Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 191
Episode 191 [Last Junction – 4]
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Players, the protagonists of this game, are given several ‘abilities’ upon awakening. Receive.
And depending on the combination of abilities, the ‘position’ or ‘occupation group’ is determined.
In other words, names such as warrior, archer, and wizard are classified by humans and are called ‘characteristics’ or ‘classes’.
To explain further, if they have ‘close combat’ ability and ‘defense’ ability, they are classified into ‘knight’ series, and from there, ‘divine’ class. By gaining additional abilities, you could become a very valuable and powerful player called a Paladin.
‘In that sense, this guy’s ability name is not Necromancer.’
It was just a ‘nickname’ given to him because of his appearance in controlling the undead.
Perhaps the necromancer’s ability can be categorized as ‘death control’.
And every player grows and changes in appearance depending on the abilities they accumulate.
Just as Lee Hyun-wook can accumulate divine power within his body and give divine power to weapons.
‘If I had accumulated dark power, I would have looked completely different.’
So, while the saint was healing the man’s wounds and infusing him with divine power, an unexpected phenomenon occurred.
According to her explanation, the ‘power to control death’ could be reorganized based on divine power.
‘Now that I think about it, there was something called the [Valhalla’s Flag], the power of death based on divine power.’
It was an item based on Norse mythology that could summon a ghost warrior called ‘Einherier’ and further conscript dead players into ‘Einheri’.
In a past life, a guild in Norway that obtained such an item committed suicide and conscripted many players into the Einheri to prevent the advance of the Dark Elf Kingdom… but it could not prevent the destruction.
‘Wait a minute, if this guy has animosity towards Gordon Price who exploited him… maybe he could have obtained the [Valhalla’s Banner] and made the holy ghost warriors use it.
‘But this is just wishful thinking…’
Beyond whether this guy would hate Gordon Price, I doubted whether he would maintain his sanity.
First of all, the top priority was to save them, neutralize their power to control the undead, and then dig up information.
“But this kid has been trapped in this strange device the whole time?”
Emilia Müller pointed to the spherical capsule that contained the Necromancer and asked,
“Hmm… I’m not sure, but it seems like that’s the case.”
“I don’t know what I did, but the magic circuits in my entire body have been artificially manipulated.”
She shook her head with her forehead furrowed.
It seemed as if she had forced this guy to take action through some strange method.
“Tsk—I don’t think this will work anymore… ”
And since it seemed like he couldn’t come to his senses right now, it seemed like the interrogation would have to be pushed back.
But that was the time.
-Chik— All commanders, I need you to come to the wall where the signal flare went off immediately.
This voice was Colonel Kim Kang-seok.
Look up. As I turned, an orange signal flare was rising from one side of the castle wall.
– I could see where the unidentified beings had disappeared to. ***
“
This is crazy…”
It was Kang Seo-yoon who spat out such harsh words.
She held the bow slung over her shoulder tightly with a nervous expression.
“Now, those strange guys from earlier… hit the giant’s fortress?”
They were currently watching a video together through a hologram projected by the Mana Crystal.
“It happened about 10 minutes ago.”
That scene was beyond shocking.
The beings that had just fought them here appeared in the sky about 19 kilometers away.
It was a giant’s fortress named ‘Battlefield 5’, and it was presumed that the titan boss monsters ‘Atlas’ and ‘Kronos’ were there, and it was originally supposed to be the final battlefield of Titanomachia… Hung— Hung— That
place
. A huge film of wings was covering the sky.
“Is that really a dragon?”
“I think so.”
“No, but there are three…”
Lee Hyun-wook responded,
“…I think they are bone dragons.”
It was the strongest undead that had not been taken out here out of fear of Lee Hyun-wook’s holy sword. They were looking over the ‘5th battlefield’ and spraying black breath, and the titan hoplites could be seen running away. “Why are they attacking there?
”
“…Are you trying to steal the ball from us?”
However, after a while, the battle stopped and the necromancer was seen entering the giant’s fortress.
Although I couldn’t take a closer look due to the magic drone cam, it seemed like I encountered titan boss monsters.
Then, out of nowhere, a huge portal opened and everyone went inside it, ending the video.
With a clicking sound, the magic crystal stopped working and there was silence for a while.
No matter how much I thought about what that scene meant, it was so shocking.
“…At first glance, it looks like those two groups are holding hands and going somewhere?”
A man said, and Lee Hyun-wook also thought the same thing.
‘I never thought he would capture a monster…’
Until now, villains often communicated with monsters, and black orcs and dark elves were also the targets. But that only limited the monster’s influence. It was a way to please them and satisfy their desires.
No matter how villainous the monster was, it was a being with a clear ‘purpose’, so it was difficult to handle.
But…
‘…Could that be one of the Demon King’s abilities?’
Isn’t the Demon King a being who can literally be called the king of monsters?
If so, he would have extraordinary abilities, and that could be to subjugate monsters.
“Oh, if that’s the case, what will happen to Titanomachia?”
A woman asked that. She was a guild master from Poland.
“It was supposed to end only when all five giant fortresses were conquered…”
“Well, it says the quest is still in progress.”
“So our purpose hasn’t changed.”
“Does it make sense for the true monster to give up the event and disappear?”
The castle owner disappeared, but the flag had to be planted on the castle.
“…What on earth is going on?”
“Ha… my head is pounding.”
All of these players were considered to be the best players in the world, but they looked like they had no idea. What happened over the past few days was so incomprehensible that it was difficult to put into context.
Their eyes could not help but focus on Lee Hyun-wook, who naturally knew the most.
“I will get that information.”
“…Yes? How do you know?”
It was Kang Seo-yoon who asked that question,
“Didn’t I take you hostage?”
“Ah, that man…”
She glanced at Lee Seong-yoon.
His expression did not change at all.
Lee Hyun-wook knew the intention of that exchange of glances.
‘He probably recognized him as the Blood Lord.’
And the Guardian also knew that he was a villain.
“…Yes, I will talk to him for a moment.”
Lee Hyun-wook left behind the many eyes looking at him and entered Fridwen.
***
– Is it truly a total crisis and the end of the endless big event is destruction?
– Testimony after testimony that all players around the world have received the ‘World Quest’…
– What kind of monster is the Demon King? And where did it come from? The
whole world was in an uproar and was slowly falling into despair. Still, until [Titanomachia], it was something that took place in a far away country and had nothing to do with me unless I was European.
However, in this ‘World Quest’, it was written ‘World Game Over’, that is, the destruction of the world.
– Caution! If ‘3’ goal is failed, it will be ‘World Game Over’. If
this incident is not handled properly, a city will be destroyed like a wave. Rather, the entire world will be destroyed.
As such a story spread, it was only natural that the entire world would fall out of control.
Soon, the highest level of alert was activated throughout the world, and all players took up arms.
– Battle with the devil around the world. Preparation begins… But where is the Demon King?
And along with the Demon King, another keyword was mentioned, and that was ‘Hero.’
– Well, from what I’ve heard, heroes are elected by voting, right?
– Yes, you can kill the Demon King. There is a rumor that it has the ability.
Likewise, the [Kill the Monster] broadcast also covered that topic.
– Well, special strategies are always given to big events. For example, a sub-adult dragon appears first before an adult dragon appears, making it ‘Dragon Slayer’. ‘ –
So, it’s an obvious story that the hero is the right person to defeat the Demon King. –
Yes, from the beginning, every aspect of this game was a cliche based on fantasy.
– Well, then… . From now on, the question is who should be elected as the hero. Based on the current information, any player who meets certain conditions can apply for the selection of the hero, and all players have the right to vote. But… the person that comes to mind is One person, right?
The vast majority of people in this world were thinking of only one person as the person who would solve this situation.
– Steele Lane I hope he will pull off a miracle again this time….
***
However, about an hour later, guild masters and influential players from all over the world issued a joint statement.
It was titled [We urge Lee Hyun-wook to disclose information about the current situation.]
And Master Heinrich Volkov of the influential German guild [Traumhaft] held a press conference.
– …This situation is serious. However, no one in the world could have predicted this and we still do not know what is happening. Only one person, Stillane, knows that.
He was an old gentleman with a white beard and was a first-generation player trusted around the world.
– However, he has not disclosed any information so far. They are literally monopolizing it. What that means is that you are not truly serving the world, but rather are viewing the world as competition.
He was a member of [Pouturet], centered on Alain Gidam. Alain Gidam had been the face of criticism of Lee Hyun-wook for too long, and his image had become poor, so this time he took charge.
– But how can we trust such a person and entrust the fate of this world to him?
To put his words into one word, it was that Lee Hyun-wook should not be given the power of a ‘warrior’.
– I and many like-minded players are demanding this from Hyunwook Lee. From now on, disclose all information to the public and share your weapons, including Laputa. The direction in which the great ship called humanity should go cannot be entrusted to just one person… Please trust humanity. Only then will players around the world, including me, be able to trust and follow you.
While listening to the broadcast, Alain Gidam was in a helicopter heading to where Lee Hyun-wook was.
‘……The old man is taking care of himself well.’
A quest appeared in his eyes.
[Hidden Quest]
– The best revolutionary who appeared at the end….
1) Assassinate the specific player ‘Lee Hyun-wook’. (In progress….)
* Reward: Promotion (Official Villain)
This was a quest I received when I opened the ‘black invitation’ I received from an unidentified man some time ago.
Yes. Now he has become a villain candidate. And he was aiming for Lee Hyun-wook’s life.
‘I don’t know how the situation is going now, but…’
The whole world was in an uproar over the ‘World Quest’, but no such quest came to him.
All players in the world have it in common, but it was excluded. What that means is…
‘In other words, that guy called the Demon King is also a villain like me.’
He looked out the window and smiled slightly.
‘…If the devil rules the world, of course the world will revolve around players.’
Therefore, Alain Giam intended to contribute greatly to the victory of the Demon King.
By eliminating Lee Hyeon-wook, who will soon be selected as a warrior.
Therefore, the role of ostensibly keeping Lee Hyun-wook in check was passed on to someone else.
‘I am now a pro-Steelane faction.’
From now on, he planned to follow Lee Hyun-wook and support him both materially and spiritually.
So I slowly approached him and planned to hang a noose around his neck.
Of course, there was no way he would readily accept the approach of Alain Giam, who had consistently criticized Lee Hyun-wook until now. But Alain Giam was not unaware of that, so he was fully prepared.
Those were items, so to speak, bribes.
First, it was a golden tree branch.
[Item Information]
– Name: Extreme Replica (Special)
– Effect: Imitates items below legendary level and reproduces them with 50% effect. (Cannot be modified)
The replica crafted item that was so difficult to obtain was also of legendary grade.
Besides that, there was one more thing prepared. It was a silver shield.
[Item Information]
– Name: Aegis (Legendary)
– Effect
1) Absolute Defense: Forms an absolute shield around 10m for 180 seconds. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
2) Medusa’s Head: Puts enemies within a 50m distance into ‘petrified’ state. (Cooldown: 12 hours)
‘If I put these incredible items that I have been hiding and hiding in his hands, no matter how much I have hated him until now, I will be able to get close to him. Yes, that’s right….’
Alain Giam One of the most powerful players today, he knew how to move people.
Almost all humans follow money, and almost all players are attracted to good items.
He had seen many times that this law applied equally to all heroes, no matter how noble they were.
‘And since this is the moment when we need to strengthen our combat power ahead of the battle with the Demon King, we won’t be able to refuse it.’
***
Meanwhile, Hyunwook Lee was having a long conversation with Ricardo Oliveira inside the Friedwen.
“Huh, huh, shouldn’t this have been enough? I think I’ve said everything…”
And there was a puddle of sticky blood under the guy’s feet, which made you guess what it was about.
“So, in your dimension, after the group called Villains won, something called the Transcendence Quest came out?”
“Yes…”
“And the goal of that transcendence quest is… to destroy another dimension?”
Ricardo Oliveira chuckled at Lee Hyun-wook’s question.
“Hah, what the fuck? That’s right? I’m just saying it calmly because it’s all over anyway.”
When Lee Hyun-wook slowly raised his left hand, the guy was startled.
“Okay, then I’ll ask you one more question.”
“……”
“Do you know anything about why this game started?”
“Ugh, is it still time to wonder about that?”
When Lee Hyun-wook slightly twisted his left hand, the thing wriggled as if in a fit.
“Oh, I know! 一 一”
Ricardo Olibeira, who spewed a lot of blood, stumbled and opened his mouth
.
“It’s okay to guess, so tell me everything.”
The guy gasped and closed his eyes as if thinking for a moment.
“…one of us said he went through the first Black Gate and met someone.”
“Is he Gordon Price?”
“Oh, are you from this era? “How do you understand the context so well?”
Lee Hyun-wook looked down at the guy in silence.
“Okay, anyway… I heard back then that this game was some kind of experiment or something?”
At that point, Lee Hyun-wook tilted his head.
“…What do you mean by experiment?”
“I don’t know that! “I’m serious, so don’t move your hands!”
Lee Hyun-wook slowly moved his left hand and rotated the sacred iron piece in the guy’s stomach.
“Wow, I really don’t know! But the result is transcendence!”
From what I heard before, what transcendence is is that it means turning all the powers of one dimension into one.
In other words, the worst ending in which only one player survives after sacrificing all of humanity…
‘…this is truly the final quest worthy of a villain.’
It was understandable since they were the ones who massacred humanity and brought destruction to the entire world in the first place.
‘But why did I regress and why am I being told to stop these guys?’
In that sense, what the absolute being who controls this game wanted was not just massacre.
‘Even the villains won’t know this.’
Lee Hyun-wook thought he had nothing more to gain from this guy and stood up.
“Hey then… I will help you, so why not save me?”
Lee Hyun-wook ignored those words and walked towards Fridwen’s lamp door.
“If this continues, I will die from failing the quest. If that happens, won’t you be sad too?”
As I heard earlier, if the dimension shifter did not kill a human in this dimension for 24 hours, it was game over.
“No, I already got everything I could from you.”
He said so and placed an iron gag on Ricardo Oliveira’s mouth.
“Eup— Eup— Eup—”
“I brought some pretty good stuff, so I’ll put it to good use.”
Hyunwook Lee took away all of Ricardo Oliveira’s items.
Among them, there were several items that became Lee Hyun-wook’s bones and flesh.
‘It is the first piece of Munin and the Eye of Horus.’
These were the two information acquisition items that were most helpful in Lee Hyun-wook’s victory so far.
And among them, he swallowed and absorbed the ‘Eye of Horus Piece No. 1’.
– congratulations! By satisfying special conditions, the ‘Insight Lens’ skill is greatly strengthened.
[Skill Information]
– Name: Insight Lens
– Grade: B
– Effect
1) System Analysis (3): Hidden ‘system information’ can be accurately interpreted.
2) Clairvoyance: Vision is greatly improved. (+500%)
* Skill grade improves when hidden conditions are met.
As a result, the Insight Lens skill became B grade and the 1st system analysis effect became level 3.
If so, it means that you can now see more detailed information…
Lee Hyun-wook looked at Ricardo Oliveira.
– Quasi-Transcendent (LV: 143)
* Demon Master Villain Dimension Shifter
As expected, one more line of information was added, and it was quite important.
‘Now there won’t be any bugs around me.’