Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 195
Episode 195 [Preparation for the apocalypse, all-out war – 3]
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The next morning, Lee Hyun-wook headed to Ganghwa Island.
It was for preliminary inspection of the so-called ‘new tree transplant plan’.
Ganghwa Island is now designated as a ‘special management area’ where all residents have moved inland and are directly controlled by the government of the Republic of Korea.
Accordingly, watchtowers were lined up along the entire coast, and four military satellites were circling the sky, overlooking the area, while hundreds of magic drones were filming the entire area in real time.
The reason why such strict security was applied was because the sacred tree ‘Sindansu’ here is currently the most important strategic and industrial asset in Korea.
Lee Hyun-wook boarded the Friedwen and landed at the ‘Ganghwa Temporary Runway’ located in the center of the city, where he met with team leader Lee Gyo-jun.
“Team Leader Lee, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“Haha… There was so much big work to do here, including the creation of the Ganghwado Arboretum and the Gangwondo civil engineering work, that there was no time to be bored. Now, let’s go this way.”
As Director Woo Seong-moon’s confidant, he was in charge of domestic affairs, especially related to Lee Hyun-wook. He must have been so busy that his face became very gaunt. “I have laid a straight road from here to Sindansu. I will take you that way. As you already know
. “There are many automatic turrets installed around Sindansu that detect and shoot down all flying objects without sacred power, so helicopters or airships cannot approach it.”
Lee Hyeon-wook boarded a bulletproof vehicle with a magic shield and departed for Sindansu with dozens of escort vehicles.
“…also known as code name Dangun 1. So, Sindansu is twice as big as when it first appeared, reaching about 11 meters, and its sacred power is enough to be 4. “It’s ~5 times more powerful.”
As team leader Kyo-jun Lee said, even though it was quite far away, I could feel the strong divine power emanating from Sindansu.
‘And the ecosystem has completely changed.’
Lee Hyun-wook looked out the window.
Originally, there should have been rice fields and low mountains beyond, which can be seen anywhere in the countryside of the Korean peninsula… Now, mysterious plants that could only exist in a fantasy world that does not exist on Earth were growing, and often strange things were seen. Colorful butterflies and birds were flying around.
Among them, the so-called ‘mana ecosystem’, animals and plants that lived based on divine power and vitality were born.
A pair of white deer with horns were running on the side of an unknown mountain. Lee Hyun-wook looked at them and said, I thought that horn must be a pretty good material as well.
These incredibly valuable material items were growing mushrooms.
‘Good, it will be a big help in the future.’
For a long time, large quantities of specialty products were being brought in from Yggdrasil in the Republic of Chad every day, but due to the nature of shipping across the sea, quick supply was impossible. In that respect, having Shinsu grown so close would be a significant advantage in the long run
. .
After a while, Lee Hyun-wook raised his head and was looking at Shindansu, a white giant tree emitting brilliant light. It is
currently about 11m high and has a circumference of 782cm.
– The new tree ‘Sindansu’ is growing. (Stage 2)
* Currently available ‘Master Permissions’ are as follows:
1) Deploy Holy Shield (3km radius)
2) Strengthen Blessing of Life (80 minutes)
3) Create Fruit of Life (1 minute)
‘Hmm… better than what I’ve seen before. I think a few things changed, but I don’t remember exactly.’
Hyunwook Lee first chose number 2, ‘Enhance the Blessing of Life.’
– He used Shindansu’s master authority, ‘Enhance the Blessing of Life.’
* The effect lasts for 80 minutes. (Cooldown: 240 hours)
Then, Shindansu ’s master authority, ‘Enhance the Blessing of Life.’ The leaves glowed, and didn’t the light spread out in all directions?
Woo-woo—
And it seeped into the bodies of all the plants and animals in the area.
The birds in the sky chirped cheerfully, then spread their wide wings and flew through the sky even faster. I crossed it.
And the flowers blooming around me grew so fast that I could see them.
“Oh, what is this?”
Team leader Kyo-Jun Lee let out an exclamation behind his back.
“It’s a power I can use.”
He then picked a white fruit from Shindansu.
[Item Information]
– Name: Fruit of Life from Shindansu (Special)
– Effect: When consumed, all physical abilities are increased by 50% for 30 minutes and recovery speed increases.
These fruits Dozens of them were open all over Shindansu.
Of course, they could not be compared to Yggdrasil yet.
“Hmm, is this what you were talking about…”
At that time, a dark elf man came next to Lee Hyun-wook.
He was the head of the dark elf kingdom. It was the second prince, Clypheus Griseo, and he had already arrived a few hours earlier.
“I am very busy rebuilding the kingdom, so thank you for responding.”
“You are our savior. This is nothing. Abama told us to tell you that we will do our best to be helpful in the upcoming war as well.”
And at Lee Hyun-wook’s request, he brought the most outstanding ‘forest elementalists’ from the Dark Elf Kingdom. As far as
Lee Hyun-wook knew, they were the most well-versed race in how to control plants. They would supervise the sacred tree transplantation work.
Part 2 The prince looked at the sacred tree and opened his mouth,
“As you said, our forest elementalists have looked into it… but we can’t move it alone.”
Lee Hyun-wook looked at the second prince with a shocked expression.
“…Are you saying it can’t be done?”
Soon the second prince continued speaking.
“That divine tree is not a single entity, but the entity responsible for this ecosystem. If this island is a body… it can be said to be no different from a brain.”
In that case, it means that precise and careful work is needed to transplant the brain.
“In other words, if the roots are revealed too hastily, the sacred tree will die and this ecosystem will also die. So to prevent that from happening, we need to hold on to the divine power that disappears during the transplant. It looks like a lot of priests will be needed… Was she that saint? I wonder if that human would have been able to do it…” ”
So you’re saying that a blood transfusion or something is needed during the surgery?”
“…There is no such simple comparison.”
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“Anyway, it’s worth a try, right?”
“…It’s risky, but if I have to do it, I’ll do my best.”
Lee Hyun-wook didn’t worry. The benefits that this new ecosystem would bring in the future were enormous… but that was after the invasion of the devil was stopped.
‘The Holy Mothership… Only by creating it can we counter the Flower of Death.’
The Flower of Death, which came to fruition about two months before Lee Hyun-wook’s death in his previous life, was truly a terrible being.
As long as it was floating in the sky, any place was forcibly transformed into the realm of death, the optimal environment for necromancers.
Thus, even Inferno, which had stopped the Legion of Death several times since its appearance, was defeated and the fortified city of Busan fell.
‘As far as I know, there is no way to prevent it using existing methods. In that case, we have to create something completely new… The Holy Mothership is the most appropriate way.’
Hyunwook Lee believed that all of that was possible.
If this were a game, there would be a way to attack it.
At that time, Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun, who was standing a little far away, approached.
“…I’m sorry to say this, but I have some bad news.”
“Is this news from the devil again?”
However, Team Leader Lee Kyo-jun shook his head as if he was not sure.
“Since yesterday morning, two ships carrying supplies from Yggdrasil have gone missing in succession. There was no rescue request. So, additional escorts were urgently sent to ships at sea. We dispatched… and this is what we caught.”
Team leader Kyojun Lee held out his smartphone and played a video.
“Now, let’s watch this.”
An unknown ship could be seen floating on the horizon in the distance. It was difficult to make an accurate distinction because it was quite far away, so Lee Hyun-wook activated his ‘clairvoyance’ to see a little more closely, but…
Kwa-a-ang——!
At that moment, a beam of light suddenly rose from beneath the water, lifted the ship into the air, and cut it in half.
And the sea level fluctuated and swallowed everything.
One warship that was escorting the ship also sank one after another due to attacks rising from below the water.
With just two attacks, two ships disappeared from the screen.
“…This is the third sinking, and it seems like someone is intentionally trying to disrupt our supply of military supplies.”
“Hmm… I guess so.”
Team leader Kyojun Lee continued.
“Director Woo ordered the dispatch of security forces, but… I don’t know what it is, but if it’s enough to blow away that big ship with one hit… Damn, if things continue like this, the supply of supplies will be greatly affected.”
Yes, even at first glance, it was obvious that there was a ruthless guy in the sea.
“It’s already crazy, but to catch something like that… it’s going to mess up the schedule a lot. “As long as there is a threat like this, we won’t be able to launch the ship.”
Although this world has become like a game and is full of all kinds of strange magic and items, the core of logistics transportation is still shipping, which had no choice but to dry up and die if the sea was blocked.
‘Anyway, the person who would do something like this is either a villain or a devil. And one more thing, that light attack just now was probably….’
Lee Hyun-wook knew very well what it was.
‘…It’s Leviathan.’
That unidentified being was ‘Leviathan’ or ‘Leviathan’, a sea monster that originated from Ugarit mythology and appeared in the Christian Bible.
‘As a field boss monster, it is not well known at this time.’
Just like the sea ghost stories that were spread among sailors during the Age of Exploration, only a few eyewitness accounts would be spreading now.
And the ‘Hidden Quest’ was activated for those who chased it, and they were able to find a sea city and obtain legendary grade items.
Lee Hyun-wook also knew that and tried to target it depending on the situation, but there was no need so far.
However, even the ‘field boss monster’ for the hidden event seemed to have been subjugated to the devil.
‘You’re moving very diligently, aren’t you?’
As they came from 8 years in the future, they were taking advantage of all the hidden benefits based on the information they knew.
This was similar to Lee Hyun-wook’s path, but since the other side had overwhelming power from the moment it appeared, it was encroaching on the world at a much faster rate.
In other words, a being with both information and power was the devil.
‘But I don’t know that I am a regressor.’
So, they have no idea that the clever tricks they are carrying out using future knowledge are actually part of Lee Hyun-wook’s plan.
‘That alone gives me a significant advantage.’
Lee Hyun-wook took out the Mana Messenger and communicated with someone.
“This is Lee Hyun-wook. I have one favor to ask of you.”
– Yes, please say so.
This voice was none other than the gravity wizard Lee Seong-yoon.
He and the Guardian members believed Lee Hyun-wook’s words and were working to monitor and track Gordon Price.
“This may be a slightly rude question, but… is it possible? How far can you extend the anti-gravity field?”
Seongyoon Lee As a controller of gravity, he was able to reverse gravity in a significant area.
However, it was not used very often because it was not very useful and consumed a lot of mana.
– …If I use all my mana, I can reverse the gravity of up to 1k㎥ of space from the centripetal center I specify… Why do you need this?
In response to that question, Lee Hyun-wook said something somewhat strange.
“hmm… Do you like sea fishing?”
– yes?
Field Boss Monster Leiatan, Ruler of the Deep Sea It was a huge monster as powerful as a dragon.
In other words, the moment you catch it, you can gain as much benefit as if you had hunted one more dragon.
It also meant that Kang Hui-seol’s stopper making materials were added one more time.
‘And there’s one thing that’s different from a dragon. The monster is the victim of a certain hidden quest and has one clear weakness. If you just fight against it, it will be as difficult to catch as a dragon… but if you exploit its weaknesses, you can easily catch a big fish.’
Lee Hyun-wook had a clear understanding of what kind of hand the Demon King was playing.
‘…I’m one step ahead.’
***
At that time, several cargo planes landed at Incheon International Airport.
Almost all cargo was transported by cargo ship, but some important items were transported by air.
And Alain Giam got off one of the cargo planes. He was searching Internet articles with the cell phone in his hand.
– Alain Giam “I will support Steele Lane in every way I can.”
– Europe’s biggest player, ‘Alain Giam’, exerts a hero’s influence with Steele Lane… Yesterday’s rivals come together as a team.
“Okay, good. “It’s going my way.”
He looked at the items coming down from the cargo plane with a satisfied smile. They were all items that Lee Hyun-wook had asked me to get.
And among them was something that looked like a metal flagpole.
[Item Information]
– Name: Valhalla’s Flag (Legendary)
– Effect: Unknown (Special conditions are required to handle this item.)
“That bastard really wanted this, but I bet you didn’t know he would actually save it. Ugh.”
He smiled darkly, feeling satisfied with his influence in being able to save this, and guessing how much more Lee Hyun-wook would trust him if he brought it to him. ‘You have no idea that this will become a knife that will stab your neck
. ‘
The feeling of very slowly approaching the nape of the target’s neck… was quite exhilarating. I
felt like the main character in the movie [Hero] starring Jet Li that I watched as a child, slowly approaching Qin Shi Huang while telling him a story in order to assassinate him.
He got into a black SUV with the items he was going to deliver to Lee Hyun-wook, and his car entered the line of trucks heading to [Taebaek Arsenal]. At
that time, some kind of telepathy flowed into his head.
– Monsieur Jiam, you are here. I am also nearby.
This voice called him . It was a man wearing a purple mask who led him down the villain path. His identity was unknown, but he referred to himself as ‘the mouth of the villain leader.’ –
But… this time, the bait to throw at Steele Lane, that is, the items. More than I knew. There was a mixture of many and better things.
There was a mixture of dissatisfaction and worry somewhere in that voice. At this, Alain Giam clicked his tongue and opened his mouth with the feeling of teaching him a lesson. “Look, when you want to win someone’s heart, you should pay more than what he asked for.
” Take another drink and bring it to me. “Do you think I’m here for no reason because this is how I handle people?”
In order to completely win Lee Hyun-wook’s heart, he prepared a gift that went beyond the list that Lee Hyun-wook requested.
– Well, I know that you are doing well in that role.
“But what happened, making a telepathic call in the middle of enemy territory?”
– Yes, I would like to pass on the Chairman’s command:
“Well, say it.”
– Yesterday, the Chairman contacted the devil. And we confirmed that he was a villain from another dimension.
“…Another dimension, something like that really exists.”
– Yes, anyway, the Chairman and the Demon King decided that the operation to assassinate Steele Lane was effective and selected the male and female.
In other words, it was decided who would be the assassin.
– There are still sane forces on the Chinese side.
They were a private organization of the so-called Dark Star Public Security Department and were entirely a villain organization.
Among the villain forces that have lost a significant number of talent and resources due to the conflict with Lee Hyun-wook, it can be seen as the most intact place.
“I see…”
Alain Giam touched his chin and looked out the window.
In his head, various plans were created on how to completely handle the operation of assassinating Steelein.
‘I’ve failed so far, so even if I win his heart, I shouldn’t try too hastily.’
For that, a few more paving stones were needed.
“…First, tell those Chinese kids to prepare some items.”
– yes? If it’s an item…
“You know all the things I’ve done to win Steele’s heart, right? What was the result? That bastard called me this morning to thank me, right? That cynical “Does the world know that he’s so sloppy about business?”
He was certain that Lee Hyeon-wook believed in him,
because he asked him to have dinner with him at Laputa when he entered Korea this time.
‘What better proof can there be than this?’
That place was the heart of Steele’s forces, where no outsider was known to have been able to enter until now.
“So… I know there are a few legendary items that haven’t been revealed to the public yet, such as the Yeouibong, so I tell you to prepare those.”
– ……….
“Tsk, hey, don’t worry too much. I saw it from up close. That child is ultimately human too. And that bastard is currently gathering all resources for the war against the Demon King, so if it is a legendary item, we will have no choice but to go crazy and lure him to the place we have prepared.”
He smiled leisurely and continued talking.
“Haha, you have to trust me, because Steelein has a lot of trust in me right now. So, let’s give it all away and we can get it all back anyway, right?”