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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 31
Chapter Title: Preparing to Face the Waves - 1
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'…Tricky.'
The moment Lee Hyun-wook faced the boss monster, the Old Alpha Male, that was his first thought.
The metal weapons the creature held were enchanted with a special magic, rendering them immune to his 'Control'.
And the creature, in turn, must have found Hyun-wook just as tricky.
It focused all its attention solely on him.
It swung its two kukris, deflecting the entire barrage of metal weapons Hyun-wook controlled.
Clang! Cla-ang! Clang! Clang! Clang!
Its visual acuity and reflexes were truly astounding.
Even if one or two managed to slip through into its blind spot…
Thwump—
'A magic barrier…'
The tattoos etched on its body glowed, forming a 'magic barrier'.
Of course, the barrier had a durability limit and would eventually break, but…
'My mana will run out before that happens.'
Fortunately, Hyun-wook had a weapon that could pierce that magic barrier.
'Failnaught will work.'
His trump card, 'Secretly Inscribed' on his left wrist.
Sir Tristan's 'Failnaught' had a 'magic nullification' effect.
'But I can't draw it recklessly.'
If the creature detected Failnaught and managed to parry it, there would be no second chance.
It was, quite literally, his ace in the hole.
The moment it failed, it would cease to be an 'ace'.
'Just one shot. I have to strike its weak point at the perfect moment.'
To do that, he needed to divide the creature's attention.
For example…
"-Agh!"
Like that—a scream from somewhere, followed by a powerful arrow.
Whoosh—!
The creature's ears twitched as its body flinched.
It was an unexpected attack, so its reaction was natural.
Hyun-wook nudged the arrow, which was flying wide, guiding it toward the creature.
The creature swiftly turned and parried the arrow.
Cla-ang!
'But from now on, it will be more wary of that sniper than of me.'
Every attack Hyun-wook had revealed so far had been blocked by the creature's 'magic barrier'.
But the sniper shot flying from the distant sand dune was different.
The creature sensed instinctively that its barrier couldn't block such a heavy-hitting attack.
That's why it had no choice but to pay more attention to the sniper.
In other words, its guard against Lee Hyun-wook was now lowered.
Meaning…
'Now is the time.'
Hyun-wook kicked off the ground, surging forward and launching all his weapons as he extended his left hand.
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-
Scraps of metal scattered on the ground shot up in unison, distracting the creature.
Its eyes were on Hyun-wook, but its other senses were alert to the sniper far away.
That was the opening.
'In other words, it's over.'
Black smoke momentarily billowed from Hyun-wook's left wrist.
From within, a single streak of silver light flashed.
Pshk—
The flash of light connected with the Old Alpha Male's abdomen.
"…"
The creature looked down at its stomach, its expression one of utter confusion.
Failnaught—
A hero-grade arrow that ignored magic resistance was embedded in its solar plexus.
Kuh-heong!
It staggered, coughing up blood.
At the same time, the 'tattoos' on its body distorted, and the 'magic barrier' vanished.
'Now, it's defenseless.'
Hyun-wook raised both hands.
Daggers, longswords, steel balls, arrowheads—every piece of metal in the area, without exception, levitated into the air.
Then, as he gently extended his hands—
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-whoosh-!
Like a volley from a machine gun, they all shot forward—
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
Neck, shoulders, chest, abdomen, thighs, knees—sharp metal mercilessly embedded itself all over its body.
Five, six, twelve, forty-one, fifty-one…
Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk! Thunk!
The creature's body convulsed under the downpour of attacks, becoming drenched in crimson.
Keeeeh…
And so, pierced by dozens of metal shards, the Old Alpha Male collapsed.
As a final blow, he sent the Sword of Clouds flying, piercing the creature's heart.
Thunk!
- The Sword of Clouds is filling with an unknown energy. (49%)
All of this happened in a matter of seconds.
- Congratulations! You have defeated the boss monster 'Gnoll Old Alpha Male'!
A message signaling the end of the dungeon raid appeared before everyone.
With their leader dead, the few remaining gnolls scattered and fled in terror.
But there were only about a dozen of them left alive.
Through numerous battles, they had wiped out nearly every monster in the dungeon.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! They're running! Should we pursue?"
"No, just let them go."
There was no need to chase them.
'As long as I secure the World Stone, the raid is a success.'
Hyun-wook picked up the red stone that had rolled out of the Old Alpha Male's mouth.
- You have acquired 'World Stone (Red Gate)'.
* Only players of the Analyst class can view 'Detailed Information'.
Taking this outside and destroying it would close the gate.
That was the one and only way to shut down a gate.
Hyun-wook secured the World Stone and turned his head.
Behind a dead tree on a sand dune, Kim Tae-seop was crouched down.
When their eyes met, he flinched and tried to hide.
Hyun-wook extended a hand in his direction.
"Agh!"
He had already taken off his watch, but this time, Hyun-wook pulled on his gold ring, bending his finger back.
"Agh! Ugh! Wh-what is… Agh!"
He struggled to remove the gold ring, but it wouldn't budge. Flailing, he ended up tumbling down the sand dune and landing face down.
"…Get up."
As Hyun-wook released his control, Kim Tae-seop quickly pulled off the ring and stuffed it in his pocket.
Then he started backing away, rattling off excuses.
"Hey! N-no! I helped with the raid too, honestly, didn't I?"
"…"
Hyun-wook stared at him in silence.
The man avoided his gaze but continued to ramble on.
"I mean, what's a sniper supposed to do but snipe? Geez… What did I do wrong…"
Hyun-wook raised the index finger of his left hand and slowly curled it.
"Agh! Agh!"
This time, he pulled on the piercing in his left ear.
"P-please! Stop…"
"One more useless word out of you, and I'll rip it right off."
"…Hic!"
Kim Tae-seop clutched his ear and whimpered.
Hyun-wook took the ironwood bow slung over Kim Tae-seop's shoulder and tossed it to Ahn Min-tae.
He couldn't have a sniper he didn't trust at his back.
"Ahn Min-tae, if this guy spouts any more nonsense, punch him to shut him up."
"Ah… Yes, I understand."
Ahn Min-tae approached Kim Tae-seop.
"Hey, M-Min-tae…"
But Ahn Min-tae didn't even glance at him.
"Hey, shut your mouth. Any more nonsense and you'll get a rifle butt to the jaw."
"…"
Hyun-wook took Park Jun-mo and entered the largest hut to search for items.
"Wow, there's a lot of stuff here."
This appeared to be the Old Alpha Male's dwelling, and it was practically a treasure trove.
All sorts of weapons were strewn about everywhere.
The first thing that caught his eye was a metal lump on a table.
'Adamant. As expected.'
An ultra-expensive magic metal that sold for up to 1.3 million won per 10 grams. This piece looked to be about 230 grams.
Naturally, it went straight into Hyun-wook's mouth.
Gulp—
Besides that, there was a variety of high-quality magic metals, including mithril.
Hyun-wook discreetly swallowed them all.
He got an absorption penalty for overconsumption, but he couldn't pass up an opportunity like this.
Next, he pulled back a worn rug on the floor, revealing a cellar door.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook? I think this is the real treasure room."
Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo worked together to lift the door.
Clank!
"Oh… there's a ton of… stuff in here too."
The space was filled with all kinds of items.
They were likely the legacies of previous raid teams.
But among them, one item in particular stood out…
"Park Jun-mo, go outside and find some kind of sack to carry this stuff."
"Oh, yes!"
After sending Park Jun-mo out for a moment, he pulled out a black spear shaft.
It was covered in dust, but even at a glance, it exuded a noble aura.
It wasn't ornate, yet one could sense its value…
It was…
- You have acquired 'Spear of Achilles (Hero)'.
…the very reason he had entered this dungeon.
[Item Information]
- Name: Spear of Achilles (Hero)
- Effect: Wounds inflicted by this spear do not heal easily.
A simple effect, but an incredibly powerful one.
Even a skilled healer pouring all their mana into it would be unable to heal this wound.
'Inscribe.'
Hyun-wook immediately used 'Secret Inscription' on the item.
Shiiiii—
The long spear instantly dissolved into black smoke, and a spear-shaped tattoo was etched onto his left wrist.
Since he could only have one Secret Inscription, he hung Failnaught from his belt.
'This way, I can take it out without getting caught.'
If he simply carried it out, it would undoubtedly end up in someone else's hands.
The A.M.T. would probably secure it, then the Cheonghwa Guild would pay a fee for it to be returned to the Gugwang Group.
But not anymore.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, this looks like a sack the gnolls used, but there's only one that's intact."
"For now, we'll just take a few things. The 'Dungeon Salvage Team' will take care of the rest."
After a dungeon was cleared, a 'Dungeon Salvage Team' would go in and collect all the resources within.
They would handle leftover monsters, collect dungeon creatures, mine dungeon minerals—they scraped up anything that could make money.
And at that time, they would also retrieve any items that hadn't been recovered.
As Hyun-wook and Park Jun-mo came out of the building, Kim Tae-seop approached them anxiously.
"Uh… by any chance, was there…"
"…"
"That is, among the items, was there anything that looked particularly high-end?"
Hyun-wook just stared at him silently.
"Ah, it's… like a spear…"
Kim Tae-seop was talking about the Spear of Achilles.
However, the A.M.T. wouldn't know the item's true nature, so he was speaking in circles.
Of course, with 0% contribution, he wouldn't be able to exercise his 'priority pick'.
But he still wanted to at least confirm the item's existence.
Things were already at their worst, but if the item was missing, that would be a problem on a whole other level…
"Excuse me, Mr. Lee Hyun-wook, maybe it would be good to ch-check inside one more time?"
"The Dungeon Salvage Team will collect the remaining items. You don't need to worry about it."
"Ah… no, it's just, it's a really important item from our guild's perspective, so just one…"
Just as Kim Tae-seop's tongue started to loosen again, someone struck him on the back of the head.
Thwack!
"Agh!"
"…Hey, I told you to keep your mouth shut, didn't I?"
Ahn Min-tae was standing there with his rifle butt raised, growling.
"Kim Tae-seop, just shut up. You have zero contribution. What makes you think it's your guild's item?"
"…"
He couldn't say another word.
It wasn't about some silly rank; this result was a testament to real skill.
***
Seo Eun-ha stood at the site of the Cheongdam-dong Red Gate.
Of course, due to the entry level restriction, there was nothing she could do, but since soldiers from her unit had been deployed, it was her duty as the raid platoon leader to remain at the scene.
'…'
She gazed at the Red Gate, which flickered like a pit of fire, and thought of Lee Hyun-wook.
'Why on earth did that guy…'
According to Kim Kang-seok, Hyun-wook had agreed to do it without any sign of reluctance; in fact, he had practically volunteered.
No matter how much pressure the commander had put on him, this wasn't something you could just grit your teeth and endure.
'Did he volunteer knowing it was a ridiculous thing to do?'
Although Lee Hyun-wook had been demonstrating unbelievable feats lately, raiding a Red Gate was on a completely different level.
It was the unknown.
A place where you literally had no idea what threats awaited. For those with no raiding experience to enter… it was tantamount to suicide, Seo Eun-ha thought.
'So many have gained some fame after a few successes, only to vanish in an instant…'
In the world of Players who risked their lives to make a name for themselves, such shooting stars were common.
Seo Eun-ha now believed in Lee Hyun-wook's abilities, but he too could disappear just like that.
And perhaps, today could be that day…
"…Hello, Miss Seo Eun-ha?"
A woman's voice broke through her thoughts.
Yoo Hae-na had approached her at some point and was now standing beside her, looking at the Red Gate through her sunglasses.
And on her shoulders, two palm-sized spiders were nestled together, their eight eyes staring at Seo Eun-ha.
It was, truly… an unpleasant sight.
"…"
Seo Eun-ha didn't reply.
Yoo Hae-na, or Catherine Yoo, as she introduced herself these days…
She had known her since childhood, and she was truly a face she hated to see.
Yoo Hae-na's eyes shifted slightly toward Seo Eun-ha.
"What's this… you won't even greet me anymore?"
"…Honestly, we're not on greeting terms."
"I still have some fond memories of our childhood. That's a bit harsh…"
Yoo Hae-na said with an exaggerated look of disappointment.
Seo Eun-ha didn't respond.
"Ah, you know, that Corporal Lee Hyun-wook I met the other day? He seems like a really interesting person. Do you know him well?"
Why was she suddenly bringing up Lee Hyun-wook? Seo Eun-ha was puzzled.
"But that man, hah~ he proposed a bet on who would take down the boss monster."
"…"
"So, well, I accepted. If I win, that man… will join our guild."
Seo Eun-ha tried to ignore Yoo Hae-na's rambling, but she couldn't help but frown.
'…Lee Hyun-wook is joining the Cheonghwa Guild?'
Honestly, it had been on her mind ever since Yoo Hae-na handed Lee Hyun-wook her business card during the Orc Gate incident.
The battalion commander and various other members of the A.M.T. were taking notice of the rookie named Lee Hyun-wook and were trying to nurture his talent.
Frankly, Seo Eun-ha was also conscious of the matter in many ways.
Because Lee Hyun-wook, he could become the next raid platoon leader.
But for him to end up under that insufferable woman of all people…
'Why her of all people…'
She didn't show it, but as an officer of the A.M.T., it was a truly disgusting thought.
Especially as a member of the 3rd Anti-Magic Brigade, which was in competition with the Cheonghwa Guild, it was even more so…
"Ah, is Eun-ju doing well?"
She was referring to Seo Eun-ju, Seo Eun-ha's older sister.
At that, Seo Eun-ha couldn't hold back and glared at Yoo Hae-na.
"My sister's name… don't you dare say it with that mouth."
"…"
The smile on Yoo Hae-na's lips slowly faded.
It was then.
Vwoom— Vwoom— Vwoom—
The gate vibrated three times.
The Cheonghwa Guild staff began to move busily.
"That's the exit signal!"
It was good news.
Cheers erupted from all around.
"Finally, finally a successful raid!"
It was a success on the fourth attempt at the Cheongdam-dong Red Gate.
"…Ah, they're coming out just in time."
Yoo Hae-na smirked and walked toward the Red Gate.
She slightly lowered her sunglasses and observed the people exiting.
"The Players are coming out!"
Leading the way was the A.M.T. special raid platoon.
The same nine members as when they entered; there appeared to be no casualties.
"Ha, what the… were they really just hiding in a corner the whole time?"
They were covered in sweat and sand, but they didn't seem injured at all.
For a team that had entered a high-difficulty dungeon, they looked suspiciously unscathed.
It could only mean they hadn't been on the front lines.
On the other hand, the Cheonghwa Guild's raid team…
"Dammit! Get the injured moved, now!"
"It's poison! Bring the intermediate detoxification potions!"
They were an absolute wreck, and the standby healer teams had no choice but to rush into action.
'What… they fought so hard they ended up like that, and those guys just stood by and watched?'
Yoo Hae-na thought to herself as she watched Lee Hyun-wook approach.
He spoke first.
"Catherine, I don't think there will be anything for me to ask from you."
Those were the terms of the bet, and to say there was nothing to ask for meant…
'He's conceding surprisingly easily, isn't he?'
Yoo Hae-na thought.
"Ah, don't tell me you've accepted my initial offer? Was it so scary in there that you lost all will to bet the moment you entered… Still, for our team to end up like that, that's a bit much…"
Yoo Hae-na gave a wry smile.
But Lee Hyun-wook's reaction, once again, was not to her liking.
"Haha…"
He began to laugh with a hint of ridicule.
"No, it's because your guild will get nothing from that dungeon, so there's nothing for me to take from you."
"…What?"
Yoo Hae-na blinked, wondering what on earth he was talking about.
But Lee Hyun-wook said no more, turning his back and walking away.
"…What does he mean?"
A moment later, the Analyst-class Players from the Cheonghwa Guild arrived on the scene.
They possessed the ability to 'interpret' various information from the game. By grasping the 'World Stone' brought out from a cleared dungeon, they could confirm certain details.
A Player's 'contribution' to a dungeon raid was one such piece of information.
Everyone awaited the announcement of the contribution levels.
After a moment, the lead analyst stepped forward to announce the results.
"I will announce the results. First, the Ch-Cheonghwa Guild… c-contribution… is 0%."
At those words, the atmosphere on the Cheonghwa Guild's side turned ice-cold.
In other words, it meant the A.M.T., that Lee Hyun-wook and his squad members, had done everything.
There was no need to even hear the subsequent announcement of the A.M.T.'s contribution.
"N-no way…"
Yoo Hae-na couldn't believe it.
But the testimonies that followed supported the fact that the information was true.
The Cheonghwa Guild's raid team also admitted they had been taken out almost immediately upon entering.
"No… way…"
Suddenly, Lee Hyun-wook's voice echoed in her mind.
'No, it's because your guild will get nothing from that dungeon, so there's nothing for me to take from you.'
Losing the bet was one thing, but the fact that Lee Hyun-wook had dismissed her in such a way was even more infuriating.
With a dazed expression, she turned her head.
She was looking for Lee Hyun-wook.
"How on earth…"
He was currently standing face-to-face with Seo Eun-ha, talking.
And behind them, the A.M.T. soldiers were laughing and chatting.
It was a stark contrast to the Cheonghwa Guild raid team, who were all being carried away, groaning in pain.
Yoo Hae-na found herself walking toward them unconsciously.
"…You!"
Yoo Hae-na's shout drew everyone's attention.
"Ha! I don't know what you did, but what do you want?"
"…Excuse me?"
"A bet's a bet! You think I have nothing to give you? Don't be ridiculous! What will it be? Name it!"
Lee Hyun-wook stared at her in silence for a while.
Her face began to flush.
She realized she had, as they say, flown off the handle.
She cleared her throat and quickly composed herself, restoring her haughty expression.
'Well, well… look at her, practically delivering me a prize on a silver platter.'
Lee Hyun-wook thought.
Just like that, by prodding her vanity, she had taken an even bigger bait.
"Hmm, you can give me anything?"
"Go on, say it. What do you want?"
"Are you going to give me that necklace you're wearing right now?"
It was a hero-grade item.
Yoo Hae-na clutched her necklace.
"…A-are you joking?"
"Of course, I'm joking."
Just then, someone came running over, out of breath.
It was the company commander, Captain Gwak Jin-cheol.
He was holding a phone respectfully with both hands. Looking at Lee Hyun-wook, he whispered.
"…L-Lee Hyun-wook, it's the Commander on the phone."
It seemed his demand of Yoo Hae-na would have to wait.
Lee Hyun-wook took the phone from Captain Gwak Jin-cheol.
"Loyalty! This is Corporal Lee Hyun-wook!"
A booming voice erupted from the other end of the line.
- Hey! Ha, in all my years, I've never seen a guy like you
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