A Player Who Eats Metal - Chapter 68: Seoul, Demon, Saint - (2)

< Chapter 68: Seoul, Demon, Saint – Part 2 >

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A helicopter landed on a wide, flat grassy area that seemed to have been leveled, halfway up Bukaksan Mountain.

Those disembarking were Woo Seong-moon and his aides.

Soon, agents wearing sunglasses hurried out to meet them.

“Team Leader Lee, has the Saint arrived?”

The man called Team Leader Lee, wearing glasses, Lee Gyo-jun, nodded.

“Yes, but… she is still intoxicated.”

“Damn, of course…”

“Having flown from miles away to save the world’s largest city, only to be in a drunken state…”

“And there’s also troubles with the paladins who came with her… to the point of being a headache.”

It was well-known that the Saint’s personal paladin order, the White Tree Guard, was insufferably arrogant.

‘Since the death of their first commander, Nicholas Steel, the entire organization has rapidly deteriorated.’

Woo Seong-moon clicked his tongue, recalling Nicholas, who knew honor better than anyone.

‘He was one of the only people I could truly trust…’

As long as he was there, the White Tree Guard was recognized by everyone.

But after his absence, unworthy individuals rapidly filled his space, and the entire organization lost its honor faster than a freefall.

Woo Seong-moon worried that his country might someday become the same.

“In an age where people are the greatest strength, we live in a time when people cannot be trusted.”

Having cultivated talents for a long time, he felt this problem acutely.

Today, character and effort did not correlate with ability.

Just random awakenings and randomly assigned traits…

‘It’s an irrational era where you could be the best just by being lucky…’

As Woo Seong-moon felt this absurdity, one face came to mind.

‘Lee Hyunwook…’

Until recently, he had been a bottom-tier F-rank player. But, undaunted by his immense limitations, he created his own opportunities and is now on his way to the top.

‘Yes, he’s a true talent.’

Woo Seong-moon had no intention of letting go of Lee Hyunwook.

* * *

―….Seoul sky turned red this time. Amid speculations that an unidentified mana wave in the Dobong Mountain area in Dobong-gu being the cause of such a phenomenon, the government’s ‘Anomaly Analysis Team’ had embarked on an investigation to determine the source.

Lee Hyunwook was checking the ‘aerial drop device’ loaded in the cargo bed of his truck while listening to the radio with one ear.

“Hmm, it seems like it would be useful to put steel marbles here for various purposes?”

The large square box, with most of its interior occupied by a ‘subspace creation device’, had a multipurpose storage space at the bottom.

Lee Hyunwook poured a good heap of steel marbles into it.

Each aerial drop device could be equipped with 55 marbles, totaling 110 for two devices.

―Following this, the heroes who ended the 4th wave, the Steel Battalion and their commander, Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, will also be deployed in this operation. Details are classified and cannot be shared…

“…Hey! Our story is on the news again.”

At that point, the Steel Battalion members waiting outside the truck reacted with a buzz.

“Haven’t we gotten tired of being on the news by now?”

“Even so, doesn’t your heart still race every time it happens?”

“It’s all about Sergeant Lee Hyunwook anyway, what’s there to brag in the first place…”

Not just the Steel Battalion, but the entire 1st Battalion was now arrayed along an eight-lane road.

However, in truth, there was little the Steel Battalion could do about this crisis. They were merely preparing a ‘blockade line’ on the southern side of Bukhansan Mountain, connecting to Dobongsan, in case of an emergency.

Yet, due to the undiminished interest in the heroes of the 4th wave, they unnecessarily made up a portion of the news. Lee Hyunwook couldn’t help but be irritated by this.

‘Why are every movements of the Steel Battalion breaking news? Fame really isn’t all that great.’

Lee Hyunwook got out of the truck’s cargo bed and looked up at the northern sky.

About 40 minutes earlier, a red pillar of energy had erupted somewhere in Seoul.

After it reached the sky, a red cloud formed,

which had now turned into a massive ring, undulating as if to swallow Seoul whole. (TL: Watch Suzume to get a better idea of the cloud)

Go—o—o—o—o——

A disturbing noise was resonating.

‘You can’t approach the Demon’s domain without a proper holy barrier.’

The summoning site at Dobongsan was currently turning into a ‘Demon’s domain.’ Approaching it would mean getting your life force sapped away by the potent ‘hellish mana,’ according to the information released by the government.

Of course, if one prepared and set out to tackle it, it would be possible to enter somehow… But contemplating such methods was less practical than relying on the Saint’s ‘Holy Field,’ which was the most logical choice.

In the end, it was inevitable for the Saint to come to this land.

“Hey, but isn’t Sergeant Lee Hyunwook soon to be deployed on another mission?”

At Choi Tae-yong’s question, Lee Hyunwook nodded.

“Yes, that’s why I think I have to go soon.”

“But what’s the mission, where have they called you?”

Choi Tae-yong asked cautiously, to which Ahn Min-tae beside him let out a sigh.

“Man, if it’s classified, he’s not going to tell you, right?”

“Ah, well… I thought we’d share among ourselves…”

“Among ourselves, what, you think you’re on the same level as Sergeant Lee Hyunwook now?”

“Ah, really! That’s not what I meant….”

That Lee Hyunwook was in charge of the Saint’s protection operation was, of course, a classified matter.

The Saint, who had already arrived in this land, was said to be secretly on the move somewhere.

Presumably, she was heading to one of the ‘sanctuaries’, which were the safest places for her to cast ‘Holy Field’.

The safest sanctuary in Seoul would be the ‘Bukaksan Grand Sanctuary’.

That place, overlooking the Blue House, was actually connected to the underground bunker of the Blue House.

Lee Hyunwook would be called after the Saint arrived there and the surroundings were secured.

‘No matter how much they need me, after all, I am but an external asset…’

Lee Hyunwook couldn’t be fully informed about all aspects of the protection.

‘And… there’s something I have to deal with before they call me there.’

Lee Hyunwook pulled something out from his pocket.

It was a golden card.

[Item Information]

-Name: Trait Awakening Stage 2 (Special)

-Effect: Randomly unlocks a new skill or enhances an existing skill.

This was the result of fusing two ‘Trait Awakening’ items to upgrade to ‘Stage 2′.

‘Now, the question is which skill to enhance…’

Since this event occurred completely as a ‘variable’, Lee Hyunwook considered his decision more carefully than ever.

‘I decided, this time… I’ll invest in Hardening.’

He had debated for a long time whether it wouldn’t be better to first enhance the ‘Breath Room’. If the level of ‘Breath Room’ increased, the internal furnace would expand, speeding up growth, which would be beneficial in the long term.

‘But by looking too far into the future, you can stumble over a random stone on the path.’

In his past life, his greatest weakness was his defense, and that was the issue even at his last moment. He could not withstand a sniper shot from somewhere and in a split second he became groggy, everything ended…

Of course, in this life, the foundation was different. He had already greatly surpassed the defensive power of his previous life.

But…

‘Okita Kaito, he will definitely appear. For me to withstand his strike, I’m still not ready.’

Lee Hyunwook could anticipate that the Sword Saint assassin would play the role of ‘assassin’ in the Saint’s murder this time too.

‘In my past life, he drove his sword into her heart in a single fluid move…’

Therefore, Lee Hyunwook boldly invested ‘Trait Awakening Stage 2′ in his defense.

[Congratulations! Using Trait Awakening (Stage 2), the Hardening skill has been significantly enhanced!]

[Skill Information]

-Name: Indomitable Hardening

-Grade: B

-Effect: Consumes mana (20) to temporarily ‘enhance’ a part of the body.

1) [Mana Shield (Dual Structure)]

2) [Secret Engraving (2)]

3) [Unknown]

[The skill grade improves upon ingesting a certain amount of ‘high-density magic metal’.]

The skill jumped two stages from grade D to grade B in an instant.

The maximum level a skill could reach by ordinary means was grade A,

which meant that Hardening had now reached a considerable level.

Lee Hyunwook activated it on his left hand and slowly felt the changed sensation.

The metal skin has become denser, and the mana shield has been strengthened with a ‘double structure’…

‘This is like wearing armor made of adamantium and overlaying it with a superior magical protection shield.’

To put it a bit exaggeratedly, it was as if he had transformed into a walking armored vehicle.

And the number of ‘Secret Engravings’ for his second skill had increased to two.

“Right, I have to test that too.”

Lee Hyunwook climbed back into the cargo bed of the truck and placed his right hand on the ‘aerial drop device’.

Shhhh—

Then, that huge chunk of machinery began to melt away into smoke…

Engraved.

The aerial drop device, being also an item, was also applied without exception.

And so, a rather large rectangular tattoo was etched onto Lee Hyunwook’s right wrist.

‘It works. This is such a jackpot…’

The reason this was really encouraging was that there were already 30 weapons stored inside the aerial drop device.

Lee Hyunwook pulled out ‘Achilles’ Spear’ with his other hand, his left hand, and engraved the remaining Air Drop Device.

Thus, culminating to a total of 60 weapons—along with the 110 steel marbles stored in the lower storage space,

He had managed to store hundreds of various weapons in both of his wrists.

‘Good, it’s like having an inventory.’

With this, he had a defensive power comparable to an armored vehicle and the firepower of a bomber all on his own.

‘Indeed, the choice to upgrade my body was not bad.’

Then, a shout came from outside the truck.

“Sergeant Lee Hyunwook! Lieutenant Seo Eunha is looking for you.”

Meanwhile, Seo Eunha was also participating in this operation.

The reason being that as a considerably high-level Holy Knight, she could synergize with the Saintess’s powers, but that was just the superficial reason.

In reality, it was because she had built a significant friendship with the Saintess—Emilia Muller, during the two years she spent at Saint Dome as a trainee after her awakening.

In essence, calling Seo Eunha was more for diplomatic purposes.

Lee Hyunwook went to the end of the line of the 1st Battalion’s vehicles and met Seo Eunha.

She sat in the truck bed, looking up at Lee Hyunwook while donning grey armor.

“Lee Hyunwook, they sent a car from your side. Start getting ready to leave.”

A black SUV was visible on the opposite lane. It was a vehicle sent by Woo Seong-moon.

“I’m already ready.”

“Oh, is that so? Then wait a bit. It’s just that putting on armor is quite strenuous…”

After Seo Eunha finished preparing, the two of them reported to Kim Kang-seok and approached the SUV.

In the midst of their walk, she suddenly asked.

“Lee Hyunwook, have you ever seen the Saint… Obviously not, right?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

That was true. Lee Hyunwook had never seen the Saint in person, even in his past life.

It was because she was assassinated when he was still unable to shake off the disgrace of being an F-grade.

However, he had no choice but to hear stories about the Saint tirelessly even after that.

“Just to let you know in advance… she’s not normal. She can be quite a headache in many ways.”

Lee Hyunwook was well aware of her notoriety.

When one hears ‘Saint’, they typically imagine purity, chastity, and righteousness, but that’s just a stereotype associated with religion— and especially one that would appear in fantasy and fiction since religion was never pure in the real world.

Emilia Muller, an S-grade Priest, was called the Saint not due to religion or personality but solely because of the sacred power she possessed.

‘After all, the Saint is just a nickname, and she basically acts more like an inquisitor…’

Even the way her powers grew was bizarrely unique.

‘I heard it’s by inflicting pain on dark entities…’

In a way, it was an ability growth akin to a curse.

The Chad Republic was particularly ruthless towards players who learned dark skills, and the fact that the Saintess herself tortured and executed them was all for that reason.

‘So there’s no way her personality could be good in any sense…’

But despite being such a malicious woman toward evil, she was one of the necessary weapons for humanity.

* * *

The location of Korea’s Daeseongso (Grand Sanctuary) was a state secret.

It was known to be somewhere in Seoul, but almost no one knew the exact location. The reason was that the Daeseongso served as both a ‘safe house’ and a ‘secret ward’.

There were rumors that if the Blue House was attacked, they would not retreat to the bunker underneath but to this place, and when national figures or high-ranking players were severely injured, they would be moved here.

‘I’ve been brought here a few times…’

The top recovery spells in Korea, enhanced by the ‘Holy Sanctuary buff’, could revive even those on the brink of death, so I had them quite a bit towards the end.

Woooo—

The SUV climbed the military road of Bukhansan (North Han Mountain).

For a while, there was no distinct landscape visible, just a dense forest of trees.

But the moment they passed a certain point—

<You have passed through the Wide-Area Mirage Barrier>.

That system message popped up, and the scenery before their eyes changed instantly.

An expansive area unfolded in an instant, and at its center appeared a huge white building.

‘Bukhansan Daeseongso, it’s been a while.’

The exterior looked plain, just a square block of white concrete with no ornaments.

Being a hidden place, its design was all about efficiency, not caring for exterior appearances.

And countless ‘Black Agents’ were hiding within the forest covering the building,

In the sky, dozens of ‘Mana Drones’ were flying—monitoring the entire area.

And the white-armored Holy Knights seen here and there were the ‘White Tree Guard’.

When they arrived at the entrance of the building, a short man with glasses greeted Lee Hyunwook and Seo Eunha.

“…Welcome. My name is Lee Gyo-jun, the team leader.”

The fact that he introduced himself without mentioning his department suggested he might be an agent of a secret branch.

“As you both know, from here on, you cannot possess any communication devices.”

Since Lee Hyunwook and Seo Eunha were not complete insiders, they had to undergo a formal body search.

“And both of you cannot approach within 50 meters of the Saint, Emilia Muller. Should you approach by mistake, you may be subdued or even shot without warning depending on the situation.”

Their mission was simply to defend the building itself in case of any potential attack,

The vicinity of Emilia Muller was guarded by her personal guards, the White Tree Guard—and among them, 12 high-ranking Holy Knights.

No one else was permitted to approach her vicinity.

At that moment, another agent standing next to Lee Gyo-jun placed his hand on his ear-mic and turned towards them.

“Team Leader Lee… You are to escort Sergeant Lee Hyunwook to the VIP room on the third basement level.”

At those words, Lee Gyo-jun’s eyebrows twitched.

“What? VIP room, who exactly ordered that?”

“That is… it’s a request directly from the Saint.”

“The Saint, why on earth…”

Lee Gyo-jun couldn’t hide his bewildered expression.

And so did Lee Hyunwook.

‘The Saint is asking for me… Why?’

Even Seo Eunha had an expression of bewilderment.

“Lee Hyunwook, why would Emilia call for you?”

“I’m not sure.”

Seo Eunha pondered deeply before lifting her head.

“Lee Hyunwook, whatever it is, be careful. As I said earlier, she’s not in her right mind…”

Ending with Seo Eunha’s grim advice, Lee Hyunwook was escorted by three agents to the VIP room on the fourth basement floor,

and after passing through a long corridor with tight security and multiple protective barriers, he faced a massive iron door.

“Here we are. No weapons can be brought in, so please take them all out.”

Once Lee Hyunwook had removed all his ‘visible’ weapons, the thick blast door opened.

Clank——

Inside was a spacious room with a single sofa placed in the middle.

There sat Woo Seong-moon, his face filled with dark shadows for some reason.

And across from him sat a petite blonde woman.

‘That woman must be Emilia Muller, the Saint.’

As soon as she spotted Lee Hyunwook… she began to wave her hand cheerfully.

“Yo— Hello—!”

…It was a somewhat baffling first impression.

Meanwhile, Woo Seong-moon looked completely taken aback.

And for a good reason.

After spending a tremendous amount of money to invite the Saint, her condition seemed more serious than expected. It must have felt like receiving a defective product.

Even more so, a strong smell of alcohol emanated from her.

“Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, the Governor-General of Saint Dome asked me to earnestly call for the hero of Seoul.”

“Yeah, that’s right, I called you.”

“So, what exactly… What do you intend to say, Governor-General? We don’t have much time, so please be quick.”

Woo Seong-moon almost sighed as he asked that.

However, Emilia did not seem to listen to his words and, with her chin propped on her hands while looking at Lee Hyunwook, she belatedly began to speak.

“…Mr. Woo, don’t worry. Heh— I won’t eat you up on a whim.”

Silence fell for a moment.

“Mr. Woo, I, have something I want to talk about with this person… It’s not related to this event. It’s a bit personal—umm, sort of secretive, I suppose.”

Woo Seong-moon shook his head at her seemingly rambling words.

“Governor-General, no matter what… that’s not possible.”

All sorts of thoughts were passing through Woo Seong-moon’s mind.

Just now, while talking about the security operation, he briefly mentioned Lee Hyunwook.

But at that moment, the Saint’s gaze changed.

She seemed to take a considerable interest in the explanation that Lee Hyunwook had saved Seoul twice and could operate ‘Huginn’, insisting that he be called.

And now she wants to talk to him alone… Perhaps she’s noticed that he’s awakened to S-rank and is trying to sneak him out to the Chad Republic, an unnecessary worry.

“Ah, really… Hiccup! I’m starting to feel bad, maybe I should just go home….”

An empty threat akin to a child’s tantrum… Woo Seong-moon eventually got up abruptly from his seat with an exasperated sigh.

A flash of anger crossed his face. He looked at the knight standing behind Emilia.

“Peter, we’re short on time. Please take good care of it.”

Peter, the knight, nodded in response to Woo Sung-mum’s request. However, Emilia shook her head in disagreement.

“No, Peter, hiccup— you step out for a moment too.”

Peter was startled.

“What? That’s absolutely not possible! How can I leave the governor’s side!”

“Hiccup— Please, just don’t annoy me.”

For a moment, a staring contest began between the two.

“…”

The victor was Emilia.

Peter frowned and then, as if he had no choice, turned away.

And so, everyone left their seats.

After a brief silence, she slowly opened her mouth.

“Silence…”

Something that bloomed in her grip spread out in all directions.

It was a magic that blocked sound.

“Hiccup— Hiccup—”

“…”

“Your name is Lee Hyunwook, right? The savior of Seoul… you saved it twice, didn’t you?”

Lee Hyunwook smiled awkwardly.

However, inside, he was quickly trying to analyze the situation.

‘…The atmosphere has suddenly changed.’

This woman, who until just now seemed quite a bit off, now felt completely sound.

Especially her eyes, which had seemed vacant, they had become clear and sharp in an instant.

‘Could it be she was feigning foolishness? But why…’

Lee Hyunwook realized that he was facing a history he did not know.

“And I heard that you can handle the legendary-grade extrasensory item Huginn.”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“With Huginn, you can greatly enhance your senses and perceive almost everything around you, right?”

“…Not everything, but I see much better than usual.”

She drank greedily from the water on the table as if quenching a thirst.

“The person I trusted most said that Mr. Woo’s judgment of people is the best. And just now, during the security operation briefing, he emphasized that you are a capable person. And more importantly, if you’ve saved Seoul twice… it seems you’re not in league with the people I dislike….”

The trusted person, the disliked person… it was a confusing speech, perhaps not entirely sober.

“…I have a favor to ask of you. I hope you won’t refuse.”

Lee Hyunwook looked at her silently.

“When I use ‘Holy Field’ to purify the whole of Seoul, I become defenseless for 30 minutes.”

“Yes, I’m aware.”

“If someone tries to assassinate me, they’ll target that moment. When that happens, you…”

Emilia leaned forward and whispered.

“…I want you to closely monitor our White Tree Guard.”

A light flashed in Lee Hyunwook’s eyes.

“Does that mean… is there a traitor among us?”

She nodded slowly.

How did she know? Lee Hyunwook met Emilia’s gaze with a composed expression.

But at the next words she uttered, Lee Hyunwook couldn’t help but flinch.

“…Have you ever heard of the term ‘villain’?”

As far as Lee Hyunwook knew, this woman was not a Guardian.