Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 178
Episode 178 [ Berlin, Dark Elf Kingdom – 2 ]
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The human species Homo sapiens is often They are called ‘social animals’. Over a long history, they gradually formed larger groups and eventually formed an international society.
It was all out of ‘necessity’. This is because I was able to accomplish what I could never accomplish on my own by uniting with my family, tribe, country, and the world, and the biggest factor among them was to jointly respond to external invasions.
In other words, facing together a threat that no individual could endure was the decisive reason for the formation of a large group called ‘humanity’.
However, in the early 21st century, a ‘player’ emerged that destroys such a theory. They accomplished alone what many people had to do with all their might.
Therefore, the mainstream opinion of sociologists was that the function of the state would inevitably fade and the cooperation of the international community would gradually collapse due to this ‘game’ phenomenon.
And it was actually happening that way.
Like the feudal system of medieval Europe, the world was divided into hegemonies centered on powerful players, but
most of them lost their common goal and moved for their own benefit, taking advantage of the world’s crisis.
“This place where I am is the Othrys Mountain gathering site! Many famous players are currently gathering!”
Therefore, it was a very unusual event in this era to have the best military forces from all over the world gathered in one place and the whole world cheering with one mind. “
This can be said to be a very amazing thing! Never before has so many players voluntarily participated in a war event! “Even when what you gain is unclear and the possibility of losing your life is high!”
The player group’s strategy meeting room was set up in a small village 22km from Mount Othrys.
“Many people say that Steele’s leadership has had a world-changing impact!”
However, Lee Hyun-wook did not think that his contribution was 100% at that point. In any case, as increasingly larger catastrophes occurred, the limitations of the ‘individual’ were bound to be revealed again, and it is natural that the need for unity increases accordingly.
In other words, even if it is not Lee Hyun-wook, humanity reunites against a common enemy. The previous life he lived was also like that.
‘But no matter what, there are some who are selfish.’
Being selfish means prioritizing one’s own goals over common goals, and they create noise.
‘There are a lot of those types here right now.’
As Lee Hyun-wook approached the strategy meeting room with Emilia Müller, he used Hugin’s senses sitting on his shoulder to listen to the conversation coming from beyond the thick iron door.
So, no matter how bad the situation is, you must elect a commander in a reasonable way to ensure proper control! Why don’t you make me captain just because I caught some attention with a TV show? “Do you know what kind of middle or high school classroom this is?”
“…You can’t look at it that way! “I’m not saying we should follow him because he speaks well, but he has shown us something, right?”
“Ha! Are you talking about that giant sword that falls from the sky? Of course, I admit that it is amazing, but what is it? If you have to have a good weapon and take command, then during World War II, a tank commander should have led the corps, right?”
It seemed like those who arrived before Lee Hyun-wook were arguing over who should be the commander.
‘No matter how much support you have from the world, if you can’t wield the people who hold the force in their hands, it’s all useless.’ The
argument
stopped when Lee Hyun-wook opened the door and went in.
“………”
In a large space without a single chair, the most famous players in the world were standing here and there at random.
It looked disorderly, as if they were at a standing party. .
Still, everyone’s eyes were naturally focused on Lee Hyun-wook, so there was no need for a podium or a microphone.
Lee Hyun-wook remained silent for a moment and looked at them all the way.
Has there ever been so many great people gathered in one place?
This was a scene I had never witnessed even in my past life. Then
, I made eye contact with familiar faces, including General Choi Jeong-cheol, Kang Seo-yoon, and Anyang Duo, and they nodded slightly.
And Kang Seo-yoon’s face was flushed, and it seemed like she was the one who had been fighting before Lee Hyun-wook came in.
“I announced “First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to the representatives of each guild and country who gathered at the venue.”
Yes. This was the rally point pointed out by Lee Hyun-wook.
“Then… can I dare to assume that everyone here is helping me with my strategy?”
Lee Hyun-wook’s goal was to control the army, so he went strong from the beginning, but he expected a backlash.
And as expected, a bald man raised his hand. His name was Melvin Arts, a Dutch player.
“I think there is a bit of a leap.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at him as if wondering what he was talking about.
“It’s absurd to think that just because they gave us the coordinates of this place, we will all fall under their command.”
He laughed as if it was absurd and complained in a strong tone. Then, he made eye contact with someone, and in that moment, Hyeonwook Lee looked at him with Hugin’s eyes.
‘There are a lot of Alain Gidam Foutouret members here?’
[Puture] It was a gathering of European guild masters who argued that the world should be rebuilt around players.
“We have come against this scourge and are willing to fight the final battle. In other words, we were not invited by you, but we gathered naturally with a noble heart.”
Then, ‘That’s right’ came out from all over the place.
“Of course, I know the power of the low-altitude drop that you showed, and I also know that it is the core weapon of this operation.”
At that time, Lee Hyun-wook raised his hand and cut him off.
“But I guess I should tell you this first.”
“yes?”
“Now we can no longer use the Mowlay Drop. So, I don’t think you should expect that kind of power.”
At those words, the high-ranking figures began to make a fuss.
The 100-ton Mogley drop that blew away the Titan’s Deus Phalanx in one blow… In fact, there were bound to be a significant number of people who came here believing in that overwhelming weapon.
But now I can’t use it…
At that time, a wizard player from ROK AMT came forward and gave mana to a cube-shaped item. Then a hologram flowed from the cube.
It seemed like some kind of video…
“You may have seen earlier that a Dark Elf spy is hiding among us. So, every single one of you here should have been checked by a high-level analyst player. Anyway, they are very clever.”
Meanwhile, the hologram screen continued to change and was now a scene of surveillance of the Dark Elf Legion garrison.
“And if they had witnessed my Mogley drop and were not prepared for that attack… they would not have left their troops out in the grassland like that.”
As he spoke, he pointed to a hologram… and saw something falling from beyond the clouds in the sky.
“So I tried it with a different weapon.”
visor–!
With such a sound, an object that was falling at the speed of sound was affected by green magic and stopped tall in the air.
“uh?”
“what?”
Next, a large window appeared on the screen showing a close-up. It was wrapped around some kind of purple chain.
“…Could that be an item neutralization net?”
“You can spread it out that wide?”
The item neutralization net was a suppression skill that temporarily sealed all weapons it touched. When extracted and given to an item, it became a ‘level 3 ability binding chain’ that was essential when boarding an aircraft. If caught by it, all abilities of the item disappear
. However, as the mass of the Moglei is sealed, a phenomenon occurs that violates the laws of physics in which the kinetic energy evaporates in an instant.
“That skill seems to be manifested through a specific item. And such items would have been prepared near the four ‘Victory Flags’ we need to conquer.”
In this way, Lee Hyun-wook revealed his fatal problem.
That was quite intentional…
‘With this, I’ll shake off those who clumsily cling to me.’
Just because there were big names here didn’t mean they were all necessary parts. There was a need to filter out dissonance that would ruin Lee Hyun-wook’s ensemble, and this would be the bait.
At that time,
“Well, then a head-to-head match is virtually impossible.”
One man said,
‘As expected, Alain Gidamm is finally coming out.’
Lee Hyun-wook knew that he was the planner of the Omega Team and the leader of the extremist organization Fouture in Europe.
Although he was not a villain, he was one of the dark-hearted people and was an obstacle to Lee Hyun-wook’s plan.
‘We have to filter out those guys from now on. Operation becomes easier.’
Sure enough, as soon as Lee Hyun-wook exposed his weakness, he sauntered over like a wolf that smelled blood.
“My name is Alain Gidam, assistant master of the [Grand Pinette] guild. “I am also the Director of External Cooperation at EPU.”
He introduced himself out of nowhere, looked around at everyone other than Lee Hyun-wook, and then walked forward. What he meant was that he would make this stage his own.
“Now, let’s see what I have prepared this time.”
He proudly took out the hologram generator and activated it. His data contained a lot of graphs.
“This is a comparison of our strength with that of the enemies prepared by our guild’s analysis team. The red graph on the left is the power calculated from the number and average level of enemies, and the right is our player’s total power estimate.”
It was quite complex data, but the meaning was simple.
The left graph was much higher than the right graph.
“…The conclusion is that our winning rate is only 7.8%. Of course, this means a head-on fight, but since we are facing a siege, we actually have to fight head-on.”
And voices were coming out here and there that the [Grand Pinette] guild’s analysis had the highest hit rate in the world. And in Lee Hyun-wook’s opinion, based on simple comparison, that was correct.
Alain Jidam turned his head and looked at Hyunwook Lee.
“Is there any basis for overturning these statistics? What I mean is, do you have any hidden weapons? Otherwise, thousands of players who entered the war after being misled by your words may die worthless deaths.”
Those words were full of sarcasm.
Lee Hyun-wook always brought out new cards.
And I had the feeling that there wouldn’t be one this time.
But Lee Hyun-wook nodded as if it was obvious.
“Yes, of course there is this time too.”
“…Oh, is that so?”
“So we will attempt a frontal attack.”
He looked a little embarrassed, but then laughed.
“Well then, can you tell me what that is?”
Perhaps he knew that Lee Hyun-wook would not reveal his plans hastily. And he planned to reduce Lee Hyun-wook’s influence by insisting on that.
“…….”
When Lee Hyun-wook didn’t answer, his sneer deepened.
“Now we’re in the same boat, aren’t we? I remember the last thing you said in your great speech in Dresden. It was about joining forces. So you should trust us and be open to everything. That’s a true alliance, a true alliance.” Wouldn’t that be a team?”
At the end of those words, Lee Hyun-wook sneered.
“If you don’t want me to not trust you…”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Alain Gidam.
“…Please don’t talk too long and just get out.”
At that moment, my intestines became cold.
Still, isn’t this a very weighty position?
But to turn it off… I thought I had heard wrong.
“Well, what did you just say…”
“Did you expect me to discuss it like a gentleman?”
Lee Hyun-wook snorted and walked towards him. Then, Alain Gidam took a step back without realizing it. “
This moment is too important and urgent for that, so if you don’t like it, don’t focus on my plan and get out right away with your group.” “This is my base.”
Perhaps because it was a completely unexpected reaction, Alain Gidam’s expression stiffened. No one really knew this would happen, not even Lee Hyun-wook’s closest associates.
“…….”
They all looked at their surroundings in bewilderment.
Although Steele Rain has shown overwhelming force on the battlefield, it has maintained courtesy in official settings.
Therefore, Alain Gidam planned to logically drive him down a dead end path by going through every detail. So, they planned to lead this battle by turning the hearts of the guild masters who had actual military power towards them.
But I had no idea they would insult me like this to my face.
“How can you say such vulgar things in a place like this… Ha! You treat the people who came to fight with you in this way, and then you want to be the commander of this important battle?”
Lee Hyun-wook wasn’t the type of person to show off his guts like this. However, he was busy fighting the enemy, and he had no intention of dealing kindly with such a foolish fool. “…I will make sure.
”
Lee Hyun-wook had a cold and gentle expression.
“I asked you to join. And as a prerequisite, I asked you to trust me. That didn’t mean I would trust you, either.”
He is calmly telling you that he will not believe you.
“This is not sports. Revealing the information I have is not a fair rule and is stupid. “And there may be enemies lurking around us.”
“…….”
“So don’t put a hole in my plan and just get out of the way.”
When Lee Hyun-wook repeatedly told him to shut up, Alain Gidam’s face became red. But he could not question it. Yes, asking to
open a ‘core strategy’ in a place where an unspecified number of people gathered seemed fair at first glance, but it was complacent.
Those who understood that . They nodded one by one.
“But if you trust me and stay here…”
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head and looked at the others.
“…I can assure you that I have never failed before. If you trust me and fight, “Whatever you want, you will have it at the end of this fight. If you want to see the end, if you want peace, if you want peace, if you want items, if you want items, if you want money, you will have money.”
For the first time, he showed off and raised his voice:
‘Even if you don’t like my attitude, you have no choice but to believe in the achievements I have made. And since you have come this far, you will want to invest in the one with the most potential, and that is me.’
This will allow us to weed out completely corrupted people like Alain Gidam and at the same time retain the necessary strength.
While Lee Hyun-wook was thinking this, he made eye contact with a tall Asian man standing in the corner. He was leaning against the wall, looking interesting. He was looking at Lee Hyun-wook with an expression.
He was none other than the gravity wizard Lee Seong-yoon.
But the staff he was holding caught my eye.
[Item information]
– Name: Hecatecheires’ Power (Special)
– Effect: A large amount of mana (1000) Summons Meteor when injected. (Cooldown: 72 hours)
‘Even if it doesn’t work on Moglei, that thing works.’
Therefore, he was needed in this battle.
Immediately after that, Lee Hyun-wook secretly sent a message to him.
The contents were as follows:
– (…) If Seong-yoon Lee wants to trust me, he will say ‘Hekaton’ until I contact him separately. I hope you save ‘Keyless’. (You may be wondering how I know the information about that item, but I’ll talk about it later.) If you
look at this point, Lee Seong-yoon will only have doubts and may not have the heart to accept Lee Hyun-wook’s request.
‘But I am Lee Seong-yoon’s friend . ‘I know your great desire.’
In my previous life, I fought with Lee Seong-yoon for a good three years.
During that time, I heard his inner thoughts inside out.
‘So, if you attack that, you will definitely overcome it.’
– …And if you trust me, I know who murdered Nicholas Steele, leader of the Wight Tree Guard, and I will tell you. Please do not tell
this story to anyone.
Our common enemy is lurking nearby. .
Nicholas Steele was the person whom Saint Emilia Müller trusted the most and a paladin who was the guardian of St. Dom. He was
also the first chairman of the Guardian and was a spiritual supporter who was virtually like a father to Lee Seong
-yoon. Lee Seong-yoon tracked his death for a while, but there was no evidence. I couldn’t find it… Later, it is revealed that Gordon Price is a traitor, and that he drove many Guardian members, including Nicholas Steele, to death. ‘I can’t reveal this right now. The current
Gordon Price is a traitor within the Guardian. It’s time to be quite trusted.’
So, I was planning to slowly strangle him.
***
Immediately after Lee Hyun-wook’s bold statement, about half of the player’s troops deserted and set up a separate camp in a faraway place.
As expected, the majority were Alain Gidam and Foutouret’s forces.
And they had malicious intent . We started a media play.
– [Exclusive] Six major guild masters unanimously criticized Steele Lane’s strategy, saying, “There is no chance of winning at all. We have to stop dog deaths.”
However, the halo of the name Steele Lane has become too strong for the world to be persuaded by those words. It was a state.
Then came the news that the Dark Elves and Black Orcs had joined the Titans and strengthened their defenses.
The next day…
“…Sergeant Ahn Min-tae, are you really going to advance tonight?”
“So, what did you hear earlier? Hey! Move quickly!”
No matter how planned the battle was, you couldn’t help but be worried, and worried complaints broke out here and there.
And the more severe the reaction was among civilian guild members.
“Well, looking at the video taken by Mana drone, it didn’t make sense to drill through there. It’s a real Iron Ongseong Fortress. “It is itself.”
They had to occupy four points called ‘victory flags’ on the siege side, and as a result of observing those points… a huge fortress was rising from the ground. It was literally creating a siege war
environment.
That too . Even at an altitude of 600 to 700 degrees above sea level, it was mountainous.
“I saw it too. But there is no Mogley…”
“That’s right. “I believed in that one thing… Stillane said there is a way, but I’m frustrated because I don’t know what it is.”
And of course, the fortress was not just a simple stone wall, but had a powerful magic shield, and was up to 45 meters high, with magma flowing in some places.
It was an impenetrable fortress or wailing wall that could never be overcome.
Woowoowoo——
Hundreds of transport planes and even more armored trucks were lined up in an endless procession heading towards that place.
And the leader was ROK AMT.
“Hmm, there’s going to be a battle soon… I’m sure it’ll be really upsetting if they find out that Steelaine isn’t here.”
The person who said that was Choi Jeong-cheol, a short soldier.
Yes. The player’s army was advancing in full force for a siege, but there was no Steelein here.
However, no one knew that fact except for a few people, including Choi Jeong-cheol and Kim Kang-seok, who were Lee Hyun-wook’s closest associates.
“…What do you think, Battalion Commander? “What on earth was Lee Hyeon-wook thinking when he made him charge at us?”
“I don’t know. But I believe it.”
And even they didn’t know what Lee Hyun-wook was preparing. He disappeared early in the morning, leaving only the words to wait for the right moment and pretend to attack… “Well, if you don’t trust
that guy, who will you trust? “I’m looking forward to what kind of surprises you have in store this time!”
***
“Whoops!”
At that time, a groan came from a wine bar somewhere in the city center that had stopped since the Titanomachia in Rome, Italy.
“Who are you…”
A dark elf asked the air while he was stuck on a broken oak barrel. Then, the air stirred…
and
a man appeared there. He put the black helmet he had just removed on his side and opened his mouth to someone.
“…is this guy the terminal gate officer?”
“What? How could you know my identity…”
At that time, the sound of stepping on stairs was heard, and several shadows came down to the underground wine storage room. But…
“Wow! How are you still alive?”
Clypheus Griseo, the second prince of the Dark Elf Kingdom that fell in a coup not long ago. He was there.
“Flos Ruber did not kill me, but locked me up.”
“Holy shit, that was a mistake!”
The second prince approached without a word and placed his hand on the face of the ‘entrance officer.’ Then, light spread out from his palm… nothing happened. But then he placed his palm on Lee Hyun-wook’s face and the light radiated out
. Woo-woo——
Doesn’t his face change into a completely different form?
Then, Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo also ‘polymorphed’ into the bodies of other dark elves who had fallen around them.
“…The big ears are really annoying.”
Hyunwook Lee said while touching his polymorphed face. The
‘entrance officer’ who was watching him screamed,
“What are you trying to do with my face?”
Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand without saying a word. Then the Mowglai behind him shot out, destroying one wall.
bang–!
Hidden behind the wall was a huge sphere.
It was a gate leading to the ‘terminal’ of the Dark Elf Kingdom.
Lee Hyun-wook stood in front of him and looked at the second prince.
“Now I will take your ‘power’ back.”
“…Yes, the time has really come.”
“But don’t forget what you have to do right after that.”
The seat of power had an ambiguous meaning.
First of all, it meant the right to rule the Dark Elf Kingdom.
And secondly, it meant the right to command the king’s army.
What Hyunwook Lee said was the second.
‘The highest power among the Dark Elf Legion .’ is [Weingard].’
It refers to the Dark Elf Emperor’s personal guard. They are dark elves whose brains have been completely replaced by planting parasitic plants on their heads. They can be controlled through specific mana patterns. And the thing that can transmit those mana patterns is the emperor’s ‘seat of power.
‘ In other words, if we could just take possession of it…
‘we could turn the tide of this war in an instant.’