Chapter 238
Chapter 238
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 238
Chapter Title: 54. Joseon Twin Evils (1)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Life's worth.
How could anyone dare put a price on a human life? Yet in this world, it was entirely possible.
‘If they were really about to die, they’d pay anything to live, wouldn’t they…?’
To Yechan, this was a priceless lesson and experience.
‘So others must feel the same. If I save their lives, it’s only fair to take some money for it.’
And the one who had taught him this…
—Your entire fortune right now is 170,000 karma. How much of that life-saving fee can you pay me?
Jeong Young-woo07.
The first adult Yechan had met in the world after the Reset, and the first man to demand a life-saving fee from him.
Of course, looking back now, Jeong Young-woo wasn’t exactly ordinary—extorting money from a high schooler on the very first day of the Reset.
But in critical moments, hadn’t he made astonishingly grand choices?
In the either/or choice between eliminating a mutant or claiming the reward, he’d picked the ‘3 million karma supply’ that no one had chosen before.
‘Giving up 3 million karma on the first day of the Reset… Could I have done that?’
The time Yechan had spent with Gumi’s Greatest Swordsman, Jeong Young-woo: less than a full day.
An absurdly short time to truly know someone.
Yet the reason Yechan saw him as his master was precisely because of that golden ratio incident.
Intentionally or not, he was a man who always succeeded in creating good outcomes.
‘I want to become like that uncle. He seems weak but isn’t, seems impulsive in everything but actually sees farther than anyone.’
Was it too idealized?
It didn’t matter. To Yechan, Jeong Young-woo had become a symbol now.
A textbook on surviving in this world, the ideal of a survivor.
“……”
Recalling the now distant image of Jeong Young-woo, Yechan thrust his spear into the back of the crawling Japanese swordsman.
Crunch!
The man let out a final grunt and slammed his head into the ground.
‘My first kill, against a Japanese invader… It’s got some meaning.’
With that, Yechan surveyed the surroundings, now completely silenced.
A battle of 30 against 1.
Impossible in normal circumstances, but for Yechan, entirely feasible.
He had monopolized most of the mutants in northern Gyeongsang Province, plus parts of Chungbuk and Chungnam, so his total stats were immense.
And in that process, the number of merchants he’d encountered far exceeded what any ordinary Greatest Swordsman would see.
‘Just five days of closed-door training, and this is the difference? There aren’t as many strong people as I thought.’
He’d been facing over a dozen mutants every day. He’d barely seen other people.
That had given him an illusion—not quite a fantasy—about other Greatest Swordsmen, shattered today.
Stab, crunch!
As Yechan silently stabbed each Japanese pirate corpse with his spear, Kim Chaena, who’d been watching dazedly, asked cautiously.
“What… what are you doing?”
“Mercy kills. Anyway, what about these bodies? We can’t bury them in our land, so we should burn them or something.”
“Yes……?”
Chaena’s mouth fell open at the unexpected idea.
“We can’t just leave the wokou here.”
Burying invaders’ corpses in precious national soil was absurd, so Yechan suggested burning them or dumping them in the sea.
“T-That makes sense, but…”
“Burn all these bodies?”
As the Southern Alliance’s Greatest Swordsmen voiced their objections…
Kwaaaaa!
A sudden roar echoed from the sky above.
“What now?”
“Reinforcements?”
“The sound’s coming from the sky?”
As someone pointed out, the mysterious roar was definitely originating from the heavens.
No airplanes in this era, so logically, it had to be a mutant emergence or something extraterrestrial.
‘But it’s not mutant spawn time, and definitely not merchant arrival time?’
Even Yechan, self-proclaimed and acclaimed Gyeongbuk Greatest Spearman, looked up tensely.
He was confident against anything approaching on foot, no matter who or how many, but something descending from the sky was unpredictable.
‘What’s coming? Did Japan really have more?’
Whatever it was, circumstances pointed to Japanese reinforcements.
So Yechan…
Grip!
Gripped his spear shaft tightly and assumed a javelin stance aimed skyward.
Dragon, Japanese yokai, whatever appeared, he’d hurl his spear to intercept.
And moments later…
Pfft!
The massive cloud dominating the sky split open, and from within…
Kwaaaaaaat!
A crude, mine elevator-like machine plummeted down.
“Wha—?”
“What’s that?”
“Japan! Japanese forces?”
Unclear what it was, but everyone saw it packed with something, so all eyes turned to Yechan.
He was the one collecting life-saving fees from them. Now was the time for him to earn it.
“Do something quick!”
“Hurry! Gyeongbuk Greatest Spearman!”
The Southern Alliance members urged him on, shouting a nonexistent title.
And Yechan…
“Hup.”
Had already held his breath, spear tip locked on the elevator.
Then, finally…
Whoosh!
His right arm whipped through the air, launching the spear.
Shwaaaaaack!
The red spear flew with a fighter jet’s roar.
Having seen him slaughter thirty wokou alone earlier, no one in the Southern Alliance doubted its power.
Not even Yechan thought his attack would fail.
But…
Shwaaaaaack……!
The spear, screaming through the air, vanished the moment it reached the elevator.
It neither pierced through nor bounced off.
“……?”
“Huh? Where’d the spear go?”
As everyone searched for the suddenly disappeared spear, Yechan alone broke into cold sweat.
‘…No way. Impossible.’
They thought it vanished, but that was just the high-speed descent creating the illusion. In reality…
‘Did they really catch my spear? From inside?’
As Yechan stared in disbelief, the mystery elevator crashed into the middle of the training field.
Kwaaaang!
Then, from within, reddish-brown-skinned giant aliens poured out.
Rumble…!
Like rolling boulders, the Southern Alliance’s Greatest Swordsmen instinctively backpedaled, and Yechan too…
“……!”
Had to strain to keep his right foot from retreating.
But his main weapon was inside that elevator now.
‘Whatever, I’m confident I can fight better than anyone without a weapon….’
That was against fellow humans.
And inside was a super-expert who’d casually caught his thrown spear.
Just luck?
No. Impossible.
‘Damn it.’
As Yechan was about to ask Ul’s Greatest Swordsman Kim Chaena—another spear user—for a loaner…
Step!
A completely different footstep echoed from inside the elevator.
Like bare human feet on the ground.
“Huh……?”
Yechan instinctively turned toward it, and soon an unexpected voice emerged.
“Just this one weapon?”
A human voice.
No, a voice belonging to a special existence that “human” alone couldn’t describe.
“…Huh? Huh?”
Yechan staggered toward the elevator, face pale with shock, and soon the figure appeared.
Holding the red spear Yechan had thrown to shoot it down, in his left hand.
Step!
A half-naked man in just pants.
But the title above his head overwhelmed everyone.
『Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman』
“Jo, Joseon……?”
“What kind of title is that?”
The Southern Alliance’s Greatest Swordsmen gaped.
Some were already sheathing their drawn weapons cautiously.
They’d confirmed Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman held the weapon thrown by self-proclaimed Gyeongbuk Greatest Spearman Kang Yechan.
They quickly realized this was a being beyond the super-elite who’d single-handedly slaughtered the wokou, accompanied by those clearly inhuman aliens.
Meanwhile, Yechan…
“U-Uncle? Is that really you?”
Still disbelieving, he kept advancing toward the elevator.
Then…
—Grrraaht!
The reddish-brown aliens—the Monoo Clan warriors—who’d charged out earlier blocked him.
“……?”
Yechan glared instinctively, but the Monoo warriors met him with unyielding, rock-like gazes.
Truly like boulders, no, massive walls of presence.
He felt he couldn’t win against them, couldn’t even scratch them with his spear tip.
‘Th-These guys are Uncle’s bodyguards?’
Then what kind of existence had ‘Uncle’ become, commanding such monsters as subordinates?
No, what had he become in the meantime?
“Make way. He’s a close comrade of mine.”
As Young-woo spoke from the elevator entrance, the Monoo warriors, who’d exuded bone-chilling intimidation moments ago, stepped far back, clearing a path.
Rumble.
And in that moment, Yechan realized.
In just five days, Uncle had ascended to a realm no ordinary Greatest Swordsman could touch.
‘A-As expected, he wasn’t ordinary……!’
Truly worthy as a master, a role model.
“Uncle!”
Finally, Yechan dashed through the wide path between the Monoo warriors to his master in this mad world, Jeong Young-woo.
Tap!
Young-woo spread his arms to welcome his first comrade, the boy.
“Y-Yeah……!”
Pop!
Young-woo, arms wide, rolled his eyes in thought.
Fatigue from the Gephi Express ride, perhaps—the boy’s name wouldn’t come despite his beaming approach.
‘Chan? What was it? Ochan?’
But the kid was already right in front of him, so Young-woo…
Whoosh!
Hugged him tight, half the name slipping out into the air.
“…Chana! You’re alive!”
“Uncle……!”
A touching master-disciple reunion.
“What happened in the meantime? What’s all this?”
As Yechan glanced at the fallen elevator and Monoo warriors, Young-woo scratched his chin.
“A lot happened.”
Then, as if remembering, he returned the spear in his left hand to Yechan.
“What about you? What happened? How’d you get so strong?”
Young-woo was equally shocked by the other’s state.
When he’d caught the spear earlier, Sensory Theft had revealed the opponent’s total sensory capacity at a staggering 7,000.
And judging by the spear’s power, muscle strength was abnormally high too.
Meaning Yechan’s average stats far surpassed Young-woo’s.
“Me, well……”
Yechan couldn’t hide his smile at his master’s praise.
But their talk couldn’t continue.
—Grrak!
Soon, a Monoo warrior approached Young-woo and prodded his shoulder with a blunt finger.
Yechan instantly scowled and glared at the warrior.
“What, so rude.”
Alien or not, ignorant of Earth customs—how dare it touch his sky-like master’s sacred form.
“Who are these guys?”
As Yechan gestured his displeasure and asked, Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman Jeong Young-woo covered his mouth and whispered.
“Quiet!”
“…Yes?”
“Shut up unless you want a beating with clubs.”
“Huh? They’re not your subordinates?”
“Nope. I got them on credit too.”
“On credit?”
Startled, Yechan blurted loudly, and Young-woo gripped his shoulder.
Then he glanced at the Southern Alliance folks staring in terror.
“We need to collect some fees from them for fare.”
“Fare……?”
Yechan eyed the Monoo warriors, then the crashed elevator.
He let out a deep sigh.
“How much is the fare?”
“One thousa— no, fifteen hundred.”
“1,500 karma? What’s the problem……”
“Duh, in tens of thousands.”
“Huh? 15 million?”
Yechan yelped at the unimaginable fare.
Young-woo countered with a baffled look.
“Why? With all these Greatest Swordsmen, just 1.5 million per head…”
“No, it’s not that.”
Now Yechan scratched his chin and whispered to Young-woo.
“I’ve got fees to collect too. Double-dipping’s a bit much.”
“What? What fees? What’d you do?”
Young-woo jumped at the money talk, and Yechan pointed at the wokou corpses littering the ground.
“Ah.”
Young-woo got it instantly.
Then asked in a businesslike tone.
“How much were you planning?”
“Dunno. Three thousand……?”
“Three thousand? That’s too much for public service. Take 1.5 million today. With my fare, total hits three thousand perfectly.”
As Young-woo cautiously flashed three fingers near his navel for ‘3’, Yechan furrowed his brow.
“What’re you talking about? You think I’d come all this way, fight 30-to-1, for 1.5 million when I make that daily?”
“How much do you make? No, how much tax do you pay?”
“Huh? Tax?”
Yechan faltered at ‘tax’, and Young-woo smirked triumphantly.
“Don’t know? Take half humbly today. In return, I’ll show you the universe merchant’s world.”