Steel Eating Player - A Player Who Eats Steel

At 3:30 AM, someone approached Lee Hyunwook's bed.

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook, it's time to wake up."

It was a wake-up call for night duty.

"Ah, I'm up."

"Yes."

Lee Hyunwook was on his third night shift and had been awake for about 10 minutes already.

Every day, he swallows a piece of metal before sleeping and wakes up around the time it finishes absorbing to swallow another.

He was controlling even his sleep to grow as quickly as possible within the given circumstances.

'At this rate, I naturally wake up around this time.'

[ Metal Absorption Complete (Normal Metal) ]

-Your controllable metal weight has increased: 61g

-Current controllable 'metal' weight: 1,358g

The metal padlock he consumed before sleeping was completely absorbed, increasing his control capacity by 61g.

'I'd need at least 3kg to lift something like a spear or a greatsword.'

Although manipulating multiple daggers at once to attack enemies from all directions could be useful, for dealing with a large monster like an orc, a powerful single strike was necessary.

That was hard to achieve with just daggers; controlling a greatsword or a spear to strike vital points was the best way, and he needed to reach that level as quickly as possible to be effective on the battlefield.

He rummaged through a drawer and took something out.

As expected, it was another broken padlock, and he swallowed it.

Gulp-

'…Hmm, six left.'

On the first day of his return, he had gathered as many absorbable metal scraps like broken padlocks and metal hinges as he could from the battalion's recycling area, and now he was almost out.

High-quality metal was hard to come by in the military. Revealing his power to get an official 'supply' was not a good idea.

'The time to reveal this to the world is not yet.'

The fact that an F-grade could grow would only be revealed a few years later.

There was no need to speed that process up, and doing so could lead to unforeseen problems.

'Once this is known… he will grow faster too.'

There was one worst-case villain he wanted to delay growing as much as possible.

A man who killed Busan's top player 'Inferno' and his allies, and who managed to bring down the fortified Busan in just three hours. A disastrous man, possibly with potential even greater than Lee Hyunwook's.

The Legionnaire of Death, Necromancer.

The best course would be to eliminate him before he could grow.

And he needed to refrain from publicly revealing information in the future. Carelessly disclosed information would naturally become a tactical hint for enemies.

'And tonight, that incident will happen… I'll have to take a leave in about three days.'

He donned his combat uniform and the combat equipment commonly referred to as "gear," all the while lost in various thoughts.

The combat uniform of the unit Lee Hyunwook belonged to, the 3rd Naval Cavalry Brigade's 2nd Battalion, was black. Given that their operational area was around Seoul, which often required urban warfare, black was the natural choice for camouflage.

"Uh… Corporal Lee Hyunwook, are you ready?"

A faint whisper came from the corner of the barracks in the darkness.

It was the voice of Park Junmo, who would be accompanying him on guard duty tonight. The youngest member of the unit had apparently prepared quickly.

Lee Hyunwook silently rose and walked towards the door, followed by Park Junmo.

As they entered the administration section, the duty officer, Kwak Jin-Cheol, openly glared at them.

"Wow, look at that face."

It was truly a spectacle.

Still unable to let go of his grudge, he seemed filled with pettiness.

Normally, he would have made a sarcastic comment by now, but it seemed he couldn't, as he was wary of the duty officer, Lieutenant Seo Eunha.

Besides, how troubled must that virtuous knight be, not even dozing off at nearly 4 in the morning? Normally, he would be dozing off…

"Uh-hum, duty officer, the guards have arrived."

At Kwak Jin-Cheol's report, Seo Eunha, who was reading a book, looked up. Although she was what one would commonly call an FM (Field Manual type), she too seemed to struggle with the drowsiness of dawn, her eyes half-closed.

"So, this is the third watch?"

"Yes, that's correct."

The duty officer and duty officer's assistant used their respective keys to open the 'Subspace Weapon Box.'

Whoo-oong

The box was small like a safe, but its interior emitted a mysterious light as if it were connected to another world. All AMT (Anti-Monster Team) weapons were stored in this subspace.

"Alright, deploy your weapons."

Lee Hyunwook reached his hand into the subspace weapon box.

A message appeared before his eyes.

[ Credentials for 'Army Arsenal' verified ]

-K2C1 rifle (289007-B)

-M9 Dagger (Enchanted)

Unlike ordinary military units, AMT allowed the use of 'personal weapons.' As soldiers had various attributes, they could equip weapons that suited them.

But for Lee Hyunwook, an enchanted dagger was all he had. He had no particular ability to wield a specific weapon.

"Hmm, Corporal, is that all you have?"

Lieutenant Seo Eunha also cautiously asked, puzzled.

"Yes, that's it."

"Okay."

Most AMT members were armed with 'items' like greatswords or spears. Even Park Junmo, a mage, held a small wooden 'wand.' Lee Hyunwook looked under-armed.

In such cases of low firepower, the standard-issue K2C1 rifle had to be used as the main weapon.

Of course, it wasn't particularly effective against monsters, but it could deal moderate damage to small creatures like 'goblins' or 'kobolds.'

The two guards, under Lieutenant Seo Eunha's leadership, went to the armory at the entrance of the barracks to get their ammunition.

"Thirty 5.56mm bullets, all good."

"Thirty 5.56mm bullets, all good."

Both checked and loaded their magazines, a total of 30 live rounds.

"Always be cautious about safety and the direction of the muzzle. Gates could open anywhere within the premises or nearby areas. Don't lose focus and remember to protect your comrades."

Seo Eunha's gravely serious lines… made Lee Hyunwook chuckle involuntarily. He remembered a future version of her who eventually grew disdainful of such rigid military systems.

At that moment, their eyes met.

"Uh? Corporal, what's so funny?"

Seo Eunha's eyebrows knitted.

"It's nothing."

"Alright, focus and take your positions."

"Yes, understood."

She walked back into the barracks.

Lee Hyunwook chuckled again as he looked at her. With her 176cm height, her march looked rather comical than imposing. To others, of course, she would appear as a serious soldier.

'So Lieutenant Seo Eunha was this boring at this time.'

The fact that she was so dull amused him anew.

Well, freshly commissioned officers are often like that…

'It's quite entertaining to vividly see the embarrassing past of someone you know well.'

Of course, at that time, we didn't know each other well.

Looking back, there were gaps between ranks, like Private and Lieutenant, F-grade and B-grade… a class difference that made friendship unlikely from the start.

However, a few years later, Lee Hyunwook discovers a method to grow his abilities and ends up becoming the team leader of a guild's 'Gate Conquest Team'. Surprisingly, Seo Eunha joined as a new team member.

I'm not sure what she'd been through over the years, but she was somewhat irritable and even seemed awkward as if she was new to the working world.

And at social gatherings, when drunk, she would even whine about her difficulties.

'Hey, Lee Hyunwook! Listen up! Do I have to live getting cursed at by you? When I was a Lieutenant! Huh? You were just a Private! Ah, you understand? You can't treat me like that! Huhuhuh…'

Whenever we engaged in combat, she would take an overly aggressive position. I had warned her several times, and it seemed like those instances had piled up until it eventually exploded.

"Well, we got closer after that day."

But the goofy image of Seo Eunha that Lee Hyunwook remembers… began to merge into a different memory.

Lee Hyunwook tried to shake off that memory but failed.

"Darn."

It was a ruined Dongdaemun District in Seoul.

She was crying then, too.

'Lee, Lee Hyunwook… please, live… and protect…'

However… she was not drunk but was crying, soaked in her own blood.

"…"

Lee Hyunwook felt a momentary bitterness in his mouth.

She too had been killed by the villains.

She who had been the main tank, died while protecting Lee Hyunwook, the main damage dealer.

* * *

The base where Lee Hyunwook belonged, the 2nd Battalion of the 3rd Seaside Brigade, was located midway up Namsan Mountain.

The phenomenon known as the 'Gate' can open at any time, anywhere. That's why AMT units are deployed throughout the city to respond immediately when a Gate opens.

"But today, a Gate opens not in the nearby city, but right here in Namsan."

It was not uncommon for a Gate to open within the military base.

And that was rather convenient.

There was almost no civilian damage, and the military could exclusively secure the byproducts of the Gate without having to share them with civilian guilds.

Upon arriving at the outpost and completing the shift change with the previous guard, Lee Hyunwook checked the time.

AM 04:05

'Was the Gate supposed to open in about 10 minutes?'

Lee Hyunwook reached to his waist and slightly opened the cover of his dagger.

"Um… Corporal Lee Hyunwook?"

At that moment, Park Junmo began to speak.

As Lee Hyunwook looked at Park Junmo, he seemed hesitant, as if he had something to say.

"I've accidentally heard something, and I wanted to tell you."

At a glance, it looked like it would be a lengthy story.

But now was not the time for a serious discussion.

"Hold on, shush."

"…"

The event was about to occur.

"Did you not hear anything just now?"

"Excuse me?"

Park Junmo turned his head and looked toward the fence.

In the darkness, only intermittent orange lights were visible.

"Ah, I didn't hear anything…"

Of course, he hadn't heard any noise yet.

However, Lee Hyunwook started shining a lantern on the hillside as if something was really there.

"No, it's not the fence. I heard it from the back, on the ridge inside the camp."

"Could it be a roe deer or something then?"

Lee Hyunwook shook his head and pressed the walkie-talkie fixed to his shoulder.

Beep-beep.

"Command Center, this is Outpost 5. I've detected a suspicious noise. Please check the nearby CCTV."

This walkie-talkie shared frequencies with all outposts and the command center within the camp.

Moments later…

Beep-beep.

-This is the Command Center, No issues found on CCTV… but we're alerting all outposts to stay vigilant just in case.

Beep-beep.

-If you detect another anomaly, we're planning to use the 'Anomaly Wave Detector.' Don't leave your posts until we identify the issue.

The 'Anomaly Wave Detector' they mentioned was a 'Player-Crafted Item,' made through magical engineering.

When activated, it could monitor mana waves within a certain area.

In essence, it was a machine to detect the opening of a Gate. However, it consumed a significant amount of 'mana stones' to operate, so it couldn't be used carelessly.

Lee Hyunwook paused for a moment and then radioed again.

"This is Outpost 5. I continue to sense movements from the direction of Outpost 6. It's multiple movements. This doesn't appear to be regular wildlife. Requesting re-check of the CCTV."

Saying this, Lee Hyunwook cocked his gun.

Clink-

The sound of a bullet being chambered echoed ominously.

"Uh…"

It was perhaps natural for Park Junmo's face to go pale at that sound.

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook?"

The sound of a gun being loaded is frightening to any soldier.

Lee Hyunwook even activated the safety.

'It's about time for it to start.'

Truth be told, Lee Hyunwook had not detected anything either.

All the reports to the command center thus far were merely a 'preparation,' to act one step ahead when things go south.

Because if they moved to the location after the Gate fully opened and chaos ensued, it would be too late.

Lee Hyunwook descended the outpost steps, gesturing for Park Junmo to follow.

"Corporal Lee Hyunwook? Is it alright for us to do this?"

Park Junmo looked bewildered but followed Lee Hyunwook anyway.

Right then…

Beep-beep.

-Ah! This is Outpost 6! We have a situation! Multiple unidentified life forms are approaching!

As if waiting for it, the urgent radio message arrived.

"Ah! Corporal Lee Hyunwook! Outpost 6 is…"

Just where Lee Hyunwook had mentioned sensing an anomaly. And it was only about 800 meters away from Outpost 5.

Park Junmo looked at Lee Hyunwook.

Was what he sensed real?

Lee Hyunwook stared into the darkness.

'It's begun.'

Far away, in the dark, a purple shimmer appeared.

Right in front of Outpost 6.

"Ah! A Gate!"

Park Junmo also seemed to have spotted it and involuntarily shouted.

Soon, a horde of goblins would pour out from that Gate and seize Outpost 6. The soldiers there would respond, but ultimately, they'd sustain near-critical injuries.

'Thankfully, Seo Eunha arrived just in time, saving their lives.'

Because of this event, Seo Eunha was commended by the battalion commander for her prompt action.

'Sorry, but this time, the credit is mine.'

Lee Hyunwook raised his gun muzzle.

At the same time, a dagger slowly began to float in the air from his waist.