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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Seoul, City of the 4th Wave - 1
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A convoy of trucks was making its way down the military road on the north face of Namsan.
It was the Steel Company.
*Vrooooom—*
A K-153 armored reconnaissance vehicle, acting as the vanguard, drove a hundred meters ahead of the main column.
Following it were four weapon transport trucks, a command vehicle, three troop transport trucks, and a rear guard vehicle, in that order. They moved at a steady 40 km/h, maintaining meticulous vigilance over their surroundings.
Lee Hyun-wook was in the passenger seat of the command vehicle.
"...Huh? Sergeant Lee, I think that big bird over there has been following us for a while."
Park Jun-mo, who was keeping watch out the window from the back seat, spoke up.
Lee Hyun-wook turned his head to follow his pointing finger.
*Screee—*
A clear cry echoed through the sky. A raptor with its wings spread wide was circling above.
"It looks like an ordinary bird, but I thought I should mention it just in case."
"No, it's not ordinary."
"Sir?"
"That's not any bird from Earth."
"Ah! Don't tell me, the battalion commander's…"
Park Jun-mo trailed off as if he had realized, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
It was a 'Great Condor,' one of Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok's familiars.
Its wingspan was a whopping twelve meters. With its wings spread, it was larger than a decent-sized truck.
Seen up close, you would believe it was a dinosaur, not a bird.
It was flying above the Steel Company, scouting the area for them.
Of course, it couldn't stray too far from its master, so it wouldn't be able to follow them the whole way.
And beneath the Great Condor's shadow, two 'magic drones' were in flight.
*Whirrrr—*
Magic drones were state-of-the-art items created with magic engineering technology. They connected to a mage Player who had infused them with mana, sharing their vision and allowing them to detect the mana emitted by monsters.
- *Kssht-* This is Steel 3. No anomalies identified so far. Entering the city center soon. Over.
It was Choi Tae-yong's voice. He was in the lead armored vehicle, scouting the perimeter.
Watching the end of Namsan come into view, Lee Hyun-wook picked up the radio.
This military radio, commonly called a walkie-talkie, normally used radio waves but had been modified to allow for 'mana communication' when waves were disrupted by mana scattering.
*Click-*
"This is Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, Steel Company's operations commander."
His voice echoed through all ten vehicles of the Steel Company.
- *Kssht-* We are now entering downtown Seoul.
At his words, everyone couldn't help but feel a strange sense of unease.
To feel so anxious about entering Seoul, the capital of the Republic of Korea…
It was an unfamiliar sensation.
- …To find the source of the corrosion, we have no choice but to go where the monsters are thickest. That means there will be countless battles. And as you all know, our enemies aren't just the monsters coming from the gates.
Lee Hyun-wook didn't mention them by name, but the company members thought of the 'vampires.'
The terrorists who had infiltrated the base and slaughtered the five-minute standby squad…
However, only Lee Hyun-wook knew their true identity as Villains.
'It's better if the world doesn't know about the existence of Villains yet. It's a truth they can't handle…'
Two of the Five Butchers, Carol Choi and Yang Hee-joo, had been captured alive, but they had died suddenly before they could be interrogated. According to the medical officer, their brains seemed to have been fried by some kind of 'latent magic.'
Lee Hyun-wook knew that would happen. It was a sort of 'safety measure' put in place by Ki Baek-jun. An extreme precaution in case his subordinates were captured alive and the Villains' organization was unveiled.
- …It may sound cliché, but finding the 'source of corrosion' in this vast city of Seoul will be a long, long march. But I want you to remain tense but not panicked, and always focus on my commands.
A long, long march… that's what it should have been.
But Lee Hyun-wook knew the locations of 'those things.'
In other words, this was going to be a lucky march.
- …Later, I hope we can all meet in Seoul again after this operation is over. Over.
It was a promise they could only keep if Seoul itself didn't disappear.
"Um, sir, I can see the city."
And so, the Steel Company left Namsan behind and faced the heart of Seoul, a city that might soon vanish.
They headed north along 'Jangchungdan-ro,' between D University and S Hotel.
- *Kssht-* Intersection ahead. Maintain strict vigilance in all directions. Over.
Soon, they reached the Jangchung Gymnasium intersection.
The wide intersection, usually bustling, was enveloped in an eerie silence.
"Well, that's a relief. There aren't as many cars blocking the road as I expected."
The driver from the headquarters company remarked.
Just as he said, for Seoul, a city of ten million, the roads were remarkably clear.
"The incident happened at dawn, and most citizens probably fled on foot."
Thanks to that, the Steel Company's advance continued without frequent stops.
It was then.
- Monster identified in the lane ahead. Halting to confirm! Over.
An urgent radio call came from the vanguard.
Lee Hyun-wook initiated a one-on-one communication with Private First Class Choi Tae-yong in the lead vehicle.
"Choi Tae-yong, this is a private channel. Report the situation."
- There's a single zombie smack in the middle of the road. But… something's a little strange about it.
"Report the facts concisely, not your feelings."
- It's a single, red-skinned zombie. It's just spinning in place.
At his report, the sound of someone swallowing nervously could be heard from the back seat.
- What should we… It's just one. Should we just eliminate it?
Lee Hyun-wook considered.
The so-called zombies, or 'denizens of hell,' came in a wide variety of types.
Therefore, it wasn't wise to lump them all together as zombies and react without properly identifying their traits.
'But there's no time right now… and as for denizens of hell, I can handle them no matter how many swarm me.'
As he was mulling it over, Choi Tae-yong's voice came over the radio again.
- Uh, there's something else. That's… a person. They're waving their hands and approaching us. I think they're signaling not to shoot. Judging by their gear, they look like a Player. What… what should I do?
A Player…
"...Wait there. I'm coming."
Lee Hyun-wook removed his sergeant's rank insignia and got out of the vehicle. He raised his K2C1 rifle.
Park Jun-mo, who had been in the back seat, immediately followed him out to provide cover.
As Lee Hyun-wook walked forward, he scanned for nearby metal—moving metal.
There were a total of seven actively approaching their convoy.
But if he included the uncertain movements of those barely shifting, there were far more.
'At least sixteen. Not a small group.'
About fifty meters ahead, Choi Tae-yong was out of his vehicle, talking to a tall man from the group.
As Lee Hyun-wook approached, Choi Tae-yong and the man turned their heads.
Behind the man, six other Players watched with wary eyes.
The rest seemed to be hiding somewhere.
"...Are you the one in charge of this unit?"
The man asked.
Seeing the long wooden staff in his hand, he appeared to be a mage-type.
"Yes, I am."
"That zombie. You must not touch it. You nearly had a major incident on your hands."
Without answering, Lee Hyun-wook took the binoculars from Choi Tae-yong and examined the zombie, about two hundred meters away.
It had a peculiar appearance. It was short, only about 160cm tall, but its head was massive.
Strangely, it had nothing that could be considered eyes on its head.
Instead, its mouth was unusually large, and its throat was swollen like a frog's.
"...A Siren Zombie."
"Yes. If you touch even one, they'll all swarm you. There's a huge pack of them near that intersection."
Siren Zombies. When they detect an external threat, they let out a grotesque cry to summon other zombies. Unless you were confident you could handle hundreds of zombies, it was best not to provoke them.
"Thank you for the advice. We're from the Namsan A.M.T. unit. May I ask your affiliation?"
"Ah, we're just members of a small guild. Subcontractors for the Cheonghwa Guild."
Subcontractor guilds were typically contracted by large guilds to handle various odd jobs.
Examples included acting as 'porters,' 'gunners,' or 'dungeon dismantlers' during a large guild's raid.
That didn't mean they were weak, however. They were, at the very least, treated better than A.M.T. soldiers.
The man took another step closer.
"I don't know what kind of operation your unit is on, but it looks like you're heading north. As I said, that way is a zombie field, you can't go through. Would you be willing to come south with us instead?"
It was a rather abrupt proposal.
When Lee Hyun-wook gave him a look of incomprehension, the man continued.
"The magic barrier at the Jangchung-dong Community Center shelter right next to us has failed, leaving over a thousand evacuated residents stranded. They can't stay there, so we're trying to move them to Dongguk University Station or Yaksu Station… but among those thousand people, we only have eighteen Players."
He was asking for support to lead a large number of residents to a major shelter.
It was certainly a noble cause, but not something you stop a military unit on a mission to request.
"I'm sorry, but we must head north."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, the man let out a long sigh.
"Hah, look. I already told you… there are all kinds of zombies near the DDP over there, at least five or six hundred of them. You absolutely cannot go that way."
"Yes, I understand. We intend to break through. That is our mission."
"..."
The man frowned, his eyes sweeping over the A.M.T. troops behind Lee Hyun-wook.
His attitude clearly said he was sizing up their strength. Then he shook his head.
"Hey, I'm sorry, but if you do that, you'll all die. It's not just Siren Zombies, you know."
"What else is there?"
"...Have you heard of a Zombie Troll? There are two of them up ahead."
At the man's words, Lee Hyun-wook's expression changed slightly.
"Those Zombie Trolls, are you sure you saw them yourself?"
"Haha, has your courage to charge forward finally vanished?"
"..."
"Yes, I saw them with my own two eyes, banging on the DDP Line 2 shelter up there. You people, you seem to have a lot of troops, but hah… as you know, numbers aren't what's important, are they?"
He was subtly disparaging the A.M.T.'s capabilities.
Well, it was a fair assessment.
Unless it was a raid platoon, most A.M.T. units weren't equipped to take down a Zombie Troll.
But Lee Hyun-wook's thoughts were elsewhere.
'Found it. The first meal…'
Lee Hyun-wook intuitively knew that the creature held a special item. Elite monsters that appeared during a wave were guaranteed to 'drop' high-value items.
"If you evacuate north instead of south, we will escort you."
At Lee Hyun-wook's words, the man and his companions stared blankly.
"What? Did you really understand what I said? Hah—hey, you, what's your rank? You look young, you don't even have a rank insignia. Are you really in charge?"
But Lee Hyun-wook simply walked past him without a word.
And he brought up a completely different topic.
"Are you sure there's no one between here and the DDP?"
"Huh? Of course, everyone's still at the community center shelter. Why do you ask?"
Lee Hyun-wook nodded and pressed the walkie-talkie on his shoulder.
"All units, prepare for battle—"
The man started in surprise and rushed toward him.
"W-what did you say? Battle, you're going to fight now? Are you insane?"
"I'm sorry, but you don't need to offer any more advice. We are not fools."
"But you're about to do something foolish right now, aren't you?"
At that moment, something shot out from Lee Hyun-wook's waist and flew down the main road.
*Swish—*
It was Failnaught.
"H-hey, what are you…"
*Slash—*
It grazed the side of the Siren Zombie up ahead.
By all appearances, it wasn't a very effective blow, merely enough to provoke it.
The creature's enormous mouth gaped open, its throat swelling…
*Gweeeee-eeee-aaaaang—*
An incredible shriek, unbelievable for something of its small stature, erupted from it.
Like the resonating chamber of a brass instrument, that was its siren.
When the shriek died down, a brief moment of silence fell.
And then…
*Ggeee-ee-ee-ee-ee—*
From the distance, around the DDP intersection, a repulsive chorus of screeches began to echo.
And… it started getting closer.
Just as the man had said, hundreds of zombies, having heard the siren, began to swarm toward them.
*Ggeee-ee-ee-ee-ee—*
The sound of those mindless roars echoing through the quiet city… it was enough to make one's body shrink in fear.
The faces of the man and the other Players turned deathly pale.
"Shit, are you crazy? Do you have any idea what you just did? If you were going to attack, you should have at least finished it in one blow. What is this—"
"No, that was intentional. Please step back."
"What on earth…"
Lee Hyun-wook raised his walkie-talkie again.
"Truck number four, advance and open up."
At Lee Hyun-wook's command, one truck pulled out of the convoy and drove up right behind him.
Four soldiers disembarked. Two stood guard while the other two threw open the cargo bay doors.
Lee Hyun-wook, still facing forward, stretched his left hand out toward the truck behind him.
*Whoosh—*
Two metal crates flew out from the cargo bay and landed on either side of him.
With a flick of his finger, the lids popped open with a *clang*.
Inside, they were filled with something shiny.
The contents of the two crates began to stir as if boiling, then shot up into the air.
It was… an incredible number of steel balls, made from dungeon steel.
'550 per box, 1,100 in total.'
They rolled across the asphalt, making a tremendous racket.
*Ch-ra-ra-ra-ra-ra—*
It looked like a swarm of white rats migrating across the road.
Or like an incoming tide.
'Aura—'
Lee Hyun-wook imbued a portion of them with 'Aura (Saint).'
Having recently absorbed the 'Mana Tank' from Heo Young-tae, his total mana and recovery rate had increased dramatically, allowing him to use his mana boldly.
The 1,100 steel balls, now infused with holy power, rolled furiously forward. The moment they overlapped with the approaching horde of several hundred zombies, settling beneath their feet—
Lee Hyun-wook's lips moved.
"Shatter—"
*Cra-a-a-a-a-ack—!*
With a deafening roar, a mist of blood bloomed.
"Ah…"
Hundreds of zombies collapsed in the blink of an eye.
The massive number of steel balls had exploded in unison, blowing off their ankles.
Bits of their flesh flew in all directions, raining down with wet thuds.
*Guh-ggeeeeh—*
Being zombies, that alone wouldn't kill them, but they would never stand on two feet again.
They were now forced to crawl on the ground, no longer an imminent threat.
In that case…
"Ahn Min-tae, time to feed on experience."
At his words, soldiers who had been on standby behind Lee Hyun-wook moved forward.
With a front line of eight shields, they advanced toward the neutralized zombie horde.
"W-what did you say? You're going to… feed on experience?"
The advancing A.M.T. troops began swinging their holy weapons, finishing off the zombies one by one.
Yes, they were truly feeding.
They were absorbing experience with terrifying ease.
"..."
The Players watching this felt their minds go blank.
To regard a zombie horde of that size not as a disaster to be avoided, but as mere experience—that was something a B-rank Player might say as a half-hearted bluff.
No, even a B-rank Player couldn't deal with that many zombies in a single instant.
'…Who in the world are these people? Are they really A.M.T.?'
The man was, frankly, stunned.
He was ashamed of his own loud pronouncements just moments before.
But he quickly snapped back to his senses.
'Even so, this is no time to be standing around!'
The zombies were one thing, but the greatest threat was something else entirely.
He swallowed hard and ran to Lee Hyun-wook.
"T-that one attack was truly incredible. Yes, I admit it! But…"
He glanced around nervously.
"Yes, right now, we have to run right now! It's coming! The Zombie Troll—"
But his warning was cut short.
*Thud—*
With a vibration that shook the very ground, a massive head rose above a building in front of them.
*Grrr…*
A five-meter-tall green giant, its eyes like the half-rotten eyes of a dead fish, slowly turned to look down at them.
That was the Zombie Troll.
"Ah… w-we're so screwed…"
The Players stumbled back, and the A.M.T. troops who had been advancing also hastily retreated.
A Troll was a giant monster with absurd regenerative abilities.
There was a reason, after all, that troll blood was a key ingredient in the highest-grade healing potions.
So, if a Troll became a zombie…
It was better to give up any thought of killing it from the start.
*Thump—*
It took a step toward them.
With each step, maggots rained down from the festering wounds in its flesh.
"...W-what are you going to do now? Tell them to turn the trucks around, quickly!"
The man shouted, trembling. It wouldn't be easy to escape.
But Lee Hyun-wook simply smiled.
'Just as I thought, it's there.'
He had sensed a certain 'high-quality metal' within the giant zombie's body.
Lee Hyun-wook pressed his walkie-talkie.
*Beep-*
And he gave a single, very short command.
"…The rest of the trucks. Open them all."
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