Chapter 52: Heroes of Seoul

Chapter 52: Heroes of Seoul

< Chapter 52. Heroes of Seoul – 1 >

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BOOM!

Amidst the roaring sound of the explosions, Lee Hyunwook stood tall on both feet.

The villains stared blankly at him.

"......."

How on earth was he able to break free from those thick ropes?

And where did that spear that pierced through those two orcs come from?

Many questions lingered, but there wasn't time to ponder them now.

Because they felt that man was no ordinary being.

“...Damn, activate the Ring!”

Following Choi Minseong's shout, a bald man wearing a leather jacket clasped his hands together.

Then, a golden light burst from his body,

Forming a semi-transparent sphere in the surrounding 10m2 space.

Vroom—!

[The ‘Duel Field’ has been activated in this area.]

-The area will be isolated from the outside for 300 seconds.

"The Ring, it's activated.”

The Duel Field, commonly known as the ‘Ring’, was a martial artist-type skill.

Its purpose was to ‘enclose’ a certain space and beat up the trapped opponent.

Meanwhile, the spear of Achilles, thrown by Lee Hyunwook, was currently stuck outside that space, in the bodies of the orcs.

Lee Hyunwook tried pulling it,

Whiff—

But as expected, he couldn't bring it inside because of the semi-transparent Duel Field.

“Wow... where the hell did you get that spear from?”

“Thanks to Mr. Lee Hyunwook kindly revealing his abilities, I took the liberty to clear out all the metal fragments and be prepared... but you still had a hidden trick up your sleeve. Hahaha... You're always one step ahead.”

"......."

"But, that spear... You can't pull out another one, can you? That's the only one?"

Although Choi Minseong still spoke confidently, he no longer approached Lee Hyunwook.

He didn't rule out the possibility that Lee Hyunwook might have something else hidden.

Moreover, he noticed the strange phenomenon occurring around Lee Hyunwook’s body.

Skin that transformed like armor, and the energy surrounding it...

At a glance, he could tell it wasn't a simple defensive skill.

"Ah? You once said your type is control, so you're physically weak... Was that a lie too?"

With an incredulous expression, Choi Minseong clasped his head.

"But, even so, you, a control type, want to fight one against four in this confined space?"

With that, all four villains drew their weapons.

It seemed their weapons hadn't been confiscated during the kidnapping, as there wasn't a single metal weapon.

"Hehehe—! Isn't the situation getting more interesting?"

The first to charge was the seemingly crazed woman, Park Ji-hyeon.

She lunged over her two comrades and thrust a dagger made of bone toward Lee Hyunwook with a grinning snarl so wide it threatened to rip her cheeks open.

"Die—!"

Her movements were incredibly fast and rabid, resembling more like a cat or a hunting animal than a human.

But then...

CRACKLE!

"Ahgagagaga—!”

From somewhere, a blue whip flew in and wrapped around the woman's body.

Just like that, she plummeted and hit the ground head-first, her body convulsing violently.

"It's 4 against 2! I'm here too, you a**holes—!"

It was Park Junmo.

Both of his arms were still tied behind his back, but the current that extended from his palms was elongating and moving like a long tail. Clearly, his control over the current was improving day by day.

"Damn it! What are you all doing? Kill him now!”

Choi Minseong shouted and launched a ‘Magic Missile'.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

Six projectiles homed in on Lee Hyunwook and Park Junmo like guided missiles.

“Damn it—!”

Park Junmo spread out his electric whip like a net, neutralizing two of the Magic Missiles.

On the other hand, Lee Hyunwook simply stood still.

Thud—thud—thud—thump—

The Magic Missiles hit, but they seemingly evaporated around him.

"What, what's going on?”

He was enveloped in a thick ‘Mana Shield’.

Having absorbed ‘Orichalcon' in the meantime, his magic resistance was upgraded too along with the durability of the armor and mana shield.

Then, the bald man charged forward, raising a wooden club towards Lee Hyunwook's head.

"Damn— Try and block this!"

A crimson energy was swirling at the tip.

‘It's a weapon enhancement skill.’

Given this, it wasn't just a simple wooden club, but more like a heavy mace.

Lee Hyunwook focused on hardening his left arm, lifted his elbow, and collided with it.

Crack—!

With a fierce sound of impact, it was the club that broke.

"There, blocked it."

“...The fuck?"

The man hesitated for a moment in his confusion.

That was a foolish move.

As always, Lee Hyunwook didn't miss the opportunity.

His left leg shot towards the man's neck.

Snap—

With all the controllable weight behind the Brazilian kick, the man's cervical spine shattered with that strike.

"This damn bastard—!”

Lee Hyunwook spun around, preparing a ‘Counter Back Kick’ towards the bald man who was diving into his zone. However, seeming to have read the movement, the man jumped backward.

“Whew... Seems like you know a bit of martial arts?”

The man seemed to have recognized Lee Hyunwook's close combat skills, raised his hands in a guard position, and said,

"It's been a while since I've taken a proper stance for a fight, huh? Ha!”

In a split second, the man closed the distance and jabbed twice with his lead hand—his left.

As Lee Hyunwook took a step back, the man threw a straight punch with his rear hand—his right hand.

However, instead of dodging, Lee Hyunwook caught the punch flying towards his face as if gripping it tightly.

Crack—

"...Oh, caught it?"

"No, I'm going to crush it."

"What?"

Snap—!

"Aaargh—!"

Truly, the man's fist crumbled like a boiled potato.

Unseen on the surface, sharp spikes had emerged from Lee Hyunwook's palm. He then twisted his wrist dramatically, further contorting the man's fist in a brutal manner.

Crackle—!

"Ughhh..."

Towards the man who was in a daze, sobbing in pain and gurgling incoherently, Lee

Hyunwook swung his right hand.

Swoosh—Slash—!

Furthermore, it was an ‘infinite power device', which seemed too extravagant to be used merely for maintaining a barrier.

‘Come to think of it, didn't the <Gate Sentinel> fly around with something like this? Maybe?'

The Gate Sentinel, a massive airship known as the aircraft carrier of the sky,

This colossal beast flew between continents with three such engines.

From what he'd heard, its power source was practically on par with a nuclear power plant...

With a sense of curiosity, Lee Hyunwook applied his metal control ability to the device.

Consequently, it slowly floated into the air.

‘It's metal. Then... can I absorb it?'

It was about 5 cm in diameter, a mouthful if he were to open wide...

However, the idea of swallowing a power source equivalent to a nuclear reactor seemed a bit daunting.

In any case, if it got absorbed when he tried to swallow, it meant it was absorbable,

and if a warning message appeared, it meant it wasn't. It was worth trying.

Lee Hyunwook closed his eyes briefly and placed it in his mouth.

Gulp—

It worked. It was sucked in.

[Time remaining for metal absorption: Unknown]

‘Unknown time...'

He had seen such a message only once before.

Lee Hyunwook recalled that moment and clicked his tongue.

‘I'm not sure what will happen, but I have a feeling something frightening might emerge...'

He felt a vague sense of unease.

Lee Hyunwook then headed to the upper floor, the rooftop.

* * *

Meanwhile, on the rooftop of a 20-story apartment overlooking the department store,

There were 14 sniper players, including Private Choi Tae-yong, waiting.

"Hey, who's that over there? Doesn't seem like one of ours..."

Someone said that, and everyone turned their heads in that direction.

A convoy of vehicles appeared from somewhere.

Three K-1 53 armored reconnaissance vehicles and seven military trucks, it was the Steel Battalion.

Lee Hyunwook's backup forces, which he had kept separate, were now entering the department store. It was a scene incomprehensible to the players who had never been informed about it.

"AMT, those aren't from your unit, are they?"

"Ah... Yes, they are."

Private Choi Tae-yong nodded in response to a player's question.

Then, murmurs of discontent rose from various quarters.

"Why didn't you tell us about this?"

"With that air raid just now, why deceive people who are risking their lives?"

"Steel Battalion, Steel Battalion, famous and all, but are we just side dishes to you?"

Choi Tae-yong lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Ah, it's not like that... I'm not sure... I believe my commander will explain later..."

Just then, something happened that drew their resentful gazes.

"Look over there!"

The purplish shimmer that had enveloped the department store began to rapidly disappear.

"It's done! The barrier is open!"

The sniper players cheered and raised their weapons.

As per their plan, it was time to provide ‘sniping' support and focus.

"Alright, let's give those bastards a good beating!"

As they settled into their positions and prepared to fire, the full view of the department store was revealed.

Where there was once a rooftop garden, now huge and grotesque trees grew.

And there were a massive number of monsters gathered everywhere.

"Damn, there are so many..."

Easily over two hundred, with 5-meter tall trolls interspersed among them.

But what stood out the most was a black rock pile stacked in the center.

It seemed to be a kind of ‘altar' where black magicians offered tributes to an evil God...

"What... what is that?"

There was something squirming on top of it, resembling a gigantic placenta.

Inside it, ‘something' was writhing, barely visible.

"Just looking at it gives me a bad feeling."

"It feels like... something's about to jump out."

Experienced players sensed it.

Such a phenomenon typically indicated the imminent arrival of a terrifying boss monster...

But the ominous signs didn't end there.

From the placenta, something resembling ‘tentacles' wriggled, sucking on something.

And that... was a naked person.

"God!"

They were being offered up as ‘sacrifices'.

Bodies of those sucked dry were piled up on one side...

There seemed to be well over a hundred.

"This is insane..."

The players felt a deep-rooted anger rising from within.

"Screw sniping and everything else, let's just charge in now and wipe them all out!"

The problem was that both rage and fear surged simultaneously.

No one dared to speak the next word.

Then...

"Who's that... coming out?"

The door to the rooftop opened, and a single person walked out.

* * *

The moment Lee Hyunwook opened the rooftop door,

A magic drone whizzed over his head, dropping something.

Thunk—

It was a military backpack.

Inside it were Lee Hyunwook's weapons and a mana messenger.

With a simple gesture, he equipped the weapons and activated the mana messenger.

Woosh—

Facing about ten monsters charging towards him, he spoke,

"Ah, this is the commander of the Steel Battalion."

―Click— We hear you clearly.

"Are the magicians ready as per the plan?"

―Click— Ready and waiting for orders.

The secret operation he had prepared before encountering the Taesan Guild was now in its final phase.

Woosh—

Lee Hyunwook closed his eyes, indifferent to the approaching swarm of monsters.

He sensed the ‘command vehicle' approaching right in front of the department store building,

And the hefty greatsword, Mogley, placed atop it— he pulled it towards him.

When he opened his eyes, the monsters had already reached right in front of him.

At that moment—

Crash—

Mogley smashed down, causing a dust cloud, startling the monsters who took steps back in alarm.

Holding the hilt of Mogley in his left hand, Lee Hyunwook raised the mana messenger with his right.

And he issued a single command to the Steel Battalion.

"From now on... open the sky.”