Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: 29. In the Pitch-Black Night (3)
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“…Yes. Proceed.”
For some reason, it felt like he had to, so Youngwoo gave a clear, audible reply.
This seemed like a very important matter.
Especially the phrase “genetics in case the next generation is created” stabbed sharply at his heart.
Could his own “next generation” even come into existence in this lifetime?
The moment Youngwoo wore a troubled expression, his entire body became enveloped in a glow.
“Gasp!”
Then, a bizarre pain that not even the Berserker Talisman could block swept over his whole body.
“Urk……!”
Could this be growing pains?
Entertaining this ridiculous thought, Youngwoo nevertheless fumbled through the spacious room in search of a mirror.
He wanted to witness his body expanding in real time.
He might never get another chance to see such a rare spectacle.
‘Found it.’
Finally spotting a large full-length mirror between the parlor and the kitchen, Youngwoo immediately stood straight in front of it.
Snap.
There was his body, wrapped in a blindingly white mass of light.
And that mass of light gradually swelling larger.
“Wow, what is this.”
Youngwoo felt an immense sense of dissonance as he watched his head—the only part not covered by the light—slowly rising upward.
This was… his height growing right before his eyes, in real time.
And that was not all.
His arms were visibly lengthening to the naked eye.
Shaaa……!
Before long, steam burst from his entire body, and all the gear he had been wearing clattered to the floor.
Clang!
Then the glow enveloping his body faded, revealing the bare skin beneath.
“Ha.”
He was completely naked, not a stitch on him, but Youngwoo felt no embarrassment—instead, he was busy exploring his body.
He now had abs he’d never possessed in his life, and his key leg muscles, the quadriceps, were sculpted as smoothly as a dolphin’s flank.
On top of that, his upper body frame had been entirely rebuilt, broadening his shoulders and making even his collarbones look attractive.
“Unbelievable.”
Youngwoo kept muttering “unbelievable” as he examined every inch of his body.
2.116 million karma.
The price to become an entirely different creature.
In this moment, Youngwoo didn’t find that fortune the least bit wasteful.
The shock and satisfaction surpassed his wildest imaginings.
‘That’s why there’s an appearance alteration option too.’
With his physique transformed to an unbelievably perfect state, a sly desire crept in to match his looks to the same level.
Of course, it wouldn’t help in combat one bit, making it a luxury he couldn’t even dream of for now.
‘With enough money, you can reshape your body and face however you want… Is this really reality?’
Wondering if he was trapped in a long dream, Youngwoo pinched his newly formed arm.
“…Ow.”
Sure enough, the reddened, swollen skin assured him that none of this was a dream.
“Really unbelievable.”
As Youngwoo muttered to himself, a faint rustle came from the wall opposite the mirror—toward the parlor.
Rustle.
“……!”
Youngwoo’s guard, fully relaxed until then, spiked in an instant, and the ‘Dragon’s Legacy’ gripped in his hand cleaved the air.
Swoosh!
“Who’s there.”
Youngwoo advanced toward the parlor, blade raised threateningly, when soon the ‘Dragon’s Legacy’ took on a faint reddish glow.
A sign that a Class 2 or lower human was nearby.
And moments later.
“S-Sorry. I kept knocking, but there was no answer…….”
A woman’s voice emerged, accompanied by a hand poking out from behind the parlor wall.
She waved her wrist slowly, as if surrendering with a white flag.
‘What the…?’
Youngwoo’s face twisted in confusion before he belatedly remembered.
Come to think of it, hadn’t Baek Do-hwan said he’d send a staff member up here?
“Um… if it’s all right, may I come out and introduce myself now?”
As the woman hiding behind the wall began to emerge cautiously, Youngwoo nodded to give permission.
‘Huh?’
Only then did he realize he was stark naked.
“Ah, hold on!”
But it was too late—she had already peeked her head out, wearing an apologetic expression.
Then.
“…Ah.”
She uttered a wordless exclamation.
For a split second, silence hung in the air, and in that moment, Youngwoo caught a flicker of contempt in her eyes.
Even so, her voice that followed carried not the slightest hint of regret.
“Pleased to meet you, Jeong Youngwoo-nim! I’m Deputy Manager Im Seon-ah from the First Secretariat.”
“…Ah.”
“It’s an honor to serve you. Anything you need from now on, just let me know.”
“Aah… Yes, one moment…….”
Youngwoo hesitated, barely covering his lower half with the ‘Dragon’s Legacy,’ when Im Seon-ah strode briskly somewhere and returned with a gray robe.
She clearly knew the room’s layout and the location of its supplies well.
Because.
“I served Executive Director Jeong Hyun-sik as well. He was quite… unique, so… this is nothing.”
What was “this,” and what did she mean by “nothing”?
Youngwoo took the robe awkwardly, feeling increasingly ridiculous as he tried to explain himself.
“I mean, I just—”
But Im Seon-ah had already moved to the mirror and was eyeing the gear scattered on the floor, forcing him to clamp his mouth shut.
It was obvious to anyone: traces of Youngwoo stripping down and admiring his physique in front of the mirror.
“Is the room to your liking? We did prepare other accommodations, but if you prefer, you can keep using this one as is.”
As Im Seon-ah spoke and reached to tidy the gear by the mirror, a startled Youngwoo stopped her.
“I-I’ll get it!”
The swift advance of Gyeongbuk and Gangnam’s unified Gangnam First Sword.
Whoosh!
It was the lightest of movements, without a trace of menace, but with his new two-meter height and the robe draped over him, it created an enormous presence in that instant.
“…Gasp.”
Even Im Seon-ah, who had kept her composure so well, nearly yelped.
Truth be told, she harbored a vague fear of him.
She had capably handled the notoriously difficult chaebol heir Jeong Hyun-sik, and her role in the previous world had been secretariat deputy manager too, but that didn’t make her fearless.
On the contrary, having dealt with so many people, she knew better than most that the scariest thing in this world was other people.
And the one she was now assigned to? The man who had killed the mighty Gangnam First Sword Jeong Hyun-sik.
‘…Heard he decapitated the executive director. Right in front of his son’s corpse.’
Of course, Jeong Hyun-sik’s son, Jeong Gyu-sang, had been utter irredeemable trash, so she was grateful for that part, at least.
But that was one thing.
‘What kind of person thinks to behead both father and son…? Only a madman.’
Im Seon-ah watched the new Gangnam First Sword gather his gear from the floor in this clumsy manner, her eyes tinged with fear.
All the while, she steadied her incessantly quivering breath.
Either way, as his dedicated secretary to the new First Sword, her professional duty demanded top-tier service first and foremost—and second, she refused to let this deranged killer look down on her.
“Is the other accommodation you prepared about the same size as this one?”
Youngwoo asked, clutching his gear haphazardly to his chest, and Im Seon-ah’s eyes flickered with momentary confusion.
She took it as this butcher complaining about the company’s hospitality.
“It’s a touch smaller than here, but we reserved the largest available suite and paid extra attention to the amenities, so it should be quite comfortable. As I mentioned, you can stick with this room too. Taewon will cover the full day-use fee.”
Youngwoo shook his head.
“Not that—the room feels too big.”
“Pardon……?”
“Rooms like this must cost a fortune in day-use fees, right? Even motels start at three grand minimum. Isn’t using a hotel suite just wasteful?”
Just shower and crash, he muttered under his breath, and Im Seon-ah’s pupils dilated even wider than before.
She’d served all sorts of executives before and after the reset, but this kind of complaint was a first.
Still, she grasped his point and launched straight into persuasion.
“You’re right—we could scout something more affordable. But those places are mostly used by residents, and more importantly…….”
Her explanation: the standard rooms around here were likely already snapped up by enterprising locals.
Like most cities, even security-strong Gangnam saw robbers emerge after dark.
That left residents favoring spots near the First Sword’s lodging.
No criminal, no matter how brazen, would dare pull a heist right in front of the First Sword’s doorstep.
In short: if Yongsan was the capital of “New Seoul,” then the area around Youngwoo’s quarters was Gangnam’s capital.
That was why Taewon Group footed the bill for pricey day-use fees to keep him close to headquarters.
“…I see.”
In stark contrast to Im Seon-ah’s elaborate rundown, Youngwoo wrapped it up with a curt reply.
He glanced at the gear bundled in his arms, then added.
“Then I’ll stay here tonight. But tomorrow, switch me to something cheaper.”
“Yes. Understood.”
“And could you send someone to Seoul University? My colleagues are probably holed up there. If they made it safely, bring them here.”
He meant Jong-soo and Tae-young, off searching for CEO Kim Tae-jun’s family.
“Of course. I’ll handle it right away.”
“Yes, that’s all. Anything else I need to square away with Taewon? If we’re done, I’d like to rest for once.”
Im Seon-ah’s lips twitched at Youngwoo’s words.
“Actually, you have a city patrol scheduled with CEO Baek Do-hwan at six this evening, but I’ll cancel it.”
“Yes. Please do.”
Baek Do-hwan apparently wanted to trot out the new First Sword as a publicity prop.
But Youngwoo genuinely wanted to rest.
No matter how others judged him, beheading that father in front of his son’s corpse hadn’t left his mind at ease.
And on top of that, the brutal scrap with boxing gold medalist Cha Doo-sung… It had been one hell of a day.
“Whenever you need anything, just press this button to call me. I’m reachable anytime there’s no freak weather.”
Click.
Im Seon-ah set a small walkie-talkie down on the side table.
An old battery-powered transceiver model.
There wasn’t enough karma to restore the base station setups, so this was how they handled comms.
‘Wow, you can do remote calls like this.’
Youngwoo fiddled with the walkie-talkie in fascination when Im Seon-ah bowed at the waist in farewell.
“Then I’ll take my leave! Have a peaceful night.”
“Yes, thanks for all your hard work. Appreciate it.”
As the robe-clad Youngwoo started toward the door across the carpet to see her off, Im Seon-ah waved him back, no need.
Pausing at the threshold, she left a few more notices.
“At nine p.m., our staff will come by to process the day-use checkout. I’ll drop in again then. And dinner will be delivered here at seven.”
Youngwoo raised a hand slightly and tacked on.
“I’ll handle dinner myself, so no need. See you at nine, then.”
“A-Are you sure?”
Clueless that Youngwoo carried an otherworldly disguise, Seon-ah eyed his blood-matted face and thought.
‘Fair enough—if a guy splattered like that still has an appetite, that’d be the weird part.’
With a crisp nod and her professional smile, she bowed her head.
“Got it. Rest well!”
The door to Suite 3233 began sliding shut once more.
Thud.
With the heavy door fully sealed, Youngwoo finally felt a weight lift.
‘Free until nine.’
He dumped the gear from his arms onto the parlor floor and sank into the massive sofa.
‘What to do now?’
He’d charged ahead so breathlessly every day that he’d forgotten how to relax.
Detaching his gear, even briefly, was the extent of his downtime.
His mind was already gearing up for the next task.
‘Right—time to check achievements.’
He’d finally shaken off the Jeweler’s grasp, so a new achievement should have popped onto the recommended list.
Flash!
Calling up the achievement list while sprawled on the sofa, new golden-ratio feats began scrolling one by one, starting with “Golden Journey.”
[Golden Journey]
|Summon a golden ratio in the next region.
|Domestic (2/3) |Foreign (0/2)
[Complete Orphan]
|Track down and eliminate your parents. (1/2)
[Nightwalker]
|Spend one night outside your residence.
And finally.
“Huh……?”
Youngwoo shot upright from his comfy sofa sprawl without thinking.
Because the name of this long-awaited new achievement was.
[Ending Maker]
|Discover the protagonist from after the reset.