Chapter 184
Chapter 184
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 184
Chapter Title: 41. Everyone's Greatest Swordsman (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
11:14 a.m.
A single-family home in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan.
In front of the grand mansion that seemed out of place in this rural coastal village, Tomiko hesitated for a moment.
‘...This is really the place? Not city hall, but some random house?’
According to the note in her hand, the address matched.
It was the emergency meeting spot to prepare for the ‘Reset Stage 3’ crisis.
“Hmm.”
Making up her mind, Tomiko approached the front gate and knocked.
Two men in black suits soon appeared from inside.
Then.
“Whoa.”
They froze for a split second.
“M-Miyagi! Lady Miyagi Sword Emperor, you’ve arrived!”
They shouted like yakuza and bowed deeply.
“...Ah.”
For some reason, Tomiko felt she had to look fierce, so she tensed her facial muscles and stepped inside.
Clack!
『Miyagi Sword Emperor』
Miyagi’s strongest, Huyama Tomiko01.
Just last night in the dungeon, she’d been a polite teammate with a total score of 62, but here on Japan’s mainland, she was treated like a true ‘Sword Emperor.’
Unlike Korea, Japan had two types of titles.
The strongest in a large region like a prefecture or province was a Sword Emperor.
The strongest in a smaller city-level region got the title Sword Hero.
‘What’s with this house?’
Past the gate, a spacious yard with a decent-sized pond came into view, so Tomiko rested her hand lightly on her sword sheath and scanned the surroundings.
Then.
Creak.
A portly man emerged from the annex building to greet her.
“Ah...! I didn’t think you’d really come. This is an honor.”
The identity of the man with a sword strapped to each hip.
『Sakata Sword Hero』
“I’m Fukuhiro Tsuchiaka of Sakata City. Pleased to meet you.”
“Ah, you’re the one who sent the note.”
Tomiko held up the note in her hand, and Fukuhiro bowed again.
“Yes. It’s such a grave matter.”
Still bowed, he extended an arm toward the annex.
“Please, come inside first. Everyone’s waiting.”
“...In there?”
Tomiko furrowed her brow slightly.
It felt a bit suspicious, but she didn’t think the whole meeting was a trap.
She’d seen the Board of Directors’ warning herself that morning.
“I should have come to you sooner... I suppose you can’t help but distrust me. All my fault.”
Seeing Tomiko hesitate, Fukuhiro unbuckled his entire sword belt.
Clank!
“...!”
Tomiko startled at the sight, and from the now completely defenseless Fukuhiro came a bizarre line.
“Miyagi Prefecture is coastal too, but ahead of us lies nothing but the open ocean. But beyond our coast... there’s Korea.”
“...Korea?”
The unexpected word made Tomiko’s eyes widen.
Why was Korea coming up here all of a sudden?
Korea was the home country of that Joseon Greatest Swordsman, Jeong Youngwoo, she’d met last night.
Which was why she’d been thinking this morning that it was best to avoid tangling with them if possible.
“...”
An uneasy feeling washed over her as Fukuhiro continued.
“I understand no ‘dotted line’ has appeared along Miyagi Prefecture’s coast. The messenger I sent with the note reported as much.”
“Dotted line... you mean?”
As expected, Tomiko reacted like it was new to her, and Fukuhiro nodded vigorously.
“See for yourself.”
With that, Fukuhiro walked to the annex and opened the door.
Click.
Inside, Yamagata Prefecture’s various Sword Heroes, seated in lotus position, parted to make a path all at once.
Whatever it was, it was clearly a nationwide issue.
“...”
Gulp.
Tomiko swallowed hard and stepped toward the now-wide-open annex.
Through the large window occupying one side, a deep blue sea stretched out.
The house had been built facing away from the ocean.
And in this annex designed to overlook the sea, naturally.
“...Huh?”
She could see a holographic dotted line tracing the coastline.
“What’s that?”
Tomiko pointed at it, and Fukuhiro turned to the other Sword Heroes inside.
“We believe that’s the ‘fusion line.’ And it’s probably what was announced this morning as Stage 3.”
“Fusion? You mean the land’s going to connect?”
Tomiko caught on quick.
That explained why this man had suddenly brought up Korea.
“You mean our border’s fusing with Korea. That’s the only country out there.”
“Exactly.”
“...”
It was an absurd claim, but she’d just seen the ‘dotted line’ with her own eyes, so she couldn’t deny it.
It even explained why no dotted line had appeared on Miyagi Prefecture’s coast.
Facing the Pacific, there was no continent coming to fuse with it.
‘This is insane. A total mind-bending development. Land fusing is Reset Stage 3?’
Tomiko tore her gaze from the coast and looked at Fukuhiro.
Including him, six Sword Heroes were now kneeling.
“Yamagata Prefecture has no Sword Emperor yet. So we beseech Miyagi Sword Emperor Tomiko for aid.”
“What kind of aid? You’re not thinking of going to war with Korea, are you?”
“...!”
Tomiko’s words made the six Sword Heroes flinch.
“War... no, at least conflict is inevitable. Shouldn’t we prepare?”
“Not just us—other coastal regions are making their own preparations.”
“There are rumors Hiroshima, Yamaguchi, and Fukuoka have already shifted to wartime footing.”
The excited Sword Heroes blurted out one after another, so Tomiko snapped.
“The south’s crawling with yakuza scum, so of course they’re thinking war first. But the land hasn’t fused yet—how does starting a fight now make sense?”
Of course, even Tomiko, who’d seen Taiwanese and Chinese clash in the nighttime dungeon, wasn’t confident.
What would happen if Korea and Japan’s lands fused?
“Either way, if we strike first, it really becomes war. And right now, we don’t even have a pretext?”
Tomiko glanced at the dotted line again and sighed deeply.
Fukuhiro shot back in a disappointed tone.
“Then you’re saying the Sword Emperor will just sit back and watch Koreans swarm in?”
“We don’t know until the land fuses.”
“If we get hit with a preemptive strike, it’ll be too late to regret it. Besides, we...”
If the lands really fused, Yamagata Prefecture would instantly become the front line.
That’s why they were so restless.
But even so, Tomiko didn’t raise her hand to help the Sword Heroes. No, she couldn’t.
“Don’t fight Korea.”
“...What?”
“There’s a monster there.”
Joseon Greatest Swordsman, Jeong Youngwoo07.
The one who wielded flying swords and enslaved mutants.
Tomiko still felt like seeing him fight had been a dream.
However.
“...Ha.”
Yamagata’s Sword Heroes, who hadn’t seen the monster themselves, couldn’t empathize.
“Disappointing. To think you hold the Sword Emperor title.”
“What?”
The fairly provocative tone made Tomiko turn back.
The six Sword Heroes, who’d been kneeling moments ago, were now on their feet.
“If you won’t lend your strength, we’ll have to take it.”
Shing!
As if they’d planned this as Plan B, the Sword Heroes drew their swords in unison.
Miyagi Sword Emperor Tomiko let out a hollow laugh and fiercely drew the sword from her waist.
Swoosh!
“Six of you need to band together just to muster courage, and you talk about war?”
Tomiko sneered, gripping her sword.
Sakata Sword Hero Fukuhiro ground his teeth.
“Everyone, attack!”
***
While Tomiko was locked in a 1-vs-6 bloodbath across the sea, Youngwoo was lying down eating bread.
“Nom.”
“Hey, hey, you’ll get indigestion eating like that.”
“I can survive without food anyway. So no indigestion either.”
She was talking about the mutant stomach’s ‘self-generation’ effect.
Jeong-gu’s mouth corners drooped as he grumbled.
“Then why are you scarfing down bread?”
“Sometimes I just wanna play human.”
In truth, it was Youngwoo’s consideration for sharing breakfast with Jeong-gu.
Plus, while he didn’t need to eat to live, his sense of taste hadn’t vanished, so eating itself was enjoyable.
“Not bad for something that was stone.”
“That’s one perk.”
One of the few advantages in this reset world.
Petrified food didn’t spoil.
Probably edible even after months or years, once the petrification wore off.
“By the way.”
“Yes.”
“How close is that laser cannon to done?”
Jeong-gu recalled the commotion during the morning meeting.
The problematic laser cannon that had suddenly fired from inside the TV.
Turns out, connecting a power source to the barely-framed barrel had triggered the laser.
In other words, the key parts of the laser cannon were mostly in place.
“Probably a bit over halfway. A few tweaks, and it could fire.”
Of course, no way to check progress now.
After 10 a.m., the motel service had ended, so no more TV access.
“We can summon the mutants later during the fight and ask.”
Youngwoo bit into another piece of bread, speaking calmly.
Jeong-gu stared at him, baffled.
“How are you so chill? Aren’t you worried about today at all?”
“Guess I’ve seen it all by now. Sure, the weapon catalog arriving early would make it way safer...”
Even without it, Youngwoo figured it wouldn’t be an insurmountable crisis.
“By the way, you know, right?”
“Hm?”
“You gotta bring a mutant too, Dad.”
“...Me?”
Jeong-gu looked like the thought hadn’t crossed his mind.
Youngwoo pointed north with his half-eaten bread.
“Mutants’ll show up in Dobong-gu too. I’m waiting in Gwangjin-gu, so whoever appears in Dobong, you bring ’em.”
“What if I die...?”
“Then be careful not to. Gotta get that tax deduction.”
Youngwoo said, then added.
“I’ll lend you Negig. Ride that.”
Iron steed Negig.
The mystery-grade vehicle Doggo had gifted Youngwoo in return for the Audi.
Even an incompetent dad like him should return alive if sent in Negig.
“Alright then.”
Youngwoo popped the last bread piece into his mouth and pulled a small communicator from his pocket.
Slide.
“Shall we call the loan shark?”