Steel Eating Player - A Player Who Eats Steel

About 5 minutes after entering the Red Ground…

"…Stop."

Lieutenant Lee Hee-min, the 2nd team leader, raised his hand.

In front of them, there was a small playground.

Various toys were scattered about, suggesting that children might have been playing there until just before the gate's creation.

"This is the mid-point."

Mid-point.

In case of prolonged combat near the gate, it served as a "supply station" for immediate material supplies and, at the same time, a kind of "fortress" in the rare event that they needed to retreat from near the gate.

And if nothing else was happening, it was also a place where the "support squad" would stand by.

"Lee Hyunwook. Put the supplies down in the spacious area near the playground."

"Yes, understood."

Following Lee Hee-min's orders, as Lee Hyunwook gestured, all members of the 5th squad efficiently moved and placed combat supplies, including ammunition, at the center of the playground.

Lee Hyunwook immediately issued another order.

"Now, do the same here. Open the nearby sewer covers and install the sensors."

"Yes!"

Of course, even without the "motion detection sensors," Lee Hyunwook could detect the movements of the kobolds.

Even at this very moment, he could sense the metals wriggling underground.

'They've noticed our location.'

Inside the sewers, there was a change in their movements.

Based on this playground as a reference, they were spreading out in three directions. It seemed like a surrounding strategy.

Indeed, being creatures with intelligence reaching up to 70% of humans', they weren't going to charge recklessly.

'But they probably don't want to come out yet.'

They were waiting.

Waiting for the humans to disperse even more…

"…It would be good to also set one up near that bush."

"Yes!"

While Lee Hyunwook was directing his squad like that,

For some reason, Lee Hee-min was approaching him with a glaring look.

"Hey, Lee Hyunwook."

He called out Lee Hyunwook, laden with evident displeasure.

"Don't you think your squad members are speaking too loudly for no reason?"

"…Pardon?"

"Pardon? Pull yourself together, this is the Red Ground."

"…We'll be careful."

It was clearly a stretch.

Objectively speaking, the volume of the squad members' voices wasn't problematic.

'As I thought, he's out to get me.'

The kind to find satisfaction in reprimanding a subordinate he didn't like at any opportunity — that was Lee Hee-min.

And it seemed that Lee Hyunwook, who had recently gained some recognition, had become his target.

"…Lee Hyunwook, let me give you some advice. Just because you've had some luck recently and the battalion commander seems to have a high opinion of you, don't get too arrogant."

"I understand."

"Do you really? Oh, and remember you're an F-rank. Overconfidence leads to carelessness. If you get careless and something goes wrong, frankly… You aren't at a level where you'd survive, are you?"

After unloading a string of insults, he even clicked his tongue in disdain.

"Sigh, the more I see, the more frustrating it gets, really…"

This malicious speech was meant to hurt and destabilize the other person's mindset.

'He's really trying his hardest.'

But Lee Hyunwook wasn't one to be fazed by such remarks.

"That's enough. Get back to work."

"Yes, understood."

"Hey, Choi Seon-ah!"

"Yes, lieutenant!"

The deputy team leader, Sergeant Choi Seon-ah, rushed over.

"We have to move now, so you stay here and manage things properly. Squad 5 seems a bit restless now, so keep an eye on them. Anyway… It's unlikely monsters will come this far, but don't get too lax."

"Yes, understood."

"Alright, let's move out."

Lee Hee-min took the 3rd and 4th squads of the 2nd platoon, both combat units, and headed deeper in.

Their mission was to patrol within the Red Ground.

Now, only Squad 5 remained at the midpoint base.

"Excuse me… Corporal Lee Hyunwook."

A cautious voice, it was Sergeant Choi Seon-ah.

"Yes, deputy squad leader."

"Don't take the lieutenant's words to heart just now…"

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah patted Lee Hyunwook's shoulder in comfort.

"I'm okay. I won't be bothered by it."

"Well, the lieutenant has always been a bit… meticulous, right? Hehe…"

While Choi Seon-ah tried to put a positive spin on Lee Hee-min's behavior, her words carried a tinge of bitterness.

Choi Seon-ah was, in fact, the biggest victim of Lee Hee-min's sharp tongue.

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Choi Seon-ah was only 20 years old, having just transitioned from wearing a school uniform to combat gear.

Though she had awakened a decent trait and enlisted as a non-commissioned officer, she was somewhat fragile for a soldier in many respects.

"Deputy squad leader, I'll start setting up the CB."

"Oh, right!"

She smiled gently.

"An Min-tae. We're setting up the CB now."

"Yes!"

The 'Crystal Barricade', abbreviated as CB, was an item that formed a defensive wall.

It was a round crystal item about the size of a soccer ball.

Placing four of them in cardinal directions, and then having a synchronized mage player channel mana into them would form a circular shield.

It was a precaution in case a gate breach occurred and the area had to be fortified as a 'bastion'.

"Whew! Installation complete!"

With the CB set up, all preparations were complete.

Lee Hyunwook gave a watch order to his squad members, then sat down on a bench on one side of the playground.

He then took out his newly acquired weapon, the 'Sword of the Cloud'.

[Item Information]

-Name: Sword of the Cloud

-Effect: Absorbs water to release 'Mist'.

For now, that modest information was all he had.

'But it will change over time.'

Lee Hyunwook took out a canteen and slowly tilted it over the blade of the Sword of the Cloud.

Glug-glug-

The water flowed along the blade and was absorbed into the sword.

'Sword of the Cloud' has absorbed water. (11%)

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook, what are you doing?"

An Min-tae approached him.

"Ah, I'm loading it."

"Loading? On a sword? I've never seen that sword before."

"I received it as a reward from the battalion commander."

"Oh! So, it's a pretty good item then?"

Just then, a message appeared in front of Lee Hyunwook.

['Sword of the Cloud' skill 'Mist' is now available for use]

The skill had been loaded.

"It's decent."

With that, he held the sword up, letting it catch the sunlight.

'…Quite decent indeed.'

* * *

Near the operation site,

Atop a 10-story building, individuals in black combat uniforms were taking cover.

―Hiss- No movement detected near the gate. All clear.

They were the snipers of AMT.

"Hmm…"

And behind them, sitting on a field chair, was Lieutenant Seo Eunha.

She was wearing a black, full-body armor known as the 'Full Plate Armor,' and on her back, she had a great sword attached.

Leaning against one wall was a massive shield.

This was her full armament, a heavy armor fitting for her Paladin class.

"Sergeant Kang, do you see that?"

At Seo Eunha's question, a man wearing glasses approached.

He was Sergeant Kang Ik-jun, a mage player from the strategic unit.

Unusually for someone with the 'mage' class, he was now shouldering a 'Barrett M82A1' anti-material sniper rifle, from which blue smoke was faintly rising.

"Damn, you startled me! Thought something was on fire."

"Ha-ha, my apologies."

"Do you really need to have your magical bullets loaded now?"

Being a mage player didn't mean one was limited to using magic.

There were mages who enchanted swords and shields and fought in close combat. Kang Ik-jun was a marksman who enchanted bullets – a magic bullet shooter.

"It's already cast. It'll take 15 minutes to run out. Uh, but Lieutenant, what were you pointing at?"

"Over there, the central point, the playground area. Take a look."

Seo Eunha needed binoculars, but Kang Ik-jun could see it with his naked eye. That's because the lenses of the glasses he wore were made with magical engineering.

"Yes, it looks like they are setting something up. It seems like a support squad."

"That's right. And that squad leader over there? He was our target for today's mission."

"…What?"

Kang Ik-jun furrowed his brow, searching for the green epaulet.

"So you're saying that the soldier from the support squad right now… is a candidate for the youngest member of our squad?"

Seo Eunha nodded.

"Perhaps."

A candidate for the strategic squad…

Of course, when Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok had assigned this mission, he hadn't specifically mentioned this.

However, if he was paying special attention to a soldier, it meant there was a high probability that the soldier would be chosen as an officer in the future.

And logically, it could be inferred that being transferred to the 'strategic squad,' which is directly under the Battalion Commander, was highly likely.

"No, I thought the soldier Commander Kim had his eye on was Choi Young-jun."

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Kang Ik-jun, also originally a soldier, had Choi Young-jun join as the youngest member when he was the leader of the first platoon.

"Choi Young-jun is on leave right now. And he's already been marked by the Black Tiger unit."

"Hmm…"

Kang Ik-jun scratched his chin, seemingly displeased.

Seo Eunha felt similarly.

'He's definitely F-grade.'

A few days ago, when she was on guard duty, she encountered Lee Hyunwook for the first time.

Well, she might have seen him a few times before, but that was the first time she remembered.

He had been that inconspicuous of a presence.

'But that day, he caught a goblin shaman on his own.'

That was a fact. She had confirmed it herself.

"Uh- is there a possibility that he's related to someone higher up? Because of some connection…"

"Kang Sergeant, do you think our Battalion Commander is that kind of person?"

"Haha, I must admit I'm a bit skeptical. How can a soldier like me genuinely trust officers? Oh, excluding our Captain Seo, of course."

"Shut up. I just think there's some… kind of misunderstanding."

There's a misunderstanding.

That's what she believed. There was no reason to take special notice of an F-grade otherwise.

And the incident with the goblin shaman…

"…It must have been a coincidence."

"Huh? What are you talking about?"

"Ah, never mind."

Seo Eunha handed the binoculars she was holding to Kang Ik-jun and stood up.

"Anyway, keep an eye on things. If there's any issue, contact me."

"Huh? Where are you going, Captain?"

"I have someone to meet briefly. Take good care of my shield."

"If you leave your expensive shield carelessly like that, someone might sell it at a junk shop and buy candy with the money."

"Hey, look here."

Seo Eunha showed her middle finger from behind her back as she walked down the stairs.

* * *

Whooosh-

As a gust of wind blew, the fallen leaves piled up in the garden scattered.

"..."

The playground, a central location, was wrapped in silence.

The 1st Platoon was barricading the gate, waiting for the 2nd wave of division.

There would be a commotion soon, but in the residential area where evacuation orders had been given, there wasn't even a hint of noise.

And then…

'The noise doesn't start from the gate; it starts here first.'

Lee Hyunwook opened the sheath of the dagger on his waist, and also released the safety strap of the 'Sword of the Cloud' he was carrying on his back.

Then, he firmly adjusted his bulletproof helmet and stood up.

He slowly looked around.

"Pak Junmo, come over here. Stay away from the manhole."

"Yes!"

A past scene flashed before Lee Hyunwook's eyes.

'In that spot, chaos started when a poisonous needle was stuck into Park Junmo's neck.'

Of course, now Park Junmo was protecting his neck with a high collar as he had been warned in advance.

Thump- Thump-

His heart raced.

It wasn't fear.

It was just a bad memory overlapping with this moment, causing an unconscious physical reaction.

Just then-

Beep- Beep-

A sharp alarm sound began to ring from somewhere.

Beep- Beep-

Everyone turned their heads.

"…What's that?"

It was coming from inside the manhole.

"The motion sensor has been activated! It's manhole number 4!"

Corporal Choi Tae-yong said as he walked towards manhole number 4.

"Choi Tae-yong, don't get too close."

"Huh? But we need to check…"

"I said it's okay. Just come this way."

Lee Hyunwook raised his gun and aimed at the manhole.

Seeing this, Choi Tae-yong stepped back in surprise and everyone's face was filled with shock.

"Huh? Corporal Lee Hyunwook?"

Sergeant Choi Seon-ah was no exception. With a tense voice, she hesitantly approached.

"Deputy team leader, the sensor detected something. There's something in the sewer."

"Ah! It's not a malfunction, right?"

Lee Hyunwook shook his head.

Then, he raised his left hand to signal the troops to focus.

"Everyone, take cover near the supplies. And get ready with your gas masks."

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"Huh? Gas masks?"

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook, gas masks? What are you talking about?"

"Kobolds use poison as a weapon. Not just in the form of darts but occasionally they deploy it as a gaseous weapon. Especially if they're ambushing through a sewer like this… there's a high probability they'll start with the gas."

As Lee Hyunwook explained, the moment every member reached for their gas mask bags…

Bang!

With a loud noise, the cover of manhole number 4 shot up into the air.

Immediately after,

"Damn it!"

"Everyone, step back!"

Whooshhhh-

Just as Lee Hyunwook had said, black smoke burst out violently. At a glance, it was clearly a gas lethal to humans.

The gas began to fill the playground.

"…Gas! Gas!"

Fortunately, because of Lee Hyunwook's warning, they were prepared and quickly donned their gas masks.

However, in that time, the gas had already risen above their heads.

"Damn it, I can't see…"

Suddenly, visibility was completely gone.

"Take cover behind the supplies!"

In that darkness, only Lee Hyunwook's voice echoed loudly.

"Everyone, no firing! Point your gun muzzles down immediately!"

"…Huh?"

"Don't question it, just lower your gun!"

Because their vision was obstructed by the black smoke, carelessly raising their guns could result in accidentally shooting an ally.

'…This is a skill of the kobold warlock.'

If the goblin's elite monster is called 'Shaman', then the kobold's elite monster is the 'Warlock'.

From this naming distinction, it can be inferred that while the goblins use rudimentary wild magic, the kobolds wield magic with quite a lineage.

It was later revealed that the kobold race was one of the servants of the demonic race, 'Demon'.

"Damn it! I can't see anything!"

"Do we… do we need to retreat?"

Kekekeke!

While they were in a state of confusion, malicious laughter echoed from within the black smoke.

And it grew closer.

"Ughhh…"

"We're all going to die…"

A few of the troops groaned.

It was natural to panic when faced with a threat to one's life while visibility was limited.

"Er, ev, everyone… st, stay calm…"

This applied to Sergeant Choi Seon-ah as well.

But Lee Hyunwook calmly did what he had to do.

He shifted his eyes here and there.

Tracking the movements of the enemies – the kobolds – emerging from the manhole.

Kekekeke!

A mocking laugh.

They were delighting in the success of their ambush strategy.

'In my past life, that might've been the case.'

Lee Hyunwook drew the Sword of the Cloud.

'This time will be different.'

And he activated a skill.

The Sword of the Cloud emits a mist.

Whooosh-

From the blade of the Sword of the Cloud, a white mist began to spread.

It was water mist.

Whooosh-

Lee Hyunwook wiped the condensation from his gas mask.

As the white mist spread, the movements of the kobold group slowed. Their vision was obstructed.

From that point on, no one could see with the naked eye.

Both sides just exhaled breaths filled with confusion.

"An Min-tae. Raise your shield and come to my side."

The warrior class, An Min-tae, stepped forward holding his kite shield.

"…Yes, I'm here."

"If we stick together, they won't attack us easily."

"But our visibility is zero, that's a problem. We need to see something to act…"

Lee Hyunwook closed his eyes.

"No, I can see."

"…What?"

"And…"

At that moment, An Min-tae felt an unfamiliar sensation near his waist.

Shoop-

It felt as if someone gently tugged at him with a finger.

"…I'm borrowing your daggers."

Without anyone noticing, ten daggers levitated amidst the white mist.

They slowly revolved in the mist, reminiscent of a pod of dolphins swimming together.

And the next moment…

Shi-shi-shi-shik!

Like diving deep into the ocean, they shot straight into the black smoke.