Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 147
Episode 147 [Paldal Mountain, Secret of the Dragon Labyrinth – 1]
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Dragon in front of you Boxes containing valuable items, that is, treasures, are piled up.
Although you can’t see the contents, it’s clear that there’s a top item somewhere among them.
And now you hold the key to open that box.
However, it is not easy to do your part because there are competitors everywhere.
In other words, you feel like an animal that has to protect its prey among hyenas.
‘Who would be able to inspect the floor in detail in such a situation?’
And because we have learned that the moment of reward is the end of the crisis, it is also the moment when we let our guard down the most.
In other words, no one doubted or confirmed that there might be a second treasure trove.
Lee Hyun-wook predicted early on that the situation would turn out this way and was waiting.
‘Because I was like that too…’
Lee Hyun-wook in his previous life was also like that. There was a rush to choose the box first.
‘At that time, I only got a lump of orihalcon and a set of the highest quality potions.’
Thanks to that bitter experience, I was now able to obtain the treasure in its entirety.
Grumble—
Lee Hyun-wook removed the box blocking the door leading to the basement and raised his left hand.
Clang—
Then, a large iron door that could have weighed several tons opened of its own accord, and cold air from the basement flowed out.
“…What is that? Is there really room again?”
Earlier, Lee Hyun-wook said that the treasure trove seemed to be ‘double’, but everyone looked as if they were wondering.
But when a strange white light flowed from that wide underground passage, the atmosphere changed quite a bit.
“Uh… there’s something in there that’s a lot different from here . “Does it look different?”
“Really? To be honest, this place was too dull for a treasure trove…”
When Edward Woods declared a little while ago that this drab place was a treasure trove, the Slayers guild members had no doubts. Just because it’s a treasure trove, doesn’t that mean that a dazzling light will leak out? On the one hand, it is true that I expected it even more because it was not such a typical form.
However, since the place was full of big hits, it was natural that that brilliant light was considered a sign of a big hit.
Jeok- Jeok-
Lee Hyun-wook went through the light and went down the stairs, and the others hesitantly followed behind him.
“Wow…”
Soon, an old-fashioned and magnificent space unfolded before my eyes.
High bronze pillars were supporting an unusually high hemispherical ceiling. And there were ornate patterns carved in relief on all sides of the ceiling, walls, floor, and pillars. It was… like a palace.
And…
– Congratulations! You have discovered the treasure trove of the black dragon Aji Dahaka!
Another treasure trove entry message appears, but this time the true winner is It was stuck.
“Hey, if you say this, it goes without saying that this is a real treasure trove, right?”
“Ha… And it even means that the thing above was actually a fake…”
As muttering sounds were heard from all over, Edward Woods’ face gradually darkened.
And at the end of the space, some boxes were lined up on a long marble shelf.
“Wow! Look at that! The shape of the box itself is different!”
“And there are different colors. What’s the difference?”
Unlike the rough and damp boxes I opened upstairs, all of them had an old-fashioned design.
“What on earth will come out of that cool box?”
“I don’t know what it is, but isn’t it at least a hero level?”
“Wow, it’s a dragon, so it’s going to be legendary, right?”
Everyone swallowed their dry saliva in front of the real reward.
But they did not have the qualifications to open the box.
36 of the 37 boxes would belong to Lee Hyun-wook…
Still, many people felt a strange sense of anticipation.
“I don’t know what will come next, but I’m looking forward to it.”
“So is this what vicarious satisfaction is?”
A space of this size was created solely for compensation…
It would have been strange not to be excited about what kind of item would come out. Soon,
Lee Hyun-wook approached the box and raised both hands.
Then… …
Blah blah blah——
“Huh? “It feels like metal is coming out of your hands?”
Yes, beyond the rigid body, metal began to spread out from both hands.
‘Metal creation is a skill that can be quite useful in many ways.’
This was a skill that blossomed recently after swallowing Odin’s bracelet, ‘Draupnir’.
[Skill Information]
– Name: Metal creation/storage
– Grade: D
– Effect
1) Creation: Consumes mana to generate metal itself. (Requires 1 mana per 10g)
2) Storage: You can store up to 10kg of ‘self-generated metal’ in your body.
* When the hidden conditions are met, the skill level improves.
He was able to create metal with literally no materials and only mana.
‘But honestly, there has never been a shortage of metal until now.’
This was because the conditions were such that it was possible to use a lot of resources.
‘But since you don’t know what kind of situation will happen in the future…’
This skill would be useful in emergency situations such as when support from an airdrop device is blocked. If you think about it, even in your past life, there were several times when you were in crisis because you didn’t have enough metal.
‘Everyone knows that my greatest weakness is when I can’t mobilize metal…’
And as a result of the experiment, I was able to create metal that is now at the level of ‘dungeon steel’.
If the skill level improved in the future, it could be assumed that Adamant level would be possible.
‘Then does that mean I become the adamant mine itself…’
In many ways, it seemed like my body was evolving into an increasingly complex and bizarre form.
Anyway, Lee Hyun-wook tied up a total of 36 boxes of the metal he produced with iron chains.
Churrrrrr——
“……Huh? What on earth are you trying to do with that?”
A strange voice came from behind me, but I paid no attention to it and continued working.
After connecting the boxes with chains, I finally made a decent iron wheel.
“Ah! “I think they’re packing it up to take it with them all at once?”
Yes. The boxes were connected in a row so they could be moved at once.
“Okay, that’s it. Tell team leaders Park Jun-mo and Lee Jeong-jun to bring team 2 in.”
At his words, Park Jun-mo made a mana transmission somewhere.
Immediately after, the Hope Guild members waiting outside came in and started moving boxes.
“I will select a box equal to the number of keys I have and take it.”
In other words, rather than opening the box here, he would take it and open it separately,
which meant that he would not reveal to the world the item he would obtain.
Then, sighs filled with regret came from all over the place.
“Ah… I wanted to see what was coming…”
If you think about it a little, it was foolish to reveal an item that would become a new weapon in advance.
If he didn’t know what would come out, he might have opened it hastily like Edward Woods out of curiosity, but Lee Hyun-wook already clearly remembered which boxes were first, second, and third.
But…
‘What is that particularly small box on the far right? Was there anything with that kind of red color here?’
The luxurious boxes here were decorated with jewels of different colors.
But that red box… From Lee Hyun-wook’s memory, there was nothing like that in his past life.
I remember it because we argued for a long time about how to divide the color difference at that time.
‘I might not remember something, so I’ll have to take everything first and check.’
Lee Hyeon-wook turned his back and went up the stairs without any hesitation, and everyone looked at him in fascination.
“…Steelane, wait a minute.”
It was Edward Woods who stopped Lee Hyun-wook.
“Can we talk for a moment?”
“…Yes, let’s do that.”
The two went to a corner, and a wizard player cast a silence spell and disappeared.
Soon, Edward Woods opened his mouth with a serious face.
“Ha… When did you catch the dragon?”
“…Didn’t you just catch that?”
When Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head and asked back, Edward Woods shook his head harshly.
“That’s not what I’m saying… I know you’ve already captured it once before. Somehow, I thought it didn’t make sense that you knew so well how to attack a dragon, but you’ve already captured it once?”
It seemed that he had sensed the Dragon Slayer option contained in Lee Hyun-wook’s Moglai.
‘So you think I’ve caught a dragon once before?’
Well, Edward Woods had no choice but to think that way.
It would be impossible to imagine that the weapon came from the future.
‘There were quite a few eyes watching when the dimension shifter incident occurred…’
William Bernard from the future said he was It was said to be a ‘disaster coming from the future.’
There were quite a few people who heard that at the time, but it had not yet become an issue.
Even if they said that this world had been turned into a game, that was a bit of an empty statement.
Of course, everyone is just ignoring the rumor. Probably not, but…
“…Are you going to keep acting like that?”
Lee Hyun-wook continued to look like he didn’t know what he was talking about.
Then Edward Woods shook his head as if he was fed up.
“As expected, you don’t plan on giving me a proper answer, do you?”
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t really answer this time either.
“I know that you are amazing, Steele.”
“And I admit that I was a bit sassy. But…”
“…don’t think you can do everything alone.”
With those words, he walked out of the Silence magic area.
‘Was that… advice? Or warning?’
It’s not good to have an antagonistic relationship with such a big person.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn’t plan on worrying that much.
‘It’s a tiresome life… just focusing on the villain’s movements is a tiring life.’
That’s why I couldn’t please each and every person around me.
‘And honestly, I don’t think I can do it alone.’
However, it was clear that it was something that only he and no one else could accomplish. The
terrible ending he had experienced in his past life… that was because heroes could not accomplish it.
In that sense, rather than trusting and relying on someone else, he only believed in himself.
‘ But just because I am who I am now doesn’t mean I’m the only one growing.’
Around him were helpers such as Park Jun-mo, Kim Se-hee, Woo Seong-moon, and Emily Muller.
Of course, at some point in the future, there would come a moment when he would have to borrow the power of established players.
‘But if you get tangled up with those who already have strong power, it will be a headache.’
They are also human beings with their own desires and goals, separate from the pursuit of justice and peace.
In other words, in order not to be swayed by already well-established heroes as well as villains plotting evil…
‘…I have to become uniquely strong. ‘I do it so I can control everyone.’
Therefore, the ‘monopoly’ method that Lee Hyun-wook adhered to was not going to change.
However, a few hours later, the Slaze Guild proudly declared a strategy to conquer the ‘Labyrinth’. They would claim the rewards within it before Steele Rain this time. It was an expression of will.
In other words, the game was not over yet.
‘To start the attack right away like this without any rest… ‘It looks like you’re really offended by me?’
However, after struggling to break through the labyrinth, you will face frustration in front of the last room.
‘When you stand in front of it, you will be given a hint along with a message to prove your qualifications.’
The content was about who was ‘qualified’ to open the door.
And as a result of the tracking, it turns out that he is an F-grade player of a knight series in Russia. When
you bring him back to the door, the door opens with a message that you have proven your qualifications.
And what was found inside was…
‘…a dragon egg.’
In other words, whoever opened the door would get a dragon.
‘And if you can just grow a dragon into an adult, it will become the strongest power.’
It moved earlier than I thought, so I felt like I had to find the ‘Dragon Knight’ a little sooner.
Hyunwook Lee requested a fake identity and a plane ticket to Russia from Redhall Village.
‘If I do this, I will unintentionally defeat Edward Woods once again…’
***
Order Tower There were 36 treasure chests lined up in two rows.
“Wow, a total of 36… Is that the real reward for this event in there?”
Park Jun-mo looked around at them, swallowed his saliva, and snorted.
Of course, he couldn’t help but get excited as the winning lottery tickets were lined up in front of him.
But… no matter what, the electricity leaking out of his grasp was severe.
Fajijiji——
“Hey! Park Jun-mo’s hand—!”
“Ah! Why is this suddenly…” As
Kim Se-hee screamed, Park Jun-mo put both hands in his pockets.
“Oh… this kid has some strange habits?”
“No, that’s…”
“Wow, that kind of stuff comes out of your hands when you’re excited?”
“No, that’s it…”
“Your future lover is in big trouble.”
“Oh please——!”
On the other hand, Lee Hyun-wook was not particularly excited as he knew what kind of items were coming out.
Clap—
he started to open the box mechanically.
“Oh… isn’t it amazing that this is all orihalcon?”
In the first box, 1.5kg of orihalcone came out.
And most likely, something like this would come out.
Clunk—clunk—
Lee Hyun-wook started opening boxes one after another without checking each one.
“Park Jun-mo, bring the next box there.”
“Oh yeah! This is number 33!”
In 33 out of 36 items, high-quality material items were lined up.
“Well, there are now 3 left. I’m sure this won’t be a failure either, right?”
Although something like Orihalcon could not be considered a failure, it was true that it did not meet expectations.
Then, the moment I opened another box, an equipment item finally appeared.
“…Oh! The hero grade is an item!”
Park Jun-mo checked it first and brought it to Lee Hyun-wook.
At first glance, it looked like a long, unidentifiable golden rope.
[Item Information]
– Name: Athena’s Golden Reins (Hero)
– Effect
1) Controller of the battlefield: Temporarily The maximum number of subordinates increases significantly. (+50)
2) Raising Spiritual Beasts: If you give this rein to a monster, you can tame it as a ‘subordinate.’
‘Yes, this is a second-class product.’
It was a pretty good option as the maximum number of followers increased by a whopping 30.
Lee Hyun-wook immediately opened the next box.
Woouuu——
But then a beam of deep white light burst out from there… It was an unusual energy.
“Huh, what is it?” … The aura is incredibly strong? Is that the number one product?”
Kim Se-hee, who was sitting on a nearby sofa and watching calmly, also stood up and asked.
It was a wide, eye-shaped metal sculpture the size of two fingers.
[Item Information]
– Name: Piece 2 of the Eye of Horus (Legendary)
– Effect: Allows you to see things that cannot be seen through ordinary means.
* Collect all the ‘pieces’ to unlock your true power.
I had obtained another piece of the Eye of Horus that I had acquired and absorbed once before.
‘I don’t know what will happen if I collect all these pieces.’
From what he remembers, even in his past life, these pieces had never been gathered in one place.
‘I guess I’ll have to put these pieces together inside my body this time?’
I don’t know how many pieces there were in total, but two pieces ended up in Lee Hyun-wook’s hands.
Gulp—
once this is digested, the ‘Insight Lens’ skill level, which can reveal hidden information, will rise.
“Oh, there’s only one left now?”
Before I knew it, there was only one last box left.
It was a box with a red jewel on it that was completely unfamiliar to Lee Hyun-wook.
‘This… no matter how much I think about it, I’m sure it’s a box that didn’t exist in my previous life.’
It meant that for some reason, I was given a reward that wasn’t there in my previous life.
‘But why? Did I start too early and the reward was different?’
The reason was unknown at the moment.
All I could do was check the contents and guess…
Lee Hyun-wook carefully put the key into the key hole.
“Oh, this time it’s a sword.”
As Park Jun-mo said, what was inside was something small. It was a sword.
“But seeing as the aura didn’t explode this time, I guess it’s no big deal?”
Kim Se-hee said angrily and Lee Hyun-wook carefully took out the sword.
[Item information]
– Name: A sword with unknown power
– Effect: This sword’s power is currently not unlocked. (If a knight-type player possesses it, he or she will be given a ‘qualification quest’ and ultimately have the opportunity to obtain a ‘powerful companion.’) Lee Hyun-wook’s eyes widened when he saw the contents
. .
“No, wait a minute….”
“Why? What is it?”
He was usually not surprised after returning, but this time he was quite surprised.
‘…Why is this here?’
Looking at the contents, it seemed to be a ‘potential item’ with hidden detailed information.
But Lee Hyun-wook recognized its identity right away. This is…
‘……It’s the Dragon Knight’s sword, right?’
Yes, it was exactly the sword that a Russian F-rank knight should have.
In other words, it was the key that could open the room at the end of the labyrinth where the ‘Dragon Egg’ was sleeping.
But then, out of nowhere, it pops out of this box…
‘Could it be that we attacked 6 years early and the cause-and-effect relationship was a little different?’
It seems that another trigger was activated before the Russian Dragon Knight was born.
Anyway, in this case, there was no need to fly all the way to Russia to find the Dragon Knight.
Just give this sword to someone you trust and have them awaken into a Dragon Knight.
‘But who is there?’
If you are a ‘Knight’ type player who is worthy of entrusting this sword to you…