Chapter 90
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 90
Chapter Title: Demon Worshippers, Urban Warfare - 1
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Every situation has an atmosphere.
For instance, a volatile situation on the brink of eruption is bound to be filled with the tension of the calm before the storm.
Sensing such things and acting preemptively is a rather important skill in life.
It’s what people commonly call ‘perceptiveness.’
‘But damn it, was there anything like that in our conversation just now?’
In the dim corridor, Lee Hyun-wook’s voice had held no trace of suspicion.
He had approached while maintaining a reasonable level of caution, calming the terrified female researcher.
No matter how you looked at it, that wasn’t the attitude of a warrior bent on slaughter.
And so, as he looked down at his subordinates collapsing with a soft *thwip*—
‘Well, this is absurd…’
Choi Tae-jun was having such a nonsensical thought. The scene felt completely out of context.
But perhaps it was because he had been in such firm denial.
‘No one can possibly know what our group is doing here!’
Access to this ‘Silver Line’ research facility had been perfectly controlled until the incident.
Furthermore, all the researchers had made contracts with a demon; if they spoke of anything related to it, they would ‘die.’
‘In other words, our information cannot leak. Not even the Ku Gwang Group, which funds us, knows…’
With such firm conviction, he had not worried about being attacked.
And because of that, he failed to realize he was being ‘deceived.’
“D-Dr. Choi! Gack—”
A second tearing sound, and the two men standing near the security door were pierced by something and collapsed.
*Step— step—*
Beyond the wall, footsteps slowly approached from the corridor. Soon, he appeared before the security door.
A black combat suit, metal armor emerging from his skin, and on his back, a single sword and a single shotgun were visible.
And above his right shoulder, a single silver arrow was slowly rotating.
From the tip of that arrowhead, one could see the image of a ferocious hound, ready to pounce.
Choi Tae-jun looked at the man’s face, at Lee Hyun-wook.
“…….”
His eyes were clear and unwavering.
In other words, there was not a hint of anxiety or doubt.
‘He knows our true identity and attacked with absolute certainty.’
Choi Tae-jun sensed instinctively that there was no room for persuading this man.
*Step— step—*
He entered the lab without hesitation, and the eight researchers stumbled back.
At his confident advance, Choi Tae-jun inwardly rejoiced and took a step back.
‘Good, come in further…’
The moment Lee Hyun-wook stood in the center of the lab, *beep*—he pressed the remote in his hand.
*Thud—!*
The security door behind Lee Hyun-wook slammed shut, and something descended from the ceiling.
It was two auto-turrets. This top-secret facility was equipped with such crude weapons.
And *beep*—he pressed the second button, and a merciless barrage of machine-gun fire began.
*Rat-a-tat-tat-tat—!*
However, the turret muzzles spun on their own and instead raked across several of the researchers.
“Ugh!”
“Aaargh—!”
But Choi Tae-jun had anticipated this.
“Listen up! From now on, we accept the ‘Master’s’ power and kill him here!”
He shouted as he pulled out a ‘smoke grenade’ he had hidden behind his back and threw it to the floor.
*Poof—!*
With a small explosion, gray smoke billowed out.
Choi Tae-jun hid himself in the smoke and rushed toward the unconscious woman tied to a chair.
“Kraaaaaah—!”
“Guooooh—!”
Immediately after, the researchers’ voices began to twist grotesquely.
The servants of the demon ‘Molech,’ who had received ‘power’ in exchange for human sacrifice… though they were Alchemist Players, they could now unleash monstrous strength surpassing that of most Warrior Players.
*Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!*
They stomped their feet menacingly and charged toward Lee Hyun-wook.
“Dieeee—!”
It was then.
*Kra-ka-ka-ka-kow—!*
Suddenly, the ceiling panels were torn away, and bundles of cables and wires rained down.
The ‘copper wire’ that made up the cables was also metal, and it coiled around the researchers at Lee Hyun-wook’s will.
“Grrrr—”
But even wrapped in tough cables, it seemed they wouldn’t be held for long.
*Rip—!*
With immense strength, the researchers tore through the dozens of cables as if they were simple spiderwebs.
Their eyes had lost focus, and brown horns had begun to sprout from their heads.
*Kraaaaaah—!*
Lee Hyun-wook could see that they were no longer human.
- Child of Ruin: Stage 1 (LV 43)
The fact that information was appearing in his ‘Insight Lens’ meant they had undergone ‘monsterization.’
The strange thing was that their levels were gradually rising.
- Child of Ruin: Stage 2 (LV 49)
‘They get stronger over time as they receive the demon’s power.’
Lee Hyun-wook launched Failnaught at the one closest to him.
*Thunk—!*
But Failnaught failed to pierce its head, and the creature snatched it with its hand.
Lee Hyun-wook tried to retrieve Failnaught, but it couldn’t break free from the researcher’s grip.
‘As I thought…’
Weapons not imbued with ‘divine power’ were not very effective against those blessed by demons.
“Lee Hyun-wook, the Player who controls steel… doesn’t seem like there’s anything in here for you to use as a weapon, does it?”
Choi Tae-jun’s voice came from beyond the smoke. He was now carrying a woman over his shoulder.
“You’ll need a lot of magic metal to kill these friends of mine, but there’s only stainless steel here.”
Ignoring his words, Lee Hyun-wook pointed at the woman Choi Tae-jun was carrying.
“That woman, is she Ku Gwang Group’s granddaughter, Ku Hyo-min?”
“You bastard, how much do you know… Who sent you!”
Lee Hyun-wook silently took a step forward.
“Well, it doesn’t matter. You’re going to die here because of your arrogance, coming in unarmed.”
At those words, Lee Hyun-wook let out a smirk.
“Sorry, but you seem to be mistaken… I didn’t come empty-handed.”
“Hey, whatever you brought, you won’t be able to break through that security door. The security in this facility is no joke.”
He cackled. The security door wasn’t made of metal but was an object crafted from a material item called ‘Stone from the Tower of Babel.’ It was specially made for this facility's security and wouldn't be easily breached.
“But that security is for stopping people, right?”
“What?”
“Places impassable to people… have plenty of holes.”
Just as the researchers who had torn free from the cables began to charge at Lee Hyun-wook, a tremendous roar echoed from above their heads.
*Krrrr-rumble-rumble-rumble—!*
It was the sound of an immense number of metal pieces clashing against each other.
“…What, what is that!”
The countless metal fragments he had used against the ghouls.
He had brought a portion of them through the building’s ventilation system.
From inside the ceiling, he used ‘Transformation’ to entangle them into spiraling spikes. Like stalactites in a cave, the metal spikes burst through the ceiling, grew rapidly, and slammed down on the researchers.
*Thunk—! Thunk—! Thunk—! Thunk—!*
They were impaled in various parts of their bodies by the long spikes and pinned to the floor.
*Kraaaaaah—!*
As they thrashed about, stakes flew toward their heads, delivering the final blow.
They were metals enchanted with ‘divine power,’ making them fatal to these creatures.
“…….”
Left alone, Choi Tae-jun could only stare blankly for a moment.
“Tch, damn it! Stay back! This woman dies!”
“…….”
“Don’t even think about m-moving those metal scraps! If I apply pressure, she dies instantly!”
Using the unconscious woman as a shield, Choi Tae-jun backed away and pulled something from his pocket.
It was a small ampule.
He popped the cap with his teeth and swallowed the contents.
And then…
“Aaarghhh—!”
With a desperate scream, his entire body turned red and swelled up like a balloon.
*Crack—creak—*
His bones warped, his skin stretched, and fur grew.
Soon, he had transformed into a massive, 3-meter-tall water buffalo—a minotaur-like figure.
“Grr— you bastard… I-I’ll kill you someday!”
With those final words, he charged into the right wall, smashing through it with ease.
*Crash—! Crash—! Crash—! Crash—!*
He then crashed through the wall beyond that, and the one after, continuing to pulverize walls as he ran off somewhere.
Watching the brutish escape, Lee Hyun-wook took no action.
“Yeah, run hard. I’ll be right behind you…”
What the man had just drunk was an awakening potion made with ‘Nectar,’ known as the drink of the gods.
It would grant a temporary, massive boost in stats, making him difficult to face right now.
Of course, if he really tried, he could catch him, but Lee Hyun-wook chose not to.
No, to be precise, he had intentionally let him go.
‘If he gets out and causes a stir, I’ll ultimately gain more from it.’
Lee Hyun-wook was aiming for the benefits he could reap once the chase for Choi Tae-jun began and he was caught.
First, the woman Choi Tae-jun had carried off, Ku Hyo-min, was the granddaughter of the chairman of the Ku Gwang Group, which owned this research lab. Her abduction was likely insurance for his escape to another country, a hostage.
‘The Ku Gwang Group will definitely ask me to rescue her.’
Ordinarily, the Ku Gwang Group would negotiate directly with Choi Tae-jun and aid his escape.
But this time, with Lee Hyun-wook’s spectacular intervention, they were more likely to place their hopes on him.
As Ku Gwang, the second-ranked conglomerate in Korea, they had plenty to be squeezed for.
And that wasn’t all.
‘I even know the benefits lying along his escape route.’
It was unlikely that the perpetrators of this incident had acted without any backing.
Demon worshippers around the world were connected.
For this plot, a group of foreign demon worshippers had entered the country and was waiting nearby.
In other words, Choi Tae-jun was set to become a giant piece of bait to clean them all out at once.
“Besides, the things I could get here, I already have in hand…”
He picked up a keycard. It was Choi Tae-jun’s ID card.
He had snatched it with a metal fragment amidst the chaos.
Lee Hyun-wook went deeper into the lab and soon faced a locked door.
He held Choi Tae-jun’s ID card to it.
- *Beep—* Authentication successful.
The door opened and the lights came on. A sterile room, filled with all sorts of equipment.
And in a glass case at the center, a red shimmer was spreading out.
*Gwooooh—*
Its mere existence was causing the air to ripple like liquid…
“The drink of the gods, Nectar. A cup is one set, so about half is left?”
It seemed about half remained after various experiments had been conducted with it.
The volume looked to be about 150mL.
When Lee Hyun-wook touched the ID card to the device on the glass case, it opened.
He carefully lifted the small bottle inside.
- You have acquired the divine drink ‘Nectar’.
[Item Information]
- Name: Nectar (Legendary)
- Effect: Unknown
An item based on the drink of the gods from Greek mythology.
Legend has it that if a human drinks this, they can become immortal or even a god.
‘But if you believe that legend and just drink it, you will surely die.’
This consumable item, like other legendary-grade items, possessed an enormous ‘Over Handicap.’
‘The prerequisite for absorbing this is immense life force. If you’re even slightly lacking, it’s death.’
In the future, the Fist King Han Tae-san would drink this and gain a defense close to immortality.
Of course, that didn’t make him invincible. There were weapons that could pierce the power of the gods.
The so-called God-Slaying weapons, a prime example being the ‘Misteltein’ that Lee Hyun-wook now possessed.
‘In any case, depending on how this Nectar is compounded, it can be put to good use.’
That was the domain of ‘Alchemy,’ so he would need to pioneer that field in the future.
And the opportunity to squeeze that starting point out of the Ku Gwang Group, the pioneers in alchemy, was now presenting itself.
He collected a few more items from the lab and then went outside.
***
“Hah…”
Lieutenant General Gwak Sang-pil, commander of the A.M.T Special Warfare Command, let out a sigh after arriving at the scene.
At first, he thought it was just a hostage situation, but something truly unbelievable was unfolding.
“Hah… how could demons like that burst out from the basement of an alchemy lab?”
Who could have possibly predicted such a situation? But someone had to take responsibility for it.
And he knew full well that his name was within the scope of that responsibility.
There was something else that bothered him, too.
Namely, the pressure from the Ku Gwang Guild.
‘Hah—I’ve never seen that old man so furious before…’
Gwak Sang-pil had a cozy relationship with the Ku Gwang Group’s family, and he had been promised an executive position in Ku Gwang’s item business division after his discharge.
But of all times, this incident had to occur just six months before his retirement.
Three hours ago, Ku Han-cheol, the chairman of Ku Gwang Group, had called him directly.
- Hey! Gwak Sang-pil, you’re the one directly in charge of the Gangdong-gu site, right?
For a 79-year-old man, his voice was remarkably resonant.
“Yes, Chairman, it is under my jurisdiction!”
- Then you must know my granddaughter is in there, right?
“…Ah! I-Is that so?”
- Dammit, you didn’t even know something that important? Anyway! Whatever it takes, bring that child, Hyo-min, back to me in one piece! If you do it right, you’ll be a president. If not, you get nothing!
‘Crazy bastard. Who caused this mess in the first place? Why is he shifting the blame to me?’
But having already entrusted his future to the man, he had no choice but to do as he was told.
Yet, no matter how he thought about it, there was nothing he could do.
For now, the best course of action was to seal off the area and prevent any potential secondary damage.
Pushing troops into that mysterious pit was madness.
In that respect, his only hope was…
“Any word on Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook yet?”
“No, sir. He is still believed to be inside.”
“Hah…”
Yes, Lee Hyun-wook.
The hero called the Savior of Seoul had appeared out of nowhere and averted a disaster.
But right after, he had inexplicably thrown himself into the pit.
No one knew the reason for such an impulsive act.
But as they watched that scene, everyone held the same thought.
‘Please, let him be the one to end this incident…’
But instead, bad news arrived first.
“C-Commander, sir! You need to see this!”
The cell phone his aide handed him was playing a news clip.
The text on the screen read ‘Viewer-submitted footage.’ It was from a tunnel’s CCTV camera.
A moment later, the screen shook violently, the left wall collapsed, and a giant monster burst out from it.
“This is a tunnel 890 meters from the research lab. It appears to be a monster that escaped from there.”
“What? Dammit… so what is that thing? It looks like an ox, doesn’t it? A minotaur or something?”
“At a glance, it appears to be a monster… but look at the area around its right arm, sir.”
The massive ox-monster was carrying something slung over its shoulder.
It was… a person in a lab coat with long hair.
“D-Don’t tell me… is it abducting a woman?”
“Yes, sir. And the description matches that of Ku Gwang Group’s granddaughter, Ku Hyo-min.”
At those words, Gwak Sang-pil wiped his face with his palm. Of all the things…
“Hah… this is… this is driving me crazy… so what is that thing? Any information come in?”
“We haven’t identified what it is, sir, but it seems to have escaped from the lab.”
Just then.
“—Commander, sir!”
An officer with the rank of major shouted as he entered the command tent.
He saluted and delivered the news Gwak Sang-pil had been waiting for.
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook has just emerged from the pit!”
***
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook! This way!”
After climbing out of the pit, Lee Hyun-wook was guided by Team Leader Oh Seong-hoon.
Looking around, he saw that the installation of ‘Holy Relics’ was already underway.
“Are you planning to cast a wide-area blessing on this entire region?”
“Yes, the work is in progress and is expected to take about 12 hours.”
Lee Hyun-wook had killed most of the ghouls, but a few still remained.
More importantly, the area was still thick with the black smoke that had risen from the ghouls’ corpses.
Careless contact with it could turn one into a denizen of hell, so a sort of purification was necessary.
And in the northern sky floated the flagship of the KOR A.M.T Divine Knights, the airship *Oryonggeo*.
“The *Oryonggeo*. So the Divine Knights have arrived?”
“Yes, they are scheduled to enter the site in six hours.”
Just then, a group of high-ranking officials could be seen rushing toward them.
At the center was the two-star general, Commander Gwak Sang-pil.
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, I am Commander Gwak Sang-pil!”
He said, extending his hand to Lee Hyun-wook, who shook it lightly without stating his rank and name. Gwak Sang-pil didn’t seem to mind the breach of military protocol.
Lee Hyun-wook’s standing and achievements were already beyond that of a mere soldier.
“This way, come this way! I’d like to have a word with you for a moment…”
“Yes, of course.”
“Haha—thank you! As expected of the man called a hero, your magnanimity is on another level!”
The sight of a lieutenant general fawning over him like this was rather comical.
Of course, the reason for it was not Lee Hyun-wook’s status, but the information he possessed.
However, what awaited him in the command tent was not a private talk with Lieutenant General Gwak Sang-pil.
Three men in suits were sitting there.
“Commander Gwak, could you please give us a moment?”
At the question, Gwak Sang-pil looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
“Ah, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook… will that be alright?”
“Yes, I don’t mind.”
“Ahem, then… I’ll give you about ten minutes.”
To ask the highest-ranking officer on site to step aside like that…
It was obvious who these unidentified figures were without asking.
‘Confidants of the Ku Gwang Group’s chairman.’
Lee Hyun-wook realized that Lieutenant General Gwak Sang-pil was part of the Ku Gwang Group’s line.
“Good to meet you. This is who we are.”
One of the men said, offering a business card.
- Ku Gwang Group Strategic Planning Office: Head Han Hee-jun
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, I heard you infiltrated our research facility.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“In that case, by any chance, inside there—”
“—Are you asking if I saw Ms. Ku Hyo-min?”
Lee Hyun-wook cut him off, and Head Han Hee-jun’s expression hardened slightly.
“How… did you know that?”
“Because I saw her being abducted with my own two eyes.”
That single sentence was enough to completely seize control of the atmosphere at the table.
Before the negotiations had even begun, Lee Hyun-wook had taken over the board.
Lee Hyun-wook leaned forward, met Head Han Hee-jun’s eyes, and said in a low voice.
“And the man who orchestrated this was a Dr. Choi Tae-jun…”
“…….”
“I think I know where he took her.”
A moment of silence fell.
*Gulp—*
The large man sitting next to Han Hee-jun swallowed dryly.
“…….”
The employees of the Strategic Planning Office, confidants of the Ku Gwang Group’s chairman, had clearly come to negotiate.
They wanted to find out if Lee Hyun-wook had perhaps seen Ku Hyo-min inside the lab.
And if this man, Lee Hyun-wook, could use his abilities to find her.
If possible, they had planned to start negotiations from there.
‘But for him to preemptively bring up Ku Hyo-min’s name as if he was waiting for it…’
Han Hee-jun sensed that this wasn’t just him stating what he knew; it was a ‘move.’
‘This man… he’s a master strategist. And he’s hiding something.’
That made him even more tense.
“Is that… really true? Did you see Ms. Ku Hyo-min in person?”
“Yes, I did. She was in a facility called Silver Line, the most secretive one, as you probably know.”
Lee Hyun-wook leaned back and clasped his hands together.
Then, he delivered his masterstroke.
“But Ms. Ku Hyo-min wasn’t the only thing I saw.”
“Pardon?”
“The Ku Gwang Group has been playing some very secret games down in that basement, haven’t they?”
“…….”
“Blood magic, one of the most vicious forms of black magic… I was wondering if the Chairman’s health was that poor.”
As Han Hee-jun remained silent, Lee Hyun-wook let out a hollow chuckle.
“But still, I think the human experiments went too far. Was it about two years ago? There was a case of several missing Filipino Player laborers. To think I’d find out the truth here…”
The information Lee Hyun-wook was pouring out left them with dumbfounded expressions.
And every single bit of it was a sore spot for the Ku Gwang Group.
Lee Hyun-wook had only been in the lab’s basement for about fifty minutes.
They couldn’t comprehend how he had gathered such information in such a short time.
“This… it seems this whole situation is going to be a rather fatal problem for Ku Gwang.”
Lee Hyun-wook intended to negotiate, and negotiate properly.
‘Ku Gwang. Their title as the second-ranked conglomerate is solid.’
They possessed a great deal.
Which meant they also had a great deal to lose.
‘And the cost of not losing those things is considerable.’
Lee Hyun-wook planned to plant himself firmly in their most uncomfortable spot.
Finally, Head Han Hee-jun spoke.
“Mr. Lee Hyun-wook… what is it that you want?”