Chapter 242
Chapter 242
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 242
Chapter Title: 55. Bean Powder (2)
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“Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up and go!”
Spotting the pillars of light descending, Yeongwoo immediately smacked Negig’s rear.
Thwack!
The beast lifted its head and bolted straight ahead.
-Kweeeee!
Jeong-gu, who had been holding the reins, was thus caught off guard.
“Wha-what?”
He tumbled flat onto the ground, dragged along with the reins still clutched in his hands.
In the midst of this, Jong-seon swiftly dashed forward and mounted Negig’s back.
As expected of a First Sword—able to turn split-second improvisation, which ordinary people could only imagine, into reality.
“Uwaaaack!”
With Jeong-gu dangling behind, Negig carrying Jong-seon sped off northward. Yeongwoo turned his gaze to Seon-ah.
“You know I don’t collect defense fees in Gangnam, right?”
“Yes, of course.”
“And CEO Baek Do-hwan knows too?”
At Yeongwoo’s question, Seon-ah glanced toward COEX, the building Tae-won used as its headquarters.
“He must. Everyone at Tae-won knows that the First Swords of each district bring their defense fees to Gangnam.”
“But whether I forgot to collect from Gangnam or deliberately skipped it remains unclear.”
“…That’s right.”
At Seon-ah’s response, Yeongwoo’s eyes also shifted to COEX.
“Then let me make it crystal clear this time. Gangnam is my jurisdiction, and I want it to function as the last bastion even in the worst-case scenario—that’s why I’m not taking money from it.”
“…Understood. Should I put it in writing and deliver it to CEO Baek Do-hwan?”
Seon-ah wielded deference.
She clearly recognized that Jeong Yeongwoo held a higher position than Baek Do-hwan, the current head of Tae-won Group.
“Yes, please do that. And starting today, investigate how the 5 million I haven’t collected in defense fees has been used, and compile it into a document.”
As he spoke, Yeongwoo added more.
“The report needs confirmation signatures from you and CEO Baek Do-hwan, and place it on my desk by 8 p.m. every day.”
“I’ll make sure of it. Anything else?”
Seon-ah checked her watch.
Mutants and beasts were about to appear.
Current time: 12:56 p.m.
Yeongwoo confirmed the time too, then gestured for Seon-ah to head inside quickly.
“Yes, that’s all. You’re dismissed.”
Seon-ah bowed her head to Yeongwoo and hurried into the hotel.
‘Now it’ll be chaos for a while again.’
Soon, all sorts of beasts and mutants would spawn at the sites where the light pillars had struck.
Near the Parnass Hotel, which Yeongwoo used as lodging, two beast markers had embedded, and Gangnam’s beast hunters were swarming that way.
‘Now, for today’s mutant.’
As always, Yeongwoo headed to Cheongdam Bridge—the mutant sniping spot—while scanning for Gangnam’s red light pillar.
This time, he spotted the mutant marker descending near Dosan Park in Apgujeong.
‘Pretty far today. My arrows will barely reach.’
Sniping from the middle of Cheongdam Bridge as usual wouldn’t give a clear line of sight.
So in the end, Yeongwoo prepared his shot from the road park right in front of the bridge.
Coincidentally, at the spot where the Kim family had been vaporized by lasers, leaving a massive scorch mark.
‘They haven’t cleaned it up yet.’
A Mercedes—once Kim Jong-un’s ‘dream’—still lay scattered everywhere, so Yeongwoo stepped on one and climbed atop it.
Squelch.
Current time: 12:59 p.m.
Less than a minute until the mutant appeared.
Holding ‘White Saturation,’ Yeongwoo waited for the tip of the red light pillar in the distant sky to open.
“…….”
Then, at last.
Crack!
A sound like the sky splitting echoed.
Kwaaaa!
An ominous presence erupted from the top of the light pillar.
‘It’s coming!’
Gangnam’s Day 6 mutant was dropping.
Grind!
Yeongwoo instantly drew his bowstring and activated ‘Thousand Ri Eye.’
He then rolled his enhanced vision, searching for the returnee in question.
‘Where? Still up there?’
Someone who had been human just six days ago.
But exiled from this world after being hated by many.
One such figure was returning.
Kuuoooo!
Soon, a dark mass appeared at the upper part of the red light pillar, and Yeongwoo released the taut bowstring upon spotting it.
Twang.
An immense surge of energy condensed at the front of White Saturation’s bow limbs, splitting into multiple arrows and firing off.
Fweeeee!
The effect of Narrative Archery ‘God Summoning.’
Combined with White Saturation’s unique properties, ordinary mutants had no chance of dodging Yeongwoo’s arrows.
「White Saturation」 - Narrative Bow
【Perception stat applies to arrow power.】
【Power increases with arrow range.】
◇ Stealth: Shadow Arrow
◇ Stealth: Ability Damage
‘Can I kill it in one shot? First Day 6 mutant.’
Yeongwoo watched as the arrows spiraled, intertwining their trajectories in flight.
And soon.
Boom boom boom!
Around the midpoint of the red light pillar, violet ability explosions chained off.
—Guhk!
The arrows had hit dead-on.
Shwaaaa…!
Next, the mutant, engulfed in violet smoke, plummeted.
‘Got it.’
Confirming the mutant veering off course and crashing down, Yeongwoo bolted toward the projected landing zone.
Like a hunter pursuing prey.
Tatat!
‘Today’s beasts are ratmen.’
While heading from the road park to Dosan Park, Yeongwoo spotted ratmen scattered across central Gangnam.
These 2-meter-tall ratmen outnumbered typical beasts and moved incredibly fast.
Even Tae-won’s beast hunters, who had guarded Gangnam since Reset Day 1, couldn’t suppress them immediately and were locked in standoffs.
“What’s this, getting pushed back?”
As Yeongwoo sliced through ratmen with golden trajectories, the beast hunters—now pushed behind—followed him, offering excuses that weren’t quite excuses.
“W-we’re not weaker, but they’re so damn fast…”
“Then don’t follow me—go help others. I’m heading to the mutant.”
Yeongwoo issued the order and accelerated further.
Now he saw Gangnam police beast hunters tangled with a ratman pack.
The power balance was even here too—neither side’s numbers dwindling easily.
‘Overall difficulty spiked. Soon even beasts won’t get cleared.’
Gangnam especially had been under golden rain since Jeong Hyeon-sik’s head fell.
Thus, not just residents but beast hunters’ average income was higher than elsewhere. If even Gangnam struggled against beasts…
‘Tomorrow will be tougher. Should I invest more in beast business operators? Or handle beasts myself before moving.’
Thinking this, Yeongwoo shouted to nearby police.
“Everyone, move! You’ll get hurt!”
He sent golden trajectories rightward to disrupt the battlefield, while extending Sasaeng-a to 6 meters and slashing leftward broadly.
Whiiiiiir!
-Kiek!
-Kyaaak!
Ratmen swept by Yeongwoo’s blade were bisected into meat chunks without fail, but those out of reach smartly fled into nearby alleys.
True to their rat nature.
“Only a few left here—chase them down. Then head to other neighborhoods once cleared.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Got it.”
The officers scattered into the alleys.
Around then, the red light pillar, stationary for a while, began to move slowly.
Gangnam’s mutant, struck by arrows and fallen, was still alive.
‘Damn, troublesome.’
At least it was moving north, so not far from Gwangjin District.
Seemed intent on crossing the bridge out of Gangnam. Probably spooked by the sudden arrows.
‘Gotta hurry. Gwangjin’s mutant will think of crossing districts by now too.’
* * *
—Shit…! What the hell? Right as I arrive.
Gangnam District’s Day 6 mutant, Choi Seung-won, bled bright green as he raced between Gangnam’s buildings.
He’d botched his landing earlier—his right hind leg throbbed badly—but that wasn’t the issue.
A bizarre pain like burning alive clouded his mind all over.
Plus, ratman’s signature detection—zzing through his whiskers—kept warning him.
Something terrifying lurked somewhere behind.
And its identity was obvious.
—Fucking bastard.
The sneaky prick who’d sniped him mid-descent.
—Ugh…
His long whiskers trembled with rage, but Choi Seung-won didn’t want to fight.
He was certain he couldn’t win, and an instinctual urge to hide and recover overwhelmed him.
Probably ratman instinct.
[Drug Offender-Choi Seung-won]
—I’m no saint, but that fucker’s worse. Goddamn coward.
A societal scourge with two drug priors, Choi Seung-won grumbled nonstop as he sprinted Gangnam’s outskirts.
During eons of waiting, he’d vowed billions of times to become Gangnam’s nightmare.
But the world he returned to differed vastly from expectations.
He’d thought not just Gangnam but the whole country would cower, staring up at his monstrous return. Reality…
—Urk!
Fresh blood gushed from his left flank, arrow-hit earlier.
Seung-won unwittingly teared up, clutching it with wrinkled forepaw.
Squish!
Then, at last.
—…!
He spotted the Han River gleaming brilliantly under sunlight ahead, eyes widening to pea size.
He’d finally escaped Gangnam.
Now where to?
Cross to Seongdong District?
At 4 meters tall, sewers were impossible—only way.
Huff.
Panting, head swiveling, Seung-won eyed Seongdong across the bridge—and Gwangjin beside it—both marked with glaring red mutant markers. Hope sparked.
Fellow mutants might communicate.
Plus, whiskers buzzed ‘warning’ nonstop—he itched to flee this hood.
—Ugh… This insane place, I’ll come back for revenge.
Seung-won gnashed pointed incisors on lower lip, vowing, when someone spoke from behind.
“Where you headed? Let’s go to Gwangjin while we’re at it.”
—Wha…?
Startled, Seung-won whipped around to see a half-naked man aiming a gun at him.
—Wh-who…?
Even asking, Seung-won knew.
His radar whiskers burned now.
This bastard was the sniper.
Worse, a bizarre string ‘Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman’ floated over his head.
—What the hell happened to the world?
The 4-meter ratman gawked at Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman, expression ridiculously human.
His monstrous self seemed less weird than the pants-clad foe in iron cape.
But the real event was just beginning.
Shwaaaaa!
Sudden gale swept the area, churning the calm Han River into waves.
Rumble!
Thunder growled from afar, sky turning ashen. Bonus.
—Huh…?
Feeling whiskers droop from quiver, Seung-won backpedaled.
Now ‘Rat Sense’ warned from above, far in the sky.
—Wh-what’s up there now?
Forgetting full-body agony, Seung-won asked. Joseon’s Greatest Swordsman Jeong Yeongwoo extended Sasaeng-a long and replied.
“My uncle.”
—What?
“My maternal uncle’s here.”
And simultaneously.
Crack!
Sky flashed instantly—a sharp steel shard pierced clouds downward.
Shunk!
Yeongwoo had sensed it early and stepped back, but Choi Seung-won just puzzled over his suddenly stiff whiskers.
Then.
Slash!
The forehead-targeting metal chunk cleaved his body.
Cleanly, left to right.
“Uncle…?”
First time seeing mutant kill mutant.
Yeongwoo looked skyward; meanwhile, a golden goblin dashed in, retrieving Choi Seung-won’s corpse.
Soon, Song Tae-ho’s voice boomed from within the sky.
—What’s with all these rats in my city? Stinks to high heaven.
My city.
Yeongwoo’s brow furrowed.
“My city? What nonsense…”
But Yeongwoo’s line didn’t continue.
Song Tae-ho flexed immediately.
「[Abnormal Weather] Steel Rain generated in Gangnam District.」
Then, steel shards poured visibly onto specific spots.
Shwaaaaa!
“Oh… no way?”
Yeongwoo eyed the sky with changed gaze.
If his guess held, the steel rain targeted ratmen positions in Gangnam District.
But awe was fleeting.
Crack!
A burst sounded over Yeongwoo’s head too—a stream of steel rain shot down.
Kwaaak!
“Ah, I’m a rat too, huh.”