Chapter 94
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: The Demon Worshippers, Urban Warfare - 5
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Countless incidents occurred around the world today.
Among them, the one that drew the most attention was, by far, the <Alchemy Research Complex Demon Worshipper Incident> in South Korea.
And that incident was still ongoing.
Following the outlandish news that a man named Dr. Choi Tae-jun had transformed into a monster and kidnapped the granddaughter of the Gugwang Group,
the incident entered its second act when the A.M.T. Special Warfare Command revealed that Lee Hyun-wook was the key figure in the pursuit team.
- Lee Hyun-wook's Nickname Series! Will <Demon Slayer> be added to <Savior of Seoul> and <Sword Saint Beater>?
"If he pulls this off, today will truly be Lee Hyun-wook's day."
That's why every reporter was waiting with bated breath, swarming the moment they caught wind of any sign in Mapo District.
"…Damn it, why'd they set up a three-kilometer cordon!"
Although the A.M.T. authorities completely blocked access for safety reasons, the performance of modern camera lenses was outstanding, and reporters climbed buildings several kilometers outside the restricted zone to set up their cameras.
Thus, they managed to capture footage of Lee Hyun-wook in an old part of the city, locked in a desperate battle with a giant bull monster—a creature that appeared to be Dr. Choi Tae-jun.
"Whoa…."
No, "desperate battle" didn't seem quite right.
"—Do you see that? This is nothing short of a perfect raid! Lee Hyun-wook is using electrical cables to restrain that enormous monster and is now unleashing a one-sided assault! It's truly incredible!"
Lee Jung-hoon, a specialized Player reporter for MBS, was providing commentary over the live broadcast, which was titled <Mapo District Battle Site>.
Indeed, specialized Player reporters had to be able to double as commentators to vividly convey the battle situation.
The voice from the 'desk' came through his earpiece.
- Jung-hoon, you're doing great! The ratings are through the roof!
All day long, Lee Jung-hoon had perfectly captured Lee Hyun-wook's battles in real-time. In other words, he had landed scoop after scoop, and the footage he secured was superior to any other broadcaster's, allowing him to dominate the ratings.
Excited, he continued his commentary.
"It's currently unknown how Lee Hyun-wook managed to track down Dr. Choi Tae-jun, whose whereabouts even the police's Player pursuit team couldn't find, but one thing is certain: he is once again putting on a spectacular battle that will have the whole nation buzzing! Ah! Look over there! Wow!"
It was then.
Hwoosh—!
A wisp of black smoke was seen flowing out of the motel building that Lee Hyun-wook had wrecked, briefly flashing in the corner of the broadcast screen, but Lee Jung-hoon, a veteran reporter, didn't miss it.
"...Huh? Hey, what was that just now?"
And he sensed that the scene was unusual.
"Hey, Taek-su! Get a shot of that, over there!"
At his request, the cameraman shifted the frame.
"Huh!"
Where the black smoke settled, at the entrance of an alley, stood two men. And they were... very famous villains.
"Oh, Okita Kaito! The, the Sword Saint Slayer has appeared!"
Okita Kaito, known as the Sword Saint Slayer, or simply the 'Sword Saint',
and Lee Hyun-wook, who was rumored to have beaten him and was called the 'Sword Saint Beater'…
The two Players were captured in a single frame.
'Crazy, is this for real? Why do things just keep blowing up one after another!'
And the ratings were about to explode as well.
Lee Jung-hoon gulped—swallowing dryly.
"...Uh, perhaps today, we might be able to confirm the truth behind the so-called Lee Hyun-wook, uh, Sword Saint Beater theory, that rumor!"
***
- Metal absorption complete. (Orichalcum)
* Controllable metal weight has increased: 4,181g
* Magic resistance has slightly increased.
'…Alright, that's it.'
Lee Hyun-wook wiped the sweat from his brow.
By running his internal furnace at maximum efficiency, he had rapidly absorbed 100g of Orichalcum, gaining a 4kg increase in capacity. Thanks to various 'ability enhancement effects,' that figure was boosted by a whopping 95%, resulting in a total increase of 8kg.
And so…
- Current controllable metal weight: 501kg
He had just barely managed to cross the 500kg mark.
It was at that moment.
Hwoosh—
A plume of black smoke flew in from somewhere and settled a short distance away. From within it, two figures rose.
'…Shadow Baron, just as I expected.'
The appearance of the Villain faction was within Lee Hyun-wook's expectations.
Right after this period, Choi Tae-jun would rise as a key member of the Villains, known as 'Doctor Bull,' so he had judged it highly likely they would take an interest and approach him around this time.
His prediction was spot on.
"Whoa—Mister Steel Rain! Been a while, hasn't it?"
Mister Steel Rain? What's this now...
"But I'm sorry to say, we'll be taking Dr. Choi!"
Shadow Baron shouted, and behind him, Okita Kaito glared at Lee Hyun-wook with a murderous expression. He looked like he wanted to charge forward and cut his head off right then and there but was forcing himself to hold back.
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"No, we've already started cooking this beef."
That beef, Moloch's incarnate body, was still getting an electric massage.
"Ugh…"
But Park Jun-mo also seemed to have reached his limit.
"What? Hahaha! That's a funny joke! Actually, I came here because I smelled a delicious steak! But it still looks a bit too raw, don't you think? You think you can cook it to medium rare like that?"
Lee Hyun-wook had no intention of indulging the man's excessive cheerfulness.
"Hey! You don't look like you can kill it anyway, so why not just hand it over to us? We were watching from above, and you were struggling with all your might but getting nowhere, right? Hmm? How long do you think you can keep it tied down with electricity? We're saying we'll take it somewhere else before it goes on a rampage!"
Shadow Baron said, mixing in a scoff.
"Well, that was certainly true until a moment ago…."
Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised his left hand,
and gripped the hilt of the greatsword, Mogeuley.
[Item Information]
- Name: Mogeuley (Heroic)
- Effects
1) Mass Release (1-5): Releases the sealed 'mass' and grants the user 'Strong Bones (强骨)'.
2) Shockwave: Generates a powerful shockwave. Its destructive power is proportional to Mass Release (1).
"…Now, the situation has changed a bit."
"Huh? What did you just say?"
Lee Hyun-wook focused on the first effect, Mass Release.
'Mass Release—'
And then…
- Mogeuley's mass is released to <Stage 2>!
* Strong Bones value increases by (+20%).
This greatsword, Mogeuley, had its true mass sealed. The 'release' was only possible when one had the 'strength' to lift the next stage of mass. Lee Hyun-wook had now reached 'Stage 2'.
Thump—!
The massive blade vibrated as if it had a heartbeat.
Then it began to pierce the asphalt and sink into the ground below.
Kugugu…….
From 55kg to 500kg, its weight had increased nearly tenfold, causing it to sink into the soft ground under the pull of gravity.
Lee Hyun-wook gripped it, infused it with his metal control, and pulled it free.
Woooong—
He then slowly angled it, aiming at Moloch's incarnate body.
"I have no intention of sharing even a sliver of this, so get lost—"
At that moment, the AD-1s hidden on the rooftops of nearby buildings flew into the air, opened their magic emitters toward the enemies, and fired projectiles.
Tu-du-du-du-du—!
"Kch! So, you want a fight?"
Shadow Baron turned his body into gas to evade into the air,
while Okita Kaito, looking annoyed, drew his sword and deflected them all.
But that was merely to draw their attention.
"–Park Jun-mo, get back!"
Lee Hyun-wook shouted as he charged forward, holding Mogeuley.
"–Lee Hyun-wook!"
"S-Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, wh-what are you trying to…"
Seo Eun-ha and Park Jun-mo cried out at the same time.
Even they couldn't understand what Lee Hyun-wook was trying to do.
'When it comes to destructive power, mass is absolute.'
In his past life, Lee Hyun-wook had released Mogeuley's mass to Stage 3, wielding a greatsword that weighed a total of three tons.
And back then, he had even dropped that greatsword from thousands of feet in the air to pierce through a dragon's skull.
It wasn't that much now, but 500kg was still an immense force.
Moreover, with 'Strong Bones' Stage 2 applied, he was even stronger.
'And, though temporary, I've even enchanted it with holy power.'
Lee Hyun-wook had just asked Seo Eun-ha for a 'holy power impartation'.
In other words, all the preparations were complete.
There was nothing lacking to cut down that demon's incarnate body.
Jjeojeojeojeo—
He activated Body Hardening, imbued the greatsword with the enhanced power of 'Strong Bones', and swung the weapon, which held such overwhelming mass, with all his might.
Hoo—woong—!
An unreal sword wind rose,
Pa-seok—!
—a clear cutting sound rang out.
"–Wh-what!"
At that scene, everyone present couldn't help but be shocked.
Thud—
The incarnate body of Moloch, which couldn't be brought down no matter how many attacks were thrown at it—the monster's thick leg had been cleanly severed.
And so, it lost its balance and toppled sideways.
Kwang—
Lee Hyun-wook plunged the tip of Mogeuley into the creature's head.
Puuuuk—!
The thick skull, which couldn't be pierced even by the 'Annihilation Blast' from the expert-grade shotgun, Black Rhino, was effortlessly penetrated by the greatsword.
"–N-No way!"
He left the sword embedded and leaped back.
Then…
'Shockwave—!'
The greatsword's second skill, Shockwave.
Its destructive power grew in proportion to Mogeuley's mass.
And just now, Mogeuley's mass had increased tenfold.
This meant the Shockwave's pulse was also more than ten times stronger.
Jjeo—eo—eong—!
The blade vibrated, and a pulse erupted.
First, the air exploded.
Second, the asphalt crumbled like a spiderweb.
Third, the motel building, which had been barely standing, collapsed.
Ku-gu-gu-gu-gu—!
And Moloch's incarnate body's head burst like a watermelon.
"Hey—you son of a bitch!"
Shadow Baron screamed and clutched his head.
"Fuck—why does everything get so screwed up whenever we run into that bastard!"
Okita Kaito also bared his golden teeth and trembled.
"Lee Hyun-wook…"
Then Shadow Baron pulled on his shoulder.
"Damn it! Sword Saint, no! Swallow your pride!"
"Hoo—I know you're pissed, but for now, we're getting out of here!"
He said, snapping his fingers.
At his feet, the shadows began to boil.
But…
Puk—
Something slammed down into his trademark 'Shadow Link'.
It looked like… a small 'dart'…
Tzztztztztz—
From that spot, white, translucent, tree-root-like things spread out, consuming the Shadow Link until it closed completely!
"...Wh-what! My subspace, you destroyed it?"
This was a first for Shadow Baron. With a completely baffled expression, he looked in the direction the dart had come from—toward Lee Hyun-wook.
"You, what are you! What did you do!"
Lee Hyun-wook let out a smirk.
"Why? Did you think your skill was invincible forever?"
Shadow Baron was the individual who had contributed most to the Player criminal underworld's ability to run rampant.
This was because there had been no clear way to stop crimes like illegal entry, assassination, and terrorism carried out using his specialty, the 'Shadow Link' skill.
'But eventually, a counter to his skill was discovered.'
The answer, once again, was the 'World Tree'.
An item called <Sacred Root>, made from the 'root' of the World Tree infused with the 'blessing' of a Saintess, could temporarily turn a certain area into a 'Sanctuary Field'. However, it only lasted for a mere ten seconds—such a short duration that it was deemed practically useless.
But then it was discovered that the brief Sanctuary Field it created could 'nullify' other 'spatial magic', especially those of the dark element.
'So I had it made into a dart to catch this guy.'
Lee Hyun-wook had asked the Saintess and secured it beforehand.
"...For this very moment."
Lee Hyun-wook grinned and set Mogeuley down on the ground.
Kwa-ang—!
Amidst the deafening roar, Shadow Baron spoke to Okita Kaito.
"Sword Saint… Cooldown is five minutes."
Shadow Link also had a 'cooldown'.
Okita Kaito nodded and drew his sword.
"Lee Hyun-wook… I will kill you within five minutes."
Lee Hyun-wook faced him and smiled brightly.
"When we first met, you said you'd kill me in a single strike. You've gotten much more humble, haven't you?"
"...I will kill you."
"Have you heard the rumors going around… about the 'Sword Saint Beater'?"
"…"
"I had no particular desire to prove it…"
And then, the smile vanished from Lee Hyun-wook's face.
"But I'm sorry, today, you're going to become a little more pathetic."