Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 11

11. Itaewon 2-dong, gate blockade operation – 3

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Approximately after entering Red Ground 5 minutes later…

“······stop.”

Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, the 2nd platoon commander, raised his hand.

There was a small playground in front of it.

All sorts of toys were scattered around, as if children were playing right before the gate was created.

“This is the middle base.”

intermediate point.

It was a ‘supply station’ for immediate supply of supplies in case the battle was prolonged near the gate, and at the same time it served as a kind of ‘fortress’ in case one had to retreat near the gate.

And it was also a place where the ‘support squad’ waited if nothing else happened.

“Lee Hyun-wook. Put the supplies down in a wide area towards the playground over there.”

“Yes, I understand.”

Following Lee Hee-min’s command, Lee Hyun-wook gestured, and the entire 5th squad moved in unison and placed combat materials, including ammunition, in the center of the playground.

Lee Hyun-wook immediately gave an additional order.

“Now, do the same here, open the nearby sewer cover and install the sensor.”

“yes!”

Of course, even if Lee Hyun-wook didn’t have a ‘motion sensor’, he could detect the kobold’s movements.

Even at this moment, he could feel the metal wriggling underground.

‘They noticed our location.’

There was a change in the movements of those in the sewer.

Judging by the fact that it spreads in three directions from this playground, it was a siege strategy. As expected, since their intelligence exceeded 70% of humans, it seemed that they would not rush at them blindly.

‘But he probably doesn’t want to come out yet.’

The guys were waiting.

Until humans are scattered more finely…

“······It would be a good idea to install one near the bushes there as well.”

“yes!”

While Lee Hyun-wook was leading the squad,

Lee Hee-min was approaching with his eyes wide open for some reason.

“Hey Hyunwook Lee.”

He called Lee Hyeon-wook with full of displeased feelings.

“Don’t you think that your squad members are unnecessarily raising their voices too loudly?”

“······yes?”

“yes? “Get your mind right, you bastard. This is Red Ground.”

“I will be careful.”

It was completely unreasonable.

Objectively speaking, the voices of the squad members were not loud enough to be a problem.

‘As expected, you have decided.’

Lee Hee-min was the type of person who felt satisfied by catching subordinates he didn’t like at all costs, and Lee Hyun-wook, whose stock price had recently risen, seemed to be his target.

“······Lee Hyun-wook, I advise you, don’t get too cocky because you feel like the battalion commander is overestimating you because you’ve been lucky a few times recently.”

“All right.”

“Do you know? Oh, and keep in mind that you are grade F. Conceit is carelessness. “If you let your guard down and something happens, honestly… you’re not at a level where you can survive.”

He uttered a series of insults and then clicked his tongue.

“Wow, the more I look at it, the more frustrating it gets… really.”

These vicious words and actions were intended to somehow offend the other person and break their psychology.

‘He’s trying very hard.’

However, it was not Lee Hyun-wook who would be hit by such a few words.

“done. Go do something.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Hey, Choi Seon-ah!”

“Yes, platoon leader!”

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah, deputy platoon leader, came running.

“We have to go now, so you stay and take care of it. Squad 5: You might be excited and foolish right now, so keep an eye on it. Anyway… there’s no way monsters will come to this corner, but don’t spread too much just because you’re drinking honey.”

“Yes, I understand.”

“Now let us leave.”

Lee Hee-min took the 3rd and 4th squads, the combat squads of the 2nd platoon, and went a little deeper. Their mission was to patrol inside the Red Ground.

Now, only 5 squads remained at the midpoint.

“I… Corporal Lee Hyeon-wook.”

The cautious voice was Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.

“Yes, vice-platoon leader.”

“Don’t worry too much about that! What the platoon commander just said…”

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah comforted Lee Hyun-wook by patting him on the shoulder.

“I am okay. I don’t care.”

“Yes, the platoon leader is a person who pays a lot of attention to detail, right? lol······.”

Choi Seon-ah treated Lee Hee-min like that, but her words contained bitterness.

Choi Seon-ah, she was the biggest victim of Lee Hee-min’s tongue.

Choi Seon-ah is only 20 years old. It was as if he had just taken off his school uniform and put on his combat uniform.

She realized her good qualities and was commissioned as a non-commissioned officer rather than a soldier, but in many ways she was a weak woman unable to perform her duties as a soldier.

“Vice Commander, then we will install the CB soon.”

“Oh yeah!”

She grinned.

“Ahn Min-tae. Now install CB.”

“yes!”

‘Crystal Barricade’, abbreviated as CB, was an item that formed a defensive wall.

It was a round crystal item the size of a soccer ball. If a total of 4 pieces were placed in the north, south, east, west, and the wizard player synchronized with them simply infused mana, a circular shield was formed.

It was an item for when the gate blockade was breached and this place became a ‘bastion’.

“after! Installation complete!”

All work was completed with the installation of CB.

Hyunwook Lee gave a warning order to his squad members and sat down on a bench on one side of the playground.

And he took out his newly acquired weapon, ‘Cloud Sword’.

[Item information]

– Name: Cloud Sword

– Effect: Absorbs water and emits ‘water fog’.

That trivial informational message was yet to come to an end.

‘But it will change little by little.’

Lee Hyun-wook took out the canteen and slowly tilted it over the sword body of the Cloud Sword.

Gurgling –

the water flowed along the blade and seeped into the sword body.

– ‘Cloud Sword’ absorbs water. (11%)

“Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, what are you doing?”

Ahn Min-tae approached.

“Well, load.”

“yes? Do you reload…? to the sword? Now that I think about it, it’s a sword I’ve never seen before.”

“I received this as a reward from the battalion commander.”

“oh! Is it a pretty good thing then?”

At that time, a message appeared before Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes.

– ‘Cloud Sword’ skill ‘Water Fog’ is available for use.

Skill loading is complete.

“It’s useful.”

As he said that, he raised his sword and held it up to the sunlight.

‘······Quite useful.’

***

People wearing black combat uniforms were taking cover on top of a 10-story building

near the operation site .

– Crackling – no movement detected near the gate.

They were AMT snipers.

“hmm······.”

And behind them, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha was sitting on a field chair.

She was wearing full plate armor painted in black and had a great sword strapped to her back. And a huge shield was placed against one wall.

This was her fully armed, heavy armor befitting the characteristics of a paladin.

“Do you see Sergeant Kang over there?”

In response to Seo Eun-ha’s question, a man wearing glasses approached.

It was Sergeant Kang Ik-jun, a wizard player belonging to the strategy platoon.

However, contrary to his characteristics as a ‘wizard’, he was currently carrying a ‘Barrett M82A1’ anti-materiel sniper rifle on his shoulder, and blue smoke was billowing from the end of the muzzle.

“Oh, what a surprise! “You knew where the fire was coming from.”

“Haha sorry.”

“Do I really need to load the magic bullets right now?”

Wizard players did not have to use only magic, and it was common for wizards to fight in hand-to-hand combat with magic on their swords and shields. Kang Ik-Jun was a magic bullet shooter who cast magic on bullets.

“It is already cast and turns off after 15 minutes. Um, by the way, platoon leader, where are you talking about?”

“Look at the middle base playground over there.”

Seo Eun-ha had to use binoculars, but Kang Ik-jun could see it with the naked eye. It was because the lens of the glasses he was wearing was an item made of magical engineering.

“Yes, I’m installing something? It’s like a support squad.”

“that’s right. And the squad leader there was our mission today.”

“······yes?”

Kang Ikjun frowned and looked for the green epaulet.

“So, the soldier currently in the support squad is the youngest candidate in our platoon?”

Seo Eun-ha nodded.

“maybe.”

Candidate for strategy platoon member…

Of course, Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok did not specifically mention such a thing when ordering this mission.

However, it meant that the soldier he was eyeing was likely to be selected as an executive in the future, and it could be reasonably inferred that transfer to the ‘Strategy Platoon’, a unit directly under the battalion commander, was most likely.

“No, I thought it was Youngjun Choi because the battalion commander said he was keeping an eye on one soldier.”

Kang Ik-jun was also a soldier, and Choi Young-jun entered as the youngest when he was the 1st squad leader.

“Choi Yeongjun is on vacation right now. And he’s already scored in the Black Tiger unit.”

“hmm······.”

Kang Ik-jun scratched his chin as if he was disapproving.

Seo Eun-ha felt the same way.

‘It’s definitely F-class.’

I first met Hyun-wook Lee when I was on duty a few days ago.

No, I may have seen it a few times before, but that was the first time I remembered it.

He was such an insignificant figure.

‘But that day, I captured the goblin shaman by myself.’

It was true. Because she was the first to check.

“S-eup, isn’t it by any chance a son of a superior? Because of the collusive relationship…”

“Is Sergeant Kang, the battalion commander, that type of person?”

“Haha, I guess I’m a bit lacking in loyalty. How can a former soldier love an officer? Oh, except for our platoon leader.”

“shut up. “I think you just have some kind of misunderstanding.”

There is an illusion.

She thought so. Otherwise, there was no way I would pay attention to F-class.

And the thing that dealt with the goblin shaman…

“······It must be a coincidence.”

“yes? What?”

“Oh, I don’t know.”

Seo Eun-ha passed the binoculars she was holding to Kang Ik-jun and stood up.

“Anyway, take a good look and contact me if there are any problems.”

“yes? Where is the platoon commander going?”

“I have someone to meet. Take good care of my shield.”

“If you leave your expensive shield around so carelessly, I will sell it to a junk shop and buy it for you.”

“Now here.”

Eunha Seo raised her middle finger behind her back and went down the stairs.

***

Woo-woo-woo- As

the wind blew, the fallen leaves piled up in the flower bed were blown away.

“······.”

There was only silence in the middle of the playground.

As the 1st platoon blocked the gate and waited for the second division, a commotion would soon begin, but there was not even a small noise in the residential area where residents had been ordered to evacuate.

And…

‘The noise starts here first, not at the gate.’

Lee Hyun-wook opened the cover of the greatsword on his waist and also unfastened the safety strap of the ‘Cloud Sword’ he was carrying on his back.

Then he tightened his bulletproof helmet and stood up.

I slowly looked around.

“Park Jun-mo, come this way. “Don’t be near the manhole.”

“yes!”

A scene from the past flashed before Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes.

‘A riot started when a poison needle was stuck in the nape of Park Jun-mo, who was standing there.’

Of course, now, as I had warned her in advance on the way, I was protecting my neck by holding Kara close.

My heart was racing –

my heart was pounding.

I wasn’t afraid.

It was just that bad memories overlapped with this moment and an unconscious physical reaction occurred.

Just then –

beep – beep –

a sharp beep began to sound from somewhere.

Beep- Beep-

Everyone turned their heads.

“······What is it?”

It was inside a manhole in the floor.

“The motion sensor is working! “It’s manhole number 4!”

Squad member Private Taeyong Choi said so and walked to manhole number 4.

“Don’t go near Choi Taeyong.”

“yes? But please confirm…”

“Okay, just come this way.”

Saying that, Lee Hyun-wook raised the muzzle and aimed it at the manhole.

Choi Tae-yong was taken aback by the sight, and everyone’s faces showed amazement.

“uh? Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?”

It was the same with Sergeant Choi Seon-ah. She approached, hesitating in a tense voice.

“This is the sensor response, Deputy Commander. There is something in the sewers.”

“uh! Oh, it’s not a malfunction, right?”

Hyunwook Lee shook his head.

Then he raised his left hand to concentrate the squad members.

“Everyone take cover near the supplies. And prepare a gas mask.”

“yes? A gas mask?”

“Corporal Hyunwook Lee’s gas mask? “What does that mean?”

“Kobolds use poison as a weapon. “In addition to needle-type weapons, smoke-type weapons are sometimes used, especially if they attack through a sewer like this… there is a high possibility that smoke will be sprayed first.”

The moment all the squad members put their hands on the gas mask bags at Lee Hyun-wook’s explanation…

Empty!

With a roar, the cover of manhole 4 soared into the air.

Immediately after

“Crazy!”

“Everyone back down!”

Fu-huh-uh-uh-uh-

Just as Lee Hyun-wook said, black smoke exploded. At first glance, it was a gas that was fatal to the human body.

It began to spill out and fill the playground floor.

“······gas! gas!”

Fortunately, Lee Hyun-wook had warned me and was prepared, so I was able to quickly put on a gas mask.

But in the meantime, the gas had already risen to the top of our heads.

“Damn the visibility…”

Suddenly I couldn’t see anything.

“Take cover behind the supplies!”

In the darkness, only Lee Hyun-wook’s voice rang loudly.

“Everyone, no shooting! Immediately lower the muzzle to the floor!”

“······yes?”

“Don’t ask questions, just lower your gun!”

Because visibility was blocked by black smoke, if you raised the muzzle carelessly, you could have shot your allies.

‘······This is the skill of a kobold warlock.’

If the goblin’s elite monster is ‘Shaman’, the kobold’s elite monster is ‘Warlock’.

What can be seen from the difference in these names is that while goblins use wild, basic skills, kobolds use magic with a long history.

It was later revealed that the Kobold race was one of the minions of the demonic race ‘Demon’.

“Damn it! “I can’t see…”

“Shouldn’t we retreat later?”

Kekekeke!

As I was struggling like that, evil laughter was heard one after another through the black smoke.

and got closer

“Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu…”

“Ooh, we’re all dead…”

A few squad members gave out gasps.

It was only natural that he panicked as his life was threatened with limited visibility.

“Oh, everyone… calm down…”

It was the same with Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.

However, Lee Hyeon-wook casually did what he had to do.

He rolled his eyes here and there.

It was to follow the movements of the enemies-kobolds that came up from the manhole.

Kekekeke! They were happy that their

surprise

strategy had worked correctly.

‘It was like that in my past life.’

Lee Hyun-wook pulled out the cloud sword.

‘It will be completely different this time.’

And use the skill.

– Cloud Sword emits water mist.

Fu-u-u-u-

White smoke began to pour out from the blade of the Cloud Sword.

It was fog.

Fu-u-u-u-

Lee Hyun-wook wiped away the moisture that had formed on his gas mask.

As white smoke spread, the movement of the kobold group slowed down. Because the view is blocked.

From now on, no one could see it with the naked eye. Both sides just let out a gasp of bewilderment.

“Ahn Min-tae. Raise your shield and come to my side.”

Ahn Min-tae, a warrior type, came forward holding a kite shield.

“······Yes, I’m here.”

“Since we are united, they won’t be able to attack us easily.”

“But it’s a big deal because the visibility is zero. You have to see what to do…”

Hyunwook Lee closed his eyes.

“No, I can see it.”

“······yes?”

“and······.”

At that moment, Ahn Min-tae felt an unknown feeling around his waist.

It

felt like someone was gently pulling it with a finger.

“······I’ll borrow your greatswords.”

Without anyone knowing, 10 daggers emerged from the white smoke.

They rotated slowly in the fog, like a school of dolphins swimming in formation.

And the next moment…

Shhh!

They all shot out into the black smoke as if diving deep into the ocean.