Chapter 95
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Devil Worshippers, Urban Warfare - 6
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Strangely enough… no matter how cruel a ‘raid’ was, with people dying left and right, to those outside the battlefield, it was nothing more than a ‘sport’ or a ‘show’.
And among all the events, the most exciting was undoubtedly the Player versus Player showdown—the ‘PVP’.
“Hey! Turn on the TV right now!”
“Huh?”
“Hurry! Lee Hyun-wook and Okita Kaito are about to fight!”
“What? For real? Holy crap! This is gonna be awesome!”
Simultaneously, betting sites opened, and gamblers flocked in.
And surprisingly, Okita Kaito was the top dog at (-280). This meant you had to bet $280 to win $100, indicating that the odds were heavily stacked in favor of Lee Hyun-wook’s defeat.
This was because high-ranking Players from around the world had collectively dismissed the rumors of the ‘Sword Saint Beater’, calling them baseless nonsense.
The prevailing opinion was that no matter how skilled Lee Hyun-wook was, it was systemically impossible for a Control-type to physically beat down a Warrior-type in a one-on-one fight.
And now, the moment to prove the truth had arrived.
***
Okita Kaito closed his eyes and took a slow breath.
‘Four minutes and fifty-one seconds left…’
The Shadow Baron’s goal was surely to buy time until the five-minute cooldown for his ‘Shadow Link’ was up. Although Lee Hyun-wook had completely sealed that skill with an unknown item, he wouldn't be caught so defenselessly a second time.
“Sword Saint, it’s five minutes! Just hold out!”
“H-Hey! He hasn’t lost it again, has he?”
Yes, Okita Kaito planned to go one step further.
‘…I’ll kill him within that time.’
He remembered their last fight with bitter clarity.
‘I was careless back then, honestly.’
Subspace Iaido.
No one had ever blocked that ultimate strike.
Not even the previous Sword Saint, Guk Pyo-seong, who was considered the pinnacle of swordsmanship, had failed to calculate the blow and had his clothes torn! That was why he had been confident he could take anyone’s head with a single slash. But that… in other words, was carelessness.
‘This time, from the very beginning, I will use my full power.’
He held a katana in his right hand and a tanto in his left.
“Ah, looks like my fists hurt you a bit, seeing how you’ve prepared?”
Lee Hyun-wook said, seemingly having noticed Okita Kaito’s strategy.
Yes, it was true.
When Lee Hyun-wook had gotten him in an underhook, his long sword became completely useless. This tanto was a precaution for just such a moment.
‘As long as I can use a blade, no matter how close he gets, I win.’
Okita Kaito pushed off the ground without a word.
*Swish—* Cautiously, precisely, swiftly, his feet and sword surged forward.
Lee Hyun-wook retreated, flicking his left hand slightly.
A barrage of weapons poured down from the AD-1 hovering in the sky.
*Boom—!*
Just then, shadow claws shot out from beneath the Shadow Baron’s feet, flying toward them. An AD-1 was crushed and plummeted to the ground.
At that, Seo Eun-ha and Kim Se-hee rushed in that direction.
“Lee Hyun-wook, we’ll handle this one! You focus!”
Seo Eun-ha fired a Holy Light, and Kim Se-hee unleashed a Blade of Wind. The A.M.T snipers positioned nearby followed up with their own attacks.
And just like that, a one-on-one duel was set.
*Swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—swoosh—!*
Dozens of swords and spears flew toward Okita Kaito’s back and sides. But this was an attack pattern he had already anticipated.
“—Useless!”
*Hwoong—!*
As Okita Kaito swung his blade in a wide horizontal arc, a powerful sword wind erupted like an explosion, deflecting the weapons in all directions.
A few blades managed to slip through the gaps in the curtain of wind, but he sensed them, even calculating their speed.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
His sword moved like flowing water, parrying, breaking, and shattering the incoming weapons as he pushed deeper and deeper toward Lee Hyun-wook.
‘I can kill him.’
No matter how powerful his firepower, the one pulling the trigger was just a soft sack of flesh.
Which meant—
‘One clean cut, and it’s over!’
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
Swords and spears rained down at the direction of Lee Hyun-wook’s fingertips, but they were no obstacle to Okita Kaito’s advance. He cleaved through and deflected them all, steadily closing the distance to Lee Hyun-wook.
And finally, a mere two steps away,
within reach of his outstretched sword,
*Chaaang—!*
The first clash. Okita Kaito swung his sword repeatedly without using Subspace. And Lee Hyun-wook’s movements as he parried the assault were nothing short of astonishing to the world.
‘Fine, I admit he’s no ordinary opponent!’
Even Okita Kaito had to concede it internally. Lee Hyun-wook’s understanding and sense for the sword were far from ordinary.
No, they were undeniably top-tier.
For someone whose specialty wasn't even melee weapons to possess such senses… honestly, he couldn't comprehend how it was possible.
‘…But even so, he’s no match for me!’
But Okita Kaito was the best of the best, and so he firmly believed that at the end of this fight, it would be his blade stained with blood.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
In the midst of their frantic exchange, he opened and closed the ‘Subspace,’ and his sword, which had vanished, reappeared inside Lee Hyun-wook’s guard. He had held back from using it from the start, waiting for an opening amidst the chaotic exchange!
‘—It’s over!’
In that fleeting moment, metal sprouted from Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder.
It transformed into a long blade and struck Okita Kaito’s sword away.
‘What?’
Following that, blades erupted from all over Lee Hyun-wook’s body and shot forward.
*Swish—swish—swish—swish—*
‘What the! How are daggers shooting out of his body!’
An attack combining Hardening and Metal Transmutation—this was unexpected.
Okita Kaito backpedaled to dodge the daggers.
Then, turning the tables, Lee Hyun-wook advanced, swinging his sword.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
It was a scene that made it seem as if the tide of battle had completely reversed.
“Okita, don’t you think you rushed in too eagerly this time as well?”
And he was right. Before he knew it…
*Woong—*
All sorts of metal fragments were surrounding him.
*Jjeojeojeojeo—*
And they were twisting together, forming into the shape of spears.
It felt like being surrounded by a phalanx of spearmen.
Or like standing in the middle of an antlion pit.
“Keuk, when did you….”
“When you face me, it’s a mistake to think it’s a one-on-one fight.”
Hundreds, thousands of weapons moved as if they were alive. He was clearly a single person, yet the force he wielded was that of an army.
Okita Kaito lowered his stance, preparing for their charge.
But instead of a charge of blades, a taunt flew at him.
“Okita Kaito, you… could never have beaten me in the first place.”
Lee Hyun-wook spoke gently, as if teaching a child.
“You probably think you lost last time because you were careless, right?”
The words, as if reading his mind, took him by surprise.
“Sh-Shut up. I’ll rip that mouth of yours apart soon enough….”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled faintly, and Okita Kaito’s eyebrow twitched.
“Think about it. I had to protect the Saintess back then, right? So I couldn’t fight the way I wanted to. But…”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised the hand holding his sword.
“Now, I can do things entirely my way.”
At that, other pieces of metal—thousands of fragments created from numerous battles until now—gathered behind Lee Hyun-wook.
*G-o-o-o-o-o-o—!*
They clumped together in a spiral, forming a massive vortex. Its shape shifted constantly, making it look as if he were carrying a black wave on his back, or standing before a cloud of volcanic ash.
*G-o-o-o-o-o-o—!*
It resembled a kind of ‘aura’. The halo of awe shimmering behind a transcendent being—but as its volume and area expanded, it looked more like the infernal smog a demon brought forth from hell.
*Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga—!*
The sound of the densely packed metal shards clashing was deafening. No matter how brave a man, he would not advance toward that. It would be no different from walking into a grinder….
“So… think you can break through this and aim for my heart?”
In his past life, Lee Hyun-wook had been plagued by countless assassination attempts.
That was why he needed a shield like Seo Eun-ha.
But she wasn't always by his side.
‘So, I devised my own method.’
Surrounding his body with a storm of steel to keep opponents at bay.
Some called it the ‘Iron Swarm’.
Lee Hyun-wook walked forward, wielding the Iron Swarm.
*Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga—!*
With every step he took, the asphalt in the area was torn to shreds.
“Keuk, you think a cheap trick like that will work—!”
*Hwoo-oong—!*
Okita Kaito unleashed a powerful sword wind, managing to peel away a part of Lee Hyun-wook’s Iron Swarm. But it was only for a moment; the steel aura, which had briefly rippled and pushed back, soon returned to its original state.
‘…What? Why does it feel so heavy?’
Okita Kaito felt that each of the small metal fragments flying around Lee Hyun-wook’s body was heavy. It was as if someone was gripping the small, light pieces floating in the air with immense force.
The reality was an incredible level of metal control.
‘Lee Hyun-wook… he’s much stronger than when we last met.’
Okita Kaito found himself at a loss, hesitating.
It meant… he was in a checkmate situation.
*Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga—!*
‘Is it even possible to face that with just a single sword?’
It was like walking into hundreds of blades.
‘Damn it… how…’
Okita Kaito slowly began to realize. Lee Hyun-wook had grown at an unbelievable pace and had now become a mass of steel, tempered so hard that his sword could no longer break it….
And the moment his will faltered, it was all over.
Lee Hyun-wook charged, and Okita Kaito retreated.
Lee Hyun-wook’s Iron Swarm coalesced, forming and firing swords and spears. Okita Kaito swung his sword wildly just to survive, parrying them.
*Clang! Clang! Crack! Clang! Crack!*
But all he could do was block. Even the metal fragments he shattered with his sword would just regroup and form into new swords and spears to fly at him again.
‘No, does he have enough mana to keep firing all this?!’
Okita Kaito screamed internally.
*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*
No matter how he thought about it, an assault of this magnitude should have drained his mana completely.
‘It’s a cheat… this is cheating!’
And the Iron Swarm expanded like a nightmare.
Its shadow fell over Okita Kaito’s head.
“—Fucking cheat!”
Just as it was about to swallow Okita Kaito whole—
“Sword Saint, compose yourself and look for an opening!”
A shout came from somewhere. Lee Hyun-wook turned his head to see an old man rising from the rubble of a collapsed motel building.
Lee Hyun-wook recognized his face.
‘That old man is a Japanese black magician called Shinshoku.’
He was a formidable figure who had held the 13th rank in Japan until he was expelled from the Player world after being revealed as a ‘devil worshipper’.
A purple light burst from his wooden staff, dyeing the area,
and a grotesque sound accompanied a beam of light that writhed like a tentacle.
*Tsz—tsz—tsz—tsz—tsz—!*
‘Damn it, that’s <Whip of the Abyss>!’
It was a considerably high-level black magic spell. It was a ‘borrowed magic’ that used the power of a demon in exchange for a price, not a skill he owned himself. It was a powerful ultimate move that ignored most defenses, except for holy power.
*Tsz—tsz—tsz—tsz—tsz—!*
Lee Hyun-wook amplified his Hardening’s mana shield to its maximum.
He then pulled Moglay in front of him as a shield.
But it was far from enough to block that.
‘Damn it, I’ll have to use up the entire Iron Swarm!’
If he did that, he would lose Okita Kaito again.
*Kwa-ang—!*
Just then, something intercepted the ‘Whip of the Abyss’, and an explosion erupted. Within the violet beam, a faint white light bloomed.
*Wooooo—*
A female knight in gray armor, Seo Eun-ha, stood there holding her shield.
Her gray armor was bubbling and melting away.
“Keuk! Lee Hyun-wook, hurry—”
Yes, Seo Eun-ha was still the best tanker.
“Yes! Just hold on a little longer!”
Lee Hyun-wook refocused his attention on Okita Kaito.
He was still trapped inside Lee Hyun-wook’s ‘Iron Swarm’.
*Boom—!*
He tried to break out by firing sword energy from within, but it was futile.
‘Even I would find that tricky to deal with.’
No matter how much you break it, it just becomes smaller pieces of metal.
In other words, its volume never decreases.
Lee Hyun-wook shot a Pale Note into the swarm. Okita Kaito, his concentration apparently scattered, allowed the attack to land.
“—Keuk!”
The Pale Note embedded itself in his thigh.
And next, Lee Hyun-wook himself leaped in.
This too was a surprise attack, executed at the perfect opening.
*Shlack—!*
Finally, Lee Hyun-wook’s sword severed his left arm.
“Guaaaah—!”
The katana Okita Kaito had been holding clattered to the ground. Then, the Iron Swarm enveloped his body, twisting and binding him.
He looked like he had been seized by the hand of a steel giant.
“N-No way… this is impossible! It’s all a ch-cheat!”
He screamed and struggled, but he couldn’t tear through the tightly woven steel prison. Soon, Lee Hyun-wook’s fist flew toward his face.
*Thwack—!*
Lee Hyun-wook’s fist, enhanced by Hardening, was like being struck with a sledgehammer. For Okita Kaito, it was a nightmare he never wanted to experience again. Teeth flew from his mouth.
*Thwack—!*
Just two hits… Okita Kaito’s eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.
“…….”
And so, it was the Sword Saint Okita Kaito’s miserable, utter defeat.
And the moment the nickname, Sword Saint Beater, was proven true.
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
A message popped up, but he had no time to check it.
Lee Hyun-wook immediately raised both hands.
*K-wa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa—!*
The Iron Swarm moved, flying toward the remaining two.
“Son of a bitch—!”
The Shadow Baron and Shinshoku resisted fiercely.
The Shadow Baron opened a ‘Shadow Trap’, using dozens of shadows to block all the incoming metal. But when dart-shaped ‘Holy Sources’ embedded themselves in the surroundings, the Shadow Trap evaporated.
“Fuck, Lee Hyun-wook, what the hell are you—!”
He screamed, feeling a sense of powerlessness.
‘As expected, this is a perfect counter to him.’
Most of the Shadow Baron’s skills were spatial magic utilizing the shadow world, so with good use of the Holy Source, he was left with nothing to do.
Soon, the Shadow Baron was grabbed by the collar by Seo Eun-ha and slammed onto the asphalt, while Shinshoku and his disciple raised their hands in surrender.
And so, three of the worst Red Players were captured on this land.
Lee Hyun-wook caught his breath and thought to himself.
‘Good… the bounty will be handsome.’
***
“Haha… from beginning to end, it’s like a movie script… my, my, it’s literally a perfect hero’s tale being written, isn't it?”
Director Woo Seong-mun had been meticulously watching all the incidents that had unfolded in Seoul throughout the day. And now, he was smiling with satisfaction.
“Lee Hyun-wook, truly Lee Hyun-wook…”
Lee Hyun-wook. The one name that had captured his interest lately.
He couldn't understand how such a super-talented individual had remained hidden from everyone until now, but whatever the case, what mattered was that at this moment, he was on the same side as the Republic of Korea.
“He’s almost mystical, with an insight so quick it’s as if he already knows everything. I’ve met all sorts of Players, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen a case like this… he surprises me every time.”
However, the aides sitting at the long desk in front of him felt differently. They couldn't hide their stiff expressions.
“…….”
Honestly, Lee Hyun-wook’s feats were indeed bizarrely incredible. It was a relief that such a person wasn't pursuing personal gain by joining a massive private guild, but instead maintained a friendly relationship with a government agency.
But that was precisely the concern.
“Sir… Director, frankly, I’m a little worried.”
The one who spoke was Team Leader Lee Gyo-jin.
“…Lee Hyun-wook is growing too quickly. The fact that he kept Laputa under wraps for so long is concerning, and he’s had a tendency to act on his own from the beginning, hasn't he? I’m worried that Lee Hyun-wook will grow too big and jump over the fence to run wild. He’s still young, so who’s to say he won’t harbor some misguided ambition?”
Just like Team Leader Lee Gyo-jun, each of the aides expressed similar concerns. It was a vague worry that Lee Hyun-wook’s rising prestige might break the sturdy leash held by Woo Seong-mun.
“…How has this country been able to maintain its stability?”
When the public authorities of countries around the world struggled to control Player factions, it was because of the efforts and dedication of Woo Seong-mun and a few other government officials who had built and maintained a very sturdy ‘fence’.
But at that point, Woo Seong-mun nodded his head.
“Yes, the stability of this country… without him, what would this nation be like now? Team Leader Lee, and everyone… are we truly qualified to support this country well? We’ve done our best so far, but if a greater crisis comes in the future, we will need a hero like that.”
Lee Gyo-jun’s jaw dropped, then slowly closed.
“…Are you perhaps thinking of Lee Hyun-wook as your successor?”
Having served Woo Seong-mun for a long time, he could guess his thoughts.
He neither confirmed nor denied it.
The position of Director of the National Gate Response Strategy Office, an agency directly under the President, was a political appointment, but unlike other departments, it wasn't a position ‘appointed’ every time the government changed, but was very specially ‘succeeded’.
“How much longer can I remain in this position?”
“You who have been with me until now will be the next in line, but thinking of the more distant future, Lee Hyun-wook could be one path.”
Woo Seong-mun, the pillar of this country’s public authority, was still healthy, but he couldn't live forever. The methods he had established, such as controlling the large guilds through ‘systems’ and ‘information’, had been effective so far. And all of that had to be continued and maintained.
‘But in the end, the most necessary thing to control the large guilds is overwhelming and absolute power… as always, that’s the key.’
What he lacked was precisely that.
‘Absolutely powerful force, an unchallengeable public control…’
He saw that potential in Lee Hyun-wook.
***
After all the situations in Seoul had been resolved, Lee Hyun-wook gave a brief report to Team Leader Lee Gyo-jun, Director Woo Seong-mun’s deputy.
And at that time, he received a request….
“Hmm…”
He felt quite reluctant to grant that request.
“That one sentence, it’s not difficult, is it?”
“Well, that’s true, but it’s not the truth.”
“Pardon? Not the truth, what do you mean by that….”
“Team Leader, can you guarantee those words?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s question, Lee Gyo-jun blinked.
“Ahem, still, sometimes a single word can bring peace of mind to the citizens. Isn’t that one of the roles a hero can play?”
“…Hero, my foot. Fine, I understand. It’s not a difficult thing to do.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded as if he had no choice.
‘Yeah, well, it would be ridiculous not to be able to say one simple thing…’
Immediately after, Lee Hyun-wook was surrounded by reporters.
“…Oh! There, it’s Lee Hyun-wook!”
“Excuse me, just a moment! Please give us an interview!”
“Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, it’s about time you said something!”
The reporters, as always, swarmed him, thrusting microphones in his face and bombarding him with all sorts of questions. But they didn't seem to have high expectations.
*Click! Click!*
The photos taken here would probably be published today with a headline like ‘Seoul’s Hero Lee Hyun-wook, Silent in the Face of Reporters’ Questions’.
But then…
“Oh! He stopped!”
“Wow! Are you finally going to say something?”
Lee Hyun-wook stood before the cameras.
The reporters were excited by that alone.
What kind of image had Lee Hyun-wook shown until now?
He had never officially said a single word.
It had gotten to the point where rumors circulated that he was a cyborg created by the government.
“…….”
*Click! Click! Click! Click!*
In the reporters’ silence, Lee Hyun-wook slowly opened his mouth.
“…Seoul is safe.”
*Click! Click! Click! Click!*
With that, he left just that one sentence hanging in the air and disappeared.
This was what the National Gate Response Strategy Office had requested.
‘Well, it’s a kind of public opinion swaying.’
The intention behind the request was obvious. The public’s anxiety was growing due to the series of shocking incidents that had recently occurred in Seoul.
But, if a single sentence from the person who had resolved all those incidents—and his first official statement at that—was about ‘safety’…
- Lee Hyun-wook, Who Saved Seoul Once Again, Declares, “Seoul is Safe!”
- Lee Hyun-wook’s Historic First Words: “Seoul is safe.”
- Seoul Citizens Vote Lee Hyun-wook as the Number One Player.
- Shocking! An Estimate of the Lives Saved by Lee Hyun-wook in the Past Two Months…
Just like that, as Lee Gyo-jun had said, a single word from someone considered a hero could provide a small sense of security to many people.
However…
Ironically, just three days later,
the sense of security that had been built up vanished overnight.
Out of the blue, the Black Orc Kingdom of Shanghai,
declared war on the Republic of Korea.
Their demand was none other than Laputa.