Steel-Eating Player - Chapter 4

4. Namsan, compound gate occurs – 1

————————

At 3:30 in the morning, someone approached Lee Hyun-wook’s bed.

“······Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, you need to wake up.”

It was nighttime.

“Oh, I woke up.”

“yes.”

Hyunwook Lee was on his third night shift and had been up for about 10 minutes.

Every day, I swallow a piece of metal before going to sleep, and when absorption is complete, I wake up and swallow another piece.

Even sleep was being controlled in order to grow as quickly as possible within the given environment.

‘So now, around this time, my eyes open on their own.’

– Metal absorption is complete. (Normal Metal)

* Steerable metal weight increased. : 61g

– Current weight of ‘metal’ that can be controlled: 1358g

The metal-lock I ate before going to bed was completely absorbed, resulting in an increase of 61g.

‘To lift something like a spear or a long sword, you need to weigh at least 3kg.’

It would be quite useful to move multiple daggers simultaneously and attack the enemy from all directions, but to deal with a monster as large as an orc, a single powerful blow was needed.

It was difficult to do that with only a dagger, and the best way was to use a greatsword or long spear to drive it into a vital spot. In order to play a role in the battlefield, you had to reach that level as quickly as possible.

He rummaged through the drawers and pulled out something.

As expected, it was a broken lock and I swallowed it.

Gulp-

‘······Well, there are now 6 left.’

On the first day of the retreat, we collected as many pieces of metal that could be absorbed, such as broken locks and metal hinges, from the company’s recycling bin, but now we are almost all gone.

As expected, it was impossible to obtain high-quality metal within the military. However, it was not a good choice to officially ‘distribute’ the method of increasing ability by making it public.

‘It’s not time to tell the world yet.’

The fact that Class F can grow will not be revealed until several years from now.

There was absolutely no need to advance the timing, and it was obvious that unexpected problems would arise if we hesitated.

‘If this fact becomes known… he will grow even faster.’

There was one worst villain that I wish had grown up as late as possible.

A disaster-like person who killed Busan’s best player ‘Inferno’ and his colleagues and took over the fortified Busan in just 3 hours… Perhaps a being with potential greater than Lee Hyun-wook…

Necromancer, leader of the Legion of Death.

If possible, it was best to eliminate him before he grew.

And for the future, it was necessary to refrain from disclosing information as much as possible. Information released hastily can serve as a strategy hint to the enemy.

‘And since the incident happened tonight… I have to go on vacation in three days.’

While thinking about this and that, he put on his combat uniform and combat equipment commonly called jangguryu.

The combat uniform of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Port Horse Brigade, the unit to which Lee Hyun-wook belonged, was black. As the Wisu area is around Seoul, street fighting is mainly fought, so the appropriate camouflage color was naturally black.

“Are you ready, Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?”

A low whisper was heard from a corner of the living room in the dark.

It was the voice of Park Jun-mo, the second-in-command on duty at the guard post today. As the youngest, he seemed to have prepared quickly.

Hyunwook Lee stood up silently and walked towards the door, and Junmo Park followed behind him.

As I went straight into the administrative unit, Kwak Jin-cheol, the deputy on duty, openly glared at me.

‘Wow, look at that expression.’

It was truly a sight.

He was full of grumpiness, as if he still couldn’t let go of his anger.

Normally, he would have thrown out a word here, but it seemed like he couldn’t because the officer on duty, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha, was watching him.

Well, how much do you care about that noble paladin that he isn’t even asleep when it’s almost 4 a.m.? The guy who usually dozed off…

“······The officer on duty has arrived.”

Seo Eun-ha, who was reading a book, looked up after hearing Kwak Jin-cheol’s report. Although she was the so-called FM, her eyes were half closed, as if she was having a hard time getting over the early morning drowsiness.

“So, this is your 3rd attempt?”

“Yes that’s right.”

The officer on duty and the adjutant on duty used the key they were wearing, respectively, to open the ‘A-Space Weapons Box’.

Woo-ung-

It was a small safe-shaped weapon, but its inside radiated a mysterious light as if it was connected to another world. All AMT weapons were stored in space rather than in physical storage.

“Now, everyone, release your weapons.”

Lee Hyun-wook put his hand into the weapon box in the sub-space.

Then, a message appeared in front of my eyes.

– The qualifications for [Army Arsenal] approval have been confirmed.

* K2C1 Rifle (289007-B)

* M9 Bayonet (Enchant)

Unlike general military units, AMT is permitted to use ‘personal weapons’. Since each soldier had different characteristics, they were able to equip and use weapons that suited their characteristics.

However, in the case of Lee Hyeon-wook, only one ‘enchanted’ dagger was all. Aside from being F-class, it was because he did not have a clear ability to use a specific weapon.

“Well Corporal, is that all you have?”

Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha also cautiously asked if she was curious.

“That’s right.”

“······okay.”

Most AMT scenes are armed with ‘items’ such as a great sword or a spear. Park Jun-mo, who was right next to him, was also a wizard and was holding a small wooden ‘wand’… but Lee Hyun-wook just looked shabby.

In case of such weak firepower, there was no choice but to use the standard weapon, the K2C1 rifle, as the main weapon.

Of course, it was not possible to effectively suppress monsters with normal weapons, but it was still able to inflict some effective damage to small monsters such as ‘goblins’ and ‘kobolds’.

The two men were led by Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha and received ammunition from the ‘ammunition depot’ at the entrance to the barracks.

“No more than 30 bullets in the upper right corner.”

“No more than 30 bullets in the upper right corner.”

The two sentries checked the magazines and joined them. A total of 30 rounds of live ammunition.

“Yes, always pay attention to the safety of the control stick and the direction of the muzzle, and never be distracted by the thought of protecting the lives of your comrades, as gates may arise at any time not only in the nearby area but also within the compound.”

Seo Eun-ha’s too serious line… Seeing that, Lee Hyun-wook unknowingly laughed. This is because she was quite different from the Seo Eun-ha he remembered from the distant future, and later on, she came to hate this rigid military system.

But at that moment, our eyes met.

“······huh? Corporal, what’s funny?”

Seo Eun-ha’s eyebrows furrowed.

“it’s nothing.”

“······Okay, keep your head straight and go to work.”

“Yes, I understand.”

With those words, she walked into the barracks.

Lee Hyun-wook laughed again at the sight of him walking stiffly, wearing a stiff-edged beret.

Since she was tall at 176cm, she looked very majestic and even looked comical. Of course, in the eyes of others, this would be a true image of a proper soldier.

‘Now that I think about it, Seo Eun-ha was at the peak of her faithfulness around this time.’

It was funny to me that Seo Eun-ha was such a boring person.

Well, that’s usually the case with officers who have just been commissioned…

‘It’s fun to vividly see the dark history of someone I knew well.’

Of course, we didn’t know each other very well at this time.

If you think about it, corporal and lieutenant F-class and B-class… it’s a class gap that makes it impossible to become friends in the first place.

However, a few years later, Lee Hyun-wook realized how to develop his abilities and grew up to become the team leader of a guild’s ‘gate strategy team’. Surprisingly, Seo Eun-ha joined the team as a new member.

However, due to what had happened in the past, I had a somewhat nervous personality at the time, and although it may have been because I had just joined the guild right after being discharged from the military, I was somewhat disorganized, like I was new to society.

He even complained that it was difficult to get drunk during company dinners, and he was so upset…

‘Hey Lee Hyun-wook! Listen carefully! My sister… black! Sister! Do I have to live with being scolded by you like that? When I became a lieutenant! huh? You were only a private! Oh, you know? You can’t do that to me! Huaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa…?

Every time I fought, I took an overly aggressive position and said something several times, but it must have been building up, so it ended up blowing up once.

‘Well, we became closer that day.’

However, the comical appearance of Seo Eun-ha that remained in Lee Hyun-wook’s memory began to spread into another memory.

Lee Hyun-wook tried to shake off that memory, but failed.

‘shit.’

Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul was turned into ruins.

She was crying even then.

‘Lee Hyun-wook… I must live and protect him…’

However, he was crying not because of alcohol, but because he was drenched in his own blood.

“······.”

Lee Hyun-wook felt a bitter taste in his taste for a moment.

She too was killed by the villains.

As the main tank, he died while protecting Lee Hyun-wook, who was the main dealer.

***

The garrison of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Port Horse Brigade, the unit to which Lee Hyeon-wook belonged, was halfway up Namsan Mountain.

The unknown phenomenon called ‘gate’ does not know when and where it will open. That’s why AMT units are deployed throughout the city and are dispatched for initial action as soon as the gate is opened.

‘But today, the gate opens right here in Namsan, not in the nearby city center.’

It was an occasional occurrence for the gate to open in the military base.

And that was better.

It was because they were able to attack the gate with little civilian damage, and on the other hand, the by-products of the gate could be eaten by the military without the need to share with the civilian guild.

After arriving at the guard post and changing shifts with the previous worker, Lee Hyun-wook checked his watch.

– am 04:05

‘Is it about 10 minutes before the gate opens?’

Lee Hyun-wook reached down to his waist and opened the cover of his greatsword.

“Me… Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?”

At that time, Junmo Park spoke up.

When Lee Hyun-wook looked at Park Jun-mo, he hesitated, as if he was about to say something.

“I overheard something.”

At first glance, it seemed like the story would be long.

But there was no time to talk seriously now.

“Wait a minute, shush.”

“······.”

The incident will happen soon.

“Didn’t you hear something just now?”

“······yes?”

Park Jun-mo turned his head and looked toward the iron fence.

Only an orange light appeared occasionally in the darkness.

“Oh, I’m fine…”

It was natural. There was no sound yet.

But Lee Hyun-wook started shining his lantern on the ridge as if there was something there.

“No, it’s not the barbed wire fence. “I heard it from the ridge behind the compound.”

“Then maybe it’s something like an elk?”

Lee Hyun-wook shook his head and pointed at the walkie-talkie fastened to his shoulder.

Beep-big-

“Command and control room, this is guard post number 5. A suspicious sound was detected. “Please check the nearby CCTV.”

This walkie-talkie shared a frequency with all guard posts and command and control centers within the compound.

After a while······.

Beep-big-

– Chi-jik- According to the results of checking the CCTV in the command and control room, there is no problem… but just in case, this is being disseminated to all guard posts. Do not lose sight of the guard while on duty and be sure to be vigilant.

Beep-Big-

– Chick- Oh, but we plan to use the ‘abnormal wave observation device’ when identifying another abnormality… so keep a close eye and do not leave the guard post until the cause of the problem is accurately identified.

The ‘abnormal wave observation device’ referred to here is a ‘player-created item’ made through magical engineering, and when operated, it can observe mana waves within a certain area.

In other words, it was a machine that detected whether a gate occurred. Of course, it could not be used carelessly because it required a considerable amount of ‘mana stones’ for one use.

Lee Hyun-wook paused for a moment and then radioed again.

“This is guard post number 5. I can still feel the presence of people coming from the direction of guard post number 6. It is a popular show for many people. Request to recheck CCTV. “It does not appear to be the movement of a typical wild animal.”

Lee Hyeon-wook said that and pulled the bolt.

Clunk –

The sound of the loading chamber swallowing the bullet rang out loud and bloodily.

“uh······.”

Accordingly, it was natural that Park Jun-mo’s expression turned pale.

“······Corporal Lee Hyun-wook?”

The sound of a bullet being loaded is something soldiers fear more than anyone else.

Lee Hyun-wook even held firm.

‘It’s time to start soon.’

In fact, Lee Hyun-wook couldn’t sense anything either.

However, the series of reports made to the command and control room so far have all been a kind of ‘foundation’ to move one step faster.

This is because it will be late if you move to the area immediately after the gate is fully opened and a commotion occurs.

Lee Hyun-wook went down the stairs of the guard post and motioned for Park Jun-mo to follow him.

“Corporal Hyunwook Lee? Is it okay for us to be like this?”

Park Jun-mo was dumbfounded, but had no choice but to follow Lee Hyun-wook.

Right then…

Beep-big-

-chick- ah! This is guard post number 6! There’s a problem! Multiple unidentified life forms approach!

As if they had been waiting, an urgent radio call came in.

“uh! Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! “If it’s guard post number 6…”

This was the place where Lee Hyun-wook had just said that he had identified the abnormality. And it was also only about 800 meters away from post number 5.

Park Jun-mo looked at Lee Hyun-wook.

Was what he saw real?

Lee Hyun-wook was staring into the darkness.

‘It has begun.’

In the distance, I saw a purple shimmer in the darkness.

It was right in front of guard post number 6.

“omg! Crab gate!”

Park Jun-mo also seemed to have caught it and shouted without realizing it.

Soon, a group of goblins pouring out of that gate occupy guard post number 6. The sentries respond, but the guard post is eventually captured and they suffer near-serious injuries.

‘Fortunately, Seo Eun-ha arrived just then and the sentries survived.’

Because of that incident, Seo Eun-ha was recognized for her quick response and received a commendation from the battalion commander.

‘I’m sorry, but I’ll take the credit this time.’

Lee Hyun-wook raised the muzzle.

At the same time, a large sword began to slowly rise into the air from his waist.