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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 29
Chapter Title: Cheongdam-dong, Red Gate - 2
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The reason the 'Red Gate' in Cheongdam-dong became the 'Murder Gate' was simple.
'Battles against intelligent, pack-living monsters grow more dangerous with each encounter.'
This was because, over time, they would 'learn.'
As a result, they would employ increasingly diverse and tricky 'unpredictable patterns.'
In other words, when the first attempt failed, they should have thought it over before trying a second time.
The gnolls inside the gate would have grown more cunning with each attempt...
'Especially in the case of some boss monsters, they act far more intelligently.'
Just as a human group's performance can vary wildly depending on its leader, a group of gnolls led by an 'Old Alpha Male' was quite dangerous.
The creature knew how to observe and contemplate.
It must have watched the humans entering through the 'passage—the gate' it needed to exit, and concluded that this wouldn't be a one-time event.
'And so it contemplates. The most effective way to kill...'
What it came up with was to unleash a 'concentrated attack' the moment they passed through the gate.
It was perhaps a simple idea, but an incredibly effective one.
It maximized the advantage of their overwhelming numbers, and due to the nature of this wide wasteland, there was almost nowhere for Players who had just passed through the gate to hide.
And so, that method worked, all the way up to the fifth attempt.
But history had changed.
It was inevitable.
No matter how cunning they were...
'In a single breath, it strikes.'
Fwa-ba-ba-ba-ba-
That the hundreds of arrows, bolts, and crossbow quarrels they had fired would stop in mid-air, break apart, and then rain down on their own heads like hail,
was something they could never, ever have imagined.
"Whoa… what in the world…"
Along with someone's exclamation of awe, a storm of steel raged, following Lee Hyun-wook's fingertips.
Fwa-ba-ba-ba-ba-
As the storm fell upon the hill, a thick cloud of sand and dust rose.
The gnoll forces were swept away in an instant, dozens of them collapsing in a single breath.
That was only the beginning.
After falling vertically, they rose again, this time shooting out horizontally.
Like a swarm of locusts, they flew in a pack, scraping away everything in their path.
And then...
'...Rotate.'
It became a black whirlwind and began to pulverize the hill.
The storm of metal shards and the storm of sand mingled, creating a deafening roar.
Shhhhhhhh-
Though they were small shards of metal, they clung to fur and spun, inevitably tearing wounds into the leather-like skin, and a graze to the eyes or neck was quite fatal.
Yelp! Yipe! Yelp! Yelp!
The sound of a pack of dogs howling echoed across the wasteland.
"Huh? They're running away!"
Completely unable to respond, the gnolls began to flee in a panic.
'But the damage doesn't end here. They'll continue to weaken.'
Because the tips of those metal shards—the gnolls' arrowheads—were coated in 'poison.'
In other words, anyone who suffered even a small scratch from the storm of shards would be poisoned.
"Should we, uh, give chase… sir?"
Knowing it was a ridiculous question, Ahn Min-tae asked anyway.
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
Moving recklessly inside a dungeon was suicide.
'That was probably about half their forces. The other half is likely waiting in the rear.'
Far greater numbers and traps would be waiting for them.
"…W-what was that just now? Did you do that?"
Park Ki-taek, the raid leader of the Cheonghwa Guild, asked.
The entire Cheonghwa Guild stared with wide, startled eyes.
Meanwhile, arrows were lodged in Park Ki-taek's left shoulder and thigh, the wounds turning a dark blue. It was, as expected, because of the 'poison' on the arrowheads.
'Poison… It's not a strong one, but it's the blood of a Desert Mana-Burn Frog, which slowly eats away at stamina and mana.'
The Old Alpha Male seemed to have noticed that the most fearsome weapon humans wielded was 'skills,' and so it was farming a large number of these frogs with their mana-burning poison.
"I-I'd heard you had the ability to control metal, but I never imagined it was to this extent…"
Park Ki-taek couldn't hide his astonishment.
Park Ki-taek and the rest of the Cheonghwa Guild had heard about the A.M.T. Special Raid Squad, so they knew these were the ones who had been active during the Seoul Station Unlucky Event.
But honestly, they had been inwardly—no, outwardly—looking down on them.
An Unlucky Event for level 15s and below was of a lower grade than this Red Gate dungeon anyway, and no matter how good a bottom-tier A.M.T. soldier was, they were still at the bottom...
But it seemed that wasn't the case.
Lee Hyun-wook extended a hand toward Cheonghwa's team leader, Park Ki-taek.
Park Ki-taek thought he was offering to help him up and reached for it, but Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
"No, that. Let me borrow your shield."
His shield...
Embarrassed, Park Ki-taek dropped his hand with a sour expression.
"Excuse me? Why would I give my shield to you?"
"Hmm… If you don't want to get out of here, well, I can just bury you with that shield someday."
"…"
Park Ki-taek couldn't argue.
They had a healer, but 11 of their 14 members had been hit by arrows, and that included the healer.
And two of them were in critical condition, requiring intensive care.
In other words, Cheonghwa's raid team was in no condition to continue.
'We've taken damage, but taking time to recover is one option.'
Like a true team leader, Park Ki-taek constantly searched for solutions.
But then again...
When night fell, what kind of offensive would that vicious pack of gnolls launch, and how was he supposed to respond with these injured forces… The future already looked bleak.
'I have to do something before nightfall.'
If they were to face the night in this wasteland, they would experience an even deeper level of hell.
In that case, there was only one way.
To trust the A.M.T. Special Raid Squad...
'Damn it, even if we make it out of here alive, this isn't going to look good...'
He had already brought great shame upon the guild.
But for now, survival was the priority.
"…Here, take it."
Lee Hyun-wook took the bronze-colored round shield that Park Ki-taek offered.
"Is this a mithril alloy? It's quite light."
"…"
As expected, the Cheonghwa Guild had spent some money.
"A few gnolls might attack here, but you can handle that much on your own, right?"
"…Of course."
"Then, we have no choice but to attempt this raid by ourselves. Since this is a situation where we have to do everything from start to finish without any help, don't make any excuses after the raid is over and testify truthfully."
"…Yes."
Park Ki-taek nodded bitterly.
The distribution of rewards from a dungeon raid is determined by mutual agreement, and that agreement had been reached during the strategy meeting between the leaders of both parties just before entering the gate.
As a result, the Cheonghwa Guild, considered the relatively superior force, was contracted to take a full seventy percent, and they also held the priority pick for items, the so-called 'seed rights.'
'But at this rate, we might only get twenty percent, no, maybe even just ten percent...'
However, that was literally a prior agreement.
It could change at any time depending on the progress of the raid.
Even if they managed to clear this dungeon somehow, it would be as if the A.M.T. had cleared it single-handedly.
In other words, the terms of the prior agreement would inevitably be overturned.
'The A.M.T. will basically monopolize everything...'
Lee Hyun-wook's voice drove a wedge into Park Ki-taek's worries.
"Listen up. The Cheonghwa Guild raid team is effectively out. We're proceeding on our own."
Effectively out...
He was right.
And right at the very beginning, too...
But the atmosphere on the A.M.T.'s side wasn't great either.
"Hmm… So what do we do now?"
"Can we really clear this with just us?"
No matter how incredible Lee Hyun-wook was, half of their allies had been incapacitated.
And the gnolls were cunning; they wouldn't fall for the same trick twice.
"Huh? Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, look over there!"
Sure enough, a few gnolls carrying large 'wooden shields' appeared on the sand dune.
They protected themselves with the shields, then dragged their fallen comrades down the hill.
"If they do that… won't Corporal Lee Hyun-wook's attacks be less effective?"
If they appeared with a bunch of shields like that, the effectiveness of the metal shard attack would plummet.
The metal shards dealt damage by striking like a storm, scraping the skin countless times.
But the moment they were blocked by something, their speed would decrease, and their destructive power would inevitably drop.
Following that...
Awoooo!
A howl came from somewhere.
"Damn it, what's this now…"
This was the gnolls communicating with each other over long distances.
It meant they were moving systematically to devour the intruders who had entered their territory.
Only then did it sink in again.
That they were standing in the territory of these beasts...
Everyone looked at Lee Hyun-wook with worried eyes.
"Yes, frankly, we're at a severe disadvantage."
"…"
"But we can turn it around. The boss monster at Seoul Station, the Queen Spider, remember her?"
Everyone nodded.
The Queen Spider, with her overwhelming presence that seemed impossible to defeat...
Although Han Tae-san had appeared and turned it into pulp, before that, they had used a water-metal-electricity-ice combo to stun and bind it, and had even begun to peel off its shell.
If they'd had a little more time, they could have taken it down even without Han Tae-san.
"In a raid, you have to use everything you have, and beyond that, everything around you—in other words, the terrain."
"The terrain, you say?"
"Yes, this time, we have to use the terrain."
But they didn't understand what he meant.
"The terrain… what aspect are you referring to?"
Park Jun-mo asked.
"Park Jun-mo, what do you see right now?"
"Uh…"
Park Jun-mo glanced around.
The place they were standing was like a desolate wilderness, and from the sand dunes over there, it was a desert.
"Well, there's just sand and dead trees…"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
"Right. We'll use that."
...Use the sand?
Until that moment, no one understood what Lee Hyun-wook was saying.
***
Lee Hyun-wook favored weapons in the shape of 'spheres.'
'Their center of gravity is perfect, making them easy to control.'
With a long weapon like a spear, the movement varies wildly depending on where you focus your metal control.
But controlling a sphere was incredibly straightforward.
You just had to pour power into its 'center.'
'Plus, there's no risk of them getting caught on anything.'
In the future, when he would be controlling hundreds, even thousands of weapons simultaneously, performing delicate movements would become difficult.
Like a school of sardines or a swarm of wasps, controlling them as a single flow was the best method, but things would inevitably get caught and 'break away' from the group.
But spheres were different.
They were small, round, and smooth, so even if they got snagged on something, they would quickly slip free.
It was the same now.
Ssssss...
Lee Hyun-wook was moving twenty steel spheres out of sight, but none of them got caught.
Ssssss...
Within the desert sand, they moved beneath the surface like desert beetles.
Whoooosh-
A sandstorm blew through.
"…Ugh!"
Everyone except Lee Hyun-wook was walking through a desert for the first time in their lives. Having been born in South Korea, they'd never had a chance to experience a desert, making it difficult to adapt in many ways.
It was hot, dry, and blindingly bright.
'Still, an environment like this is a blessing.'
The higher the dungeon level, the more unimaginably hellish the landscape becomes...
"…Halt."
Ahn Min-tae, at the front, raised his hand and pointed somewhere.
It was a large pile of sand.
Lee Hyun-wook had told them beforehand that gnolls sometimes hid in places like that.
At this, the archer, Private First Class Choi Young-jun, stepped forward.
Thwip-
The arrow he shot lodged in the pile, and as the sand scattered, something was revealed.
It was a gnoll's corpse.
It seemed to have died while retreating after being wounded by Lee Hyun-wook.
"Whew, you scared me. I thought a real gnoll was about to pop out…"
Before Ahn Min-tae could finish his complaint,
Awoooo!
The cry of a real gnoll echoed from not too far away.
This was not a good sign.
"Speak of the devil…"
Everyone lowered their stance and scanned their surroundings.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook! Over there, they're coming out from behind the rocks!"
Park Jun-mo shouted.
Just as he said, a pack of gnolls rose up in unison from behind a pile of rocks.
Grrrrrrr...
About twenty of them, but they were holding wooden clubs, not swords or spears.
Even their arrows lacked tips; the shafts had simply been sharpened to a point.
'Just as I thought, Old Alpha Male… It's clearly figured out my ability.'
It seemed to have instantly realized that I could not only control metal but also break it, and had prepared accordingly.
Furthermore, having been thoroughly beaten before, they now carried wooden shields and wore thick hoods.
With such preparations, they could avoid taking fatal damage from the metal shards.
"…Watch out for poison arrows and get behind the shields."
The three tankers, including Ahn Min-tae, raised their shields and stepped forward.
Lee Hyun-wook also raised the mithril alloy shield he had taken from Park Ki-taek.
The rest moved to an 'angle' where they could be protected by the tankers' shields and lowered their stances.
"Huh! Three o'clock, they're coming from behind the trees!"
"Th-they're coming from behind!"
Ten of them revealed themselves from behind the trees.
And then twelve more from the rear...
A total of forty-four.
"Damn it, we're surrounded!"
It was a trap.
They had been waiting for the Players to venture this deep, lying in ambush all over.
"Park Jun-mo, is your lightning attack ready?"
"Yes, I can fire it seven times now!"
Back when they were fighting kobolds, he had said four times was his maximum.
Of course, his ability hadn't improved.
It was just that his fine control had increased through countless hours of practice.
Certainly, they had all become much stronger than they were just a few days ago.
And they were scheduled to keep getting stronger.
"Good. Sand is an insulator, so hit the gnolls directly."
"Yes, sir!"
Park Jun-mo took a deep breath and swung his wand decisively.
Kzz-ack!
A flash of light burst forth, and two gnolls that were nocking arrows were sent flying, crashing into the pile of rocks.
Kee-aang!
Easier said than done, that was some impressive accuracy.
"…Hmph, good."
"They're hesitating."
That powerful single blow made the gnolls, who had been tightening their encirclement, pause for a moment.
But it was only for a moment.
Awoooo!
When the howl rang out again, the creatures started moving once more.
Presumably, the order had come down from the Old Alpha Male.
It was watching from somewhere.
Swish- swish- swish- swish-
As the distance closed, they began to fire their arrows.
But the tipless arrows were neither very fast nor accurate.
"Focus on dodging the arrows. Let them keep surrounding us, let them get closer."
"…"
"Wait patiently. They won't charge until the distance is short enough."
Just as he said, the gnolls walked in slowly until the distance had closed to 100 meters.
Then, they began to press their shoulders together, side by side.
"Huh? What's that now…"
They were forming a kind of shield wall, like the Roman Testudo formation.
'They've devised a proper way to block my skill.'
By stacking shields to the front, sides, and even overhead, they planned to almost completely block the metal shard attack.
It might be possible to force some shards through the gaps in the shields, but...
'...Without speed and volume, it would amount to little more than an annoyance.'
As mentioned before, the shards were only effective when they struck like a storm.
A single gust of wind has virtually no power, but when those winds gather and twist into a raging typhoon, they can uproot trees and demolish buildings. It was the same principle.
"Corporal Lee Hyun-wook, they've closed to about 50 meters."
Just like that, like a wolf pack on the hunt, they began to slowly press their threat.
Grrr...
The pressure was immense.
They no longer showed fear like before, but everyone was trembling.
"Hoo…"
At this rate, it felt like they could be swallowed whole at any moment.
Soon, they were close enough to smell the foul, gamey odor characteristic of the wild gnolls...
"Good, keep waiting…"
Everyone held their breath and watched Lee Hyun-wook's lips.
He closed his eyes, sensing the metal.
The steel spheres scattered in every direction...
There...
"…Shatter."
He infused them with mana.
Boom-! Boom! Boom!
With a tremendous roar, sand erupted from beneath the feet of the gnoll pack's shield wall as it closed in.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
To be precise, the 'steel spheres' buried beneath them had exploded like landmines.
They had built a formation with their shields to defend every side, but there was one place they couldn't: beneath their feet.
And just like the first attack they had suffered, this was another blow they could never have anticipated.
Yipe! Yelp!
Dozens of fragments severed the gnolls' toes and tore through their calves and thighs.
In that fleeting moment, about twenty of them collapsed.
Shards of metal, sand, fur, and blood—all of it mixed together and shot into the air.
Thu-du-du-duk-
The ambitious shield wall devised by the Old Alpha Male had crumbled so easily.
"It's not enough to just watch your heads."
Following the storm of shards from above was an explosion of shards from below.
This was exactly what Lee Hyun-wook meant by using the terrain.
"No matter how cunning they are, they're still just beasts."
Lee Hyun-wook said, raising his left hand.
"…The hunt begins."
As he had resolved before, Lee Hyun-wook planned to use this Red Gate as 'nourishment.'