Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 34
34. Rain falling on the waves – 1
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Seo Eun-ha could not get off work until almost midnight.
It was because she was writing a ‘strategy report’, which was one of her main tasks, but because so many incidents had occurred recently, the work that needed to be done was piling up.
“Ugh, waist…”
As such, the position of attack platoon leader was arduous both physically and mentally.
However, to that extent, promotions follow a sharp upward curve.
Tak-tak-tak-tak-
She looked at the keyboard and the monitor alternately and used the so-called vulture typing method.
Sergeant Kang Ik-jun argued that the cause of frequent overtime work was actually this slow typing.
She strongly denied it, but honestly… it seemed to make some sense.
“Follow-up response to the attack and securing the note through ······ Report the results and that’s it!”
At the end of that long, long march, I hit enter for the last time and got up from my chair and stretched.
“It’s finally over! Ugh-”
I checked my watch and it was already 23:43.
“Well, I can still exercise for about an hour.”
She yawned, turned off the office light, and came out.
But that was when I had just left the building.
Buzz –
An unpleasant feeling that resonates in my head…
Her steps stopped.
“······what?”
An instinctive warning sound began to sound beyond my consciousness.
‘Dangerous.’
······What the hell?
She didn’t know that either.
I just felt that way vaguely without knowing why.
Huuuu-
She stopped and slowly began to scan the darkened compound to find the reason.
When she stood at the entrance to the main office building she had just left, she could see three buildings.
To the left was the 2nd barracks of the 2nd Company and to the right of the PX in the center was the 1st barracks of the 1st Company and Headquarters Company.
And within the two barracks… an unidentifiable, heterogeneous movement was detected.
‘This······.’
A certain evil that only players who can handle divine power can feel.
‘It is the dark power of the undead.’
Among the players belonging to the 1st Battalion, there were no soldiers or officers who could handle such power.
In other words, it meant that an external entity was using some kind of power in Barrack 1.
It’s definitely a dangerous situation.
She zipped up her combat uniform all the way up and ran down the hill.
Chin –
I lowered my posture by sticking close to the wall of the 1st barracks building.
I silenced my footsteps and slowly entered the building.
“······.”
The inside of the building was darker than usual.
It seemed that all emergency lights and sleeping lights had been turned off.
and······.
‘······Smell of blood?’
What she felt began to materialize not just as ominousness but as misfortune.
The place where the smell of blood was coming from was the 5-minute waiting room at the first door on the left side of the building.
She approached it slowly.
Next, he infused mana into his fingertips and turned on a very small ‘Holy Light’.
Wing –
A handful of white lights arose like that, pushing away the darkness layer by layer, illuminating the inside of the living room…
“······.”
Seo Eun-ha could not open her mouth.
Tsk- Tsk-
The inside was stained dark red.
It was the flesh and blood of the 5-minute standoff.
they······.
‘It was wiped out.’
It seemed like they died simultaneously and instantly, without even the slightest resistance.
Tsk- Tsk- Tsk-
And in that dark red darkness, something was writhing.
A man in a black suit…
Tsk- Tsk-
He was crouching inside the corpse of the 5-minute waiter, sucking the back of someone’s neck.
Chuu…
Soon the sound stopped and its red eyes moved towards Seo Eun-ha.
***
As I approached guard post number 5, I heard a familiar voice.
“How can the aces of our squad gather together like this?”
“omg! How could our company’s best hero be in such a humble place…”
Ahn Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong were the workers of Lee Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo’s previous position.
“······Don’t overdo it.”
Yes, it was quite an interesting scene to see four people from one squad at one guard post.
But in fact, this was Lee Hyun-wook’s intention.
‘There must be children who follow my orders well.’
Therefore, I asked the administrative officer who drew up the work schedule so that they could meet at this exact location.
It was easy to change because it was said that he could have a meal with Commander Jeong Sang-sik in the afternoon.
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, you looked in bad condition earlier. Didn’t you collapse while on duty?”
“You look like you’re in great shape. Don’t fall down while shaking.”
“Hahaha, who is this thanks to? “Oh my Captain, isn’t it all thanks to Sergeant Lee?”
“······Please don’t go somewhere and say something like that.”
Ahn Min-tae couldn’t control his excitement recently and was very grinning.
“Then let’s take Ahn Min-tae, a loyalist D-rank, down! Good luck!”
“-for a moment.”
Lee Hyeon-wook caught two people trying to go down the guard post.
“Um, what’s going on?”
The two turned around and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
“······.”
However, Lee Hyun-wook did not answer right away.
He stood still and tall in the shadow of the guard post…
“Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook?”
I was just looking at my watch.
23:59 –
I slowly raised my head.
“······I just heard a shout from somewhere.”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and went down the stairs of the guard post.
“······.”
Then, the playful expressions of Ahn Min-tae and Choi Tae-yong became quite serious.
Park Jun-mo also swallowed his saliva and followed Lee Hyun-wook.
“What happened again… which one?”
They were now able to intuit the meaning of even small changes in Lee Hyun-wook’s attitude.
That is why, with just one word from Lee Hyun-wook, his attitude changed 180 degrees.
Huuuu –
At that moment, a cold wind blew over the ridge, and the trees everywhere made a chilling sound.
“Choi Taeyong has night vision, right?”
“Yes, there is.”
The shooter’s arrows were equipped with night vision, or night vision capabilities.
“Check near the guard post. The sound came from there.”
“yes.”
This ridge overlooked the guard post at the entrance to the unit.
“Uh um…”
Choi Taeyong’s eyes, which were moving slowly, stopped at a certain place and he suddenly gasped.
“······.”
Soon, he slowly turned his head and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
He swallowed once and nodded.
“······Yes, it’s the gate.”
“What what gate? A gate?”
Ahn Min-tae had an expression of disbelief.
However, there was clearly a purple shimmer blooming behind the guard post.
Soon, the guards, feeling suspicious, seemed to be approaching it…
Ta-da-da-da-da-dang!
A sharp gunshot rang out, shattering the silence of the night.
This was the signal gun announcing that the hellish race had begun.
“Damn it! “What is this?”
As Ahn Min-tae said that, he lowered his posture and raised his shield to protect his squad members.
Although the distance from the guard post was far, I had no idea that a blind bullet could fly all the way here.
– Chick! Chi-ik! This is a guard post…
Soon the emergency radio from the guardhouse rang, but there was no need to hear it.
Lee Hyun-wook ignored that and gave orders to Choi Tae-yong again.
“Check exactly what monster came out of Choi Taeyong’s gate.”
“yes! “It appears to be an undead zombie type.”
“Then the guardhouse troops alone cannot stop it.”
“Fuck it then what should I do?”
“…you go.”
At his words, embarrassment spread across the three faces.
“yes? “Wouldn’t the 5-minute standby policy respond immediately?”
Hyunwook Lee shook his head.
“The 5-minute standby will not have the power to deal with the undead, that is, ‘sacred power.’”
The undead were quite difficult monsters to deal with.
It was natural that their vitality was persistent, and in many cases they even came back to life.
Therefore, there was only one sure way to determine their worth.
“But you happen to be armed with sacred weapons.”
“ah······.”
According to the original history, these three were destroyed in the beginning rather than being able to solve the problem.
‘But now it’s different.’
The level, skills, weapons, and mindset have all changed.
Rather, no one other than these people could properly respond to this situation at this point.
“Then why are there three of us? “Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, where are you going?”
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head to Ahn Min-tae’s question.
There were buildings lined up down the opposite ridge.
The barracks… This was where all the troops of the battalion stayed.
“Anyway… there’s not just one gate.”
“······yes? “No, does that make sense?”
“Nonsense! Are you saying there are double gates in the territory?”
No, it’s not a double gate.
‘It’s a wave.’
One of the game’s most hellish events, the wave…
Hyunwook Lee swallowed the words.
Soon, a flickering purple light near the parade ground near the barracks caught his eye.
‘I knew it······.’
It was the second gate.
And from there, white figures were pouring out.
‘That’s a skeleton.’
The number was so large that it was hard to believe it was the first eruption.
Even if you just looked at it with your own eyes, there were probably 80 of them.
But that wasn’t the end.
‘The gate that opens during the wave pours out indefinitely without any limit to eruption.’
For the time being, skeletons would continue to pour out continuously, and if they were not properly controlled in the beginning, there could be hundreds or thousands of them. An army literally appears.
And the direction in which they marched… was, of course, the barracks.
“Ah… that’s right! The gate has really opened over there!”
Choi Tae-yong confirmed it through his night vision.
“You understand now? You can’t go to the guardhouse in the 5th minute. However, if the primary eruption cannot be blocked as it is, they will go down the mountain to the city center. It must be stopped.”
“driving me crazy······.”
“So you have to go. “I’ll go to the barracks and block the gate there, then I’ll bring reinforcements and go to the guard post, so you can somehow hold out until then, right?”
Lee Hyun-wook said that and met the eyes of the three in turn.
Now, instead of fear, their eyes were filled with something else.
It was a kind of will.
It was the fighting spirit and confidence built up through several successes.
“All right. Don’t worry about us and go quickly. I’m really going to die after that.”
Ahn Min-tae turned around with the shield on his back, and Choi Tae-yong and Park Jun-mo followed.
They ran down the mountain path toward the guard post.
‘Yes, that’s right. They all died…’
Lee Hyun-wook also moved.
***
“-Ugh!”
Seo Eun-ha collapsed onto the asphalt.
I fell from my back and the shock spread down my spine and throughout my body.
However, without even feeling the pain, I quickly got up.
At that moment-
wow!
Something flew in and hit the floor.
It was a black whip.
It moved like a snake and rolled into the darkness of the first barracks.
“Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.”
Soon, a red eye light approached from the darkness and its owner appeared.
A tall man in a black suit…
He was already covered in blood.
It was the blood of the 5 minute keynote.
“I thought I would face the second daughter of the commander of the Holy Knights so soon? It’s also very defenseless, and it’s also fucking pretty, right? Ughhh…”
“······.”
“I cannot miss this opportunity. “I’m going to play with you all night tonight, so don’t be too shy and I want you to have fun with me.”
A red tongue came out from its pale face and mouth covered in blood.
Seo Eun-ha took a deep breath and took a slow step back.
‘What on earth is going on?’
Seo Eun-ha realized that the attack by the assailant was not the only problem.
In her field of vision, a purple light was flickering on the left side of the parade ground.
‘gate······.’
And from there, a group of skeletons… no, an army was walking out.
‘How could so many monsters come out during the first eruption?’
So far, there have been about 120 of them.
As far as she knew, it was impossible.
Above all, the man threatening her was not a monster.
‘······He is a player.’
Players are human weapons, and that is why they sometimes attack humans.
There were many people who committed crimes using that strong power.
Furthermore, terrorist groups were formed.
But what about this man who appears with the gate and attacks AMT…?
“······Who are you?”
“Ugh, don’t be so impatient. “We’ll find out as we take our time tonight.”
Seo Eun-ha looked for a way to overcome this situation.
‘First, we have to get the weapon out somehow.’
However, if he turned his back and ran away, his neck would be blown off.
And it wasn’t just her own survival at stake.
Numerous troops in that barracks…
‘The 5th minute team is annihilated, so initial response is impossible.’
Of course, a mysterious gunshot rang out from somewhere and the lights turned on in the barracks.
The entire army would have woken up and started arming itself.
But it was too late. Skeletons pouring out of the parade ground
, clanking,
already reached the barracks.
If they went inside, there would be a one-sided massacre without any time to arm themselves.
“shit······.”
“Yes, yes, I’m very, very embarrassed. My heart is beating fast and my body is getting hot, isn’t it?”
At that moment, the guy ran up and swung his whip.
Squeeze-evil!
Seo Eun-ha lowered her stance, avoided the whip, and dug into the body of the bastard.
And grabbed the guy’s arms.
“-Ugh!”
But it was more powerful than I thought.
I tried to get over it, but it wouldn’t go over.
“oh! Are you pretty active? I love this style so much, it has the taste of making you submit! Hahaha!”
Feeling the difference in strength, he looked down at Seo Eun-ha and flirted.
But she didn’t give up.
She broke the man’s balance by walking on her thighs and succeeded in knocking him over.
Oops-billion!
The creature’s body hit the asphalt and made a heavy sound, but at the same time, its right claw flew towards Seo Eun-ha’s ankle.
She let go of her arms and quickly stepped back.
If I had been a little late, my ankle would have been broken.
Chiyiyi…
However, smoke was rising from the part of the guy’s arm where Seo Eun-ha was holding on.
Just by turning on the Holy Light and holding it, effective damage was entered.
This meant that the basis of its power was the ‘power of darkness’.
“······Does this mean he is the next Holy Knight Commander? Hey, if that’s the case, we can’t hug each other tonight, right? Oh, okay, I just need to tie it up, right?”
It stood up and chuckled, revealing its sharp teeth.
‘Those fangs…’
What should I say about this guy? He looked like a monster. In particular, when I witnessed the blood-sucking scene, I felt like a ‘vampire’ among the undead.
‘If that’s really true… If you had a weapon, you wouldn’t be my opponent, damn it.’
But there was no room for regret.
Winning or not was not important now.
I had to survive somehow.
But… I just couldn’t come up with a way.
‘For now, focus on avoiding the next attack. That’s for the best.’
It was then.
Ta-da-da-dang!
A gunshot rang out from somewhere and
“Ah!” Fuck!”
The vampire complained of pain and took a backward step.
‘Who is it?’
Someone was approaching from the ridge behind Seo Eun-ha, aiming and shooting.
“Ugh! fuck! Suddenly, what is that again!”
It may not have been very effective damage, but the pain of having his flesh torn was the same, so he had no choice but to cover his head with both hands and step back.
Ta-dang! Ta-dang!
Then, this time, the aiming shot continued towards the knee.
The bullet hit his knee and shin, causing his body to stumble.
Soon, the shooter came right behind Seo Eun-ha.
“Are you okay, strategy platoon leader?”
He was Lee Hyun-wook.
“Lee Hyun-wook, how…?”
“Fortunately, the.”
“What are you happy about? “Can’t you see what’s going on?”
Seo Eun-ha pointed to the gate toward the parade ground.
Lee Hyun-wook smiled.
“Yes, that’s true, but I wasn’t one step too late and I came to the rescue on time, right?”
That was clearly a joke to tease Seo Eun-ha, who always showed up late.
“······Come to save me? You?”
Hyunwook Lee shook his head and put the K2C1 rifle down on the floor.
At the same time, two knives spontaneously pulled out from behind his back.
They stood vertically and sparkled sharply in the moonlight.
Lee Hyeon-wook passed by Seo Eun-ha.
Then, approaching the vampire, he opened his mouth.
“…I’m here to save everyone.”