A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 50: The Center of Hell

<Chapter 50: The Center of Hell – 2>

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

Koo—Kung—!

With a loud noise, the building shook, and anxious moans echoed from various places.

"Ah, Mom… I'm scared…"

A child, seemingly around eight years old, sobbed and clung to their mother's embrace.

"The bad monsters can't come inside the school, the teacher said so…"

This place was an elementary school near Oksu Station. In times of emergency, the entire building served as a shelter.

Given the abundance of apartments nearby, it currently accommodated an overwhelming number of refugees.

Especially in the auditorium on the second floor, there were easily over a thousand people gathered.

"Mom, sob… are we all going to die?”

"No, it's okay. The players will protect us."

The mother hugged her child tightly and pressed herself against the wall.

And she prayed.

After all, the only thing powerless civilians could do was just that…

Boom—! Boom—!

Loud noises continued in succession, gradually getting closer.

It meant that the battle taking place outside was not going in a favorable direction.

"But, Mom. The players…"

"Yes, it sounds like the players are fiercely fighting the monsters."

"That's not it… I think the players are scared."

"Huh?"

Upon hearing the child's words, the mother turned her head.

For a moment, the corridor was visible beyond the briefly opened door.

Armed players – members of the shelter's security force – were hastily moving back and forth.

Their faces were creased, full of bewilderment.

Another word for it was ‘despair.'

The reason for this…

"…The magical barrier on the right corridor has been breached!"

"What?”

It was because they were facing the worst situation.

"Darn it! Let's move over there immediately! The wall must not collapse under any circumstances!"

The shelter's security captain led 10 guards and rushed towards the right corridor.

All the windows in the corridor were blocked with ‘iron shutters'.

However, once the magical barrier was broken, such a physical blockade had its limits.

Koo—woong—!

This time, an even larger booming sound shook the entire building.

It was an impact inflicted not on the magical barrier but on the building itself.

"This is crazy! At this rate, the wall will crum…"

Kwa—ang—!

He was cut off.

One side of the corridor in front collapsed, with rebar and concrete pouring into the corridor.

And then… the shadow of something huge standing outside the wall cast its shape into the building.

"Damn it…"

The guards hesitated and stepped back.

"Ugh! What's this smell!"

An indescribable stench flooded into the corridor.

The smell of rotting corpses — as if hundreds of them were decomposing at the same time, with extreme foulness…

As everyone was stunned by the stench, a giant hand reached into the hole.

Gasp!

It was a hand as thick as a half-decayed column, with bones showing.

When it gripped and pulled the wall, it tore off as easily as if it was made of styrofoam.

Kwa-dududu…

"Oh, my God…"

As the hole in the wall widened enough to see the sky, the face of the monster was finally revealed.

A green giant, as tall as three stories—

It was a zombie troll.

Woo-aaaah—

Furthermore, although not visible, one could tell through the screams outside that a massive number of zombies surrounded the building.

"…Shoot, shoot now!"

The captain gave the order and shot an arrow out the window.

Following him, all the guards unleashed various magic.

All hit the target— but the creature didn't flinch at all.

The wounds on its face healed as quickly as if someone was rewinding a video.

It seemed the creature was angered, as it swung its fist at the building's exterior wall.

Crack—Boom—!

Debris from the building scattered like buckshot, sweeping away an entire classroom.

"We… we can't seem to do anything against it with our weapons!"

One of the security guards nearly cried out.

It was the truth. No matter how much they attacked, the monster continuously healed…

Weapons or skills capable of killing such a creature weren't in the arsenal of the mere shelter guards.

Meaning, once the magical barrier was breached, there was no way to stop these creatures from infiltrating.

"It's over…"

The captain of the guards felt an indescribable sense of despair and lowered the bow he had drawn.

Then, it happened.

―Click— …is anyone there? If there are survivors, please respond.

A faint voice echoed from somewhere.

"—Huh? Captain! There's a voice coming from the mana messenger!"

The captain quickly grabbed the mana messenger from his waist.

"Hello, this is the shelter at A Elementary School! Who's there?"

For a few seconds, only static came through.

It was a brief time, but it felt like minutes to them.

―Click— Are you the location currently under attack by the ‘Zombie Troll'?

"Yes! That's us!"

In a moment filled with nothing but despair, could there really be a glimmer of hope?

The captain, not knowing who was on the other end, pleaded desperately.

"I don't know who you are, but please, we beg you! Lure this monster away! Over three thousand civilians are taking refuge in this shelter! If things continue this way, we'll all die!"

―Click— Stay away from the walls and move back.

"What?"

―We will eliminate the Zombie Troll. Move back to avoid any harm.

Upon hearing this, the guards looked at each other in disbelief.

Eliminate the Zombie Troll, such a formidable creature?

It seemed nearly impossible in their minds.

But if it were a truly powerful player, then it might just be possible. Without a word, they hesitantly retreated.

"Captain, look over there!"

One of the guards pointed outside the window.

Into the spacious schoolyard, someone was walking in.

A man dressed in a black combat uniform, all by himself.

"…Isn't that AMT?"

However, the only weapons he seemed to have were two swords attached to his back.

But one peculiar thing about him was that he had both of his palms raised towards the sky—

"If he's a warrior class, no matter how high his rank, it would be difficult to take down a Zombie Troll…"

The man was confidently approaching, but it was hard not to be worried.

The first to confront the man were a horde called ‘Hell's Inhabitants'.

Screeee—

Those that were pounding on the building's exterior seemed agitated, pouring into the schoolyard.

Their number was about thirty,

Enough to challenge any average player alone.

But then, something strange started to happen.

"Huh?"

Before the zombies even got close to the man, one by one, they began collapsing.

Blood poured from their heads.

"What the… How did they die?"

The man himself hadn't assumed any attack stance.

He was still just slowly walking toward the Zombie Troll.

"…Ah! It's an arrow!"

"What?"

"Look there! If you look closely, you can see an arrow floating in mid-air and moving on its own!"

The captain of the guards saw it too.

Whizz—shoo—shoo—!

A single arrow was freely flying around, piercing precisely through the zombies' heads.

"Is he using telekinesis? He looks incredibly powerful!"

That arrow didn't move as if it had acquired some sort of propulsion.

It truly moved like a living entity, unpredictably targeting and downing one zombie after another.

In just about 30 seconds, dozens of zombie bodies were scattered across the schoolyard.

"But with that level of destructive power, he can't handle the Zombie Troll…"

While the scene was truly awe-inspiring, the Zombie Troll wouldn't be taken down so easily.

To blast away that hulking creature, one would need firepower that seemed tremendously strong.

With a glimmer of hope, the captain of the guards raised his mana messenger.

"—Ah! Regular attacks hardly affect the Zombie Troll, and it heals its wounds almost instantly!"

―Click— I'm aware. Don't worry, step back. There might be a lot of blood.

Having said that, the palms of the man, which had been facing the sky, slowly turned over.

At that moment, something fell from the sky.

‘…A black pillar?'

For a split second, that's what the captain of the guards thought.

An object resembling a black pillar grazed the Troll as it plummeted, embedding itself deeply into the ground in one fell swoop.

Thud—Crack—!

The very moment a ground-shaking explosion sounded,

The massive head of the Zombie Troll fell off with a thump.

"Huh?"

The headless body spewed fountains of black blood in every direction before slowly tilting to the right.

Boom—!

It was dead. And with just a single blow…

"Beheaded!"

Indeed, he had decapitated the giant that seemed like it would never die with just one strike.

With his mouth agape, the captain of the guards looked at the man walking towards them.

His palms, which had been facing the ground, once again turned upward, and following that gesture, what he had thought was a black pillar levitated into the air.

Vroom—

It was a greatsword, measuring 2.10 meters in length.

"……"

Everyone was simply staring blankly at the awe-inspiring scene.

That greatsword, or rather, a massive slab of sharp metal, floated horizontally in the air, cutting cleanly through the remaining zombies before standing tall behind the man's back.

Its imposing figure somehow resembled a colossal cross.

Shortly after, military trucks began pouring into the schoolyard.

There were 13 in total.

Click— The area has been secured. You can now rest assured.

* * *

"……By any chance, is this the Steel Battalion?"

When the AMT forces entered the school, the person known as the shelter's guard captain asked this.

Lee Hyunwook slightly tilted his head.

"Yes, that's right. But how did you know?"

"Hmm, haven't you heard? The government has been informing us through mana messengers."

Perhaps because Lee Hyunwook, not wanting any interference, had asked Kim Kang-seok to block as much external communication as possible, no messages came through his mana messenger.

At that moment, the guards standing behind the captain approached with their mouths agape.

"Wow! Is it really the Steel Battalion?"

"So, is it true that you've eliminated the Erosion Factor?"

Their reactions were as if they had met a celebrity.

"Haha… Yes, that's correct."

"Wow— how on earth…"

"You're real heroes! We're truly grateful!"

"Please, save Seoul!"

While Lee Hyunwook responded with an awkward smile, he sighed inwardly.

‘Kang Seo-yoon, she's making things difficult…'

He intuited that she was broadcasting the achievements of the Steel Battalion far and wide.

It seemed she was aiming to rally the players inside the Wave Zone with that good news.

Although her intentions were undoubtedly noble, it was also true that it could lead to various inconveniences.

"So, how long have you been under attack here?"

Lee Hyunwook asked as he scanned the elementary school building.

There wasn't a single spot that looked untouched, giving an impression of a fierce standoff.

One could easily envision how ferociously the 5-meter-tall monster must have attacked.

"About 3 hours. Yes, we've been under attack for that long."

"You've endured a lot."

"Haha… But you took that creature down in a single blow and saved us."

The guard captain seemed to recall that scene, gazing into the distance and shaking his head vigorously.

‘Yes, even from my perspective, that was an awe-inspiring blow.'

Lee Hyunwook too marveled anew at the immense power he had felt after a long time.

Just until yesterday, he had to deploy hundreds of weapons against the Zombie Troll, but this time, he took it down in a single move.

Mogley was truly… unparalleled without a doubt.

"…Military mister!"

Just then, a child's voice echoed from the auditorium where the refugees were gathered.

The little one had approached the entrance where the Steel Battalion members stood and tugged at the hem of their uniforms.

"…Please, please help me!"

The sudden outcry drew everyone's attention to the child.

"Hey kiddo, what's the matter?"

Park Junmo crouched down to meet the child's eye level.

"Sob… Please, please save my friends."

Seeing the child's tearful plea, Park Junmo, with a bewildered expression, gently patted the child's head.

"Huh? Friends? Where are your friends?"

At that moment, a woman, who appeared to be the child's mother, hurriedly came forward and grabbed the child's arm.

"Ah! I'm so sorry for the trouble! Hee-mang, you shouldn't bother the soldiers!"

"Haha— It's alright. What happened to Hee-mang's friends?"

At Park Junmo's question, Hee-mang's mother looked troubled.

"Ah, well…"

At this, the guard captain stepped in to explain.

"A group of refugees coming here was attacked by monsters en route. We had the doors open and were waiting, but alas— almost a hundred of them couldn't make it in."

"So Hee-mang's friends were then…"

Park Junmo's expression darkened.

"Yes, that's right."

"…It must've been a great loss."

However, the guard captain shook his head.

"But, something was off. Yes, it was different."

"Excuse me?"

"It seemed like an intelligent monster… but it didn't kill any of the over a hundred people. It kidnapped them. I think there might be another motive."

Upon hearing that, a piece of information surfaced in Lee Hyunwook's mind.

‘The Multiracial Black Magic Association, so they are around here.'

The Black Magic Association was a monster organization that enhanced their dark magic by offering humans as sacrifices to evil Gods.

And if Lee Hyunwook remembered correctly, they were also the ones protecting the Erosion Factor.

In other words, they had come to the right place.

"Hmm, but how did they manage to capture over a hundred people so easily? They must have resisted. Were there so many monsters?"

"That's the thing… there were many, but when they spread this weird black smoke, everyone just collapsed, including the players. So, they were taken without any resistance."

Then, Park Junmo looked at Lee Hyunwook.

"Could this possibly… be that?"

Lee Hyunwook nodded.

The Steel Battalion had also experienced this phenomenon on their way here.

At a point where they had to slow down, a manhole cover opened and, out of nowhere, black smoke erupted.

‘It was a trap. If you step on it and faint, they'd probably come and collect you later.'

Of course, Lee Hyunwook immediately ordered the use of gas masks.

However, those who couldn't react in time inhaled the black smoke…

Whether it's fortunate or strange, they were perfectly fine.

‘It’s thanks to <Divine Protection>.’

It was proven that as long as they had it, they could ignore most curses.

"Hmm… there's a high likelihood that those people are still alive."

At Lee Hyunwook's words, the guard captain nodded.

"We also believed they were alive and asked some players to rescue them. They left a few hours ago, but unfortunately, that's when the zombie troll attacked."

"Can you contact them now?"

"We sent a rescue signal when we were attacked, but there's been no response…"

If they didn't have a way to counter dark magic, they would just be captured and become sacrifices.

"We'll go."

"Excuse me?"

"We will rescue those captured."

Although he probably already hoped deep down for him to step out, the guard captain looked genuinely touched.

"Oh! Can you really do that?"

"It's our duty."

"Ah… Thank you so much!"

Upon Lee Hyunwook deciding on the rescue operation, Park Junmo patted the little boy's head and said,

"Hee-mang, we'll save your friends, so don't worry, okay? Got it?"

"…Yes!"

The boy looked at Lee Hyunwook and Park Junmo with bright, shining eyes and nodded enthusiastically.

"Uncles, you guys are heroes!"

Even though nothing had been achieved yet, the boy's face brightened up.

Park Junmo felt a warm feeling in his nose.

He was deeply moved by the realization that he could readily help those in need.

Lee Hyunwook pressed his walkie-talkie and broadcasted to the entire team.

"There's likely a gate nearby that's associated with the Erosion Factor. Prepare to search."

Indeed, Lee Hyunwook's real objective was the second Erosion Factor believed to be there.

"Ah, as impressive as you all are, please be cautious. I mentioned earlier about the strange sorcery those demons use. The ones who went ahead haven't been in contact either…"

The security team leader spoke with concern. However, Lee Hyunwook smiled and shook his head.

"Oh, that's not a problem. Their tricks won't work on us."

He planned to swiftly defeat those who were taken aback because their weapons didn't work against them.

But then…

―Click— Can you hear me?

A voice flowed from the security team leader's mana messenger.

He lifted it with a surprised look.

"…Ah, is this the Taesan Guild? Are you all safe?"

―Click— Yes, it is!

The Taesan Guild…

As soon as Lee Hyunwook heard that part, he knew he had to adjust his plan.

Not all members of the Taesan Guild would be villains,

But there was a high probability that they were under the command of Ki Baek-jun.

Especially if they were members of the Taesan Guild in Seoul, a place outside of their usual activity…

‘And they said the Zombie Troll attacked right after the Taesan Guild members left.’

Of course, that could be a coincidence.

‘But if they reached out again as soon as we arrived…’

There was something fishy about it.

‘They probably set up an information network with the Erosion Factor in the nearby shelters and waited for us.’

After killing all five slaughterers and destroying the Erosion Factor, Ki Baek-jun must be grinding his teeth…

―Chik— We were in combat, so we couldn't… Chik— reply to the message you sent earlier. Was there any problem? Are you all right on your end?

"There was an issue… but we've resolved it well. Ah! The Steel Battalion is here!"

―Chik— The Steel Battalion? You mean the AMT squad that destroyed the Erosion Factor?

"Yes, that's right!"

―Chik— That's great news! We're in a bit of a predicament and need some help!

Upon hearing this, the guard captain looked at Lee Hyunwook.

He wanted Lee to answer directly.

‘This is….. totally a trap.’

Multiple circumstances and Lee Hyunwook's intuition were screaming that.

Lee Hyunwook received the mana messenger from the guard captain.

And then he replied.

"…Yes, we will provide support."

But if you know it's a trap, and have the means to break it, then it's no longer a trap.

In fact, it would only turn against those who set it.