Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 179
Episode 179 [ Berlin, Dark Elf Kingdom – 3 ]
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“Hmm… Rome “Did you say you came from the gate?”
Lee Hyun-wook and his party were being searched in the ‘terminal’ of the Dark Elf Kingdom, a huge space lined with dozens of portal generators, ‘polymorphed’ into the appearance of dark elves. “Yes, that’s right. There are five people in total.
”
A dark elf was sitting on the other side of the magic cage, looking at the pass they gave him and asking a question, and the second prince’s guardian knight, Argenti Arcum, was answering on behalf of him. Still, there was no problem with the pass and he didn’t notice Polymorph
. He just covered the pass, but his eyes were still aggressive.
“Big!” How dare you guys think of visiting without prior contact? “Don’t you know that you have to get permission to visit at least a week in advance to be able to use the gate?”
“Oh, that’s…”
“That’s in an exhibition like this! “You probably don’t know that this is a case of the liver going overboard, right?”
“…I’m sorry for not being able to report in advance because I had to come in urgently.”
As it was wartime, the guard was on guard, and there were armed troops everywhere. If my cover was revealed here, or even if I was detained due to procedural issues, I was bound to have quite a headache.
And as if this race also had a clear hierarchy, the terminal keeper crossed his arms arrogantly and began spouting bitter words skillfully.
“Hey gatekeeper, if I ask you this, shouldn’t you tell me the reason? Do you enter and exit the terminal once or twice? Tsk tsk. After living in the human world for so long, do you think your shamelessness is starting to resemble that of a human?”
Then the guardian knight slightly leaned his head forward and whispered in a low voice,
“Hey… do you know Sus Buppo?”
The terminal keeper’s eyes widened reflexively, perhaps because it was the name of someone with a fairly high position.
“Huh? Oh, I know! Are you not the manager of the 7th Forest? “Aren’t you going to war with humans now?”
“Yes, he really likes the highest quality wine from Italy, the human drink. He told me to airlift some pretty precious wine in advance because he plans to hold a party after this battle.”
As he said that, he pointed somewhere, and there was a small iron box sitting there.
Then the terminal keeper stood up without realizing it and nodded repeatedly.
“Ah, that happened!”
The reason he agreed so quickly was because a high-ranking official named Sous Bufo was famous for liking human food.
“Yes, that’s right. Haha, sorry for the inconvenience.”
“If it is the order of the manager of the 7th Forest… then I wasted precious time without realizing it! Still, in today’s times, if you are caught bringing in items from the human world, even you will be in trouble, so you must be careful!”
In this way, Argenti Arcum was able to pass the inspection and search with plausible false reasons prepared in advance.
“Wow, dark elves are no different from humans. As soon as I mentioned the name of my superior, I was immediately given a free pass….”
“I remembered getting tested at the guard post when I returned from vacation.”
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo each left a comment.
They came out of the terminal, walked down a long passageway for a while, and soon came across a very large space called ‘the plaza’.
“This is the center of our kingdom and is connected to almost everywhere. If there is trouble and you have to escape, you will have no choice but to pass through here. And because of that, there will be a lot of security.”
Prince 2 explained.
There were a lot of dark elves coming and going there, and it felt like a transfer station in the center of the city.
And thick roots that were not clear whether they were rising from the ground or coming down from the ceiling stood like a building, and they actually dug into it and made it into a building. It seemed like they were using it.
Glowing flowers bloomed on the ceiling, filling the entire underground space with soft white light… If it weren’t for the anxiety of being behind enemy lines, it would have been a mysterious scene like a village of fairies in a fairy tale. But… “Oh, that’s
that
. … Aren’t you human?”
Suddenly, Park Jun-mo whispered in a surprised voice.
“huh?”
And there were indeed people among the dark elf crowd.
They were walking in a single file, with their heads shaved and wearing nothing but rags, their hands tied with something that looked like green vines.
Seeing the dark elves guarding the area with weapons in hand, it seemed like they were probably slaves.
‘They are probably citizens who were unable to escape from Berlin during the third wave.’
Those who were unable to escape this land when the disaster occurred and even when Berlin began to turn into a green hell due to their failure to prevent the disaster.
‘And they are probably being used as agricultural slaves.’
The Guardian’s later guess was that the number was approximately 30,000 to 40,000.
However, there was no way to rescue them, so they had no choice but to live as slaves of the dark elves.
“What is that… Are you really capturing humans and making them slaves?”
Kim Se-hee asked in a sharp voice, and the two dark elves looked as if they had no shame.
“…I have nothing to say.”
And as if making an excuse, he explained that when the royal family ruled, their quality of life was higher than it is now, and that the hostages were treated with the utmost respect back then.
That may not be completely false. The Dark Elf Kingdom was trying to take a friendly path with humanity, so at that time, they would have been closer to hostages than slaves.
However, due to the villain’s interference, the ‘Great General’ took power and everything went wrong.
“…For now, let’s keep going.”
“It’s pretty much this way.”
Lee Hyun-wook did not give a damn about such things. This is because I have watched humanity become even more miserable throughout my past life.
Before we knew it, the crowds were gradually decreasing, the ceiling was lowering, and the light was starting to dim. It meant that they were heading to the outskirts.
“This is a residential area. My friends will be waiting for us.”
“But they must really be trustworthy, right?”
Kim Se-hee asked. She seemed distrustful after seeing the human slave just moments ago. Then the second prince also frowned, as if he was offended.
“These are people who would give up their lives for me. And I, too, would give up my life for them.”
“Hmm, usually you get betrayed in a relationship like that… Is that because it’s a twist?”
How long did they walk like that? Lee Hyun-wook sensed that there were footsteps following them. He
didn’t know if they were enemies or not, but since they were in the middle of enemy territory, he couldn’t help but be alert.
Two Palenotes began to tremble at his waist.
And then… .
“Prince, here.”
In an alley, people wearing robes were gesturing.
***
“…I would like to tell you that it would be suicidal to storm into the ‘Room of Power’ where the general is staying right now.”
A female dark elf said this as she held out a teacup to the group.
Her name was Lilium Fide, and she was once an official in the Royal Ministry of Internal Affairs and a friend of the second prince.
And she and the other ‘loyalist’ dark elves here had just Hyunuk Lee. After hearing about the party’s plan, he reacted negatively:
“In fact, all the troops left to defend the kingdom are gathered there. This is because the General is controlling ‘Weingard’ through his seat of power. Our defenses are more thorough than ever. “In fact, it will be more difficult to break through than during peacetime.”
The second prince also nodded as if he agreed with Lilium Fide’s words.
“Yes, even if all the troops were sent to the battlefield, they would tenaciously try to protect that area… They would not have been able to completely eliminate the loyalists who wanted to restore the royal authority yet…” Lee Hyun-wook was aiming for the moment when the house would become empty, but instead the key point
was The security of the target had become more thorough.
‘Yes, I expected this to some extent.’
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t tell them, but he was using the Fly Eye to look around the Dark Elf Kingdom.
And no matter how many troops escaped, they came to the conclusion that the center was more thoroughly defended than expected.
Lee Hyun-wook was troubled.
‘No matter how secretly I can infiltrate, this is enemy territory. And the trickiest thing of all is that green waves are growing everywhere on the ceilings and walls.’
The ‘Green Wave’, the wave of man-eating vines that Hyun-wook Lee faced in Yggdrasil City, was a city created by such things.
In other words, if you make a little mistake, there is a possibility that you will be caught in vain. It was like a flying insect flying dangerously through a spider web.
‘So, in order to deal with it in case something goes wrong… we must improve the situation so that we can infiltrate as secretly as possible.’
In other words, a very shocking opportunity was needed to bring out as much as possible the troops guarding the ‘Room of Power’.
That is….
“Rebellion….”
“Yes?”
Everyone looked at Lee Hyun-wook’s words.
“If a rebellion breaks out within the castle, wouldn’t some of the troops in the throne room move out to suppress it?”
Lilium Fide nodded to Lee Hyeon-wook’s question, but that did not mean he gave a positive answer.
“…I know what you mean, but most of the loyalists who advocated for the restoration of the royal party are currently in prison. Well, it was a coup. “We can shake things up in some way, but we can’t bring out the forces in the throne room that much. It would require greater chaos, but that’s not possible right now.”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
“No, it’s not the loyalist dark elves… what if they rise up with quite a few troops. “For example, thousands of people.”
“Hmm… are you really trying to take advantage of humans?”
The second prince asked if he noticed something, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“Quite a few of the human prisoners held here would be able to fight if they had weapons.”
Because quite a few of them were probably captured while fighting against the Dark Elves. And even after that, there would be people who experienced ‘awakening’… and at most, there would be hundreds of combat players.
And Lee Hyun-wook had hundreds of player-only weapons, and could even summon multiple subordinates with the iron golem’s core.
That is why the rebellion was able to properly occur.
“If we liberate them and cause trouble, might the soldiers guarding the throne room be mobilized?”
Lilium Fide, who thought about those words for a moment, shook her head.
“Ha… that is absolutely impossible.”
She pointed to the ceiling outside the window.
Near the ceiling, about ten meters above, I could see plant stems wriggling like wiring or pipes built into a building.
That was the ‘Green Wave’.
“The biggest reason why they cannot rebel is because there are plants everywhere in this kingdom that can be controlled by the power of the ‘seat of power.’” In other words, the moment a rebellion occurs, plants fly in like tentacles from the ceiling and walls and arrest them all
. It meant to do it.
“But what if… there is fire?”
Hyunwook Lee presented another alternative.
Fire It was a substance that could never be found here in the Dark Elf Kingdom.
This is because the fire could spread out of control as the area was made up of plants, so the dark elves did not even eat fire, and the lights were replaced by plants emitting their own light.
Hyunwook Lee continued to explain.
“If the rebels took fire, wouldn’t the Green Wave instinctively shrink back? Of course, it would be a problem if the forest elementalists stepped in and forced them to move… Most of the forest elementalists would have gone to war, and the rest would have gone to the throne room. They must be protecting it. That means getting them to mobilize.”
The Green Wave that Lee Hyun-wook witnessed earlier was controlled by the boss monster Flos Ruber, who is called the manager of the forest.
Therefore, it displayed a powerful force that could not be stopped by most fire magic.
However, if this was a self-growing green wave, ordinary fire would have been enough to limit its activity.
However, as Lee Hyun-wook repeatedly raised counterarguments, Lilium Pide looked a little disgruntled.
As a close friend and loyalist of the Second Prince, he is helping with this plan, but the concept of hostility toward humans and rebellion does not seem to be well received.
“Ha… Of course we are prepared for fire. Our city is not that lax.”
She went on to explain that all over this underground city, the plants that retain water have roots that act as sprinklers of sorts. Then, she looked at the second
prince with a frustrated expression, wondering if she could really trust these humans. It was a questioning look.
“Ah… but I think we can solve that!”
The person who said that was a young dark elf sitting in the corner.
He raised his hand with an innocent expression, but contrary to his foolish appearance…
– Dark elf elite elementalist (LV：61)
However, he was even among the dark elves. Among the ‘Forest Elementalists’, who are considered the most elite, it was classified as ‘Elite’.
In other words, if this guy raises his level further, he will become an ‘Elite Monster’.
Accordingly, the second prince also stepped in to help.
“Yes, the Forest Elementalist. “If we gather a few people, we can control the fire-fighting plants in the slave quarters so that they do not emit water even if a fire breaks out. Lilium: How many forest elementalists can we mobilize?”
When the second prince also joined in, she blushed, cleared her throat, and opened her mouth.
“Well… like this human said earlier, most of them were conscripted, so there are very few in the kingdom. The ones that come to mind right now are about five or six…”
“Okay, that’s enough. I also have some expertise in forest elemental arts, so if I join in, I will be able to control the ‘water line’ and spread the fire. And if a fire breaks out, it will definitely be taken as a serious matter and the troops in the throne room will be dispatched…”
He turned his head and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
“If you pull out the troops in the throne room as you said, you will “Can you enter with that magic helmet and assassinate the general?”
Lee Hyun-wook lifted the teacup in front of him and nodded as if it was obvious.
“Well, I feel like I want to blow up the throne room with all my troops, but if I do that, I can destroy the throne room too, right?”
“…What? Isn’t it too much of a joke to blow up the entire throne room?”
This time, Lilium Fide again raised a problem:
“I wonder if you know how important this matter is to us. This is no joke!”
Lee Hyun-wook did not react in any way and took a sip of tea.
However, the second prince stepped forward and gave Lilium Fide a reprimand.
“Stop, Lilium Fide, I hope you have a little more self-respect. From what I’ve observed, this person doesn’t tend to joke, and that wasn’t even a joke just now.” “
…Really? So are you really saying that this person has the power to destroy the Chamber of Power in one go?”
In response to that question, the Second Prince nodded,
“Because that is true, if we want to get our city back safely, we must follow this man’s words.”
“…….”
“I would like you to keep that in mind and reconfirm all the details for the rebellion.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Thus began the so-called Operation Planet of the Apes.
***
In fact, life is despair. In the first place, happiness is just a utopia, and chasing it is a series of pain.
This was an obvious nihilism that any human living a difficult life would have harbored at least once, but it was like the truth for the humans living in the ‘slave colony’ of the Dark Elf Kingdom.
Somewhere there, in a damp, yellow-lit cave, humans in rags were sitting around a crude table, chatting.
Since it was distribution time a little while ago, we chatted after the meal.
But today the mood was particularly bad.
“I really can’t stand this anymore! “The workload has become so extreme since the war broke out!”
A skinny man shouted, clutching his head.
“…If this continues, I will die!”
Among human slaves, ‘players’ suffered from particularly extreme labor.
They were taken to the dark elf orchard and worked to supply mana to the fruit.
It was a terrible task that did not lead to death easily, but forced one to lose one’s life very painfully and slowly, like sucking away blood.
“Hehehehe, I really just want to die!”
And this man was half out of his mind from the pain.
Eventually, the other men coaxed him to sleep and took him to a shabby room and laid him down.
An old man who was watching the scene sighed.
He was the oldest person in the crypt . He served as their spiritual support. However, his face was also filled with shadows at some point.
“Now I feel like I just want to die.”
“Huh? Don’t say things like that, Grandfather. He advised me to always have hope and that humanity has always found the answer!”
A boy held out a dried, twisted fruit to the old man.
But the old man waved his hand away.
“Haha, how many years ago was that?”
“Oh, that…”
“It’s been so long. This bondage… Slowly, having hope in itself is starting to seem ridiculous, like reminiscing about my youth when I chased empty dreams. And my pride in humanity no longer remains. “I don’t think so.”
It’s already been 6 years since they were captured in the underground city of the Dark Elf Kingdom… They were now too old to hold out hope. ”
But I heard that not too long ago, all the Dark Elf troops escaped… I wonder if a rescue operation has finally begun. “Isn’t it true?”
This time the young woman asked that question.
She was holding a newborn baby.
“I still want to believe that one day I will be able to go outside. And I will definitely let my daughter enjoy the sunshine.”
It seemed like she couldn’t give up hope, perhaps because of the guilt she felt for the child she gave birth to in this dungeon.
But not the others.
“No, I’m sorry, but… when I listened to the guards talking about the last harvest, it seemed like conquest in reverse. “It felt like I was being punished.”
“What? So… not just here in Berlin, but all of Germany is collapsing?”
“It’s not that, it’s all of Europe. “Maybe it’s the whole world… As the old man said, our pride in humanity is doomed.”
At those words, cynicism and groans came from all over.
Being trapped here was a terrible thing, but what made the pain even more painful was the news that all of humanity was being violated.
It was like being a prisoner of war and being told that your country was being invaded.
In other words, it was the most despairing news.
“Damn you, you little bastards…”
In the end, one man let out an angry cry. He was seething with anger because he had recently seen his friend being executed.
“Damn it, even if I die, I will definitely kill at least one or two of them!”
“Hey, calm down, your voice is too loud. Then, keep in mind that if the guard even listens, we will be punished as well.”
“How long are you all going to live like this? Isn’t it better to fight and die anyway? Still, we are players! Why not fight properly once?”
But…. I heard footsteps in the darkness on one side,
and
people kept their mouths shut and turned their eyes towards them.
But they were not that nervous. This was a very deep place in the slave quarters
,
so there was a guard patrolling. This was very rare. It was the reason why they talked freely here.
But…
“Wow!”
They stood up in surprise.
“Uh, uh… are you going, guard?”
A dark elf was standing there.
“Why are you here…”
And the dark elves here would be cruel guards, but if you had just heard the gossip… they were virtually as good as dead.
And in today’s atmosphere, they could be summarily executed here. In particular, the woman holding her young daughter turned pale and trembled.
“Oh no… please…”
However, there was no anger on the dark elf’s face.
Rather, strangely enough, there was no sign of anger. He looked at each person with a happy face…
“Hey, this is the human habitation area, right?”
When he asked that, everyone couldn’t help but make blank expressions.
What kind of question is this?
“……”
A fairly long silence followed, and the young man who was the first to come to his senses nodded repeatedly.
“… .Uh uh yes! That’s right, guard!”
Then the dark elf raised his head, looked at the ceiling, and shouted,
“Yes, that’s right! Come down now!” A sound rang
out
from above, and people raised their heads one by one… The green wave forming the ceiling began to wriggle and widen, and I wonder if someone is coming down from
there .
Six dark elves came down from the ceiling.
One of them walked forward and stood in front of the young man.
“I would like to meet the leader of this place.”
There was silence for a moment.
This time, as expected, the young man answered.
“A leader… There’s no way a slave could have such a thing, right? Haha! We know very well that forming private organizations is prohibited, and we always keep that in mind!”
At that question, the dark elf looked at the dark elf standing behind him.
“Can you release my polymorph for a moment?”
“Well, it will take 15 minutes to reapply, is that okay?”
“I don’t think I have any choice but to explain the situation to these people.”
Uuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu
did do did that moment, that moment, a black light flicker on the dark elf’s face…
“…huh, you are a person, aren’t you?”
The face changed into that of an Asian man.
“I just unintentionally overheard your conversation, so I don’t know if hearing this will comfort you a little…”
He then walked up and placed his hand on the young man’s shoulder and spoke softly.
“…I have come to save you on behalf of humanity.”