Chapter 89
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 89
Chapter Title: The Savior of Seoul
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The nation's top alchemy research complex, situated on the banks of the Han River in Gangdong District.
Reporters had gathered around it. Given the gravity of the situation, a no-access order had been issued for the scene, and entry to nearby high-rise buildings was restricted, but they had managed to secure their spots one way or another.
"Hey, Kim, don't you think this is more than just a simple incident? I get the feeling a conspiracy is brewing in there.”
"Right? I'm getting that vibe too. Why else would they occupy a research facility of all places?"
However, several hours passed with no further developments.
The police authorities merely repeated that they were "in negotiations."
Just as the situation seemed to have stagnated...
"—Hey! Look over there!"
Around the hostage scene, the concealed forces of the 999th Special Mission Battalion finally commenced their suppression operation.
The operation appeared to be a success, as hundreds of hostages began to file out of the building.
But an unexpected name emerged from their lips.
"S-Sir! They're saying all the terrorists were killed, and... it was Lee Hyun-wook who did it!"
According to them, Lee Hyun-wook had subdued the terrorists.
"—What? Lee Hyun-wook again? W-Wait, but why is he here?"
A hero more famous than anyone today, yet one who had never once revealed his exploits.
The moment the world learned he had been secretly deployed for this operation.
And so...
[Breaking News] Evidence of 'Savior of Seoul' Lee Hyun-wook's deployment at Gangdong hostage situation (1st Report)
[Breaking News] Rescued Gangdong hostages say, "Lee Hyun-wook appeared and saved us."
[Breaking News] Terrorists' weapons neutralized before 'The Steel Controller' Lee Hyun-wook (1st Report)
The world once again brought his name to the surface for discussion.
"Phew... I wish he'd just show himself properly this time so we can stop writing these speculative articles."
In truth, for reporters, Lee Hyun-wook was a double-edged sword. They couldn't ignore the buzz he generated, yet because he never revealed his true self, they had to rely on 'assumptions' when writing articles.
"But wouldn't a bigger incident have to break out for that to happen? It looks like things are wrapping up now, doesn't it?"
"Ah, you're right... I guess we won't get to see the guy in action this time either..."
It was then.
*Thud— Thud— Thud— Thud—*
"Huh? What's this?"
From below their feet, somewhere underground, a loud roar echoed as the ground shook violently.
Soon after, Building B of the research facility, the epicenter of the incident, began to collapse.
*Rumble—rumble—rumble—rumble—*
"Whoa! W-What the!"
"The building's coming down! Everyone, get back!"
Amid the rather sudden turn of events, they couldn't help but forget the issue of Lee Hyun-wook.
***
A short while later, a man stood before a broadcast camera.
"Yes, this is reporter Lee Jeong-hoon, live from the scene of the KAC hostage crisis!"
Lee Jeong-hoon was a reporter from the MBS news department specializing in Players.
Behind him, the half-collapsed Building B of the research facility was visible.
"...Behind me, you can see the research building that has collapsed due to a shock of unknown origin."
Soon, the dust that had billowed up from the collapse began to thin, revealing a massive pit.
And from within, a desperate, wailing cry flowed out, which the broadcast microphone picked up.
*Keeeeeeaaaaah—!*
A tangle of bizarre voices... it was as if the black pit itself was screaming.
"......."
On screen, the expression of Lee Jeong-hoon, who was holding the microphone, hardened in real-time.
"Uh, right now, a strange sound is... from the hole at the c-collapse site... from inside..."
For some reason, his tongue kept getting twisted.
*What the hell is this!*
His subconscious was screaming at him to get away from this place immediately.
But he forcibly pushed down the impulse and opened his mouth again.
"I-It seems... s-something... and a lot of it... is about to pour out."
As he spoke, the broadcast switched to a drone camera in the sky, closing up on the inside of the pit.
In that moment, not only Lee Jeong-hoon but also the anchors in the studio were rendered speechless.
"......."
A sinkhole dozens of meters deep, its interior densely dotted with red glints of light like a crimson nebula.
Unidentified monsters with human torsos and reptilian tails were crawling up the inner walls of the pit, covering them completely. There were at least several hundred, no, several thousand of them...
It was a grotesque and repulsive scene, like shoving a micro-camera into a termite mound.
Or perhaps, it was a glimpse of hell on the verge of overflowing.
*Keeeeeeaaaaah—Keeeeeeaaaaah—*
Next, the urgent shouts of government agents were caught by the broadcast microphone.
"Evacuate this area immediately! A wide-area curse debuff is about to spread!"
Then, military transport planes flew in, and the sky rumbled and vibrated.
Even the reporters who had stubbornly held their ground began to scatter in a hurry.
"W-We will move to a safe location and continue to bring you updates on the situation!"
Even as Lee Jeong-hoon moved, the drone camera remained fixed on the sinkhole.
It was then.
The camera captured a rather strange sight.
Someone was standing steadfast in front of the pit from which the monsters—the ghouls—were crawling out.
"...Huh?"
Lee Jeong-hoon also saw the scene and provided a voice-over.
"Hey! Look over there! Someone is standing right in front of the pit!"
As a reporter, Lee Jeong-hoon recognized the person's identity in an instant.
"G-Good heavens! It's the Savior of Seoul, Lee Hyun-wook! He's blocking the mouth of the hole!"
Only then did he remember that Lee Hyun-wook was at this scene.
"And he's standing alone! Is he really planning to stop those monsters by himself?"
This scene alone was a huge scoop, but the scenes that followed were one astonishing spectacle after another.
*Whaaaaaaaaaam—!*
A massive white object appeared above his head like magic, with a flash.
A long, oval-shaped white body, a smooth, streamlined curve, adorned with four wings... it was an airship.
"Gasp! It's an a-airship! It might be a new, previously unknown airship!"
It was the first appearance of the fourth item-type airship, of which only three were known to exist in the world.
*Whaaaaaaaaaam—*
Next, its rear opened, and black 'cubes' began to fly out in a line.
The mana circuits on the surfaces of the 'cubes' glowed faintly as they arranged themselves behind Lee Hyun-wook.
"He's starting something now! It's certain that he intends to hold back those monsters!"
A lone man standing against a horde of monsters pouring out of a black hole.
And the mechanical devices, the cubes, lined up behind him.
The sight of them glinting as they reflected the sunlight was even somewhat elegant.
*This shot right now is absolutely incredible! If the outcome is good, this is a picture that will go down in history!*
Lee Jeong-hoon, a Player-specialist reporter with seven years of experience, understood the immense significance this scene held.
*Yes... this is the moment a hero who has been honing his skills in the shadows finally makes his true debut.*
Soon, Lee Hyun-wook made his historic first move by raising his left hand.
*Th-th-th-th-th-thump—!*
Something dropped from the bottom of the cubic flying objects, beginning to slam into the ground.
They were shaped like flags, with a huge leaf attached to the end of a long pole.
The leaves began to emit a green aura.
- <Domain of the Divine Tree> is applied to this area.
* All 'Dark-type' monsters are weakened. (-15%)
* All 'Holy-type' damage is increased. (+20%)
This was a type of 'relic' made from the leaves of the World Tree.
Things generally called relics were semi-permanent 'objects' whose creation, installation, and preservation processes were quite complicated. But this <Domain of the Divine Tree> was a relic in the form of a 'consumable item.'
Simply put, it was very easy to install, but its effect was 'temporary.'
"He 'deploys' something with a calmness as if he had been waiting for these monsters!"
Lee Jeong-hoon, his voice having regained its stability, continued his on-site commentary.
"As of now, we don't know why he has stepped forward alone, or why no one is helping him."
While everyone here was panicking and at a loss in the face of this situation,
Lee Hyun-wook was responding with a slight gesture of his hand, his expression unchanging.
And finally, the first wave of the ghoul horde crawled out of the pit.
*Keeeeeeaaaaah—!*
Their repulsive forms were fully captured on camera.
Just then—
The cubes formed a hemispherical formation as if to surround the pit, and long 'barrels' protruded from the center of their bodies. The moment Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand, the 'barrels' spewed out metal projectiles.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!*
An impenetrable barrage formed by the simultaneous fire.
The vanguard, dozens of ghouls, were caught in it.
*Splat—splat—splat—splat—splat—splat—*
Their bodies were torn to shreds and scattered everywhere.
"L-Look! Lee Hyun-wook's skill has landed perfectly! The monsters are all going down!"
However, black smoke began to rise from their corpses.
"Huh, a strange phenomenon is occurring!"
*Fwoooosh—*
- Warning! 'Demon's Breath' is spreading in this area.
The unsettling smoke enveloped Lee Hyun-wook's entire body, but he paid it no mind.
The same was true for the ghouls.
*Keeeeeeaaaaah—!*
Despite Lee Hyun-wook's assault, the creatures never stopped, continuing to push forward.
They were violent beasts, devoid of any emotion, rampaging solely by the scent of their prey.
But Lee Hyun-wook did not permit them to walk outside the pit.
The moment he clenched his left fist, the hundreds of steel balls that had been fired exploded.
*Cra-cra-cra-cra-ck—!*
As they scattered shrapnel in all directions, dozens of ghouls that had just escaped the pit were swept away.
That wasn't the end of it.
The shrapnel began to rotate around the perimeter of the hole, forming a 'whirlwind of steel fragments.'
*Whoo-oo-oo-oo-oo-oosh—*
A blade storm. The whirlwind engulfed the pit, raging fiercely.
"Wow... it's a technique reminiscent of—a giant blender!"
The ghouls' advance was inevitably blocked.
"He's really doing it, he's holding back that horde of monsters! It's truly, uh, immense firepower!"
Lee Hyun-wook was pushing them back like this, walking towards the pit.
"He's... not just holding back the monster assault, he's breaking through it!"
The world witnessed that scene.
***
Lee Hyun-wook had thought that if he could just hold the narrow passage when this moment came, it would be possible to stop the ghoul horde. But he had predicted it would be a considerably difficult fight and had not let his guard down.
But now, he realized that prediction was wrong.
*This is... easier than I thought.*
Every time he extended his hand, dozens of ghouls turned into chunks of meat and piled up.
*As expected, I'm growing much faster than I anticipated.*
- Current controllable metal weight: 491kg
* Transcendent Senses (+30%) is active.
* Ironbone (+10%) is active.
* World Boss Monster Slayer (+5%) is active.
* Savior of Seoul (+100%) is active. : Stacks with higher additional effects.
This was largely thanks to the <Savior of Seoul> effect.
Including all preceding effects, it doubled his metal control.
*Now, within Seoul at least, I possess firepower stronger than anyone else.*
And he had more than enough 'mana' to control that immense amount of metal.
- Mana: 67,441/74,459
* Mana Recovery Rate per second: 199
He had been steadily consuming the 'Gnome-made Small Mana Generators' obtained from the Gnome's Ruins A3, so not only his total mana but also his mana recovery rate had increased dramatically.
This was precisely the advantage of growth traits outside of leveling.
He was being upgraded moment by moment, without combat or training.
*And at this rate, instead of holding the line outside, I can go in myself.*
The one responsible for this catastrophe was down there, deep within the underground research facility.
Lee Hyun-wook's original plan was to somehow block the flood of ghouls.
*If I do that, that bastard will eventually crawl out on his own...*
But now, it seemed he could go in himself and strike first before the fiend could hatch another plot.
*He's probably panicking, and right about now he'll be hastily making other plans...*
If Lee Hyun-wook chose to make a bold advance here, the fiend's plan would be disrupted once again.
*Step— Step—*
That was why he walked forward.
*Click—*
He holstered the shotgun <Black Rhino>, which he had not yet felt the need to use, on his back.
And with both hands now free, he stretched them forward.
In response, the 'blade storm' surrounding the pit began to display another movement.
*Clang—Clang—*
Lee Hyun-wook used 'metal shaping' to entangle them, and a kind of 'ring' was formed.
Of course, it was no ordinary ring.
It was shaped like a crown of thorns, with sharp blades protruding menacingly.
*Fall—*
The moment Lee Hyun-wook dropped his hands, the ring plummeted at high speed.
*Cra-a-a-a-ack—!*
It tore through the pit as it fell, scraping off the ghouls climbing up the walls.
And at the bottom, it 'shattered' once more, crushing everything within the narrow passage.
*BOO-O-O-O-OM—*
Acrid smoke billowed up from within the pit.
Though he couldn't see it, he must have killed an enormous number in an instant.
As if to prove it, a line of system messages appeared.
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
[Achievement List]
4) Demon Slayer
- Condition: Hunt 999 or more Demon-type monsters.
- Effect: Damage dealt to Demon-type monsters increases (+20%).
This was an achievement he had obtained in his past life as well.
*When dealing with demons, this is the most necessary weapon of all.*
Until now, demons were something one could only encounter in very special events.
*But later on, they'll start descending directly, with excuses like the dimensional rifts have loosened or what have you.*
He needed to raise the rank of this Demon Slayer achievement before that time came.
He had fastened the first button quite early.
Lee Hyun-wook threw himself into the pit and went into a freefall.
*Disgusting...*
The stench that assaulted his nose was enough to make his head spin.
Just before crashing to the bottom, he levitated his hardened body into the air.
*Whoom—*
Instead of landing on the floor piled with corpses, he threw his body into a hole in the wall midway down.
It was a corridor. Judging by the floor number on the wall, it was the 6th basement level, and the long passage was smeared with all sorts of mucus. It was likely a sign that the ghoul horde had passed through here.
*I just need to follow this path.*
This place, the underground research wing, was a massive facility with up to 10 basement floors.
Therefore, for anyone not affiliated with the facility, finding their way would not be easy.
Even more so if the building itself had been torn to shreds by the ghoul horde...
But...
*...There's movement.*
Within his senses, 'moving metals' were detected.
*Ghouls wouldn't be carrying metal on their bodies...*
In other words, it had to be the movement of a human, a living human.
***
"...Damn it! This makes no sense!"
A middle-aged man wearing glasses and a white lab coat shouted.
He was Dr. Choi Tae-jun, the person in charge of the secret facility 'Silver Line' on the 9th basement floor.
The name of the project he was in charge of was 'Myth,' which literally meant becoming a god.
In other words, his research objective was to find a way for humans to live eternally using the system.
Today, the first experiment of that grand undertaking was being conducted...
"Fuck, what is this all of a sudden!"
And as it turned out, he had obtained poor experimental results.
And now, 11 researchers stood before him, their heads bowed low.
"Well... the <Project Offering> was carried out flawlessly, but there was an external variable."
That variable was a single Player, Lee Hyun-wook.
"We didn't know that man would appear here, nor that he would be so strong."
That was a fact that even Choi Tae-jun couldn't deny.
He too had never dreamed it would turn out like this...
"Damn it, since it's come to this... I'll take that woman and escape with No. 1 and No. 2."
He said, pointing to a woman tied to a chair.
"Uh, in that case, what about us..."
When someone asked, Choi Tae-jun's eyes flashed fiercely.
"Isn't it obvious? You must protect this place for the greater good."
At that one phrase, the eyes of the researcher, which had been distorted with panic, transformed with firm conviction.
"Yes, I understand."
They were already enthralled by the power of a demon, so they followed the order verbatim without a shred of doubt.
It was then.
"—Doctor! Someone is approaching."
"What? There are no survivors in this building."
"Well... it seems to be an external infiltrator... we haven't confirmed their face yet."
He checked the CCTV screen.
A man was indeed striding down the blacked-out corridor.
But for some reason, he was finding his way very well.
"Huh? What's with that crazy bastard? Why is he strolling through here so leisurely?"
"It's probably that man, Lee Hyun-wook, who has come in."
"No, why is he coming in here alone? If he does that, damn it... my escape plan will be ruined!"
He ran his hands through his hair. Another variable had occurred in his perfect plan.
"Hoo......."
"Lee Hwa-jun, your team has something to do."
"Yes, please give the order."
"You will tell that man that there are other survivors and guide him to the biological waste incinerator."
In other words, he was telling them to go into the incinerator with him and burn to death.
However, the man who was called upon nodded with a firm face.
They were already prepared to give up their lives.
"Doctor, he has just entered the corridor of our research lab line."
At that, a shadow fell over Choi Tae-jun's face. And his eyes drooped as if in despair.
"Hoo... We held out here at this security door. Everyone, don't give it away, do a good job."
At his words, the other researchers also put on weary faces.
Then, at his gesture, the firmly closed 'security door' opened.
And a female researcher went out, hesitating.
"Aah! H-Hey! W-Who's there!"
She played the role of a panicked researcher well enough.
"...Are you a survivor?"
The man in the darkness, Lee Hyun-wook, asked.
*Good, that's the natural reaction. Now, you'll reassure the scared woman and let your guard down.*
Choi Tae-jun thought.
No matter what that man was thinking coming in here, he was bound to let his guard down in front of a female survivor.
"Yes, th-that's right! Are you a rescuer?"
"Yes, I am. Hmm, how did you manage to avoid this disaster?"
"Well... th-there's a thick security door here. W-We were lucky."
The woman even sniffled as she spoke.
Choi Tae-jun was pleased with her considerable acting skills, which he hadn't even asked for.
"In that case, how many people are inside?"
"*Sob*... U-um, right now... there are 13 of us."
"This situation is somewhat under control. You can rest assured now."
"Yes, thank you. I-I was so scared. *Sob, sob*—"
*Step— Step—*
He came a little closer. That meant he had lowered his guard.
"Um, but by any chance..."
"*Sob*— Yes?"
"I'd like to ask one more thing."
"Yes, p-please ask."
"Is Chief Researcher Choi Tae-jun there?"
"Ah, right— Huh?"
"......."
"Uh, wh-who... did you just say?"
For a moment, a heavy silence fell.
And what broke that silence was the sound of something slicing through the air.