Chapter 298
Chapter 298
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 298
Chapter Title: 68. Den of Evil (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
‘Why do you keep giving these things to me?’
Was there still such a thing as fate?
At the constant developments pushing him toward the demonic path, Young-woo looked up at the sky.
However, since he had killed a dragon made of tentacles, wasn’t it only natural for a sword woven from tentacles to appear?
In truth, all of this was karma.
Strictly speaking, it was Young-woo himself who had chosen the demonic path and was now fully embodying a demon.
After all, it had only been a few dozen minutes since he declared he would kidnap, threaten, and assault others to register kill records.
“Take the small feet, grasp the sword.”
It was pointing to the sword left behind by the dead Hwanryong, so Young-woo asked.
“Does Great Hero Bang know what that sword is…?”
Bang the Great Hero then closed his eyes gently.
“The touch of Mara’s filthy hand is clear on it. Can’t you smell the stench even now?”
“…You could just say you don’t know.”
Young-woo felt his brothers sending tense glances as he walked toward the problematic demonic sword.
Clank, clank.
His entire body was already clad in Besedel armor, and his right hand dripped red light from the myth ‘Illegitimate Child,’ so even without that demonic sword over there, he already looked like a demon king.
‘Of all places, right in front of the brothers.’
Surrounded by massive red-foot orcs, picking up a demonic sword that screamed evil felt oddly surreal.
Especially since this scene was being recorded and might one day be used as footage, its impact on the election was unpredictable.
‘Either way, for now…’
Spoils of war were always welcome.
Especially weapons.
Snap!
As soon as Young-woo touched the tip of the demonic sword, ashen waves spread in all directions, revealing the equipment tooltip.
「Void Flesh」 - Void One-Handed Sword
【Absorbs other Void Flesh.】
【Hwanryong: 10% increased damage to living targets.】
“Hmm?”
Young-woo’s eyes widened as he checked the demonic sword’s tooltip.
The grade indicator read ‘Void.’
Just like ‘Besedel,’ which had the royal name stamped directly without a separate crafting emblem.
‘Void… probably.’
―Master of the Void, he who walks the shadows of cosmic law. King of Ten Thousand Demons.
The descriptor attached to Mara.
In other words, as Bang the Great Hero claimed, this equipment belonged to Mara.
More precisely, it was equipment from the domain overseen by Mara.
‘Even Mara’s equipment skips the crafting marker. Definitely a being of great prestige.’
This implied a lot.
For one, Mara was one of the three factions that secured Earth development rights.
‘But only Mara’s gear lacks a crafting mark. That must mean its status is that much higher.’
In contrast, Dogo stamped a ◇-shaped crafting mark on its own equipment.
The same went for Toma, a non-development faction, and likely Remu as well.
Remu’s cosmic law grade was lower than Chairman Dogo’s.
Putting these facts together:
‘The official hierarchy of cosmic factions currently on Earth is Mara, Dogo, Remu. Toma’s probably around Remu’s level.’
That left one remaining question.
‘So is Mara a Grade 2 being under cosmic law?’
Simple logic suggested yes, but the circumstances said no.
As far as Young-woo knew, Grade 2 or higher beings were such that lesser creatures couldn’t even utter their names lightly.
Yet Bangtubangtung and his brothers, clearly cosmic vermin, shouted ‘Mara!’ every time.
By circumstantial evidence, Mara’s estimated grade was:
‘Probably Grade 3… around the same level as the Chairman.’
But even among Grade 3s, its external prestige was clearly higher than Dogo’s.
‘Not just similar to the Chairman, but on par with the Besedel royal family.’
In other words, Chairman Dogo’s position was somewhat ambiguous.
Born into a family prestigious enough to be officially part of cosmic equipment grades, yet head of a private corporation.
This made it easier to understand how the Gupi Special Grade’s Mon’o gangsters, Dogo’s underlings, could beat down Mara’s minions.
Dogo attacking Mara was a form of rebellion, but more like a younger sibling punching an older one than a child striking a parent.
‘But Mara still seems like the bigger force… Can we really win?’
The Chairman’s might, standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the Master of the Void and King of Ten Thousand Demons, was impressive, but right now, that didn’t matter to Young-woo.
‘Chairman? Did I really board the right ship? Right?’
As Young-woo glared fiercely at the sky, the evacuation of over a thousand red-foot orcs from beyond the portal came to an end.
Thud!
The moment the last orc leaped out from inside the portal, the massive gate slammed shut immediately—that was the proof.
Shooo!
With a chilling sound, the 100-meter-wide dimensional gate vanished in an instant, and Young-woo grabbed Bang the Great Hero in surprise.
Thud!
“No, there were more brothers back there, right? Is it supposed to close that sharply? If we waited, another dragon might’ve come.”
Bangtubangtung twitched his blunt nose.
“No choice. If you wanted to save more brothers, you should’ve put in more money or…”
“More money? And?”
Young-woo, desperate to reopen the gate, shot a look urging the next line, and Bang the Great Hero walked to the side of the portal.
“This’ll be faster to see.”
The great city of the red-foot orcs, Darwin.
Installed here was a massive metal gate.
A metal structure of the same size had been built to stably contain a 100-meter-wide dimensional gate.
Young-woo only realized this after the portal closed.
“No… what is this?”
Young-woo blankly stared at the oval metal frame, identical to the portal, towering up to the distant sky.
Until just moments ago, it had been reflecting another planet from another dimension; now, it only captured Earth’s sky.
In a way, Darwin was currently the most advanced city on Earth.
No other place had a dimensional gate connected to aliens.
Swipe.
Bangtubangtung then stood before a large lever next to the gate.
“Is this the gate control?”
As Young-woo asked, Bangtubangtung placed his hand on the lever and yanked it down vigorously.
Rumble, clank!
A magic circle-like pattern drew itself above the lever, and a familiar system message appeared.
「Enter the number of entities to pass through this gate. 10,000 karma per entity.」
“10,000 karma per brother.”
“Correct. But.”
Bang the Great Hero gestured as if to watch closely, then pulled the lever one more notch down.
Rumble, clank!
That was when the new system message appeared.
「Set the gate hazard level. The set value increases the number of passable entities and also the risk of unforeseen variables.」
[Current Hazard: 0%]
[Hazard Maximum: 100%]
“Ah.”
Young-woo understood immediately.
“Taking on risk lets you bring more brothers. So what was the hazard just now?”
“25%. First time. I pulled the lever once more after getting the signal you arrived.”
‘As expected of a great hero—big guts.’
Of course, the red-foot orcs had steadily increased their numbers by always setting the gate hazard to 0%.
They hadn’t adventured until now.
But the moment they confirmed the Korean Peninsula demon had reached the city, they bet on 25%.
“25% brings in something like a Hwanryong, huh. What about 50%?”
Young-woo muttered this, then looked back at the demonic sword he’d acquired in Darwin today.
「Void Flesh」 - Void One-Handed Sword
【Absorbs other Void Flesh.】
【Hwanryong: 10% increased damage to living targets.】
‘As I thought, this is a weapon whose effects keep growing. Get two Void Fleshes, and they merge into one. Three, and the options triple or the effect multiplies by three.’
Theoretically, Void Flesh had absurd potential.
And another way to acquire Void Flesh was probably…
‘…Killing more things like Hwanryong. Open the portal to summon beings from Mara’s domain again.’
He’d planned to use this portal as a glory point vending machine anyway—no need to overthink.
“No time. Open it before the mutants drop.”
“What?”
“The portal, obviously. We need to save our brothers fast!”
Killing Bang the Great Hero in front of him would net a legendary kill record, but Young-woo wasn’t that evil.
Swipe.
So Young-woo raised ‘Void Flesh’ and pointed at the deactivated gate instead of Bang the Great Hero.
“Let’s try 50% hazard. I’ll deduct the rescue cost from today’s tribute, so deposit quick.”
But for some reason, Bang the Great Hero didn’t budge.
“…What’s wrong?”
“Signal.”
“……?”
“Need a signal from the brothers. Only then can we open the portal.”
“…What? The brothers on that planet have to send a signal?”
“Correct. Even if we open the path, no one to save if no brothers on the other side.”
“Huh.”
Caught off guard by the unexpected answer, Young-woo blinked rapidly.
He’d assumed the portal on that planet was fixed-location like this gate.
‘So the other side’s planet actually decides where the portal opens, and we can only respond?’
Their home planet was already swallowed by Mara.
Any surviving brothers there would be fugitives or guerrillas, with no fixed base.
‘So earlier, they just signaled while fleeing.’
Through the portal behind the Hwanryong, he’d seen thousands of brothers on that planet’s rocky mountains.
Yet not all rushed the portal because:
‘They can see the number above the portal too. They knew not to go until their turn.’
Thud.
Unknowingly, Young-woo clutched his chest over the Besedel armor.
Meeting Bang the Great Hero and the brothers always seemed to briefly restore his humanity.
“Great Hero Bang, not many brothers left on the homeworld now, right?”
The orc lord Bangtubangtung gave a look reminiscing the past.
“The remaining brothers dwindle day by day. And Mara’s interference grows worse.”
He meant the number of demonic beasts slipping through when opening the portal.
“…….”
Young-woo checked his current cash on hand.
* Available Karma: 65,212,500
* Available Defense Funds: 38,967,105
Total assets, including personal and national funds: about 100 million karma.
With that, he could save 10,000 brothers from that planet.
Adding 10,000 red-foot orc warriors to Earth.
“Whew.”
Young-woo took a deep breath like making a big decision, then gripped the lever handle alongside Bangtubangtung.
Thud!
“Great Hero Bang! I’ll lend you 100 million karma right now.”
“What? 100 million…?”
“Yes! Take my 100 million, rescue 10,000 brothers, and when you kill mutants and get golden orbs someday… choose the 30,000 karma resupply.”
“Small feet, if that’s possible…”
“Yes, then just the new brothers alone net at least 300 million karma, right?”
Young-woo raised his other hand, making a ‘3,’ but Bang the Great Hero, sensing something fishy, released the lever and stepped back.
“We’re not good with numbers.”
“300 million, correct! Bang the Great Hero!”
Amid thousands of orcs, Young-woo yelled at their leader, then cleared his throat and folded one of the three fingers he’d raised.
“Of the 300 million you’ll get in an instant, give me 200 million.”
“200 million?”
“Yes. Since I lent you 100 million, it’s like giving me just 100 million back. Leaves 100 million in your and the brothers’ hands. This is creative economics, Great Hero Bang.”
―Ha, but according to you…
100% interest.
At the unimaginable usury, Bang the Great Hero couldn’t close his gaping mouth.
But as the small feet said, it was a deal where both sides gained massively.
It just felt queasy turning brother rescues into profit.
“Great Hero Bang, you think my heart’s at ease? I’m the one spending national funds, so I have to report purpose and results for taxpayer money. No choice, even for me.”
Young-woo’s face brimmed with vigor and vitality as he spoke.
Wasn’t this pure arbitrage?
“Great Hero Bang! Think of the brothers! Is your pride the issue now?”
As Young-woo bellowed again and tried to pull Bang the Great Hero’s hand back to the lever:
Woooooong…!
A horn-like sound echoed long from the deactivated portal interior.
“What’s that? No way?”
Young-woo whipped his head around wildly, while orc lord Bangtubangtung groaned and closed his eyes.
“Signal. Brothers somewhere hit a dead end.”
Meanwhile, Young-woo grinned excitedly and drew both Sasenga and Void Flesh.
“Then we save them quick! Great Hero Bang! What’re you doing? Take my money already.”
With a nod, a golden goblin waiting behind dumped 100 million karma in cash on the ground.
Clatter!
Dark money from the Korean Peninsula demon.
Money with blatantly impure intent, but it could save countless brothers.
“Mm.”
Bang the Great Hero squeezed his eyes shut again, and the horn blared from the portal as if urging haste.
Woooooong!
“Second signal already. They’re dying out there—hurry and open the gate, right?”
As Young-woo urged the portal opening, Bang the Great Hero, patience at its limit, glared fiercely.
“Human! I’ll tolerate you tainting our honor with your money! But don’t mock the brothers’ sacrifices!”
Young-woo tightly gripped Bang the Great Hero’s hand, which had come off the lever, and said.
“Do I look like I’m mocking the brothers? With this money, the brothers over there won’t even need to sacrifice. Get a grip, Bangtubangtung.”
“……!”
Young-woo’s grip was so strong that Bangtubangtung had no choice but to be pulled back to the lever.
But setting the rescue numbers was solely the prerogative of Darwin’s lord, Bangtubangtung.
“Pathetic. But brothers come first.”
Finally, as Bangtubangtung set the rescue cost at 100 million karma and moved to pull the lever, Young-woo grabbed his arm again to stop him.
Grip!
“Wh-what? Doing exactly as you suggested.”
Young-woo then pulled the lever handle Bangtubangtung held one more notch down.
Clank!
“If we open at 50% hazard, it’s 15,000.”
“What…?”
“Then even giving me 300 million leaves plenty. What do you say—save 5,000 more brothers?”