Chapter 243
Chapter 243
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 243
Chapter Title: 55. Bean Powder (3)
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Kwa-gwa-gwa-kwat!
Steel rain poured down like bullets.
But the Korea’s Greatest Swordsman wasn’t one to be trifled with. He swiftly dodged the metal shards plummeting straight for his crown.
“Huh? Uncle, this is getting tricky.”
Yeong-woo frowned at the shards embedded deep in the ground. As if in response, a harsh explosion ripped through the sky.
Jjeok!
And then.
Kwaaaaaat!
This time, an even wider barrage of steel rain targeted Yeong-woo’s head.
“Damn, this bastard.”
Frustrated that his nephew kept dodging, the uncle expanded the steel rain’s range to ramp up the difficulty.
Of course, it was laughable as an attack against an unparalleled demon slayer.
Ta-at!
Yeong-woo evaded this assault with ease and glanced up at the sky again.
His uncle’s unprovoked first strike was infuriating, but he didn’t seem like a complete lost cause when it came to talking.
Because.
Kwaaaaaat!
Judging by the fresh downpour, his uncle—Song Tae-ho—wasn’t going all out.
‘The way to make sure I get hit is actually pretty simple.’
Just rain it down over the entire area where Yeong-woo was.
But Song Tae-ho had only unleashed a shower about three meters wide, letting Yeong-woo dodge without a single scratch.
Ta-tat!
‘Why? Does he really not want to damage the city?’
Yeong-woo had his reasons for that theory.
—What’s with all these rats infesting my city? The stench is unbearable.
Hadn’t his uncle said that right before unleashing the steel rain?
My city.
Even as a mutated being, Song Tae-ho still had his wits about this world.
Jjeok!
Another explosion echoed from the sky.
Song Tae-ho was prepping his next shot.
“Uh-oh.”
Yeong-woo quickly looked up and shouted.
“Uncle! Hold on! Just a sec!”
And sure enough, the rain stopped.
As if inviting him to speak.
Confirming the mutant marker still pinned on Gwangjin-gu, Yeong-woo addressed his uncle in the sky.
“You don’t want these buildings wrecked either, right? Me neither.”
Yeong-woo spread his arms wide, signaling he wasn’t in the mood for a fight. Finally, Song Tae-ho’s voice rumbled from beyond the clouds.
—So?
Song Tae-ho.
Eldest son of the nation’s No. 2 conglomerate, Jin-hyeon Group. A high-risk mutant in Seoul on Reset Day 6.
A dragon wielding steel, and the great-uncle of Korea’s Greatest Swordsman, Jeong Yeong-woo.
He was nothing like the mutants Yeong-woo had faced before.
Despite gaining the mighty dragon title, he wasn’t slaughtering people left and right—only gunning for monsters and his weird nephew.
“The rain you’re dropping now can’t kill me. You’ll have to come down yourself… and I bet you’re huge, right?”
—......
Song Tae-ho didn’t respond.
But the paused steel rain didn’t resume, so Yeong-woo pressed on.
“If you drop into central Gangnam, the buildings will get trashed while we fight… and I don’t want that.”
Finally, Song Tae-ho’s voice boomed again.
—So what’s your point? Spit it out.
Jjeok—the sky cracked with another explosion.
Yeong-woo pointed across the river to Gwangjin-gu.
“How about we duke it out somewhere quieter?”
—What? Duke it out?
“Winner takes Gangnam. Though it’s already my city.”
As Yeong-woo scratched his chin with the tip of his bastard sword, Song Tae-ho’s furious voice stabbed down.
—You unregistered bastard, who the hell do you think you are?
Yet no steel rain followed.
Maybe Song Tae-ho loved Gangnam even more than Yeong-woo did.
“What’s with the family registry crap? Even if I were on it, it’d be on my dad’s side. Anyway, come to Gwangjin-gu. We’ll settle it there.”
Having thrown down the gauntlet, Yeong-woo bolted toward Gwangjin-gu.
He found himself mulling over his uncle’s words.
‘Wait, thinking about it… yeah, as an illegitimate kid, I wouldn’t even be on Dad’s family registry.’
Jeong Yeong-woo, unrecorded by the clan.
Song Tae-ho had casually spelled out that he was, essentially, a rootless bastard.
‘Chaebol blood really is different.’
A chill of rejection ran down his spine, and Yeong-woo glanced skyward.
Then.
Kwaaaaaaaa……!
A massive presence shifted above the ash-gray clouds.
Song Tae-ho was indeed heading to Gwangjin-gu, following Yeong-woo’s suggestion.
‘You’re done for.’
As he raced to Gwangjin-gu, Yeong-woo tallied his available forces.
「Blue Blood」 - Mutation Drug
【Strength +30% for 10 minutes.】
Strength drugs usable twice, plus three friend summons via whistle.
With the night dungeon opening tonight, better to save at least one summon.
‘Laser barrage might end it anyway. Can Uncle block the laser that even Kim Il-sung couldn’t?’
Having fought the Poison Dragon Im Gwang-ho, Yeong-woo knew dragons weren’t much different from regular mutants.
Beatable creatures.
The only distinctions were their flashy entrances and a bit more flair.
Ta-tat!
Soon, Olympic Park Road and Cheongdam Bridge came into view.
The site where Kim Jong-un had died to a laser amid a field of Benzes—untouched ruins.
Sprinting past the park and onto the bridge, a massive hole appeared in the middle.
Where Seoul councilor Kim Seok-sin, turned wyvern on Day 4, had met his end.
More precisely, where a White Saturation arrow had pierced his skull.
‘A few days in, and it’s already historic city ruins?’
Amid the growing “history,” Yeong-woo entered Gwangjin-gu with a wry admiration.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-kwat!
Razor-sharp metal shards rained endlessly on his head.
“Huh? Sneak attack right away? That’s cheap.”
This time, steel rain blanketed all of Gwangjin-gu. No retreating to Cheongdam Bridge without getting soaked.
Unless he used a golden orb here.
Instinctively stepping back, Yeong-woo.
“......!”
Noticed the Togo pattern flashing on the ad tattoo on his right forearm.
He’d forgotten, but even now, he was starring in Togo’s brand ad.
‘Can’t embarrassingly backpedal.’
So Yeong-woo stepped forward.
Cheok!
Into the heart of Gwangjin-gu amid the metal storm.
Ash-gray shards swarmed like enraged hornets. Sensing them, ‘Golden Trajectory’ swooped over his head, blocking the bullet-like barrage.
Ting-ting-ting!
Deafening sparks flew off Golden Trajectory’s surface.
But only for a moment.
-Weeeeng......!
Separate from its powerful hum, its altitude began dropping.
The barrage was overwhelming Golden Trajectory’s output.
“Damn, Uncle’s no joke after all.”
Amazed by the absurd steel rain, Yeong-woo sensed he couldn’t just keep dodging.
Using Golden Trajectory as an umbrella was embarrassing secondarily. Primarily.
‘This isn’t even our company’s product.’
With that thought, he shoved Golden Trajectory aside.
Thung!
In that split second as the greatsword recoiled, he pulled ‘Scaredy Cat’ from his pocket.
「Scaredy Cat」 - Narrative Compass
【Points to threats.】
【Strength +25% on bleed.】
-Gyaang!
The cat was already yowling sharply northwest, head craned skyward.
Uncle was flying that way.
‘Right nearby.’
Confirming his uncle’s position, Yeong-woo leveled White Saturation, slung across his torso.
Taat.
His bow arm sported a fresh red gash, blood trickling out.
Finally, the steel rain broke past Golden Trajectory and pelted him.
Kwa-kwa-kwat, kwa-kwat!
Wrapped in every defense—White Oath’s ‘attack reduction’ and more—the relentless steel storm was no easy block.
Flesh peeled faster than his body regenerated, turning Yeong-woo into a ambulatory meat lump.
Without the berserker talisman numbing the pain, he’d have lost his mind already.
“Ugh, is this how it’s done?”
The miracle of the human body.
Outer skin mostly flayed, he aimed at his uncle with the bow.
Muscle damage starting now, but still plenty for a full draw.
Trrrrduk!
“Uncle! Your nephew formally pays respects!”
Yeong-woo greeted his uncle, who was bombarding him like a scrub with endless rain.
Then released the string.
Taat!
Dense energy gathered at the bowtips, firing an arrow mighty enough to down a god.
Pew-shoooooo!
Togo’s special arrow streaked silently across the sky.
No missing that shot. Yeong-woo sprinted toward the predicted crash site.
Cha-cha-chap!
Blood oozed from his skinned feet like sweat, making sticky footfalls.
Meanwhile.
Puuuung!
A massive explosion rocked the clouds, a huge shadow flickering.
The arrow had hit Song Tae-ho.
"Uncllle!"
No groan from the foe, but with his 100% mutant takedown rate, Yeong-woo was certain.
He’d soon see his uncle’s massive corpse.
And right on cue.
Booooooouk!
A spine-chilling presence surged, Song Tae-ho claiming a whole swath of sky.
Hwaaaat!
“Whoa......!”
Breaking through the clouds, Song Tae-ho’s form left Yeong-woo’s jaw dropping.
Not a dragon—an aircraft carrier crashing from the heavens.
Bigger than yesterday’s Poison Dragon Im Gwang-ho.
Steel from head to toe, roughly forty meters long by eye.
If this monster hit Gangnam, countless precious residences would’ve been lost.
In a way, Song Tae-ho’s self-proclaimed ownership had preserved Seoul’s assets.
‘I want him… this guy......!’
How fun to summon that beast from an alien planet and let it rampage.
Eyes gleaming at his uncle’s frame—too big for Gangnam—Yeong-woo grinned.
And then.
Kwaaaaaaaaang!
Song Tae-ho crashed into central Gwangjin-gu.
—Ugh!
His first groan leaked out.
The impact was huge; steel rain halted, skies clearing.
Yeong-woo charged on crimson feet, shouting.
“Uncle, Uncle! You okay? Still alive?”
Song Tae-ho slowly lifted his head from the crater.
—You crazy bastard, what the hell now?
But Yeong-woo wasn’t truly worried about his survival.
“No! I mean, this counts as a major battle!”
—...What?
Song Tae-ho felt inexplicable dread at the bizarre line.
Then his nephew stomped closer on bloody feet with something worse.
“This battle is! For the pan-galactic weapons brand......!”