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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 21
Chapter Title: Seoul Station, Unlucky Event - 3
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Hangang-daero, in front of Seoul Station.
At this very moment, not a single car occupied its ten lanes.
The entire area had been cordoned off by the A.M.T. immediately after the gate appeared inside Seoul Station.
*Whir-whir-whir-whir-whir—*
The sky, however, was more turbulent than usual.
It was swarming with news station helicopters and drones, the whirring of their rotors echoing in every direction, making the air around Seoul Station tremble.
Just then, a convoy of military trucks began to file onto the empty road.
"...The 1st Battalion is arriving!"
It was the 3rd Anti-Demon Brigade's 1st Battalion, the A.M.T. unit stationed at Namsan.
"Move it! Run! Run!"
The trucks halted along the road, and the disembarking soldiers formed up in the station plaza.
A total of 186 men—the entire strength of the 1st Battalion had gathered in one place.
"Damn it! Tell them to get those helicopters out of here! It's too damn loud!"
A man with a swarthy complexion shouted as he walked toward Seoul Station.
He was Major Moon Tae-ho, the 1st Battalion's 'Area Magic Controller.'
He scowled and tilted his head up.
"An Unlucky Event at Seoul Station of all places… This is insane."
A black dome covered a part of Seoul Station like a giant lid.
And on its surface, a set of numbers floated…
- 05:41:11
A clock. No, a countdown.
"Sir! Controller, shall I assemble the mages to prepare for siege magic?"
The 1st Company commander, Captain Gwak Yong-jun, asked as he ran up.
Siege magic, simply put, was large-scale magic that required multiple mages to cast simultaneously. Within the A.M.T., a specialist known as an 'Area Magic Controller' managed the entire process.
"No, we can't break that. It's not magic, but a rule created by the System. Unless we can overturn the System itself… we have no choice but to wait for the time to run out."
In this day and age, the world was governed by the rules of a 'game.'
But above that was the 'System' that controlled the game.
How could humanity, which couldn't even control the game, dare to challenge the realm of the System? Major Moon Tae-ho clicked his tongue and shook his head.
A fresh wave of powerlessness washed over him.
"...Then, is our only option to send in personnel who meet the level requirement?"
Captain Gwak Yong-jun asked worriedly.
It was estimated that over 800 civilians were trapped inside.
But as long as they couldn't break the dome, their options for entry were limited.
No, there was only one option.
To follow the rules and adhere to the entry level restriction.
'Entry requirement: Level 15 or below…'
In short, it meant they had to form a rescue team composed entirely of rookies.
"...That's not a decision I can make."
Major Moon Tae-ho was well aware that such a rescue team might as well be a suicide squad.
It was then.
*Whir-whir-whir-whir-whir—*
A helicopter landed in the station plaza.
From inside emerged a soldier in sunglasses: the battalion commander, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Kang-seok.
"Sir!"
The battalion staff officers lined up before him.
Kim Kang-seok took off his sunglasses and nodded.
"1st Company Commander, 2nd Company Commander, how many soldiers do we have who can enter that dome? That is, level 15 or below. Give me the maximum number."
Kim Kang-seok, too, was considering the only available option.
"Sir! 1st Company has a total of ten!"
"2nd Company has… eight, sir!"
"..."
As the two company commanders reported, the battalion commander's expression darkened.
Even after scraping together everyone from the two combat companies, they only had a total of 18. The headquarters company consisted mostly of non-combat Players, so it was safe to say they had virtually no combat personnel to spare.
"How many does the Cheonghwa Guild have?"
At Kim Kang-seok's words, a man in civilian clothes standing nearby stepped forward.
He was Section Chief Lee Jun-yeol from Cheonghwa, the civilian guild in charge of this area.
"We have one rookie, but that's as good as none. Unless they're a promising new talent, there's no reason for a guild to keep a large number of players under level 15… And honestly, sending our rookie in there alone would be far too risky, wouldn't you agree?"
As such, the proportion of trained Players under level 15 who could engage in 'anti-monster warfare' was bound to be low.
This was a game. Experience in real combat naturally raised one's level, and reaching level 15 was something most could achieve within their first year in the A.M.T.
"We've urgently requested support from various places for personnel level 15 or below… but it will take time."
The Support Section Chief, a captain, reported.
Kim Kang-seok nodded and turned to the Operations Section Chief.
"Operations Chief, have all players level 15 and below in the battalion get ready."
"...Are we proceeding with the rescue operation, sir?"
"We have to. How many lives are in there? It wouldn't be right to worry about our own lives first."
Kim Kang-seok said this while looking at the Cheonghwa Guild's Section Chief Lee Jun-yeol.
"..."
Lee Jun-yeol grunted and averted his gaze.
The Cheonghwa Guild may have possessed greater strength than the A.M.T., but in a strange, variable situation like this, they were powerless.
"Yes, sir! I'll assemble the relevant personnel immediately!"
A short while later, the soldiers level 15 and below were gathered.
As expected, most of them were from the 'Support Squads' of the 1st and 2nd Companies, all lacking combat experience.
In particular, the 1st Company's 5th Squad was almost fully assembled, as even their most senior member, Ahn Min-tae, was exactly level 15.
But there was one officer mixed in with them.
He was First Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, the 2nd Platoon Leader of the 1st Company.
He, too, happened to be exactly level 15.
"First Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, 2nd Platoon Leader, is hereby appointed as the field commander for this operation."
Despite his low level, he was a C-rank Player.
The reason was simple.
His Player trait, 'Tracker,' was a highly valued ability.
Thus, a 'Player Rank' wasn't determined by the System.
"First Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, 2nd Platoon Leader."
Kim Kang-seok approached him and called out his rank and name.
"Sir! 2nd Platoon Leader! Aw-awaiting orders, sir!"
Seeing Lee Hee-min's excessive nervousness, Kim Kang-seok's left eyebrow twitched slightly.
"Calm down. Over eight hundred lives are riding on the end of your gun."
"..."
"Oh, and I heard two of the soldiers under your command are inside Seoul Station."
"Yes! That's correct!"
They were Deputy Platoon Leader Choi Seon-ah and 5th Squad Leader Lee Hyun-wook, both from the 2nd Platoon.
"If you can successfully rendezvous with them, they will be of significant help."
"Ah… Yes! Understood!"
Kim Kang-seok made no effort to hide his high regard for Lee Hyun-wook.
Honestly, Lee Hee-min felt a bit disgruntled, and the emotion flickered across his face.
At Kim Kang-seok's gesture, two soldiers brought over a duffel bag.
Inside were Lee Hyun-wook's and Choi Seon-ah's weapons.
"And I have one more order."
"Sir!"
"Actively incorporate Corporal Lee Hyun-wook's opinions."
***
The 3rd-floor concourse for KTX and regular trains at Seoul Station was a terrace that overlooked the 2nd-floor concourse.
A passageway connected to the department store further inside, but it, too, was blocked by the 'dome.'
The survivors had gathered as far inside as possible, near the Seoul Station food court.
"The gate opened on the second floor, so we have to stop the monsters from coming up here to the third."
The station's security chief said.
A simple but difficult order.
It was, however, their only option.
Lee Hyun-wook nodded at his words and added.
"We need to blockade the stairs and escalators. And the second wave will begin soon."
"Hmph—the second wave will have several times more than the first…"
The station security team had struggled with just two Venomous Armored Spiders.
But the second and third waves would unleash at least three or four times that number.
"..."
No one spoke, but the atmosphere was practically that of a funeral.
Meanwhile, there was one silver lining: among the trapped civilians were a few 'Players.'
However…
"I'm a C-rank, Tier 4 Warrior class, but I can't fight without a weapon."
"I'm an Archer class, but without my weapon, I'm basically a civilian."
"My trait is Appraiser, so combat is a bit…"
A warrior and an archer without weapons, and a non-combat Appraiser…
They weren't much of a fighting force.
"Excuse me, would you like to use this?"
A security guard pulled a dagger from his belt and offered it to the Warrior-class Player.
"It's not just enchanted; it's made of magical metal."
"Tsk, I usually use a greatsword, but now a dagger… Well, it's better than nothing, I suppose."
But using that to fight a massive monster like a 'Venomous Armored Spider' was out of the question.
"When we fought earlier, it seemed like physical attacks barely worked. Magic did, though…"
Their observation was accurate.
The Venomous Armored Spider had incredibly high 'physical damage resistance.'
"Right. So it seems we'll have to focus magic attacks on one part of its shell, break it, and then concentrate our physical attacks on that spot. Hmm…"
"In that case, looking at their corpses over there, the thinnest part of the shell seemed to be the tail end. Focusing our attacks there might give us the highest chance of success."
They began to formulate a plan.
This was precisely why anti-monster tactics were called 'raids.' Charging headfirst against a powerful monster was a surefire way to lose.
Understanding the characteristics of the monster they faced, finding its weaknesses, and devising a 'strategy' to repeatedly practice was the best course of action for Players.
"Of course, it would be great if Corporal Lee could handle everything, but that would be impossible."
In the end, however, they were all sneaking glances at Lee Hyun-wook.
The man with a power that was a natural counter to metal armor—his presence was their only hope.
But Lee Hyun-wook's attention was elsewhere.
He stood on the 3rd-floor terrace, looking down at the gate that had opened on the 2nd floor.
'From what I knew, there wasn't just one gate here.'
The fact was, two gates had opened in this space.
But no one knew that, which was why the damage had been so much greater—this was the 'development' Lee Hyun-wook knew from having experienced this incident once before.
'The only ones who know this right now are me, and…'
Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes.
He scanned the metal in the area.
A single piece of metal—more accurately, a metal component someone was carrying—was leaving the 3rd-floor terrace and heading down to the 2nd floor.
A distinctly suspicious movement.
'…A Villain.'
Lee Hyun-wook had noticed from the start that a Villain was mixed in among them and had been keeping a close watch.
A little while ago, while the Seoul Station security team was responding to the gate, he had blended in with the civilians and identified the Villain.
It wasn't hard to presume that the man acting suspiciously, the only one turning his head to look around while everyone else was panicking and heading for the exits, was the 'Villain.'
And that very man was now heading somewhere on the 2nd floor.
"Corporal Lee, is there something down there? You keep staring…"
Choi Seon-ah approached and asked.
"Yes, there is."
"...Huh? Is it someone who got separated?"
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head wordlessly. Then he looked at the security chief.
"Security Chief, could you come over here for a moment…"
"Ah, yes."
The two moved about ten meters away from the civilians.
"What is it?"
"Very bad news."
The security chief swallowed dryly.
"I think there's another gate inside this dome."
"...What? Are you saying a double gate opened?"
A double gate meant exactly what it sounded like: two gates opening in the same place at the same time.
"Yes, I saw a completely different monster. It disappeared in that direction, so I think I need to check it out."
The double gate was real, but his claim of seeing it was, of course, a lie.
It was just an excuse to leave this spot for a while.
"Ah… will you be okay on your own?"
"I'm just going to confirm. And if any trouble starts here, I'll rush back immediately to fight alongside you. Until then, please take care of things here."
"Of course. Don't you worry about that. We're station security, after all. We have to do our duty."
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and headed down the stairs.
***
Yang Ju-seop wandered through the shops in the empty 2nd-floor concourse of Seoul Station.
"Fuck! Where the hell is it!"
He knew from a system message that a double gate would open here, but he didn't know the exact location.
And even if he was a Villain, he was still human.
Walking alone in this eerie atmosphere was hardly a pleasant experience.
- Monsters within the 'Unlucky Event' area will not attack you.
Still, that one line of text propelled him forward.
"Hoo, just gotta get through this quest and I'll be promoted to a full Villain. Just endure it."
Quests were an indispensable element of MMORPGs, providing players with objectives.
However, in this game, receiving a 'quest' was a very special occurrence.
And being a 'Villain' was one of those cases.
[Hidden Quest]
- You shall bloom as a small darkness, sprouting beyond sight…
1) Buy time until the 1st gate's 'Venomous Armored Spider' builds a 'nest' inside Seoul Station. (Failed!)
2) Massacre over 500 'civilians' by any means necessary. (In progress)
3) Deliver the item received from the 2nd gate's elite monster, 'Apostle of Evil 11,' to the 'Villain Alliance.' (In progress)
* Reward: Promotion (Official Villain)
A brutally grim quest message floated before Yang Ju-seop's eyes.
Although the first objective had already been marked as 'Failed,' what he cared about was the third.
'Once I complete number three, I can finally meet the other Villains!'
Until now, he had been a lone wolf, carrying out quests by himself, but the day he would meet his senior Villains was not far off.
The true rulers who were steadily growing their power from the shadows of this world…
Yang Ju-seop grinned as he imagined them.
"Oh, this way!"
Inside a franchise hamburger joint, he caught a glimpse of a purple shimmer.
It was undoubtedly the unique light that emanated from a gate.
He composed himself and entered.
But…
"...Huh?"
Inside the restaurant, under a table, lay a crushed skeleton.
It was clearly one of the monsters from the 2nd gate he was looking for.
"Huh? What? There's no reason for it to be dead…"
He drew his exclusive weapon, a wand, from his belt.
Taking another deep breath, he slowly walked further inside.
*Step— Step—*
In the spacious kitchen, a purple gate was open.
*Wooooo—*
It was markedly smaller than the gate on the 2nd-floor concourse.
That was to be expected. Not only was the dungeon's rank low, but the gate had opened for a 'Villain Quest,' not to attack the human world.
But around it, too, were heaps of bone fragments.
"Huh? What the fuck…"
Yang Ju-seop realized they weren't just simple bone fragments.
The elite monster from that gate, 'Apostle of Evil 11.'
According to the Villain Quest, it was the skeleton-type elite monster that was supposed to rendezvous with Yang Ju-seop.
But that being had been, quite literally, 'hunted' by someone.
"...Hah!"
Yang Ju-seop felt a gaze and turned his head.
Someone was leaning against a wall on one side.
"..."
It was a man in an A.M.T. combat uniform, Lee Hyun-wook.
"You, you, you…"
Yang Ju-seop was utterly flustered.
'How the hell is this guy here?'
In contrast, Lee Hyun-wook stared at Yang Ju-seop with a cold expression, showing no sign of surprise.
His right hand was raised to chest height, about ten steel balls floating above it, rotating erratically.
As if ready to be fired at any moment…
*Vmm— Vmm—*
Yang Ju-seop looked around again.
Dented stainless steel shelves, craters in the walls and floor, and crushed skeletons…
He could feel the power of those steel balls without even seeing them in action.
But something else drew his eye even more.
Lee Hyun-wook's left hand.
A black key was clutched in his left hand.
"Th-th-that couldn't be… Key No. 2 of the Akashic Armory?"
Lee Hyun-wook held up the key-like object in his left hand and tilted his head.
"How do you know the name of this item? I just got it from killing that thing."
"What? Uh…"
Lee Hyun-wook pushed himself off the wall.
"Suspicious. You're acting strangely, as if you had an appointment with a monster."
"N-no, that's not it…"
Yang Ju-seop's mind raced in panic, trying to come up with an excuse.
Then he realized he didn't need one.
One way or another, he had to retrieve that item and meet with the Villain Alliance.
If not, then anyway…
- Warning! Failure to complete objective '3' will result in 'Game Over.'
Game Over…
For a Player, Game Over meant death.
"...Hah! Hey! You!"
"..."
"D-do I look like some fucking weakling to you?"
Yang Ju-seop shrieked and raised his wand.
He was a C-rank, Tier 1 Player, after all.
He possessed a level of combat power that wouldn't be looked down upon anywhere.
An A.M.T. soldier, even if he didn't look like a simple one, should be far weaker than him.
"And your ability, something about controlling some cans and scraps of metal, it looks pretty useful, but unfortunately for you, it won't do you any good against me, you bastard!"
The moment he finished speaking, Yang Ju-seop swung his wand and used a skill.
*C-c-c-c-crack—*
In that instant, green, vine-like stems grew from all over his body, moving like tentacles and beginning to wrap around him.
It seemed to be a type of defensive skill, like dozens of boa constrictors slithering up from his feet and coiling tightly around his body.
Lee Hyun-wook immediately extended his hand forward and fired the ten steel balls.
The target was Yang Ju-seop's face.
*Th-th-th-th-thud!*
But wooden stems shot out from behind him, blocking the steel balls.
The steel balls couldn't penetrate the dense, moisture-rich wooden stems.
At most, they left shallow dents. Lee Hyun-wook recalled the steel balls.
"Hahaha! See—you bastard! I told you it wouldn't work on me, you piece of shit!"
Yang Ju-seop, triumphant, yelled at the top of his lungs.
His body was now completely concealed by the wooden stems, making it seem impossible for any physical attack to reach his actual body.
"Now, let's see how you like being on the receiving end! Hahaha!"
*C-c-c-c-crack—*
And so, Yang Ju-seop, having perfectly defended himself by covering his body with stems, extended several other stems for an attack.
Through a tiny gap between the stems, he looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
'Let's see just how despairing his face is!'
But strangely, he was smiling faintly.
And…
From his smiling lips, from deep within his throat…
*Hiiiiisssssss—*
Black smoke was rising.