Chapter 273
Chapter 273
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 273
Chapter Title: 61. On a Starlit Night (3)
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Defense Tax.
A tax levied by the Korean Peninsula's sole elected First Sword, set at a rate of 6.8%—identical to the excess support rate from the time of their election.
Its key feature? It's automatically deducted only from additional income exceeding the tax system's 'minimum defense amount.'
And it's collected in daily installments.
Thus.
"What the hell?"
"They're demanding taxes right off the bat?"
The First Swords in attendance couldn't help but be dumbfounded.
They were already paying defense contributions, and now they had to pay defense taxes on top of that?
Especially since the First Swords would end up paying far more than ordinary citizens.
As figures overseeing entire regions, their baseline income vastly exceeded the 'minimum defense amount.'
"Isn't this basically double taxation?"
"You're taking defense contributions AND collecting defense taxes?"
As Seoul's First Swords raised angry voices while gripping their weapons, the orcs encircling the tower bared their teeth.
-Shut your mouths!
-Is it so painful to pay tribute to your brothers?
-Greedy bastards.
The First Swords didn't back down either, brandishing their blades more menacingly, and in an instant, chaos erupted.
"What the fuck, you bastards?"
"No, seriously, the more I see..."
"Young-woo, what the hell is all this? Where did these guys even come from?"
To this, Young-woo uttered a single phrase that instantly calmed the room.
"Australia."
"......?"
-......!
Seoul's First Swords faltered at the utterly unexpected name, while to the orcs—Australia was their new home on Earth—they suddenly gazed with sentimental eyes.
"Northern Australia is now the Orc Autonomous Territory. It's all been arranged. No objections accepted."
"Wh-what are you talking about?"
"Orc Autonomous Territory...?"
In simple terms, he'd sold Australia to the orcs—or at least, that's how it sounded to those unaware of the full context.
"No, Young-woo. What do you mean? Why is Australia an orc autonomous territory?"
Unable to take it anymore, Jeong Gu asked, so Young-woo pointed to the top of the towering structure.
"We're about to go to full-scale war with China. And for that war, we need ultra-fast transit routes... which these brothers have provided."
"...Brothers?"
Jeong Gu's gaze shifted to the massive red-footed orcs.
From the looks of things, Young-woo had indeed finalized everything with them, as the orc had claimed.
In the span of a single day, he'd gone from strangers to calling them brothers—an unnatural bond.
"You must have your reasons... but will people really accept this?"
"......"
Father.
At Jeong Gu's words, Young-woo looked up at the sky again.
"As I said earlier, no objections accepted."
"...What?"
"Without these brothers, we couldn't have built this road so cheaply. They did what fellow humans couldn't."
"And what exactly is that?"
To his father's question, Young-woo placed his palm against the surface of the massive tower.
Thud.
"Their lives."
"......?"
"One brother per tower. Nearly a hundred brothers have already died..."
As Young-woo spoke, a faint starlight shot out from near the tower's peak with a hiss.
"Even now, brothers are throwing themselves into it. So no one can object to the rights over this road or northern Australia's autonomy."
This meant Jeong Young-woo, the Korean Peninsula's First Sword, would crush any objections.
"Th-that's insane."
"You're just giving Australia to the orcs like that?"
Yet even then, the First Swords couldn't easily accept it, so Young-woo deployed a drastic countermeasure.
"Instead, effective immediately, I'll waive all defense contribution collections within Seoul."
"Oh...?"
"Really?"
The atmosphere flipped in an instant.
In a world where karma was directly tied to survival, eliminating a major fixed expense was nothing short of delightful.
"Yes. Thanks to the road these brothers provided, my operational range will expand dramatically starting tomorrow. So I can collect Seoul's defense contributions from overseas instead."
In truth, he was already squeezing a hefty sum from China.
"Ooh..."
"Good thinking."
"Indeed... globalization is the way."
As expected, Seoul's First Swords were unanimously in favor.
On the other hand, Gwanak First Sword Jo Sang-ik—ever the former government official—focused on something entirely different.
"Um, Young-woo?"
"Yes, go ahead."
"This tower that your brothers built—is it like the pillar for a high bridge?"
"Something like that."
"Then, if one pillar collapses, the entire road could become unusable."
"No way to know for sure... but yeah, losing even one segment would make it extremely inconvenient."
As Young-woo replied, Jo Sang-ik nodded and suddenly strode toward the tower.
The orcs blocked him with menacing glares.
-This is our shining sanctuary.
-No non-brother may enter.
Jo Sang-ik looked up at the orcs and smiled faintly.
"I have no intention of entering that tower. I just want to demonstrate what might happen someday. If you'll permit it."
With that, he turned to Young-woo.
He'd instantly grasped that the First Sword held command over these orcs.
So Young-woo.
"Sure, I don't know what it is, but... go ahead and demonstrate."
Trusting Jo Sang-ik's wisdom, he granted permission.
The orcs glared at Jo Sang-ik but parted, allowing the Gwanak First Sword to stand right before the tower.
"How many of these towers will be built worldwide?"
"At least a few hundred—maybe over a thousand."
"I thought so. You couldn't possibly guard every single one."
"Correct."
At this point, Young-woo began to understand what the man intended.
"Then, excuse me."
As expected, Jo Sang-ik rolled up his shirt sleeves, gripped his weapon with both hands, and reared back as if to smash the tower right then.
-Wh-what!
-...Human!
The orcs' eyes widened in shock, but Young-woo's command froze them in place.
"If it's truly a sanctuary, then the blade of one who does not shine shall not enter!"
-Ah...!
Chest-thumping rhetoric.
At the line flowing from the heart of their human brother, Jeong Young-woo, the red-footed orcs admired and stepped back.
And in that moment.
Screeeeeam!
Jo Sang-ik's curved sword whipped through the air.
Toward nothing less than the red-footed orcs' sanctuary—the pillar of the ultra-high-speed transit route.
Claaaaaaang!
A resounding impact echoed across the Gangnam area.
Orcs and First Swords alike watched with wide eyes.
Because.
'Did Jo Sang-ik always hit that hard?'
'What... I can feel the shockwave.'
That strike wasn't just a durability test for the tower—it was also a display of Jo Sang-ik's own prowess.
A notification to the Seoul Federation that someone possibly stronger than Oh Yeon-hee existed here—a warning to some.
'...That bastard.'
Sure enough, Oh Yeon-hee—who'd briefly dreamed of filling Jeong Young-woo's vacancy—ground her teeth.
That 'full swing' was unmistakably a provocation aimed their way.
Of course, it also thoroughly verified the tower's durability.
"My goodness, it's incredible."
As Jo Sang-ik sheathed his curved sword, the tower's surface gleamed pristine—not a single scratch.
Even Jo Sang-ik, who had steadily built his strength by endlessly showering golden rain since Jeong Young-woo's emergence, couldn't mar this tower—no, this 'sanctuary.'
"Foreign powerhouses won't be able to topple the towers either, at this rate."
Young-woo neatly summarized the demonstration, and Jo Sang-ik nodded.
"I had a hunch... but it seems designed not to collapse no matter what."
In fact, his arms were now numb and dripping with cold sweat.
However.
"There's no such thing as 'absolute' in this world."
As Young-woo drew his Bastard Sword next, everyone in the room took a step back.
Displays of skill from none other than Jeong Young-woo were exceedingly rare.
Yet they secretly hoped even he couldn't scratch the tower.
Only then could they view Jeong Young-woo as a being they might reach if they strained with all their might.
But.
Swoosh!
With the lightest of swings, Young-woo.
Slash!
Carved a clear gash into the tower's surface for all to see.
"Huh?"
"What?"
"......!"
It was a scene that utterly embarrassed Jo Sang-ik, who had swung with full force.
"If someone on my level exists, toppling this bridge might be possible."
Young-woo added a curt impression.
Then.
"So we need to find and kill them quickly. We can't let the brothers' sacrifices go to waste."
He tossed out a mad line, true to form.
"......!"
For Seoul, it had been ages since they'd heard such domineering words, leaving mouths agape—but it didn't last.
The moment of tax payment sweeping the entire planet had finally arrived here too.
Flash!
―Tax collection commencing.
A brief alert appeared, followed by tax bills in everyone's vision. For Young-woo:
―It's an honor to see you again, Owner of the Bastard Sword, Dragon Slayer, Jeong Young-woo07!
Tax officer Kubu sliced through the air first.
―Today's determined tax amount is 7.38 million karma. Including acquisition tax, the total is 13.28 million karma.
|Calculated Tax: 16.42 million
-Acquisition Tax: 13.11 million
|Deduction Items: Single-Parent Household, Dependents
|Determined Tax: 7.38 million
-Acquisition Tax: 5.90 million
*Acquisition Tax Payment Deadline: 23 hours 56 minutes
This included the acquisition tax on the weapon catalog obtained through the chairman.
A total of 13.28 million karma.
Without the added deductions for 'tax savings,' it would have been a whopping 30 million.
'Not quite an insane amount yet.'
But since not all business activities reflected instantly, today's tax might just be the tip of the iceberg.
"We'll pay it all today, right? The more taxes we pay, the closer we get to equity anyway."
At Young-woo's words, Kubu blinked its massive eyes rapidly.
―Yes. Processed as instructed.
A slight chill ran through Young-woo's body.
Flash!
*Available Karma: 85,212,500
His karma balance dropped to 85 million.
'I've just bought a piece of Earth for 13.28 million karma.'
But today's asset changes didn't end there.
―Today's Korean Peninsula defense contribution: 78,967,105 karma awaiting receipt.
"Whoa, that's just for one day?"
78.96 million karma.
It more than covered everything paid today, including acquisition tax—with plenty left over.
'No way... just sitting here earning 78 million?'
Of course, it was national funds, requiring separate bookkeeping and thus somewhat tricky.
But judging from the Korean Peninsula residents' tendencies seen in the First Sword election vote, they'd tolerate even the weirdest investments if the results were convincing.
'Goodness... I'll show you all the value of good blood.'
Young-woo vowed inwardly while hatching a sly thought.
'Hold on. If national income rises, won't tax revenue increase too?'
Especially defense contributions, levied only on income exceeding the minimum defense amount for survival.
In other words, higher quality of life meant more contributions from citizens.
"Ah...!"
Having gained profound insight, Young-woo whipped around.
Two figures immediately caught his eye.
Seoul's traditional powerhouse, Songpa's Oh Yeon-hee.
And Gwanak's Jo Sang-ik, tied to him since his Seoul debut.
'This mission would suit the former vice minister best.'
As Young-woo's gaze shifted between them before settling on Jo Sang-ik, the two candidates' expressions diverged in joy and sorrow.
"...Do you have something to say?"
Sensing it, Jo Sang-ik asked Young-woo.
Thus, the Korean Peninsula's elected First Sword, Jeong Young-woo, announced his first appointed project.
"Starting tomorrow, we'll conduct a full Korean Peninsula status survey. Vice Minister, you'll take overall responsibility."
"Korean Peninsula... status survey?"
Jo Sang-ik cautiously probed the First Sword's intent.
But as the Peninsula's sole elected representative, Young-woo had no need to hide it.
He didn't even sugarcoat it.
"If there's anyone in the eight provinces not yet paying golden rain, make them contribute substantially to the public good."
"......?"
"Elevating our citizens' lives! This is the first mission of our Seoul—no, Korean Peninsula Federation."
Unbeknownst to all, the Korean Peninsula Federation for the people had launched.