Chapter 38
Chapter 38
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 38
Chapter Title: 12. An Unknown World (2)
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It was worse than a nightmare.
Being chased by a man running as fast as a car.
And this wasn’t even a dream.
That was why Myeong-ho kept glancing back and forth between the windshield and the rearview mirror.
‘No way. A person faster than a car?’
Current speed: 83 kph.
For Myeong-ho, this was already beyond the max speed of his life.
It had been six years since he passed his road driving test, and this was the first time gripping the wheel since.
“…Bro!”
From the passenger seat, his younger brother Yun-ho screamed, eyes half-rolled back.
Meaning: Can’t you go any faster?
Kwarung!
In the meantime, the unidentified monster in the rearview mirror had drawn even closer.
“Shit.”
In the end, Myeong-ho crossed his own psychological limit.
His foot, which had been unconsciously easing off the accelerator, now slammed it down full force.
Vroooom!
The unleashed engine roared furiously, propelling the car forward with vigor.
The speedometer needle jumped several marks at once, and soon the vehicle hit 100 kph.
“Myeong-ho!”
A sharp voice rang out from the back seat.
It was Myeong-ae, mother to Myeong-ho and Yun-ho.
And right on cue, something pitch-black came flying menacingly from behind the car.
Screeeee!
At the ominous whoosh, Myeong-ho turned to the driver’s side window and saw a massive black blade shatter the side mirror as it flew past.
“You crazy…!”
Myeong-ho realized the blade was several meters long and had just embedded itself into the road ahead. He slammed on the brakes hard.
Screeeeech!
A friction sound piercing the ears rang out as the car skidded long, stopping just short of the blade stuck in the ground.
“Huff, huff.”
Myeong-ho gripped the wheel tight, staring at the jet-black sword towering impossibly large.
Soon after, a strangely dressed man appeared and yanked the sword free.
“W-what is that…? Is that what a mutant looks like?”
Yun-ho on the passenger side instinctively drew the axe from his belt and muttered.
No one in the car, Yun-ho included, had ever seen a human like that before.
Unknown handles bound to his upper body with ropes, covered by a black cape.
Gold gloves and bracelets gleaming extra bright in the sunlight, a bluish-green snake coiled around his left arm, and bare feet that somehow felt terrifying….
Due to the unfamiliar, chaotic appearance, the three in the SUV never noticed the whistle hanging around the man’s neck.
Meanwhile, Young-woo, who anyone would call a freak,
‘What’s this? They’re way more docile than I thought.’
He felt puzzled that the SUV occupants were just sitting quietly in their seats, watching him.
As far as Young-woo knew, in these times, only two types drove cars.
Powerful bigshots enjoying luxuries, or someone under their protection.
So, even after stopping the car, no immediate attack from them felt irrational to him.
Shing.
Young-woo shortened the black sword to its normal length, then cautiously approached the driver’s side.
Then.
Click.
The driver’s door opened, and Myeong-ho stepped out with both hands raised.
“H-hold on! We surrender! Surrender!”
Myeong-ho was indeed unarmed, but Young-woo couldn’t relax. Two more silhouettes remained inside the car.
“…And them.”
Young-woo pointed inside the vehicle, making Myeong-ho flinch before speaking in an extremely polite tone.
“Ah… My mom and little brother. I’ll have them come out slowly.”
Myeong-ho gestured toward the open driver’s side, and the passenger and back doors opened in turn, revealing two more people.
Seeing this, Young-woo had to admit they were a real family.
“…….”
Their faces oddly resembled each other. The two stiffened men were around Young-woo’s age, and the woman from the back seat looked in her fifties or sixties.
A plump-faced, kind-looking woman who could be a mother figure.
“W-what do you want?”
Finally, the woman spoke, and only then did Young-woo realize he had no particular business with them.
He’d just assumed the car’s occupants would attack first.
But the actual opponents he faced were….
“…….”
Young-woo glanced between the middle-aged woman and her two sons, then uttered a line he never imagined coming from his own mouth.
“Sorry if I scared you. I was just….”
He tried to continue, but words failed him.
There was no special reason for chasing and stopping their car threateningly.
And with them seeming so decent, it made things even more awkward.
“…….”
As Young-woo struggled for words, the woman cautiously asked while eyeing him.
“Are your legs okay?”
“…Pardon?”
Only then did Young-woo notice his legs trembling faintly.
His lower body strength had drained from chasing the car for no short time.
Proof that his stats still weren’t enough to outpace a high-speed vehicle.
‘Wasted energy on something pointless. Still a long way to the next city.’
Young-woo glanced north up the road with a troubled expression.
Then the woman spoke again.
“There must’ve been some misunderstanding, right? My boys wouldn’t be out causing trouble.”
Her eyes sharpened noticeably with the words, as if saying she hoped he wouldn’t cause them any either.
“…Ah. Yeah, looks like I got the wrong idea.”
Click.
Young-woo sheathed the black sword with a sheepish look, and only then did the woman exhale a long, shaky breath.
Truth be told, she’d been extremely tense too.
Given the times, and the opponent clearly strong enough to cut down her two sons easily.
“Phew… Good thing. Just a misunderstanding.”
Finally, the eldest, Myeong-ho, cautiously reached for the driver’s door.
A silent request for permission from the freak before them.
Asking if they could leave now.
“Ah.”
Young-woo realized he was still standing in the middle of the road and awkwardly stepped aside.
Then Yun-ho, who’d seemed ready to draw his blade any second, hurriedly opened the back door.
“Mom, get in quick. We’ve got a long way to go.”
Meaning: Let’s bolt before this psycho changes his mind.
But the middle-aged woman didn’t immediately climb into the car. She just stared at Young-woo.
Then, after a moment, she dropped a bombshell that left everyone’s jaws on the floor.
“Um… If you’re heading the same way, want a ride?”
“Mom…!”
Yun-ho immediately shot sparks from his eyes, signaling no, while Myeong-ho subtly shook his head to dissuade her.
Young-woo found the offer equally baffling.
No matter how shaky his legs looked, they’d seen him as dangerous, a total stranger.
‘If it were me, I’d have floored it and fled.’
As Young-woo made a puzzled face, the woman continued to her sons.
“What’s wrong with helping someone? He said it was a mistake. And who knows what we’ll run into next….”
She meant adding this freak would boost their firepower considerably.
Yun-ho started to snap back but clamped his mouth shut.
He’d meant to say he and his brother were enough, but this freak had just proven they weren’t.
Even he, usually called a scrapper, knew when not to pick a fight.
And this freak was exactly that.
Finally relenting with a deflated look, Yun-ho let the woman turn back to Young-woo.
“Mind riding with us? We’re going to Chungju. We can drop you off whenever.”
“…….”
Overly kind, but a win-win for Young-woo regardless.
‘A day of easy travel wouldn’t hurt.’
Follow this road north to Mungyeong, through the city to Chungju.
Young-woo planned to hit both anyway, so no route issues.
In the end, he nodded.
“Sounds good. I’ve got business in Mungyeong and Chungju too… Let’s go together for now.”
The brothers flinched at “business in Chungju,” but didn’t object further.
With the stranger agreeing to join, protesting wouldn’t change anything.
‘He’s got business in Mungyeong too… Guess we ditch him then.’
Myeong-ho pondered a backup plan as he opened the driver’s door.
Yun-ho glared at the intruder with a sullen face.
And Myeong-ae beamed at Young-woo while offering the back seat.
Thus began the awkward ride-share.
* * *
Vrooom…!
As the SUV roared back to life and sped along the road, Myeong-ae started introductions.
“I’m Choi Myeong-ae. These are my boys. Jeong Myeong-ho, Jeong Yun-ho.”
Assuming her sons wouldn’t play nice, she handled it herself.
Then she fixed Young-woo with a look, as if your turn.
“Ah… Sure. I’m Jeong Young-woo.”
Jeong Young-woo.
At his name, Myeong-ae’s eyes widened dramatically.
“Oh my, same Jeong! Must be fate.”
Yun-ho in the passenger seat furrowed his brow at his mom’s fuss, but Young-woo missed it. Myeong-ae fired off a question right away.
“Which Jeong branch? You never know—might even be the same clan.”
Trying to forge some friendly connection.
But her plan flopped.
“Dunno. Name from the orphanage, so probably not a real Jeong.”
“Ah…….”
Even the chatty Myeong-ae had nothing to add this time.
So Young-woo tossed out a new topic.
“But what brings you to Chungju?”
“Ah, well…….”
Myeong-ae hesitated for some reason.
Up front, Myeong-ho and Yun-ho coughed awkwardly, looking uneasy.
“The kids’ dad’s there.”
“Your husband? Out for work?”
“Something like that. Company’s around there, probably.”
From Myeong-ae’s last line, Young-woo caught that her husband wasn’t just away for a job.
‘Separated? Or divorced already.’
That would explain the sudden caginess. Words like separation or divorce hit close to home for an orphan.
“Anyway.”
Myeong-ae tried to shake off the weird vibe.
“You said you’ve got business in Mungyeong and Chungju? Know someone there?”
“Uh, kinda.”
As Young-woo scrambled for a dodge, new text appeared in everyone’s view.
Flash!
|You are currently in the ‘Mungyeong’ area.
|This region’s Greatest Swordsman is ‘Jang Chun-yong16’. 1st gen, defended 96 times.
“Whoa, Mungyeong already.”
Myeong-ho muttered while peering out the windshield, hands on the wheel.
Young-woo etched the name Jang Chun-yong into his mind and replied to Myeong-ae.
“Yeah. Got someone to meet here.”