Chapter 191
Chapter 191
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 191
Chapter Title: Everyone's Greatest Swordsman (11)
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“What… what do you plan to do?”
At Gangdong First Sword Kim Joo-woo’s question, Oh Yeon-hee glanced back briefly.
They were currently on the Olympic Bridge connecting Songpa and Gwangjin District.
She had just finished dealing with the mutants in her own Songpa District and the border of Gangdong District, and was now heading into Gwangjin.
She wanted to see if Jeong Yeong-woo’s plan to lure mutants from all directions into Gwangjin and wipe them out in one go had actually worked.
“What do you mean? If the situation looks bad when we get there, we’ll just fight together.”
“Even though there’s a high chance a dragon’s there…?”
“And you were planning to just sit still until that dragon crawled into Gangdong?”
Yeon-hee shot another glare back at Joo-woo as she raced forward at high speed amid his weak protests.
Of course, Kim Joo-woo, who had only recently joined the First Swords’ gathering, couldn’t fully grasp the importance of Gangnam First Sword Jeong Yeong-woo… no, the Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman.
He hadn’t seen Yeong-woo swing his elbow to decapitate his predecessor, nor had he been there when the First Swords from the north came down for war.
‘…Jeong Yeong-woo is an irreplaceable madman. Thank God he’s not the enemy.’
Songpa First Sword Oh Yeon-hee’s gaze was now fixed forward again.
Toward Gwangjin District, where Jeong Yeong-woo was likely locked in a brutal brawl with countless mutants.
“It’s only natural for First Swords from the same Seoul region to help each other with everything we’ve got.”
This time, she spoke without turning back.
“And especially, the Gangnam First Sword has to stay alive no matter what.”
As Oh Yeon-hee said this, Kim Joo-woo gave a vague look and asked back.
“Why? I know he’s strong, but…”
Why did everyone treat Jeong Yeong-woo so specially?
To Kim Joo-woo, it seemed the Seoul First Swords revered the man while also fearing him.
Oh Yeon-hee answered immediately.
“Because he’s too strong.”
“……?”
“He’s too strong, and no one else can replicate that strength. He’s literally irreplaceable.”
This wasn’t just about raw power.
It was a matter of character.
Who else could replace body parts with alien ones, enslave mutants, and secretly prepare laser barrages on the sly?
This wasn’t something just any strong person could pull off.
It required something beyond mere strength, and for Oh Yeon-hee, who had lived relatively within the bounds of common sense, it was hard to grasp what that was.
That’s why she could only hope Jeong Yeong-woo would hold his position as long as possible.
‘But if Jeong Yeong-woo dies by some chance, someone will have to take his place.’
And if possible.
‘It’d be ideal if that someone were me.’
That was the real reason Oh Yeon-hee was heading to Gwangjin.
In case Jeong Yeong-woo lost for whatever reason, his gear would be left behind intact.
She was going to Gwangjin to collect that equipment in preparation for the worst.
Papat!
But as the distance to Gwangjin grew shorter, Oh Yeon-hee’s hopeful expectations began to crumble bit by bit.
‘Oh my God.’
Mutants were still moving in Gwangjin.
Puuuung!
But she could clearly see their numbers dwindling in real time.
“Wh-what is that?”
Startled by the ominous explosion, Kim Joo-woo cried out, and Oh Yeon-hee ahead pointed to something with her hand.
Seuk.
“It’s probably that guy.”
In the direction she pointed, inside Gwangjin, were the First Swords gathered from all over Seoul, surrounding a man who sat drawing a bow.
“……?”
Oh Yeon-hee, spotting who was surely Jeong Yeong-woo, made an expression of utter incomprehension.
Then the man in question loosed another arrow, dropping a mutant in the distance, and right on cue, the First Swords cheered.
“What… what the hell is going on?”
* * *
“Waaah……!”
“One shot?”
“Insane, for real.”
From Yongsan, Mapo, Dongdaemun, Seongbuk, Dobong, and finally the lone arrival from Eunpyeong District’s First Sword.
With six of them shouting, Yeong-woo’s ears hurt more than his melted legs.
“Ow, shut up. You guys that excited?”
Kkiririk.
As Yeong-woo muttered while drawing the bowstring again, Yongsan First Sword Kim Do-ha grinned greedily.
“Ah, isn’t it obvious? How do those bastards all drop in one hit? Unbelievable. But it feels so good! Why? Because Yeong-woo’s on our side!”
True to form as the Yongsan First Sword, weak against the strong, he looked genuinely thrilled.
He was certain now that no mutant would kill him in Seoul anytime soon.
The other First Swords here had each clashed at least once with the mutants in their districts.
They’d fought, realized they couldn’t win, and dragged them here.
So naturally.
‘He can kill those in one strike…?’
‘This crazy bastard, just how strong is he?’
‘He’s been holding back to less than 30% of his real power all this time.’
Everyone here felt a thrilling mix of ecstasy and terror watching Yeong-woo slaughter the mutants.
Ecstasy at the sight of mutants stronger than average First Swords dying like mere mobs, and terror at Jeong Yeong-woo pulling it off as easily as breathing.
And this guy couldn’t even walk properly right now.
Puuuung!
Finally, Yeong-woo’s bowstring snapped back to place, and the last mutant breathed its last.
And as always.
-Kikkit!
The golden goblin dashed to the dead mutant and collected the golden orb.
That wrapped up the emergency.
“…Haa.”
With the tension gone all at once, Yeong-woo unwittingly flopped onto the ground and stared at the sky.
Gwangjin’s sky, cleared by the golden rain pushing out the toxic storm, was pristine—but soon blotted out by dark shadows.
“…….”
The First Swords surrounding him had leaned in, blocking the sky with their heads.
“All done?”
“What should we do now?”
“You’re really taking protection money…?”
At someone’s mention of “protection money,” Yeong-woo’s eyes snapped open, and he sat up.
Hwik!
“Ah, money. Of course I am.”
Just then, as if waiting, the quest from Doggo completed.
Pying!
[Quest Complete - “Dragon Slayer”]
[Reward Issued]
|5,000,000 Karma
Then a sharp whoosh came from the sky’s edge.
Shyaaaaaat!
The sound of an iron card containing 5 million karma descending.
“Huh? Everyone, move your heads! Before your scalps get sliced…!”
The moment Yeong-woo screamed at the sharp presence, the card shot down between the First Swords’ heads, barely missing them.
Piit!
Incredibly, Doggo’s reward halted right before Yeong-woo’s eyes.
[5,000,000]
The number on the black metal card was visible to Yeong-woo and every First Sword there.
5 million karma dropping straight from the sky.
A scene implying Jeong Yeong-woo had a connection to something beyond the planet’s atmosphere.
“What is this…?”
“Money falling from the sky?”
Just like when the laser cannon got exposed, the First Swords shot suspicious looks, so Yeong-woo scanned the surroundings to divert them.
“You all should start preparing to pay up too. Did the Vice Minister not come?”
As Yeong-woo looked for Gwanak First Sword Jo Sang-ik, whom he’d promised to help collect from, Oh Yeon-hee and Kim Joo-woo appeared from the side instead.
“If he didn’t show today, it’s one of two things. He’s dead, or he handled it on his own.”
Then Oh Yeon-hee continued proudly.
“Turns out handling it solo isn’t impossible.”
“……!”
At her words, the First Swords glanced behind the two newcomers.
Sure enough, not a single mutant there.
Songpa and Gangdong had taken out their assigned mutants on their own.
“Heh…….”
“Impressive.”
Of course, Gangdong First Sword was the guy who’d dragged a mutant to the recent First Swords’ gathering, so his skills were lacking—realistically, Oh Yeon-hee had soloed both.
“Good to hear you handled it.”
Yeong-woo greeted them, having lost 20 million karma right in front of his eyes.
But with his legs wrecked, he couldn’t stand to greet them.
“Gwanak, Seocho… and Dongjak are missing too.”
Yeon-hee, quickly taking stock, flinched upon spotting Yeong-woo’s state below the knees.
“Yeong-woo, your legs…?”
“Ah, it’s fine. They’ll regenerate after a bit.”
“Regenerate like a lizard?”
Oh Yeon-hee yelped “Ack!” then clapped her hand over her mouth, realizing her blunder.
But every First Sword here had made similar slips, so no one thought ill of her.
‘I thought it only healed light wounds? Even legs like that grow back?’
The extent of Yeong-woo’s regeneration she’d personally seen was just the burns from his duel with Jeong Hyeon-sik healing cleanly.
‘But at this level, he’s not even human anymore…?’
As Oh Yeon-hee stared in horror at where his legs had been, Jeong Gu spoke up hesitantly.
“Uh… so do I have to pay you too?”
The father who’d even done a relationship certificate—wondering if he’d really squeeze 10 million karma out of him.
Yeong-woo nodded as if it were obvious.
“If I don’t take from my dad, it’s unfair to everyone else.”
As Yeong-woo said this and braced his arms like he might stand, the surrounding First Swords reflexively reached to support him.
“Uh-uh.”
“Sh-should we help you up…?”
But how do you help up a Jeong Yeong-woo missing everything below the knees?
“Should we carry you?” would be more accurate.
Yet Yeong-woo’s next move exceeded all expectations.
Taat!
He suddenly kicked off the ground hard and leaped into the air.
“……?”
“N-no way…!”
A legless Jeong Yeong-woo bouncing high amid the First Swords was bizarre no matter who saw it.
And moreover.
Chak!
His landing spot was the back of Iron Horse Negig, which Jeong Gu had ridden in on.
Even in this state with legs not healed, he was up to something again.
“H-horseback? Where to now?”
Jeong Gu looked up at Yeong-woo.
The son who’d been on the ground moments ago was now higher than his own height.
“You think I’m gonna sit here waiting to see when my legs grow back? Hurry and make it rain, then call the merchants.”
As Yeong-woo said this, he habitually raised Illegitimate Child and pointed at the assembled First Swords.
Seuk.
“You all have two main tasks from now on.”
He held up fingers with his remaining left hand.
“First, each gather 10 million karma. And second.”
Yeong-woo paused here, slowly surveying the desolate Gwangjin landscape.
Then he issued the second order.
“Second, procure goods.”
“Procure goods…?”
“Yes. When merchants appear in your districts, check the item lists and buy what you want. But.”
As Yeong-woo added a condition at the end, everyone perked up their ears.
“But… as I mentioned last time, if a Coordinate Scanner shows up, let me know. And if there’s some expensive martial art you can’t afford, report that too.”
This was possible now that Yeong-woo had an extra martial arts slot thanks to his new spine.
“That Coordinate Scanner… it’s related to the laser cannon you were secretly making, right?”
Finally, Oh Yeon-hee spoke for everyone, mentioning the suspicious weapon discovered last night.
Yeong-woo snorted as if he’d expected it.
“Yes. What I’m looking for is gear that pinpoints coordinates for laser barrage strikes.”
“Whoa.”
“For real?”
“…No way.”
Sure enough, the First Swords buzzed with fresh shock.
But Yeong-woo planned to seize control while the topic was hot.
“And once we secure the Coordinate Scanner, I’ll test-fire today. Right here in Gwangjin. No objections, right?”