Chapter 138
Chapter 138
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 138
Chapter Title: 34. Tectonic Shift (1)
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‘You want me to assassinate Kim Jong-un?’
Young-woo blinked at the new Dogo quest titled ‘Will of the Departed.’
Of course, it wasn’t like he couldn’t kill the guy.
If that bastard ever came down to South Korea, Young-woo would’ve stepped up first even without anyone asking.
But receiving an assassination order straight from another world felt a little strange.
<Reward> Dogo special custom equipment
“…….”
Still, it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.
‘There is one problem, though.’
Young-woo glanced toward the north.
The issue was this:
‘If by some chance Pyongyang’s Greatest Swordsman kills Kim Jong-un first, that quest turns into a worthless scrap of paper.’
He couldn’t just charge straight into Pyongyang to monopolize Kim Jong-un, either.
Who knew when the guy would come down? He couldn’t go knocking on Pyongyang’s gates every day.
‘No way Dogo’s aiming for that scenario.’
Young-woo shook his head.
‘For now, let’s handle what I can do right away.’
What he could do immediately.
That was cutting off the last First Sword’s head as demanded by the ‘Headhunter’ quest.
“Young-tae!”
When Young-woo called his first friend’s name, the beastkin who’d been tearing through the First Swords looked up sharply.
「Yeah? What’s up?」
Young-woo ordered flatly.
“Leave one alive. I need to cut his head off.”
He’d only stated the plain facts, but to the listeners, it sounded utterly tyrannical.
“Huh……?”
“What did he just say……?”
Even the South Korean First Swords, who were on his side, couldn’t believe their ears.
So imagine how the North Korean First Swords—slated for execution—felt.
“Eek… eek!”
“Spare me!”
Starting with that line from Young-woo, they scattered in panic, fleeing every which way.
It wasn’t just the threat of decapitation. It was the realization that Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman—the one who’d sliced off Shin Ui-ju’s limbs—was now fully intervening.
The fight was already over.
Thud thud!
At this point, only three North Side First Swords remained alive.
And none of them dared face Jeong Young-woo head-on.
They were just running, hoping one of them might survive by some slim chance.
It didn’t take long.
「Where do you think you’re going!」
One First Sword fleeing northwest got snagged by General Kim Young-heum.
“Arrrgh!”
Bravely choosing due north, Changdo First Sword Hyun Chang-su glanced sidelong at his comrade getting mauled by the tiger, his face twisting in horror.
‘This… this is hell.’
This expedition force included three renowned First Swords famed for their prowess.
He’d joined thinking it was a sure win, a chance to gleefully loot to his heart’s content… Not expecting this end.
‘What happens now? Is North Joseon doomed?’
Even with his own life on the line, he somehow thought of his country’s future—but then his consciousness faded.
Slash!
Young-woo rocketed up from behind and severed his head in one stroke.
Thud!
Hyun Chang-su died without so much as a final scream, becoming the final piece of the quest Young-woo had accepted from outer space.
Ping!
[Quest Complete - “Headhunter”]
[Reward Issued]
|7 million karma
‘Finally.’
Headhunter complete at last.
Immediately after, a terrifying whoosh pierced the sky from above.
Screeeee!
It was the sound of Dogo’s credit card descending.
Nearly the exact size of a credit card, the black metal card sliced across the sky from the distant heavens, landing at Young-woo’s feet in the blink of an eye.
‘…7 million.’
Young-woo picked up the card spinning a meter off the ground. The number ‘7,000,000’ lit up on its black surface.
Add in the 1.6 million karma from wyvern hunting in Gwangjin District.
‘Now I’ve got 8.6 million in cash. Plenty left even after buying out all the abnormal weather gear.’
Young-woo had held back on spending karma even with the North-South war looming, all to snipe tonight’s freak weather.
In other words, he’d never doubted victory over the invaders from the North.
Meanwhile.
Thud thud!
Three pursuers tailed the sole surviving North Korean, fleeing northeast.
None other than his ‘friend’ Hong Young-tae, Songpa First Sword Oh Yeon-hee, and Seocho’s Choi Nam-hee.
「Huh……?」
Young-tae shot the two First Swords a look that said, ‘Why are you even here?’ Choi Nam-hee gave an awkward smile and a nod.
“Um… could you let us have this one? It feels bad just standing by when Young-woo’s done so much.”
In short, give them a chance to claim some credit.
「Huh? We already fought at the start.」
But Young-tae, focused on his duties, had no time for strangers’ pleas.
「If you wanna fight more, get permission from Young-woo first.」
With that, he deliberately amped up his presence and accelerated.
Crunch!
A silent warning: follow, and he’d get violent.
So in the end.
“Ah, no can do.”
“…….”
The two had no choice but to stop.
Then, from afar, they saw Young-tae slash his claws at the last enemy.
The battle ended in a solo sweep by Jeong Young-woo and his friends.
“…You’re not gonna share anything? We came all this way.”
Choi Nam-hee looked regretfully at Oh Yeon-hee.
Oh Yeon-hee rubbed her nape and murmured.
“Who knows. He’s so unpredictable.”
Turning back, she saw Jeong Young-woo walking across the battlefield strewn with First Sword corpses.
“Hmm.”
Eleven First Swords had died here today.
Imagine the spoils.
Even Oh Yeon-hee, who valued face, couldn’t help craving a share.
“Shall we go? At least beg for cab fare or something.”
* * *
「Is it over now?」
Former general and mutant Kim Young-heum crouched his massive frame, gazing at Young-woo.
He didn’t look it, but this was his version of a friendly signal.
Making himself as small as possible to reduce his intimidating aura.
In simple terms, he didn’t want to fight Young-woo anymore.
Before the monster’s strength even registered, they’d fought side-by-side against the North Korean army.
Whatever the guy thought, Kim Young-heum had already developed camaraderie.
Maybe because he was ex-military.
Such feelings couldn’t be willed away.
「…….」
Kim Young-heum stared blankly at Young-woo amid the corpses, then tossed out a casual remark.
「Asked if it’s over, and you ignore me? What’re you doing?」
No matter how skilled, ignoring a general?
Kim Young-heum barely suppressed his flaring temper, glaring at Young-woo.
Then, as if remembering, Young-woo turned and eyed the massive white beast.
“Ah, sorry. Just checking if this guy missed anything.”
The ‘guy’ Young-woo meant:
-Kee-kit! Keee-it!
The golden goblin hopping gleefully over corpses.
And in Young-woo’s hand now:
-Shh.
Epic Compass, Serpent of Greed.
「Serpent of Greed」 - Epic Compass
【Always covets the rare.】
‘No hidden gear, huh.’
Thanks to the golden goblin, all spoils were gathered in one spot—but there was a slight downside.
Some items were damaged by ability attacks.
Like when he’d shattered singer Lee Sun-ho’s sword and armor—manifested as Death Knight—with arrows.
Young-woo’s sniper shots had weakened the North Side First Swords’ gear, leading to breakages in the ensuing melee.
‘So it works on mutants and regular folks alike.’
An incredible effect, but on days like today when spoils needed preserving, he’d have to use his bow more carefully.
‘At least the higher-grade stuff’s intact. Durability varies by rank, maybe.’
Examining the goblin’s pile, Young-woo realized Unique grade and above suffered less from ability damage.
Badly cracked tooltips meant Ruined or Mutated grade or below.
Thinking deeper:
‘Most First Swords carry Ruined or Mutated gear as standard… So ability damage is basically their natural enemy?’
Mutated gear—the staple for First Swords.
Attacks that outright destroyed such gear…
“…….”
Young-woo eyed the bow slung over his shoulder. Still crouched, waiting General Kim Young-heum spoke up again.
「That gold monster your friend too?」
The golden goblin, laying out spoils before Young-woo, pointed at itself.
-Kit-kee-it!
Young-woo stared blankly at the goblin for a moment, then nodded.
“Uh… different category, but close enough to a friend.”
Only then did he notice Kim Young-heum had been making small talk.
‘Oh, right.’
With the battle fully over, mutant Kim Young-heum was a total outsider here.
Not one of Young-woo’s ‘friends’ like Young-tae or Tae-jun, nor a South Side First Sword.
Plus.
Thud thud!
Oh Yeon-hee, Choi Nam-hee, and Young-tae were returning from the survivor chase.
They could kill Kim Young-heum—the last major spoil—and leave if they wanted.
Any normal First Sword group would’ve.
But.
〔Your achievement trait is “Stubborn.”〕
The man in charge here, Jeong Young-woo, was system-certified stubborn.
Also a ‘special welfare worker’ collecting mutants, so he picked up on Kim Young-heum’s signal eventually.
“You’ve worked hard, General.”
Young-woo bowed to Kim Young-heum. The South Side First Swords, wary of the huge white tiger, widened their eyes in shock.
To them, even greeting a mutant was alien—let alone polite conversation.
Except Goyang First Sword Park Jung-jin, who owed the general his life.
“Y-Yeah, you’ve been through a lot, our General!”
Park’s jest drew what might’ve been a smile from Kim Young-heum, fangs glinting.
Time for the main topic.
「So what now for me?」
The murmuring South Side First Swords fell silent.
If Young-woo refused to accept Kim Young-heum like his whistle ‘friends,’ another fight was the only outcome.
But Young-woo didn’t hesitate.
He extended a hand to Kim Young-heum.
“Looks like I’ll need your help, General.”
「With what……?」
“Assassinating Kim Jong-un.”
「Oh.」
Kim Young-heum finally broke into a broad grin.