Chapter 142
Chapter 142
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: 34. Tectonic Shift (5)
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Unclaimed achievement reward.
It had to be referring to the 'Golden Journey' he'd just completed.
As Young-woo opened the achievements window, the completion details popped up right away.
Paht!
[Achievement Unlocked: Golden Journey]
|Achievement Rank: Legendary
|Achievement Rating: First
"Summon golden rain across domestic and foreign regions."
At the same time, all his stats rose by 100 across the board.
"Idealist" - Narrative Ring
[All stats +100 per owned achievement]
He had finally perfectly completed the Golden Journey.
'Ah... finally.'
Each Golden Rain series achievement felt like scaling a massive mountain.
Of course, the rewards were overwhelmingly better than any other achievements.
'Now for this reward.'
As Young-woo finished reading through the Golden Journey completion details, the achievement reward was automatically claimed.
Peeing!
"Golden Trajectory" - Legendary Two-Handed Greatsword
[Auto Combat]
[Cumulative Golden Rain: 10]
*'Golden Journey' perk.
'A two-handed greatsword...?'
No sooner had Young-woo widened his eyes than a massive golden silhouette materialized right beside his head.
Swaaa...
But right now, Young-woo was riding atop Neguig, which was hurtling southward at high speed.
"H-Hold on!"
Worried that his new sword might tumble to the ground, Young-woo tried to immediately halt Neguig.
"Huh...?"
If only the golden silhouette hadn't kept pace with Neguig's speed and followed him perfectly.
"W-What the?"
Startled, Young-woo yanked hard on Neguig's reins.
Taat!
-Kkueeik!
Neguig came to an abrupt stop in place, and the problematic silhouette—which had been trailing him with its namesake golden trail—smoothly halted as well.
Swoook.
"...My god. It's not just any sword."
Now able to properly see the 'Golden Trajectory,' Young-woo couldn't hold back his admiration.
A colossal weapon two meters in total length, with a 1.5-meter blade and 40-centimeter width.
This golden greatsword, gleaming like a giant mirror, floated in midair as if alive.
-Woong...
It even hummed with a continuous vibration, as if a tiny motor were built inside.
'Whoa... so this is what they mean by a sword that sings?'
Half-jokingly thinking that, Young-woo cautiously reached out with his right hand toward the massive hilt of the Golden Trajectory.
He was its rightful owner, after all. Whether it flew around on its own or not, he had to at least try holding it.
Taht.
As soon as Young-woo gripped the hilt of the Golden Trajectory, an unexpected message appeared.
"Current swordsmanship slot is empty."
"Huh?"
"Would you like to register a new swordsmanship?"
"What the hel—"
Rolling his eyes in bewilderment, Young-woo suddenly realized.
"Auto Combat?"
"Golden Trajectory" - Legendary Two-Handed Greatsword
[Auto Combat]
That's what the tooltip for this massive weapon had meant.
"No way... actual auto combat? Like it goes on autopilot?"
The trait of floating around its owner without any input, and the 'swordsmanship registration' prompt upon direct contact.
It all pointed to one thing.
'It's not that holding this sword makes me auto-combat... it's exactly as the tooltip says...'
-Wooung.
This monstrous sword handles auto combat on its own.
And from the circumstances...
'Using the swordsmanship I register for auto combat...?'
This was overbalanced gear that no one could argue against.
"Would you like to register a new swordsmanship?"
The registration prompt still hovered before Young-woo's eyes.
"R-Register."
As Young-woo approved, it filtered his owned martial arts to those usable by the Golden Trajectory.
||Joseon Swordsmanship – Legendary Rank
|Lom's Floor – Legendary Rank
|Gyeongbuk Swordsmanship – Unique Rank
...
...
|Gumi Swordsmanship – Relic Rank
Surprisingly, every martial art, including Lom's Floor, was eligible for registration.
'I figured Lom's Floor was too close to hand-to-hand combat to use.'
What would auto combat look like from a 2-meter flying greatsword?
Especially if that greatsword used martial arts from otherworldly prisoners...
Gulp.
Young-woo swallowed hard, then registered the legendary martial art 'Lom's Floor' onto the Golden Trajectory.
Paht!
The equipment tooltip immediately displayed the currently equipped martial art.
"Golden Trajectory" - Legendary Two-Handed Greatsword
[Auto Combat]
|Lom's Floor
[Cumulative Golden Rain: 10]
*'Golden Journey' perk.
'Oh... it recognizes it right away.'
But with no immediate opponent to test it on, there was no way to know how the greatsword would interpret and execute Lom's Floor.
'Hard to picture.'
No matter what, a greatsword couldn't exactly box or wrestle.
Kwaak, kwak!
Meanwhile, Neguig kept descending southward, and by now Young-woo had steered it eastward.
To check if any mutants were still surviving around Yeoncheon or Cheorwon.
Now that he could store golden orbs, it was safer to secure them before nightfall if possible.
'Sweep through Gyeonggi Province, then head back to Paju to meet the merchants.'
By now, merchants were probably arriving in Gangnam and Gwangjin-gu too.
Gangnam had an owner, so no one would touch the merchants there—probably the same in Paju.
'Paju too. Everyone scattered in a hurry.'
* Usable Karma: 8,694,000
With 8.69 million karma in cash, money wasn't an issue.
In a pinch, he could duplicate the card holding 7 million karma.
"Blank Check" - Unique Currency
[Transforms into contacted currency once.]
'But burning a blank check on just 7 million would be a waste. Gotta save it for something bigger.'
Excluding the nighttime dungeon entry ticket, nearly everything was perfect now.
Kwaak!
As Young-woo urged Neguig eastward, he turned his gaze to the last unconfirmed notification.
"Recommended achievement list has been updated."
With 'Golden Journey' complete, a new entry had likely appeared in the recommended achievements.
'Probably the next stage in the Golden Rain series.'
And no doubt, something had replaced the 'Nocturnal' slot.
'View achievements.'
Opening the achievements window, his two existing ones appeared first in sequence.
Pat, pat!
[Perfect Orphan]
|Find and eliminate your parents. (1/2)
[Ending Maker]
|Discover the protagonist after reset.
'Still there.'
Two headaches he had no clue how to complete.
But the new one below was relatively straightforward.
Not that it was easy, by any means.
This wasn't just about summoning Golden Rain domestically or abroad.
[Golden Tempest]
|Summon Golden Rain in four of the following ways. (0/4)
-When seven or more mutants are nearby.
-In North America.
-When two entities with #Chaebol, #Dragonkin traits are fighting each other.
-The moment an entity with #HeadOfState trait dies.
-When a Rank 2 or higher otherworlder visits.
'Crazy bastards.'
Young-woo was usually the one called crazy, but this time the curse slipped from his own lips first.
'Don't these guys know moderation?'
This was basically telling him to forget completing it.
But...
'...Strictly speaking, it's not impossible.'
The system-certified 'hardhead' in him stirred awake.
'Just need to fulfill four out of these? Then two are doable right off.'
-When seven or more mutants are nearby.
-The moment an entity with #HeadOfState trait dies.
Surprisingly, Young-woo had the ability to summon three mutants, so gathering just four on the battlefield would satisfy the 'seven or more mutants' condition.
'I could just make more friends. Breaking that one's just a matter of time.'
Same for #HeadOfState.
Starting on the Korean Peninsula meant he had a head of state nearby he could behead without a shred of guilt.
Namely...
'...Kim Jong-un.'
With the assassination quest from Dogu already in hand, there was no reason not to try.
'Just make it rain Golden Rain the moment Kim Jong-un dies. Like a celebration show.'
Whatever the intent, two out of four were highly achievable.
'The other two are the problem...'
-North America.
-When two entities with #Chaebol, #Dragonkin traits are fighting each other.
-When a Rank 2 or higher otherworlder visits.
He'd need to pull off two of these three.
'#Chaebol and #Dragonkin... I could meet our chaebols when they return as mutants, but they have to be fighting.'
He hadn't met a dragon yet, so it was hard to imagine.
Chaebol mutants blasting breath at each other.
'Maybe make one of them a friend to set it up.'
Either way, not easy.
The random demand to summon Golden Rain in North America was the same.
'No way they mean swim the Pacific to North America.'
But why specifically North America?
Frowning, Young-woo glanced to the bottom of the achievement list and understood.
[Pangea]
|At the moment of tectonic shift, witness the continents' movement firsthand.
"......"
Pangea.
The supercontinent from meteorologist Alfred Wegener's continental drift theory, where all existing continents were joined as one.
Which meant this achievement implied...
"Ah... so the landmasses are about to connect soon. Didn't see that coming."
His mind reeled.
Young-woo couldn't think straight anymore.
* * *
At the same time, outskirts of Geumcheon County, North Hwanghae Province.
Pyongyang's Greatest Swordsman Im Young-pyo01 tilted his head at the sight of kids who looked about ten years old frolicking innocently.
He'd rushed here after a report of strange weather in Geumcheon—where that Joseon Greatest Sword... no, South Joseon thief—had passed through.
But upon arrival, there was no weird weather; Geumcheon County's sky was perfectly clear.
And most shockingly, the children were playing outside without a care.
No sign of the mass slaughter he'd feared.
'Was the report wrong?'
Young-pyo looked south again at the stigma of the Invisible Lord that had crossed over in the meantime.
Then.
Clang!
A familiar metallic scrape accompanied a flash of brilliant light, drawing Young-pyo's gaze like an arrow.
Straight to the inside of those kids' clenched fists.
"Kid."
Sensing something ominous, Pyongyang's Greatest Swordsman slowly approached a child gripping something small in their hand.
Then.
Swook.
"How about uncle gives you some candy?"
He pretended to pull candy from his pocket.
"Really?"
The child beamed and opened their hand for the candy—and in that moment.
"...?"
Im Young-pyo's eyes caught a dazzling golden coin he'd never seen before.
And etched boldly in its center: the face of that South Joseon thief.
"That bastard Jeong Young-woo?"