Episode 41 [ Steel Company – 2 ]
———————
In the command and control room in the basement of the 1st Battalion, the main personnel of the battalion were gathered there.
Not only the executives but also some soldier squad leaders, including Lee Hyun-wook, were present.
And now, Captain Park Taek-soo, head of the support department, who had returned with Kim Kang-seok, was briefing.
“Look here.”
There was a picture on the screen.
It was a satellite photo of Seoul.
But something strange caught my eye.
There was a huge white circle drawn in the center of Seoul as seen from the sky.
At first glance, I thought it might be a cloud, but it was a very honest circle.
“As you can see, a 10km radius around Seoul Station has been ‘closed’ by the system.”
It was a fact that he did not know because of repeated battles.
“As expected, it is in the form of a dome, but unlike in the ‘Unlucky Event’, it is impossible to even enter. It is completely isolated. The only blocking magic of this scale other than Wave is Archmage Anton Makhachev’s ‘Sphere Field’… The sky It has turned purple so yes it is definitely a wave.”
Of course, that’s the conclusion:
“……the origin of the 4th wave that mankind was worried about is right here in Seoul.”
Wave
The worst disaster this game presents… It was the name of a long hell where monsters came in like waves and turned humanity’s home upside down like a small ferry boat.
A total of three waves have occurred so far, and each time tens of thousands of players and millions of civilians have died. Despite this, humanity has never won.
And the land that was stolen was ‘eroded’ and turned into a completely different environment – another world.
First wave California became a volcanic region dominated by red drakes.
In the second wave, the kingdom of Shanghai Orcs was established and transformed into a rough grassland with a steppe climate.
3rd Wave Berlin has become a tropical rainforest green hell covered in man-eating plants.
And the 4th wave… it was here in Seoul.
What is this place going to become now?
“…And for this reason, many executives were unable to return, creating a leadership vacuum.”
“Hmm…”
There was no time to return except for those staying in the military apartments near the BOQ in the compound.
However, Kim Kang-seok, who was at Incheon Port to track down Kaito Okita, chose to return immediately after hearing that a gate had occurred in his unit, and narrowly missed the goal just before the area closed.
“First of all… is there an adjacent unit within the lockdown area that can be contacted?”
In response to Kim Kang-seok’s question, Park Tae-soo shook his head as he flipped through the documents.
“Currently, there is no place other than the brigade headquarters.”
There were several more units within a 10km radius of Seoul Station, where the 4th wave occurred.
However, it was confirmed that the ‘gate’ had been opened for all of those units.
“And it seems that the brigade headquarters has not been completely suppressed yet.”
There were as many as four gates on the brigade headquarters side. Of course, there is no villain like the Five Butchers, but since there was no one who knew the future and responded like Lee Hyun-wook, the response would have been much late.
“…Has the Cheonghwa Guild been contacted?”
“We are communicating every 30 minutes via Mana Messenger, but they are still responding.”
“Then we need to put out the urgent fire first.”
Kim Kang-seok sighed and stood up.
“We will attack the two blocked gates within the compound. After that…”
He spread out the five fingers of his right hand.
“…5 days to go. As with the previous wave, the closure period in Seoul will be 5 days, and after 5 days, this will no longer be the Seoul we know… but will turn into a part of another world.”
The 5-day regional lockdown that started at the same time as the wave began.
Humanity called it the ‘rapid erosion period’.
In just 5 days, the entire environment, including climate and topography, changes.
In other words, the golden time was only 5 days.
“We have to stop it somehow.”
Otherwise, Seoul will be lost.
“…But Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook?”
Everyone looked at Lee Hyun-wook when Kim Kang-seok called him.
“Your complexion doesn’t look good. Are you hurt somewhere?”
Kim Kang-seok asked worriedly.
This was because Lee Hyun-wook was sweating coldly.
“No. I have a bit of a headache because I overexerted myself during the last battle.”
“I think I overused my abilities during the battle. Go see the medical director. “It shouldn’t hurt right now.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
It wasn’t a little bit.
My head hurt like it was going to explode.
And that’s…
– A ‘signal core’ is being formed in the central nervous system. (62%)
* May be accompanied by extreme pain!
As expected, it was the terrible pain that accompanies digesting the ‘Devil’s Medal’.
“Alright then, the attack will begin in 20 minutes. All troops must be ready by then.”
After the briefing was over, Lee Hyun-wook returned to the dormitory.
“You came… uh! Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook!”
And then I collapsed.
***
Lee Hyun-wook had his eyes closed. He probably seemed to have lost his mind.
A blurry scene played before his eyes.
“…So what you’re saying, team leader, is that Singapore will be the origin of the 5th wave?
This voice was sad.
This was not the Seo Eunha she is now.
It was correct to say the future…or the past.
She was now asking Lee Hyun-wook a question, and many people besides her were looking at Lee Hyun-wook. Lee Hyun-wook nodded and pressed the button on the remote to turn the screen.
“Yes, the only thing that the four regions where waves have occurred so far have in common is that the frequency of high-level gate occurrences in nearby regions has decreased sharply from one month before the wave occurred. As if…”
“…as if we were concentrating our strength for a single explosion. In order for the gate to open, a lot of mana had to be concentrated in the area. Instead, we opened a lot of small things. It was used as a smoke screen.”
“So could this information be a hint on how to respond to the wave?”
Seo Eun-ha and other team members shook their heads.
“Well, even if you know the origin in advance, it is virtually impossible to stop the wave. It is a given that the area will be devastated just by it starting.”
“I think so too. However… we need to take advantage of the fact that we know in advance where and when the wave will occur and think about how to use that wave.”
When he heard that he was using a wave, the team members looked puzzled.
“As everyone knows, this wave is actually induced by the villain.”
“Yes.”
“The purpose is the destruction and conquest of the city… and the items obtained from the wave.”
It was true.
The villains became dramatically stronger with each wave.
This was because the wave poured out legendary items.
“So that’s it. “We have to find a way to intercept everything.”
“Ah…”
But the method was vague.
Because I couldn’t tell when and where something like that would come out.
On the other hand, the villains already knew the coordinates.
In the end, it was bound to be a losing battle.
“Many heroes, including Lee Seong-yoon, Han Tae-san, Choi Jeong-cheol, Kim Kang-seok, and Stipe Marin, died due to the mythical item ‘Mistiltein’ that appeared during the 4th wave.”
“If someone else had acquired that item first…”
“…history would have been different.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and everyone had sad expressions.
After a while, the briefing ended.
As the team members left the conference room, Lee Hyun-wook grabbed Seo Eun-ha’s arm.
“Seo Eun-ha, look at me for a second.”
“…Huh?”
Lee Hyun-wook looked around and whispered softly in Seo Eun-ha’s ear.
“Take care of yourself tomorrow. Intelligence has come in that Yoo Hae-na has trained a devil with ‘ether’ claws that can break your ‘self-defense strength’. “Maybe… I’ll bring it out at a crucial moment.”
Seo Eun-ha laughed.
“Hmm… If that’s the case, wouldn’t the team leader need to come to his senses and be careful so I can be careful too? Are you saying that you know at least roughly who I am always tearing and bruising for?”
“That’s… right.”
“So, if you don’t want to kill me, come to your senses. I am your first life.”
Even while saying such scary words, Seo Eun-ha smiled brightly.
Lee Hyun-wook’s first life. That’s how she always referred to herself.
She called herself a ‘shield’ to protect Korea’s best firepower.
“…Yes. Both lives are intact this time. “Let’s finish the wave well.”
However, those two lives
could not be saved in the end.
Uggggggg—-
The sound of something solid bending was heard.
U-Gr–
Finally, the sound of it breaking was heard.
“-Gasp!”
Someone’s scream…
At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes. Then the bending noise disappeared.
“
Uh, Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook?”
I heard Park Jun-mo’s voice, and the first thing I saw was a system message.
– Congratulations! You have met special conditions and will be given a new ‘skill’.
I stood up.
It was the living room.
“Uh… are you out of your mind?”
The frame of the bed where Lee Hyun-wook was lying and the pipe stand of Lee Hyun-wook were crumpled like sheets of paper. While I was dreaming, I seemed to unconsciously exercise ‘metal control’…
‘Was this possible with just my metal control?’
I didn’t know what was going on, but it was clear that my abilities had increased dramatically in a short period of time.
He immediately rechecked the system message that appeared before his eyes.
– congratulations! New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions.
After absorbing the Devil’s Medal (Legion), new body organs were formed again.
However, because my central nervous system was newly built, I honestly felt like I was going to faint.
‘Yes, it wasn’t a pain I could endure with my mental strength.’
And now it was time to see what was born from that pain.
[Skill Information]
– Name: Signal Core
– Grade: D
– Effect
1) Transcendent Sense: Metal control increases. (+30%)
2) Centurion Force: The maximum number of followers increases. (+10)
* Skill grade improves when hidden conditions are met.
what’s this?’
Lee Hyeon-wook couldn’t help but be surprised.
‘Control… It’s strengthened by thirty percent…’
I thought I knew why the Necromancer was so strong.
With this item alone, your maximum control will be enhanced by 30%.
This meant that the growth rate could increase by as much as 30%.
‘And these figures simply cannot be taken at face value.’
This is because growth is a kind of snowballing. To put it simply, if you grow faster than your competitors, you will be able to seize good opportunities one step ahead.
So, the amount of metal that Lee Hyun-wook can currently control is….
– The weight of ‘metal’ that can currently be controlled: 65658g
* Transcendence Sense (+30%) is in effect.
…In an instant, the weight went up to 65kg.
‘If I climb a little more, I might be able to float my body.’
Of course, even if the weight was just right, it couldn’t fly at high speeds.
With a weight of 300g, you can carry the weight that you wield with one hand.
‘And then…’
And the second skill, ‘Centurion Force’.
Can it be translated as the power of a centurion?
This was an ability related to subordinates.
‘This is one of the reasons why that necromancer was able to create so many legions.’
There were times when I thought that no matter how many necromancers there were, there were too many.
There may be other factors, but this power led to a significant increase in the number of household members.
‘Unfortunately, I don’t have the characteristics associated with belonging.’
But there was a way, and it has already been realized.
It was using ‘Living Armor’.
Until just before, I could only control 3 planes, but now there are 10 more.
‘Well, it’s the Steel Legion…’
Actually, I tried it in my last life, but I didn’t find it that fun and I melted into the necromancer.
This was because the maximum number was 33.
However, I thought that if I had this skill, a slightly different picture could be created.
As your skill level increases, the number of subordinates you can control will also increase. As the saying goes, it might rise to a maximum of 100.
‘If we use this well, maybe…’
It might be possible to push the Necromancer, the leader of the devil’s army, into the army.
It may still be a distant future, but I vaguely pictured it. A steel army wearing sacred armor.
If that’s the case…
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and looked at Park Jun-mo.
“Park Jun-mo, how long did I sleep?”
“Uh, about 3 hours… are you okay?”
“Is the battalion commander in the command and control room?”
“Yes, probably…”
Lee Hyun-wook got up from his seat and went to the command and control room.
“Loyalty!”
The executives gathered in the situation room turned their heads at the appearance of Lee Hyun-wook.
“So you… are you really okay?”
Kim Kang-seok asked with a worried expression.
He also heard the news that Lee Hyun-wook had collapsed.
“Yes, I must have been a little tired after being awake since the early morning shift yesterday. sorry.”
“I didn’t think I was that weak…”
Lee Hyun-wook smiled.
“Yes, I think I came because I had something to say, didn’t I?”
“you’re right.”
Lee Hyeon-wook moved a little closer to the battalion commander.
“When this situation first occurred, the battalion commander ordered me to take on the role of temporary platoon leader.”
“Yes, that order is still in effect.”
“Yes, then, let me ask you a favor in relation to that.”
Kim Kang-seok crossed his arms and nodded.
“Well… I get scared now when you ask me for something. I gave them permission to use the armory, but didn’t they move it to a mountainous area? “What kind of big business are you going to do this time?”
He said as he said, but his expression showed a hint of anticipation.
“It will be at a similar level this time too.”
“Ha-that’s fun.”
In response, Kim Kang-seok smiled slightly.
“Once the gates within the compound are closed, shouldn’t we conduct an operation outside the compound?”
“I guess that’s inevitable…”
In order to stop the wave, I couldn’t just stay within the unit.
After finishing maintenance, I had to advance outside the base to find and destroy the ‘erosion factor’.
Of course, there were monsters in the vicinity that were powerful beyond imagination. They would be guarding it, and
furthermore, the villain organization’s trap would also be waiting.
“I’m trying to ‘organize’ a platoon for that operation.”
“By formation… does this mean that you will try to form a completely new platoon instead of the 2nd platoon?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
It was definitely not something a soldier would suggest.
But at this moment, Lee Hyun-wook was no ordinary soldier.
In fact, he had saved the entire 1st Battalion.
“Okay, please explain.”
“We need half the weapons in the battalion armory and a truck to transport them.”
“You’ll need soldiers and escorts to drive that truck, right?”
“Yes, and we need at least 15 wizards to open the wide-area portal.”
“Hmm… we need to have a tank to protect them…”
“And we need 12 Living Armors from the last operation.”
Kim Kang-seok’s expression slowly hardened.
“There are a lot more trucks… Wait, isn’t that the size of a company, not a platoon?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“If you trust me, that’s the troop. I will lead you down to Seoul. And…”
“…we will deliver results that exceed the cost of your investment.”
Kim Kang-seok chuckled at the words, as if he were standing in front of an investor holding a business plan.
But that was the end of the laughter.
He was deep in thought with a stern face.
“…….”
During the past few hours while Lee Hyun-wook was away, the I had a meeting with the executives about a way to protect Seoul. But, let alone a sharp move, not even a possible way came up. It had to be that way. In the
first
place, the wave was a catastrophe that had to be avoided, not opposed…
But Lee Hyun-wook said, ‘There is no solution.’ He appeared by creating a plan.
He had engraved the first line in the operation plan, which was a pure white sheet of paper.
If it were an ordinary army, it would have been ridiculous to leave the operation to the opinion of the soldiers.
But it was different now. It was actually a war, and Lee Hyun-wook was like no other officer. He was a better talent.
“……Controller, what do you think?”
Kim Kang-seok asked.
Since the head of the operations department could not return, Major Moon Tae-ho, the regional magic control officer, was effectively the second-in-command.
He thought for a moment and then nodded.
“Battalion Commander, I’ve already seen it once. So I think I can understand the intention of Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook at least a little bit. Wide-area portals and large quantities of weapons… I plan to drive the steel rain.”
Kim Kang-seok’s head nodded when he said that he was driving a steel rain.
Moon Tae-ho turned his head and looked up at Lee Hyun-wook.
“Although it may be presumptuous, I believe that Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook saved our unit. Maybe… he could save Seoul? Of course, we will have to discuss the detailed operation together.”
Kim Kang-seok only listened to that and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
“Ha-Lee Hyun-wook, I didn’t know you would say something like this…”
“Yes, please say it.”
“…You are now the maximum strength of our battalion.”
Of course, if we look at individual strength alone, there was someone stronger than Lee Hyun-wook.
Right now, Kim Kang-seok himself was natural, and Seo Eun-ha was there as well.
However, when dealing with the mass offensive called Wave, Lee Hyun-wook shows the greatest efficiency.
Through portal magic, he can attack the battalion’s arsenal . It’s possible to make such a ridiculous linked attack
– pouring the whole thing over their heads .
Kim Kang-seok stood up from his seat
and put his hand on Lee Hyun-wook’s shoulder.
“Okay, let’s make a company of steel….”
