22. Seoul Station, F grade and S grade – 1
—————————
Black smoke flowing from Lee Hyun-wook’s mouth – Yang Joo-seop By the time I noticed something suspicious, it was already too late.
Fu-hwa-ah-ah-ah- Red-
hot flames attacked Yang Joo-seop.
“Ugh! Shit! It’s a dog! “Does this make sense?”
The voice of Yang Joo-seop who shouted like that contained absurdity rather than pain.
A single, incomprehensible blow sent him into a groggy state.
Still, even though I have fought countless battles as a player…
‘······ This doesn’t make sense!’
This time, I had no idea what the opponent’s weapon was.
Typically, a player’s combat style is determined by the ‘characteristics’ they have acquired.
To put it simply, a paladin uses a sword and shield, and a wizard uses a wand or staff as a medium for magic.
However, there were exceptions.
For example, being a ‘priest’ doesn’t always mean ‘healing’. They sometimes stand at the forefront with a sword and shield clad in divine power.
And among the wizards, there are also snipers who do not wield wands but use ‘magic bullets’ by ‘enchanting’ bullets.
This case is often referred to as ‘variation armed’.
However, since there is a ‘degree’ to this variation, most of it was within the expected range.
‘But what the fuck is this bastard who controls an iron ball suddenly spewing fire…?’
Yang Joo-seop’s faint consciousness thought so, supported by evil.
He blocked the iron ball attack sent by Lee Hyun-wook with great ease and was about to attack triumphantly – when Lee Hyun-wook opened his mouth, red flames spouted out like a whirlwind and engulfed everything in him.
After that scene, Yang Joo-seop’s will faded.
‘I thought I was a match for him, but it turned out to be a match for him…’
Because he had the characteristic of being a ‘spirit of trees’, he was confident that no matter how much he threw hundreds or thousands of pieces of metal, he would pull out dozens of ‘stems’ and block them.
However… it was not ‘fire’.
Until now, I had avoided enemies that used fire, which is the ultimate in wood, at all costs, but I never imagined that I would be swept up in flames so vainly.
‘Fuck… Still, I thought a pretty good ending would await a villain…’
Villain The usage was clearly not positive.
However, for some people, the message to become a villain and destroy the world may have been more persuasive than the message to become a hero and save the world.
This was especially true for someone full of hatred towards the world.
Therefore, on the day when Yang Joo-seop killed the team members who had been bullying him one by one in the ‘dungeon’, when the quest to become a villain appeared before his eyes, he did not think long and clicked ‘Accept’.
‘I didn’t do anything wrong, the whole world… they did something wrong to me first…’
From a human perspective, the villain is a villain, but from a more macroscopic perspective, isn’t the villain the true justice? Isn’t the true cause to eliminate the humans who dominate and exploit this Earth? Isn’t that the purpose of this game? ·.
Yang Joo-seop thought this over and over again as he proceeded with the ‘Villain Quest’.
But I never thought I would meet such a vain end…
Then I saw a light.
My eyes had opened.
“Oops! “Kuh…”
He is not dead yet.
However, death arrived before his eyes.
The man looking down at him was Lee Hyun-wook.
“······Yang Joo-seop, your self-justification ends here.”
“What? “Kuh-huh!”
Yang Joo-seop At that moment, I couldn’t help but have doubts.
Self-justification…
‘······How on earth did you know my inner thoughts?’
However, the concern could not be resolved.
Because an iron ball flew out and pierced his heart.
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand and took the iron ball.
“You caught Black Tentacle Yang Joo-seop early.”
The villain Yang Joo-seop, who would later rise to A-level player and be called Black Tentacle,
was nipped in the bud before he could grow even further.
And of course, Lee Hyun-wook did not look into Yang Joo-seop’s mind.
It was just something I assumed because I had already seen that all villains have that kind of mentality.
‘People who wrap up their pan-human crimes with plausible rhetoric…’
Lee Hyun-wook planned to dispose of those things one by one like this.
and······.
– Obtained ‘Key to Akashic Armory No. 2’.
Yang Joo-seop was supposed to take over this item from the monster ‘seeker of evil’.
‘I can’t use it right now, but…’
Still, as it was one of the key items in the Villain Quest, it was someone who would play a very decisive role one day.
Lee Hyun-wook put it deep in his chest.
The reward didn’t end there.
– (!) The quest has arrived.
“quest······.”
A quest was a very special direction given by the system.
[Hidden Quest]
– Those who embrace the light will become the dawn of the world!
You have foiled the plot of the ‘villain’, a traitor to humanity.
This gave him a chance to become a ‘Guardian’, the protector of mankind.
This quest will lead you to be the light of the world.
* Do you accept the quest? (Y/N)
“Guardian…”
I was given the opportunity to become a member of the
Guardian organization that protects humanity, the opposite of a villain who threatens humanity .
‘But not yet. If you get tangled up with the Guardian now, you’ll get tired.’
The reason was the same as not wanting to stay at AMT.
Being tied to an organization inevitably hinders the numerous benefits that can be gained by operating independently.
“refuse.”
– Are you sure you want to refuse? (Y/N)
* Choose carefully! There may not be a next time!
Guardians They were definitely helpful people.
For humanity – those who joined forces to fight the villain Many heroes who were destined to become Lee Hyun-wook’s companions in the future currently belong to the Guardians or soon will.
‘But not all guardians are allies. Rather… it could be your worst enemy.’
Your Worst Enemy
To understand this point, you first needed to know the villain well.
There were two main types of villains.
Like Yang Joo-seop, who was just killed, it was common for people to become villains after receiving quests defined by the system, but there were also players who decided to become part of the axis of evil regardless.
chamberlain······.
‘Gordon Price…’
Gordon Price, head of the Villain Alliance, fell into the latter category.
A person close to pure evil who is not determined by the system…
Even though he never received a villain quest, he became the leader of the villains.
And he is even…
“······Humanity’s worst traitor.”
Belonged to the ‘Guardians’, the protectors of humanity.
In this way, the system and game presented a certain board, but it was the player who played with that board.
In my past life, that guy ruled the game.
However, Lee Hyun-wook thought that this edition would be different.
***
A ‘rescue team’ drawn from the 1st Battalion of the 3rd Port Horse Brigade stood in front of Exit 1 of Seoul Station.
There were 18 people below level 15, led by Lieutenant Hee-min Lee.
“Why the fuck am I doing this? No matter how I look at it, it looks like suicide…”
Lee Hee-min muttered that, shook his head, and tapped his bulletproof hat.
“It’s okay, nothing bad will happen…”
At his words, the faces of the soldiers standing behind him also darkened.
He sighed and stretched out his hand toward the dome.
Then a system message appeared.
– This is the level where you can enter.
It looked positive up to this point
– but be careful! The area is [Danger Area]. Once you enter, you cannot leave unless certain conditions are met.
Soon, a bloody phrase appeared before my eyes.
Gulp –
Lee Hee-min turned his head and looked at the rescue team.
They all had the look of a child.
Fuck – he muttered like that and opened his mouth.
“······Come on, everyone! Enter! My insides are in danger! “We don’t even know which gate is open, so everyone stay alert!”
That’s how the entry began.
– caution! You have entered [Danger Area: Unlucky Event].
The vast space of the reception room on the second floor of Seoul Station unfolded before the eyes of the rescue team that penetrated the message.
“······.”
But it was completely different from the feeling they were used to.
It was always a noisy space with a lot of people gathered around, but now it was so quiet that it felt like time had stopped.
“… I can’t see a single corpse.”
something was weird
We came in expecting that there would already be a large number of victims, but strangely, we could not find any traces of massacre.
Can it be said that it is fortunate… On the other hand, the tension doubled when the expectation was wrong from the first step.
Jeopuk- Jeopuk-
“······ Now, move forward to the right of Park Jun-mo and Choi Tae-yong.”
Ahn Min-tae ordered that.
He was still serving as the deputy commander of the rescue team as a temporary squad leader.
And soon it caught my eye.
“Platoon leader, look over there.”
A huge purple shimmering crack was open in the center of the reception room.
The culprit behind all of this was Gate.
“But there’s something around the gate.”
Something huge was lying around the gate, broken into pieces.
As we got a little closer, its outline was revealed.
It looked like a strange creature with many legs…
“Wow! Huge spider! It is a huge spider!”
A female soldier from the 2nd Company shouted and stepped back.
Because of that, the others were also surprised and lowered their stance.
“Oh, but that…”
An Min-taeman tilted his head, raised his shield, and took a couple of steps forward.
There was no movement, and green smoke was seeping out from the cracks.
“······I think they’re all dead already.”
It was then.
“Who is there?”
A voice came from the stairs on the third floor.
“uh? ah! We are AMT Rescue!”
Hee-min Lee answered, and someone on the third floor appeared and motioned for me to come up.
The rescue team climbed the stairs in two rows, vigilantly.
Lee Hee-min, who went to the front, faced the Seoul Station security team leader, a man wearing a blue uniform.
“Did you say rescue team?”
“Yes, that’s right. AMT Rescue.”
“Ah, we are Seoul Station Security Team 2.
The two shook hands.
“Hmm… but this may be a bit weird to say, but how can you come to rescue me when I can’t get out?”
“We can’t go out, but shouldn’t we protect civilian survivors as much as possible for the remaining five hours and 20 minutes? We came to this limb on a mission like that.”
After all, is that the best…
The security team leader nodded with a bitter expression.
Hee-min Lee turned his head and checked the survivors gathered near the food court.
“However, there are no civilian casualties… fortunately, no one appears. What happened?”
“Thanks to AMT members like you. “I was still following his instructions.”
“······yes?”
Lee Hee-min frowned and asked back at the security team leader’s words.
It was because there was a name that came to mind for any AMT member here.
“By any chance, what is his name?”
“Well, he had the rank of corporal, and his name was…”
The security team leader scratched his head as if he couldn’t remember.
“ah! “Are you Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?”
It was none other than Park Jun-mo who asked that question.
At that moment, Lee Hee-min turned his head, veins forming on his neck.
“Hey you bastard, stay still! What are you interfering with?”
“ah! sorry!”
“The private first class doesn’t even know the topic, really…”
The security team leader nodded with a shocked expression at Lee Hee-min’s overreaction.
“······Hmm, that’s the name anyway.”
“What on earth did that soldier do? “It’s impossible to believe that you were following the instructions of such a guy… That’s actually an F grade.”
The security team leader’s face hardened coldly at the unstoppable outpouring of words.
“······.”
Even to himself, Hee-min Lee felt that this was a sudden move without any context.
He felt embarrassed and shook his head.
“······Anyway, I will take command from now on. Hyunwook Lee He is only the lowest soldier in our unit. “Because it is grade F, we have no ability to save the people here and get out.”
Lee Hee-min had already completely forgotten the orders he had received from the battalion commander when receiving the mission – to actively collect Lee Hyun-wook’s opinions.
‘How dare an officer be an F grade subject…’
In his heart, the hatred toward Lee Hyun-wook that had been accumulating for several days ago boiled over.
“Hmm, F grade… is that really true? “It didn’t look like that at all.”
“yes? So would I, the rescue leader, lie? “That’s grade F, that’s right.”
“Then, platoon leader, what is your rank? “The entry limit here is level 15.”
The security team leader looked suspiciously.
“Oh, it just so happens that I’m level 15, so I’m level C, tier 3.”
Grades E and D have a single grade, but starting from Grade C, a grading system called ‘tier’ is added.
There are a total of 5 levels from Tier 5 to Tier 1.
This also meant that grades C were useful enough to divide their usefulness in very detailed terms.
“Hmm, then I am a C-rank tier 1. Why should I follow the platoon leader’s instructions?”
“······yes? “Then why on earth did you follow the instructions of that F-rated bastard?”
“No, I mean, this person really doesn’t understand what I’m saying haha…”
The security team leader looked at Lee Hee-min with cynicism.
But soon annoyance appeared on his face.
“H-I’m going crazy. Eight hundred people’s lives were at stake and this is a rescue team…”
Lee Hee-min also blushed at the security team leader’s blatant expression of emotion.
Although he was quite hot-tempered, he was not so indiscriminate that he got angry here. If you talk to the security team leader now, you will have a lot to deal with.
His anger tended to explode when he didn’t have to.
And just then, a familiar face appeared among the general public in the food court.
The deputy platoon leader was Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.
“uh? Platoon commander?”
“hey! Choi Seon-ah! “Where are you doing this and what are you doing…”
Lee Hee-min, as expected, showed his teeth.
“Where is that bastard Lee Hyun-wook now? “Tell them to come out quickly!”
“Oh, that’s it…”
“He went downstairs to scout for a while.”
The security team leader spoke on behalf of Choi Seon-ah.
“what? Scouting alone… does that make sense?”
“under······.”
The captain of the guard sighed and opened his mouth.
“What the hell do you want to ask? What kind of surveillance are we trapped here?”
“Aren’t you not asking questions, but checking as the rescue leader?”
Eventually, sparks flew between the two, voices rose, and the citizens gathered near the food court couldn’t help but look even more anxious as they watched.
It was then.
“… everyone be quiet.” It was Lee Hyun-
wook’s voice admonishing the two
.
Lee Hee-min suddenly turned his head.
Hyunwook Lee was coming up the stairs.
“what? Hey you bastard! Why are you wandering around alone…”
“I told you to be quiet.”
“what? “How dare you, this crazy bastard, tell me to be quiet…”
At that moment, something flew out of Lee Hyun-wook’s grasp and was shot out at very high speed.
Hung-
“······Huh!”
It stopped right in front of Lee Hee-min’s mouth.
It
was a metal ball the size of a finger.
If I had stopped just a little later, my teeth would have all been crushed.
“······.”
Lee Hee-min took a step back with a rather surprised expression.
Then he opened his eyes wide and looked at Hyunwook Lee.
Rather than anger, it was a somewhat resentful expression that made me wonder how on earth that could be possible.
“Shh-”
“······.”
“Everyone, just shut up and look over there.”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised his right hand and pointed somewhere below the terrace.
It was a gate.
Go-oh-oh-oh-oh-
But the gate was shaking.
It looked completely different from before.
“This is a sign of a second eruption.”
Everyone swallowed dry saliva.
The second battle was about to begin.
Lee Hyun-wook walked closer to Lee Hee-min and looked straight into his eyes.
“Platoon leader, you just almost put every survivor here in danger.”
“······.”
“Platoon leader, we are inside the unlock event area. “Like you asked me and my squad members during the last operation, I hope you control your voice not to be too loud.”
Lee Hee-min didn’t say anything.
That was something he once said.
In that respect, he was not unaware that he had acted rashly, unbefitting a commander, and more than anything…
he had just been completely overwhelmed by Lee Hyun-wook’s spirit.
“I unintentionally gave a threatening signal, but I hope you understand as the situation is situational.”
“······.”
After saying that, Lee Hyeon-wook gestured to the captain of the guard and Ahn Min-tae.
The two approached Lee Hyun-wook.
“The second eruption will begin soon. “We must prepare for battle.”
The two people nodded.
So naturally, Lee Hyun-wook began to command everyone here.
People naturally listened to his voice and followed his opinions.
Lee Hee-min could only stare blankly at that scene.
“For your information, team leader, we found another gate downstairs. Double gates are correct.”
“······shit.”
“Don’t worry too much about this and don’t tell people. It will only add to the confusion.”
“That’s right, I understand.”
At that time, Min-tae Ahn gestured somewhere, and Jun-mo Park came carrying a duffel bag.
“We brought Corporal Lee Hyun-wook’s weapons.”
It contained Lee Hyun-wook’s weapons, including a tactical vest, M9 (enchantment) bayonet, and cloud sword, as well as Sergeant Choi Seon-ah’s weapons.
Lee Hyun-wook put on his gear and placed the cloud sword on his back.
“Now let’s begin.”
When the security team leader gestured, six security guards and three citizen players moved.
As Ahn Min-tae noticed, the rescue team took their positions in perfect order.
“Hundreds of your lives are in our hands.”
Finally, when Lee Hyun-wook made a gesture, everyone raised their weapons.
“······.”
But then everyone’s eyes naturally focused on one point.
Hyunwook Lee He was raising both hands to waist level…
Woo-woo-woo-ung-
Twenty iron balls flew out
from his palms and began to spin in a spiral, like a whirlwind.
