Chapter 332
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 332
Chapter Title: 73. Negotiation (7)
Whirrrrrrr, thud!
It was an utterly outrageous entrance.
A massive anchor, big enough to cover the entire table, dropped down with a whoosh, jostling all the cards laid out on the surface.
"What... what did you draw?"
Yuto, who had nearly toppled backward, barely regained his balance and asked. In response, Youngwoo raised the offending card—the one that had summoned the anchor—up to eye level.
"...Dogo."
"What?"
"「Dooooogoooo」...!"
Whoosh!
In an instant, Youngwoo's eyes glowed gold, and his fanboy passion surged through the room, riding the momentum of the First Sword's prestige.
"Kek? S-Spare me!"
Thanks to that, Yuto's heart felt like it was about to burst from the crushing pressure. Moments later, the system popped up a warning message.
「This is a public area where violent acts are prohibited.」
「Cease assaulting your opponent.」
Then a blood-red countdown began.
「5 seconds until forced suppression.」
...5.
...4.
Youngwoo swiftly reined in his aura and raised both hands. The countdown dominating his vision promptly stopped.
Pop.
'Oh, so if I start swinging again, does it reset from 5?'
He itched to test the hypothesis right then and there, but barely held back.
No sense ruining a perfectly good meal.
Just one more round, and the negotiation table showdown would be a resounding success.
And above all else.
'Right? Gotta be Mythic.'
The card he'd drawn in the final round was Mythic. The Chairman's card, no less.
[Our Chairman]
"No issue with Dogo."
|Card Grade: Mythic
|Power: 3,000
*Owner of the Hundred Thousand Sword Mountain*
[If the 'Bastard' card has been activated, power increases by 2,000. Additionally, power increases by 1,000 for each previously activated equipment card.]
*Saving Face*
[Power is forcibly readjusted to always exceed the opponent's. However, the next round's card power decreases by the amount of the increase.]
'What the hell? This thing's completely insane.'
As befitting a Mythic card, the base power was already insane, and since the Bastard had been activated—and it was an equipment card to boot—'Our Chairman's' current power was a whopping 6,000.
But the reason Youngwoo called the Chairman insane was the special effect 'Saving Face.'
'It always beats the opponent, but weakens your next card in exchange? That's basically...'
Power loan-sharking, plain and simple.
Of course, if the 'Owner of the Hundred Thousand Sword Mountain' effect kicked in, its own power would balloon massively, so it probably wouldn't burden the next card much.
But what about the reverse?
Running into a higher-grade card than Mythic with just the base 3,000 power.
'Even then, it crushes the opponent's card by force and pays the price later?'
Was that how the Chairman did business too?
Come to think of it, Youngwoo had never seen the Chairman lose face.
He'd never even gotten close to that level of the world.
'Something out there in the universe where even the Chairman has to strain to keep up...'
For some reason, his chest swelled—not just grandly, but cosmically.
And into his view came a pale-skinned, naked swordsman.
"Card check done?"
Youngwoo asked, and Yuto nodded, clutching a single bluish card.
《Both sides have confirmed their cards. Commencing negotiation.》
The final round at last.
But thanks to that anchor drop earlier, Yuto could already guess he'd lose in round 5.
No matter how you sliced it, that dramatic flair screamed top-tier Legendary or another Mythic.
"Why... does your power have no end?"
Yuto asked with genuine curiosity, and Youngwoo pointed his index finger at the ceiling.
"Because the universe is watching me."
"...What?"
"The universe's energy is starting to reach me. I can feel it."
To an outsider, it sounded utterly mad, but Youngwoo meant every word.
He still didn't get the aliens' constant yammering about Jo-pan this and that, but one thing was crystal clear.
If coincidences or fateful encounters kept piling up—whether chance or destiny—that was the universe's will in action.
His mother, reborn as a dragon thanks to being a chaebol heiress. His father, reconnected to her from decades ago, just in time for the reset.
And Dogo, sponsoring him so his father could live long enough for their reunion.
Was all that pure coincidence?
Sure, it started as luck and effort. But at some point, he'd felt himself riding a massive wave.
Maybe the universe had been searching for this planet's master from the start. Those who crossed a certain line became candidates, caught the flow, and now...
'I'm the overwhelming frontrunner.'
Just look at Yuto—once a solid rival—getting crushed here and now.
In a way, this game was judging all his accumulated achievements at once.
And the verdict was.
"You're out."
"What?"
"You're eliminated. Way too lacking to lead this planet against the universe."
Yuto furrowed his brow and tilted his head.
"What nonsense is that? Why fight the universe?"
"You're hopeless. Mara’s proxy seems to know more about the universe than you."
Youngwoo shook his head and spoke, still gripping the Chairman card.
"Now that even the land's connected and we're true neighbors, I won't be too harsh."
He added.
"But you pay for striking first. I'll demand war reparations."
"War reparations?"
"Prepare 300 million karma daily."
"Wha—300 million every day? You're insane!"
Stunned by the outrageous sum, Yuto shot to his feet. Youngwoo calmly placed the Bastard on the table to soothe him.
Clank!
"If you win this showdown, we pay you 300 million instead, right? So if you win, that's that."
Even losing the card game wouldn't matter if they won the war—no reparations owed.
Reparations were what the loser paid the victor.
But both knew full well.
The madman in clothes had the edge—in the card game and the real war.
"...Our people won't stand for it. 300 million daily? Absurd."
"Not that much for all of Japan."
Youngwoo pointed at Yuto with the Bastard.
"Besides, you won't even hear the complaints. You'll die on Daimado, long before payments start."
"......!"
It was obvious, but hearing it like that hit fresh.
"I'm gonna die on Daimado?"
"I could spare you to manage Japan, but sadly..."
Youngwoo's gaze drifted to empty air.
"As much as it pains me, anyone paying big taxes besides me needs to go. You're a dutiful taxpayer, right?"
At Youngwoo's question, Yuto had to maintain the poker face of his life.
But his mind was already scrambled from the prior talk, so he instinctively twitched his lips.
"Wh-Why..."
"Then you're a planetary shareholder too. Gotta die."
With that, Youngwoo submitted his proposal, and a system message appeared between them.
Flash!
[The defeated side pays the victor 300 million karma daily in reparations.]
"Reject it, and it jumps to 500 million. Don't doom the people you're leaving behind."
Youngwoo's chilling follow-up made Yuto pull back his hand from the veto.
"...You're ruthless."
"I'm going easy. For real."
Even a cornered rat bites the cat.
Excessive reparations could ignite Japanese fury and spark needless civil war—that was Youngwoo's thinking.
'What I promised voters is peace. Can't have the neighbor staying a headache.'
Sure, Chairman-style would be wiping Japan out to end problems forever... but long-term, Earth needed max humans for total output.
"You'll die today—tomorrow at latest—but your country and people will thrive on a mighty planet. So submit the deal and get lost."
"...Madman."
Yuto glanced at his card.
Then finally submitted his counter.
"If I win this game, nullify all prior confirmed deals!"
[If Remu's proxy wins round 5, round 4's negotiation is voided.]
Meaning, undo the infrastructure handover and 'Giant Hunter' ban.
Still clinging to hope.
"If you get our facilities, I can't imagine the disrespect. Can't hand them over!"
"You know me too well, you bastard."
Even so, Youngwoo confirmed the counter.
'It's a sure win anyway. Can't grant a dying man's last wish?'
Ping!
《Round 5 negotiation confirmed.》
Negotiations wrapped. Certain of victory, Youngwoo reverently placed the Chairman card on the table.
Tap.
"Not all sponsors are equal. Our Chairman stakes his face and future. No way he'd let me lose a piddly scrap like this."
"......!"
Yuto checked Youngwoo's card and let out a hollow laugh past shock.
"Ha."
Yuto's revealed card, with a shallow exhale, was.
Tap!
[Tokyo Grand Tournament]
"Rematch. Empire's Dream."
|Card Grade: Legendary
|Power: 1,100
*Empire's Memory*
[Always beats lower-grade cards.]
Far from Mythic—even against another Legendary, victory wasn't guaranteed.
And sure enough.
Riiip!
The moment the opponent's card was revealed, metal scraps erupted from the Chairman card, shredding 'Tokyo Grand Tournament' to bits.
"Ah...!"
A deep sigh.
The tournament card in his hand moments ago disintegrated in seconds. Yuto retreated with a wretched expression.
《Dogo's proxy wins round 5 showdown. Dogo side, finalize or amend negotiations.》
Youngwoo scrapped Yuto's proposal, leaving only the reparations treaty. All cards on the table vanished.
Flash!
《Negotiations concluded.》
Then the accumulated war terms unfurled like a massive declaration.
[Combat between Dogo and Remu sides limited to within Daimado.]
[Dogo and Remu's proxies fight fully nude.]
[Dogo's proxy enters combat with one arm severed.]
[Remu's proxy cedes all war profits from Remu contract to Dogo's proxy.]
[Remu's proxy cedes all physical infrastructure to Dogo's proxy upon war defeat.]
[Remu's proxy barred from using Giant Hunter in this war.]
[The defeated side pays the victor 300 million karma daily in reparations.]
And that Daimado battle, tangled in those terms, was set for just two hours away.
"Hmm."
Youngwoo scanned the treaties, eyes locking on one clause.
The nude combat one.
[Dogo and Remu's proxies fight fully nude.]
"What? This basically just means we strip? So the 200 nude warriors are just extra patriotic bonus?"
Yuto nodded.
"...Something like that. If stripping boosts the national interest, that's patriotism."
"Oh yeah? Two hundred signed up for that crap?"
Youngwoo blinked rapidly.
Then muttered a vow to himself.
"No helping it."
"......?"
"We'll find some patriots too."