Chapter 89

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The country's top alchemy research complex, located by the Han River in Gangdong District, was surrounded by journalists. Despite the no-access order due to the severity of the situation and the controlled access to the surrounding high-rise buildings, they managed to secure their positions.

"Kim, this doesn't seem like an ordinary situation, does it? It feels like there's a conspiracy brewing inside."

"Right? I also get that vibe. Otherwise, why would they occupy the research facility?"

However, for several hours, nothing significant happened, and the police authorities only repeated that they were "in negotiations."

How long had the situation been at a standstill...?

"—Hey! Look over there!"

At the hostage situation site, the 999 Special Task Force, which had been concealed, finally launched a suppression operation.

As the operation proved successful, hundreds of hostages began to emerge from the building in a line.

However, an unexpected name slipped from their lips.

"S-Senior! They say all the terrorists were eliminated, and... it was done by Lee Hyun-wook!"

According to them, Lee Hyun-wook had subdued the terrorists.

"—What? Lee Hyun-wook again? But, why is he here?"

Today, he was more famous than anyone, yet he had never shown his prowess in public.

This was the moment when the world learned that he had been secretly involved in this operation.

Thus...

The world began to discuss his name once again.

"Huh... I wish they'd stop writing speculative articles and show us a proper performance this time."

To the journalists, Lee Hyun-wook was a double-edged sword. They couldn't help but ride the wave of the issues he brought, but since he never revealed his true nature, they had to rely on assumptions when writing articles.

"But, wouldn't a bigger incident have to happen for that? The situation seems to be wrapping up, right?"

"Yeah, I guess... If this continues, we won't get to see his performance again..."

At that moment,

Boom— Boom— Boom— Boom—

"What's that?"

A loud noise came from somewhere underground, and the ground shook.

Soon, Building B of the research complex, the epicenter of the incident, began to collapse.

Crash—Crash—Crash—Crash—

"What, what's happening!"

"The building is collapsing! Everyone, take cover!"

Amid the sudden turn of events, they couldn't help but forget about the issue of Lee Hyun-wook.

***

A short while later, a man stood in front of the TV cameras.

"Yes, I am Lee Jung-hoon, a reporter on the scene at the KAC hostage situation!"

Lee Jung-hoon was a specialized reporter for player-related news at MBS News.

Behind him, the partially collapsed Building B of the research complex was visible.

"Behind me, you can see the research building that has collapsed due to an unknown shock."

As the dust from the collapse began to settle, a large pit was revealed.

From within, a chilling roar could be heard, which the TV microphone picked up.

Roar—

The strange, intertwined voices... it seemed as if the black pit itself was screaming.

"..."

Lee Jung-hoon's expression, holding the microphone, stiffened in real-time.

"Um, right now, some strange sound is coming from... the hole... inside the collapse site..."

Strangely, his tongue twisted.

'What the hell, damn it!'

His subconscious was screaming to get out of there immediately.

However, he forced himself to push back the impulse and spoke again.

"Ah, it seems... something is... about to pour out... in large numbers..."

As he spoke, the live broadcast switched to a close-up from a drone camera, focusing on the pit.

At that moment, even the anchors in the studio were left speechless.

"..."

A sinkhole several dozen meters deep, densely filled with red eyes, like a red galaxy.

Unknown creatures with human upper bodies and reptilian tails were crawling up the walls of the pit, numbering in the hundreds, if not thousands.

It was a scene as if a tiny camera had been placed inside a termite nest, disgusting and repulsive.

Or it resembled the floodgates of hell about to burst open.

Roar—Roar—

The urgent voices of government agents were picked up by the TV microphone.

"Evacuate the area immediately! A wide-area curse debuff will spread here!"

Military transport planes flew in, causing the sky to rumble, and even the stubborn journalists began to hastily leave their positions.

"We will move to a safe location and continue to provide updates on the situation!"

As Lee Jung-hoon moved to a new location, the drone camera continued to focus on the sinkhole.

Then, a somewhat unusual scene was captured.

Someone was standing upright in front of the pit where the creatures were crawling.

"..."

Lee Jung-hoon, having noticed this, spoke into the camera.

"Look! There's someone standing right in front of the pit!"

As a journalist, he immediately recognized the person.

"Good heavens! It's Lee Hyun-wook, the savior of Seoul! He's blocking the entrance to the pit!"

He realized that Lee Hyun-wook was present at the scene.

"He's standing alone! Could he be trying to stop these creatures by himself?"

This single scene was already a major event, but the following scenes were even more astonishing.

Whirr—

Above his head, a massive white object appeared as if by magic.

A long, oval-shaped white body, smooth, streamlined curves, and four wings... it was an airship.

"Wow! It's an airship! It seems to be a new, previously unknown airship!"

The airship, known to exist in only three units in the world, was making its fourth appearance.

Whirr—

Then, the rear of the airship opened, and a series of black 'cubes' began to emerge, aligning behind Lee Hyun-wook as their mana circuits emitted a faint light.

"He's starting something! It's clear he intends to stop these creatures!"

From the black hole, a horde of creatures was pouring out, and a single man was standing alone to block them.

Behind him, the mechanical devices formed by the black cubes reflected the sunlight, creating a scene of elegance.

'This scene is really a big deal! If the outcome is good, it will go down in history!'

Lee Jung-hoon, a seven-year veteran in player-related news, understood the immense significance of this scene.

'This is it... a hero who has been building his skills in the shadows is finally making his real debut.'

Then, Lee Hyun-wook raised his left hand, making the first historical move.

Thud—Thud—Thud—Thud—Thud—

From the bottom of the black cubes, something fell and embedded itself into the ground.

It was a flag-like object, with a large leaf attached to a long pole.

The leaf began to emit a green aura.

- This effect applies to the area.

* All 'darkness-type' monsters are weakened (-15%)

* All 'holy-type' damage is increased (+20%)

This was a kind of 'relic' made from the leaves of the World Tree.

Generally, relics are semi-permanent 'objects' that require a complex process of creation, installation, and preservation. However, this was a 'consumable item' type of relic.

In other words, it was easy to install, but its effects were temporary.

"He's calmly deploying something as if he's been waiting for these creatures!"

Lee Jung-hoon continued the live broadcast with a steady voice.

"At this point, we don't know why he's acting alone or why no one is helping him."

Everyone present was flustered and at a loss, but Lee Hyun-wook responded with a light gesture, showing no change in his expression.

Finally, the first row of creatures began to crawl out of the pit.

Roar—

Their revolting appearance was fully captured by the camera.

At that moment—

The black cubes formed a hemispherical shape around the pit, and long 'tubes' extended from their centers. As Lee Hyun-wook extended his left hand, the tubes fired metallic projectiles.

Pew—Pew—Pew—Pew—Pew—

A seamless wall of fire formed by the synchronized firing,

The leading creatures, numbering in the dozens, were caught in it.

Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—

Their bodies were torn apart and scattered.

"Look! Lee Hyun-wook's skill is working! The creatures are falling!"

However, black smoke began to rise from the bodies of the creatures.

"Something strange is happening!"

Puff—Puff—Puff—

- Caution! 'Breath of the Devil' is spreading in the area.

The foul smoke enveloped Lee Hyun-wook, but he paid no heed.

The creatures were the same.

Roar—

They continued to advance, undeterred by Lee Hyun-wook's attacks, like wild beasts driven by the scent of prey.

But Lee Hyun-wook did not allow them to step out of the pit.

As he clenched his left hand, hundreds of metal balls shot out and exploded.

Crack—Crack—Crack—Crack—

The fragments scattered in all directions, sweeping away dozens of creatures that had just emerged from the pit.

That was not the end.

The fragments formed a 'metal shard whirlwind' around the pit.

Whirl—Whirl—Whirl—

A blade storm, the whirlwind fiercely swept around the pit.

"Wow... It's like a giant blender!"

The advance of the creatures was inevitably halted.

"He's really stopping this horde of creatures! The firepower is incredible!"

Lee Hyun-wook, pushing them back, was walking towards the pit.

"He's not just stopping the creatures, he's breaking through them!"

The world witnessed this scene.

***

Lee Hyun-wook thought that if he could guard the narrow passage, he could stop the horde of creatures. However, he anticipated a difficult battle and remained vigilant.

But now, he realized his prediction was wrong.

'This is easier than I thought.'

With each swing of his hand, dozens of creatures turned into chunks of meat, piling up.

'I've grown much faster than I expected.'

- Current controllable metal weight: 491kg

* Transcendent Sense (+30%) is active.

* Reinforced Body (+10%) is active.

* World Boss Monster Slayer (+5%) is active.

* Savior of Seoul (+100%) is active: Stacks with higher additional effects.

This was due to the effect of 'Savior of Seoul,' which doubled his metal control ability, including all the other effects.

'Now, within Seoul, I possess the most powerful firepower.'

And he had enough mana to control this massive amount of metal.

- Mana: 67,441/74,459

* Mana recovery speed per second: 199

Thanks to the 'Norn Mini Mana Generator' he had been consuming steadily from the Norn Ruins A3, his total mana and recovery speed had increased dramatically.

This was the advantage of level-independent growth, where he could upgrade continuously without combat or training.

'And with this, I can not only defend but also enter the facility.'

The mastermind behind this incident was deep in the underground research facility.

Lee Hyun-wook's original plan was to stop the horde of creatures.

'If I do, the culprit will eventually come out on his own...'

But now, he could take the initiative and stop the culprit from making further plans.

'The culprit is probably flustered and hastily making new plans...'

If Lee Hyun-wook made a bold advance, the culprit's plans would be disrupted again.

Thud—Thud—

He moved forward,

Click—

He put away the shotgun he hadn't needed to use yet and extended his free hands.

The 'metal shard storm' surrounding the pit began to move in a new pattern.

Clank—Clank—

Lee Hyun-wook deformed the metal, entangling it to form a kind of 'ring.'

Of course, it wasn't an ordinary ring.

It was a thorny, spiky shape, like a crown of thorns.

'Falling—'

As he dropped his hands, the ring fell at high speed.

Crash—Crash—Crash—Crash—

It tore through the pit, scraping off the creatures climbing the walls and crushing them.

Crash—Crash—Crash—

Black smoke rose from the pit.

Though not visible, he had killed a massive number of creatures.

A system message appeared, confirming this.

- Congratulations! You have achieved a special achievement.

4) Demon Slayer

- Condition: Hunt 999 or more demon-type monsters

- Effect: Increased damage to demon-type monsters (+20%)

This was an achievement he had achieved in his previous life.

'This is the weapon needed most when facing demons.'

Until now, demons were only encountered in special events.

'But in the future, as the gaps between dimensions become looser, they will descend directly.'

He needed to increase his Demon Slayer rank before that time.

He had started this early.

Lee Hyun-wook dove into the pit, free-falling.

'Disgusting...'

The stench was overwhelming, and his head was spinning.

Just before hitting the ground, he levitated his reinforced body in mid-air.

Rumble—

He landed not on the pile of corpses but in a hole in the wall halfway down.

It was a corridor. The floor markings indicated it was the 6th underground level. The long corridor was covered in all kinds of slime, evidence that the horde had passed through.

'I'll follow this path.'

The underground research facility extended to the 10th underground level, a massive structure.

For non-staff, finding the way would