Chapter 290
Chapter 290
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 290
Chapter Title: 66. Metal Fortress (3)
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―Your arrogance pierces the heavens!
Central Political Bureau's First Standing Committee Member Im Du-byeong roared as his body swelled even larger.
Krunch!
His flesh already blotted out the sky, so any ordinary First Sword would have been too terrified to take a single step forward.
In this space shrouded by a black curtain that eclipsed the heavens, facing that colossal dragon alone would sap the fighting spirit from most.
But.
Thud!
Jeong Yeong-woo07, the First Sword elected from the Korean Peninsula, was different.
“Im Du-byeong! Hand over the core first!”
His saga had begun when everyone else backed away from the exchange counter—he had stepped forward instead.
From the very moment he first gripped Early Bird, everything frightening and unfamiliar in this world had become not something to avoid for Jeong Yeong-woo, but something to overcome.
He had learned through experience that overcoming challenges in this world always brought some kind of reward.
Of course, early in his journey, those triumphs had been purely for his own safety, but the driving force behind his current challenge—no, his defiance—was.
“Contribute to the construction of Metal Seoul...!”
As Yeong-woo charged like lightning, gripping the 6.6-meter Sa-seng-ah, Im Du-byeong's maw gaped wide.
Kwaa!
Then, from deep in Im Du-byeong's throat came a sound all too familiar to Yeong-woo.
Ziiing!
“You bastard?”
The red laser beam that had been sniping Yeong-woo until now was none other than Im Du-byeong's breath attack.
“No surprise it's straight out of a robot's playbook.”
But to Yeong-woo, who wielded Sa-seng-ah, a laser cannon slapped together by some mere arms manufacturer posed no real threat.
Kwaaaak!
Yeong-woo simply cleaved through Im Du-byeong's laser breath and leaped straight into the air.
Thud!
Straight for the Yeou Orb clutched in the monster's right hand—the core of this Metal Fortress.
But then.
Pew-pew-pew!
“...?”
The four corner towers, rising in unison at Im Du-byeong's "Annihilation Stance" command, fired their lasers at Yeong-woo simultaneously.
Unlike Im Du-byeong's breath, these were far thinner beams, but their speed and physical force were immensely greater.
It was as if.
‘A barrage of blades hurtling toward me?’
Sizzle!
The lasers' destructive power was no joke either—Yeong-woo dodged in a frenzy, and white sparks erupted where the beams clashed in midair.
Yet not a single scratch marred the fortress floor.
Toma's safety protocols ensured their own products took no damage, and that applied to these towers too.
“No way... this is impressive.”
Firing lasers inside a city without so much as nicking a building.
In other words, as long as the residents took cover, you could wage war right in the heart of the city.
“Is that part of the Metal package too?”
The moment Yeong-woo pointed at the towers while questioning Im Du-byeong.
Kwachak!
The towers that had missed their mark rocketed even higher than before.
“Huh?”
Yeong-woo's gaze naturally followed upward, and then he understood.
―......
―......
The four corner towers guarding the Metal Fortress's corners were actually the heads of giants lurking inside the walls.
“...My God.”
Yeong-woo forgot all about fighting Im Du-byeong as he stared at the colossal guardians striding inward from the fortress's four corners.
―......
They had no lines of their own, but they greeted him with laser beams instead.
Ping! Pew!
Red lasers sliced through the black void of the fortress sky once more.
Watching this dazzling laser show, Yeong-woo finally understood Im Du-byeong's unshakable confidence.
At least inside the fortress, virtually no one could defeat him.
The problem was that one of those rare exceptions was standing right here.
Tsssk!
Yeong-woo swung Sa-seng-ah to bat away the towers' attacks, then whipped his head toward Im Du-byeong.
“Truly magnificent.”
Im Du-byeong, diving from the sky toward him, twitched his flame-like eyebrows.
―What do you mean by that?
“This fortress and those Colossus Soldiers. You too, strutting outside the fortress once you became a true dragon—they all suit me just fine.”
―...?
Im Du-byeong couldn't hide his bewilderment at the sudden praise, so Yeong-woo continued.
“If you'd only collected tribute from the west, you might've met me a bit later. Too bad for you.”
―What?
Realizing it was all mockery, Im Du-byeong swung his left foreclaw.
Whoooosh!
A black trail slashed viciously in its wake, and Yeong-woo barely dodged.
Whoosh!
Then, as if he'd been waiting.
Slaaaash!
He swung Sa-seng-ah from above down, severing one of Im Du-byeong's forelimbs.
Shrick!
As expected, the dragon flesh Im Du-byeong had acquired sliced like tofu at Sa-seng-ah's touch.
Toma might craft planetary-scale artillery, but they couldn't equip anything to withstand a "Myth."
―Ah...!
Sensing much from how easily his arm was severed, Im Du-byeong tried to rocket skyward in panic.
But Yeong-woo had already stabbed Sa-seng-ah into his body and mounted him, forcing Im Du-byeong to ascend over Taehwa Hall with this inexplicable outsider aboard.
“Chairman Im! This ends now!”
As Yeong-woo clambered toward the arm clutching the Yeou Orb, Im Du-byeong, belching black smoke from his nostrils, screamed.
―What the hell are you? How are you even more...!
The oddly resentful tone made Yeong-woo ask.
“Why are you going this far? What could make you abandon your humanity? You weren't really trying to reclaim power for the people, were you?”
Yeong-woo simply couldn't fathom Im Du-byeong's motives.
Having successfully remained human in the reset world, why choose this body so akin to a mutant's?
Im Du-byeong fired back with a question of his own.
―How can you even ask that? Haven't you forsaken your humanity too?
“...!”
―Energy signatures detected all over your body.
He meant the equipment replacing parts of Yeong-woo's body.
In truth, Yeong-woo had done the same to some degree—sacrificing bits of his humanity for power.
“That's...”
For the first time since entering the fortress, Yeong-woo was at a loss for words as Im Du-byeong spun wildly and bellowed.
―When it all began, the people gave me 300 million arrows! I saw them clearly, flying straight for my heart!
On reset day one, 300 million of the people had fired arrows directly at Im Du-byeong.
“...”
Yeong-woo swallowed hard.
Im Bong-hee.
He'd witnessed his old roommate's end, trembling at even a single arrow.
And as expected, when it hit, Im Bong-hee's face had been pure black terror.
So how would it feel to have 300 million arrows loosed by your own citizens?
No need to ask—Im Du-byeong must have felt unimaginable dread.
Kwaaaaa!
His flesh glowed cherry-red from the high-speed spin to shake Yeong-woo loose, the searing heat burning through Yeong-woo's palm up to his elbow.
“Argh!”
Bereft of Berserker Talisman's protection there, Yeong-woo clung solely through sheer willpower.
“So that's it? You're building power no one can defy?”
Clinging precariously, Yeong-woo asked, and Im Du-byeong turned his glowing red eyes back.
―Exactly. Rule by fear no one can resist. That's the power China and I need.
“...Not China and you—just you. You just never want to face the backlash again.”
―Shut up!
Enraged, Im Du-byeong breathed at his own body where Yeong-woo clung—but Yeong-woo was already gone.
Flash!
He'd springboarded upward, latching onto Im Du-byeong's back.
“As someone who stumbled into dreaming of ruling Earth myself, this gives me a lot to think about.”
―What?
“What kind of bullshit do you have to pull for 300 million people to fire arrows at you? Burning points they needed for self-defense, no less. Never crossed your mind?”
―You...!
For once, Im Du-byeong was speechless—and Yeong-woo plunged Sa-seng-ah deep into his back.
Kwak!
“Now, by the will of the people, abdicate! I'll help you!”
Yeong-woo yanked Sa-seng-ah downward, ripping Im Du-byeong's steel hide open, paving his path to the underworld.
The Colossus Soldiers rushed in, but too late.
Thud!
Yeong-woo was already sliding down Im Du-byeong's shredded right shoulder toward the Yeou Orb.
Slash!
The wondrous device Toma had gifted Im Du-byeong via some contract—the core.
That divine artifact was about to fall to the bandit from the Korean Peninsula.
Kwa-gwa-gwak!
Splitting Im Du-byeong's arm in two with Sa-seng-ah, Yeong-woo kicked the massive core at his feet.
Thwack!
It tumbled from Im Du-byeong's weakening right hand—and almost simultaneously.
―Tha...!
With the dragon's final gasp, its flesh lost all power.
“Huh?”
As Yeong-woo yelped in surprise, Im Du-byeong's colossal body plummeted toward Taehwa Hall's plaza.
Slaaaaash, boom!
Deafening roar and shockwave battered Yeong-woo's ears; the charging Colossus Soldiers froze in place.
Like yanking a computer's power cord, everything in the Metal Fortress shut down.
“No... guess that core was way more crucial than I thought.”
Pushing off Im Du-byeong's corpse, Yeong-woo rose—and his foot met Taehwa Hall's stone steps.
The beast's bulk covered everything from the stairs to the plaza's center.
“Ah, the core. Where'd it land?”
Turning to find the core he'd kicked loose, he spotted the 4-meter-diameter orb humming faintly before Taehwa Hall.
Right on cue.
Clunk-clunk.
Taehwa Hall's sealed doors creaked open.
The core slipping from the dragon's grasp must've unlocked them.
The opposite Taehwa Gate stood open too, Third and Fifth Standing Committee Members sprawled dead before it.
Im Du-byeong's death had claimed their lives as well.
“What the hell were they? Some pact to die together?”
A chill ran up Yeong-woo's spine; he rubbed his neck warily and approached Taehwa Hall.
Inside the open doors gleamed the six Coiling Dragon Golden Pillars upholding the hall's core—and in their midst.
“Huh.”
An unmistakable jade throne.
With someone already seated upon it.
“Im Du-byeong...?”
Sensing it was Chairman Im, Yeong-woo gripped Sa-seng-ah tight and dashed inside.
Thud-thud!
But he halted after a few steps.
“Crazy.”
He'd just noticed the steel hoses linking Taehwa Hall's innards to the man on the throne.
He'd thought Im Du-byeong had shed his human body to be reborn as a steel dragon—but his true form was bound here all along.
“What the hell did you do?”
A question for the late Im Du-byeong and his Toma backers alike.
No answer came, naturally.
“No, this mad bastard really...”
Yeong-woo clapped a hand over his mouth, surveying the bleak interior where Im Du-byeong had likely languished through the entire reset.
―What the hell are you? How are you even more...!
Im Du-byeong's cry as the dragon flesh split now hit differently.
His "this me" wasn't the dragon—it was the self chained to this throne, hungering for power.
“No such thing as free power, huh.”
Yeong-woo shuddered anew at the cosmic forces' cruelty.
From their view, Im Du-byeong and Jeong Yeong-woo alike were mere specks on a fringe planet.
The difference? Im Du-byeong needed vast power now; Yeong-woo had followed due process with a proper contract.
“That's why standard contracts exist. You dove too deep into the demonic path.”
Yeong-woo clicked his tongue and exited Taehwa Hall.
There waited the last order of business in the fortress today: the core.
“Alright... let's see exactly what this thing can do.”
Heart pounding, Yeong-woo reached for it.
Crackle!
The sky, restored with Im Du-byeong's death, rippled unnaturally.
“...?”
Then.
Boom...!
A shockwave from far away streaked across the fortress skies.
“Whoa, this.”
Déjà vu.
He'd seen this when Dogō was selected as Earth's final developer.
‘These guys!’
The other two developers had finally made their move on Earth.
But it didn't end there.
[Developer 1 'Remu' has declared war on 'Dogō.']
[Developer 2 'Mara' has declared war on 'Dogō.']
As if knowing Yeong-woo was devouring China, both promptly declared war on Dogō.
“What? You sons of bitches.”
Furious, Yeong-woo glared skyward gripping Sa-seng-ah—and new system text appeared.
「A declaration of war has occurred! To record this official development rights dispute, please set your business location address within 8 hours.」
“Business location?”
It meant inputting Developer Dogō's Earth office address.
And since he was the one setting it...
‘Am I Dogō's agent?’
So where to pick as the epicenter of Earth's developer war?
It'd be officially logged—no room for carelessness.
‘...Metal Seoul it is, then.’
His gaze shifted back to the core.
The system followed up.
「In 8 hours, all companies' business addresses will be revealed. Non-involved parties, evacuate immediately.」
“Ah.”
Yeong-woo finally realized.
These announcements were global.
By now, the Korean Peninsula must be in chaos.
Everyone knew Jeong Yeong-woo's backer was Dogō, thanks to that damn First Sword vote.
“This is bad.”
Yeong-woo scratched his chin with Sa-seng-ah's tip.
Then he pulled out his Unique Ring 'Wave' and spoke into it.
《Ah, can you hear me? In 1 hour, business briefing at Gangnam's COEX. Topic: Seoul infrastructure rebuild.》
He paused, then added.
《Also regarding war consent. Please attend without fail.》