Chapter 86
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Alchemy Factory, Blood Magic, Plague - 1
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Lee Hyun-wook, Park Jun-mo, and Yeo Sang-min arrived at the <Kang Jeong-du Item Production & Research Lab> in Singil.
“Uh… It looks like a lot has popped up in just a few days.”
Park Jun-mo remarked as he looked around the research lab. Just as he said, the place that had been just a bare building a few days prior was now outfitted with all sorts of equipment, including barbed wire fences, CCTV cameras, and magic alarms.
This was the result of Lee Hyun-wook asking Park Cheol-su to hire a company specializing in ‘Shelter Consulting.’
“Still, it’s one of the few important facilities in our guild. We have to take security seriously, don’t we?”
“Ah! Yes, you’re right. After all, a lot of rare items are being made here.”
“There’s also a magic barrier installed on the main building over there, so it can serve as a personal ‘shelter’ in an emergency.”
“Gasp! Is it that advanced? Wow…”
A shelter. That’s what had been installed here. Of course, it wasn’t on the level of the massive state-run shelters, but it could withstand attacks from most monsters for at least a few days.
‘In the future, this place, the Kang Jeong-du Research Lab, will become a core of magitech development, along with Laputa.’
That was why he intended to invest generously and raise its security to the highest level.
“…But where is this place?”
The one who asked was Yeo Sang-min.
Having entered Red Hole Village at a very young age, this was his first time leaving the black market or the slums of Incheon and coming into Seoul. His face was a mixture of unfamiliarity and wonder at the whole situation.
“Ah, since you’re here, you might as well get a weapon.”
“…What? Me? My weapon?”
“Yeah, you’re a Player too, so you need to know how to protect yourself.”
Of course, Yeo Sang-min was a non-combat type, so he would rarely have to fight.
But danger could strike anytime, anywhere.
“Do you know how to handle any weapons?”
“Uh… I’ve fired a pistol before. I was a pretty good shot.”
“No, not the kind of weapon you used as a robber. Do you have anything proper?”
“What? A robber? I never robbed anyone! I had my principles.”
“Really? Your friends seemed to do it often enough. I guess they didn’t let you join in?”
“…”
A short while later, the three met Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol in the workshop.
However, the workshop, which had been spacious enough to fit Pridwen, had been transformed into a shooting range.
Sandbags were piled up here and there, and in the distance hung a steel plate target riddled with holes.
“Here, this is the item. Please take a look.”
*Thud*—Kang Jeong-du placed a metal case on the table.
Kang Hee-seol followed behind him, out of breath.
“Sponsor, this thing is insane! It’s seriously like firing a cannon!”
“…You brat, it’s dangerous, so stop making such a fuss in here!”
“Ah! Grandpa! I contributed a bit this time, too! Let me say at least one thing!”
“…”
“Seriously… and I even named this shotgun!”
With Kang Hee-seol’s excited chatter as background music, Kang Jeong-du opened the case.
“I’m not very skilled at adding fancy embellishments, so it may look crude, but its performance is quite good.”
As he said, it was a pump-action shotgun that didn’t look particularly special.
‘Players who are treated like heroes often care about style, as if they’ve become celebrities, but not me.’
Lee Hyun-wook valued performance above all else.
[Item Information]
- Name: Black Rhino (Proficient)
- Effects
1) Subspace Magazine: You can load 30 ‘shells’ into a subspace.
2) Annihilation Spray: Consumes all shells in the subspace magazine to fire them all at once.
‘A <Proficient> grade item. To think he can already create something of this level…’
The Proficient grade was the third rank among crafted items and was said to be on par with the ‘Hero’ grade. However, since crafted items typically aren’t imbued with ‘skills,’ they are usually valued much lower.
But thanks to the Hammer of Hephaestus, this item had not one, but two ‘skills.’
‘In other words, it’s practically Hero grade… no, it’s even better.’
Lee Hyun-wook slowly examined the ‘Black Rhino,’ which Kang Hee-seol had named.
Meanwhile, Kang Jeong-du began explaining its functions from the side.
“It was that component from the bronze giant, what was it called again…”
“Ah—the <Agni Crystal>! Ugh, so frustrating!”
“Right, you brat, I was just about to remember! Yes, it turns out that thing emits an incredible amount of energy. So, we used its power as a sort of propellant to fire the rounds, and its power is, well, fearsome. And if you’re out of ammunition, it can be used as a… single-shot flamethrower.”
So, instead of a ‘propellant,’ it used condensed and released ‘flame magic’ to launch the projectile.
‘On top of that, a subspace magazine…’
A subspace magazine was one of the best options for a firearm-type item.
‘In the future, the French hero Jean de Thurrell, who would be called the greatest magic marksman, attached a subspace magazine and a rapid-fire skill to his anti-materiel sniper rifle and fired it like a heavy machine gun…’
He had seen a scene where Jean de Thurrell, with two of those anti-materiel rifles tucked under his arms, walked forward and fired indiscriminately like Rambo, turning two trolls into pulp and overwhelming even their unique regeneration speed.
“Then, may I test-fire it?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, Kang Jeong-du pointed to one side of the workshop, where an ugly hole was torn through the wall.
“That’s what happened even though we set up a target made of dozens of layered steel plates. And…”
Kang Jeong-du trailed off, gesturing toward someone.
It was a man in his forties, one of the youngest employees at the lab. For some reason, his right shoulder was in a cast. It seemed his shoulder had been dislocated by the recoil during a test firing.
‘Well, it makes sense. Using that insanely powerful crystal as a propellant, it’s no wonder a normal person couldn’t handle it…’
But Lee Hyun-wook would be able to withstand it just fine.
“I’ll be okay.”
The workshop staff quickly set up a new target and stacked sandbags behind it to absorb any shrapnel.
Lee Hyun-wook told everyone to step back, then shouldered the adjustable stock.
*Clack—*
As he pulled the pump on the fore-end, the heavy sound of the bolt swallowing a shell echoed.
The moment he pulled the trigger,
*Woooong—*
A red magic circle appeared on the barrel.
The <Agni Crystal>, a top-tier flame medium, was manifesting its fire magic.
*Fwoosh—!*
In that fleeting moment, an immense heat radiated from the gun, and then,
*Kaa-boom—!*
An ear-splitting explosion followed—the shock sent Lee Hyun-wook stumbling back.
“Damn…”
A curse escaped his lips involuntarily.
The target, about fifty meters away,
The 3cm-thick steel plate was completely shredded, sent flying, and embedded in the distant workshop wall.
“How was that! Amazing, right!”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at Kang Hee-seol’s shout.
It was certainly destructive power for a personal weapon.
But the test wasn’t over yet.
“Hoo…”
It was time for Lee Hyun-wook to test the second skill.
Before that, he added weight to his hardened body to prepare for the impact.
- The ‘Black Rhino’ skill ‘Annihilation Spray’ is ready to use!
Lee Hyun-wook channeled his mana into the barrel.
This time, not one, but five red magic circles appeared.
*Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang—!*
A chain of explosions and impacts followed one after another. Lee Hyun-wook gripped the weapon with all his might.
The remaining rounds in the subspace magazine, fourteen ‘shells,’ were all discharged at once.
Nine pellets per shell, a total of 126 pellets, tore through the air,
*Puh-buh-buh-buh-buh—!*
They literally pulverized a wide area in front of him.
*Fwoooosh—*
A cloud of white dust rose from the aftermath of the strike.
“Whoa, that’s insane…”
Yeo Sang-min muttered from behind him.
“I-I don’t have to use a weapon like that, do I? That’s too scary…”
Lee Hyun-wook carefully set the weapon down. Without Body Hardening, it would have been impossible to use.
‘With this much firepower, a close-range shot could probably take down a troll in one hit.’
Although Lee Hyun-wook’s attack style focused on ‘firepower,’ it relied on ‘volume.’
In other words, it lacked a ‘surefire, powerful single strike.’
The closest thing he had was using ‘Shockwave’ after an attack with Mjolnir.
‘Actually, the legendary item <Gáe Bulg> is in my possession, but…’
There was a good reason why he didn’t bother carrying that item around.
‘That spear is a bit too much for me to handle right now.’
Gáe Bulg had gained fame for taking down a ‘Twin Ogre Champion’ in a single blow.
But a lesser-known fact was that, like Hugin, it came with a significant drawback.
That was why even the Zmeun-narae Guild didn’t use it lightly; it was something of a white elephant.
‘Each thrust consumes life force, so using it now could lead to exhaustion or even death.’
Knowing this, Lee Hyun-wook hadn’t bothered to go to the Zmeun-narae Guild to retrieve it.
‘Good. I can use this shotgun until I’m able to wield that spear someday.’
But the ‘Black Rhino’ wasn’t the only gift prepared for him this time.
“Ah, and my granddaughter improved the aerial deployment device. Would you like to see it?”
“Oh, right! It’s gotten so much better! That’s why I gave it a new name!”
Come to think of it, they had only been calling the item the ‘aerial deployment device’ until now.
A moment later, Kang Hee-seol came over, pulling a cart.
“This is the AD-1!”
On it was a new version of the aerial deployment device. Its appearance hadn’t changed much.
“AD-1? That doesn’t mean Anno Domini 1, does it?”
“No! It means ‘Airdropper Mark 1’!”
“…What, you just said ‘aerial deployment device’ in English?”
“Still, this sounds cooler, don’t you think?”
He didn’t particularly think so, but he decided to respect the creator’s opinion.
In any case, after Kang Hee-seol’s upgrades, it had become lighter and its center of gravity was much better balanced.
“…I adjusted the position of the magic ejection ports to improve the center of gravity. By adjusting the ports, I enhanced the accuracy and projectile speed… Oh, and I mounted two ‘Fly Eyes’ on the top… and also…”
Kang Hee-seol excitedly chattered on about her creation.
“Good, this is definitely better. Can I count on you for continued upgrades?”
“Yes! Absolutely!”
At the praise, Kang Hee-seol clenched her fists, her motivation flaring.
‘She’s doing well now, but soon, the dwarves will appear and dramatically enhance her abilities.’
Lee Hyun-wook loaded twelve of these ‘AD-1s’ into Pridwen’s cargo hold and then transformed them into a ‘shield.’
This way, he could store countless items within a single small shield.
Then, he ‘imprinted’ that onto his right wrist.
In essence, he had used multiple subspaces to equip an enormous number of weapons onto his body.
Now, with a little exaggeration, he was becoming a walking aircraft carrier.
***
The next evening, Lee Hyun-wook sat across from Woo Seong-mun in an office.
And finally, he revealed to Woo Seong-mun that he was the ‘Administrator of Laputa.’
“…”
However, despite Lee Hyun-wook’s shocking declaration, Woo Seong-mun didn’t seem very surprised.
“I knew it… To be honest, I had my suspicions.”
He just let out a hollow laugh, a hint of disappointment on his face.
“But why did you hide it for so long? Was it because you didn’t trust me?”
“No, it’s not that… The truth is, I only recently became aware of this ability.”
Lee Hyun-wook offered a vague excuse, but the real reason he had hidden it was clear.
He had been waiting until he was in a position to completely monopolize this ‘authority.’
If he had revealed the existence of this ‘master key to an ancient heritage’ as soon as he obtained it…
‘I could have been pushed around from the end of the 4th Wave until now.’
But not anymore.
“Actually, I was waiting for you to reveal it yourself someday… but we recently received intelligence that a rumor was spreading about a certain Chinese guild obtaining Laputa’s key. I was about to ask you about it again when you happened to tell me. I’m glad I waited patiently.”
Woo Seong-mun said, as if letting out a complaint.
But one word in his statement was bothersome.
“…Laputa’s key? What do you mean by that?”
“It’s just a rumor for now, but the source and spread of that rumor are somewhat suspicious. It seems someone is intentionally trying to spread it for some reason.”
Lee Hyun-wook fell into thought for a moment.
‘A key… Do they know that the Administrator’s authority is the key?’
Of course, it could just be a figurative expression that had turned into a baseless rumor.
‘But it’s certain that the Villains will never give up on Laputa.’
With the Taesan Guild, their forward base on this land, neutralized, it was only natural that the closest and most powerful force, the Chinese side, would be plotting something. Lee Hyun-wook had already anticipated this sequence of events.
‘And especially over there, the Villains have already taken control of the Public Security Bureau. By now, it’s completely fallen to them.’
There was no way that Amseong, the private organization within China’s most powerful force, the Ministry of Public Security, would sit still.
Knowing all this, Lee Hyun-wook could guess the flow of events from just these fragmented pieces of information.
‘Soon, they will inevitably make a move.’
He needed to prepare and wait for that moment.
“…Director, I’d like you to keep a close watch on that.”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s request, Woo Seong-mun’s eyes lit up.
“Hmm, is there something that concerns you?”
“I’m not sure. But countless people are coveting Laputa, and someone is bound to make a move eventually. I feel we need to detect such movements in advance.”
Woo Seong-mun nodded.
“That certainly makes sense. Understood. I was already keeping an eye on it anyway.”
Until they rooted out the terrorists who had targeted this land, they couldn’t let their guard down, Woo Seong-mun thought.
And so, a new department called the ‘New City Planning Department’ was established within the Special Secret Police Bureau.
With Lee Hyun-wook as its head, the department would lead the ‘development’ of Laputa.
Lee Hyun-wook first took ten ‘Analyst’ Players to explore various parts of Laputa.
It was a process of mapping the massive facility and figuring out how to utilize it.
Meanwhile, he set another impending event as a ‘key objective.’
‘A major incident is approaching.’
A huge incident was about to erupt at an ‘Alchemy Research Center’ in eastern Seoul.
***
A week passed.
Lee Hyun-wook was sitting across from Kim Se-hee in the Hope Guild office.
Her expression was far from pleased.
“Team Leader Kim, don’t be disappointed.”
“…Who said I’m disappointed?”
“You did well enough. What’s important is that you completed the raid without anyone getting hurt.”
Yesterday, the second joint raid, as contracted with Yoo Hae-na, had taken place.
This time, Kim Se-hee had served as the raid leader, commanding 22 guild members.
However… the result of the raid was that the Hope Guild’s contribution was a mere 17%.
She seemed to be surprisingly competitive, unable to suppress her frustration.
“They probably deployed excessive firepower because of what happened last time.”
“That’s true, but in the end… it means I’m still lacking. Unlike a certain someone.”
“Well, you’ve only just taken your first step, right? Would you like to use the Laputa Hyper-realistic Training Ground?”
She nodded as if she had been waiting for the offer.
“Yes, please. And… can I stay there for a while?”
A fire seemed to spark in her eyes.
‘Right, you need a catalyst to grow quickly.’
Knowing her potential, he always welcomed this kind of competitive spirit.
That day, he brought Soiler, who had been in Red Hole Village, to Laputa.
“—I-Incredible!”
The moment Pridwen made an emergency return to Laputa, Soiler, despite his small stature, leaped impressively high into the air.
And all the way to the Order Tower with Lee Hyun-wook, he kept muttering the word ‘incredible.’
“So… y-y-you’re telling me that the settlement you mentioned… is this place?”
He looked down from the Order Tower at the ‘upper urban area’ of Laputa, his jaw agape.
“Yes, that’s right. Do you like it?”
“Th-this is Laputa, isn’t it! My goodness, to think I’d come here in person—!”
As expected of a dwarf who admired Gnome technology, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize the masterpiece that was Laputa.
He followed the glass wall of the Order Tower, circling the circular structure like a hamster on a wheel.
He couldn’t stop marveling at the sight, as if he’d stumbled upon a mythical paradise.
“Th-then our clan will get to live in a place like… like that?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Gasp—our entire clan has been hiding in a damp cave, and now such a blessing…”
Just then…
- (!) The quest details have been updated.
[Hidden Quest]
- Encounter with a Dimensional Traveler - 3
You have designated a settlement for the Gray Mountain Dwarves.
They are scheduled to appear through a ‘rift’ in 8 days.
Prepare for an unforeseen ‘accident’ at that moment.
* Quest Reward: Varies based on performance.
‘Good, it’s proceeding smoothly.’
It was a three-stage chain quest. Successfully completing it would surely bring a substantial reward.
“In 8 days, I’ll be able to open a dimensional gate here and bring my clan over!”
“Yes, but how many are in your clan, by the way?”
“Hmm… we were scattered after various incidents, and now there are only 415 of us left…”
While it was a tragic story from Soiler’s perspective, it was the perfect number for Lee Hyun-wook.
If too many came at once, managing them would become overwhelming.
‘There will be an event later where more Gray Dwarves join.’
Meanwhile, he needed to find out what the ‘accident’ mentioned in the quest description was.
“And last time, there was that crow… Is there anything we need to prepare for in advance?”
At that, Soiler’s expression darkened.
“Yes, the wyverns… those beasts have taken over our skies.”
“Does that mean they might interfere with the migration in 8 days?”
Soiler nodded.
“I’m afraid that’s highly likely… The dimensional gate can only be opened at the peak of our mountain, and I’m worried those beasts will attack at that very moment… I hope that doesn’t happen.”
Wyverns, flying monsters that could be considered a lesser version of dragons.
And most threateningly, they moved in packs.
‘Right, for an important event like this, it’s plausible that monsters of that level would appear.’
It seemed there would be a combat event during the first migration, so he had to prepare a response.
‘But for now, it’s time to focus on something else.’
The time had come to face a momentous event he had been preparing for over the past week.
***
Lee Hyun-wook had the news channel on, waiting for a certain incident to begin.
Soon enough…
- …This is a news bulletin! An unexplained fire has broken out at an alchemy research complex in Gangdong-gu, Seoul. Authorities have just announced that 10 minutes ago, they received a report of a murder at the fire’s location and have dispatched officers to the scene. The police believe the fire and the phone call are related…
‘…It’s begun.’
In his past life, while the country was already in chaos due to the encroaching waves, another major incident had erupted there. It was literally one disaster after another, shaking the nation to its very core.
Even though the future had been changed by Lee Hyun-wook, this incident had still occurred.
‘The situation is better now than it was back then, but it’ll still be an unstoppable problem.’
- …According to the police’s on-site investigation, the area is covered in an unidentified toxic gas. Player forensics teams have arrived and are beginning their investigation…
Lee Hyun-wook knew what kind of hellscape that site would become.
Blood magic, researched under the guise of alchemy…
Countless ‘test subjects’ born from it would flood the surface.
‘Back then, an immense force was deployed to somehow stop them from getting out.’
But they failed to stop the overwhelming tide and were eventually breached.
Thus, those things crawled onto the surface and spread a terrible ‘plague.’
Namyangju, Hanam, and other areas in the eastern metropolitan region were locked down, and a ‘Priest Mobilization Order’ was issued.
‘The estimated death toll from that incident reached 200,000…’
The monster attacks were one thing, but the accompanying ‘plague’ was the real problem.
It spread inside the shelters, causing countless civilian casualties.
But now, the outcome was going to be quite different.
Lee Hyun-wook stood up from his seat.
“I just have to block them from ever getting out in the first place.”
His hands now held overwhelming firepower.
If he blocked the passage and unleashed his power, it was a disaster he could certainly prevent.
“And I will obtain the legendary consumable item hidden below… the Nectar.”