were filled with fragments of all sorts of machine monsters brought back from the hidden stage, the ‘Gnome Ruins’.
As items containing the condensed technology of gnomes, they would be of great help in developing the ‘Magical Engineering Research’ skill in the future.
“Not at all. To us, they’re as precious as jewels!”
“So, are they useful materials for your work?”
“Yes, they’re practically textbook-level! We’re examining them meticulously!”
At this time, such samples were rare and difficult to obtain.
“Ah, and this, please try using it.”
Lee Hyun-wook handed him the Hammer of Hephaestus—no, the item still named ‘Hammer with a Mysterious Power’.
“Oh…”
However, Kang Jeong-du, who took it, wasn’t particularly surprised. At first glance, its performance seemed rather poor.
But after swinging it a few times, he would realize it was a ‘potential item’.
‘I’m already looking forward to the items that hammer will create. It might even be possible to enchant each and every steel bead with various kinds of magic…’
The reason crafted items were undervalued compared to regular items was that it was incredibly difficult to grant them ‘skills’.
But using the Hammer of Hephaestus would grant crafted items an appropriate skill at a certain probability.
‘In other words, it’s an item that could bring about a paradigm shift in the item market.’
Just then, someone approached from behind Lee Hyun-wook.
“Excuse me, President Lee Hyun-wook, it’s pretty hard to get a look at your face, isn’t it?”
The voice belonged to Kim Se-hee.
But she was dressed in a denim jacket and, for some reason, was even wearing makeup.
“Sergeant Kim, what are you doing here? Are you on your terminal leave?”
At his question, her face scrunched up.
“What did you say? What do you mean, what am I doing here? I’ve been discharged and I’m here to work! Right now, I’m here to pick up the item I ordered.”
“Ah… you were discharged? Ah…”
Come to think of it, Kim Se-hee’s discharge date was two days ago…
“Wow, you sweet-talked me into joining the guild after my discharge, and now that you’re the boss, you don’t even care about this stuff? My first impression of this guild is pretty bad.”
“Ah, well, and the president isn’t me, it’s Cheol-su…”
“President Park told me he’s basically just a figurehead president. Don’t try to dodge responsibility. Who was it that shoved the contract in my face?”
“Hmph, why is he spouting such nonsense…”
“Besides, anyone would think you were discharged before me. Already clearing dungeons and appearing on the news and everything?”
“Haha…”
Following Park Mu-han’s interview last night and the subsequent spread of the ‘Sword Saint Beater’ rumor, Lee Hyun-wook was once again in the spotlight.
“Ah, Sergeant Kim—I mean, Team Leader Kim, perfect timing. Are you free today and tomorrow?”
Kim Se-hee tilted her head at Lee Hyun-wook’s words.
“…Um, why?”
“There’s a place I need you to go with me. It’s part of your work.”
Kim Se-hee wore a reluctant expression at his question. Like Park Jun-mo, she seemed to be feeling an unexplainable sense of unease.
“Um, where… But just the two of us?”
“No. There’s one more.”
Lee Hyun-wook pointed at Park Jun-mo.
Kim Se-hee’s brow furrowed.
“Ah… this feels ominous again…”
An hour later, Lee Hyun-wook led the two of them to a large sandwich panel warehouse attached to one side of the research lab.
It was originally a place for storing things like trailers, so it was quite large, but right now it was completely empty.
“…Don’t tell me this warehouse is the place you wanted to go?”
“You’re half right. We’re going to go through here, without anyone knowing.”
“What? What on earth does that mean again…”
Lee Hyun-wook took out ‘Prydwen’, which he had inscribed on his right hand.
“…Why the sudden shield?”
“Ooh… that looks amazing! Is it a Hero-grade item?”
No, it was a Legendary-grade item.
But Lee Hyun-wook simply placed it in the middle of the warehouse without answering.
“Alright, everyone, step back.”
Lee Hyun-wook once again gauged the size of the warehouse.
‘A small airship can definitely be summoned in here.’
Lee Hyun-wook infused mana into the shield, Prydwen.
Wooooo—
The surface of the shield began to glow, turning a pure white as if it were heating up, and a thick aura of light spread out in all directions.
Vwoom—!
The next moment, his vision was filled entirely with white light.
It was a scene as if the shield’s volume was expanding by thousands of times—
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo unconsciously took a step back.
“Wh-what is this!”
Soon, as the light subsided…
“Gasp!”
A massive object had appeared in its place.
“—A-a submarine?”
Yes, at a glance, it looked like one.
A long, oval-shaped white body, about 20 meters long and 3 meters high… Along its streamlined, gentle curves, eight wings were embossed on its surface, as if embracing it.
And this massive object was floating about a meter off the ground, like a maglev train.
- Prydwen has switched to ‘Airship’ mode.
“An… air, airship…”
Kim Se-hee muttered, as if she had realized what it was.
“Where on earth did you get this?”
Kim Se-hee found herself questioning this man, Lee Hyun-wook, all over again. He kept showing her astonishing things that defied common sense, leaving her no time to get used to it.
Lee Hyun-wook approached it without a word.
‘Prydwen, this is the first time I’m seeing it in person too.’
He placed his palm on its surface.
Then, a door opened at the front of the hull, and a staircase descended.
Clank— Pssshhh—
“Alright, get in.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, the two just stood there dumbfounded.
“You can’t be surprised yet. The real show is yet to come.”
Lee Hyun-wook said as he stepped inside Prydwen.
Its interior was comparable in size to a small submarine.
However, since it moved by magic, the ‘magic circuits’ drawn on its surface replaced all sorts of equipment, eliminating the need for an engine room or piping.
In other words, it had a much more efficient use of space.
Lee Hyun-wook postponed his sightseeing and went to the bridge, taking hold of Prydwen’s controls.
Although it was an object made with gnome technology, the bridge surprisingly resembled the cockpit of a normal airplane.
“…Do you know how to fly this thing?”
“To be honest… this is my first time on board too.”
“But you’re not… actually going to try and fly it, are you?”
At that, Lee Hyun-wook smirked.
“Team Leader Kim, you still don’t trust in magic.”
“…What?”
This didn’t need to be piloted by Lee Hyun-wook himself.
He brought up the Laputa Master Authority list before his eyes.
[Laputa: Master Authority]
1) Emergency Return: Return to Laputa’s ‘Order Tower’.
* ‘Prydwen’ is required to use this function. (Cooldown: 24 hours)
“Emergency Return—”
As his command was given…
Wooooo—!
The entire Prydwen vibrated, and an aura of light enveloped the whole vessel. Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo, startled, grabbed onto anything they could.
“Ah!”
Vwoom—
In an instant, the scenery before them changed.
Whooosh—
The view of the stuffy warehouse was replaced by a clear blue sky.
The dramatic change was a surreal sensation, making them feel as if they were dreaming.
“Wh-what! Where are we now!”
“We’re in the skies of Seoul.”
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo clung to a window and looked outside.
A deep blue sky—
Their gazes slowly tilted downwards.
“La-Laputa—!”
The floating city of Seoul, which they had always had to look up at, was now spread out beneath their feet.
In other words, they were now above Laputa.
Lee Hyun-wook also came up behind them and looked down at Laputa.
“Well then, welcome to our guild’s secret base.”
It was the power granted to the Savior of Seoul, the ability to look down upon the city.