Episode 63. [End of the wave, shocking declaration -3]
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The three people’s next destination was a blacksmith alley in Mullae-dong, Yeongdeungpo-gu.
It was one subway stop away from Singil Station, but the subway was currently suspended.
As there is no place more difficult to defeat monsters than an underground tunnel, it seemed like it would be closed for the next few weeks.
They ended up going on foot, and when they almost arrived…
“Oh, look, it looks like there are still monsters.”
Park Jun-mo said that while pointing somewhere.
Fully armed AMT troops were lined up in front of a shopping mall. They
were probably troops dispatched from other regions to subdue Seoul, but they clearly showed signs of having just fought.
Blood stains were splattered all over the alleys. Corpses presumed to be zombies were strewn about.
“Damn, the underground passage is so narrow it’s hard to get in!”
“First, throw in a few fire spells!”
“I’ve tried it a few times already, but it doesn’t seem to work!”
And they were busy moving around, as if the sweep operation was still in progress.
As such, Seoul was still in a dangerous state.
“Thousands of people were deployed for three days to kill the monster, but it seems it’s not over yet.”
“I guess it’s because so many gates were open. I heard there were over a hundred gates open.”
“Hmm… I wonder if it’s okay to allow passage while the situation is still like this.”
Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee talked about various things, but Lee Hyun-wook could not participate in the conversation.
‘I’m going crazy…’
This was because the pain was so intense that it was difficult to breathe.
– An ‘etheric engine’ is forming in your heart. (42%)
* May be accompanied by extreme pain!
My breath stopped, as if my heart would stop at any moment.
However, the good news was that the creation speed was faster than expected.
‘It’s halfway done now, so I just have to hold out for another 30 minutes.’
While he was enduring the pain, he entered the blacksmith alley and soon
arrived in front of the shabbiest building, the workshop of master craftsman Kang Jeong-du.
“Elder, I am here.”
“—Oh my hero, are you here!”
Gang Jeong-doo hurriedly ran out, taking off his magnifying glasses.
“You need to prepare for moving, but I’m sure you’re busy because of my request.”
“Haha—I don’t really have anything to take care of because my living arrangements are ugly anyway.”
“Now you can go to a good place and get some good living.”
Lee Hyeon-wook hired Kang Jeong-du and Kang Hee-seol as the ‘exclusive blacksmiths’ of the Hope Guild.
He also promised to provide them with a new residence and workshop nearby.
Although Kang Jeong-du felt burdened, he did not refuse. He let
his granddaughter grow up in a narrow, old workshop. “ No matter what,
it’s all thanks to General Lee. I won’t forget this favor.”
Lee Hyun-wook suppressed the pain and smiled.
“How is the item I requested going?”
“Yes, of course! I’m not that expert in magic engineering, but the product came out well!”
That’s what he said, but Kang Jeong-doo must have been learning magic engineering skills for quite some time.
“Hehe— Didn’t an island appear in the sky over Seoul thanks to General Lee’s activities this time? Is it Laputa or Rapida? That island is giving all kinds of buffs. “The work flows very smoothly.”
“Oh, that’s right. “That’s a good thing.”
“Okay then, just wait a little while and I will come out with that item.”
With the advent of Laputa, there were a lot of ‘buffs’ related to production capacity in this area.
As a result, the blacksmith alley here was showing more explosive production than ever before, and
in a few years, this could become the center of the world’s item production industry. .
After a while, Kang Jeong-du came out of the warehouse, pulling a trailer.
“Here’s this guy.”
Atop it was a large square object—a black steel box.
There were a lot of circuits engraved on the surface, giving it an engineering feel.
When Kang Jeong-du turns on the operating switch—
woowoo——!
The circuitry on its surface glowed blue, and its massive body immediately rose into the air.
However, no physical propulsion devices such as propellers or air outlets were visible.
“This thing has a ‘flight stone’ inside it, so when mana is supplied, it floats like this.”
That’s right, it flew only with magical power.
The ‘Airship’, a magical engineering aircraft, floated with the power of the flight stone.
“Wow, but what is this?”
“Oh, what do I use this for?”
Park Jun-mo and Kim Se-hee asked at the same time.
Lee Hyun-wook answered,
“Well, to put it simply, it is an ‘automated aerial drop device.’”
“What are you dropping from the air?”
“That will provide me with weapons to use.”
“…ah!”
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo clapped their hands at the same time as if they had finally understood.
Lee Hyun-wook’s combat power increases exponentially the more metal weapons he can handle.
This could be seen just by looking at his special move, ‘Steel Rain’.
But he had to carry them all . There was no way to open a ‘portal’ at every moment.
‘Opening a portal in the sky is actually a very inefficient method.’
Considering that more than 30 magicians could be mobilized for that one shot, it was a significant loss.
In that respect, this type of air-dropping device was bound to be quite useful if developed properly.
Dozens of these were made and placed in a hangar to be used in case of emergency. The calling method—that was the method Lee Hyun-wook had used in his past life, and the time had come to implement it.
Of course, since the prototype had just been released, it still took time for it to be deployed in practice.
“But it looks less than 2 meters wide and doesn’t have much of a weapon. “Aren’t you going?”
When Kim Se-hee asked, Kang Jeong-du laughed.
“This thing may seem small in size at first glance, but it is equipped with a small subspace, so it can store up to 30 items.”
“Aha—”
“Haha, he’s more valuable than he looks.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked around at its surface. It was also spotlessly clean.
“By the way, sir, what is the maximum operating time of this?”
At that question, Kang Jeong-doo showed hesitation for the first time.
“The truth is, we haven’t been able to solve it. I don’t have enough mana battery to last this long…”
As expected with all cutting-edge technology, the problem was the battery.
At that time, Lee Hyeon-wook took something out of his pocket.
“Then, how much will it increase if I install this? Do you think so?”
It was a small, red mechanical device.
Kang Jeong-du held it, looked at the system message that appeared before his eyes, and opened his mouth.
“Oh no, this is…”
“Is it a good thing?”
“Huh, it’s not good. This is… There are no technicians of this level in the country.”
“It was the ‘Mana Heart’ that was embedded near the heart of Chu Kyo-yong’s Black Orcs. It
was a culmination of advanced technology whose price it is currently difficult to estimate, and
was probably custom-made by the Institute of Magic Engineering of the Republic of Chad.
” Hmm… if you install one or two of these, it will fly for about 50 minutes when fully charged. Of course, since it has its own mana production ability, it can fly again if it goes down and recovers.”
However, Lee Hyun-wook had no choice but to be disappointed.
‘But it’s only 50 minutes… It’s still far behind the equipment I used.’
I couldn’t help it. The airdrop device he used was a technology of the future…
As disappointment appeared on Lee Hyun-wook’s face, Kang Jeong-doo began to take out other items and show them off.
“Oh, look at me. Look at these little guys here.”
Kang Jeong-doo took out something that looked like beads from a box, and they all flew and glowed at the same time.
Wing— Wing— Wing— Wing—
“It has a talent similar to a mana drone, but is much smaller in size.”
As expected, it seemed to be an ultra-small reconnaissance drone that flew with the power of ‘flight stones.’
“I had some flight stones left, so I made one. It’s small and quiet, so it’ll be great for secretly watching for something. And it can even ‘self-destruct’ remotely.”
“It’s a self-destruction, so that’s pretty good.”
“Yes, I think it could be helpful for the Steel Company’s special operations. Haha….”
However, Kang Jeong-du’s subsequent explanation did not reach Lee Hyun-wook’s ears.
– An ‘ether engine’ is being formed in the heart. (62%)
* It may be accompanied by extreme pain!
“—Pfft.”
This was because the pain in his heart became even more intense.
Lee Hyun-wook eventually collapsed and collapsed.
“Oh! Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook—!”
Park Jun-mo helped him up, but he couldn’t get up.
‘Damn, isn’t this really heart-stopping?’
He desperately felt his heart being twisted.
And I could see that some strong energy was surging from within.
‘Mana…’
Yes, a huge amount of mana began to be produced from his heart.
But at that moment, something strange started to happen.
Above—this—this—this——!
Magical engineering items that had been standing still in the workshop suddenly started working all at once.
“How can this… that thing hasn’t even been equipped with batteries yet…”
After hearing Kang Jeong-du’s voice sound like he was completely surprised, Hyun-wook Lee lost consciousness.
***
– This morning, there was a briefing from the [Seoul Erosion Response Headquarters] that the Seoul subjugation operation is entering its final stage, but with a large number of monsters still being discovered throughout Seoul… I hear a man’s voice from somewhere
. come.
– …Accordingly, opinions are coming out one after another throughout the player community that the saint’s ‘blessing’ is necessary. As the head of [Saint Dom], the saint can cast a wide range of blessing magic, but she is extremely reluctant to reveal her identity after experiencing an assassination threat two years ago. Will the saint move for Seoul?
It seemed like a TV news story.
Hyunwook Lee opened his eyes.
My whole body was in a cold sweat.
‘This is Kang Jeong-du’s room…’
And a bunch of system messages appeared before my eyes.
– congratulations! New ‘skills’ are given by satisfying special conditions.
[Skill Information]
– Name: Ether Engine
– Grade: D
– Effect
1) Mana Heart: The total amount of mana increases. (+50000) Mana recovery increases. (+500%)
2) Mana transfer: ‘Mana’ can be granted to the player or a ‘controllable target’.
3) Mana Connection: Mana transfer can be ‘synchronized’ with the target’s magic circuit.
* When the hidden conditions are met, the skill level improves.
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the contents slowly.
The heart was converted into a [Mana Heart] by absorbing infinite power at the level of a nuclear power plant.
And as he absorbed the legendary level, his face couldn’t help but be truly incredible.
‘Already, I swallowed the mana heart I got from the black orc a few days ago and my total mana amount increased significantly, but what is this… I guess I really don’t have to worry about mana anymore?’
– Mana: 59441/59441
To put it bluntly, I did not know that infinite metal shredding and infinite metal transformation were possible.
‘If I had encountered an ironclad insect in this state, I would have exploded and wiped it out…’
But what was important was not the total amount of mana.
Skill number 2 [Mana Transfer] and skill number 3 [Mana Link] were actually the key.
‘The idea is to produce mana from the heart and supply it to controllable objects…’
Lee Hyun-wook remembered an unusual scene that occurred right before he fainted.
Magic engineering items that worked out of nowhere…
Lee Hyun-wook seemed to feel some kind of ‘connection’ with them at that moment.
‘So this means I can recharge the mana batteries of hextech equipment? Moreover, as magic engineering develops in the future, various items will be developed, so if you can use them freely…’
This is crazy.
Thinking that, he jumped up.
“Ah! Water Lord, are you awake?”
Water Lord… As expected, it was Kang Hee-seol who said that ridiculous title.
She was sticking her head out from outside the sliding door.
“How long have I been lying down?”
“Um, 15 minutes? 16 minutes? That’s about it.”
It didn’t seem like I had been passed out for that long.
“Would you like a glass of water? I also have Yoplait.”
“…Yoplait?”
“Yes, would you like some Yoplait?”
“No, that’s a bit weird…”
Kang Hee-seol was not normal to offer Yoplait to someone who woke up after fainting.
By the way, not only Kang Jeong-du, but also Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo were nowhere to be seen.
“Hee-seol, where has everyone gone?”
“After the water owner fainted, I went to get the healer. But it doesn’t seem necessary?”
“Ah…”
When I opened the door, it was a workshop.
And in the middle of it all, there was an airdrop device.
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand toward it.
Then…
woowoo——! It really works.
And rose slowly into the air.
– ‘Mana transfer’ begins in the ‘Air Drop Device (Prototype)’.
* Mana reduction per second: 50
Just keeping that thing in the air reduces mana by a whopping 50 per second.
However, a greater amount of mana is recovered in real time.
‘In other words, it is infinite power.’
Originally, I thought that in order to use it properly, I would have to work on developing a mana battery for at least a few months… but it seems that there is no longer a need for that.
At that time, someone ran into the workshop.
“What… are you okay?”
It was Kim Se-hee. She was holding a stamina recovery potion in both hands.
“Ha… I went to call a healer at the AMT unit earlier, but he was out of his mind there too. So, I borrowed some stamina recovery potion. Now—drink this.”
“Thank you, it’s okay.”
“Why are you suddenly collapsing when you’re not okay? I trusted someone and bet my future on it, but if someone suddenly dies unexpectedly, what should I do?”
“Haha….”
“You don’t have a serious chronic illness, do you? I heard you collapsed last time too.”
Now that I think about it, I fainted when I absorbed the ‘Devil’s Medal (Legion).’
I thought that if I picked up this and ate it, I could get into big trouble at a critical moment.
“It’s okay. I won’t die.”
“Ha…….”
Then—
ta—da—da— dang——!
“What, isn’t this a gunshot?”
In response to Lee Hyun-wook’s question, Kim Se-hee nodded,
“Well… there’s a problem outside.”
“Is this the AMT from earlier?”
The operation to eliminate the AMT troops I saw on my way here seemed to have reached a crisis.
“Yes, that’s right. The AMTs in the alley there were still unable to enter the underground parking lot. “I even heard that 4 tankers were dragged into the underground parking lot… haha, it’s still a mess.”
Kim Se-hee made a bitter expression.
“…What kind of monster are you dealing with that got you all captured like that?”
“Well, I saw it for a moment, and there was something that looked like a long red vine…”
At that point, Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head.
‘The only red vine that can drag a person in is the devil’s grip… That’s the 4th wave. Did it appear at that time? I don’t think so, but
Lee Hyun-wook felt a strange sense of strangeness.
“…Let’s go and see.”
“yes? Are we? “I don’t even have a weapon.”
“Weapons are all over the place here.”
Actually, this was the blacksmith shop.
“No, that’s not it. Are you in better shape than that?”
“You don’t have to worry.”
Lee Hyun-wook said so and picked up a bead-shaped machine from the box on the workbench.
– Obtained ‘Flying Eye (Prototype)’.
‘Artisan Kang Jeong-du said this is a kind of mana drone and self-destruct device, I guess?’
Just before he fainted, what Kang Jeong-du had explained came to mind.
– You can synchronize with the item through ‘mana connection.’
‘Synchronize…’
Lee Hyun-wook started synchronizing.
Then, ‘Flying Eye’ appeared in front of his eyes. A completely different scene unfolded.
Wing—Wing—
Surprisingly, it was the camera perspective of ‘Flying Eye.’
‘This is like a wizard’s vision linked to a magic drone.’
It was a little dizzy because you were moving so fast,
but you were able to control it to some extent. It seemed like it could be useful.
***
About thirty AMT troops were lined up in front of the underground parking lot of an eight-story commercial building.
“Huh… ….”
They were struggling with an unidentified tree vine that was growing out of the underground parking lot. There
was a brief lull right now, but they couldn’t relax their nerves because the vines were popping up periodically.
And no matter how much they cut them down or burned them, they could not let go. It stretched out endlessly.
“Damn, it’s too late now…”
About 40 minutes ago, two kids were dragged into there.
They tried several times to save those guys.
However, 5 more tankers were dragged in…
In the end, they gave up on self-rescue and requested support from the ‘Strategy Platoon’.
“Platoon leader, someone is coming! Ah! He’s wearing an AMT combat uniform!”
However, they were too small to be called reinforcements, just 3 people.
And they seemed to be unarmed…
“Huh? “She’s not a support trooper, she’s the sergeant from earlier, right?”
“He came next to me and whined about asking for a potion when he was out of his mind. What else?”
They were Lee Hyun-wook, Kim Se-hee, and Park Jun-mo.
The first thing Lee Hyun-wook did was look at the vines scattered at the entrance to the underground parking lot and realized that the sense of strangeness he felt was not wrong.
‘As expected, this is the devil’s hand.’
This was not a monster that occurred during the 4th wave.
‘It’s not even like he appears as a monster right out of the gate. It appears like a kind of trap in the dungeon. In other words, it means that someone brought it out on purpose…’
I sensed that a conspiracy was brewing beneath Lee Hyun-wook.
“-there!”
Then someone shouted that.
A female officer with the rank of lieutenant approached us.
Her name was Lee Tae-kyung, and she was probably the platoon leader.
“What are you guys doing? Have you seen it now?”
Well, I was going through a life-or-death battle, and it made me feel bad that it would seem like I was just standing by and watching.
“Loyalty—I’m sorry, but do you know any information about that monster?”
“…what?”
There was no need to directly see the devil’s grip unless it was the ‘strategy team’ entering the dungeon.
Therefore, there was a high possibility that he was not clearly familiar with the countermeasures and was in vain.
“That is a plant-type monster called Devil’s Grasp. It regenerates extremely fast, so cutting off the tentacles that stick out from the outside is useless. You have to remove the thick stem core inside.”
However, it didn’t seem like Lee Hyun-wook’s advice would work.
“What are you saying now?… Hey, can’t you see this? How are you going to get in there? “Do you think we haven’t tried it?”
There had already been several attempts to enter, but they seemed to have failed.
“Hehe, if you came here to salt, please go back quickly… I thought several people died here, so I thought so recklessly…”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
“Those people aren’t dead yet.”
“what-?”
“The Demon’s Grasp sucks the bodily fluids of living creatures, but feeds only on cold blood. So, after injecting paralyzing poison, we wait for its body temperature to drop, and it will probably be eaten sometime tonight.”
As Lee Hyun-wook continued to recite, embarrassment spread across Lee Tae-kyung’s face.
“On what basis is that…”
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t answer, but passed by Lee Tae-kyung and got a little closer.
“If you don’t mind, can we try entering?”
Then Lee Tae-kyung’s face distorted once again.
“Stop bragging without any basis and start with your affiliation, you bastard—”
At those words, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and raised his hand in a salute.
“I’m sorry. We belong to the 1st Battalion, 3rd Port Horse Brigade, and I am Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, the 5th squad leader of the unit’s 1st Company.” The
moment she heard those words, her eyebrows twitched.
The 1st Battalion, 3rd Port Horse Brigade… I have heard stories about them recently. It was because I had heard it too many times.
“Ah, then the unit that survived the wave… huh? No way…”
Lee Hyun-wook added one word:
“Even though he was a soldier, not long ago… he was the commander of a unit called the Steel Company.”
Then, the gaze that was focused on him could not help but change noticeably.
