Chapter 262
Chapter 262
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 262
Chapter Title: 58. The Biggest Worry (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“What, what?”
“Thirty million…?”
Young-woo’s outrageous declaration left not only the Ansan Five Heroes and the local residents slack-jawed, but even Executive Committee Member Baek Kang-ryang.
“What the hell, you bastard?”
He was supposed to pocket forty million himself, but this guy right next to him was bidding thirty? Wasn’t that a violation of basic decency?
“You, you… What the hell are you?”
So flustered was he that the villain Baek Kang-ryang began to stutter.
Only now did he realize this fresh-faced kid was a rival to none other than National Chairman Im Du-pyeong.
And the Ansan Five Heroes were just as baffled.
“Hey, just a minute ago, you clearly…”
The eldest of the Ansan Five Heroes, Jeong Tae-ryong, trailed off.
He had definitely heard it.
That the Supreme Sword had said they owed him twenty million.
―Executive Committee Member! That guy will explain everything! Why you owe me twenty million!
‘So why thirty million now?’
Just as focus began to fade from Jeong Tae-ryong’s eyes, the Supreme Sword thrust his sword toward the sky and shouted.
“Are you just going to sit back and watch Im Du-pyeong try to seize dictatorship again? Protests and coups can’t topple the regime anymore. The more money you give, the stronger his martial prowess grows! He’s probably already bulletproof!”
“……!”
Young-woo’s terrifying warning struck hard in the hearts of countless people.
Truth be told, China’s situation hadn’t changed much even before the Reset.
Im Du-pyeong, having long solidified his ironclad dictatorship, had been utterly impervious to bullets even then.
No one had dared point a gun at him.
But at least today, right now, there was an opportunity.
Hadn’t someone appeared who would point a gun—or even a sword—at Im Du-pyeong?
“Im Du-pyeong…! He’s not invincible yet! We can still kill him now!”
As Young-woo wildly swung his sword in the air to rally the people, Baek Kang-ryang, sensing something had gone terribly wrong, snarled with a ferocious glare.
“Get a grip, all of you? Don’t forget—treason means a gruesome death!”
“Ah……!”
Some of the people flinched at that.
But Young-woo immediately seized control of the mood with a new slogan.
“For a mere thirty million, topple the dictatorship!”
As he glared at Baek Kang-ryang with those words, a hollow laugh crossed the man’s face.
“You’re after the people’s tax money too, and you talk about toppling dictatorship…?”
Baek Kang-ryang was a seasoned veteran of Chinese politics, battle-hardened through every trial.
To him, the punk in front of him was just a bug with an unusually loud cry.
The only issue was…
“Hah, so even you lot know the term ‘tax money.’ You do know it’s the people’s blood and sweat, huh?”
Jeong Young-woo was an extremely large and powerful bug.
Whoosh!
Young-woo boldly turned toward the Ansan citizens.
“Everyone, isn’t the lesser evil better than the worst? I’ll show you right now! The value of a first-rank thirty million…!”
With that, he pulled out ‘Dark Chunk’ from his weapon catalog again, and Baek Kang-ryang’s eyes widened.
“You worm!”
Baek Kang-ryang’s heart raced.
He thought the time had finally come to tear apart this thorn in his side.
Now that the weapon had reappeared, if he just quickly killed this madman, everything would be fine.
But he didn’t know.
That this lunatic would suddenly hurl the Dark Chunk straight into the sky.
“Weapon, as promised—returned!”
“What?”
Before Baek Kang-ryang’s startled yelp could escape, the Dark Chunk rocketed into the air with a heavy whoosh.
Whooooosh!
Thanks to that, Baek Kang-ryang reflexively looked up, forced to track the weapon’s trajectory with his eyes.
And in that moment, Young-woo…
Dash!
Charged at his opponent like a bullet while switching his martial arts setup.
He removed Narrative Archery ‘God Call’ and slotted in ‘Lom’s Floor’ instead.
A purple hologram appeared before his eyes, and at the same time, the icon for ‘Supreme Swordsmanship’ displayed as well.
The two martial arts equipped in the two slots were activating simultaneously.
‘What? This works?’
The highest-grade swordsmanship he currently possessed, Supreme Swordsmanship, combined with the otherworldly grappling art, Lom’s Floor.
Young-woo was essentially flawless right now.
And so…
Bam!
The moment Baek Kang-ryang lifted his head to follow the Dark Chunk, Young-woo’s fist slammed unerringly into the man’s throat.
“Gack!”
And at that instant, Young-woo had a hunch.
‘If I play this right, I could beat him to death!’
He’d felt the enemy’s flesh yield under that punch.
His own strength had penetrated deep into the man’s muscles.
‘Though my fist stings a bit.’
Still, close-quarters combat was viable even against a ‘power tank’ like this—it was encouraging.
He had to show the clients he wouldn’t shy away from melee against such a brute.
To convince them that thirty million was worth it.
‘It’s not pocket change; I’ve got to deliver value for money.’
Sure, they were squeezing cash out of the nation for its prosperity, but he didn’t want to deceive the payers—their employers.
This money carried the Chinese people’s desperate hope to prevent Im Du-pyeong’s second dictatorship.
So it was only natural to fulfill that hope—and ideally, give them some too.
Hope and expectation that the one they hired could really take down Im Du-pyeong.
And satisfaction for their investment.
“Baek Kang-ryang! In the name of the people, I sentence you to death for aiding Im Du-pyeong’s dictatorship…!”
“What, what?”
Still retreating with Young-woo’s hand gripping his throat, Baek Kang-ryang saw the Supreme Sword charging again, eyes half-rolled back.
“Why… why go this far? You’re not even Chinese!”
As Baek Kang-ryang panicked into a fighting stance, Young-woo’s body suddenly dropped low, launching a super-speed tackle.
“If you’re taking money from someone else’s pocket, this is the least you can do!”
Kwaaaang!
The ultimate salesman’s tackle unleashed.
But Baek Kang-ryang, true to his fourth Executive Committee rank, had insane reaction speed.
As Young-woo lowered his upper body and lunged at his legs, Baek pressed down on Young-woo’s shoulder with his right hand while yanking his lower body back like a sprawl.
A textbook takedown defense: the sprawl.
‘This old geezer knows wrestling?’
At this point, Young-woo sensed his opponent had a grappling martial art akin to Lom’s Floor.
It wasn’t in any ‘swordsmanship.’
And then…
Flash!
Young-woo’s vision flashed purple.
The warning of Baek Kang-ryang’s incoming knee strike.
‘Argh!’
Even if his skull held, his neck would snap.
With his shoulder already pinned, Young-woo had no choice but to burn an item combo.
Boom!
「Self-Destruct」 - Mutated Bracelet
【Triggers a powerful explosion.】
【Durability +300.】
He’d used the Self-Destruct’s blast to create distance.
“Urk, you damn bug with your freakish tricks…”
As Baek Kang-ryang grimaced at Young-woo’s surprise explosion, a swift presence stirred from within the dust cloud.
Shwooo!
It was Young-woo’s left jab.
Thud!
“Guh!”
The dust cloud blocking vision let the first jab land squarely on Baek Kang-ryang’s face.
But the follow-up second jab…
Shwooo!
“Who the hell do you think I am, you moron.”
Was immediately blocked by Baek Kang-ryang.
Crack!
He’d swung his arm to grab Young-woo’s left elbow area.
Instead of dodging or blocking the fist, seizing the forearm was brilliant defense.
It sealed off the third and fourth jabs entirely.
“Heh, I’ll make sure that arm’s useless forever.”
Thinking he’d seized the advantage at last, Baek Kang-ryang grinned wickedly.
Then he clenched his grip.
Crunch!
Young-woo’s left elbow shattered like a twig, bone fragments piercing through flesh.
“Huh?”
Staring at his mangled elbow, Young-woo’s eyes went wide.
The shattered joint had torn the humerus and radius ends, crossing like a wedge pattern…
“…「Dogo」?”
It resembled Dogo’s wedge emblem.
“What?”
The otherworldly word searing into his mind dilated Baek Kang-ryang’s pupils as virulent blood poured from Young-woo’s forearm.
Sizzle!
At the same instant, icons appeared in Young-woo’s vision: Bleeding status, Limb Loss status.
His combat power was finally nearing maximum output.
Declaring the ad break’s arrival, Young-woo proclaimed.
“This battle is brought to you by intergalactic weapon brand Dogo!”
“……?”
“I am the owner of the Child of Life, the elected representative of the Korean Peninsula, Jeong Young-woo07!”
At that moment, a deafening scream erupted from Baek Kang-ryang’s mouth.
“Aaaagh!”
The fingers gripping the Supreme Sword’s elbow began melting.
Non-supernatural damage meant the poison effect triggered fully.
“Stings a bit, doesn’t it?”
“You……!”
At Young-woo’s words, Baek Kang-ryang reflexively scanned for the weapon he’d flung earlier—the Dark Chunk.
Far off, the massive guandao embedded in the ground entered his view.
But the reunion was brief.
Craaaack!
Agonizing pain exploded in his abdomen.
The damned Supreme Sword had jabbed his gut with the shattered left elbow… no, essentially bone shards.
“Gaaahk!”
As Baek Kang-ryang screamed, his innards spilling in an instant, the watching Ansan Five Heroes and over a thousand citizens screamed too, recoiling.
The demon from the Korean Peninsula’s problem-solving method was far more brutal than imagined.
Was Im Du-pyeong going to die like that too?
From the looks of it now, entirely possible.
Bam!
Jeong Young-woo followed with a right uppercut to Baek’s jaw, then stabbed the sharper left elbow bone into his throat.
Kwah!
“Baek Kang-ryang, execution!”
Even amid this, Young-woo never forgot it was a thirty-million daily contract sales pitch.
“…Gurgle.”
The fourth Executive Committee Member, throat pierced by poison-laced bone, rolled back his eyes and collapsed.
Thud!
Then, soon…
Shoooo!
Just like the earlier deceased Jang Jin-sam, purple demonic energy shot toward Beijing.
Whether it was power recall or just death notification, unclear.
But the key point…
‘Second one down.’
Two of Im Du-pyeong’s limbs—Executive Committee Members—gone.
So Im Du-pyeong must be feeling it by now.
That this sudden rival cutting supply lines was a serious threat.
‘Well, what now? Time to move yourself?’
Young-woo glanced toward Beijing, then tried to check his watch—but couldn’t.
The wrist wearing it lay rolling elsewhere.
“…Damn.”
Grimacing awkwardly, Young-woo stepped toward his severed wrist when someone dashed over.
Dash!
Turning toward the presence, he was shocked to see Ansan Five Hero Jeong Tae-ryong offering his own watch.
“Please use mine.”
“Ah, thanks, but I can use my own.”
Young-woo said that, then reached again for his wrist.
But Jeong Tae-ryong insisted with his watch.
“You don’t need to bend over in front of us, Great Hero Jeong!”
“Ah.”
He’d finally called him… Great Hero.
Young-woo blinked, wondering if he’d misheard.
Then, with a small sigh, he gestured for Jeong Tae-ryong to step aside.
“No, I still have to bend down to pick up my wrist.”