Lee Hyunwook appropriately messed up the sanctuary office.
It was staged to look like there had been a fierce fight.
Immediately after, he radioed and called for An Min-tae and Kim Se-hee.
"What… what is this?"
They were both surprised as soon as they entered the sanctuary.
It couldn't be helped because the sanctuary manager was found dead with his head slammed into the desk.
"Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, what… what happened here?"
Lee Hyunwook recited a pre-prepared scenario.
When the man poured coffee into a steel bead imbued with divine power, black smoke arose, and when he questioned him, he drew his sword and charged at me.
So, he had no choice but to kill him on the spot.
Both seemed to believe his words without question…
"No! What are you doing?"
Kim Se-hee angrily erupted.
"Excuse me?"
"Didn't you tell me earlier that it's dangerous to go alone?"
"Ha ha…"
"If something happens to our commander here, what should we do…?"
Unable to say that everything was actually planned, he could only make an awkward face at the scolding…
"Could this, by any chance… be related to the terrorists who attacked our unit?"
As An Min-tae said, they had been on guard against 'terrorists' as well as monsters from the beginning.
But they would never have guessed that something like this would actually happen.
Instead of answering, Lee Hyunwook presented a black box.
It was the item 'Demon's Bell' that brings about hellish circumstances in the area.
"I'm not certain, but he intended to control monsters and slaughter the refugees in the shelter."
"Insane…"
With over 3,000 civilians gathered in the shelter, the thought alone was horrifying.
"But keep this fact a secret for now."
"Yes, revealing this would indeed cause chaos."
"Right, and… there's another issue."
Lee Hyunwook lifted a cup of coffee.
"Quite a number of people have already drunk this strange coffee."
At this statement, both made a grim face.
"Yikes! Then, we can't tell who might suddenly have something happen to them?"
"We don't know what kind of poison it is, but someone might suddenly die. And it may not just end there."
"Here—"
Lee Hyunwook took out a brown liquid in a glass bottle from the cabinet and handed it to them.
The moment they held it, item information appeared in front of them.
[ You have acquired Beast Transformation Potion No. 3. (Player-manufactured item) ]
In other words, anyone who drinks this coffee will undergo a transformation into a 'monster'.
"The symptoms are clearly written here, but the problem is we can't know who drank it."
At this, Kim Se-hee seemed to have an idea and spoke.
"Actually… there's someone with a skill that can analyze this 'curse'."
Kim Se-hee called for Private Choi Yu-jin, who was part of the 2nd company and a priest. She quickly arrived.
"Yu-jin, can you find out who among the shelter's residents drank this potion?"
Choi Yu-jin examined the Beast Transformation Potion and made a troubled face.
"Yes, I could, but I would need to use my 'scan skill' to examine each person one by one. But wouldn't it be difficult to examine over 3,000 people without explaining the reason?"
Indeed, without letting people know about this dreadful fact, it would be difficult to conduct a comprehensive investigation.
If we could initially tell people the truth, we could have just asked those who drank the coffee to come forward and solve the problem easily.
"So, when do you think the monster transformation will begin?"
"Well… fortunately or unfortunately, the curse can only be activated if the spell caster chants the spell. Since the caster is dead, the magic won't manifest right away."
"So, we don't have to worry for now?"
"There might be other factors set by the spell caster, but yes, not immediately."
Lee Hyunwook summarized the situation.
"Good. Let's keep this a secret for now… An Min-tae, bring the Captain of the Guards and Mr. Lee Jung-jun here."
"Eh? Uh? Can we show them this scene?"
"We have no choice. We need their help to control the situation."
Inside the shelter, besides the Steel Batallion, there were several other player factions.
Among them, the station guards and Lee Jung-jun's group were friendly towards the Steel Batallion.
We needed to utilize them to control the shelter.
Soon, the Captain of the Guards and Lee Jung-jun arrived at the sanctuary, and Lee Hyunwook explained the current situation to them.
"This is unbelievable… Why would he…?"
The Captain of the Guards looked at the corpse of Gong Hyun-jun, his eyes twitching with unease.
He looked bewildered but also deeply troubled; he and several of his subordinates had drunk that very coffee this morning.
In other words, they too were at risk of 'beastification' at any moment.
"…I don't understand. He seemed like a decent person on the outside."
"Yes, I was almost fooled by that as well."
Lee Hyunwook took out a secret notebook from Gong Hyun-jun's drawer and opened it.
"This is who he truly was. He enjoyed unethical research."
"Insane…"
The content of the secret notebook was horrifying.
There were numerous pictures of dissected dogs and cats. Another notebook even mentioned luring homeless people for experiments, but thankfully that was not shown.
This was a biological experiment diary related to 'black magic'.
"There are many people in the world who aren't sane. For such individuals, the lawless situation brought on by the Wave would have been an opportunity to reveal their hidden desires. You can't judge a person by appearances."
"Ah…"
In fact, statistical analysis of the 'types of victims' in the areas affected by the Wave showed that a significant proportion were killed by other players.
In other words, as soon as an area becomes lawless, someone who seemed like an ordinary citizen could turn into a robber, targeting other people's property and lives.
Depending on the situation, trust becomes complacency.
"And Team Leader, Mr. Jung-jun, I have a favor to ask of both of you."
Both men looked at Lee Hyunwook.
"From now on, our unit will go underground to hunt monsters."
"…Excuse me?"
"As I mentioned earlier, our mission is to search for the 'erosion factor,' and that will inevitably be in places with a lot of monsters. There will be a lot of monsters underground, so we have to check it out."
"That's too dangerous, no matter how you look at it. The environment underground is different from the above ground…"
The Captain of the Guards didn't hide his skepticism at Lee Hyunwook's declaration.
It seemed they were also underestimating AMT's capabilities, deeming the mission impossible.
Then Lee Jung-jun stepped in to support Lee Hyunwook.
"I've seen them. These people are no joke. You will regret it if you judge them by their appearance."
"Hmm…"
"I mean it. I vouch for them."
"Hmm…"
Despite Lee Jung-jun's emphasis, the Captain of the Guards remained skeptical.
It seemed he didn't think Lee Jung-jun was credible enough to vouch for anyone.
At this, Lee Hyunwook added a few more words.
"When we go underground, reactivate the magical barrier in the passage. And even if we face the risk of annihilation, do not open it under any circumstances. If you do that, there will be no harm within the shelter."
"Uh, that's a bit…"
"Please."
The Captain of the Guards nodded his head as if he had no other choice.
"Sigh— Fine, I hope it's the right decision."
However, Lee Jung-jun's expression was the complete opposite of the Captain of the Guards.
With a resolute look, he nodded at Lee Hyunwook.
"Though it's not much, we will help you as well."
Lee Jung-jun's group consisted of 18 people.
Including Lee Hyunwook, the Steel Batallion had 40 members, so in comparison, it was not a small force at all.
Rejecting their help in a situation like this would have been foolish.
"Thank you. And this might turn out to be a good opportunity for you as well."
"Excuse me? What do you mean…"
Lee Hyunwook gave a slight smile.
"Yes, an opportunity to level up very quickly."
* * *
The subway platform with its lights off was so dark that one couldn't even see an inch ahead. Only the sparsely placed emergency lights emitted a faint green glow, giving the area an eerie atmosphere reminiscent of a deep limestone cave.
And then…
Dong—Dang——
A bizarre sound echoed through the area, reminiscent of both a mansion's grandfather clock and a temple bell.
"…It has begun."
The 'Demon's Bell' installed at the center of the platform had been activated.
Dong—Dang——
As the heavy, low reverberations spread through the tunnel and into its depths…
Zzzzzzzz——!
A cacophonous howling started to emanate from the darkness.
Grrrrrrrrrr——!
The floor trembled with vibrations as something enormous approached, utterly different from the feeling of an incoming train.
The AMT forces were lined up on the wide staircase connecting the underground platform to the first-floor station. They felt the odd phenomena themselves. Their eyes were aimed towards the vicinity of the tunnel, but they could not see through the darkness.
The only sense was sound.
Soon, the howls and vibrations came closer…
Thump—Grr—Grr—Gong—!
There was a succession of sounds of something colliding.
But what was happening was unknown.
Just then, a red flare dropped onto the tracks, pushing back the darkness.
Pop—!
And so, the horrifying sight became visible.
"My God…"
A swarm of Hell Rats was rolling like a tide on the tracks. Trampling over each other, scratching, and tangling, they flooded en masse into the pre-opened screen door.
Chirp—Chirp—Chirp—Chirp—!
It was nauseating. It seemed less like a swarm of animals and more like a viscous liquid pouring in.
At the same time as a flickering light flashed, an indescribable burnt stench filled the subway station.
Park Jun-mo's ability was not 'magic' but 'control' over a certain amount of electric current. Now, he had moved beyond simply shooting out electricity to maintaining a 'specific shape' and using it as a melee weapon.
'He can't use a large amount of current yet, but he's starting to get quite efficient.'
The electric whip slowly discharged and disappeared after about ten seconds. However, it was far more efficient and represented a substantial increase in combat power compared to the past method which could only shoot out projectiles about five times.
Lee Hyunwook once again confirmed this guy's potential.
"Good! Their fur and skins are slowly melting away! Advance one step!"
When An Min-tae shouted like that, the tanks synchronized and moved forward little by little.
Each time they did, the piled-up bodies of the Hell Rats were stepped on and crushed, their blood wetting the soldiers' ankles.
Squish—Squish—
As they pushed in, the swarm of Hell Rats instinctively started to flee to the opposite side.
However,
Squeak—Squeak—
Forces had already been prepared on the opposite side as well.
Living Armor. They blocked the path in two rows and swung their massive hammers and axes.
Whack—!
Although the Hell Rats latched on and clawed, they could only scratch the surface of the armor.
'Now's the time.'
At Lee Hyunwook's signal, metal balls hidden within the empty Living Armor poured out.
They rolled on the floor and squeezed into the midst of the Hell Rat swarm.
'Normally, the fur of Hell Rats is quite thick and abundant, making it hard to damage them with pieces of metal.'
It served a role similar to a fiber-type bulletproof vest.
However, when their fur had been burnt to a crisp as it was now, the story changed.
Lee Hyunwook had been waiting for this very moment.
'Shatter—!'
Boom—Boom—Boom—!
Like grenades exploding, dozens of Hell Rats were torn to pieces.
"Their numbers have significantly decreased!"
"From now on, they are not monsters, just experience points!"
Thus, a one-sided encirclement and annihilation operation began.
Over a thousand monstrous rats were swept up by all sorts of attacks—exploding, tearing, burning, and splitting—becoming mere pulp that piled up on the platform.
It was a gruesome scene, but it was work that couldn't be stopped.
About 10 minutes passed like that…
Whooooo——
Soon, only thick smoke and a foul stench lingered on the platform of the Dongdaemun Station Line 1.
"…It, it's over."
When someone said that, sighs of relief could be heard here and there.
It was a suffocating fight, no, a slaughter.
It was also an extremely efficient level-up time that would never come again.
Lee Jung-jun and his colleagues couldn't hide their astonishment.
"Did you also level up?"
"Yeah, I went up by two levels. It's incredible."
"Wow…"
Expressions of relief, admiration, and awe intermingled in a complex way.
For them, it was an experience they had never had before.
Among the unit members, it was another moment proving what was called the 'Lee Hyunwook coin.'
"As expected, it's true that if you stick with Sergeant Lee Hyunwook, you grow incredibly fast."
"No, it's beyond what I heard in the rumors. It's crazy, really."
While the others were making a fuss, An Min-tae nodded with a satisfied expression.
He had experienced this several times already, so he was no longer surprised, like a prophet.
[ Congratulations! You have leveled up. (LV. 30) ]
"Hehe…"
Just like the system message that appeared before his eyes, he had reached level 30 before he knew it.
Considering that the level of the second platoon leader, Oh Sang-guk, was 31, it was an extraordinary growth.
'Soon, I will also reach it. rank C—!'
Even in a world where players were favored, honestly, ranks F to D were considered low-tier.
Starting from Tier C, where tiers exist, one truly received the treatment befitting a real player.
An Min-tae felt that the next step was not far away.
But that wasn't the end.
[ Congratulations! Due to fulfilling special conditions, the 'party' is granted
"Uh? Private First Class An Min-tae, do you see this too?"
"What is this Holy Blessing?"
The same message appeared in everyone's eyes.
'… It's an event buff.'
The Wave was one of the biggest events in this game.
Therefore, there were various elements different from normal times, and 'buffs' were among them. It seemed they had satisfied the hidden buff activation conditions by achieving good results through several battles.
'This is definitely not a small buff. Our power has increased significantly.'
Holy Blessing was a buff that allowed you to wield holy power even without using holy weapons.
Given that this wave primarily features dark-type monsters, it couldn't be anything but a tremendous advantage.
It was like growing an extra tooth to nibble at the whale called Wave.
"First, let's clean up the site."
Lee Hyunwook ordered fire suppression and collected 'Mana Stones' in bags.
There were so many Mana Stones that they filled five bags to the brim.
"Wow…"
"This is way more than when we defeated the zombie horde earlier."
Everyone couldn't help but admire.
It was a sight that they couldn't easily see as AMT soldiers.
'But the real reward is elsewhere.'
Inside the darkness of that tunnel, the items guarded by the boss monsters…
Those were the real treasures incomparable to these trivial items.
While the site was being cleaned up, Lee Hyunwook called An Min-tae, Kim Se-hee, and Lee Jung-jun.
"From now on, we have to advance into the tunnel."
At those words, everyone glanced at the tunnel. It was nothing but darkness.
"But the space inside is narrower than you think, so taking all the forces would be counterproductive. It could lead to confusion and entanglement. Therefore, I will lead a small force to enter."
Lee Hyunwook looked at Kim Se-hee.
"Private First Class An Min-tae and I will take a small team inside. Corporal Kim Se-hee and Mr. Lee Jung-jun, please stay behind. If something happens to us, you can come to our aid immediately."
The two nodded their heads.
"An Min-tae, let's select only 15 people to take with us."
"Yes, I will make the selection."
Now, it was time to go into the darkness of that tunnel and remove the first 'erosion factor.'
'And then take possession of it.'
It was time to reclaim Morglay, the legendary greatsword that Lee Hyunwook had cherished in his previous life.