Chapter 304
Chapter 304
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 304
Chapter Title: 69. Heir (3)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
“Fourteen? You’re saying there are fourteen records right now that we could put up on the monument?”
Yeongwoo’s eyes darted about as he asked, and Bang Daehyeop nodded.
-That’s right.
Bangtu Bangtung, one of the four great lords of the Redfoot Orcs.
His soul bore the complete history of the Redfoot clan—a history that encompassed not just the spirits of their ancestors, but their legendary feats as well.
In other words, the historic moments of the Redfoot Orcs were preserved within Bangtu Bangtung, including the “legendary kills” they had achieved.
And after the long passage of time, those had become fourteen glories worthy of inscription on Metal Seoul’s Legacy Monument.
“My god… fourteen of them.”
Yeongwoo’s eyes spun rapidly.
He only needed two disposal records right now to pass Earth’s upgrade review.
But was that really all?
‘There’s no way this Legacy Monument is one-and-done. Once we hit the minimum glory score, there’s gotta be more to it.’
Earth’s cosmic status wasn’t exactly high-class either.
So it was only natural to assume there were higher-grade reviews, or maybe bonus points for exceeding the score—something more.
“Bang Daehyeop, put in two for now. Then I’ll add my two, and we’ll meet the review conditions.”
-Review conditions?
“Yes. Just filling these gets us the review for Earth’s status upgrade.”
Earth.
The new home for the homeless Redfoot Orcs.
Thus, Bangtu Bangtung had no choice but to be generous when it came to matters involving this planet.
-Fine. I’ll add two right now.
Bang Daehyeop nodded and placed his hand back on the monument’s surface. Soon after, an alert broadcast across all of Seoul.
―Redfoot Orc Lord Bangtu Bangtung has registered two legendary disposal records.
Word was already spreading that the kidnapping business Yeongwoo had announced that morning was already bearing fruit.
Then Yeongwoo followed up by uploading his records for the Illusion Dragon and the Glutton.
Flash!
―Mayor Jeong Yeongwoo07 has registered two legendary disposal records.
The Legacy Monument suddenly emitted an intangible energy wave, shoving the surrounding air away.
Whoosh!
―Dogospecial City Metal Seoul’s current glory score: 1,025 points.
“Ah, finally…!”
―Basic score required for planet upgrade review achieved. This planet is now entered into the upgrade queue.
“…Huh? Upgrade queue?”
Yeongwoo tilted his head at the unfamiliar term, and the messages continued.
―Upgrade reviewers will observe this planet shortly.
“Ah.”
―The planet’s official grade will be determined based on the caliber of events recorded over the observation period.
In simple terms, the more impressive the events unfolding on the planet, the higher the grade it would likely receive.
And this meant Earth was now a step closer to the cosmic mainstream.
From a backwater planet that hadn’t even shed its cosmic ‘greenbelt,’ it had risen to the point of queuing for an official grade review.
‘The companies that won the planet development rights are Dogo, Remu, and Mara… Yeah, the event logs from here on out are gonna be something else.’
Yeongwoo felt reasonably confident about the upgrade review.
After all, wasn’t the planet already under assault from Dogo, the royal cosmic thug?
One of the development right holders was none other than Mara, the King of Ten Thousand Demons—and the homeless Redfoot Orcs had fled to this planet from him.
The cosmos placed high value on karma and coincidences like that, so Yeongwoo figured the reviewers would take a keen interest in Earth’s happenings.
‘Today, the path of vengeance feels brighter than ever.’
As Yeongwoo gazed at the Jongno District tower in the distance, the Legacy Monument glowed once more.
Flash!
―Legacy Monument level up. Glory points required for next stage: 3,000.
“See? There’s a next stage, just like I thought. You watching, Bang Daehyeop?”
Yeongwoo nodded at the system message, and Bang Daehyeop wrinkled his nose.
-The universe’s greed knows no bounds. Just like you.
“Ha, I’ll take that as a compliment on my cosmic talent.”
Yeongwoo brushed off Bang Daehyeop’s jab with ease and pointed at the Legacy Monument.
“Now, as promised earlier, pour in the rest of those records.”
-What?
“You’ve still got twelve left, right?”
Yeongwoo grinned wickedly as he said it, and Bangtu Bangtung’s mouth hung open for a moment.
Then he steadied his wavering pupils in an instant.
-Indeed. We have twelve records remaining.
Clank.
With that, Bang Daehyeop suddenly took a step back.
“Daehyeop…?”
Yeongwoo looked at him puzzled, and the orc—Earth’s one and only orc politician—twitched his lips.
“Bang Daehyeop, you okay?”
His expression was so uneasy that even Mayor Jeong Yeongwoo had to worry. Then something earth-shattering happened.
-Hah… but I never promised to hand them over.
“…?”
-It’s true we have twelve records left, and it’s my… honest desire not to just give them away.
“Uh…?”
Yeongwoo’s eyes widened more than ever.
And then, for the first time, Bang Daehyeop spoke in true Yeongwoo fashion.
-How much for my honest desire? I wonder what price you’d put on your feelings for this planet.
“Gah! Bang Daehyeop?”
He’d been had.
Yeongwoo had no choice but to admit it.
‘Fuck, they say the upright turn black—ancestral wisdom never fails. He’s gotten thoroughly corrupted in no time.’
But the opponent was still a naive orc.
There’s a saying: even if a tiger bites you, keep your wits and you’ll live.
‘Get it together, Jeong Yeongwoo! You gonna lose to some greenhorn who just landed on Earth?’
Unlike the inherently straightforward orcs, Yeongwoo was a demon forged in the fires of capitalism his whole life.
“Bang Daehyeop, if that’s how you want it…”
As Yeongwoo began in a sly tone—
-Smallfoot, I know it’s no easy task. How could I dare put a price on the greater good?
Just like Yeongwoo had once done, Bang Daehyeop held up three thick fingers.
“Three? Thirty thou—?”
A number that sparked a whirlwind of thoughts.
Thirty million karma for all twelve records was a steal, but three million each would total 360 million—a massive sum.
Even that wasn’t entirely out of reach, though.
The prize was a whopping twelve “legendary disposal” records.
These weren’t something you could buy just because you had the cash.
“No way, 360 mil…”
As Yeongwoo started voicing the realistic figure in his head, Bang Daehyeop gave a wry smile.
-These records are the proud legacy our ancestors left us. What you’re buying now is the history of the Redfoots.
With that, Bang Daehyeop looked around at the Seoul citizens encircling the altar grounds for the first time.
In truth, his words weren’t just for Yeongwoo—they were for every soul in Seoul.
-If you want to take our history, guarantee our future in exchange. I demand three promises from you.
“…!”
The three fingers Bang Daehyeop had raised earlier weren’t a price—they were the three promises he sought from humanity on behalf of his clan.
“Whoa…”
“My god.”
“History for a future…”
The Seoul citizens who had heard Bang Daehyeop’s proposal alongside Yeongwoo gazed at the massive red orc with moved eyes.
Bang Daehyeop’s heartfelt rhetoric had melted even the harsh hearts of Seoul.
‘Damn it, the public’s already swaying.’
Yeongwoo, who had aimed to conquer the Korean Peninsula through wealth and might, had clearly lost the public’s favor here today.
He’d been bested in a political showdown by an alien orc.
Maybe sincerity really did win out… Even Yeongwoo, who had strayed onto the path of villainy, felt a twinge of something in that moment.
“Very well, Bang Daehyeop. What promises do you want from me?”
Even as he said it, Yeongwoo hoped for a misstep from the orc.
Everyone here was human, Seoul citizens. If Bang Daehyeop made an outrageous demand that harmed the city, public opinion could flip in an instant.
But Bang Daehyeop’s political depth, honed from leading the Redfoot clan for so long, was beyond anything Yeongwoo could mimic.
-First. If we no longer need the Aratubank, return it. It’s our holy relic, the soul of our ancestors.
“Huh.”
-I may become a foolish lord who sold our history, but I hope to bring back at least one bit of good news.
‘…Fuck.’
It was an impossible-to-refuse demand—one that would inevitably foster sympathy for the Redfoot Orcs in Seoul.
In essence, Bang Daehyeop had just claimed the hearts of the Seoul citizens.
“…Fine. What’s the second?”
-Second. Waive our harsh tribute for just two days—today and tomorrow. We need money too if we’re to bring more brothers here, and more brothers mean more contributions to this planet’s growth, don’t you think?
“You wouldn’t include the gate usage fees in that ‘harsh tribute,’ would you?”
-Of course.
‘Should I just kill this bastard?’
Murder flashed in Yeongwoo’s eyes for a moment, but with so many eyes on them, he couldn’t draw his blade.
Wasn’t this basically refusing the 300 million he’d demanded?
On top of that, it was asking to waive today’s and tomorrow’s base tributes of 80 million each.
“…….”
After serious thought, Yeongwoo cautiously proposed a compromise.
“You’ve gotta cover costs, though. The money I fronted first included taxes these folks here collected. Give that back.”
He meant the 100 million spent to first activate the gate.
Swoosh.
As Yeongwoo signaled for the orc to look away, Bang Daehyeop conceded a step.
-Fine. I’ll make it happen somehow.
“Good. So, what’s the final promise I need to make?”
All in all, this was a pretty good deal for Yeongwoo.
His actual losses were negligible.
In exchange, he’d gain a whopping twelve legendary disposal records.
-What we want last is…
Finally, Bang Daehyeop laid out his final condition.
-Make a place for us in Seoul.
“…What? Say that again?”
-If this place is truly to become this planet’s capital, we want to live in Seoul too.
In short, give the orcs their own autonomous district in Seoul.
It was, of course, a demand of tremendous foresight.
When else would they get even a single room in Seoul if not now?
Especially as non-humans, orcs at that.
“Ah, no, that’s just…”
As Yeongwoo floundered for words at the unexpected demand, the sky over Seoul suddenly darkened.
Rumble…
Nearby citizens checked their watches in unison, as if on cue.
“No way.”
“Already?”
“Gasp. Time’s…”
Yeongwoo hurriedly checked the time himself and finally understood the sky’s change.
Current time: 12:36 PM.
About 24 minutes until the mutant spawn.
And from this point, creatures that began showing omens were generally one type.
“…Dragon.”
As Yeongwoo muttered, Bang Daehyeop, who had been scanning the sky, twitched his brow.
-Smallfoot, what did you just say?
Yeongwoo raised his hand and pointed straight up.
“If you really want to live in Seoul, watch what happens next closely. You’ll learn Seoul life isn’t as easy as you think.”
Right on cue, a massive bolt of lightning cracked inside the clouds, and an enormous presence began to approach.
Rooooar…!
The third dragon appeared over Seoul.