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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 35
Chapter Title: Rain Falling on the Waves - 2
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The moment Lee Hyun-wook appeared, Seo Eun-ha felt a peculiar sense of dissonance.
'...Was this what he was always like?'
When the person named Lee Hyun-wook had first been imprinted in her mind, the emotion she felt was 'suspicion.' She had thought him a mere F-rank soldier receiving opportunities and recognition far beyond his station.
But so much had happened since then, and now…
'...Relief. It's relief.'
Yes, she had no choice but to admit it.
That's what she felt from Lee Hyun-wook.
The moment he appeared, it felt as if reliable reinforcements had arrived.
And one of the sword hilts Lee Hyun-wook had levitated into the air was offered to Seo Eun-ha.
"It may not be as good as what you normally use, Platoon Leader, but it's a weapon imbued with holy power."
Seo Eun-ha took it.
"The skeletons from the gate are heading toward the barracks."
"Right, I saw."
"Platoon Leader, please go secure the weapons and save the soldiers."
Just then, the vampire who had retreated began to walk toward them.
Plink— Plink—
The dozen or so bullets embedded in his body crawled out like insects and dropped to the ground.
"What the hell is this bastard… Showing up out of nowhere and daring to hold a strategy meeting right in front of me—Urk!"
But he couldn't finish his sentence.
A steel bead had flown from somewhere and shattered the vampire's shin, which had already been torn up by bullets.
"Agh! Shit! I'm really gonna kill… you! Aaargh!"
But it was just an ordinary steel bead, so he would recover and get up soon.
"Don't worry about things here. Please go. More lives than just my own are at stake."
"...Alright. Be careful."
Seo Eun-ha glanced once at Lee Hyun-wook and nodded.
She, too, knew that doing as he said was the most rational choice.
But to leave an opponent that she, a B-rank Holy Knight—albeit unarmed—had struggled against, in the hands of an F-rank soldier… Normally, it would be the same as telling him to buy time with his life.
'But if it's Lee Hyun-wook…'
This time, Seo Eun-ha decided to trust him and ran toward the barracks.
"Hey! Where are you going! Hey! Hey!"
The vampire called out desperately to Seo Eun-ha, but Lee Hyun-wook blocked his path.
"You son of a bitch! I lost her because of you! That smooth nape, I wanted to… Hoo…"
The creature, thoroughly agitated, screamed at the top of his lungs before abruptly stopping.
He then wiped his face and began to slowly even his breathing.
"Right, right, can't be helped. A little game of hide-and-seek should be fun, too…"
He chuckled to himself.
By all accounts, he didn't seem to be in his right mind.
Then again, if he were, he wouldn't commit such an insane act as sucking human blood.
"Anyway, that power of yours is pretty unique and fucking annoying. What is it, some kind of telekinesis?"
"..."
"But what're you gonna do? Hitting me with crap like that is useless, isn't it? That thing you just gave that woman, that was a holy weapon, right? You dumb fuck, why would you give that away? Tsk, tsk…"
The creature coiled his whip and hung it from his belt.
He then spread both his hands.
Blade-like nails sprouted from his fingertips.
"Without that sword, you can't do a damn thing to me. You're just gonna get fucking torn apart one-sidedly. Got it? How about you call her back right now and ask for it?"
"..."
"Hmm, is that so? Then from now on…"
The creature grinned and began to approach Lee Hyun-wook.
"...Now you get to feel it. The thrilling helplessness of being slowly torn to shreds, piece by piece, by a being you can't possibly defeat, no matter how much you struggle after getting in over your head…"
It was at that moment.
Crash—!
The sound of a window shattering came from somewhere.
It was from behind Lee Hyun-wook, on the second floor of Barracks 1, from the window of Living Quarters 5.
And from there, something began to pour out.
Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh- Whoosh-
It was a multitude of steel beads.
However, they were quite different from the one Lee Hyun-wook had just used.
"...What, what is this? No way."
Sensing their power, the creature stopped in his tracks with a look of bewilderment.
That's right. All thirteen steel beads were imbued with holy power.
"I happen to have quite a few weapons. It's not cheating to bring out a new one, is it?"
Over the past few days, Lee Hyun-wook's arsenal had grown tremendously.
Of course, the thirty steel stakes and the other KG19 couldn't be brought out now.
They were all stored in the 'Battalion Armory' in the barracks basement.
However, these steel beads weren't classified as weapons, so he could keep them personally.
They flew over and began to rotate around Lee Hyun-wook's body.
The vampire instinctively took a step back.
To his eyes, the steel beads seemed to be emitting an unsettling, deep blue light.
It was an ominous feeling, like that of a will-o'-the-wisp or fox-fire.
It was a kind of instinctual warning. A warning that touching them could mean annihilation.
"Where the hell… did you get all those things?"
Holy power was not a common force.
It was a special power that could only be bestowed through a very tricky process. As such, it was even rarer to see it appear in such numbers, leaving the creature no choice but to be flustered.
"That filthy mind of yours… I'll purify it for you right now."
With those words, the thirteen steel beads scattered in all directions.
Shhh- Shhh- Shhh- Shhh- Shhh- Shhh-
They surrounded the creature from all eight directions before shooting toward him at high speed.
"Kuh!"
The creature leaped backward acrobatically, evading the steel bead attack with incredible agility.
"Hup, damn it!"
But it was impossible to continuously dodge thirteen objects that were correcting their trajectories in real time.
Thwack!
"—Kuaargh!"
In the end, one of the steel beads struck the creature square in the mouth.
Five or six of his teeth clattered out, and a gush of dark blood poured forth.
"Uuugh…"
From that point on, the creature changed his strategy.
He gave up on dodging, planted his feet on the ground, and lowered his stance.
And as the steel beads flew in…
Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
He began to snatch them out of the air with swift hand movements.
Five in each hand, and he stomped on the last one with his foot to stop it.
It was a movement that bordered on acrobatics.
"You son of a bitch! Hahaha! Playtime's over!"
He clenched his fists tightly, gripping all the steel beads so they couldn't be controlled.
Sizzzle…
Smoke billowed from the creature's fists. His skin was melting.
He gritted his teeth and endured the pain.
"You probably shouldn't be grabbing those so carelessly."
"Don't bluff, you fucking bastard! You think you can do anything to me with this pathetic amount of holy power?"
Indeed, since it wasn't directly bestowed by a high-ranking priest but was a kind of mass-produced item where holy power from elsewhere was transferred via a blacksmith's enchanting technique, it wasn't particularly strong.
However…
"Hmm, that's not what I meant."
"What? Then what did you mean?"
"If you don't like playing with balls, we can stop. How about some fireworks instead?"
"What kind of bullsh—"
"—Shatter."
BOOM!
Inside the creature's fists, some of the steel beads exploded.
The impact blew off both of his hands, all the way up to the forearms.
"..."
The creature stared blankly for a moment, then looked at his severed arms and slowly opened his mouth.
"...Kuaaaaaah!"
Shhhk—
At that moment, a silver streak of light shot out from Lee Hyun-wook's waist.
Failnaught.
Its destination was the creature's left eyeball.
Thunk!
"Uh, urk…"
Already in a dazed state, he didn't even seem to think of dodging the attack.
Lee Hyun-wook then drew the Cloud Sword.
- 'Aura (Saint)' has been bestowed upon the weapon.
Using his newly acquired skill, he imbued the Cloud Sword with holy power.
He quickly closed the distance and swung at the staggering creature's legs.
Slaaash!
The creature's right ankle was severed, and he pitched forward onto his face.
"So, how do you feel? A little more sanctified?"
"Kuuuh…"
"But there's one thing I'm curious about. Heo Young-tae, why are you here?"
"...Kuk, hup—You, you know me?"
The vampire, Heo Young-tae, was a complete wreck, whimpering.
'Of course I know you. You think I'd ever forget your faces?'
Lee Hyun-wook thought to himself as he looked down at the creature.
Heo Young-tae was a member of the 'assassination team' of the Villains known as the 'Five Butchers.'
'Vicious bastards who slaughter all the Players trying to clear a dungeon…'
For that, they earned the achievement 'Butcher' and were granted 'special powers' through a Villain quest.
That was the ability of monsters like 'vampires,' which ordinary Players could not possess.
'But they're not supposed to be here today.'
It was unexpected.
Originally, only two of the Five Butchers were supposed to come here.
It was possible the Lee Hyun-wook of his past life didn't know, but not Heo Young-tae. Lee Hyun-wook remembered that this one had been slaughtering civilians elsewhere and turning them into undead.
'By killing Yang Ju-seop of the Black Tentacles at Seoul Station, I've made them start walking a different path.'
It seemed they were desperately searching for the 'key' they had obtained back then.
But this, too, was within the broader scope of Lee Hyun-wook's predictions.
'It's obvious, but I can't grow stronger while keeping a complete distance from them.'
There was no need to distance himself from the Villains just because their surveillance network was closing in.
On the contrary, he had to stick precariously close to them, right under their noses.
'That's the only way I can snatch their good fortune for myself…'
He would make the Villains worse while he himself grew stronger.
And that formula applied right now as well.
Whoosh—
Something flew toward Lee Hyun-wook's hand.
It was one of Heo Young-tae's severed fingers.
To be precise, it was the ring on it.
- You have acquired 'Mana Tank (Grade 3)'.
"...Just like this."
This was a rather expensive item.
True to its name, Mana Tank, this small ring could store a massive amount of mana that could be drawn upon in real time. And since a larger mana pool was always a better stat, not only mages but most Players tended to acquire a Mana Tank.
In other words, it was a highly versatile item with a large trade volume and a high selling price.
'A Grade 3… should fetch at least a billion won.'
Of course, to Lee Hyun-wook, it was nothing more than a single bite.
Gulp—
Digesting this would increase his total mana pool to a level equivalent to swallowing several tons of mana stones.
Just like this, he would devour the plans of the Villains, one by one, and grow larger.
That was Lee Hyun-wook's plan.
"Kuh, s-save…"
Without hesitation, Lee Hyun-wook ended Heo Young-tae's life.
***
Sporadic gunfire echoed from various places on Namsan.
Among them, the most chaotic area was undoubtedly near the guard post.
Two muzzles were spitting fire into the darkness.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat!
Under the assault, a dozen figures swayed and fell.
"Re-reloading!"
But they rose to their feet again and began to approach.
Even after being riddled with dozens of bullets and their bodies mangled…
"They're not dying!"
They were residents of hell, undead-type monsters commonly known as 'zombies.'
"Ah! We're out of bullets!"
The two female soldiers of the 2nd Company, the guards, had no choice but to back away.
The guard post NCO supporting them from behind also lowered his bow.
"Girls, inside now, get inside!"
The one shouting was the guard post officer, Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.
She was a support-type Player, casting buffs from the rear.
"But if we hide in here, won't they go down into the city?"
"Still, we have to save ourselves first! The… the 5-minute standby squad will be here soon!"
Choi Seon-ah's judgment was rational. There was no way just four of them could handle this situation.
But at the same time, she felt something was wrong.
That 5-minute standby squad… they should have been here a long time ago.
She went inside the guard post and tried to contact the command post again via the 'hotline.'
"Command! Command! This is the main gate guard post! This is the main gate guard post! Respond! Respond! Ah…"
But the Command and Control Center did not respond.
"Wh-why isn't anyone coming?"
"..."
They had no way of knowing, but things were just as chaotic over there.
Groooan—
Before long, about thirty 'residents of hell' had reached the vicinity of the guard post.
They were slow, but they were a disaster that was not easily stopped.
"Sergeant! The zombies are entering the base!"
But no matter how she thought about it, there was no way for them to stop the horde anymore.
It was at that moment.
Craaack!
A flash of light erupted from somewhere, sending three of the residents of hell flying.
"...Huh? Did the 5-minute standby squad arrive?"
But there were no headlights of a vehicle that the squad would have ridden in.
There were only three very faint beams of light—flashlights—approaching.
Thud!
A soldier at the front, holding a shield, charged forward without hesitation and rammed into the lead zombie.
Then he swung a one-handed sword left and right, precisely slashing the zombie's neck.
"Uh…"
From behind him, an arrow shot from somewhere brought down a zombie, slowly but surely.
Then, an electric magic spell was cast again, sending a couple more zombies flying.
"...Thr-three of them?"
Yes, the reinforcements that had appeared were only three strong.
But they steadily cut down the rather slow and stupid 'otherworldly residents'—and what's more, they were completely taking those hard-to-kill bastards out of the fight—as they approached the guard post.
"Deputy Platoon Leader! Are you alright?"
Choi Seon-ah recognized the voice as that of Corporal Ahn Min-tae from the 1st Company's 5th Squad.
"...You, how are you guys here? Where did you come from?"
"For now, we'll hold the front. It would be a great help if you could provide covering fire from behind!"
"Ah, got it!"
Ahn Min-tae raised his shield and advanced again.
Choi Seon-ah immediately cast 'Haste' and 'Power Up' on him.
"Hup! Oh… I'm suddenly full of energy!"
The three members of the 5th Squad, advancing with Ahn Min-tae at the center, had the power to completely defeat the zombies. With the support fire from the guards, they managed to wipe out about twenty of them in just a few minutes.
"Guys, it's working! We, we did it on our own!"
"Hoo… Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook should have seen this!"
In this moment, strangely, they were feeling a sense of exhilaration.
They were scared and tense, but their confidence that they could do it was greater.
They had overcome being surrounded by a pack of over sixty gnolls.
As long as they had holy weapons, mindless zombies that moved recklessly were no match for them.
Meanwhile, Choi Seon-ah couldn't help but feel bewildered as she watched the scene.
"Wh-what in the world…"
The 1st Company's 5th Squad was the squad she was in charge of.
In other words, she knew these soldiers the best.
But recently, after Lee Hyun-wook had shown overwhelming improvement, now even the squad members under him were showing incomprehensibly rapid growth, no… it was practically an evolution.
'Does this even make sense?'
It was all strange in many ways, but…
'Right, at this rate, we can hold them off.'
It was such, such a relief.
She gripped her trembling thighs.
She felt like she could collapse at any moment, but she bit her lip and held on.
'I'm not a kid anymore. And I'm a soldier.'
She caught her breath and checked her mana and skill cooldowns.
Then she assessed the combat situation and cast a 'buff' on the most appropriate Player.
Her buffs could increase a Player's abilities by up to 20%.
Swish— Swish— Swish—
Under the buff, Choi Tae-yong's firing speed increased dramatically.
Choi Seon-ah was also doing her part.
But…
"Ha—what's this? This is a scene I didn't expect at all."
A strange voice came from somewhere.
Choi Seon-ah raised her head in the direction of the voice.
On top of the guard post building, a stranger was sitting perched.
It was a slender woman in a black suit.
But the woman's eyes…
'...Red?'
Somehow, she didn't seem human, Choi Seon-ah felt.
And strangely, when their eyes met, she felt her body freeze.
"Who… are you?"
At that moment, the woman leaped down from her perch.
And…
Slash!
She swung her hand, slitting the throat of one of the guards.
The guard collapsed with a thud.
A pool of blood formed on the ground.
"..."
It had happened so fast that Choi Seon-ah could only stare blankly at the scene.
"Ah?"
By the time she realized she was the next target of those claws, it was already too late.
But in that split second, someone stepped in front of Choi Seon-ah.
Clang!
"Kuh!"
It was Ahn Min-tae. He had blocked the woman's claws with his shield.
And he even pushed her back with his strength.
"Everyone! Fall back!"
As Ahn Min-tae shouted and swung his sword, the unidentified woman smirked and took a step back.
But just from grazing the shield, smoke was rising from the woman's fingers.
Sizzzle…
"Hmm… that's an expensive shield you've got. Unbefitting of a mere A.M.T. soldier, hmm?"
She blew on her smoking fingertips, puffing the smoke away.
"Hey! Who are you? What is the meaning of this all of a sudden!"
Ahn Min-tae noticed that the zombies weren't attacking her, just passing her by.
"You'll forget when you're dead, so why waste my breath explaining?"
She kicked off the ground and launched a front kick at Ahn Min-tae.
In response, Ahn Min-tae planted his feet and shifted his weight forward.
Thwack!
But he couldn't withstand it.
Ahn Min-tae's body was launched into the air, flew about five meters, and crashed onto the pavement.
In that instant, Choi Tae-yong and Park Jun-mo fired an arrow and an electric attack, but the woman dodged them with ease.
"Ugh…"
As Ahn Min-tae felt the night sky turn yellow, he realized from that single blow.
Even if everyone here attacked her at once, they would be no match for this woman.
But he couldn't give up.
He immediately got to his feet and walked to the very front.
"C-Corporal Ahn Min-tae?"
"Kuh! I have to hold on… until Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook gets here."
Watching him, the woman smiled faintly.
And from behind her back, she drew a long sword.
She had sent Ahn Min-tae flying while unarmed, and now she had a weapon…
She lightly swung her left hand.
Clang—
With just that small movement, the edge of the shield Ahn Min-tae was holding was sliced off.
Even the holy-power-infused one-handed sword in his right hand was snapped in half.
"I have no intention of letting you live through the next attack. What will you do?"
"..."
But Ahn Min-tae did not move.
He wanted to run, but he couldn't.
'If I back down, everyone dies.'
Until recently, he had never felt any sense of duty during his time as an A.M.T. soldier.
It was only natural.
A sense of duty was an emotion one could only gain after feeling a sense of belonging and accomplishment.
But things were different now.
'Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook entrusted this place to me.'
And Ahn Min-tae himself had resolved to become an excellent tank and a good senior.
That was why he couldn't back down.
"Haha—what an idiot. Cutting your own lifeline short, are you?"
The woman raised her long sword high.
Honk!
At that very moment, a car horn blared.
A bright light burst forth from somewhere.
It was the road, outside the base.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud!
An SUV, high beams blazing, plowed through the zombies as it sped toward the guard post.
It had to zigzag because of the barricades, but it charged through without pause, like a stunt.
"What the fuck is this now!"
Just before the SUV could hit her, the woman jumped to evade it.
Screeeech!
The car came to a precise stop right in front of the guard post.
"...Huh? Isn't, isn't that the Company Commander's car?"
Choi Tae-yong said.
Yes, it was definitely Captain Gwak Yong-jun's SUV.
But the passenger side door opened before the driver's side.
And someone got out.
Thud— Thud—
In the glare of the car's headlights, a figure in black clothes… an A.M.T. combat uniform, walked out.
Slowly, his silhouette became clearer.
Half-laced combat boots, a fully open combat jacket, sergeant's stripes, rimless glasses…
Everyone stared at his face.
But perhaps because his appearance was so unexpected, in the brief silence where no one could easily speak, only the sound of the SUV's engine hummed.
Finally, Ahn Min-tae opened his mouth and called his name.
"...Ser… Sergeant Choi Young-jun?"
The man called the strongest among all A.M.T. soldiers.
And the man who would one day be called the Sword Saint.
Such was the unexpected return from leave of that man.
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