Chapter 5

5. Gate Incident - 2

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About 300 meters ahead, a purple shimmer was visible; it was the gate.

'Almost there.'

Hyun-wook's footsteps quickened as he climbed the mountain path. Although his gaze was fixed on the ground ahead, his unique senses extended outward, detecting almost all the metal in the vicinity.

His metal detection ability could currently sense objects up to about 102 meters away and weighing about 500 grams.

He intended to use this ability to 'identify' the positions of the monsters.

'I need to detect moving metal.'

There was plenty of metal scattered throughout the base.

Barbed wire, guard posts, stakes, and other objects interfered with the identification process. However, what Hyun-wook was trying to detect was moving metal, specifically the blades carried by goblins.

And then...

Beep!

- This is Guard Post 6! We've been surrounded in an instant! They're goblins! Over a dozen goblins are heading towards the guard post! It's the gate! The gate inside the base has opened! Immediate support is needed!

The urgent radio transmission was followed by rapid gunfire nearby.

Ta-da-da-da-dang!

Hyun-wook and Jun-mo simultaneously lowered their stances.

Jun-mo lay flat, taking a shooting position, but Hyun-wook continued to advance.

Zzzz!

Soon, a light flashed ahead.

It was a lightning spell.

In that moment, Guard Post 6 came into view. It seemed there was a lightning-type mage among the guards, as one goblin was seen flying back after being hit.

Kiiii...

Hyun-wook remembered that the guards at Post 6 were a 'sniper' and a 'mage.'

'Those guys won't last long. They'll probably fall soon.'

There were lanterns at the post, and the surrounding bushes were trimmed short, but it was still very difficult to spot and accurately shoot at small, agile monsters like goblins in the dark.

In other words, without a warrior-type player, it was impossible to stop the goblin horde.

"This is Guard Post 5. I'm heading to support Guard Post 6."

Hyun-wook said this over the radio while climbing the mountain path.

- This is the command center, Guard Post 5! Hold on for a moment...

The voice of the situation officer was cut off, and another voice quickly took over.

- Hey! Guard 5! Guard 5! Aren't you F-rank? Who the hell scheduled F-rank players for duty?

It was a man's voice, likely the duty commander in the command center.

- Hey! The 5-minute response team has already left! You guys just stay put at the post! Don't cause trouble...

Hyun-wook turned down the volume on the walkie-talkie.

It wasn't just because the duty commander's angry voice was annoying, but because the noise could expose their position.

And...

'The 5-minute response team is on the way, but it will take them a while to climb the mountain from the barracks.'

He had experienced this in his past life. Waiting for the 5-minute response team resulted in Guard Post 6 being brutally attacked.

"Corporal Hyun-wook! Didn't the duty commander just tell us not to go up?"

"Jun-mo, if we don't go, they'll get seriously hurt, and they might even die."

"Ah... I see."

But honestly, Hyun-wook was more attracted to the significant benefits he could gain from this gate. That was why he was moving so urgently.

'At the scene, an elite monster is killed, and it drops a pretty good item.'

Goblin Shaman.

A commonly known 'elite monster' that, when hunted, yields much better items than regular monsters.

Hyun-wook lowered his stance and set his 'adjustment' to single-shot mode.

Beep!

- This is Guard Post 6! Corporal Kim Jeong-ok is injured! Hurry! Ah! Help us quickly!

The voice on the other end of the walkie-talkie sounded panicked, likely the deputy sniper at Post 6.

At that moment, Hyun-wook raised his gun.

'Finally, I can sense them.'

He still couldn't see anything, but the 'moving metals' finally began to be detected.

About 300 grams in weight...

It was definitely the 'crude daggers' carried by the goblins.

Aiming at those points, Hyun-wook fired without hesitation.

Ta-ang! Ta-ang!

After two shots, a scream and the sound of something collapsing in the bushes ahead were heard.

Kiiii...

The 5.56mm bullet hit the goblin's head. While an ordinary bullet couldn't penetrate a monster's skull, a well-aimed shot could cause a concussion and knock it down.

Ta-ang!

Another shot, and the sound of something collapsing was heard again. It was another hit.

At that moment, another lightning spell was cast from Post 6.

Zzzz!

The world was momentarily bathed in white light, expanding the field of view...

At that moment, Jun-mo saw it.

"Huh?"

Kii!

A goblin leaped out of the bushes, charging towards him...

"Oh, no!"

Jun-mo quickly raised his gun.

"Ah!"

At that moment, he realized he hadn't reloaded.

He hurriedly tried to pull the bolt to reload, but the goblin was already right in front of him.

Kiiiii!

There was no time to react.

Jun-mo fell backward, covering his head with his arms.

Puck!

At the same time, the sound of flesh being pierced was heard.

"Huh?"

Strangely, his body was unharmed. Instead, he saw the goblin who had charged at him fall forward.

And a M9 bayonet was embedded in the goblin's back.

"Ah..."

Beyond that, Hyun-wook was looking at him.

When he raised his left hand lightly...

Whoosh!

The M9 bayonet, which had been embedded in the goblin's head, was pulled out and hovered in the air.

"You see, Jun-mo. I told you that with that body, you can't even catch one goblin."

It was something he had said not long ago.

"Ah... I'm... I'm sorry..."

"Pull yourself together and get up. Use the magic you're good at, not the gun. That's how you can make a difference."

With that, Hyun-wook turned his head forward. The M9 bayonet, which had been hovering in the air, lay down horizontally and shot into the darkness, following his gaze.

He was pursuing the enemy.

Whoosh!

As the bayonet passed, the bushes were cut, and the lantern's light scattered. Hyun-wook ran into the area, continuing his aimed shots.

Ta-ang! Ta-ang!

Three more crude daggers were now floating behind him.

Crude daggers, weapons dropped by goblins.

"Ah..."

Indeed, he was now controlling a total of four daggers.

'If he says it can change... can it really change?'

Jun-mo couldn't believe that the man in front of him was 'F-rank.'

The three daggers hovered menacingly like giant wasps before diving into the bushes.

The scene was so fast and precise that it seemed like a hawk diving into the water.

Jun-mo suppressed his heavy breathing and focused on the situation unfolding.

Ta-ang! Ta-ang! Ta-ang!

Amid the loud gunfire, the goblins' screams occasionally broke out.

Jun-mo watched the entire process in a daze.

'...It's changed. It's definitely changed.'

He was the first to realize that the change wasn't just in Hyun-wook's mindset.

***

'As expected, it's easy.'

Nine goblins, the number of monsters Hyun-wook had dealt with in just three minutes.

His body and abilities were the same as before, but the memories of his past life remained. He had not only hunted low-level monsters like goblins but also monsters powerful enough to overthrow a nation.

Honestly, he was confident he could handle this with just one dagger.

Hyun-wook was now close enough to identify Guard Post 6.

During this time, he had circled around behind the goblins.

Since each goblin carried a crude dagger, Hyun-wook could accurately pinpoint their positions and easily avoid them.

And then...

'I found it.'

Near the gate, he spotted a goblin in strange attire. Covered in tattoos and adorned with long jewelry, it was significantly taller than a regular goblin...

This was the boss monster and elite monster of this gate, the 'Goblin Shaman.'

'If I don't take it down quickly, all the goblins will come after me.'

Hyun-wook held his breath and aimed at the goblin's knees.

Ta-ang! Ta-ang! Ta-ang!

Three single shots, precise aimed shots.

Three bullets hit the goblin's knees.

Kiiiii!

The goblin's scream, and at the same time, daggers shot from behind Hyun-wook.

But the goblin, being an 'elite monster,' sensed the daggers' approach and quickly raised a small wooden shield to protect itself.

Thud! Thud!

Two daggers were blocked by the shield, but...

'It's useless.'

Whoosh!

The remaining dagger changed direction in mid-air and bypassed the shield. With years of experience controlling multiple metals and adjusting their 'flight paths,' he was skilled at this.

Puck!

The dagger embedded itself in the goblin's side, causing its dirty body to stagger.

Guh!

Despite the quite fatal blow, the goblin didn't lose its spirit. It pulled out the daggers embedded in its side and the shield and threw them back through the gate.

Once the metal crossed into another dimension, it could no longer be controlled.

Did the goblin notice how the daggers were moving?

'Sure enough, it lives up to its name.'

But nothing had changed.

"Then..."

Hyun-wook's senses were detecting numerous metals within about 150 meters.

"...I'll borrow yours for a moment."

Hyun-wook extended his hand towards the Goblin Shaman.

The goblin was adorned with various jewelry, some of which were metal pieces. As Hyun-wook moved them, a long necklace quickly wrapped around its owner's neck.

...Ke, ke!

The Goblin Shaman, choking, dropped its shield and grabbed its neck.

Crack!

It managed to break the necklace with its strength, but...

"No matter how urgent it is, you shouldn't let your guard down."

A crude dagger hanging from the goblin's waist suddenly shot up into the sky.

The goblin, surprised, looked up.

Even as an elite monster, it hadn't expected this.

In the next moment, the dagger fell towards the goblin's head.

Puck!

The goblin's body collapsed vertically.

Thud!

That was the end.

However, Hyun-wook didn't relax. Although the goblins under the Goblin Shaman's command would fall into chaos and become disorganized, many still remained.

Ta-da-da-dang!

Precise aimed shots and the use of multiple daggers allowed him to literally hunt the remaining goblins.

At the same time, he levitated the 'metals' on the ground and collected them into his pocket.

Most were spent shell casings, occasionally mixed with small blue stones.

Mana Stones.

These were items dropped by almost all monsters and served as a source of energy in the other world. Though called stones, they were actually made of metal.

When Hyun-wook swallowed these, his 'total metal' and 'total mana' would increase.

He collected the metals while approaching the Goblin Shaman's corpse.

'It must have dropped something...'

Using his metal control ability, he scanned the area around the shaman. Various metals were detected around the goblin's body.

Most were jewelry.

But what he was looking for wasn't such trivial items.

'...Found it.'

Soon, a very heavy object was detected.

Rumble! Thud!

He pulled it towards him and grabbed it with his left hand. It was a solid black metal lump.

- You have obtained 'Adamant.'

"Is this...?"

Adamant.

A legendary metal item.

A very rare magical metal used in the creation of top-tier weapons, it was the hardest material of all.

For a tank player, obtaining armor made from an Adamant alloy would be a lifelong goal. And it was an extremely expensive item, worth over a million won per 10 grams.

'Already obtaining this...'

Hyun-wook quickly put the 6 cm diameter object in his mouth, making sure no one saw.

Glug!

Despite its size, he managed to swallow it.

- Caution! You are already absorbing 'metal.' Absorption delay has occurred.

The lock he had previously swallowed hadn't been fully digested, and the 'absorption delay' penalty was activated. In simple terms, it was indigestion, significantly increasing the absorption time.

- Metal absorption will be complete in (09:48:51).

While this might seem somewhat inefficient...

'But if I hadn't done this, the military would have collected it.'

According to AMT regulations, all items obtained through military operations belong to the military.

He had only collected a few mana stones, leaving the rest, to avoid suspicion.

Being too greedy could raise suspicion, and if he were to receive focused scrutiny, it would be troublesome.

At that moment...

Zzzz!

A bright white light burst from somewhere, shooting into the sky and illuminating the area.

It wasn't a single burst of light like a lightning spell but a bright beam that outshone nearby warning lights.

'It's Holy Light.'

One of the basic skills of a holy-type player.

'The paladin has finally arrived.'

The duty officer, Lieutenant Seo Eun-ha.

"...Everyone, fall back!"

With a shout, she landed in front of Guard Post 6.

She held a longsword in both hands and looked around.

Usually, she would be equipped with a shield and metal armor, looking like a real knight, but she had rushed here with only her weapon.

"Help the injured and move them away from the gate... Huh?"

But everything was already over.

Seo Eun-ha's face turned blank as she looked around again.

And then her eyes met those of a soldier standing alone in the blood-stained bushes, Hyun-wook.

"...What? How did this happen?"

Looking at her somewhat bewildered expression, Hyun-wook calmly saluted.

"..."

To her, it was a completely incomprehensible scene.

***

Soon, the 5-minute response team arrived, followed by the battalion commander from the barracks.

Hyun-wook was ordered to return to the dormitory and wait.

And after some time...

- Attention! This is the administrative office. Corporal Hyun-wook... Please proceed to the command center immediately. The battalion commander is calling for you. This message is repeated...

The voice was that of the duty officer, Kwak Jin-cheol, and it carried a hint of dejection.

Given his personality, he was probably feeling envious upon hearing of Hyun-wook's heroics.

Hyun-wook stood up as if he had been waiting for this.

'Reward.'

An F-rank player had perfectly handled an internal gate incident.

In a way, it was like a private had captured a spy.

A generous reward was in order.

'Then... I should ask for it.'

Despite the limited military life, the benefits he could gain during this period were considerable.

'A low-level item, one of the potential items, is in the battalion armory.'

For a long time, the methods to improve the abilities of F-rank players would remain shrouded in mystery, and items with 'detailed information' hidden were in existence.

These were called 'potential items.'

Items typically have fixed performance. While they can be enhanced, the success rate of enhancement is low, making it risky.

However, potential items grow under specific conditions without such limitations.

The list of these items was written in a notebook that Hyun-wook had kept since his regression.

'If I ask for it as a reward this time, they'll likely give it to me without much trouble.'

At a time when the potential of F-rank players was still unknown, only one person knew the value of that item.