Chapter 77

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Lee Hyun-wook stood in front of the massive door, the first 'safe.'

"Team Leader Lee, is this key the one to open this door?"

Lee Jung-joon asked, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded.

Everyone's eyes filled with anticipation.

"Oh, as expected..."

Lee Hyun-wook inserted the silver key, which he had obtained from the guardian of the ruins, into the left side of the massive door—Safe 1.

Click!

A perfect fit, and the massive door slowly opened.

Rumble—

"Wow!"

A faint light spilled out from inside.

Lee Hyun-wook was the first to step inside.

It was a completely white space.

Unlike what the name 'safe' suggested, it had a corridor-like structure with various items displayed on both sides. It felt more like an art gallery than a safe, where items were stored.

The Hope Guild members couldn't help but marvel at the items.

"Wow, those things over there, they look like valuable items just by looking at them, don't they?"

"Yeah, they're at least rare grade, and maybe even hero grade."

Given that ordinary players found it difficult to obtain even 'rare grade' items, it was natural for their eyes to widen and their mouths to water.

However, the Blue Flower Guild members could only lick their lips.

"Phew... It's magnificent, but nothing will fall to us, right?"

"Tsk, I wonder how much all of this would be worth if combined..."

The items would be distributed after the dungeon was cleared, and since Lee Hyun-wook's 'contribution' was overwhelming, most of them would end up belonging to the Hope Guild, effectively giving Lee Hyun-wook the freedom to take what he wanted.

'Each of these items is quite good, but the truly important one is just one, at the end.'

Lee Hyun-wook reached the end of the room, in front of a massive glass-like object.

Upon closer inspection, the object surrounding it was not glass but a translucent 'barrier,' and inside was a flat, eye-shaped metal piece about the size of two palm segments.

- Caution! Only those with the authority to access the safe can approach!

Here, 'safe access authority' referred to the key to this room that Lee Hyun-wook held.

In other words, Lee Hyun-wook could pass through the barrier, and he boldly inserted his hand to grasp the item.

Rumble—

- Name: The 3rd Fragment of the Eye of Horus (Legendary)

- Effect: Allows you to see things that cannot be seen by ordinary means.

* Collect all 'fragments' to unlock true power.

'...I didn't expect to obtain this so early.'

Lee Hyun-wook felt that he was becoming stronger faster than he had anticipated.

Horus is the sun god in Egyptian mythology, and his eye is considered a talisman with various symbolic meanings, known as the 'Eye of the King' that can see through everything.

Fittingly, even though it was an incomplete 'fragment,' it was a legendary item and, like 'Hugin,' specialized in 'information acquisition.'

However, while Hugin detects things that actually exist, this item allows you to see things that do not exist.

In simpler terms, it's like gaining the abilities of an 'analyst' player, allowing you to see a monster's level, hidden information about items, detailed information about gates, and more.

'And that is a huge advantage today.'

Major powers, such as nations, guilds, and corporations, operate multiple 'analyst parties' and make various efforts to improve their levels.

'It's natural. Information is power in any world...'

The 'game information' that only analysts can see is power,

and power leads to opportunities.

'And if I absorb this... this time, my eyes will change.'

Lee Hyun-wook placed the Eye of Horus deep in his inner pocket.

Given his experience of collapsing when the 'Aether Engine' was formed, it was right to absorb it in a safe situation after the dungeon was cleared.

So far, this was all part of the scenario Lee Hyun-wook knew.

'Now... it's time to open the adjacent room.'

Lee Hyun-wook left Safe 1 and stood in front of Safe 2.

This was an unknown space even to Lee Hyun-wook.

"Seriously, can you open that one too?"

Park Mu-han asked with a puzzled look.

"Yes, I obtained it as a reward from the hidden quest I received."

"Oh, I see..."

Lee Hyun-wook gave a plausible reason for being able to open it, then took out the 'Master Key of Ancient Relics' and inserted it into the keyhole of the door.

Click—

Safe 2, which opened, was several times larger than Safe 1.

"Hmm..."

Unlike Safe 1, it was an empty space, and no matter how thoroughly he looked, there was nothing that could be called an 'item.'

"That's strange. There doesn't seem to be anything..."

"Yeah, I thought this would be a better safe..."

The Hope Guild members who followed in were unable to hide their disappointment.

The only notable feature was that two massive tunnels extended to the right, and there were magic circuits engraved on the floor.

'Those look like launch tubes...'

The launch tubes seemed like pathways to shoot something massive out into the open. In front of them was a rectangular 'platform' where something like a fighter jet or spacecraft could dock, but on the vast platform, there was only a small object.

It was...

"Hey, there's something over there!"

"Hmm? A shield... no?"

Yes, it was a shield.

However, it was hard to understand why such a small shield was placed on such a large platform.

'...Something's off.'

There was a high possibility that a trap was hidden in such an unusual scene.

"Stop, everyone, wait there."

At Lee Hyun-wook's words, everyone stopped near the entrance.

Rumble—

He activated his body hardening and surrounded himself with a mana shield.

Then, he slowly approached and dropped a metal ball onto the platform.

Thud—

It slowly rolled to where the shield was.

"..."

However, there was no reaction.

'...There's no trap.'

Lee Hyun-wook climbed onto the platform and approached the white shield,

and placed his hand on it.

- You have obtained Friedwyn (Legendary).

'What, it's just a shield?'

Lee Hyun-wook looked around again.

No matter how he thought about it, the placement of this item was strange.

But there was nothing else visible.

'But, legendary... was I too greedy for mythic?'

Of course, a legendary item was of immense value, but since it was a door he couldn't open in his previous life, he had some expectations.

Putting aside his disappointment, Lee Hyun-wook checked the item information.

And at that moment, he couldn't help but frown.

- Name: Friedwyn (Legendary)

- Effects:

1) King's Shield: Drastically increases the defense of all 'allies' for 5 minutes (+50%). * Cooldown: 30 minutes

2) Form Transformation: Can transform into a small flying craft.

The second skill caught his attention.

'...What? It can become a flying craft?'

A flying craft (飛空銳) is a means of transportation that flies using magical power.

"Why would a shield... how can it become a flying craft..."

Lee Hyun-wook didn't know much about the story behind Friedwyn.

In Arthurian legend, it is used interchangeably as Arthur's 'shield' or 'ship.'

Thus, in this game, both versions were implemented in a single item.

'Anyway, this... is a huge find.'

In the present day, real 'flying crafts' were extremely rare.

- Chad Republic's 'Ship of Theseus'

- KOR AMT Holy Knights' 'Five Dragon Chariot'

- Chinese Guild's 'Jin Dou Yun'

But now, there were four.

'But I can't test this function here and now.'

There were too many eyes watching to introduce a new item.

If this fact became known, it would cause a headache.

So, for now, he had to hide it...

And one more thing, the moment he found this item, the quest was completed.

- Congratulations! You have successfully cleared the hidden quest!

* One 'Master Authority' of the ancient ruins of Laputa has been unlocked.

'Hmm? Master authority...'

1) Emergency Return: Returns to Laputa's 'Order Tower.'

* To use this function, 'Friedwyn' is required. (Cooldown: 1 hour)

It seemed that through such hidden quests, he could obtain some authority related to 'Laputa.' It appeared that he would gradually gain these authorities one by one by holding the 'Master Key.'

'...Now, it's time to reveal that I am the administrator of Laputa.'

When the wave ended and he first met Woo Sung-moon, the latter had secretly approached and subtly asked if he had obtained anything related to Laputa.

'But at that time, I pretended not to know.'

This was because, at the time, Lee Hyun-wook had almost no authority, and if he became closely involved with the government, he might be manipulated in various ways. Of course, Woo Sung-moon would still suspect that Lee Hyun-wook had something and keep a close eye on him.

But now, the situation was different.

Lee Hyun-wook had achieved enough to stand up to government power and could properly exercise his 'Laputa administrator' authority.

Lee Hyun-wook looked at the players.

"...Now, let's continue the dungeon clearance."

Of course, the priority was to clear this dungeon.

***

At 49 hours after entering the gate, the dungeon clearance was completed.

Everyone returned safely without a single casualty.

"...Here, this is the World Stone."

Park Mu-han handed the World Stone to the Blue Flower Guild's analyst player. Now, they could analyze it to measure 'contribution.'

"Let's see the contribution..."

But as soon as the analyst player analyzed it, his face stiffened.

"Park Team Leader, this... the contribution... how..."

"Yes, well, it's true. We were essentially just extras."

He admitted it cleanly and laughed.

The total contribution of the Blue Flower Guild, which had 51 members, three times the number of the Hope Guild, was only 21%.

'Lee Hyun-wook... no matter what I did, I couldn't catch up.'

Park Mu-han had tried his best with a sense of challenge, but until the moment the boss monster's life was cut off, Lee Hyun-wook was overwhelming.

Thus, the Hope Guild took almost all the rewards.

Among them was the 'latent item' that Lee Hyun-wook had been aiming for.

- Name: Hammer with Strange Power

- Effect: Increases the probability of granting a 'skill' to crafted items.

'It looks insignificant now because it's a latent item, but once its potential is unlocked, it will become a legendary item.'

If it could grant 'skills' to crafted items, it would make the forces Lee Hyun-wook was building incredibly powerful.

But then, a noisy sound came from somewhere.

"—Hey! There he is!"

Near the entrance to the area where the gate appeared, there were many journalists gathered.

'...'

It seemed that because he had moved with the Blue Flower Guild, the fact that Lee Hyun-wook was participating in this operation had leaked.

'Damn, I should have been more careful about not exposing my identity...'

The Blue Flower Guild officials tried to stop the journalists, but since Lee Hyun-wook was not a member of the Blue Flower Guild, they were half-hearted,

and eventually, the journalists swarmed towards him.

"—Mr. Lee Hyun-wook! Can we have an interview?"

Lee Hyun-wook had been trying to avoid contact with the outside world, but his name and actions were still a topic of conversation.

Since he was not interacting with the media, getting an interview first would be a huge scoop, so the competition for coverage was intense.

"Isn't he still affiliated with AMT? Why did he join the Blue Flower Guild for this operation?"

"Ah! Is he moving to the Blue Flower Guild after the war? Mr. Lee Hyun-wook! Can you comment on this?"

In any case, media exposure was not good. Receiving such misunderstandings...

"Um, there's a famous story about him summoning a steel rain. Is that a skill name?"

"And Mr. Lee Hyun-wook is known to be F-grade. How can he perform so well?"

However, Lee Hyun-wook did not say a single word in response and got into the car.

"Phew— Let's go immediately!"

"Yes, let's go."

As the car started, Lee Jung-joon, who was sitting next to him, suddenly spoke.

"Um, Team Leader Lee, do you know?"

"..."

"Um, Team Leader, you have a lot of fans. Even a fan cafe has been created."

"Really? Fans..."

"What should I say, because you don't show off, it creates a mysterious image. A real hero who saved Seoul without boasting! That's how the public sees you. Ha ha... Team Leader, you don't check the internet, right?"

"...Well, I hardly look at it."

"Look at this. Your popularity is much higher than you think. You're mentioned more than most top-ranking players these days."

Lee Jung-joon showed him the articles and reactions about Lee Hyun-wook that were posted on the internet.

Of course, there were debates, but the overall atmosphere was one of deification due to his role in saving Seoul.

'At this level... the top players might start to resent me...'

And that day, the news featured a story about Lee Hyun-wook.

- ...Many people are skeptical about Lee Hyun-wook. I was too. But I saw it with my own eyes. The rumors about him are all true, and maybe even more. Yes, that's right.

This interview was with Park Mu-han, the leader of the Blue Flower's clearance team, who was ranked 151st in the country, making his testimony credible.

Thus, the rumors about Lee Hyun-wook became even more intense.

- The mysterious savior of Seoul, his skills are finally proven!

- [Special Report] F-grade player Lee Hyun-wook, how did he become the greatest hero?

But Lee Hyun-wook didn't care about such things.

That night, Lee Hyun-wook looked up at the night sky of Seoul, where the massive object 'Laputa' illuminated the sky.

'Before I inform Woo Sung-moon about my administrator authority, I need to go to Laputa first. And now, with Friedwyn, I have a way to get there...'

Finally, it was time to take the first step into that mysterious floating city.