Chapter 271
Chapter 271
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 271
Chapter Title: 61. On a Starlit Night (1)
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- Mara!
- Revenge!
“Maraaa……!”
While Yeong-woo and the orcs chanted Mara in frenzied voices, Choi Moon-soon—the only one still in her right mind—sensed a swift presence stirring in the sky.
Shwooooosh!
“What in the world is that……?”
The moment she detected the threat and tried to urgently call for Supreme Sword Jeong Yeong-woo.
Swish!
Jeong Yeong-woo, who had appeared half-turned away until now, suddenly thrust his hand toward the sky.
He snatched a pitch-black metal card out of thin air with his fingers.
Clang!
‘This, this bastard? He’s been sane the whole time?’
Choi Moon-soon’s jaw dropped.
Jeong Yeong-woo had returned to a cold, dry gaze in an instant.
She finally realized that the “Supreme Sword” had been playing along with the orcs’ mood all this time.
“We’re in the middle of a very important reception. Have the courtesy to play along.”
Yeong-woo murmured very quietly to Choi Moon-soon before thrusting both arms toward the sky again as if nothing had happened.
“Maraaa……!”
Left with no choice, Choi Moon-soon raised her weapon toward the sky along with the orcs around her.
“M-Ma-Mara!”
In her 47 years of life, this was a first for Moon-soon.
Then again, when else would she ever find herself mixed in with orcs on the Australian continent, swearing bloody revenge?
And amid all this.
‘Looks like the payment came through properly.’
Yeong-woo was checking the metal card that had descended from the sky, slipping it into his pocket.
[50,000,000]
A metal object containing a whopping 50 million in cash.
This was the completion reward for the quest that Dogo had promised.
[Quest Completed - “At Last, the Global Village”]
[Reward Issued]
|50 Million Karma
Thanks to this, Yeong-woo’s balance was nearing nine figures.
* Available Karma: 98,492,500
‘My money’s not going anywhere anytime soon.’
98 million karma.
Sure, he had to pay taxes tonight, but even accounting for that, it was more than enough.
‘Gotta clear tonight’s night dungeon too… Timing couldn’t be better all around.’
As the saying goes, a full barn breeds generosity—Yeong-woo waived the welcome tribute for the first time.
“Brother Bang, I won’t collect today’s tax. Bringing in more brothers takes priority right now.”
-What? Well, obviously not today…….
Bangtubangtong started to protest but shut his mouth to avoid making a fuss.
The Jeju Supreme Sword in the back was already quietly gesturing for him to stay silent.
-So… how do we open that road?
When Bangtubangtong steered the topic to the main issue, Yeong-woo placed something in his hand as if he’d been waiting.
Thud.
It was none other than a hologram cube.
Since the “hyper-velocity roadway” was being constructed using multiple space-timers, its blueprints and construction footage could be shared with others.
“You’ll understand faster if you see it for yourself, Brother Bang.”
Even Yeong-woo was quite tense at this moment.
If Brother Bang saw that insane road construction footage and declared all agreements null and void, Yeong-woo would have no recourse.
-Huh.
Soon, Bangtubangtong reached the “space-timer launch” scene in question and let out a low groan, his massive mouth agape.
Then he gave feedback beyond Yeong-woo’s expectations.
-Indeed… The path of vengeance, soaked in countless blood, can only be opened with blood.
“Ah, Brother Bang……!”
-Mara! Is Mara truly beyond that darkness?
When Bangtubangtong pointed to the increasingly darkened northern sky and asked, Yeong-woo nodded vigorously.
“Yes! With high probability……!”
This also implied a low probability of no, but Bangtubangtong—the lord of the red-foot orcs—had already gathered his brothers’ gazes and was pointing north.
-The time to open the path of vengeance has come! Brothers! Become the stars in that sky and clear the way for our advance! We shall extract a thousandfold the blood we’ve spilled from Mara!
Surprisingly, thousands of orcs in the area thrust their weapons into the air and roared in response.
-It’s a star!
-Let’s become stars!
-Open the path of vengeance!
Then, something even more astonishing happened.
Shwoooooosh!
As if on cue, pillars of white light shot down from the edge of the sky.
“Dogo……?”
Spotting countless Dogo emblems mixed within the light pillars, Yeong-woo immediately realized.
Dogo had been watching every scene so far, and now that the “space-timers” were ready, the company was commencing full-scale construction.
Shwooooosh!
In the blink of an eye, the light pillar that struck the Australian ground vanished, leaving behind a massive tower.
The “tower,” resembling a towering lighthouse, had Dogo’s wedge emblem intricately engraved across its metallic surface.
-What’s that?
Bangtubangtong soon approached the tower’s base, stroking its surface and sniffing with flared nostrils.
“This seems to be the first step toward the highway… no, the path of vengeance.”
-First step?
“Yes. To become stars… you have to climb very high first.”
As Yeong-woo said this and looked up at the tower’s tip, the orcs around him followed suit, raising their heads.
-What…….
-It’s huge.
-We’ll really reach the stars.
The orcs poetically spoke of stars, but to Yeong-woo, the tower’s height was at most 7 or 8 kilometers.
Sure, it was excessively tall for an elevated highway.
‘They’re going to have orcs build the road from up there? What the hell is this…….’
Even though he’d set this in motion himself, Yeong-woo was just as baffled.
Grind.
Then, one side of the tower slowly parted, forming an arched doorway.
Stepping inside would likely take one to the top.
Seizing the moment before the excitement cooled, Yeong-woo pressed forward.
“Who will… become stars?”
But this wasn’t orcish rhetoric.
Unlike with Bangtubangtong earlier, there was no real response this time.
-Hmph.
Sure enough, Bangtubangtong snorted and clutched his chest with his right hand.
-You still can’t speak from the heart.
“……?”
When Yeong-woo looked puzzled, Bangtubangtong gazed at the sky while gripping his chest.
-The bravest among us, the first brother to become a star, will shine the brightest in that sky.
He then swung the hand clutching his chest sideways, striking the alien tower.
Boom!
-Who will illuminate the sky first? Who will become the first milestone on the path of vengeance? The most valiant, step forward and declare your shining name!
‘As expected of a lord.’
Yeong-woo unconsciously clutched his chest, surging with emotion.
And at that moment.
Crackle!
Every orc in the area stepped forward, casting heavy shadows over the tower.
-Today, we all become stars!
-There is no night today. Countless stars will light the sky.
-The valiant, forward!
-Forward!
As the orcs shouted one by one and charged toward the tower’s entrance, the tower flashed white each time, shooting a beam of light toward the top.
That must be it.
“Ar-Are the orcs ascending……?”
Choi Moon-soon covered her mouth, murmuring in a dazed voice, but Yeong-woo shook his head.
“Don’t call them orcs. They’re brothers. And right now… they’re becoming stars and shining.”
Yeong-woo pointed to somewhere in the dizzyingly distant sky.
Then, soon.
Pop!
Accompanied by a faint bursting sound, a dim streak of light—just barely visible to the naked eye—shot out from the tower’s summit.
Toward somewhere in the northern sky.
It wasn’t the brightest star in the sky as the orcs had boasted, but it did look truly like a star.
“Huh, just now?”
Choi Moon-soon, who caught a glimpse, looked at Yeong-woo uncertainly, and at that moment, he was.
“…….”
Trembling faintly at the fingertips, biting his lip hard.
“S-Su-Supreme Sword……?”
Choi Moon-soon peered closely at Yeong-woo’s contorted face.
“…Are you crying?”
The Supreme Sword, Jeong Yeong-woo, shook his head once more.
“No, no way. I was just thinking I have to kill Mara for sure.”
“I see.”
Moon-soon didn’t press the Supreme Sword further.
She’d already seen plenty.
The faint glint at the edges of this demon’s eyes, just like that starlight from moments ago.
* * *
「Daytime rental service has begun.」
「From now on, all buildings classified as ‘residences’ will be affected by the daytime rental system and enter an inviolable state.」
「Note: Tonight’s night weather is black fog.」
「Beware of body part loss.」
At 9 p.m., even as daytime rental began, not a single orc that had ascended the tower returned.
They had truly all become stars in the night sky, opening the path.
And at the tower’s entrance, countless orcs—no, brothers—still lined up.
“How many more brothers… do we need to send before the path fully opens?”
When Yeong-woo asked this, Bangtubangtong replied with a surprised expression.
-Wasn’t that my line? Your heart’s grown weak in the meantime, human.
“I’m a man without honor. I realized it after seeing those starlights.”
Bangtubangtong laughed loudly once more, baring his uvula.
-Hahak! Honor cannot be declared by oneself. If you seek honor from us, make those starlights shine forever.
The final line was a bit cryptic, but Yeong-woo understood soon enough.
“I will kill Mara, no matter what.”
-When that time comes, you will be a true Brother Bang among us.
“Ha.”
Whether this red otherworlder truly knew the implication, Yeong-woo couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.
-Bring the red!
Bangtubangtong then ordered his brothers to fetch a massive inkwell.
And then.
-If you would tread the path of vengeance with us, first become a red foot.
He pointed to the red liquid inside the inkwell, instructing Yeong-woo to dip his feet.
No white-footed one could tread the road woven by brothers in the sky.
“…….”
Without a word, Yeong-woo dipped both feet into the inkwell.
Bangtubangtong lumbered over roughly, grabbed Yeong-woo by the scruff of the neck, and shook him around in the inkwell.
Ensuring his feet were thoroughly stained red.
-Done! Now you are our brother, and we are yours.
Bangtubangtong slapped Jeong Yeong-woo’s chest hard.
Thwack!
And at that instant.
Fwoooosh!
Unlike before, the ‘tower’ shimmered with iridescent light, drawing several bright glowing lines across its base surface.
Shh, shwoooosh!
They resembled constellations connected by lines.
“…Ah.”
It was a kind of route map.
For the hyper-velocity roadway, no less.
Beneath the brilliantly star-like glowing lines, the shape of New Pangea was engraved, and according to this route.
“Al-Already a path to Seoul?”
The hyper-velocity route that the brothers had opened stretched from Australia to Seoul.
The intermittently blinking dots marked along it suggested.
‘…Those are the towers. Like stations.’
Just from this map, Yeong-woo could grasp how the hyper-velocity roadway operated.
Travel between towers would likely be near light speed.
The brothers’ method of opening the path was probably to rapidly reach the tower left by the previous star-bound space-timer and launch themselves from there.
Leaving a new tower in their place upon vanishing as a star.
-Is this your city?
As Yeong-woo stared intently at the engraved Seoul, Bangtubangtong jabbed it with a thick finger.
“Yes.”
-Then what are you hesitating for?
“……?”
-Time is up. Go.
Come to think of it, the sky had grown much darker in the meantime.
Tax collection would begin soon, followed shortly by the anomalous weather and night dungeon.
Swish.
Bangtubangtong was already pointing to the tower’s entrance.
“Brother Bang……!”
As Yeong-woo deeply bowed to Brother Bang in farewell, Neguig came dashing from afar.
The beast had realized it was time to leave Australia.
Thud!
Once Yeong-woo mounted Neguig, Bangtubangtong traced the white route from northern Australia to Seoul with his finger.
-Ascend and race after our brothers. I hope your eyes don’t get too dazzled.