Chapter 21

21. Seoul Station, Unlucky Event - 3

===========================

In front of Seoul Station on Hangang-daero.

At this moment, there wasn't a single car on the ten-lane road.

This was because the area had been completely restricted by the AMT immediately after the gate appeared inside Seoul Station.

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-

However, the sky was more chaotic than usual.

Helicopters and drones from broadcasting stations were hovering, and the noise from their rotors echoed loudly, making the air around Seoul Station vibrate.

Then, military trucks began to line up and enter the empty road.

"…The 1st Battalion is moving in!"

It was the troops of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Anti-Monster Brigade, stationed on Namsan Mountain.

"Move quickly! Run! Run!"

The trucks stopped along the road, and the troops disembarked and lined up in the station square.

A total of 186 men, all the forces of the 1st Battalion, had gathered in one place.

"Damn! Get those helicopters out of here! It's so noisy I can't think straight!"

A man with a dark complexion shouted and walked toward Seoul Station.

He was Lieutenant Colonel Moon Tae-ho, the 'Wide-Area Magic Control Officer' of the 1st Battalion.

Frowning deeply, he looked up.

"Of all places, an Unlucky Event at Seoul Station… I'm going to lose my mind…"

A black dome, like a giant lid, covered part of Seoul Station.

And on its surface, some numbers were floating…

- 05:41:11

It was a countdown, not a clock.

"Sir! Should I gather the mages to prepare the siege magic?"

Captain Kwak Yong-joon, the commander of the 1st Company, ran up and asked.

Siege magic, in simple terms, referred to large-scale magic that required multiple mages to cast simultaneously, and in the AMT, a specialist called a 'Wide-Area Magic Control Officer' controlled the entire process.

"No, that won't work. It's not a magic barrier but a rule created by the system. Unless we overturn the system, we can only wait for the time to run out."

In today's world, the rules of 'games' govern everything.

However, above these rules is the 'system' that controls the games.

How could humanity, which cannot even control the games, challenge the realm of the system… Lieutenant Colonel Moon Tae-ho shook his head and clicked his tongue.

A new sense of powerlessness welled up within him.

"…Then, do we have to enter with a team of the appropriate level?"

Captain Kwak Yong-joon asked worriedly.

It was estimated that about 800 civilians were trapped inside.

However, without breaking the dome, the options for entering were limited.

In fact, there was only one way.

Following the rules, entering according to the level restriction.

'The entry rule is 15 levels or below…'

In other words, they would have to form a rescue team composed entirely of rookies.

"…That's not a decision I can make."

Lieutenant Colonel Moon Tae-ho knew that such a rescue team could become a suicide squad.

At that moment,

Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud-

A helicopter landed in the station square.

From it emerged a soldier wearing sunglasses, Lieutenant Colonel Kim Gang-seok, the battalion commander.

"Sir!"

The battalion staff lined up in front of him.

Kim Gang-seok nodded, taking off his sunglasses.

"1st Company Commander, 2nd Company Commander, how many troops can enter the dome, specifically those 15 levels or below? Please give me the maximum number."

Kim Gang-seok was also considering the only possible method.

"Yes! 1st Company has a total of 10 men!"

"2nd Company has… 8 men!"

"…."

The battalion commander's face darkened as the two company commanders reported.

Even if they gathered all the troops from the two combat companies, there were only 18 in total. The headquarters company, mostly non-combat players, could be considered to have almost no combat troops.

"How many members does the Blue Flower Guild have?"

In response to Kim Gang-seok's question, a man in plain clothes stepped forward.

He was Lee Jun-yeol, the deputy leader of the Blue Flower Guild, the civilian guild responsible for this area.

"We have only one junior member, but in reality, it's as good as none. Since there's no need for a guild to have many players below level 15 unless they are promising, … Honestly, sending our junior member in alone would be too risky in many ways."

Indeed, among the players trained to fight monsters, the proportion of those below level 15 was not high.

This is a game. Therefore, levels naturally increase with experience, and a year in the AMT is enough to reach level 15.

"Urgent reinforcements of troops below level 15 are being sent from various places, but it will take time."

The support officer, a major, reported, and

Kim Gang-seok nodded and turned to the operations officer.

"Operations Officer, prepare all players below level 15 in each battalion."

"…Are we going to force a rescue operation?"

"We have to. How many lives are at stake? It wouldn't make sense to prioritize our own lives."

Kim Gang-seok said this while looking at Lee Jun-yeol of the Blue Flower Guild.

"…."

Lee Jun-yeol turned his gaze away, making a sound.

The Blue Flower Guild, which had stronger forces than the AMT, was powerless in this strange situation.

"Yes! I will immediately gather the appropriate troops!"

A short while later, the troops below level 15 gathered.

As expected, most of the members from both the 1st and 2nd Companies were from the 'support squad' with little combat experience.

In particular, the 5th Platoon of the 1st Company, with its highest-ranking member, Ahn Min-tae, at exactly level 15, had all its members present.

However, one officer was mixed in.

He was Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, the 2nd Platoon Leader of the 1st Company,

who was also exactly level 15.

"Appoint Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, 2nd Platoon Leader, as the on-site commander for the evacuation operation."

Despite his low level, he was a C-grade player.

The reason was simple.

His player characteristic, 'Tracker,' was a highly valued ability.

Thus, the 'player grade' was not determined by the system.

"Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, 2nd Platoon Leader."

Kim Gang-seok approached him and called out his rank and name.

"Yes! 2nd Platoon Leader! I'm waiting for your orders!"

Lieutenant Lee Hee-min was visibly tense, causing Kim Gang-seok's left eyebrow to twitch slightly.

"Stay calm. The lives of over 800 people depend on the tip of your gun."

"…."

"Ah, and I heard that two of your soldiers are inside Seoul Station."

"Yes! That's correct!"

They were Lieutenant Choi Seon-ah, the deputy platoon leader, and Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook, the 5th Platoon Leader, both from the 2nd Platoon.

"If you can successfully join forces with them, it will be a significant help."

"Ah… Yes! I understand!"

Kim Gang-seok did not hide his high regard for Lee Hyun-wook.

Lee Hee-min, frankly, felt uneasy, and this emotion was faintly visible on his face.

When Kim Gang-seok gestured, two soldiers brought a duffel bag.

Inside were the weapons of Lee Hyun-wook and Choi Seon-ah.

"And I have one more order."

"Yes!"

"Actively accept the opinions of Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook."

***

The third-floor waiting area of Seoul Station, where the KTX and regular trains meet, is a terrace overlooking the second-floor waiting area.

There was a passage connecting to a department store inside, but it was blocked by the 'dome.'

The survivors had gathered as far inside as possible, near the food court of Seoul Station.

"The gate opened on the second floor, so we need to prevent the monsters from coming up to the third floor."

The station security team leader said.

It was a simple but difficult order.

However, it was the only method.

Lee Hyun-wook nodded and added,

"We need to block the stairs and escalators. And soon, the second wave will start."

"Second wave? That will be several times more than the first wave…"

The security team had struggled even with just two venomous armor spiders.

The second and third waves would release at least several times more.

"…."

No one spoke, but the atmosphere was like a funeral.

On the bright side, there were a few 'players' among the trapped civilians.

However…

"I'm a C-tier warrior, but I don't have a weapon, so I can't fight."

"I'm a marksman, but without a weapon, I'm practically a civilian."

"I have an appraiser characteristic, so combat is a bit…"

A warrior without a weapon, a marksman without a weapon, and a non-combat appraiser… They weren't much of a force.

"Do you want to use this?"

A security guard pulled a dagger from his waist and offered it to the warrior.

"This isn't just a regular enchanted weapon; it's made of magic metal."

"Tsk, I usually use a greatsword, but a dagger… Still, it's better than nothing."

However, using it to fight a giant monster like a venomous armor spider was unrealistic.

"When we fought earlier, it seemed that physical attacks didn't work much. Magic did, though…"

They were right.

The venomous armor spider had an extremely high 'physical damage resistance.'

"Right, so we need to focus magic attacks on one part of its shell, destroy it, and then concentrate physical attacks on that spot. Hmm…"

"Then, when we saw the bodies of those things, the thinnest part of the shell was the tail. Focusing attacks there might have the highest success rate."

They began to devise a strategy.

The reason monster battles are called 'raids' is precisely this. Facing a powerful monster head-on would almost certainly result in defeat.

Understanding the monster's characteristics, finding its weakness, and devising a 'strategy' through repeated practice is the best strategy a player can have.

"Actually, if Sergeant Lee could handle everything, that would be great, but that's impossible."

However, they all glanced at Lee Hyun-wook.

The only hope was someone with a power that could break through metal armor.

But Lee Hyun-wook's attention was elsewhere.

He stood on the third-floor terrace, looking at the gate on the second floor.

'As far as I know, there's not just one gate here.'

There were two gates open in this space.

However, no one knew this, and that was why the damage was greater, as Lee Hyun-wook, who had already experienced this event, knew.

'Right now, only I and…'

Lee Hyun-wook closed his eyes.

He scanned the area for metal.

A piece of metal, precisely a metal part someone was carrying, was moving from the third-floor terrace to the second floor.

It was a suspicious movement.

'…Villain.'

Lee Hyun-wook had already noticed and was keeping an eye on a villain mixed in with the crowd.

Earlier, while the station security team was dealing with the gate, he had identified the villain among the civilians.

While everyone was heading towards the exits in a panic, one man was the only one to turn his head and look around suspiciously.

It wasn't hard to suspect this man was the villain.

And now, that man was heading somewhere on the second floor.

"Lee Hyun-wook, is there something down there? You keep looking…"

Choi Seon-ah approached and asked.

"Yes, there is."

"…Huh? Is there someone separated from the group?"

Lee Hyun-wook shook his head without a word and looked at the security team leader.

"Security team leader, can I talk to you for a moment…"

"Ah, yes."

They moved about ten meters away from the civilians.

"What's the matter?"

"It's not good news."

The security team leader swallowed hard.

"There seems to be another gate inside this dome."

"…What? You mean a double gate is open?"

A double gate means, as the name suggests, two gates are open in the same location.

"Yes, I saw a completely different monster. It disappeared that way, and I think we need to check it out."

The double gate was real, but the part about seeing it was a lie.

He just needed an excuse to leave for a moment.

"Ah… Can you handle it alone?"

"I'll just check. If there's a problem here, I'll come back immediately to fight with you. Please take care of things here until then."

"Of course. Don't worry about that. We're the station security team, after all."

Lee Hyun-wook nodded and went down the stairs.

***

Yang Joo-sub was wandering through the empty second-floor waiting area and shops of Seoul Station.

"Damn! Where the hell is it!"

He knew from the system message that a double gate was open here, but he didn't know its exact location.

And even though he was a villain, he was still human.

Walking alone in this eerie atmosphere was not a pleasant experience.

- 'Monsters in the Unlucky Event area will not attack you.'

This message alone kept him moving forward.

"Phew, still, I have to endure this quest to become a regular villain."

A quest is an essential element in MMORPGs, presenting the player's goal.

However, in this game, receiving a 'quest' was a very special case.

And one of those cases was being a 'villain.'

- A small darkness will bloom from the unseen...

1) Delay time until the 'Venomous Armor Spider' from Gate 1 builds a 'nest' inside Seoul Station. (Failed!)

2) Massacre over 500 'civilians' by any means necessary. (In progress)

3) Deliver the item obtained from the elite monster 'Evil Seeker 11' from Gate 2 to the 'Villain Alliance.' (In progress)

* Reward: Promotion (Regular Villain)

The brutal quest message floated before Yang Joo-sub's eyes.

Although the first one had already failed, the third one was what he valued most.

'If I complete the third one, I can finally meet other villains!'

Until now, he had been a lone wolf, completing quests alone, but the day he would meet senior villains who had progressed further was not far off.

The true rulers, growing their power from the darkness of this world…

Yang Joo-sub smiled as he imagined their appearance.

"Oh, it's this way!"

Inside a franchise hamburger shop, a purple shimmer was faintly visible.

It was the distinctive light emanating from a gate.

He took a deep breath and entered.

However…

"…Huh?"

Inside the store, under a table, a skeleton lay shattered.

It was clearly a monster from the second gate he was looking for.

"Huh? What? It shouldn't be dead…"

He pulled out his specialized weapon, a wand, from his waist.

He took another deep breath and slowly walked inside.

Thud-thud-

In the spacious kitchen, a purple gate was open.

Woo-woo-

Compared to the gate on the second-floor waiting area, it was significantly smaller.

It had to be. The dungeon's level was low, and this gate was opened for a 'villain quest,' not to attack the human world.

However, there were also many bone fragments scattered around.

"Huh? Damn, what is this…"

Yang Joo-sub realized these were not just bone fragments.

The elite monster 'Evil Seeker 11' from the second gate

was clearly a skeleton-type elite monster that was supposed to meet him for the villain quest.

But it had been 'hunted' by someone.

"…Huh!"

Yang Joo-sub turned his head, following his gaze.

Someone was leaning against a wall.

"…."

It was a man in AMT combat gear, Lee Hyun-wook.

"Y-you, you, you…"

Yang Joo-sub was taken aback.

'How is this guy here?'

In contrast, Lee Hyun-wook looked at him with a cold, unflinching expression.

He had raised his right hand to chest height, and about ten metal spheres were floating and rotating irregularly above it.

As if ready to be fired at any moment…

Woo-woo-woo-woo-

Yang Joo-sub looked around again.

A dented stainless steel shelf, indented walls and floor, and shattered skeletons…

The power of those metal spheres was evident even without seeing them in action.

However, something else