Chapter 258
Chapter 258
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 258
Chapter Title: 57. Beijing's Great Evil (5)
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“You, just who the hell are you? Out of nowhere, demanding money?”
Dalian Swordswoman Cheon Ju-rin.
The most renowned female swordmaster in the region and protector of Dalian City stared at Youngwoo with genuine bewilderment.
Of course, she wasn’t asking about his official title.
She’d already heard it earlier, and besides, she could see it with her own eyes.
『Supreme Sword』
The monster who’d killed the infamous Kim Jong-un and unified the Korean Peninsula—Supreme Sword Jeong Youngwoo.
From the martial prowess she’d just witnessed, that claim didn’t seem like empty boasting.
‘But if that’s true, shouldn’t he just focus on building his own foundation? Why come all the way here to play highway robber?’
That said, she had heard a rumor just a few days ago.
Some thugs from Dandong had crossed into North Korea’s Sinuiju for a raid, only to get wiped out—all but one.
‘Could that be why he’s here?’
They said a gentleman’s revenge is never too late, even after ten years. But this monster from Joseon had returned for payback in mere days?
However, Youngwoo was spinning a completely different tale from what Cheon Ju-rin expected.
“For a strong nation and mighty army.”
“……!”
“To pacify the world!”
“What……?”
“Ladies and gentlemen, we live in chaotic times.”
As Youngwoo scanned his surroundings and took a step forward, the sword guards encircling the area recoiled in a mass retreat.
Now they were truly terrified of the freak standing before them.
“With the Reset, law and order have collapsed, and even the continent’s borders have crumbled. Amid all this, alien forces are infiltrating our world.”
As he spoke, Youngwoo approached Jang Jin-sam, the Executive Committee member writhing in agony with both arms severed.
He placed a hand atop the man’s head.
Thud.
Sure enough.
“You bastard, how dare you!”
Jang Jin-sam flew into a rage, his eyes flushing purple.
Whoosh!
In an instant, his body surged with supernatural power, and his right leg bent at an impossible angle, snapping upward.
Bang!
Aimed straight at Youngwoo’s jaw.
“Hup……!”
Youngwoo, as if anticipating it, tilted his upper body to dodge, then unleashed a golden trajectory to slice at Jang Jin-sam’s leg.
Swoooosh!
The golden arc was a massive greatsword over two meters long.
Yet, astonishingly, the leg struck by this enormous blade—
Piiiing!
Far from being severed, it repelled the golden trajectory.
There was some external damage, but the blade hadn’t properly pierced—a state tantamount to the realm of impervious to swords and blades. Jang Jin-sam himself had reached that level.
“What?”
“No way.”
Dozens of sword guards, including Cheon Ju-rin, widened their eyes in shock. Youngwoo finally raised Sasenga once more.
“Eek!”
As expected, Jang Jin-sam freaked out at the sight of Sasenga, drooling involuntarily.
He’d learned firsthand earlier that this weapon, at least, wasn’t “impervious.”
Thanks to it, he had no arms left.
So Jang Jin-sam’s choice was—
Taat!
A mad dash for escape.
He’d decided to bolt back to Beijing while his two legs still worked.
Youngwoo swiftly pointed at the fleeing Jang Jin-sam.
“Look over there! That purple aura is alien power!”
Snap!
As Youngwoo indicated the supernatural energy coiling around Jang Jin-sam’s legs, everyone stared blankly as the man ran.
“T-That’s alien power?”
“Is it……?”
“Well, I’ve never seen anything like it.”
But hadn’t the arrow fired by this Supreme Sword also erupted in purple? A few who remembered this harbored doubts but kept them unspoken.
They instinctively knew voicing it would land them in the same fate as that Executive Committee member.
“Alien puppet Jang Jin-sam! Take my blade!”
Youngwoo bellowed his resolute line and hurled Sasenga at Jang Jin-sam.
Swoooosh!
In that instant, a wedge pattern from Dogo traced Sasenga’s trajectory, and the demonic sword’s blade soon embedded itself in Jang Jin-sam’s lower back.
Kwaaang!
“Gahack!”
The two-meter-tall giant tumbled to the ground, white hair whipping wildly. Youngwoo extended his hand to remotely retrieve Sasenga.
Shoooosh!
For the first time, cheers of approval rose from the sword guards inside.
“Ooh?”
“Wow!”
“That’s……?”
It resembled the flying sword technique every Chinese person dreamed of achieving.
But the victim, Jang Jin-sam, ground his teeth and thrashed in fury.
“You mad bastard! Killing me means making an enemy of the entire regime. You think you’ll get away with dipping into the national treasury?”
Youngwoo tilted his head at that.
“Who says it’s the national treasury? Without the people’s support, it’s just plunder.”
That said, in a world where might made right, if Im Du-pyeong called tribute taxes, there wasn’t much to argue.
Just like how Youngwoo had collected “defense fees” from Seoul’s Supreme Swords.
Of course, Youngwoo had now advanced a step further.
“The reason I came all this way is to dethrone Im Du-pyeong. Not content with collecting tribute, he’s colluding with alien forces? It’s infuriating beyond tolerance.”
“What? What the hell does that have to do with you? Y-You’re not even…… Chinese…….”
As Jang Jin-sam protested in disbelief, Youngwoo’s form shot forward at tremendous speed, overwhelming him.
Kwaak!
“Urk!”
Jang Jin-sam’s bulk slammed back into the ground.
Youngwoo leaned in close to his ear and whispered lowly.
“With two alien puppets collecting tribute, it’s a bit problematic. If you really care about China, sacrifice yourselves.”
“What? What did you just……!”
As abject terror dawned on Jang Jin-sam and he tried to speak—
Kwaak!
Sasenga in Youngwoo’s hand pierced his skull.
Finally, one of Im Du-pyeong’s limbs had been severed.
‘Now Shandong Province’s money will truly be mine.’
As Youngwoo stretched contentedly, something utterly unexpected occurred.
Ruuuumble!
A pillar of light suddenly erupted from Jang Jin-sam’s corpse.
“Huh?”
Even Youngwoo recoiled a step in surprise, and soon everyone witnessed it.
Rooooar!
The purple pillar bursting from Jang Jin-sam’s body shot off toward distant Beijing.
“W-Was it real?”
“What the hell was that?”
It was like a demon lord’s subordinate having its power reclaimed. Everyone in Dalian gaped at Youngwoo.
The ramblings of this Supreme Sword from the Korean Peninsula suddenly seemed highly credible.
“W-What did you say earlier? Chairman Im and his lackeys are alien puppets?”
Even Dalian Swordswoman Cheon Ju-rin shifted to a far more serious tone, addressing Youngwoo with respect.
Youngwoo quickly schooled his uneasy expression and gazed in the direction the light pillar had vanished.
“Yes. With very high probability.”
Supernatural attributes gained from equipment were typically conversions of physical or elemental damage into supernatural power.
He’d never seen someone like Jang Jin-sam, whose very power was supernatural.
Except for the one arrow Dogo had made.
‘But Jang Jin-sam was steeped in supernatural attributes. The way his power got reclaimed after death… Im Du-pyeong’s true nature is getting more suspicious.’
And above all, Jang Jin-sam had called himself the 6th Executive Committee member.
If that “6th” related to combat ranking……
‘Then there are at least five more above him?’
Monsters impervious to blades, at minimum five, scattered across China collecting money.
“…….”
Unbearable rage surged.
But if it didn’t cause civilian casualties, it might actually benefit Youngwoo in some ways.
Places that hadn’t started tribute yet would take more convincing, but regions already scorched by collectors? Different story.
‘I only take about 60% of what Im Du-pyeong gets. Like a massive loan shark… should be easier to persuade.’
If they could stomach paying tribute to the Korean Peninsula instead of China, it meant ten million karma daily.
Youngwoo saw solid odds.
Fortunately, in Dalian—where persuasion would’ve been toughest—the “alien puppet theory” had gained traction, unwittingly clearing a path.
“As you just saw, Beijing’s Im Du-pyeong is ravaging all of China with power from aliens. If no one stops him, you’ll all end up paying daily tribute to extraterrestrials.”
Your money will make Im Du-pyeong stronger every day, Youngwoo added silently. Cheon Ju-rin voiced a natural question.
“But why does it have to be you? China’s problems should be handled by…….”
“No capable people.”
“What?”
“People who can’t even beat the collectors I send—how are they supposed to take down Im Du-pyeong?”
“T-That……!”
Cheon Ju-rin reflexively started to retort, “Then what about you?” but clamped her mouth shut.
The man before her had already proven his prowess.
“Frankly, I could squeeze you without the Im Du-pyeong excuse. But since I have a just cause, I’m mentioning it as a bonus.”
Youngwoo slammed Sasenga into the ground and spoke gravely.
“If I hadn’t killed Jang Jin-sam, you’d have been fleeced for at least thirty million.”
“……!”
“But I only take twenty. Twenty million karma. If everyone here chips in, that’d be ideal.”
Youngwoo then feigned sorrow.
“If you give your all and it’s still short, I’ll have no choice but to squeeze the citizens dry.”
“Y-You madman.”
“Twenty million, right here, right now?”
As expected, heated backlash erupted, but Cheon Ju-rin—the one who’d truly defended this city—responded coolly.
“There’s no way we can scrape together twenty million in cash on the spot. It’s an absurd demand. Even looting the whole city would take time.”
Youngwoo shot back as if he’d been waiting.
“Time—how much do you need?”
“…Pardon?”
“How long to gather the shortfall.”
“W-Well.”
Cheon Ju-rin glanced around.
Then cautiously offered.
“At least two hours……?”
Youngwoo checked his wristwatch and informed her.
“Fine. I’ll hit another city and return in two hours. Have the money ready by then.”
“A-Another city?”
“My goal is to stop Im Du-pyeong from collecting tribute. So every city needs to be paying already.”
“To you……?”
“Yes.”
“Hah…….”
Cheon Ju-rin was too exhausted to even be shocked anymore.
Her mind swirled with one thought.
‘This guy’s pure evil.’
Even Im Du-pyeong, the supposed alien puppet, probably wasn’t this bad.
But his follow-up made her ears perk up.
“Of course, I might run into an accident in another city. Meet an Executive Committee member too strong for me.”
“A-And?”
“If that happens, I won’t show up in two hours—so no need to prepare the money.”
“Ah.”
It was obvious, but to the cornered Cheon Ju-rin, it sounded plausible.
At least it wasn’t zero hope.
She could pray this mad Korean dropped dead.
“Deal?”
“…No other choice, is there? Let’s do it.”
“Good. Then now…….”
“What else?”
Sensing ominous vibes, Cheon Ju-rin furrowed her brow. Youngwoo pulled Sasenga free and said.
“Recommend the next city on my list.”