Chapter 59

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Kim Gangseok and Choo Gyoyong, two towering figures, stood facing each other, glaring. Both were over 190 cm tall, making their presence incredibly intimidating. However, upon closer inspection, compared to Kim Gangseok, who had a sturdy build and distinct features, Choo Gyoyong, with his bulky frame and flat, unremarkable face, looked rather unimpressive.

'But in reality, Choo Gyoyong's combat power is considered superior.'

Of course, in terms of individual combat power, the druid Kim Gangseok would be better. However, Choo Gyoyong's minions would not be able to defeat those zombie monsters.

Nevertheless, Kim Gangseok did not back down.

"…Team Leader Choo Gyoyong, we have an important battle ahead, so let's conserve our strength."

Choo Gyoyong snorted at his words.

"Strength? Haha! When have I ever lacked strength? You seem to have forgotten who I am, haven't you?"

"Hey, I once gave you some advice. If you keep mistaking those beastly brats for your own children, you'll always stay the same… Even though you're one of the original players, you're still a B-rank?"

It was a blatant insult.

This caused the sparks between them to intensify, and the low-frequency roars from their minions grew even more intense.

It seemed as if they were about to engage in a brutal slaughter at any moment.

At that moment, someone intervened between them.

"Hey, Team Leader Choo, you need to maintain some dignity. What will you do if you keep getting angry all the time?"

It was Choi Jeongcheol.

"…General Choi, tsk— It's been a while."

"Yeah, you're getting old now. You have kids— Oh, you don't, right?"

Choo Gyoyong snorted again, as if he had heard a bad joke.

"I'm sorry for last time, but this time, my minions won't be caught in your flames."

"Right, you should definitely do that. Isn't that the bare minimum?"

It seemed that Choi Jeongcheol's fire magic had once devoured Choo Gyoyong's monsters.

"Sure, sure, but why don't we head inside? There are too many eyes watching us."

"…Right, let's do that."

No matter who he was, Choo Gyoyong couldn't treat Choi Jeongcheol lightly.

"Hey, Kim Gangseok, be careful, you…"

He said this to Kim Gangseok and then brushed past him.

***

Inside the elementary school, in the teachers' meeting room, over a dozen players had gathered.

They were the commanders of AMT and the leaders of various groups.

They were discussing the strategy for the upcoming 'Final Battle.'

Among them, Choo Gyoyong was raising his voice.

"Think about it, people—! If the General just gave them a good beating and they're quiet now, isn't this the best time to strike? Why wait for the Anyang duo? Time is of the essence—!"

His words were somewhat aggressive, but everyone listened in silence.

His argument was surprisingly reasonable from start to finish.

"I'll clear the way, and the rest of you should focus all your firepower on the sky to take out the bugs. Then, my beasts will quickly advance and destroy the erosion factor, before it's too late! Ugh, it's so frustrating, you people are so complacent, really…"

He was advocating for an immediate air strike instead of waiting for the Anyang duo.

Lee Hyunwook understood his intention.

'He wants to lure all the forces into a trap and wipe them out before the Anyang duo arrives.'

The Anyang duo, both A-rank players, would double the concerns for Choo Gyoyong once they arrived.

He intended to completely eliminate one threat before then.

However, to those who didn't know his true intentions, it seemed like a reasonable strategy.

With Choo Gyoyong's powerful minions leading the charge and hundreds of players following, concentrating their firepower on the sky, it wasn't impossible to reach the erosion factor.

'This is the fastest and most certain method, in my opinion.'

…Of course, only if Choo Gyoyong was really on their side.

"Hey, if we move quickly and they join us when they arrive, isn't that fine? We can't afford to waste a single second here. Anyway, soldiers, theoretical discussions are their specialty, right?"

The civilian guild players nodded one by one as they listened to his words.

Their impatience made Choo Gyoyong's argument more convincing.

"Hmm… I agree."

"Our guild also agrees with this plan."

"Yes, I agree. It seems quite feasible."

The civilian guild players gradually agreed with the plan. Even Choi Jeongcheol and Kim Gangseok, though they hadn't yet voiced their agreement, thought it was feasible.

However…

"…I disagree."

It was none other than Lee Hyunwook who spoke.

"—What? Why!"

Choo Gyoyong shouted in disbelief and looked at Choi Jeongcheol.

"General Choi, what's with this guy?"

"Hmm, he's the commander of 'Steel Platoon.'"

The civilian player leaders present looked at Lee Hyunwook with renewed interest.

They hadn't expected the famous commander of the Steel Platoon to be so young.

"…Him?"

Choo Gyoyong laughed.

Every time his Steel Platoon appeared, villains went missing.

His expression suggested that such a culprit was just a young kid.

"Hey, you're a soldier, right? What's your player rank?"

"…"

"Did you really eliminate the erosion factor? Haha… Was it just luck, or did you take credit for someone else's work? And you look like you have almost no experience…"

"Have you ever been close to the erosion factor?"

Lee Hyunwook interrupted Choo Gyoyong and asked.

Choo Gyoyong's face turned red.

"…What? You? Did you just call me 'you'?"

"Who said we don't have time? Let's get to the point quickly."

"Such a—"

Lee Hyunwook ignored him and looked at General Choi Jeongcheol.

"General, given the situation, I'll have to be a bit rude."

Choi Jeongcheol nodded as if it was expected.

"Is there anyone here who has eliminated or even been close to the erosion factor?"

Of course, no one had.

"We are the only ones who have been close to the erosion factor in the Wave Zone, along with the Anyang duo. So, what do you know that makes you decide to charge in so recklessly?"

Lee Hyunwook raised his voice and looked around the table.

As the commander of the Steel Platoon and the only one who had eliminated the erosion factor, the way people looked at Lee Hyunwook had completely changed.

"Everyone! The situation has changed. After dealing with three erosion factors, an additional event has started. Trying to interpret this unknown space with old experiences and charge in… Is that courage from experience? No…"

Lee Hyunwook shook his head and spoke in a low voice.

"That's… complacency from being old."

One by one, people nodded. Upon reflection, there was indeed a sense of complacency.

"We encountered various traps and countless elite monsters when we reached the erosion factor twice. We haven't even figured out what a 'boss monster' is. If we charge in recklessly, we, a loosely organized group gathered from various places, will be wiped out."

At this, Choo Gyoyong stood up.

"Shut up— What elite monsters? They don't exist!"

"Really? How do you know that?"

"…"

As a villain, he naturally knew the most. But he couldn't reveal that, so his outburst seemed baseless.

"Ah, no, that…"

"Right, you don't know at all. I know you're a great player with a lot of experience. But… you don't know anything about the Wave. Yet, you're suggesting we risk our lives and the fate of Seoul on a single charge."

"…"

Choo Gyoyong couldn't respond, and Lee Hyunwook continued with a resigned smile.

"What everyone here is worried about is time."

Yes, time.

There was only one day left until the erosion.

And the number of 'Ironclad Bugs' increases with each passing moment.

"But, time can also be on our side."

"…What do you mean?"

A female master of a medium-sized guild asked.

"At this moment, not only are the bugs increasing, but players are also gathering. The Anyang duo, our strongest force, is on the way. And most importantly…"

Lee Hyunwook looked at Choi Jeongcheol.

"The time we are using now is thanks to General Choi Jeongcheol's powerful skill. And that skill's cooldown is continuously decreasing."

Choi Jeongcheol nodded.

"Yes, I can guarantee that. My skill will be ready in 11 hours."

With this, Lee Hyunwook delivered his final statement.

"Right. Our best moment might actually be 11 hours from now."

"Ah—!"

Everyone understood Lee Hyunwook's point.

In 11 hours, there would still be about 7 hours left until the erosion is complete.

At that moment, Choi Jeongcheol's 'Semi-Armageddon' would be ready, and he could use it again to significantly reduce the number of Ironclad Bugs.

At that moment, if as many players as possible gathered and charged, they would fight under the best conditions.

Hearing this, everyone began to agree with Lee Hyunwook.

"Seems like… this suggestion is better."

"I think so too."

"Yes, that's right. We only have one chance left. Instead of rushing into an uncertain method, it's better to wait a bit and use a more reliable approach."

Choo Gyoyong glared at Lee Hyunwook, trembling.

His first plan had been completely thwarted.

***

"Hey, Steel Platoon—!"

After the meeting, as they walked down the corridor, Choo Gyoyong approached Lee Hyunwook.

He leaned in close and whispered in his ear.

"Damn, you're quite the troublemaker for such a young punk…"

He placed his hand on Lee Hyunwook's shoulder.

Crack—!

He seemed to be trying to apply pressure to hurt him.

But Lee Hyunwook showed no sign of pain.

"You— Your body…"

It was as hard as steel.

Feeling the pain in his own grip, he eventually removed his hand and patted Lee Hyunwook's shoulder.

"Anyway… you should be careful."

He started to openly threaten him.

"Sometimes my beasts get out of control, and accidents happen."

It was a warning that he might be killed at any moment.

Lee Hyunwook nodded and replied.

"I'm still learning to control my abilities, so I often make mistakes. Be careful of the metal shards."

"…What? Metal shards? How do you think I can be affected by metal shards?"

Just then,

"Everyone, look over there!"

"What… What is that?"

Outside the window, the playground was becoming unusually chaotic.

Soon, a fierce cry was heard.

"Damn! The bugs are coming down!"

…What?

Lee Hyunwook hurried to the window.

'What…'

In the distance, near Cheongryong Mountain, a black surge was rising.

This time, it wasn't smoke from a fire.

'Really… they've come out.'

Once again, at an unexpected time, the villains seemed to have used the 'lure item.'

'…Are they going all out?'

Choo Gyoyong approached and chuckled.

"…Ha, well, it seems your stupid stalling has failed. What are you going to do now?"

"…"

"That's why I suggested we take the initiative. If only you had listened to me… Hehe—"

It seemed that with his original plan foiled, Choo Gyoyong had resorted to more extreme measures.

To summon the Ironclad Bugs before they had fully gathered…

He intended to create chaos and disperse the player group.

"Prepare for battle—!"

Somewhere, Kim Gangseok's shout was heard.

But only the AMT soldiers and a few experienced players responded properly.

Most were caught off guard and were in a panic.

Choo Gyoyong watched the scene with amusement.

"Isn't this too much of a mess?"

"You should wipe that drool, hehe, I'll go first?"

Choo Gyoyong opened the window and threw himself out.

"You idiots—! Stop panicking and fight properly, damn it!"

Choo Gyoyong shouted as he crossed the playground.

At the end, his minions were lined up in a row.

Roar—

At his gesture, they drew their weapons and began to charge forward.

Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—!

They pushed aside all the cars on the playground and charged fiercely somewhere.

But their movement was strange.

They seemed to ignore the bugs coming from the sky, climbed over the school fence, and disappeared from sight.

Choo Gyoyong's plan was simple.

'Anyway, the Ironclad Bugs keep appearing. It's fine if we use some here.'

The gathering point had been announced, and players from all over Seoul were converging.

If news spread that the gathering point was under attack, the influx would stop.

This would disrupt the players' preparation for a powerful assault.

'If we don't use them up now, they'll eventually break through…'

And…

'Go and cast the enhancement spell.'

His minions, after crossing the fence, were casting the 'Enhancement Ritual' on the 'Ironclad Bugs' somewhere far away. It was a very rare skill he possessed.

—Your minion 'Minotaur' sacrifices its health to radiate 'Wild Growth' in the area.

With this system message, a gray smoke rose in the distance.

When friendly monsters were enveloped in this smoke, they became up to three times stronger.

"Damn, the bugs are coming, but where are all the Minotaurs?"

Someone approached and questioned him.

It was Captain Go Jinhan.

"What? They're always wild, so don't worry about it and do your job!"

"No, if they're that uncontrollable, we need to protect this place!"

"Ah, damn— Don't worry… Do you want to lose?"

Go Jinhan muttered a curse and stepped back.

'If the enhanced bugs gather, this small force will be nothing.'

Choo Gyoyong scanned the players with a sneer.

'And when their strength weakens, I can just sweep them away. Even if someone sees me…'

He was willing to be labeled a terrorist to ensure the villains' plan succeeded.

Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—

As he thought this, a massive rumble approached him.

It was a 5-meter-long turtle-like monster with a crimson shell, the 'Golem Turtle.'

"Team Leader, I've brought out the Golem Turtle."

"Good, take good care of it."

"Yes!"

Then, three Black Orcs, his bodyguards, approached him.

"However, as I mentioned earlier, I will keep a close eye on the Steel Platoon."

"It's fine, man— What could they have noticed? They were just lucky."

Choo Gyoyong believed the Steel Platoon had discovered nothing about the villains.

The Five Butchers were captured by Kim Gangseok and Seo Eunha, and Gi Baekjun activated the suicide spell.

Gong Hyunjun was originally eccentric and lacked composure, so he was captured.

Choi Minseong and his group were likely captured and all activated the suicide spell together.

"And with so many eyes watching, how could they attack me without any evidence?"

The Steel Platoon were soldiers.

They wouldn't do anything that violated their principles.

"So, we are in the safest state right now."

Surrounded by the enemy, protected by the enemy.

Like a cuckoo in a sparrow's nest.

"Hehe— This is… easier than I thought."

He smiled openly.

But then,

Crack—!

A loud noise echoed above his head.

Reflexively, he looked up to see a 'giant sword' colliding with a 'Mana Drone.'

"What?"

The magic drone crashed, and the giant sword was deflected.

Swoosh—Swoosh—Swoosh—Swoosh—!

The giant sword,