Daejeon Metropolitan City, Gyeryongdae
There sat the figures who influenced the Republic of Korea.
They were representatives of huge guilds and high-ranking government officials.
However, the majority were holograms powered by mana crystals, essentially a remote conference, and the topic was obviously the closure and erosion of the area within a 10km radius of Seoul Station-
In other words, the 4th Wave.
"Hmm, it's just empty talk."
Although the best of Korea gathered, their response to the current situation was ambiguous at best.
"You're right. What's the point of wasting our time discussing this?"
"Frankly, we have to admit now… there's nothing we can do."
Though such words seemed irresponsible and incompetent, they were true.
Really, there was nothing they could do.
The Wave Zone wasn't like the Seoul Station Unlucky event where there was an 'entrance condition'.
No entry allowed- meaning no one could go in or out.
"Moreover, we can't even get proper updates about the situation inside…"
Though high-level wizards could communicate through 'mental links', it was still very limited and communications only happened once every 30 minutes.
"…So, we should be preparing for the world after the Wave!"
Some even suggested giving up on active countermeasures.
Since there's nothing they could do outside the Wave Zone, they should just ignore whatever happens inside, wait for the 5-day restriction to lift, and focus on 'post measures'.
"Wait a moment…"
Not everyone took this lightly.
A woman in a white shirt stood up to object.
"So, are we just going to abandon over a million citizens inside the Wave Zone?"
She was Kang Seo-yoon, ranked 4th among players in Korea.
"And you talk about preparing for after the erosion, but do you know the state of the cities after erosion? It's not just about the Wave Zone but the whole of Seoul, no, the entire metropolitan area could be lost! Shouldn't we be thinking about how to prevent the erosion in the first place?"
Though what she said was evident, the reaction from the audience was lukewarm.
"Look, Representative Kang, who wouldn't want to save Seoul? But we need a way."
"That's right. We can't even communicate with those inside, let alone deploy troops…"
"Yes, our intervention is possible only after 5 days, and preparing for that is a more logical strategy. We need to focus and make choices for the sake of the country, not just Seoul."
Faced with these arguments, Kang Seo-yoon was frustrated.
"Damn it, how can you rationalize like this… How can we just stand by and do nothing…"
"What are you muttering?"
Kang Seo-yoon abruptly stood up.
She was physically present in the meeting room, not a hologram.
"I have one more thing to say."
"…"
"You all must have guild members inside the Wave Zone, right? If those players come together, won't they have considerable strength? Right?"
"…"
"Is there any guild master here who has checked the number of their guild members inside the Wave Zone and given them any instructions?"
"…"
"…Yes, I guess none. It's a pity."
"…"
"All these guilds just looked out for their interests, keeping each other in check, and can't even cooperate now. We should instruct our guild members to join forces and respond!"
She made her point, but the response was still hesitant.
"Look, Representative Kang, it's not an ordinary event. Do you think they'll just obediently follow orders and march to their deaths? I don't understand how you, running a guild yourself, don't get this."
"That's right. Some might act out of a sense of justice, but the majority will be hiding."
In this era, players were the ultimate authority, and for that reason, they were essentially freelancers.
Even if they belonged to a guild, there was no need to strictly follow the guild's orders if there were no drawbacks. If they had a high rank, they could always move to another guild and live well.
So, how many would actually follow an order that essentially asks them to go out and bravely sacrifice themselves?
Kang Seo-yoon slammed her desk.
"If they won't step forward with basic human decency, then we'll have to force them to!"
"What—what did you say?"
"Fine, our Zumnarae Guild will offer items as rewards."
Everyone looked puzzled.
"For every erosion factor removed by a player inside the Wave Zone, we will offer one 'Hero-grade' item, and for the most active player, one 'Legendary-grade' item."
The intention was to make them actively respond, even if it required offering rewards.
But legendary?
As soon as that word left her lips, many in the audience perked up.
"Alright, you're interested, aren't you? Please spread this news widely to your guild members."
"Uh…"
Whether they thought this was at least a rational way to respond,
Guild masters started to join in one by one.
"In that case, our Osang Group will offer 30 million dollars to the group that removes an erosion factor."
"Good, our Haetae Guild will also add 20 million dollars!"
So, a total of 50 million dollars, which is approximately 55 billion won in Korean currency, was added as a reward.
Of course, it's difficult to make a simple comparison since the value of the won plummeted after the start of the 4th Wave, but it was an enormous amount nonetheless.
Kang Seo-yoon watched the situation and clicked her tongue.
"It's truly idiotic that we have to buy solutions to national crises with money…"
Indeed, it was a flawed era in some way.
* * *
Thump- Thump-
The Undead Elite Monster, Zombie Troll, was a very unique monster.
Originally a troll with the highest regeneration ability, it became a creature of death due to some curse-related magic.
As a result, it didn't feel pain and recovered almost instantly, no matter how much damage it took.
Even if it was damaged by 'Holy Power,' an undead's weakness, it would recover from that as well.
From the standpoint of the opponent, it was truly an unspeakable challenge.
Clang-Smash-
Such a terrifying monster was now shattered and lying on the road.
"This can't be…"
The man who had been blocking the path in front of AMT, Lee Jung-jun, couldn't believe what he was seeing.
It was shocking enough that hundreds of zombies were mowed down as if they were mere experience points, but this was truly unbelievable.
'How is this even possible?'
He couldn't understand it even after seeing it.
Therefore, Lee Jung-jun recalled the events that led to the Zombie Troll's downfall.
'…First, the cargo compartments of two trucks were opened.'
Inside were a large number of weapons.
When a commander of unknown rank named Lee Hyunwook raised his hand, the weapons began to levitate-
Swoosh-Swoosh-Swoosh-Swoosh-Swoosh-
Like missiles, hundreds of spears autonomously flew and embedded themselves into the body of the Zombie Troll.
Rumble-Rumble-Rumble-
But there was no way that mere physical damage could stop such a massive troll.
No, it didn't even seem to give it a momentary pause.
The monster continued its advance, covered with spears all over its body.
Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump-
Even its pace seemed to be getting faster.
Now, with just around two hundred meters left before being trampled by it,
Lee Jung-jun was still…
"Do you not understand that it's futile? If you want to save your subordinates, retreat now!"
… shouting desperately with disbelief.
He wanted to just abandon them and run, but if that were his nature, he wouldn't have committed to saving the refugees at the Jangchung-dong Community Center in the first place.
He didn't want to see these brave soldiers die in vain.
However, Lee Hyunwook briefly frowned but otherwise ignored it and continued doing what he had to do.
There was not a hint of fear in his eyes. As if he was certain he would win…
Even the soldiers under his command were sweating but remained focused on their tasks.
"-An Min-tae, is the ice magic ready?"
"Yes! A total of 21 spells are prepared."
As he gestured, mages rushed forward and started firing ice magic.
Zap-Zap-Zap-Zap-
All of it hit the troll's upper body, forming a solid 'ice bind'.
But once again, it was useless.
Despite dozens of spears stuck in its body and half its body frozen, the monster never stopped.
Thump- Thump- Thump- Thump-
Eventually, it came very close, just about fifty meters away.
The rotten smell emanating from its body started to sting their noses.
'There's nothing we can do now. We should run, just the two of us.'
Just as Lee Jung-jun was turning his body and gesturing to his companions to move, a single word from Lee Hyunwook stopped them.
"Shatter-"
Boom-!
"…Huh?"
With a blast, a considerable part of the Zombie Troll's upper body was blown away.
Especially its left arm was completely severed, twirling in the air while spraying blood all around,
Crash-
It even broke through the window of a commercial building.
"What, what just happened?"
It was a scene that defied common sense.
I saw steel beads explode to blow off the zombies' ankles, but that level of destructive power wasn't enough for the troll. The skin and flesh of the Zombie Troll were far more tough and solid compared to ordinary zombies.
So then how on earth did this happen…
'…Ah! It's because of the ice magic!'
Yes, that made it possible.
First, spears are embedded, and then ice magic is cast on top of them for rapid anchoring.
In that process, the creature's blood coagulates and becomes tightly entangled with the tip of the spear.
Much like how your tongue sticks to cold ice cream—
In that state, if the metal explodes—then precisely that kind of gruesome and destructive phenomenon occurs.
It was simple, but an ingenious way to deal a massive amount of damage.
'Wow, it's an extraordinarily desperate attack. They're making use of everything to handle this raid.'
But even then, Lee Jung-jun couldn't let his guard down.
Grrrrrr…
Even after that massive attack, the Zombie Troll did not fall.
It hesitated briefly but then took another step forward.
Thump-
'As expected, it's still undead! Losing one arm doesn't mean it's done for!'
Even after using so many weapons and skills to sever one arm, they couldn't take it down.
And if such battles continue to be repeated, the creature would heal its wounds while the allies would run out of weapons…
Despite the great strategy and abilities displayed, it was sadly an opponent they couldn't defeat.
But then…
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-!
Suddenly, strange noises started coming from within the creature's body.
Then the great beast began to shake more and more violently until it reached its paroxysm, and from every orifice of its body, including the wounds and cuts, granular blood gushed forth, like pouring out from a broken pipe.
Pudderpudder—–
It was his guts.
Blended guts, to be exact.
"Uh…"
It was crushed organs.
"Uh…"
After much contemplation, Lee Jung-jun finally understood what had happened.
'Insane… He ground the zombie troll from the inside…!'
The moment he burst the spear lodged in his body, countless metal fragments must have entered inside, exploding them again, controlling them, and literally grinding the organs from within.
Ka-ga-ga-ga-ga-ga-!
No matter how much of a zombie troll it might be, it couldn't withstand such a crazy attack.
And so, the massive body collapsed onto the asphalt with a thud.
…That was the end.
Lee Jung-jun recalled what he had witnessed and finally realized.
'Who is this person? And… this wasn't a situation where I should have intervened at all, right?'
At that moment, Lee Jung-jun was taken aback when his eyes met with Lee Hyunwook.
"Uh, I…"
Lee Hyunwook's eyebrows furrowed slightly, which was enough to make one's heart sink.
"What you know is not everything in the world."
Lee Jung-jun came to his senses at those short words.
"Did you assume that because it's AMT, it wouldn't be able to do it?"
Lee Jung-jun couldn't refute it and was left speechless.
Lee Hyunwook turned around and slowly surveyed the horrifying scene he had created.
Now that the battle was over, it was time to collect the rewards and make repairs.
'I've used quite a lot of weapons, but there's still plenty left.'
In addition to bringing out half of the battalion's weapons, he had also asked the battalion's engineers and blacksmiths to hastily create weapons exclusively for 'destruction.'
As for the iron beads, he had placed a large order in advance with Kang Jeong-du just before the wave started, so he still had 3 boxes, 1,650 pieces left.
"Park Junmo, bring out four bags."
"Yes, understood!"
Soon Park Junmo brought over the bags and spread them wide, and Lee Hyunwook reached out towards the bloody battlefield.
Then something sprang up between the piles of undead corpses.
They were 'Mana Stones,' the energy sources dropped when monsters were killed… and the number was truly enormous.
Chya-ra-ra-ra—
These began to fly under Lee Hyunwook's control and started to go into the bags.
"Wow… Corporal An Min-tae, how much do you think this is all worth?"
"At 60,000 to 80,000 won each, it should easily amount to around 50 million won, I guess."
As the battalion members marveled at the enormous number of Mana Stones,
Lee Hyunwook's hand had already received three real treasures, not such miscellaneous items.
'As expected, the earnings are great.'
First of all,
[ You have acquired the Key of Secrets (Event) ]
'It's a wave event item. A luck box must have been generated somewhere in Seoul.'
Through the key, he could open a box and likely get a high-value item.
Of course, finding such a box wasn't easy since they were randomly generated.
If he could find it, he would receive special benefits that couldn't be obtained through any other means.
Next, the second item,
[ You have acquired the Spirit Stone (Grade 3) ]
'This is an actual stone, so I can't consume it. I should give it to Kim Se-hee, the elemental mage.'
And finally,
[ You have acquired Orichalcum. ]
Among the three, the most satisfying was this, the legendary metal 'Orichalcum.'
'Orichalcum, a metal of greater value than Adamantium.'
While Adamantium is priced at 1.3 million won per 10g, Orichalcum exceeds that value by 100 times.
It exhibits the highest magical affinity, effectively making it the best among magical metals.
Moreover, from Lee Hyunwook's experience in his previous life, it was one of the few metals that could increase magical resistance.
However, leaving aside its cost, it was such a rare metal that he couldn't freely absorb it.
'So I should consume as much as I can when I'm able to.'
Gulp—
Lee Hyunwook swallowed the precious Orichalcum in one mouthful.
However, he couldn't quickly absorb it by activating the internal furnace in his body.
This was because he had exhausted all his mana in the previous battle.
[ Mana (12/1681) ]
Even after consuming three large mana potions throughout the battle, this was the limit.
[ Warning! You have overused mana. Forced acceleration of mana recovery may lead to side effects. ]
He couldn't take any more mana potions. As the warning stated, it would rather lead to side effects.
"Choi Tae-yong, secure the perimeter thoroughly. There might be another zombie troll."
"Yes, leave it to me!"
But judging by the fact that nothing had appeared even with this level of noise, fortunately, it seemed like there were none nearby.
Lee Hyunwook checked his watch.
18:01
The sun was already setting. When night came, some undead would become even more violent.
'I need to hurry.'
Just then, someone approached.
'Uh….'
It was Lee Jung-jun and his companions.
Their expressions had changed significantly.
If they had been somewhat condescending and trying to teach a lesson before, now their faces had turned pale, not knowing what to do.
He bowed his head.
"I am truly sorry! I think I intervened too much, beyond my place!"
He seemed to have done some quick self-reflection, as he bowed deeply to the point where his forehead nearly touched his knees. Despite the annoying things he had said, he didn't seem like a bad person.
"Really, I sincerely apologize! I overstepped my bounds thinking we should save the civilians first!"
"Yes, I understand that you intended to advise with good intentions. However, the statements you made contained a narrow framework that people belonging to a certain group would necessarily be inferior."
"Yes, you are right. To be honest, I did originally stand in the way with such thoughts… I am truly, truly ashamed and regretful."
Lee Hyunwook nodded his head.
As long as he was showing remorse and being amicable, there was no need to scold him.
And if he could be utilized, all the better.
"So, we will escort you; will you head north with the civilians?"
"Ah, to where exactly…"
"DDP Station has a small shelter, so it seems like we should go to Dongdaemun Station, which has a larger shelter."
But for some unknown reason, Lee Jung-jun's expression started to cloud over.
"Um, the thing is…"
"Yes?"
"Actually… we were there just a few hours ago."
"Ah, what happened?"
"It's not a big deal, but it's just that…"
Lee Jung-jun explained what had happened over the past few hours.
He and his colleagues had been near Dongdaemun Station before the 'wave' occurred.
They were on security duty for some guild event that was supposed to last until dawn.
When the 'wave' happened, they, along with the attendees of the event, took refuge in the Dongdaemun Station shelter.
"…So, we were in the shelter when around 8 in the morning, a rescue signal came in."
"It was news that the magical barrier at the Jangchungdong Community Center had broken, right?"
"Yes, we said we'd go rescue those people and come back, but, ah… our employer opposed it. But how could we leave over a thousand civilians in danger? We said we would go out just among ourselves, and then that person…"
Lee Jung-jun let out another long sigh.
"Our employer threatened us, saying if we left, we shouldn't think about coming back. They even said they wouldn't open the door for us if we did. Well, zombies were swarming around DDP anyway, so we were thinking about heading south."
Lee Hyunwook tilted his head.
"I don't understand. Who is this person to block entry to the shelter?"
"Well…"
Lee Jung-jun swallowed dryly before opening his mouth.
"That person is Congressman Park Gil-sang, who is also a C-grade player. He's also the actual major shareholder of the Jonggak Guild, which was hosting that terrible event until yesterday morning."
Although Lee Jung-jun spoke with a quite serious expression, Lee Hyunwook remained nonchalant.
His expression seemed to say, 'So what?'
"Look, knowing his personality, he really might not open the door. He's truly the epitome of stubbornness…"
Despite Lee Jung-jun's repeated emphasis, Lee Hyunwook casually shook his head.
"Monopolizing a public shelter is a major crime that threatens the lives of others. If they don't open it, we'll forcibly break in and arrest them. Depending on the situation, we might even shoot them after warning."
"Ah…"
"Being polite to someone who only cares about their own life will inevitably lead to the loss of more lives. Don't worry. There's no need for concern."
"Yes, you're right but…"
"Let's go then. We don't have time; we have to take the civilians."
With that, Lee Hyunwook got into the car.
Lee Jung-jun had a hunch.
Soon, there would be no small commotion…