Steel eating player chapter 179

 
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“Um… did you say you came from the Roman Gate?”
Hyunwook Lee and his party were being ‘polymorphed’ in the form of a dark elf, and they were being screened at the ‘terminal’ of the dark elf kingdom, a huge space lined with dozens of portal generators.
“Yes, that’s right. There are five in total.”
A dark elf was sitting over a magic fence and asked a question while examining the pass they gave him, and Argenti Arcum, the guardian knight of the 2nd Prince, was answering as the representative.
Still, there was nothing wrong with the pass, and he didn’t notice Polymorph, so he just covered the pass, but his eyes were still aggressive.
“Great! How dare you guys come to visit without prior contact? Don’t you know that you have to get permission to visit at least a week in advance to be able to use the gate?”
“Ah, that… … .”
“That’s in the same exhibition now! You wouldn’t know that this was just a liver coming out of the boat, huh?”
“… … I’m sorry for not being able to report in advance because I have an urgent business to come in.”
As it was a wartime, there was a sharp edge on the border, but armed forces were everywhere. Anyway, if my stomach was exposed here, or if I was detained for procedural issues, it would have been quite troublesome.
And whether there is a clear hierarchical order in this race, the terminal keeper proudly folded his arms and began to spit out scolding skillfully.
“Hey gatekeeper, if I ask you this, don’t you have to tell me why? Do you go in and out of your terminal once or twice?
Then the guardian knight tilted his head slightly forward and whispered in a low voice.
“Hey, that’s… … Do you know Seuss Bupo?”
Perhaps it was the name of a person with a fairly high position, the terminal keeper’s eyes grew reflexively.
“Huh? Uh, Aldamada! Aren’t you the manager of the 7th Forest? Haven’t you gone to war with humans now?”
“Yeah, he really likes the finest Italian wines, which are human drinks. He’s going to have a party after this battle,” he said.
As he said that, he pointed somewhere, where there was a small iron box.
Then the terminal keeper got up without realizing it and nodded his head.
“Ah, that’s what happened!”
The reason he agreed so quickly was that a high-ranking official named Sous Bupo was famous for his fondness for human food.
“Yes, that’s it. Haha I’m sorry to bother you.”
“If it’s the order of the administrator of the 7th Forest… Big, yes, I was ignorant and wasted my precious time! Still, if he gets caught bringing things from the human world in these days, even him will get in trouble, so you have to be careful. Sun!”
In this way, Argenti Arcum was able to pass the checkpoint with a plausible false reason prepared in advance.
“Wow, dark elves are no different from humans. If you give the name of the superior once, it’s a free pass… … .”
“When I returned from vacation, I remembered being tested at the guardhouse.”
Kim Se-hee and Park Jun-mo left comments one by one.
After exiting the terminal, they walked for a long time on a long passage, and soon encountered a very large space called a ‘plaza’.
“This is the center of our kingdom, and it is connected to almost everywhere. If there is a problem, you must pass through this place when escaping.
The second prince explained.
There were really many dark elves coming and going, and it felt like a transit station in the center of the city.
And it was as if thick roots that did not know whether they rose from the ground or descended from the ceiling stood like a building, and were actually dug up and used as a building.
Glowing flowers bloomed from the ceiling, filling the entire underground space with a soft white light… … If there was no anxiety about the enemy camp, it was a mysterious landscape like a fairy village in a fairy tale.
However… … .
“Uh, isn’t that… a person?”
Suddenly, Park Jun-mo whispered in a surprised voice.
“Huh?”
And indeed, there were people among the crowds of Dark Elves.
They were walking in a row, with both hands bound with something like green vines, with their shaved heads and only rags on their wretched faces.
Seeing the dark elves guarding the area with weapons, it seemed that they were probably slaves.
‘They must be citizens who could not escape from Berlin at the time of the third wave.’
Those who couldn’t get out of this land when the disaster happened, and even when Berlin began to turn into a green hell because they couldn’t prevent it.
‘And probably being run as agricultural slaves.’
It was the Hondal Guardian’s guess that that number reached 30,000 to 40,000.
However, there was no way to rescue them, so they had no choice but to live as slaves to the Dark Elves.
“What, what is that… are you going to catch humans and make them slaves?”
Kim Se-hee asked in a sharp voice, and the two dark elves looked as if they had no face.
“… … I have nothing to say.”
And as an excuse, he explained that when the royal family ruled, their quality of life was higher than they are now, and at that time they respected the hostages as much as possible.
It would not be entirely false, since the Dark Elf kingdom was trying to go on a friendly path with humanity, it would have been more like a hostage than a slave at that time.
However, with the villain’s intervention, the ‘Great General’ took power and everything went awry.
“… … For now, let’s keep going.”
“Great, this is it.”
Lee Hyun-wook did not flirt with such a thing. It was because he had watched the human race, which had become much more miserable than that, his entire past life.
The crowd gradually decreased, the ceiling was lowered, and the light began to fade. It meant going out.
“From here on, it’s a residential area. My close friends will be waiting for us.”
“By the way, they are really trustworthy kids, aren’t they?”
Kim Se-hee asked. She seemed to harbor distrust after seeing a human slave a while ago. Then the second prince frowned as if he was offended.
“These are the people who would lay down their lives for me. And I, too, would lay down my life for them.”
“Hmm, I usually get betrayed in that kind of relationship… is that because it’s a reversal?”
How far they had walked, Lee Hyun-wook sensed that there were footsteps chasing them.
I don’t know if it’s an enemy or not, but since it’s in the middle of an enemy camp, I had no choice but to keep my eye on it.
Two pale notes began to tremble from his waist.
And then… … .
“One Prince, here it is.”
In an alley, people in robes were beckoning.
***
“… … For now, I’d like to say that breaking into the ‘Room of Power’ where the general is staying right now is an act of suicide.”
A female dark elf said so as she held out a teacup to the party.
Her name is Lilium Pide, once said to be an official of the Royal Interior Ministry and a friend of the Second Prince.
And the ‘loyalist’ Dark Elves here, including her, reacted negatively after hearing about the plans of Hyunwook Lee and his party.
“Now, virtually all the troops left behind to defend the kingdom are gathered there. Because the general is controlling the ‘Vinguard’ through his seat. The defense is more thorough than ever. Rather, it will be more difficult to break through than usual. ”
The second prince also nodded as if in agreement with Lilium Fidet.
“Yeah, no matter how much all the troops were sent to the battlefield, they’d be tenaciously defending that place… they still haven’t been able to completely eliminate the loyalists who aspire to restore the kingship…”
Although Lee Hyun-wook was aiming for the moment when the house became empty, the security of the core goal was more thorough.
‘Yes, I expected this to some extent.’
Lee Hyun-wook did not tell them, but he was flying Fly Eyes to look around the Dark Elf Kingdom.
And no matter how many troops escaped, the center came to the conclusion that the defense was more thorough than expected.
Hyun-wook Lee was in trouble.
‘No matter how secretly I can infiltrate, this is an enemy camp. And the trickiest thing about it is that green waves are growing on the ceilings, walls and floors everywhere.’
‘Green Wave’, a wave of cannibal vines that Hyunwook Lee faced in Yggdrasil City.
In other words, there is a possibility that if you make a small mistake, you will be caught in vain. It was like a flying worm that barely flew through a spider’s web.
‘So, when you’ve got one twist, for what to do after that… … We have to improve the situation so that we can penetrate as covertly as possible.’
In other words, a very shocking opportunity was needed to bring out as much as possible the troops guarding the ‘Room of Power’.
that… … .
“Rebellion… … .”
“One yes?”
At Lee Hyun-wook’s words, everyone looked at him.
“If there is a rebellion within the castle, won’t some of the troops in the throne room move out to suppress it?”
Lilium Fidet nodded to Lee Hyun-wook’s question, but that didn’t mean he gave a positive answer.
“… … Oh, I see what you mean. However, the majority of the loyalists who advocated restoration of the monarchy are now in prison. Well, you can shake it like a coup d’etat, but you can’t just pull out the troops in the chamber of power that much. It would require more chaos, which is not possible at this time.”
Lee Hyun-wook shook his head.
“No, not the loyal Dark Elves… unless you get up with quite a few troops. For example, thousands of people.”
“Um, no… are you trying to use humans?”
I asked if the second prince noticed something, and Lee Hyun-wook nodded.
“Human prisoners of war held here, not a small number of them could fight if they had weapons.”
Because not a small number of them must have been captured while fighting the Dark Elves. And even after that, there must be some who have experienced ‘awakening’… If not, there would be hundreds of combat players.
And Lee Hyun-wook had hundreds of player-specific weapons, and furthermore, he was able to summon multiple family members with the iron golem’s core.
So it was possible to properly revolt.
“If we release them and cause a commotion, can the soldiers guarding the throne room be mobilized?”
Lilium Fidet pondered for a moment at those words and shook her head.
“Ha… that really is absolutely impossible.”
She pointed out the window, at the ceiling.
About a dozen meters above, near the ceiling, plant stems were wriggling like wiring or pipes built into the building.
That was the ‘Green Wave’.
“The main reason they are unable to rebel is that everywhere in this kingdom there are plants that can be controlled by the power of the Throne.”
In other words, at the moment of rebellion, plants flew like tentacles from the ceiling and walls and bound them all.
“But what if… there is a fire?”
Hyunwook Lee suggested another alternative.
Fire, it was a substance that could never be found here in the Dark Elf Kingdom.
This is because, as the area is made of plants, it would be uncontrollable if the fire spreads, so the Dark Elves did not even eat fire, and the lights were replaced by the plants themselves emitting light.
Hyunwook Lee explained next.
“If the rebels get their hands on fire, won’t Green Wave instinctively withdraw? Of course, it would be a problem if the forest elementalist came forward and forced it to move…but most of the forest elementalist would have gone to war, and the rest would be in power. They’ll be guarding the room, that is, getting them to go.”
The Green Wave, which Lee Hyun-wook witnessed earlier, was controlled by the boss monster Floss Louver, who is called the forest manager.
Therefore, it showed a powerful power that could not be stopped by any flame magic.
However, if it was a green wave that grew naturally like this, even ordinary fire would be enough to limit its activities.
However, when Lee Hyun-wook repeatedly raised objections, Lilium Fidet had a slightly upset expression.
As a close friend and loyalist of the 2nd Prince, he is helping with this plan, but the concept of hostility and rebellion against humans seems not to be well-received.
“Ha… of course we’re all prepared for fire. Our city isn’t that lame.”
She went on to explain that everywhere in this subterranean city, water-holding plants took root and acted as a kind of sprinkler.
Then, looking at the second prince, he made a frustrated expression, asking if he could really trust these humans.
“Ah… … But I think we can fix it!”
It was the young dark elf who was still sitting in the corner.
He raised his hand with an innocent expression, but contrary to his immature appearance… … .
– Dark Elf Elite Spirit Magician (LV: 61)
However, he was ranked as ‘Elite’ among the ‘Forest Spirit Magicians’, who are called the most elite among the Dark Elves.
In other words, if this guy raises his level further, he will become an ‘elite monster’.
The second prince also joined in.
“Yeah, with a few forest animists, we can control the firefighting plants in the slave settlement so that they don’t spew water in case of a fire. Lilium, how many forest animists can we mobilize?”
When even the second prince helped, she blushed, coughed, and opened her mouth.
“That’s… like this human said earlier, most of them are requisitioned, so there are very few in the kingdom. The only ones that come to mind now are about five or six…”
“Yeah, that’s enough. I’m also familiar with forest spirits to some extent, so if I join you, I’ll be able to control the ‘water line’ and cause the fire to spread. The troops in the room will be dispatched…”
He turned his head and looked at Lee Hyun-wook.
“If, as you said, the troops from the throne room are pulled out, can you enter with that magic helmet on and assassinate the general?”
Lee Hyun-wook lifted the teacup placed in front of him and nodded as if it was natural.
“Well, I would like to blow up the entire throne room with all the troops, but if I do that, I can destroy even the throne, right?”
“… … I beg your pardon? To blow up the entire throne room, isn’t it too much of a joke?”
Again, Lilium Fidet took the lead this time.
“It makes me wonder how important this is to us right now. This is no joke!”
Lee Hyun-wook drank a sip of tea without reacting.
However, the second prince came forward and gave Lilium Fide a face-off.
“Stop- Lilium Fidet, please be a little respectful. From what I’ve observed, this person isn’t usually joking, and that wasn’t even a joke.”
“… … Yes? So, are you really saying that this person has the power to annihilate the throne room once?”
The second prince nodded at the question.
“Since that’s true, if we’re going to get our city back safely, we’ll have to do what this man says.”
“……”
“I want you to keep that in mind and reconfirm all the details for the rebellion.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Thus, the so-called planetary escape operation began.
***
In fact, life is despair. In the first place, happiness is just an utopia, and pursuing it is a series of pain.
This was the obvious nihilism that any human being living a difficult life would have had at least once, but it was true to the humans living here in the ‘slave settlement’ of the Dark Elf Kingdom.
Somewhere there, in a moist, yellowish crypt, humans in rags were sitting around a sloppy table and talking.
A little while ago, it was lunch time, so we chatted after dinner.
However, the mood today was not particularly good.
“Hey, I really can’t stand it anymore! After the war, the workload has become so extreme!”
A skinny man grabbed his head and shouted so.
“… … Hey, I’m going to die like this!”
Among human slaves, ‘players’ were particularly hard-working.
They were taken to a dark elf orchard to provide mana to the fruit.
It wasn’t easy to die, but it was a terrible job that had no choice but to die very painfully and slowly, like the so-called high blood flow.
“Heuk-heuk- I really just want to die!”
And this man was in a state of half madness at the pain.
Eventually, the other men comforted him, put him to sleep, and took him to a shabby room to lay him down.
An old man who watched the scene sighed.
As the eldest person in the crypt, he has served as their spiritual supporter. However, his face was filled with only shade from one day.
“Now I feel like I just want to die.”
“Yes? Grandpa, don’t say that. He advised me to always hope, and that mankind has always found answers!”
A boy offered an old man a dried and twisted fruit.
But the old man waved his hand.
“Haha: How many years ago was that?”
“Uh, that’s…”
“It’s been too long. This bridle… Gradually, hope itself starts to get funny, as if reminiscing about the youthful days of chasing a dream. And it seems that the pride for humanity is no longer there.”
It’s been 6 years since I was captured here in the underground city of the Dark Elf Kingdom… … They were now too old to hold hope.
“By the way, it was said that the dark elf troops had completely escaped, just like a while ago… Maybe the rescue operation has finally started?”
This time the young woman asked.
She was holding a newborn baby.
“I still want to believe. Uh, I can go out someday. And I will definitely let my daughter enjoy the sunshine.”
Perhaps it was because of the guilt she felt for the child born in this dungeon, she seemed unable to give up hope.
But others were not.
“No, I’m sorry, but… … When I listened to what the guards were talking about at the last harvest, it seemed like it was being conquered in reverse.”
“What, what? then… … Not only here in Berlin, but the whole of Germany is falling apart?”
“It’s not that, it’s all over Europe. Maybe it’s the whole world… As the old man said, what’s the pride for humanity, we’re done.”
At those words, cynicism and moans flowed from everywhere.
Being imprisoned here is a terrible thing, and what made the pain even worse was the news that the entire human race was being ravaged.
It was like hearing that the country was being invaded while being a prisoner of war.
That was the most disappointing news.
“Damn, you bastards like dogs…”
In the end, a man spit out a groan of anger. He was brimming with anger at the execution of his friend not long ago.
“Damn, even if I die, I’m sure I’ll kill one or two of them!”
“Hey- Calm down, you’re too loud. And if the guard hears you, keep in mind that we’ll be punished as well.”
“Damn, how long are you going to live like this? We’re going to die anyway, isn’t it better to die fighting? Still, we’re players! Why don’t we fight properly once?”
However… … .
bum bum bum bum
Footsteps were heard in the darkness on one side, and people shut their mouths and turned their gazes to it.
bum bum bum bum
But I wasn’t too nervous.
This was a very deep place even in a slave settlement, so patrols by the guards were very rare. It was because of that that they were talking freely here.
However… … .
“Ugh!”
They were startled and stood up.
“Uh, uh… go, guard?”
There, the dark elf stood.
“Uh, why are you here… … .”
And the Dark Elf here would be a brutal guard, but if you just heard that gossip… … They were practically dead.
And, given the current atmosphere, he could be subjected to a summary execution here. Especially, the woman holding her young daughter was trembling and tired of blue.
“Oh no… please…”
However, there was no anger in the dark elf’s face.
Rather, strangely, he glanced at people one by one with a happy face… … .
“Hey, this is a human settlement, right?”
I asked that question, and everyone had no choice but to put on a blank expression.
What the hell kind of question is this?
“……”
After quite a long silence, the young man who first came to his senses nodded his head.
“… … Uh, uh, yes! Yes, guard!”
Then the dark elf raised his head, looked up at the ceiling, and shouted.
“Yes, that’s right! Come down now!”
kooded——
Such a sound echoed overhead, and people raised their heads one by one… … Aren’t the green waves forming the ceiling wriggling and coming down from there?
chin
A total of six dark elves came down from the ceiling.
And one of them stepped forward and stood in front of the young man.
“I want to meet the leaders here.”
In an instant, silence passed.
Again, the young man answered.
“Gee, you’re a leader… there’s no way slaves can do that? Haha! We know that it’s forbidden to form a private organization, and we always keep that in mind!”
At that question, the dark elf looked at the dark elf standing at the back.
“Can you release my polymorph for a moment?”
“Well, it will take 15 minutes to reapply, is that ok?”
“I don’t think I can do anything to explain the situation to these people.”
woo woo woo
At that moment, a black light flashed from the dark elf’s face… … .
“… … Uh, sah, are you human?”
It changed into a human, an Asian man’s face.
“I just overheard your conversation unintentionally. So I don’t know if it will be a little comforting to hear something like this…”
Then he approached and laid his hand on the young man’s shoulder and opened his mouth softly.
“… … On behalf of mankind, I have come to rescue you.”
Steel eating player chapter 179

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