Steel Eating Player - A Player Who Eats Steel

"Pure Water Manufacturing, Divine Weapon Workshop, Magic Engineering Construction, Portal Transportation Industry…"

Park Cheolsu was mumbling and taking notes.

Lee Hyunwook had just recommended some companies to Park Cheolsu, which were expected to flourish after the "4th Wave."

Essentially, he was pointing out specific 'stock market picks'. Then, he handed over his bankbook, containing all his assets, and asked Cheolsu to invest in those stocks.

Of course, Lee Hyunwook didn't mention the term "4th Wave" directly to Park Cheolsu. Instead, he hinted that companies and guilds plan to invest a lot of money in those industries in the future.

"But Hyunwook… Is this information real?"

Park Cheolsu had a doubtful look on his face.

Honestly, it was a sudden and hard-to-believe story.

"It's all real, and these companies are about to grow significantly."

However, it didn't take long to convince Park Cheolsu.

Lee Hyunwook took something out of his pocket.

Three business cards,

He was planning to utilize these cards he had unexpectedly obtained.

"Wait, so you're saying… you really have business cards from these big shots? You?"

Park Cheolsu's eyes widened in surprise.

Having three business cards from such hard-to-meet individuals was astonishing.

'How on earth did Hyunwook… Wait a minute, Catherine Yoo? Isn't she the second daughter of the Blue Flower Guild? She's bound to have reliable information on this business, especially as the Head of the Seoul Conquest. It's not so strange that she has ties with the upper echelons of AMT…'

Park Cheolsu was interpreting in his own way, trying to find credibility in Lee Hyunwook's words.

"Did these people… give you that secret information?"

"Yes, where else would I have gotten this kind of information? And hyung, please don't ask for details now. You know, this is quite sensitive information. If it gets leaked, it could cause a lot of trouble."

"… Right, I understand."

Anyone can say anything.

But to make that statement believable, a certain level of 'proof' was needed.

The overwhelming power he showed against Lee Won-chul just moments ago, the confident attitude, the bold investment, and even adding such a heavyweight business card – all this gave weight to Lee Hyunwook's words.

'Yeah, Hyunwook has definitely changed. What the hell happened in the past two years…?'

But at the same time, a question arose.

He lifted his head and looked at Lee Hyunwook.

"But Hyunwook, what exactly happened? You clearly received an F-rank at the player training center. But the power you just showed doesn't seem like F-rank at all…"

Yes, the fact that Lee Hyunwook was F-rank was known to anyone around him.

'How can the F-rank, which is a non-growth characteristic, become stronger? It's naturally questionable.'

Lee Hyunwook anticipated this question countless times and had prepared a very appropriate answer.

"Do you know about the achievement system, hyung?"

"Huh? Well, I am the guild master after all."

The world had changed as if it were a game.

That meant that there were countless game-like elements.

The 'achievement system' was one of them.

'It's the only system, apart from growth, that can increase individual stats.'

When special conditions related to the game are met, an 'achievement' is granted.

For example, if you hunt a very powerful monster like a dragon, you get an achievement called .

And depending on the value of the achievement, a considerable increase in stats is given as a 'reward'.

"Oh, so you raised your stats by achieving achievements?"

"Right."

"Wow… that's impressive. An F-rank achieving an achievement, which achievement is it?"

"It's an achievement possible because of the F-rank. The condition was to defeat an elite monster as an F-rank. The name of the achievement was , I think? Yes, that should be right."

Lee Hyunwook convincingly fabricated an achievement he never actually achieved.

In doing so, he easily concealed the secret that an F-rank could grow stronger.

'I can't hide the fact that I've become stronger, but I must hide that I'm not F-rank.'

For now, this was information only he should know.

Lee Hyunwook then took something out of his bag.

"Here, it's a gift."

"Huh?"

It was a small box.

"What's this?"

"Hyung, you said your daughter was born, right? It's shoes. I was in the military, so I couldn't congratulate you."

"Oh, thank you… really…"

"You'll surely be a great dad, hyung. You've been a great senior to us, so imagine how you'd be to your family."

Park Chul-soo wasn't good at hiding his emotions, so he was visibly moved the moment he saw the baby shoes.

"Hyung, I think I should be going now."

"Oh, okay, let's have a meal together the next time you're around."

"Make sure to take down that Lee Won-chul gang and invest in that information I gave you."

"Alright, thanks…"

Park Chul-soo nodded with reddened eyes.

'Now he seems so vulnerable, but he will become the master of a massive guild in the future.'

I won him over early on.

Lee Hyunwook prepared to return.

No, he prepared for the next battle.

* * *

As of now, there have been a total of 3 'waves'.

1st wave was in California,

2nd wave was in Shanghai,

3rd wave was in Berlin,

Cities that experienced the wave were destroyed to an irreparable extent without exception.

Some areas even became the territory of monsters.

No one could have ever imagined that California would turn into a meadow of the Red Drakes, or that an Orc Kingdom would be established in Shanghai.

'And the 4th wave is in Seoul.'

And the precursor to this event started today, of all places, at Seoul Station.

It's the heart of South Korea's transportation, with a daily footfall of a million people.

Lee Hyunwook checked the time standing at the place that would soon turn into hell.

15:34

He then checked a text message.

Corporal Choi Seon-ah: Corporal Lee Hyunwook! I've already arrived at Seoul Station. Contact me when you get here!

About an hour ago, he received a message from Choi Seon-ah, but he hasn't replied yet.

"Hmm…"

Lee Hyunwook had no intention of returning with Corporal Choi Seon-ah.

Originally, considering the events that were to unfold today, traveling with her wasn't logical.

'We agreed to meet at 17:00, why did she come so early?'

Two days ago, Lee Hyunwook contacted Choi Seon-ah and agreed to meet at 17:00.

If she had arrived at that time, she would have avoided getting caught up in the incident happening here.

'As far as I remember, Choi Seon-ah wasn't involved in this incident…'

This means that because of the variable, that Lee Hyunwook took a vacation with her, she arrived early at Seoul Station.

Hence, he had no choice but to be with her.

"Still, Choi Seon-ah is in the support division, so she might actually be helpful."

Thinking positively, he left a message asking Choi Seon-ah to come to him.

At the same time, he skimmed through the metals in his bag.

A dagger purchased from blacksmith Kang Jung-du, 20 steel balls made of magical metal, and three rolls of steel wire 2.23mm thick and 20m in length…

He had prepared a considerable number of weapons for this very moment.

He then glanced around the station.

Countless crowds were moving within the station.

In a world where one never knows when or where a gate might open, people went about their daily lives without much worry, mainly because player guards were stationed everywhere for safety.

'Especially the guards at Seoul Station; they're quite skilled…'

However, Lee Hyunwook knew that even they would be rendered powerless.

'Most of the countless people here will die.'

Even knowing that he couldn't save all of them.

Nobody knew what would happen next.

That was the norm.

Therefore, warning them in advance wouldn't make sense, and even if he did…

'…no one would believe me.'

In the end, they were people he couldn't save.

'But there's much to gain.'

Although thousands of civilians perished, and many player soldiers were sacrificed in suppression efforts, the world wouldn't deem their sacrifices worthless in the future.

Because of a single 'item' obtained by conquering this place's dungeon.

'In the future, it will be worn by Han Taesan, the second-ranked player in Korea.'

It was a 'hero' grade item, of which only about 3,000 existed in the world, and it was also a 'latent item' that could continue to grow.

'But that wasn't the only valuable item. The one stolen by the villains…'

Today, at this very moment, a villain was waiting at Seoul Station to snatch that item. The villainous lot could collude with some monster species according to the game rules.

Then, he spotted someone in the distance, wearing a black combat suit, waving.

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook!"

It was the petite female soldier, Choi Seon-ah.

She approached with a bright smile, and for some reason, her makeup seemed heavier than when they started their vacation.

"Did you enjoy your first leave?"

"Yeah! How was your vacation, Corporal Lee Hyunwook?"

"Yes, I had a good time."

"Did you eat a lot of delicious food? I really ate a lot!"

Even while greeting her, his senses were scanning the surroundings.

'I should head towards the fire equipment storage first.'

He might need a gas mask soon.

The thing he had been so prepared for was because of the 'poison'.

'Not for me, but for Choi Seon-ah…'

Lee Hyunwook had some resistance to poison, but Choi Seon-ah probably didn't.

'If everything goes as planned, it starts at 15:24.'

Lee Hyunwook checked his watch again.

15:14

There were about 10 minutes left.

Using his metal control ability, he unzipped his bag halfway.

He made it so that the dagger, steel wire, and steel beads could be quickly drawn out at any moment.

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook, are you hurt?"

"Pardon?"

"Just now, your expression looked… somewhat terrifying, I guess?"

"It's nothing. Captain, it's too crowded here and I'm feeling overwhelmed. Let's move somewhere else."

"Ah, alright!"

Lee Hyunwook discreetly changed his position and approached the fire equipment storage where the gas masks were kept.

'I never thought these facilities placed in every station would come in handy…'

But just this wouldn't be enough.

Unlike the black smoke produced by Kobold's dark sorcerer(Warlock), the poison that would engulf this place today couldn't be stopped just by blocking the respiratory system. It would even seep into the skin.

Then it happened.

Whoosh!

An unexpected gust of wind swept through Seoul Station.

"Ugh! What was that?"

"Ah!"

The people in the station had no choice but to stop and hold onto their clothes.

"Wow, what was that wind just now?"

"I wonder…"

It wasn't a natural wind at all.

It felt as if a wall from a building had collapsed, and a strong gust had burst through the gap.

"Huh?"

The gazes of the countless crowds filling Seoul Station simultaneously turned in one direction.

Whoooosh.

"A gate?"

It wasn't the building wall,

Space itself had cracked open.

Winds from another world were pouring out from that place.

* * *

Seoul Station Central Control Center.

This place had the ability to control all the CCTV cameras inside Seoul Station. Whatever happened within the station could be immediately verified and addressed from here, much like an air traffic control tower.

But then…

"Huh?"

Bzzzzt-

The hundreds of CCTV feeds that filled the massive screen suddenly froze all at once.

"What's going on? Why is this happening all of a sudden?"

A state of emergency was declared in the previously calm Central Control Center, faced with an unforeseen situation.

"The CCTV cameras in the reception areas of the 2nd and 3rd floors have simultaneously malfunctioned!"

"What? Simultaneously means…"

"It seems like… mana disturbance!"

The center director swallowed hard, staring intently at the face of the employee.

If the CCTV malfunction was due to mana, there were only a few possible reasons.

"Could it be…"

Then the employee solemnly nodded.

"Director, it seems… a gate has opened inside the station."

The catastrophe had begun.

* * *

In the very center of Seoul Station, a purple shimmering void, the presence of a gate was evident.

The first to respond were the security guards stationed throughout the station.

All seven of them,

They were players, trained specifically for situations like this.

"It's a gate! Everyone, equip your weapons and surround the gate!"

As the crowd panicked and rushed towards the exits, they advanced in the opposite direction.

"Whatever comes out at the first outbreak, we must not back down! If we hesitate, the civilians will die!"

The team leader shouted, raising his primary weapon, the 'crossbow'.

He took a deep breath, lowered his stance, and aimed at the gate.

A massive gate, around 10 meters in diameter, bubbled and boiled.

It looked as if it might explode at any moment.

"It's coming out!"

At that instant, the gate stretched stickily and spat out something, something colossal.

With a thud, as if a monster was giving birth, what sprawled on the ground was…

A creature with eight legs… a spider.

"Damn, how can a spider be that huge!"

The size of the creature was comparable to an elephant, a spider roughly 5 meters in size.

Its appearance was also far from ordinary.

While spiders usually have smooth or thickly furred bodies, this massive spider was covered in a hard, armor-like shell.

"Shoot, kill it now!"

Upon the team leader's command, the guards launched a barrage of attacks on the creature, but…

It seemed as if the spider had taken no damage at all.

Suddenly, it lunged forward, darting towards them.

The guards scattered in surprise, and as the spider brushed past, benches, plant pots, and signs were knocked over and shattered.

"What the hell is that thing?"

"Team leader, where should we target it?"

"I don't know… I've never seen anything like it."

They were understandably bewildered.

Dealing with monsters always required a 'strategy', and one of a player's skills was knowing how to approach them. However, this spider was a monster they had never encountered before.

"It might be a recently updated monster."

Much like game content being updated, new monsters appeared regularly.

While it wasn't uncommon for a new species to emerge from the gates, the potential problems were immense.

"Keep firing! Don't let it approach the civilians!"

Even though he was a grade C tier 1 sniper player, the security team leader's bolt, if shot accurately, could take down an orc in one shot.

"It does react to magic attacks!"

The spider flinched every time there was an explosion of fire or ice magic.

"Good, we'll focus on magic attacks to buy time! At least until the civilians can evacuate…"

However, the team leader couldn't continue his words.

Several messages appeared before his eyes.

[ An 'Unlucky Event' is occurring in this area! ]

-You can enter this area but cannot exit.

-An entry-level restriction is imposed on this area. (LV. 15)

-To escape, survive for 6 hours, or defeat the 'Boss Monster'!

"…What?"

But these messages weren't only visible to him.

Both players and ordinary people saw the messages.

"What? I, I can't get out?"

"…No, this can't be!"

An Unlucky Event,

As the name suggests, it's an unfortunate event.

Simply put, it's a phenomenon, almost like a natural disaster for players, where a specific area imposes a harmful 'de-buff' on players or a 'rule' is created that makes the game more challenging.

Especially in a place with many people, such an event was a catastrophe.

"…Ahh! I can't get out!"

"Please, save us!"

At the exit that wouldn't open, hundreds of people were entangled, screaming in agony.

"Team leader! Another spider has emerged! And it's heading towards the exit!"

Hearing this terrifying report, the team leader instinctively turned his head.

Like a great white shark swimming towards a school of fish, a massive spider moved its eight legs and crawled towards the crowd of hundreds.

"This can't be happening!"

He envisioned the horrifying scene that would unfold in just a few moments.

A pile of civilians crushed to death by the spider…

"…Damn it! We have to stop that, shoot now!"

The team leader charged at it, drawing his crossbow.

Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!

However, the bolts he fired barely made a scratch on its armor-like skin.

"Damn, why does this spider seem to be wearing steel armor?! Everyone, get out of the way!"

Unable to stop it, all he could do was scream for everyone to run.

That's when it happened.

From amongst the panicking crowd, someone stepped out and began to walk forward.

"Huh?"

A man in black, specifically in combat gear, stood blocking the path of the spider.

"…Isn't that AMT?"

But looking at his lack of weaponry, he wasn't part of the reinforcements.

He seemed to be off-duty, and what's more, he was just a private… a mere soldier.

"Damn it, get back! This isn't your place!"

An AMT, especially a soldier, was considered the lowest among combat-type players.

It wasn't the right moment for him to step forward, the team leader thought.

Sure enough, just as the spider raised its front leg to crush the soldier-

Boom!

Thankfully, a flaming spell shot by someone struck the spider's head, momentarily pushing it back.

Seizing the opportunity, the team leader rushed to rescue the handsome AMT soldier.

"Hey! You! If you don't want to die, move out of the way now!"

However, he didn't budge an inch.

Instead, he walked towards the spider.

"No, you all should step back."

"…What?"

It was a surprisingly calm voice, eerily inappropriate for the current situation.

He raised his left hand.

"Cover your heads. There might be some debris."

The team leader couldn't comprehend his words.

But there was no time to question.

Especially when an inexplicable situation unfolded.

Crack! Crack! Crack! Crack!

The gigantic spider, which had remained unscathed from all previous attacks, began to writhe in agony.

Thump!

It started convulsing, its head thrashing against the wall as if suffering from a heart attack.

Thump!

"What… what is happening…"

And the next moment, an unbelievable scene unfolded.

Boom!

The spider's armor-like skin began to burst one after another.

Boom!

The team leader turned to look at the mysterious man.

His left hand was clenched, pointing towards the spider.