A Player Who Eats Metal

Chapter 6: The Tiger and the Buffalo

< Chapter 6: The Tiger and the Buffalo – 1 >

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A “Gate” refers to the phenomenon where a dimensional rift occurs and monsters invade through that gap.

It’s been about 11 years since this unknown phenomenon was first observed, but methods to predict its “cause” and “occurrence time” still do not exist.

Thus, the best course of action for “Gate guarding operations” was to continuously monitor all major locations in real-time and respond immediately upon detecting a Gate.

“It’s great that our rookies responded well. But, you see…”

As Battalion Commander Kim Kang-seok’s voice trailed off, a chill filled the command control room.

At the young age of 35, he was a talented military officer who had attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. But he had an even greater claim to fame…

He was ranked 166th in the ‘Korean Player Rankings.’

That was why his words weighed so heavily.

“We need to be certain. Everyone knows it’s hardly credible to report to the Brigade Commander that an F-class soldier alone held off the Gate’s first wave. This isn’t a matter of formality. It’s a matter of common sense. What I mean is, the report must be something that’s logically possible.”

He didn’t fully believe that an F-class soldier had performed such a feat.

“Everyone, I’ll ask again. What exactly happened to our unit early this morning?”

None of the officers from the ‘Initial Response Team’ in the command control room could readily answer.

There was no evidence.

CCTVs were installed throughout the base, but the burst of mana that came out with the Gate’s appearance had temporarily disabled all electronic equipment in the area.

All that remained were fragmented testimonies.

The rookies who had witnessed the situation closest, from Outpost 6, had not yet recovered, and the deputy at Outpost 5 was a Private Second Class, which somehow didn’t seem reliable.

Then…

“Commander, the soldier you called for has arrived.”

When Kim Kang-seok gestured for him to be let in, Lee Hyunwook entered the command control room.

“Salute!”

However, Kim Kang-seok did not acknowledge the salute.

The First Company Commander, Captain Kwak Yong-jun, stood up.

“Commander, this is Soldier Lee Hyunwook, who was on duty at Outpost 5 during the time of the incident.”

Kim Kang-seok nodded and looked Lee Hyunwook up and down.

And Lee Hyunwook looked back at him.

Though filled with fatigue from being suddenly roused in the dawn, his stare was all the more piercing… in front of a gaze that not only the soldiers but also most officers, found themselves inadvertently cowering under.

‘Kim Kang-seok, known as the Mountain God of Namsan, a B-class Druid player…’

Kim Kang-seok was a name that Lee Hyunwook would come to hear quite frequently as far as he knew.

Although currently a B-class, he would soon be promoted to A-class.

And in just a few years, he would earn a one-star ‘Brigade Commander’ rank, and not long after, rise to the three-star ‘AMT Strategic Operations Commander.’

After a brief pause, contemplating his thoughts, Kim Kang-seok finally spoke.

“Given that a soldier alone took down an elite boss, I assumed you were Sergeant Choi Young-jun.”

The tone was sarcastic and dismissive of Lee Hyunwook.

“Hmm, so soldier, is it true that you repelled the first wave?”

“Yes, it is. I detected the Gate while on duty and immediately responded.”

Lee Hyunwook answered straightforwardly, but Kim Kang-seok’s expression remained stern.

Silently, he stood up.

As the towering 6’4″ (193 cm) figure rose, a thick shadow was cast over the operation table.

His presence was as imposing as his title of “Mountain God of Namsan” suggested.

“Well, under normal circumstances, you would have been torn to pieces right there.”

It seemed like he was pressuring Lee Hyunwook to spill the truth, as he continued to speak rather aggressively.

“My judgment is that it’s unlikely that an F-class could have single-handedly defeated an ‘elite boss monster.’ It seems like there are quite a few details omitted. For instance, maybe a lightning spell that ricocheted from Outpost 6 luckily hit the ‘Goblin Shaman,’ rendering it incapacitated… Yeah, that seems more plausible, doesn’t it?”

At Kim Kang-seok’s sarcastic comment, Lee Hyunwook boldly shook his head and then…

“Commander, I cannot understand what you are saying right now. And… I feel like I’ve been disrespected.”

His unexpected explosive statement made the atmosphere in the command control room icy cold.

“Disrespected? Did you just say disrespected?”

Kim Kang-seok’s eyebrows twitched.

“Yes, I did.”

“Why?”

Lee Hyunwook looked straight into Kim Kang-seok’s eyes as he answered.

“Every time you’ve conducted collective training for the battalion members, you’ve emphasized something. It’s something you’ve never failed to mention. Do you remember?”

Kim Kang-seok didn’t answer, and Lee Hyunwook continued.

“You’ve emphasized that even if a player is of low level, as long as they approach the situation with the correct tactics, even a D-class, no, even an E-class could handle a troll.”

It was something he had heard quite a while ago, but because he had heard it so often, he remembered it even now.

“According to your training, it doesn’t seem so strange that I, being F-class, could handle at least a goblin, if not a troll. I engaged the enemy according to AMT’s <Monster Tactics Manual> and defeated them. And yet, you now say that the victory I risked my life for is impossible…”

He felt disrespected.

He didn’t explicitly mention it again, letting the sentence trail off.

However, it must have had a significant impact on Kim Kang-seok’s thinking.

“…”

Kim Kang-seok looked at Lee Hyunwook in silence.

Lee Hyunwook did not avoid his gaze.

Although his expression remained unchanged, the flash of anger that had been there when he heard he was “disrespected” was now gone.

‘That’s it for the emotional pressure; now logical persuasion is needed.’

Lee Hyunwook took a deep breath and continued speaking.

“Of course, I was lucky. The moment the electric magic burst at checkpoint 6, I spotted a goblin shaman near the gate. At that time, I realized that it was not a regular goblin gate but of elite grade. I decided it would be better to move in a different direction rather than blindly going for support.”

Before he knew it, Kim Kang-seok’s expression had subtly changed.

Although Lee Hyunwook said he was lucky, Kim Kang-seok was unlikely to truly consider it as mere luck; rather, he would most probably evaluate it as a careful assessment of the situation.

Being a soldier and a player who had fought countless battles, he knew just how important that small judgment was.

“…Go on.”

As expected, he showed interest. Lee Hyunwook nodded his head and continued speaking.

He elaborated that, due to the characteristics of the ‘Goblin Shaman,’ who controls multiple goblin minions, Lee Hyunwook decided that instead of supporting the endangered Outpost 6, he would use Outpost 6 as bait and directly target the boss monster, the Goblin Shaman.

He then explained how he was able to subdue the elite boss monster one-on-one afterward.

“…Although I’m only an F-rank with the ability to manipulate small metals, I moved the Goblin Shaman’s necklace to strangle its neck. When it showed an opening, I moved its own dagger to stab it in the neck. In this way, I believe I dealt damage to it using the best method I could.”

The report was thorough overall, explaining how someone with an F-rank could effectively perform in that situation.

“As you’ve mentioned, sir, I’m an F-rank, so the only weapon I have is an enchanted M9 dagger. Therefore, all I can do is prepare for the worst and fight to the best of my ability.”

Prepare for the worst and fight to the best of my ability” was a phrase that Kim Kang-seok often used as well.

It was both a declaration and a form of flattery.

Kim Kang-seok slowly nodded his head.

“…Understood. You may leave now.”

Before he turned his body, Lee Hyunwook saluted and walked out of the command center.

Then, silence flowed once again.

The duty officer who had been sitting there swallowed his dry saliva.

It seemed like it wasn’t a good scene to have a single soldier speak so confidently in front of the battalion commander, who was already on edge due to an unfortunate incident on the premises.

Kim Kang-seok sat with his hands clasped, lost in thought, and no one else spoke.

About a minute later, he finally opened his mouth.

“…If any of you were an F-class, do you think you could have fought the way that guy just described?”

No one could answer. It was a moment where neither affirmation nor denial seemed appropriate.

In the silence of his staff, Kim Kang-seok looked into the void.

And for a brief moment, he was lost in old thoughts.

When the gate first opened, when he was a second lieutenant, when he first encountered a monster…

He recalled those old memories where countless normal soldiers had lost their lives like flies.

“Now I understand, that guy, Corporal Lee Hyunwook, didn’t face the challenge as an F-class player but as a prepared soldier and won that way. Shamefully, I overlooked the fact that he is a soldier and judged him.”

He decided to believe Lee Hyunwook’s testimony.

“First Company Commander.”

“Yes, Battalion Commander!”

Kim Kang-seok showed a faint smile. It was an expression that was not usually seen.

“I will give that guy a special reward under my authority as the battalion commander. Oh, and… tell him to choose any weapon he needs from the battalion armory without restrictions. Does it make sense that the only personal weapon for a guy like that is a single enchanted M9 dagger?”

* * *

Lee Hyunwook came out of the command control room without hearing the result, but he was confident that things had gone according to plan.

‘It must have been a bullseye answer.’

Lieutenant Colonel Kim Kang-seok was what one would commonly call a ‘true soldier’.

He had just graduated from the Korea Military Academy and was commissioned as a second lieutenant when the gates began to open.

And a few days later, he found himself in a battle with a group of orcs… in which he lost all his squad members.

Soon after, he awakened as a player and became an initial member of AMT.

He was a man living with a sense of duty to defend this land against an unknown invasion.

‘He couldn’t hate someone who so completely fulfilled what he himself emphasizes.’

Every single word of Lee Hyunwook was composed of keywords meticulously targeting Kim Kang-seok.

Shortly after, the company commander, Captain Kwak Yong-jun, came looking for Lee Hyunwook.

“Lee Hyunwook, good job. You spoke quite bluntly, but fortunately, it seems the battalion commander views you favorably. You’ll receive ‘reward points’ by tomorrow, and you’ll probably also get a commendation.”

Reward points were part of AMT’s reward system, which could be used not only for vacations and off-base passes but also for exchanging items in the military item store. The exchanged items would become one’s personal property.

“Also, if you visit the logistics department tomorrow, you’ll be given ownership of an item from the battalion armory. Thanks to the battalion commander’s orders, you can choose anything without limitations, so choose carefully.”

Lee Hyunwook inwardly cheered. As expected, he had received the reward he had hoped for.

Kim Kang-seok often gave out item rewards because he highly valued combat ability.

Lee Hyunwook’s deliberate mention that, being an F-class, all he had was an enchanted M9 dagger, must have had a significant impact.

“This is the first time I’ve seen an F-class receive a commendation in my military career. Well done, Lee Hyunwook.”

“I was lucky. Thank you.”

“Sure, luck must have played a part, but you did well.”

Kwak Yong-jun smiled warmly and patted Lee Hyunwook’s shoulder.

He still thought it was a matter of luck.

That was understandable, as the soldier Lee Hyunwook, whom he had been commanding for several months, did not have the combat capability to single-handedly take on a Goblin Shaman.

“Alright, then rest up, see you tomorrow.”

“Yes, understood.”

It was already 8 in the morning. He had woken up at 3:30 a.m., so he was starting to feel tired, but he couldn’t afford to rest.

[ Time remaining for Metal Absorption: (05:12:49) ]

He needed to quickly absorb adamantium, a precious metal, and then quickly consume the ‘mana stone’ he had hidden away in secret.

To do that, he needed to shorten the absorption time through exercise.

‘Sleep is a luxury. I’ll have to work out a bit and then plan my vacation.’

And now, thanks to the reward points, he was able to go on a special leave.

* * *

The story of the Yongnae Gate incident that occurred at dawn, and the heroics of the F-rank player who was active on the scene, quickly spread throughout the entire unit.

The reaction was mostly a mixture of astonishment and bewilderment.

However…

In the battalion’s consultation room, Kwak Jin-cheol and Oh Sang-guk were sitting on the sofa.

“Sergeant, can you believe this? That guy took down a Goblin Shaman by himself.”

Despite having finished his duty as an on-call officer, Kwak Jin-cheol couldn’t fall asleep.

“I feel like I’m dreaming. I might wake up dozing off at the administration desk, getting scolded by Lieutenant Seo Eunha… I wish it were that scenario. This is just unbelievable.”

He exhaled smoke with a gloomy face.

“Hey, don’t worry.”

On the other hand, Sergeant Sang-guk was still at ease.

“I also find it hard to believe, but it’s good. If that guy gains confidence from this, won’t he be more likely to accept the duel requested by Won-seok? Hehehe…”

The Goblin Shaman was a tricky monster to handle, but in Oh Sang-guk’s opinion, it wasn’t comparable to a D-rank player graded as C-class, like the Barbarian.

“He’ll probably end up with several broken bones, needing a couple of healers to heal him until they run out of mana. Once he’s utterly humiliated, all the rumors about Lee Hyunwook being something special will disappear.”

Oh Sang-guk chuckled as he spoke. Kwak Jin-cheol also grinned, but he felt uneasy for some reason.

“But the more I think about it, something feels ominous, as if something has dramatically changed.”

He recalled a moment from yesterday when he was sparring with Lee Hyunwook. Lee Hyunwook’s expression at that time was… like an old predator? In any case, it felt off.

Just then, someone knocked on the consultation room door.

“Private Lee Won-seok! May I come in?”

“Yeah, come in!”

A group of burly guys with buzz cuts rushed in. They were Private Lee Won-seok, who was a Barbarian, and his comrades.

“Wow… look at our June enlistees. They really look like an orc tribe, don’t they?”

“Seriously, if we put them in green clothes, they might even get shot by machine guns.”

At the words of the two senior soldiers, the privates erupted into noisy laughter.

These June enlistees were nicknamed “Munchkins.” They all had imposing statures, and when they walked around together, they exuded an intimidation factor similar to that of gangsters.

Among them, the Barbarian, Lee Won-seok, stood a head taller than the rest.

‘Well, at his level, he’d be capable of taking down a Goblin Shaman with his bare hands.’

How could anyone beat a man with enough grip strength to split a log, let alone do pull-ups?

“Alright, Won-seok, you remember what I told you?”

“Yes, about Corporal Lee Hyunwook from the 5th platoon…”

“Yeah, yeah, let’s not talk about it out loud. We should be cautious, right?”

“Ah! I keep forgetting.”

The timing would usually call for an apology, but Lee Won-seok just chuckled.

Sergeant Sang-guk didn’t make a big deal out of it either.

It was special treatment.

“He’s currently at the training ground. Want to go meet him for a moment?”

“Ah! Can I go play now and then go there?”

“Sure, we’ll follow you a bit later. It would look weird if we all went together.”

Though it was an order to assault the senior, Lee Won-seok showed no signs of tension.

“Don’t worry. I’ll handle it very smoothly. Haha!”

Lee Won-seok had been working as a club guard from age 18 to 24, and at age 25 he was awakened as a ‘player,’ joining the AMT to fulfill his ‘player mandatory service period.’

He might soon be promoted to non-commissioned officer, and after his discharge, he had a high probability of joining a decent guild. He was a player with potential.

“I’ve had quite some experience taking unruly customers to the bathroom and beating them up when I worked at the club. If you beat them up just the right amount, it avoids causing too much fuss, and they usually back down quietly.”

“Hahaha! This guy is a total pro, isn’t he?”

“Sure, I’ll take care of it!”

Since he was inherently a ruffian, he was familiar with this kind of rule-breaking harassment.

* * *

“Whew…”

Lee Hyunwook was in the <Second Indoor Training Ground>, sitting in a combat box and catching his breath.

A combat box is, in simple terms, a square ring. However, it is an area enclosed by a “magic barrier” so that players can use skills.

Lee Hyunwook had just finished close-quarters combat training against an AI dummy.

He felt groggy from a lack of sleep, but his mood was uplifted.

And most importantly…

[ Absorption complete ]

-Controllable ‘metal’ weight: 2,558g

‘As expected of adamantium, despite the absorption delay, the total amount of metal has increased significantly.’

The controllable metal weight jumped by more than 1kg in an instant.

The amount was incomparable to the scrap metals like locks that he had absorbed before.

Swallowing good-quality metal indeed proved effective.

‘At this rate, I should be able to control not just daggers but even most longswords.’

But that wasn’t all.

[ Congratulations! You’ve met special conditions and have been granted a new ‘skill’ ]

Unlike leveling, growth attributes enhance abilities through hidden methods.

This applies to ‘skill’ acquisition as well.

In Lee Hyunwook’s case, swallowing ‘magic metal’ with special effects leads to acquiring a corresponding skill.

Swallowing the same metal repeatedly enhances the skill.

‘Adamantium especially grants extremely useful skills; getting it this early is a stroke of luck.’

[Skill Information]

-Name: Hardening

-Grade: D

-Effect: Consumes mana (5) to temporarily ‘strengthen’ a part of your body.

-Consuming a certain amount of ‘high-hardness magic metal’ improves the skill grade.

Although the grade is still low, even at this level, he could defend against most sharp or blunt weapons.

“And then…”

Lee Hyunwook raised his left hand.

Creak–

His fist began to harden as if it were made of diamond.

‘With this alone, my grip strength increases threefold.’

Just then, the door to the training ground opened, and a group of bulky figures filed in.

‘What’s going on?’

Lee Hyunwook felt something was off.

It was because those bulky figures were blatantly staring at him as they approached.

It wasn’t just a feeling; they stopped in front of the combat box where Lee Hyunwook was.

Among them, the largest man, Lee Won-seok, stepped forward.

“Corporal Lee Hyunwook, are you using this box right now?”

In response to Lee Won-seok’s question, Lee Hyunwook silently nodded his head.

“Hmm… it looks like you’ve used it quite a bit alone. Mind if we use it now?”

As the guy said this and smirked, his gang chuckled as well.

It was blatant disrespect.

‘Look at these guys…’

“Or would you like to spar with me? I’d like to learn a thing or two.”

Lee Hyunwook realized the context of the situation.

‘Oh Sang-guk and Kwak Jin-cheol, how childish. Playing these kinds of pranks.’

Lee Hyunwook deactivated the hardening on his left hand and gestured.

“Alright, come on up.”

That prank would be something they’d never be able to do again.