Episode 192. [ Final Junction – 5 ]
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Arrived at the giant’s fortress created in the deepest part of the 5th battlefield, Mount Othris. The players were devastated.
“…There’s nothing left.”
The place was empty, without a single titan.
Their goal was to advance here, fight the final battle, and then win the big event called Titanomaki.
And honestly, no matter how much we gathered together for the well-being of humanity, we couldn’t help but expect huge rewards from conquering the big event.
But……
– (!) The hidden variable is activated, and [War Quest: Titanomachia] is extended to [World Quest: Invasion of the Demon King].
This was the system message that came to mind when they entered the empty fortress and captured the final ‘Victory Flag’.
“Ah…”
This meant that in order to receive the reward from Titanomachia, one had to conquer the invasion of the Demon King.
In other words, what was gained was zero.
“Does it make sense for this to happen?”
“Ah… what a hardship we’ve gone through so far…”
It felt like all the hard work had been in vain. This was the first time something like this had happened, so each player complained one by one.
But that didn’t stop them from feeling disappointed. I couldn’t stay out.
Because we were about to face a much bigger disaster, the [Invasion of the Demon King].
“Ha, this is not the time to be like this.”
“That’s right. A bigger war is coming soon.”
They suppressed their regrets and prepared to leave again. There would be a bigger battle soon, so they shouldn’t give in to their personal feelings. Of course, not
everyone decided to stay with their fighting spirit burning. Some of them, or quite a few of them, were already there. He gave up the struggle a long time ago and returned home.
‘Well, since the advent of the necromancer, no matter how high the level of the player, the battles have become unbearable, so he has no choice but to be discouraged…’
In front of such an insurmountable wall, he felt like a coward. He must have found out… He was trying to ignore the last moments by lying down in a small boat with his back to the huge waves of the destruction of the world.
And Lee Hyun-wook, who had already seen a situation that was close to destruction, knew very well that this was the standard for human groups.
‘It’s been said since the game began that every warrior is a player, but not every player is a warrior.’
It’s obvious, but not everyone can be a hero.
And now only the heroes remain.
***
The entire world has entered an emergency mode to prepare for the world event.
Countries and guilds are sitting on their hands despite the fact that the world may soon be destroyed. Since there was no such thing, martial law was declared and a player mobilization order was issued.
Of course, there were various disturbances and conflicts along the way, but humanity began to unite under the instinct of survival and gather wisdom.
– Emergency meetings led by the World Players Association are scheduled to be held at major players around the world . Players are taking a bipartisan response
– Chairman of the World Players Association, “The player who will be at the center of this situation is definitely Steele, whose power is desperately needed.”
– G20 Guild Federation opens the world’s largest item arsenal “We will not spare any material support for the ‘World Event'”
Of course, noise was mixed within such news.
– We will strengthen the anti-Steelrain forces by recommending our own candidates for ‘selection of heroes’. “We hope that players around the world will make wise decisions.”
– Playing around at this moment… “Please take a picture of my oppa!” There were concerns that the selection of the hero who would decide the fate of the world would turn into a popular vote.
Soon, the European branch of the World Players’ Association in Zurich, Switzerland, was decided as the location for an emergency meeting, and leading players from all over the world began to gather one by one.
Lee Hyun-wook also set off there.
And moved on . I spoke alone with Seong-yoon Lee in a separate room in the middle of the Pridwen.
“…You must believe what I say.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Lee Seong-yoon and spoke as if asking.
As he had previously promised to Lee Seong-yoon, he told him who killed Nicholas Steele.
In other words, he revealed the identity of Gordon Price.
“…….”
Lee Seong-yoon heard the revelation. He remained silent for a while and then asked in a heavy voice,
“…But what is the basis for this story?”
As expected, he seemed not to want to believe it.
“I have specialized abilities in information.”
Lee Hyun-wook pointed to his eyes and said.
“In my eyes, I can see who is the villain and who is the guardian.”
“Hmm… are eyes also a skill?”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“This is the result of absorbing the so-called ‘Eye Fragment of Horus’. And thanks to the function of ‘Laputa’, you can view various information about this game. Oh, and the fact that the real culprit who murdered Nicholas Steele was Gordon Price is Emilia. “This is what we found out after torturing the villains together with Mueller.”
This time, he mixed facts and lies and said,
“Ah, Emilia Müller… She grew up under Nicholas’ protection. “She knew something and was pursuing the truth.”
“Yes, but they said they couldn’t publish the story because they were under threat of assassination.”
Seongyoon Lee nodded as if he understood, but at the same time he couldn’t hide his expression of discomfort.
The reason was probably his deep trust in Gordon Price.
“So… Gordon Price didn’t just kill Nicholas Steele. …Are you saying he’s the leader of the villains?”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Gordon Price was the owner of the world’s best company called [Blue Tree] and a supporter of the Guardian, and was also a close friend of Lee Seong-yoon. Until just a few hours ago, he must have been in contact with Gordon Price to receive items and information…
However, when I suddenly heard that he was his worst enemy, even Lee Seong-yoon couldn’t help but feel complicated.
“…I don’t quite understand that. This organization called Guardian has a strong binding force through the system.”
To that question, Lee Hyun-wook nodded silently.
It was a problem he had also pondered over in his past life.
‘Yes, even though he is a member of the Guardian, how he was able to escape the restrictions and secretly act as the leader of the villains… I don’t know.’
I still didn’t have an answer to that. I could only guess that it was some special case.
“I gave you sufficient evidence. “I can’t explain other variables in detail, but unless I am the leader of the villains, everything I said is true.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked straight at Lee Seong-yoon.
“…I will believe it for now. “It has to be that way.”
Lee Seong-yoon had a very affectionate style. Therefore, one would not want to believe that the person who has shared the cause of ‘Guardian’ through hardships and hardships for a long time is the backbone of the villain.
However, he was not foolish enough to be swayed by personal emotions and go astray.
He would doubt both pieces of information but wisely decide what he needed right now.
‘And soon everything will become clear.’
There was no need to get complicated anymore.
‘Because he may be murdered soon…’
If the demon king living in the necromancer’s body was Gordon Price, he would try to kill himself in this dimension, just like all dimension movers have done so far.
If that happens, Lee Hyun-wook will have nothing more to prove or be more wary of.
At that time, Friedwen arrived at her destination.
– Landing soon!
Lee Hyun-wook looked out the window.
Woowoowoo——
All kinds of transport planes from all over the world were taking off and landing on the wide helicopter port spread out below.
And all kinds of anti-aircraft weapons were installed around it, and hundreds of player troops were on guard in all directions.
A magnificent sight where one could say that the power of the whole world was gathering here…
Soon, the resolution of players from all over the world to respond to the invasion of the Demon King was to be made here.
In other words, the commanding authority of the entire world was gathered in one place.
Previously, the power gathered during [Titanomachia] was considerable, but this time it was on a much larger scale than then.
‘…We must receive as much support as possible from around the world today.’
Naturally, public opinion and the media were currently saying that Lee Hyeon-wook was suitable for the privilege of being called a ‘warrior’.
And if elected as a warrior, Lee Hyeon-wook, who would have the authority to influence the entire world’s military power, planned to gather all the war materials and manufacture as many weapons as possible at the Gangwon-do armory.
‘So we build a system that can launch a lot of war boxes into orbit and pour out infinite amounts of war boxes.’
The entire Earth enters an all-out war, and its resources are gathered at Lee Hyun-wook’s fingertips.
Lee Hyun-wook went to the meeting room while organizing plans to create and operate numerous other weapon systems.
At that time, someone approached him directly.
He was none other than Alain Giam.
“…Steelane, this incident is on a completely different level from Titanomachy.”
A topic was raised whose meaning was unknown.
“…….”
Lee Hyun-wook did not answer in particular.
How persistently and ugly has Alain Giam been biting Lee Hyun-wook so far? Everyone around the world knew that the two were not worthy of a friendly greeting.
“Big—So this time, I want to exclude political factors and cooperate with each other on a bipartisan basis. I’m embarrassed to say this, but the harsh actions I took during Titanomachy… had some political reasons.”
Strangely enough, he came in without any hesitation.
“Even if I tell you this, it won’t be easy for you to agree. So, I apologized and prepared some gifts to show my sincerity, but before the meeting starts… I wonder if you could talk to me separately.” “Can you do it?”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Alain Giam as if he was thinking about it, then nodded slowly.
“Well, I’ve rented a quiet room in advance. Let’s go there.”
***
Hyun-wook Lee and Alain Giam were sitting across from each other in a conference room.
Then, Alain Giam took out a steel case, opened it, and held it out to Hyun-wook Lee.
“Now, I really believe in Steele Rain and have decided to support it. It’s proof.”
[Item Information]
– Name: Extreme Replica (Special)
– Effect: Imitates an item of legendary grade or lower and reproduces it with a 50% effect. (Cannot be modified)
Lee Hyun-wook held the golden branch and Alain Giam smiled slightly.
“If you’re going to say this… Oh, you already know.”
“Yes, I’ve used it a few times too.”
“Haha—but you will have noticed that this is one step above. It is a replica that can be applied up to legendary level. If you use this to copy one of the legendary level items you have, your firepower will be much stronger.”
He gave a lengthy explanation like a door-to-door salesman.
Still, Lee Hyun-wook did not show any particular emotion, and Alain Giam almost frowned, but managed to maintain a smile.
‘What do you mean, you won’t even blink an eye at this? After all, I have no appetite. ‘You’re a picky guy, aren’t you?’
But didn’t you prepare a second item for times like this?
‘It will be impossible to maintain a poker face the moment you see this.’
This time, he brought out a larger iron case.
Inside was a silver circular shield.
[Item Information]
– Name: Aegis (Legendary)
– Effect
1) Absolute Defense: Forms an absolute shield around 10m for 180 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
2) Medusa’s Head: Puts enemies within a 50m distance into a ‘petrified’ state. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
“The most famous shield in the Aegis world, this legendary grade item is obtained from our guild. It is an item that was used secretly and never disclosed to the outside world. “If I had this, I could conquer any dungeon, no matter how difficult it was.”
“…….”
“Okay, I’ll support Stillane with this as well. It’s my sincerity.”
But…
“…….”
Even after going this far, when Lee Hyun-wook didn’t answer, Alain Giam began to get impatient inside.
“It would be difficult to receive support for this level of items anywhere. Besides that, our guild will do our best to provide support in every way—” “Um… Monsieur
Jiam, actually, I…”
Lee Hyeon-wook said his words. He came in and didn’t know what he was going to say, but he trailed off…
“…I’ve always respected Monsieur Giam.”
Isn’t he soon raising the corners of his mouth to show respect?
There was quite a bit of greed in that smile.
‘Well then, no matter how noble you pretend to be, there’s no way you wouldn’t drool in front of something like this, right?’
It was thrilling for him to witness how the face of this supreme and innocent hero, Nari, could change into a greedy duck drooling over wealth.
And he was proud that the wealth and power he had accumulated were still functioning effectively.
How much did it bother you that a non-standard entity called Steelein appeared and ruined the order of the world you were maintaining?
But in the end, this man was also the type of person who could be controlled.
“I’m just sorry that all I can help you with is providing items and procuring supplies.”
“I would be very reassuring if you would do that for me. You have no idea how much I have respected Monsieur Giam ever since I was just an F-rank player and an AMT soldier. Not only is he strong as an individual player, but he also has influence on the world politically and economically. “I have longed for it.”
“Haha, I don’t know what to do when the greatest player of all time says this.”
Alain Giam smiled truly pleasantly, feeling that his plan had worked.
“So… as we prepare for this war, there are more items I would like you to obtain based on Alain Giam’s wide information network and influence.”
At those words, Alain Giam readily nodded,
‘Hmm? If this guy is going to ask me for anything more, he took the bait right!’
He nodded with an expression that told him to just say something.
“I’ll get you anything I can. “Well, I can provide you with tens of kilograms of adamant ore that can be used to make steel weapons.”
“Oh, I can procure them. The things I want to ask Monsieur Giam for are things I cannot do.”
He paused for a moment, then looked apologetic and opened his mouth,
“Well… my intelligence network says that a guild in Norway has an item called the ‘Flag of Valhalla’, so I think I’ll need it in the future.”
“Hmm, it’s the flag of Valhalla… Are you sure about that information? “This is my first time hearing about this item, but…”
“From what I heard, the [Black Mace] guild secured it.”
“Ah, the high-ranking officials in that guild are very close to me. I will be able to check it out on my own.”
“I think that would be really helpful.”
I don’t know what it was, but the [Black Mace] guild was a place he could control.
Alain Giam was secretly delighted because it was clear that if he could get that, he would be completely taken by it.
“But… there’s another one.”
“Ah! Say yes yes.”
“I’m planning to make an item this time, so I need some pretty rare materials. Can you procure it for me?”
“Well what’s the list of ingredients?”
“That’s a bit much. Could you write it down?”
His repeated requests gradually became too much for Alain Giam, who had enormous influence in Europe, but it didn’t matter.
‘But this means you’re starting to completely trust me.’
And if you can procure as many of those items, if not all of them, his trust will increase…
‘You have no idea that I am tying a rope around your neck, do you?’
He chuckled to himself and wrote down the list of items called by Lee Hyun-wook one by one on a notepad.
The number was quite large, but he didn’t care.
***
“Then I’ll see you later at the conference hall.”
Hyunwook Lee shook hands with Alain Giam and stood up.
Then he looked at the system message floating above his head.
– Player (LV: 74)
* Blue Gate Strategy Villain Candidate
‘But why is that person…’
As he remembers, Alain Giam was a person who did not become a villain in his previous life. However, the fact that he is now a villain candidate could probably be seen as having some influence on Lee Hyun-wook himself.
‘…Well, anyway, thanks to you, I’ll save you some trouble.’
If I used that guy well, I could easily procure various items I would need in the future.
Still, it was a dark hand that exerted the greatest influence within Europe and in dark channels.
While moving to the conference hall, the wide area mana messenger rang.
Looking at the mana pattern, it was a call from Laputa.
– = Ah! I contacted you because I had some incredibly good news.
This voice was Kang Hee-seol.
Her voice sounded somewhat excited, not like she was from a world about to end.
“Emergency talks are about to start. Are you in a hurry?”
– = If you listen to this, you will be able to have a better meeting. But will you listen to it later? There was no way you would
feel better no matter what you heard now.
Lee Hyun-wook answered in a sour voice.
“Then, can you summarize it briefly?”
– yes! The use of the Geoshin Disease Research Institute has increased significantly these days. After messing around with the equipment there, I gained some skills and started experimenting with various things…
Now that I think about it, it’s been quite a while since I acquired Laputa’s add-on ‘Giant Disease Lab’.
Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol must have been researching ways to utilize it.
– …We’ve just developed artificial intelligence development skills, so we’re creating something like Talos!
And what she discovered was truly shocking.
– What do you think about using it to revive one dragon corpse that hasn’t been touched yet? And a modified version with lots of cannons and missiles all over its body! Ugh—
