am-books Chapter 6: The Tiger and the Buffalo
Chapter 6: The Tiger and the Buffalo
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?”Follow the latest novels on 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
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.”
“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
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.