Chapter 16

16. Explosive Growth, and Opportunity – 1

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Lee Hyun-wook stood with his sword and shield, facing the orc.

"…Private Lee Hyun-wook! O-Orks are too dangerous!"

Behind him, Choi Seon-a's worried voice echoed.

She had watched his incredible performance from the side, but no matter how impressive it was, she still thought it was too risky to face an orc.

And that was a reasonable judgment.

"Oh, no! We have to hold on in the bus…."

However, Lee Hyun-wook, without a word, advanced towards the massive monster.

Once he faced the orc, there was no avoiding the fight.

'If I take my eyes off it for even a moment, I'll lose my head.'

Every orc was a well-trained warrior, and even Lee Hyun-wook couldn't afford to let his guard down.

'Fortunately, it hasn't noticed my abilities yet.'

Otherwise, it wouldn't have done something as foolish as pulling out the throwing axe embedded in its shoulder and throwing it behind.

Lee Hyun-wook confirmed the position of the axe and then faced the orc.

The orc made the first move.

Grrrr!

It raised its battle axe above its head and charged.

'It's a powerful downward strike!'

He used 'Control' on the tip of the orc's raised battle axe, pulling it backward.

The orc's body flinched slightly.

Grr!

Even a massive creature like an orc would lose its balance if a 5kg weight suddenly hung from the tip of its weapon.

At the same time, Lee Hyun-wook stepped to the right, moving out of the orc's line of sight, and naturally let go of the sword in his right hand.

He literally released it, letting it fall into the air.

Swish!

The pommel slipped out of Lee Hyun-wook's grip.

However, the orc's eyes were still focused on Lee Hyun-wook's head and didn't notice the 'sword' moving close to the ground.

In the next moment,

Thud!

The 'sword' pierced the orc's right thigh.

...Grr?

The orc staggered, looking puzzled.

It couldn't help it.

'Now!'

Lee Hyun-wook rushed forward and struck the orc's chin with the edge of his shield.

Thud!

Then, he swung his 'Hardened' fist at the orc, which was stepping back.

Crack!

Lee Hyun-wook's light hook landed precisely on the orc's nape.

Grrrr...

No matter how tough the orc was, it couldn't stand the three consecutive bone-crushing hits.

It wobbled and collapsed.

Even in a dazed state, the orc tried to raise its battle axe to defend against the follow-up attack, showing the seasoned warrior's instincts, but...

Crack!

The sound of a watermelon splitting,

A throwing axe embedded in the orc's skull.

Even a seasoned warrior couldn't block an attack from behind.

"That's what happens when you leave dangerous things lying around."

He slowly lowered his raised hand.

"Ah... "

"Wow, amazing... "

"That guy, all the rumors are true!"

Faint exclamations of admiration came from inside the bus.

Just a moment ago, the headquarters company soldiers who had dismissed Lee Hyun-wook as an F-class soldier were now amazed.

Thud!

Lee Hyun-wook pulled his sword out of the orc's thigh.

"No! Be careful!"

Someone shouted.

Turning around, he saw another orc charging like a bull.

Thump-thump-thump-thump!

Just before colliding with the orc, Lee Hyun-wook hardened his arms.

'This can't be blocked with one hand!'

It was literally a bull's charge.

He dropped his sword and gripped his shield with both hands.

He stepped back with his right foot and channeled all his weight and metal control into the shield.

Immediately, the battle axe fell onto the shield.

Clang!

The collision of metal,

The immense impact traveled up his wrists, shaking his shoulders and knees.

"Ugh!"

His insides churned, and he felt a wave of nausea.

However, even in that moment, Lee Hyun-wook's senses didn't miss the 'sword' falling freely beneath the shield.

'-Go!'

The sword, following his will, rose up.

Swish!

The vertically launched sword slashed the orc's groin.

The orc's thigh tendons must have been severed, as it collapsed.

Like the one he had just killed, its face was filled with bewilderment.

It had no idea where the sword had come from.

"Yeah, I understand how you feel."

Leaving the sword out of the enemy's sight and using control to move it for a surprise attack, Lee Hyun-wook named this technique 'Hidden Sword.'

'No one expects a sword that has left the enemy's hand to be a threat. And because of that, they focus solely on the enemy in front of them, pushing it out of their awareness.'

The Hidden Sword was a technique that exploited this bias.

The match was decided with that one Hidden Sword strike.

Lee Hyun-wook raised his shield and struck the orc's face.

Crack!

One hit shattered its nose,

Crack!

Two hits knocked out its teeth.

Crack!

Three hits ended it.

"Huff, two of them..."

Lee Hyun-wook picked up his sword and looked around.

Orc scouts move in groups of three. There must be one more somewhere.

But...

"Ah!"

A woman's scream came from somewhere. Lee Hyun-wook ran to the back of the bus.

"Private Lee Hyun-wook! Over there!"

Choi Seon-a, leaning out the window, pointed somewhere.

An orc had jumped over the guardrail and was running into the forest.

On its shoulder, a female soldier was hanging, apparently unconscious.

Lee Hyun-wook used his ability to pull the metal battle axe on the orc's back, but it wasn't enough to stop the orc.

"Damn!"

This was an unexpected turn of events.

It was good that Lee Hyun-wook had saved two people, but because of that, one orc had changed its course to kidnap the female soldier.

'I can't just stand by and let this happen.'

In a sudden situation, the most important things are a cool head and the ability to make decisive actions.

Thud!

Lee Hyun-wook put down his shield and gripped his sword in reverse.

"Huff..."

He took a deep breath, pulled the sword behind his back, and

Whoosh!

threw it with all his might.

Actually, throwing a weapon at a running orc's back is a crazy move.

The hostage on its shoulder could be hit.

'But I'm different.'

The sword, once it left Lee Hyun-wook's hand, flew in an unnatural trajectory.

Instead of following a parabolic path, it chased the orc's back like a guided missile.

It was incredibly accurate.

Thud!

The sword pierced the orc's neck.

The massive body collapsed into the bushes.

***

After dealing with the three orcs, he kept watch, but there were no other movements.

As expected, they were 'scouts' and were operating separately from the main force.

'The kidnapping attempt was also because they were scouts.'

Orcs usually avoid combat and never show their backs.

However, as scouts, they prioritized searching, reconnaissance, and reporting to the main force over combat.

Lee Hyun-wook searched the orc corpses.

He found three mana stones and a decent item.

- You have obtained 'Orb of Earth (Grade 3).'

It was a higher grade than the 'Orb' he bought from the PX military item store yesterday.

"An Orb of Earth Grade 3... about 40 million won, maybe?"

Generally, item ownership belongs to the organization with the right to clear the dungeon.

Guilds or AMT, for example.

However, if the item is obtained by counterattacking a monster attack outside the 'Red Ground' before the clearance rights are determined, the first person to obtain it gets ownership.

In other words, this item belonged to Lee Hyun-wook. He had made a fair amount of money from a brief incident.

At that moment,

Vroom!

Two black SUVs came up from the bottom of the hill and stopped right next to the bus.

"What is this?"

Sergeant First Class frowned and approached.

"Who are you! This is a military road, not a regular road. You can't just come up here!"

The back door of the first SUV opened, and someone got out.

A woman.

But her appearance was far from ordinary.

"What... what is this..."

Dreadlocks, purple-lensed sunglasses, gray striped suit...

If that was all, it would just be an unusual style, but when you see the palm-sized spider crawling on her shoulder and neck...

Squish! Squish!

It would drastically change your impression.

She ignored the sergeant blocking her path and walked past.

"Uh?"

As the sergeant hesitated, the man who got out of the passenger seat handed over a business card.

"Blue Flower Guild."

"Ah, I see."

The 'Raid Team' of the Blue Flower Guild, which happened to be passing by, arrived before the 2nd Battalion's 5th Platoon.

If Lee Hyun-wook hadn't intervened, they would have arrived after two people died and wrapped up the situation.

The woman stopped in front of Lee Hyun-wook.

"Hey, you."

She called out to Lee Hyun-wook and took off her sunglasses.

"Yes?"

However, the moment Lee Hyun-wook saw her face, he couldn't help but frown.

'What is this woman doing here?'

He recognized her face.

And it was a face he didn't want to remember.

This woman, who looked self-absorbed at first glance, was the second daughter of Korea's strongest civilian guild and an A-class player, Catherine Yoo.

'Yoo Hae-na...'

She is currently known as that, but not in the future.

'After losing in the succession struggle within the Blue Flower Guild, she joins Blue Tree.'

Blue Tree is a world-class company led by Gordon Price, the leader of the Villain organization, and is also at the core of the Villain organization.

In other words, this woman is a player who will become a 'Villain' in the future.

She pointed her finger at Lee Hyun-wook's chest.

She was checking the name tag on his combat uniform.

"Your name is Lee Hyun-wook. Rank... Private? Is that right? I'm not very familiar with military ranks."

"..."

Lee Hyun-wook didn't answer.

He was annoyed.

Not because of her arrogant attitude, but because of her very existence.

'Is it because she's the one who killed Seo Eun-ha...?'

Seo Eun-ha, who threw herself to protect Lee Hyun-wook...

She was swept away by the swarm of 'Carnivorous Insect Beasts' controlled by this woman, Yoo Hae-na.

The scene came to Lee Hyun-wook's mind, and he involuntarily frowned.

She looked at Lee Hyun-wook's face and continued with a smirk.

"Surprised? I know."

It seemed she had misread his expression.

"I saw everything, how you took down those three orcs. Your skills are pretty good."

Anyway, Yoo Hae-na's ability was insect control. Not ordinary insects, but 'Magic Insects' cultivated by magic, which she could control in the millions.

She probably sent flying insects to check what was happening here after hearing the 'public emergency rescue signal.'

"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. I'm Catherine Yoo, the Seoul Operations Director of the Blue Flower Guild. I found your fighting style interesting, even though I only saw it briefly."

Being praised by the second daughter of the Blue Flower Guild... it would have been a situation where a regular AMT soldier would drool, but for Lee Hyun-wook, it was annoying.

She took out a business card with her index and middle fingers from her wallet and elegantly extended it.

"By the way, what's your rank?"

However, Lee Hyun-wook knew this woman's wicked psychology well.

She wasn't really impressed by his skills and wanted to recruit him; she enjoyed reminding people she considered insignificant of her authority and position by handing out business cards.

'But I know another side of this woman. A very childish side.'

A woman who had been treated like a princess all her life as the second daughter of a large guild and received the best treatment even after becoming a player.

She had everything she wanted and people would bow to her with just a word.

'Anyone who challenges her pride becomes her target.'

Her brothers who were always above her,

S-class players with powers she couldn't reach,

And even low-level players who refused her business card.

'She tries to conquer anything that annoys her.'

Yes, it was more like 'conquer' than 'challenge,' a strange desire.

'Because that's what she did in my previous life.'

Lee Hyun-wook knew this woman's psychology well because he had experienced it in his previous life.

When he had just realized the method of ability growth, Lee Hyun-wook was part of a small guild.

By chance, he met Yoo Hae-na, who openly disrespected his guild and its master, and then elegantly extended a business card with 'Blue Flower' written on it.

Lee Hyun-wook didn't take the business card.

He ignored her and walked past.

'After that, I suffered a lot. This woman tried every possible way to recruit me. Even to the point of having me killed by my own hands... '

Lee Hyun-wook shuddered at the memory.

"Hey, at least take the business card. It's not easy to get a card of this value."

"I'm fine."

"..."

At that moment, a truck came down from the direction of the base.

The 5th Platoon, as expected, arrived.

And a white sedan followed behind...

'What, why is she here again...'

It just so happened that the driver was Seo Eun-ha.

'Why do you always show up after I've dealt with the monsters? And especially when Yoo Hae-na is here...'

Now, even he was starting to wonder.