Chapter 24

24. Seoul Station, F-Rank and S-Rank – 3

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

Twenty minutes before a player without a level appeared, inside Seoul Station...

- A boss monster will appear. (00:08:12)

"If this 'boss monster' also has a metal shell like those spiders, my ability might not work."

Lee Hyun-wook had foreseen that his ability might become ineffective.

"Huh, what you mean is..."

"I won't be able to destroy the shell of that spider monster."

"..."

He didn't bother to explain the reason.

'Metal isn't something that can be burst just because it's metal.'

If it was protected by magic or a power, or if it was a rare item of a certain grade, or if it had a certain level of strength like the skin of a powerful monster,

there were various cases where Lee Hyun-wook's control over metal didn't reach.

'Of course, if I increase my metal control, I can break through that limit, but not yet.'

Therefore, he had to keep expanding his ability without being complacent.

"Well, what should we do? The magic damage can penetrate their shells, but with our attack power alone, it's impossible to break the shell... "

The security team leader asked with a worried expression, but Lee Hyun-wook answered calmly.

"Well, we'll have to tie it up and peel off the shell."

"Huh? Tie it up? How can we... such a monster..."

"I'll explain the plan now."

With little time left, Lee Hyun-wook explained concisely, focusing on the key points.

"Ha..."

When his explanation was over, the players couldn't hide their stiff expressions.

"Hmm, I don't know if it's possible, but it seems to be the best method."

"And it's the only method we have now. Everyone, prepare in your positions."

With only five minutes left, the players scattered to their respective positions.

'A raid isn't about overpowering with strength.'

'Raid,' a term used in MMORPGs to mean tackling a boss or dungeon, had become a specialized term for 'anti-monster tactics' after the world changed like a game.

In the design of this game, players inevitably faced enemies stronger than themselves. Most monsters were more powerful than players of a corresponding level and, most importantly, they were numerous.

Of course, with a huge investment, one could cover themselves in incredible items and win by brute force, but in reality, most players couldn't prepare to that extent.

'Therefore, we must use all the methods we have.'

In his previous life, Lee Hyun-wook had performed the task of a 'raid team leader.'

A raid meant advancing beyond the gate to 'clear a dungeon' and 'kill a boss monster.' Through this process, he had learned and realized many things, which he remembered as 'raid strategies.'

'The weakness of this thing is, in fact, electricity.'

- A boss monster will appear. (00:00:00)

The number that had been floating in front of him reached zero.

At that moment...

- The boss monster 'Venomous Armor Spider (Queen)' has appeared.

Zzzzzzzz-

With the system message, the gate began to emit a light of a different dimension. Soon, a massive something emerged from somewhere, blocking the light and forming a huge shadow.

"Ah! It, it's out!"

It was a spider again.

However, this time it was a 'Queen.'

Kiki-ki-ki-ki-

The queen spider was about 1.5 times larger than the venomous armor spiders that appeared during the first and second eruptions.

It was so large that the highest part of its body seemed to touch the third-floor terrace.

'Not only its size, but the paralyzing gas is probably three to four times stronger.'

Lee Hyun-wook stretched out his left hand, sensing the shell of the monster just in case.

- Uncontrollable metal.

'There's no choice but to follow the plan...'

Lee Hyun-wook stood up and drew the 'Sword of Clouds.'

- The 'Sword of Clouds' skill 'Mist' is available.

He pointed the tip of the sword at the monster and used the skill.

Puuuuuuuuuuu-

A massive amount of mist began to spout from the tip of the sword.

While the cobalt had been a full-spectrum spray, this time it was scattered in a hemispherical shape in front.

At the same time, he used his metal control.

'All rise...'

The target was a pile of venomous armor spider metal shells, broken into pieces the size of fingernails, thousands of them, which he made float in the air all at once.

'Spread and advance!'

Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-

They passed through the mist, soaking up moisture.

Then, they began to fly like a swarm of insects, forming a certain formation.

Kiki-ki-ki-ki-

The monster began to react to their movement.

Soon, it would realize that there was prey nearby.

"Water balls are ready!"

"Shoot now!"

Two mages raised their wands.

At the tips, spherical water forms were created.

'Water Ball' was one of the most basic skills.

"-Fire!"

Puuu! Puuu!

Water balls, each containing 300 liters of water, burst on the monster's back like water balloons.

Water bombs, wet metal pieces...

At that moment, Lee Hyun-wook turned his head.

There stood Park Jun-mo.

"Yes! I'm ready!"

Park Jun-mo stepped forward with his wand, taking a deep breath.

'The decisive role... I can do it!'

Lee Hyun-wook had assigned Park Jun-mo the 'decisive' role again.

F-rank, private, a pitiful description... but now it was different.

"Everyone, move as far back as possible!"

Park Jun-mo shouted confidently while swinging his wand.

"III..."

- Dischargeable current (100%)

He usually used it in four parts, but this time it was different.

The maximum capacity, all at once, he squeezed it out and formed it into a spherical shape.

Zzzzzzzz-

The electric mass trembled unstably, as if it would scatter at any moment.

'I've been training according to Sergeant Lee Hyun-wook's instructions! I can do it!'

Park Jun-mo didn't take Lee Hyun-wook's words lightly before he went on leave.

He did chin-ups every day and trained at the training ground to hone his ability.

'I can change, even if my ability remains the same, I can change!'

Park Jun-mo concentrated as much as possible, clumping it together and overcoming the tremendous resistance he felt in his fingertips.

The sensation of gathering electricity was indescribable.

It was as if he was scooping up overflowing water with his hands and forming it into a ball...

An impossible task, but Park Jun-mo was doing it now.

"Go!"

He shot it at the monster.

The moment the blue sphere touched the monster's body-

Zzzzzzzz!

A tremendous shock wave occurred.

It was like seeing a giant 'Plasma Ball,' blue currents extending in all directions, entangling like a spider web. They jumped around, crushing everything in the area through metal, water, and all conductors.

"Oh... crazy..."

Moisture weakens the electrical resistance of the skin.

Shell, and the gaps between the shells,

the wet parts, blue currents surged in.

Zzzzzzzz!

And when electrocuted, the nerves are the first to be paralyzed.

Kiki-ki-ki-ki...

The monster trembled and collapsed.

"Uh? It, it really fainted!"

Everyone was amazed that Lee Hyun-wook's plan had worked.

But it wasn't time to relax.

"It won't last more than a few seconds! Move on to the next plan!"

Meanwhile, Lee Hyun-wook attached thousands of metal pieces to the monster's legs.

'They're too small, still hard to control!'

But it wasn't impossible.

In his previous life, he had moved them hundreds of thousands of times.

The wet metal pieces were already attached to the monster's entire body.

"Freezing magic, now!"

As soon as the words were spoken, blue energy masses shot out from the mages' wands.

They exploded near the monster's legs.

Zzzzzzzz!

Ice began to rise like foam from the impact points, entangling the wet metal pieces.

Just like adding gravel to cement to make it harder-

The ice masses thus created were several times harder than pure ice made only of water.

Six out of eight legs were firmly restrained.

"Now that it's completely stopped, everyone, hurry up!"

Lee Hyun-wook slung his bag and jumped down from the terrace.

Woo-

Just before landing, he applied control to the bag to cushion the impact.

He opened the zipper and pulled out the end of a 'steel wire' from inside.

'I'll use this to tie its legs!'

The reason he had prepared this heavy steel wire was precisely for this.

2.23mm thick steel wire, 20m long, a total of 3 rolls... Lee Hyun-wook used them to tie the queen spider's legs in pairs, wrapping them tightly.

Steel wire can withstand tremendous tensile strength.

This secured a considerable amount of time.

"Now! We have to peel off its shell during this time!"

Lee Hyun-wook climbed up to the monster's waist first.

Then, the other players, who had hesitated for a moment, began to climb up, stepping on the gaps between the shells.

'Just one shell needs to be removed!'

If that was done, they could deal effective damage to the monster.

At that moment.

"Ah, damn... Why did you call me if this was going to happen?"

A familiar voice rang out from somewhere...

The players involuntarily turned their heads.

"Huh? Could it be..."

"...Huh, Player Han Tae-san?"

Near the entrance, a large man stood upright.

'Damn! You came in earlier than I thought?'

Lee Hyun-wook started working without hesitation.

There was no time.

Grrr!

He applied 'Hardening' to both hands and inserted the Sword of Clouds into the gap between the shells.

Using the principle of a lever, he applied force while also using 17.5kg of metal control.

"Ugh!"

Zzzzzzzz!

It worked.

The shell was peeled off, but at that moment...

Kiki-ki-ki!

The monster woke up and thrashed.

Even though it couldn't free its legs yet, the thrashing was enough to send Lee Hyun-wook flying.

"Uh, uh, uh! It, it's awake!"

The players fled in panic from the monster's back.

'But a hole has been made! We can still catch it!'

But what was more concerning was the giant in green tracksuit, the martial artist Han Tae-san, who was slowly walking towards him.

"Ha, what, it's still not dead?"

He was loosening his neck and wrists as if he was about to pounce.

'If this continues, he'll get the item as originally planned.'

According to the original timeline, he would obtain the 'Hero' grade item that appeared here.

He had tried to intercept it, but the timing overlapped awkwardly.

"What the hell were you trying to do? Hey, over there! Stop messing around and get out of the way!"

To deal with the boss first, Lee Hyun-wook used his metal control to start moving all the sharp objects he could control.

But he couldn't stop Han Tae-san.

Thud, thud, thud-

He closed the distance by pushing off the ground a few times and threw a light left hook.

Puuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu