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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 12
Chapter Title: Itaewon 2-dong, Gate Sealing Operation - 4
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"I'm starting to... get sleepy."
Sergeant Kang Ik-jun was watching the intermediate base from the rooftop.
He was only doing it because Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha, the Assault Platoon Leader, had insisted, but he was still sneaking glances elsewhere from time to time.
"We're not some reserve team. Seriously, on-site standby? How lame…"
Of course, his actual assignment for the day was simply 'on-site standby,' so it wasn't exactly negligence.
The primary mission of the 'Assault Platoon,' a unit directly under the battalion commander, was, as its name suggested, to enter and seal gates.
Today, however, the assault team from the civilian Cheonghwa Guild was in charge of the operation, and the Assault Platoon was on standby as a secondary unit, just in case.
"It's a Kobold dungeon, and a civilian guild is on it. Seeing those merchants flock to it must mean there's good money to be made… Ugh, just get it over with already!"
Kang Ik-jun let out a wide yawn.
As long as the Cheonghwa Guild held the rights to the assault, there was no fun to be had for him.
But then…
"Hey, what's that!"
A sniper shouted, having spotted something.
Kang Ik-jun rubbed his eyes and turned his head.
In that instant, he couldn't help but sprint toward the railing.
"Crazy…"
From the middle of the residential area of Itaewon 2-dong, a plume of black smoke was spiraling into the air like a waterspout.
And that place was…
"…That's the intermediate base, right?"
It was the exact spot Seo Eun-ha had told him to keep a close watch on.
"Yes, it is. Sergeant Kang, isn't that a fire at this point?"
"…No."
Kang Ik-jun shook his head at the sniper's words.
"What? Then what in the world is it?"
"That's… 'black magic.'"
As a C-rank, tier 1 mage Player, Kang Ik-jun instantly recognized the true nature of the black smoke.
"It looks like a Kobold Black Mage has appeared."
"What? Isn't that an elite monster? But how can it show up before the second wave?"
"That's what I'd like to know. Damn it, there are bound to be casualties now…"
Kang Ik-jun raised the barrel of his Barrett M82A1.
But with his vision completely blocked, there was nothing he could do.
He immediately pressed the button on his earpiece.
"Platoon Leader! We have a problem!"
- What? What's going on?
Seo Eun-ha answered immediately.
"It's the intermediate base! A cloud of highly toxic fog just appeared!"
- How is that possible? …Alright! I'm on my way!
The order given to the Assault Platoon was to 'stand by.' Therefore, they were supposed to remain on standby no matter what happened within the operation zone. After all, the operational command within the Red Ground currently belonged to the 1st Company Commander.
In other words, they couldn't intervene in the operation unless the battalion commander gave the order.
"I'm throwing the shield down to the first floor now! Catch it and get going, fast!"
But this was not a situation he could just stand by and watch. It was far beyond what a support squad could handle.
No,
it was a situation that even the 1st Squad, the battalion's primary unit, let alone a support squad, would struggle to deal with.
If they were even a little late…
"…You have to go as fast as you can! At this rate, they're all going to die!"
They would be annihilated.
Kang Ik-jun picked up the shield Seo Eun-ha had left behind and threw it down toward the road below.
*Whoosh!*
The next moment, Seo Eun-ha appeared from out of nowhere and snatched the shield.
Then, drawing her greatsword, she sprinted into the alley.
Her speed was incredible.
But Kang Ik-jun had a gut feeling.
"Maybe…"
Tragically, some of them were probably already dead.
***
Two colors swirled together, creating an eerie current in the air.
"Hoo…"
Inside the smoke, the members of the 5th Squad were hunkered down, taking cover behind combat supplies.
They had deployed a 'Crystal Barricade,' a magic barrier device, in preparation for an attack on the intermediate base. However, since the horde of kobolds had emerged from a manhole from within the perimeter, the barricade was rendered useless.
In short, they couldn't hold out for long.
And yet…
"…"
Something was strange.
A considerable amount of time had passed, but the kobolds weren't approaching at all.
'Why? Is it because of the steam Corporal Lee Hyun-wook created?'
Staff Sergeant Choi Seon-ah, the deputy platoon leader, could only guess as much.
…*Gack!*
'What in the world is that sound?'
She had no idea what was causing the inexplicable death rattles that echoed intermittently from within the black smoke.
"Deputy Platoon Leader, keep your head down and lower your muzzle if you can."
"Ah… R-right."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, Choi Seon-ah nodded and knelt on one knee.
Although she was the highest-ranking officer here, she couldn't help but obey meekly.
No,
it was more accurate to say she was relying on him completely.
'Was Corporal Lee Hyun-wook always like this? No, he wasn't…'
She was well aware that Lee Hyun-wook was F-rank and only the temporary squad leader, a substitute for their actual leader who had been sent to the rear.
That was why, just before the operation, as she changed into her combat uniform, she had told herself to be extra sharp today since they were without their real squad leader.
No matter how young she was, an officer was an officer.
She had to take responsibility and lead this operation.
'…But honestly, there was nothing for me to do.'
Just before the ambush, Lee Hyun-wook had sensed everything. He had then given concise and precise instructions.
His cold voice echoing through the black smoke… The moment she heard it, her prejudice against him vanished, and she found herself trusting and following him without a second thought.
"…Everyone, shut your mouths and listen only to me."
At Lee Hyun-wook's voice, Choi Seon-ah held her breath and listened intently.
She wasn't the only one; everyone there did the same.
"We can't see anything, but the enemy can't see us either. Though it'll only be for a moment."
"…"
"Ahn Min-tae, move to the front, raise your shield, and block the kobolds' advance. If you take proper cover, their poison darts will be useless."
"Yes, sir."
Ahn Min-tae, who was standing next to Lee Hyun-wook, replied softly and took two steps forward.
The larger the area protected by his wide shield as it moved closer to the enemy, the safer the squad members became.
"But Corporal Lee, you're not thinking of… moving forward, are you?"
Ahn Min-tae noticed that Lee Hyun-wook had already advanced quite a bit.
"Yeah, I'm going to go turn off the gas valve. You stay put."
"…What? A-are you serious?"
Ahn Min-tae asked back in surprise.
But Lee Hyun-wook didn't answer and simply started walking forward.
"…C-Corporal Lee?"
Again, there was no reply.
His shadow, which had been faintly visible above the smoke, seeped deep into the fog and soon vanished from sight.
"Ah, this is driving me crazy…"
Ahn Min-tae swallowed dryly and raised his shield up to his chin.
"Huh? Did Corporal Lee r-really go forward?"
"Yeah. For now, we stay calm and wait."
"Ah…"
With the reassuring sight of Lee Hyun-wook's back gone, the squad members were once again gripped by fear.
All sorts of thoughts began to race through their minds, and it felt as if Lee Hyun-wook's desperate screams would soon echo from the black smoke.
But the only sounds they heard were…
*Gack! Ga-ack!*
…screams that were not human.
Then, a short while later…
"Hey! I can start to see ahead!"
Park Jun-mo said.
And just as he said, the black smoke was clearing, and through the faintly restored visibility, something began to appear.
"That's… a kobold, I think."
To be precise, it was the corpses of seven kobolds.
Every one of them had a greatsword embedded in its head.
"Look over there! It's Corporal Lee!"
Near the manhole from which the black smoke had been pouring, Lee Hyun-wook stood. And at his feet, something lay shattered and scattered.
It looked like pieces of pottery, which had been the 'catalyst' the Kobold Black Mage used to create the smoke. That was what he had meant by turning off the valve.
He looked back at them.
"Park Jun-mo, come here."
"Yes, sir!"
At Lee Hyun-wook's gesture, Park Jun-mo quickly ran forward.
"Fire all of your lightning magic into the sewer, right now."
"Ah, yes! Understood!"
Park Jun-mo took out the wand hanging from his belt, took a slow breath, and swung the wand toward the sewer opening.
*Bzzzt!*
Blue electricity shot out from the tip of the wand.
"Unload everything you've got."
"Yes, sir!"
*Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzz-zzt!*
Three more shots followed.
"Uh, I put a little too much into the last one, so I only got four shots…"
"Yeah, that's fine."
A total of four bolts of lightning magic lit up the inside of the sewer.
Sewage flowed at the bottom, and the current traveled along the water deep into the tunnels.
*Fsh-sh-sh-sh—*
And then…
*Keee-eee-eee-eee!*
"Whoa, holy crap!"
From deep within the sewer, agonized shrieks erupted.
The remaining kobolds hiding in the sewage had been caught in the electrical current.
However, it seemed Park Jun-mo's lightning skill lacked the damage to kill the kobolds outright…
*Clang! Cla-ang!*
"Oh!"
They began to burst out, throwing open manhole covers here and there.
*Gaaack! Keee-eee-eee!*
"H-hey! A-all units! Suppressive fire, open fire!"
Staff Sergeant Choi Seon-ah shouted instinctively, but instead of raising their rifles, the squad members reflexively looked at Lee Hyun-wook. The moment Choi Seon-ah gave the order, he had already raised his rifle.
Only then did all the other muzzles rise.
*Ta-ta-ta-ta-tang!*
As sporadic, aimed shots rang out, the electrocuted kobolds that had emerged were helplessly swept up in the hail of bullets, collapsing one by one.
*Guh-eee-eee…*
"Corporal Lee! The rifles alone can't break through their barriers!"
"Right! Finish them off with your personal weapons!"
Lee Hyun-wook tossed his rifle aside and drew the Cloud Sword from his back.
He then charged at one of the kobolds.
Unlike the others, this one was wearing a black robe.
'The Kobold Black Mage.'
That was the elite monster.
*Gack, gerk!*
The creature was already on the ground after taking fifteen of Lee Hyun-wook's aimed shots.
The bullets hadn't pierced its skin, but they had hit it squarely in the chest, likely breaking a few ribs.
While the creature was clutching its stomach, groaning and disoriented…
*Schwing!*
Lee Hyun-wook swung his sword, severing the creature's right wrist completely.
Simultaneously, he launched his M9 greatsword, striking it in the abdomen.
*Kreh!*
The creature staggered back, casting a spell with its left hand.
A green 'magic circle' materialized above the back of its hand.
*Fwoom!*
In that instant, Lee Hyun-wook's body shot into the air, soaring to a height of two meters in a flash.
"…Kgh!"
It was gravity control magic.
'At this rate, I'll be lifted dozens of meters into the air and then dropped to my death!'
But Lee Hyun-wook wasn't one to be taken down so easily.
He cast 'Body Hardening' on his legs.
*Crr-ack!*
His feet solidified.
In that moment, he used 'Control,' pulling his metal-transformed feet back toward the ground.
While suppressing the vertical ascent, he twisted his waist and swung his right foot toward the creature's head.
*Cra-ack!*
A direct hit!
The power of his hardened combat boot was immense.
*Guk!*
The creature pitched forward, slamming its head into a flowerbed.
Its neck seemed to have already snapped, but as Lee Hyun-wook landed, he gripped his greatsword with both hands and plunged the 'Cloud Sword' into the creature's heart.
*Puk!*
A definitive finishing blow.
At that moment, a line of text appeared before his eyes.
- 'Cloud Sword' absorbs the blood of an elite monster!
'This is how you grow this potential weapon.'
The Cloud Sword absorbed water to release a 'water mist.' But if it absorbed a 'significant amount' of an elite monster's blood instead of water…
- An unknown energy fills the Cloud Sword. (11%)
A gauge would fill up like this, eventually unlocking its 'potential.'
Lee Hyun-wook left the Cloud Sword embedded in the creature's heart and began to scan its body for 'metal.'
'There's something. And it's inside its body.'
Inside the creature's rib cage, he felt the texture of a small, smooth piece of metal.
He pulled at it forcefully.
*Shlk!*
The object shot out through the wound in its chest.
Lee Hyun-wook snatched it.
- You have acquired 'Devil's Medal (Inferno)'.
"What the… This dropped… here?"
It was a truly unexpected item.
The Necromancer, the demon legion commander who had destroyed Busan…
One of that fiend's key items had just fallen into Lee Hyun-wook's hands.