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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 40
Chapter Title: Steel Company - 1
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Tsch—Drop complete.
A natural disaster.
A scene unfolded that could only be described as such.
A hole opened in the sky, and a rain of steel poured down.
In effect, it was no different from the entire battalion armory itself being dumped out.
They fell, gaining momentum from gravity, glinting.
Swoosh- swoosh- swoosh- swoosh- swoosh-
The undead forces, having uprooted all the trees and gathered in a wide clearing, had no way to avoid the torrential downpour of steel from above and were simply swept away.
Thunk- th-th-thunk-!
Under the carpet-bombing-like assault, hundreds of zombies, denizens of hell, collapsed simultaneously.
Gurgle- gurgle- gaaah-
Of course, they couldn't be easily taken out with ordinary weapons.
But piercing their bodies and severing a few limbs was more than enough.
Because rendering them immobile made them much easier to deal with.
'And the real blades are separate.'
Amidst the endlessly pouring baptism of steel rain, there were a few blades moving independently.
Thirty stakes, twelve steel balls, and two KG19s.
These holy weapons moved like guided missiles under Lee Hyun-wook's control, intercepting the enemy.
Fwoosh-sh-sh-sh-
As they swept past, dozens of zombies turned to ash and vanished.
While their attention was drawn to the vertically falling rain of steel, the truly effective attacks were moving horizontally, wreaking havoc.
But those weren't Lee Hyun-wook's only weapons.
Thump- thump-
Haunted Armors—no, now just 'Living Armors' under Lee Hyun-wook's control—the armored giants,
A total of two stood tall to Lee Hyun-wook's left and right, wielding a giant hammer and a long spear.
- 'Master Authority' over the Living Armor has been secured. (2/3)
'I can only control up to three, but if used well, they're more useful than I thought.'
In my past life, I had controlled up to nineteen at once. Though I lost them all when a Necromancer surrounded them with thousands of lesser undead and used 'Corpse Explosion'.
In any case, 'controlling' the Living Armors was easier than I expected.
Without needing to pay much attention, just maintaining a light 'sense of connection' was enough for my metal control to function, allowing them to move and fight automatically. It was thanks to the 'magic circuits' engraved on the armor itself.
Thump- thump-
The steel giants led the way, crushing the charging zombies and clearing a path.
Lee Hyun-wook advanced along that path.
And....
'Found it.'
About 200 meters ahead, a giant stone monument emitting a green light came into view.
He had finally found the totem, the 'Nexus of Evil'.
"—No!"
Just then, a venomous voice cried out.
Carol. She blocked Lee Hyun-wook's path.
"What in the world have you done… Who in the hell are you?"
Having lost her composure, Carol's appearance had become grotesque.
Six arms sprouted from her back, growing so large they resembled a spider's legs. Indeed, as if she were a spider, she charged forward, moving those arms like legs.
"Someone like you wasn't in our intel. Who, who are you…."
Carol muttered in a despairing voice, snatching the spear thrust by a Living Armor and ramming into it, knocking it over.
Then, after stomping and crushing it with her six arms, she extended one arm toward Lee Hyun-wook.
"—Die!"
At that moment, something flashed behind her.
Bzzzzzt-!
Two flashes of light, lightning magic, struck Carol's back.
Caught off guard and unable to react, her eyes rolled back, and she collapsed backward.
"Ha! Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook!"
It was Park Jun-mo.
With a calm expression, he had moved right up behind Lee Hyun-wook. It seemed he had conserved his limited lightning spell, not firing it recklessly despite the chaotic battle.
'As expected of Park Jun-mo. He's more capable than I thought.'
Park Jun-mo was supposed to be dead by this point in time, but his experiences had turned him into a completely different person. Moreover, as an F-rank, if he just figured out how to grow his abilities… honestly, it was something to look forward to.
"Now's your chance! Go!"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and turned away.
Destroying the totem—no, swallowing the Demon's Medal—was a higher priority than finishing off Carol.
The totem was now only about fifty meters away, within range.
Lee Hyun-wook loaded half his metal control power into a single steel stake and shot it toward the totem.
Thud-
But it was blocked by a translucent wall.
'A magic barrier, as expected.'
I foresaw this. There was no way such an important object would be left completely undefended.
But Lee Hyun-wook had a weapon that could pierce it.
Failnaught rose from his hip.
However....
Thooom-
Something landed in front of the totem, shaking the ground.
It was, as expected, a giant suit of armor.
It completely blocked the totem.
Clank- clank-
This one was quite different from the 'Haunted Armors' he had faced so far.
It was a head taller, and a green smoke wafted from its body like an aura. The light in its eyes wasn't just glowing; it was smoldering like the fires of hell.
"A Gigant Haunted Armor…."
The dungeon's boss monster had come out of the gate itself.
Kuaaaargh—
The creature gripped a five-meter-long halberd with both hands and swung it with all its might.
Fwoosh- Claaang-!
In a single blow, a Living Armor was torn apart like paper, its upper body sent flying into the distance.
As expected of a boss monster, its destructive power was extraordinary.
'...This has gotten troublesome.'
Lee Hyun-wook faced the creature and slowly backed away.
It looked slow, but it was remarkably fast.
It would close the distance in an instant and swing that long halberd.
If I made one wrong move and got grazed by that attack....
'Instant death.'
But once again, someone came to Lee Hyun-wook's aid.
Thwump-
Someone in full plate armor charged in and slammed into its massive frame.
It was Seo Eun-ha.
"Hup! Go now!"
Like David wrestling Goliath, she grabbed the creature's shoulder, clung to it, climbed over its shoulder, and latched onto its back. All the while, she relentlessly swung her greatsword, striking its helmet.
Clang!
Of course, as it was an incorporeal being, such physical damage was useless.
"What are you doing! Go and smash the totem!"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
'Smash it? I'll devour it completely.'
And so, while Seo Eun-ha drew the creature's attention, Lee Hyun-wook circled around to the right.
But in truth, there was no need for that.
Even with his line of sight blocked, Lee Hyun-wook could sense and hit his target.
Of course, if there was something non-metallic in the way, it would be blocked, but he had already identified the path.
Failnaught shot out from Lee Hyun-wook's hip.
Whoosh!
It moved like a marlin, fast and resilient, carving a curve through the air.
Crack!
'Got it.'
He couldn't see it, but he knew.
A large hole must have been punched through its center,
Crack-crack-crack—it fractured,
Shatter-!
And collapsed as if it had exploded.
- Congratulations! You have destroyed the Nexus of Evil and ended the calamity.
It was over.
- Congratulations! You have achieved a special accomplishment.
"Hmm? An accomplishment?"
He had earned an accomplishment by destroying the totem.
[Accomplishment List]
1) Purifier
- Condition: Destroy an object that proclaims a domain of death.
- Effect: Forms Dark Resistance (Tier 1), Maximum Mana Increase (+200), Holy Power Increase (+20%)
This was information even Lee Hyun-wook didn't know.
In his past life, this totem belonged to the Necromancer, and he had never managed to destroy it.
In other words, in this life, he had smashed it to pieces before that bastard could get his hands on it.
'The benefits are just pouring in.'
But the main event was yet to come.
From within the fragments of the collapsing monument, Lee Hyun-wook sensed a piece of metal and pulled it toward him.
Snap-
A rectangular, well-crafted piece of metal landed in his hand.
All sorts of patterns were engraved on its surface, but he didn't have time to examine it closely.
- You have acquired the Demon's Medal (Legion).
"...Got it."
The last Demon's Medal he swallowed was Inferno, the fiery hell.
This time, it was Legion.
Judging by its name, it seemed to be an item related to 'control'.
He didn't know what kind of skill would emerge, but Lee Hyun-wook swallowed it without hesitation.
Thud-
Just then, the ground shook.
He turned his head to see a thick cloud of dust rising, and behind it, the boss monster, the Gigant Haunted Armor, lay sprawled on the ground. Seo Eun-ha was on top of it, panting for breath.
"Hah- haah-"
She turned her head to Lee Hyun-wook.
Blood beaded on her skin like sweat, and her eyes were half-glazed.
"Is it... over now?"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at Seo Eun-ha's words.
The soldiers of the 1st and 2nd Companies were slowly advancing, wiping out the remaining zombies. This was possible because the firepower from dumping the entire battalion armory had incapacitated most of them.
In other words, all that remained was literally 'clean-up'.
'But... where is Carol?'
Lee Hyun-wook searched for Carol, the leader of the Five Butchers, amidst the chaos.
He couldn't let her get away alive.
But no matter how hard he looked, she was nowhere to be seen… The mystery was soon solved.
"...Look over there! That woman is escaping!"
Choi Tae-yong's shout.
Everyone turned their heads.
It was Carol.
She was running up the mountain. Having judged that victory was impossible, she had started to flee.
"Dammit!"
Seo Eun-ha cursed and raised her sword toward Carol.
A beam of white light shot from the tip of her sword.
It was a linear Holy Light, not a radial one.
Sizzle-!
The beam stretched over a hundred meters and seared Carol's back.
But Carol only staggered for a moment before continuing to run forward.
The archers fired arrows, and a few hit their mark, but Carol paid them no mind.
Lee Hyun-wook also sent Failnaught after her, but the distance was already too great.
"Damn, it looks like we're going to lose her! She's too fast!"
Choi Tae-yong clicked his tongue.
'Letting her escape is not good.'
It was a mistake. Carol had seen Lee Hyun-wook.
The Villain organization would now be wary of him.
As they watched blankly, like a dog that had lost the chicken it was chasing….....
"Huh?"
A huge shadow descended upon Carol.
"...What is that?"
It was so fast that they couldn't make out what it was... but Carol, a mid-tier vampire with considerable strength, was being crushed, unable to do anything.
It looked like a beast.
Crunch!
It was....
"A, a tiger?"
Yes, to be precise, it was a tiger covered in white fur—a white tiger.
Groooowl-
On the mountainside, a white tiger stood tall, silhouetted against the moonlight.
Then, above its head, lights and a gust of wind appeared.
Th-th-th-thump—
It was the sound of rotors.
A helicopter came over the mountain ridge and began to hover above them.
Soon, someone jumped out.
Thud-
It was the battalion commander, Kim Kang-seok.
He had returned urgently from his deployment.
Behind him, a white afterimage appeared, and suddenly the white tiger was there. A tiger the size of a house… a massive beast that perfectly fit the description.
"Don't be surprised. That's the commander's familiar."
Ahn Min-tae said as a private first class backed away.
That's right. The beast was the familiar of the druid, Kim Kang-seok.
Just like his nickname, the Mountain Lord of Namsan, he used such terrifying beasts as his weapons.
Seo Eun-ha sheathed her greatsword and gave a sharp salute.
Kim Kang-seok scanned the surroundings with a deadpan expression, but it was clear he was dumbfounded.
"...I gave permission to use the battalion armory, but I never imagined you'd move the entire armory itself."
At a glance, it looked as if a blood-red reed field made of steel had sprung up on one side of Namsan.
He approached Lee Hyun-wook.
"Lee Hyun-wook, whenever you return victorious, I always have many questions."
"But this time, too, it seems there's a mountain of other things to do first."
Kim Kang-seok looked up, and everyone followed his gaze to the sky.
"The sky...."
A short while ago, when the wide-area portal opened, most hadn't noticed, but as dawn began to break, the strange color became more distinct.
And so, it was now clearly visible.
"...It's purple."
Right now, the sky over Seoul was purple.
"...No matter how you look at it, that's a precursor to a Wave."
Kim Kang-seok said it calmly, but his words were terrifying.
Looks of horror began to spread across everyone's faces.
They had won, but they couldn't smile, let alone feel relieved.
They knew all too well what a horrifying phenomenon a Wave was.
Perhaps this battle was only the beginning.
But Lee Hyun-wook was different.
'I've blocked the first, most crucial offensive.'
Lee Hyun-wook had resolved to hunt, dismantle, and absorb the whale known as the Wave.
And the first harpoon into that giant whale had struck true.
It was possible because he hadn't done it alone, but had used this battalion, just as he intended.
'And I'll ride this momentum to devour it completely.'
Just like the Unlucky Event, high difficulty always came with a corresponding reward.
And as Lee Hyun-wook recalled, this Wave held a great many hidden treasures.
Meanwhile, Kim Kang-seok looked at the armored giant standing behind Lee Hyun-wook with a curious expression.
"That Living Armor, don't tell me you can control it?"
"Yes, it seems my metal control can activate its magic circuits."
"Remarkable...."
"Commander, would it be possible for me to repair those Living Armors and use them?"
A total of thirty came from this gate.
About half of them seemed to still be usable.
Of course, Lee Hyun-wook could only handle three at a time.
"Hmm, I'm not sure if the battalion's combat engineers can handle it, but give it a try."
The battalion had 'blacksmith'-type Players, and they were the combat engineers.
But their skills couldn't be called particularly outstanding.
'I'll have to bring Craftsman Kang Jeong-du here anyway.'
Kang Jeong-du would be able to restore something like this with ease.
He planned to bring the two of them over, both to get them to safety from the 4th Wave and for this.
"And First Lieutenant Seo, is that thing you're standing on the boss monster?"
"Yes, sir."
Seo Eun-ha held up the 'World Stone' that had emerged from the Gigant Haunted Armor.
In other words, it meant they had effectively cleared the dungeon.
The moment it was destroyed, the gate would close.
"Good. Leave a force to watch the gate. The rest will descend the mountain."
And so, the descent began.
Of course, the battle wasn't over.
There were still two gates left.
Just then....
Trudge- trudge-
The sound of someone approaching came from between the trees in a corner.
"...Huh? Where's everyone going?"
It was Choi Young-jun.
Strangely, he was wearing a fedora that didn't match his military uniform at all.
And he was dragging someone by the hair.
That someone was, of course, the male vampire, his limbs cleanly severed.
"...What the?"
He frowned, looking at the completely changed scenery that had appeared while he was away.
To his eyes, it was a baffling scene.
"Whoa, awesome... How did so many items drop?"
His assumption wasn't strange.
That so many items had rained down as if a hole had opened in the sky was something one could never imagine without witnessing it firsthand.
***
As Lee Hyun-wook descended the mountain, he checked the system message floating before his eyes.
- Metal Absorption complete: Demon's Medal (Legion)
* Controllable metal weight has increased: 544g
By now, he could digest this much capacity in no time.
However....
"Kuh-"
- A 'Signal Core' is forming in your central nervous system. (1%)
* May be accompanied by extreme pain!
This time, it wasn't his stomach, but his central nervous system—the brain and spine.
'This one... really hurts a lot....'
The pain he felt when the Breath Room was forming, like his stomach was melting, was nothing compared to this.
His head throbbed as if it would shatter, and the tingling in his body went beyond numbness, feeling like he was being stabbed with knives.
Literally, his nerves were being reconstructed, causing abnormal sensations to arise.
"Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, your complexion… you don't look well."
Park Jun-mo asked with concern.
"I'm fine. Watch where you're going. You'll fall."
But as the saying goes, one must endure pain to grow.
Therefore, steep growth is always accompanied by terrible growing pains.
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