Chapter 51
Chapter 51
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 51
Chapter Title: 14. The Judge with the Longsword (4)
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‘What…….'
Young-woo stared blankly at the Chungju First Sword approaching at high speed, her hair fluttering in the air.
Despite the ferocious momentum, her actual appearance was so slender it was pitiful.
Her arms looked too thin to even properly swing a sword, and her thin lips and parched cheeks gave off an impression of frailty.
Of course, in this world where ability score points existed, judging combat prowess by appearance alone was foolish.
However, setting that aside, hadn't she definitely broken through the hellish chaos of the exchange center on the first day of reset with that frail body?
As Young-woo struggled to picture the Chungju First Sword's first day of reset, movement came first from the other side.
Whoosh!
Staring at the SUV carrying Young-woo's group, the opponent swung her arm and threw her sword.
"Eek!"
"Gasp!"
Myung-ho and Myung-ae, recalling the moment they first encountered Young-woo, shrank back and screamed, while even Jong-soo, who had been calm until now, turned toward Young-woo with a look of panic.
On the other hand, Young-woo.
"……."
He silently watched the opponent's thrown sword fly like an arrow and embed itself into the road on the left side of the vehicle.
Thwang!
It was because he had realized from the start that the sword wasn't aimed at a person.
'What is this? Testing how we'll react?'
Moreover, what the opponent had thrown was an Early Bird.
Unless it had something like Nol's belt for remote retrieval, this was an extremely expensive provocation.
"Since the First Sword has come in person, there's no need for you to go through the trouble of guiding us."
Young-woo spoke in a calm voice as he averted his gaze from the Early Bird stuck in the ground, and the police officer, who had been frozen stiff in place, belatedly snapped to his senses.
"…Hah."
Then, he fled like he was running for his life, opening the back door and leaping outside.
Tadak!
The direction the police officer fled was none other than behind the Chungju First Sword, and only then did Young-woo slowly step out of the car.
Step.
Young-woo's white bare feet touching the pitch-black asphalt.
At that, the eyebrows of the Chungju First Sword, who had been closely observing the vehicle from about 30 meters away, twitched slightly.
It was because nothing was floating above the head of Young-woo, who clearly looked like a First Sword.
In contrast, Chungju First Sword Shin Young-ju22 had a brilliant title hovering above her head, just like any other First Sword, and this caught Young-woo's attention.
'If she's taking on the role of the city's security force, she might have gone the Golden Ratio route… but maybe she's not that reckless of a character?'
The relic tattoo 'Stealth Mark' that allowed hiding titles was a reward Young-woo had received when he first unlocked the achievement system through the Golden Ratio.
At the time, he thought it was a reward everyone got upon unlocking the achievement system, but since none of the First Swords he'd met so far could hide their titles, it was probably a Golden Ratio exclusive perk.
In other words, the Chungju First Sword before him had likely chosen to monopolize 3 million karma with high probability.
'Well, if she'd gone the Golden Ratio route, she'd have some golden equipment somewhere, but I don't see any.'
Young-woo stared fixedly at the Chungju First Sword, who was dressed in an unbelievably 'businesslike' outfit.
Black slacks and a navy shirt, with even a now-unpetrified watch on her left arm.
Of course, she was barefoot too, and gripping a long longsword in her right hand, so it was still an odd sight.
"I heard you were looking for me."
The Chungju First Sword spoke first.
Her tone was gentle, in stark contrast to suddenly throwing a sword.
Young-woo bowed his head slightly in greeting.
"Yes. I'm Jeong Young-woo from Gumi. As I told that gentleman earlier, I'm not here to fight……."
As Young-woo glanced toward the police officer hiding behind the First Sword and tried to continue, Chungju First Sword Shin Young-ju22 raised her left hand slightly and interrupted.
"Sorry to interrupt, but what about your number?"
"…Pardon?"
"The number after your name."
Number.
She was asking for the identification number assigned in the order of contact with the exchange center among people with the same name.
For example, since the Chungju First Sword's name was Shin Young-ju22, it meant she was the 22nd Shin Young-ju nationwide to make contact with the exchange center.
In other words, the smaller the number in this ID, the bolder one's actions on the first day of reset could be seen as.
'She's checking if I'm a dangerous person.'
Young-woo sensed that the opponent was extremely cautious.
"…It's 7. Jeong Young-woo07."
"Jeong Young-woo is a common name, but you must have been quite active. 7……."
Having heard Young-woo's number, the Chungju First Sword mulled over the digit 7 and gave an enigmatic smile.
Then, she shifted her position a few steps to the side to peer into the SUV.
"And those are your companions?"
"Yes. Not people I've known for long—just borrowed their car on the way."
"Ah, I see."
At Young-woo's words about borrowing the car, the Chungju First Sword glanced at his bare feet.
Then, she bowed deeply toward Young-woo and introduced herself.
"I'm Shin Young-ju22, support judge of Chungju."
Her long hair draped toward the ground, briefly creating a chilling atmosphere, but for Young-woo, it was nothing short of flattering.
To casually bow her waist like that to someone who might be an enemy and was much older……
"As you know, I'm also the Chungju First Sword. I'm doing my utmost to maintain order here. Sorry about throwing the sword earlier. From my position, I needed to see what kind of reaction you'd have."
"Ah……! N-No, it's fine."
Young-woo couldn't help but be greatly surprised by Shin Young-ju's background.
It was amazing enough that she'd broken through the exchange section with that small frame, but she was a judge too.
'Is that why she's gained the citizens' support? She's not just holding the city together with brute force. Her character seems exceptional…….'
A lot had happened so far, but it was only the second day since the great cataclysm of the reset.
So even if everyone had ended up wielding swords, they still held onto trust in the values and systems of the previous world.
"And you? I think I cut you off mid-introduction earlier."
"Ah, right."
Former judge, guardian of order in Chungju City.
Knowing Shin Young-ju's illustrious background made it hard for Young-woo to speak up easily.
If he followed her introduction format, he had nothing noteworthy to boast about.
Jeong Young-woo, who worked at a factory in Gumi. Somehow became the Gyeongbuk First Sword, heading to Seoul indiscriminately killing mutants to achieve feats……
No impressive job, no noble sense of purpose.
"I……."
As Young-woo started but couldn't easily continue, Shin Young-ju smiled softly and said.
"Does my being a judge make you feel a bit burdened? I guess I said something unnecessary. Don't mind it."
Then, she gave a quick once-over to Young-woo's peculiar attire and asked.
"How old are you? If I may ask, what did you do in Gumi?"
"Yes, thirty-four. I worked at a display factory in Gumi."
"That makes sense. Gumi has quite a few factories. Anyway, Gumi is pretty far from here—you must have had a hard journey."
With that, Shin Young-ju smiled amiably and quietly gazed at Young-woo. Now it was time to get to the main point.
Young-woo slowly opened his mouth.
"You're wondering why I came all the way here."
"Naturally."
Shin Young-ju nodded, narrowing her eyes even more.
Young-woo pointed toward the SUV behind him as he looked at her.
"First off… they said their family is here. Since they helped me out, I wanted to assist them in passing."
"Family?"
To Shin Young-ju, who looked surprised, Young-woo briefly explained the circumstances that led him to Chungju.
That he was heading to Seoul from Gumi, killing mutants along the way, and how he encountered the Jeong family on the highway.
Then, Shin Young-ju glanced at the SUV and said as if relieved.
"Conveniently, we do a headcount in front of city hall every afternoon at 7 PM. Not everyone attends, but… anyway, you can look for the husband there."
"Afternoon at 7 is two hours before the night session starts."
"Right. People inevitably end up renting houses near city hall then. It's a measure to create population density zones. I always sleep near city hall too, which helps with maintaining security."
"Ahh……."
Young-woo was amazed by Chungju City's management system, which was on a whole different level from other cities.
Of course, the outskirts would become security blind spots as a result, but it was far better than the entire city descending into lawlessness.
Chungju City had found the best practical solution.
"So, now may I hear why you sought me out? There are no mutants here right now—what business do you have with me?"
As Shin Young-ju subtly tensed her body and asked, Young-woo looked at the longsword gripped in her hand.
"You might find it ridiculous, but I wanted to meet you to understand why you're willingly taking on something like this."
"Something like this…?"
Shin Young-ju wore an expression that didn't quite grasp Young-woo's question.
In response, Young-woo spread his arms slightly and gestured around.
"Chungju City. You're devoting yourself to strangers, essentially. It's certainly a good deed, but this type of First Sword is a first for me, so I was curious."
"You must have met quite a few First Swords so far."
A meaningful tone in her retort.
Young-woo wasn't imagining the brief killing intent he felt from her.
However, the golden flash's sense theft alarm hadn't rung yet.
Meaning the opponent was still maintaining her composure.
"Citizens being strangers to me? That's true. That I'm doing volunteer work could be seen that way depending on perspective. But."
Shin Young-ju paused for a moment and looked up at the sky.
"I had to do it."
"Pardon……?"
"The first First Sword was just a criminal, and the second had too narrow a view. If left alone, the First Sword herself would have survived somehow, but the city would have collapsed."
"You place great importance on keeping the city intact."
As Young-woo responded in agreement, Shin Young-ju's expression suddenly turned icy cold.
"Naturally. Monsters pour out every day—if there's no order in the city, what happens then?"
"Well……."
Young-woo knew the result all too well, having seen it firsthand.
If a strong figure emerged, it led to a dictatorship like in Sangju City, and if even that wasn't possible, the city faced total annihilation by a single mutant like in Gimcheon.
"Of course, since it all started with witch hunts, I don't expect wisdom from people. In a way, they're living in a world that matches their level."
Then, Shin Young-ju added bitterly.
"But not me. I wasn't vile enough to vote for the witch hunt, and I lived diligently enough. There's no reason for me to receive the same punishment."
"……."
Young-woo had nothing to say.
He understood her position.
She was wronged because she was confident she hadn't lived badly enough to deserve this 'punishment.'
If there hadn't been a reset—or even if there was, if not for the indiscriminate witch hunts—the world might have been somewhat more normal.
But things had spiraled into the worst, and so Shin Young-ju had ultimately.
'Rather than leave her fate in others' hands, she seized real power herself.'
Third Chungju First Sword.
If it was true she hadn't voted for the witch hunt, her growth assets would have been the massive karma obtained through exchanges.
'How she escaped the exchange center with that money is still a mystery…….'
In any case, there was no doubt Shin Young-ju was an extraordinary person.
She must know that most Chungju citizens had eagerly joined the witch hunt.
Yet her dedication as the city's guardian alone earned Young-woo's respect.
"You're truly amazing. Compared to a judge like you, I……."
As Young-woo tried to bow his head in embarrassment, a golden figure popped out from the Jeong family's SUV.
-Keek.
It was none other than the relic-grade slave, the Golden Goblin.
Having not seen its owner Young-woo in his view for so long, it had leaped out of the car to stick by his side.
And the moment it clung to Young-woo's leg.
"Huh?"
Life returned to Shin Young-ju's previously dull eyes.
"What is that? Don't tell me it's yours, Young-woo."
"Ah, yes. Like a pet."
"A pet……?"
Though Young-woo simply called it a pet, Shin Young-ju found it hard to take at face value.
She too had experience encountering the alien merchant caravan.
"So merchants sell living creatures too. This is a first."
Staring at the goblin in fascination, Shin Young-ju soon shifted her gaze and scanned Young-woo up and down.
Finally starting to take notice again. Of what this outsider possessed.
The snake wrapped around his forearm and golden bracelet, the black cloak draped over his shoulders, the iron belt clearly different from standard issue.
And along with the Early Bird, there was even a black sword sheathed in that belt.
At this point, the whistle around his neck and ring on his finger were most likely 'items' as well.
"……."
As Shin Young-ju unconsciously opened her mouth while counting the apparent items one by one, Young-woo saw the look in her eyes and clenched his teeth.
For a brief moment, he had glimpsed something familiar in her gaze.
It was greed.
The same greed in the eyes of the robbers he had seen two days ago amid the exchange center brawl.