Chapter 57
Chapter 57
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 57
Chapter Title: 15. Star Species (4)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Sudden chase on the road.
Even before the reset, it wouldn't have been an ordinary tense situation, but Jong-su was remarkably calm while engaging in a chase in this brutal world.
Tick.
To the point where he turned on his hazard lights to warn the car behind him before starting to decelerate.
Of course, the Gyeongbuk's Greatest Swordsman in the back seat played a big part in his composure.
No matter what the pursuers were, the odds of any being stronger than the Gyeongbuk's Greatest Swordsman were extremely low.
But what Jong-su was even more focused on was a collision accident.
If he suddenly slammed on the brakes and the cars behind rammed into him...
'I'd end up like an egg in the Nakdong River.'
Whether he'd survive unscathed was secondary; without a vehicle, Jong-su couldn't keep up with the swordsman's mobility and would naturally be left behind.
That's why he was doing everything he could to avoid any damage to the car.
Vroooom...
As Jong-su slowed down and pulled to the edge of the road with his hazards on, the two Audis charging fiercely behind him quickly reduced speed as well.
Screeech!
One overtook Jong-su and Yeong-woo, blocking their path forward and coming to a stop, while the other stuck right behind to cut off their retreat.
"Looks like you've done this a time or two."
Jong-su glanced back and forth before engaging the parking brake.
And as he did, people began stepping out from the two Audis that had them surrounded.
Clunk!
The identities of those emerging from the wide-open doors were none other than...
"......?"
"Hey? It's kids."
Exactly as Jong-su said.
Boys and girls who looked to be in their mid-to-late teens at most.
There were five in total.
Of course, since each was armed, calling them just 'kids' felt a bit off, but they were still far younger than either of the two had expected.
"These little punks... they don't even have licenses yet? Talk about end times, right, boss?"
Jong-su was the epitome of respect for elders, always calling people 'boss.'
So there was no way he'd let this disgraceful act of juniors disrespecting seniors slide.
Clunk!
Sure enough, Jong-su shoved open the driver's door, eyes blazing.
He trusted Yeong-woo in the back seat, but he also considered himself pretty skilled among civilians, so he was showing off a bit.
But would a gang of underage carjackers be pushovers?
Whoosh!
Before Jong-su could fully open the driver's door, a lanky boy dashed forward and slammed it shut with his body.
Bang!
"Don't get cocky. Stay put."
His voice was as boyish as his looks.
Even the way he peered through the car window into the driver's seat had a sinister edge.
"What? You little shit."
Jong-su's true temper finally flared as he tried to push the door open again, but this time a sharp presence flared up beside him.
Crack!
The passenger window shattered, and a long spear shaft thrust in.
"You...!"
The moment Jong-su turned his head and saw the spear tip already at his shoulder blade, he recoiled in shock.
Thud!
A hand shot out from the back seat and grabbed the spear shaft.
Then snapped it like a twig.
"...Boss!"
Sensing it was Yeong-woo's handiwork, Jong-su whipped around, and the 'little punks' surrounding the car had no choice but to turn their eyes to the back seat as well.
They'd fully anticipated that today's prey might have a passenger.
"Stick to the left, Jong-su."
But they never imagined that passenger swinging a 5-meter black sword from inside the car.
Shiiiing!
The blade extended long from the back seat, bisecting both the spear-wielder who'd targeted Jong-su and the passenger seat in one wide arc.
"Argh, fuck!"
The lanky kid who'd seen the spearman get chopped widened his eyes and stumbled back.
Jong-su seized the moment, flung open the car door, and kicked the kid's shin.
Crack!
"Argh!"
The delinquent teen rolled across the pavement.
Right on cue, Yeong-woo kicked open the back door and stepped out.
Boom!
"Jesus. They're all kids."
It was 6:21 PM.
The sun hadn't set yet, so Gyeongbuk's Greatest Swordsman Jeong Yeong-woo07's figure gleamed eerily in the natural light.
Golden gear earned from his golden ratio achievement reflected the sunlight alongside the silvery mirage.
"...Gasp."
"What the...?"
Objectively, his appearance was downright ridiculous, but since everyone had just witnessed this freak's prowess, no one could laugh.
They simply couldn't comprehend the situation, which eventually turned to fear.
"Ah, mister... please spare us. We're sorry."
Finally, the only girl in the gang quickly switched tactics.
She dropped her knife and knelt.
"We won't do it again, I swear. Okay?"
Starting with the girl's plea, the other two boys near Yeong-woo knelt one after another.
"...Sorry."
"Really sorry."
They dropped their weapons and surrendered too, but Yeong-woo knew better.
He knew they wouldn't have shown mercy to the weaklings they'd encountered before.
You could tell just from their attack—thrusting a spear straight into the driver's seat.
And the girl's knife blade, the first to be dropped, was stained rusty red with blood.
"......"
After confirming the others' weapons were similarly bloodied, Yeong-woo sighed and spoke.
"No need to apologize. Uncle's a villain too."
"......?"
"Huh?"
The delinquent teens snapped their heads up at the unexpected reply.
Then Yeong-woo's dry voice poured down on them.
"I'm not the type to go easy on kids. You're dying here."
"......!"
The three kneeling teens, faces on the verge of tears, turned icy cold at his words.
They exchanged silent signals.
Dash!
And lunged for their weapons with incredible speed.
All three aiming for Yeong-woo at once.
But their opponent was the Gyeongbuk's Greatest Swordsman.
Swoosh!
The moment they moved, a black trajectory sliced the air, and soon...
Plop, plop...
Three cute little heads tumbled to the ground one after another.
Only Yeong-woo, Jong-su, and the lanky kid still clutching his shin on the ground saw it.
"Uh, um..."
Jong-su alternated between the last boy trembling at his feet and the three heads rolled off a ways, mumbling.
He knew full well these punks were villains who'd tried to kill him, but seeing heads actually roll made his resolve waver.
"......"
Yeong-woo tilted his head at Jong-su staring blankly.
"Surprising. Haven't you been through all sorts of shit, Jong-su?"
"Sure, but... killing monsters and killing people are different, right? Instinctively speaking..."
Jong-su gave a wry smile.
But Yeong-woo wasn't smiling.
He stared at the Early Bird in Jong-su's hand with genuine incomprehension.
"You've never killed anyone? With that knife, you couldn't have avoided murder at the exchange office."
The Early Bird perk given to the first at the exchange.
Yeong-woo said this because a mob had rushed him the moment he took his knife.
But now Jong-su looked puzzled.
"At the exchange office...? If you're first to grab the knife, does it turn into a kill-or-be-killed? At that point, I wasn't a threat..."
"......"
Yeong-woo was speechless, like he'd been whacked on the back of the head.
It made sense, though.
Jong-su was bigger and more intimidating-looking than him.
No one dared challenge him once he had the Early Bird. He didn't look like easy prey.
Whereas Yeong-woo back then...
'Damn it.'
A strange sense of defeat washed over him.
He knew his face was betraying his emotions.
But it was so unfair.
Even if the world reset, not everyone experienced the same world.
"So you've never killed even one person to this day?"
"Yeah... There were close calls with fights, but back then there weren't crazies like this."
Of course, that was from Jong-su's one-sided perspective thanks to his physique.
Even after becoming the Greatest Swordsman, Yeong-woo had to keep fighting challengers who underestimated him.
"Hmm, anyway, boss... Mindlessly killing them all feels wrong."
"It's not mindless. It's making them pay for trying to kill us."
"That's true... It is."
Jong-su tsked and irritably rubbed his chin.
To him, murder was an enormous burden, crossing a line you shouldn't.
In a way, Jong-su was perfectly normal.
"If you can't do it, step aside. I have no intention of letting even one go."
As Yeong-woo approached the last robber, radiating black murderous intent, Jong-su flinched and backed away.
The boy who'd been listening to their exchange grabbed Jong-su's pant leg in a panic.
"B-Bro! Please stop that uncle! We didn't know any better! Please...!"
But the boy's plea didn't last.
Yeong-woo swung without hesitation, and Jong-su didn't even see the motion.
All he clearly saw was...
Thud.
The boy's head detaching from his body in the blink of an eye.
"...Gasp."
Jong-su shuddered and stepped back involuntarily as the headless corpse clawed the air and slumped to the ground.
Splat.
"I-Is this for real, boss?"
Jong-su muttered in a daze.
Meanwhile, Yeong-woo calmly rifled through the corpse's pockets.
"If you still can't wrap your head around it, think about how many people these bastards have killed so far. And what those people felt right before dying. I know a little from experience."
Yeong-woo glanced at the half-wrecked old Sonata.
"This thing won't roll anymore, huh? Let's switch to a new car."
He meant the Audis blocking the Sonata front and back.
Then Yeong-woo spoke again.
"If you want to get torn apart, now's your last chance. There are exactly two cars, so if you've changed your mind, get lost now.