Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: 58. The Biggest Worry (2)
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After parting ways with the wandering swordsmen, Young-woo raced straight northwest.
Toward the city of Anshan, a name that felt somewhat familiar.
Kwa-kwang, kwa-kwang!
Of course, even if it was the closest city from here, he still had to cover at least a hundred kilometers, so for a while, only low-rise buildings and rice paddies greeted him.
‘They say China has over 1.4 billion people, so even after the Reset, at least 400 million should be left, right? So where the hell did they all go?’
Young-woo glanced at a farmhouse where not even a single rat could be seen.
China might have a huge population, but the problem stemmed from its even vaster land.
Even without the Reset, population density per land area was low outside the major cities, and now with monsters rampant, spotting people had become even harder.
‘And the land is ridiculously expansive. Unless you’ve seriously leveled up your stats, you could starve to death on the road.’
When Young-woo looked back, an endless highway stretched out, its end impossible to gauge.
‘This won’t do. I’ll waste the whole day just collecting tribute.’
Young-woo finally realized just how daunting “world conquest” truly was.
In fact, wasn’t the physical distance the main reason even great empires of the past couldn’t keep conquering indefinitely?
The farther from the homeland, the harder supply lines became, and managing conquered cities grew increasingly tricky.
How much more so for Young-woo, a lone individual without an empire?
The most he could muster right now was a small tribute-collection squad.
In other words, in this situation, conquering China—let alone the world—might be a pipe dream.
‘How can I get them to pay tribute on a national scale?’
It was a conundrum.
A tough nut that even Im Du-pyeong, who was ahead of him in trying to seize China, hadn’t cracked yet.
“…….”
Even as Young-woo agonized over tribute-collection methods, the road to Anshan stretched on endlessly.
At this rate, he could visit maybe three cities a day at best.
Kwa-kwang, kwang!
‘If I could use the Geopi Express nonstop, maybe, but properly managing this vast land is realistically impossible.’
His thoughts drifted to the Geopi Express, and naturally, his gaze lifted to the sky.
He wondered if Destruction King Togo, who roamed the cosmos raising pirate hopefuls, might know a solution.
‘Something for ultra-high-speed travel between regions. Or at least drop card readers or ATMs in every city. Tribute can just be wired, after all.’
Daily collections via transfer, and only visit cities in person if they miss the deadline for whatever reason to sort out the issue.
That was Young-woo’s ideal tribute system.
Heck, the tech already existed.
‘Don’t we pay taxes daily via transfer? Why can’t I use something like that?’
As Young-woo’s mind raced wildly, a somewhat rough-looking cityscape finally appeared ahead.
“Oh.”
He had arrived at Anshan City in China’s Liaoning Province.
A steel industrial powerhouse with a total population of 3.64 million, and over 1.5 million active in the urban core.
By China’s standards, it wasn’t a megacity, but to Young-woo from the Korean Peninsula, it looked absurdly massive.
Seoul’s area was 605 square kilometers, while Anshan’s sprawled across 9,252.
And the central area he was eyeing now rivaled all of Seoul.
“Who the hell do I even find in a place this big……?”
Whether they’d already wrapped up their deal and left, or if it was just the sheer size—no merchant markers were in sight.
Meaning no signposts to guide him.
‘Guess I’ll have to grab someone and ask again.’
Anyway, even this region should have its equivalent of a Supreme Sword from the Peninsula’s perspective.
And if that person was in the city right now, surely.
‘They must be watching my position… hoping I just pass through?’
That was entirely possible.
In this world, there were those like Duelist Swordmaster Cheon Ju-rin who didn’t fear Im Du-pyeong’s agents, but also ones like Yongsan Supreme Sword Kim Do-ha, obsessed with self-preservation.
“Hmm.”
Young-woo paused atop Neguig, gazing at the city for a moment, then opted for the quickest method.
“General……!”
He’d launch the most eye-catching attack visible now to summon the city’s boss.
“Earth, 084! 362! 1041! 443!”
The coordinates Young-woo called were near the city entrance, at a construction site.
It looked like they’d been building a big structure, but post-Reset, it was abandoned.
Soon, however, a laser beam rained down from above, giving it new purpose.
Kwaaaaa!
Young-woo was using the site as a sort of call bell.
Shuwaaaaa!
The nameless construction site, hit by planetary-scale bombardment, turned to flat ground in an instant. And right after.
“U, uwaaa!”
“Save us!”
“Invasion!”
Anshan citizens poured out from everywhere like a swarm of bees.
In this post-Reset world, during what passed for peaceful hours, a sudden laser from the sky triggered their instincts.
Those who saw it directly had been outside; most just rushed out, clueless about what happened.
“Wh-what is it?”
“We don’t know. There was a huge boom, though.”
“No way… war……?”
War.
An apt term, not far off in essence.
The moment the explosion hit, the Anshan Five Heroes sensed the implications and raced to the laser strike point.
More precisely, they were chasing the hidden agent’s mark embedded alongside the laser.
Ta-ta-tat!
As Anshan’s five top experts tore through the streets toward it, citizens who’d come out at the boom followed suit.
And the culprit behind all this chaos, Supreme Sword Jeong Young-woo.
Taat!
Having leaped off Neguig, he was strolling slowly toward Anshan City.
‘This oughta get the message across.’
Young-woo’s point was clear.
No welcome, and he’d glass the city with laser barrages.
Of course, knowing habitats were precious resources, he wasn’t serious.
‘But damn, it works like a charm.’
Swift presences approached from ahead.
Sure enough, five figures closed in at high speed.
『Anshan Five Heroes』
‘Five of them here? Must be the size of the area.’
Young-woo watched them approach without drawing his sword. The long-haired man in the lead halted about 15 meters away.
Taat!
The other four lined up beside him, using his stop as the benchmark.
That was the Anshan Five Heroes’ minimum safe distance.
“…….”
Young-woo could only tilt his head slightly.
‘Guess the Anshan Five Heroes aren’t all that high-level.’
Typically, standoff distances were based on one’s psychological safety margin.
In other words, a range where you could react in time to an attack or felt outside the enemy’s reach.
By that metric, the Anshan Five Heroes...
‘15 meters? They’re all well inside my range……?’
Young-woo blinked.
Two possibilities.
Either they underestimated him, or their experience was so limited they’d never faced a master who could kill from 20 meters in a blink.
Which was it?
He found out soon enough.
Teop!
Suddenly, the long-haired man cupped his fists toward Young-woo and spoke.
“What brings you to Anshan? We deliberately stayed away so as not to hinder your passage.”
Considering they knew his background, this was politeness maxed out.
They even knew this Supreme Sword was the one who’d stolen China’s titles.
‘Were they always this mild, or did the laser change their minds?’
As Young-woo pondered how to broach tribute talks, he scanned the other four besides the long-haired leader.
Sure enough, the muscular bald guy right next to him wore a vicious scowl.
Anshan Five Heroes.
Five sharing a title meant five separate egos and wills.
The apparent leader with long hair wanted peaceful talks, but not all five agreed.
‘Might not resolve with words alone.’
Current time: 5:14 PM.
Checking the hour, Young-woo addressed the long-haired man first.
“I am Supreme Sword Jeong Young-woo, visiting China as the representative of the Korean Peninsula.”
The long-haired man’s face flashed surprise, then he glanced at the other four “heroes.”
“We’ve heard the tales… but didn’t know you were the Peninsula’s rep. I am Jeong Tae-ryong of the Anshan Five Heroes.”
Jeong Tae-ryong.
He cupped his fists again introducing himself, but couldn’t maintain a bright expression like before.
A Chinese asset thief being just some Peninsula troublemaker versus the Peninsula’s official representative was worlds apart.
The former could be dismissed as personal deviance; the latter screamed Peninsula declaring war.
And sure enough.
“You, the Peninsula’s rep? You Peninsula rabble dare aim for the Central Plains?”
The hulking bald man spat at Young-woo in fury.
Jeong Tae-ryong immediately chided him in a low voice.
“Hwi-gwang, if you want to keep your head today, watch your mouth.”
He’d gauged that this Supreme Sword wasn’t ordinary.
“My brothers can be a bit rash. Forgive the rudeness.”
Sseuk.
Jeong Tae-ryong bowed his head slightly toward Young-woo in apology.
Young-woo returned the nod, accepting it—but clocked that Tae-ryong was still a proud Chinese at heart.
For all his courtesy, he hadn’t honored the outsider Young-woo with the “hero” title.
If this were Shandong, the bald guy’s slip-up would’ve had Jang Ja-ham proclaiming him “Grand Hero” and kowtowing.
‘The Shandong Twin Evils really are something. They’ll stick with me all the way.’
Go fast alone, go far together, as they say.
Young-woo was learning with every Chinese encounter that Shandong made the best partners.
“Time’s precious for us both, so straight to business.”
At last, Young-woo dove into the awkward topic.
“Have you met the Politburo’s dispatched Executive Committee member? Older guy, weird powers.”
Jeong Tae-ryong and the Anshan Five Heroes all tilted their heads in unison.
“Executive Committee member?”
“A politician?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Clueless.
‘Damn, complicating things.’
Looks like Beijing’s collectors hadn’t reached the east yet.
Dalian down south hadn’t been on their list originally either—only added after Pangea fused the lands.
‘Gotta explain Im Du-pyeong first… or just strong-arm them?’
Easier to say “pay up or die” than convince them China’s president was alive, a legendary demon hoarding the continent’s wealth.
As Young-woo’s hand crept toward his sword sheath.
Kwaaaaa!
An ominous crushing roar erupted from the west out of nowhere.
“……!”
“What?”
“Th-that!”
Shock therapy was best for grabbing attention, after all.
Young-woo whipped his head west with the Five Heroes—and grinned brightly.
An old monster was charging from there, wrapped in purple demonic energy.
Kwa-gugwa-kwak!
Each lumbering step churned the earth, screaming formidable power.
In other words, that was almost certainly.
“Executive Committee member!”
Young-woo shouted the identity like an exclamation. Jeong Tae-ryong gawked at him.
“Wh-what’d you say?”
“Executive Committee member! He’ll explain everything! Why you owe me 20 million!”