Chapter 99
Chapter 99
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 99
Chapter Title: 27. Supreme Sword Assembly (1)
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"Ah...!"
"Ugh."
As Young-woo finally swallowed the self-generation device, every First Sword watching twisted not just their faces but their entire bodies in shock.
'What the hell is this guy?'
'Isn't he scared...? How can he do this?'
Anything that crosses a certain line inevitably instills fear in the onlooker.
Everyone present felt dread toward Young-woo, who casually leaped over an unfathomable line.
Dongdaemun, Mapo, Seongbuk, Songpa, Yongsan, Dongjak, Gwanak.
At least seven regions' First Swords had now witnessed firsthand why they couldn't afford to make an enemy of him.
"Ugh!"
Of course, even Young-woo wasn't used to shoving an alien object into his body.
'Crazy, this is on a whole different level from coating my cornea.'
Because the self-generation device's volume was far larger than his esophagus, Young-woo's throat down to his stomach felt like it was being thoroughly churned right now.
Then, at some point, his roiling insides settled down.
Probably because his mutated stomach had finished integrating.
"......"
As Young-woo, now regaining his composure, stared silently at his abdomen, the First Swords, who had been keeping their distance, began to creep closer one by one.
And then they all stared fixedly at his belly.
In response, Young-woo gathered the lingering sticky aftertaste in his mouth with saliva and spat it out before speaking.
"Looks like it's all done. Sorry for startling you."
*Splash.*
「Self-Generation」 - Mutated Stomach
【You can live without eating.】
【Energy is self-generated.】
【--Empty Slot--】
Now, the self-generation tooltip was visible only to Young-woo.
Whenever he placed his hand on his belly, that is.
'Damn it.'
As expected, it didn't feel good.
The mutated cornea was ultimately just equipping something over his original body, but this was practically replacing part of his body with alien matter.
"Alright, then."
At last, Jo Sang-ik spoke up to lighten the mood.
"Let's tidy up the area... and prepare for the assembly."
And rightly so, since the assembly was already supposed to have started.
Current time: 3:02 PM.
By now, the latecomers should be entering Yongsan Park.
If the stragglers arrived in this already chaotic situation and saw Jeong Hyun-sik's corpse with its throat slit and belly sliced open...
"......"
Jo Sang-ik unwittingly shook his head and ordered Seoul University's inspectors to move Jeong Hyun-sik's body to the hearse.
Then he gave instructions to the Taewon Group employees still hovering uselessly near the hearse.
"Return to headquarters. And tell CEO Baek Do-hwan to prepare for the handover. Inform him that Gyeongbuk's First Sword will be staying in Gangnam."
At Jo Sang-ik's words, the Taewon Group employees hesitated for a moment before driving the hearse out of the park.
This left Young-woo unable to resist asking.
"...Who's Baek Do-hwan?"
"Taewon Group's head."
"Pardon...?"
"Not blood-related to Jeong Hyun-sik, though. To us, he's just administrative staff. You'll see when you meet him."
Baek Do-hwan47.
Former president of Taewon Life Insurance, current CEO of the major conglomerate 'Taewon.'
Yet Jo Sang-ik referred to Baek Do-hwan as 'just administrative staff' due to the world's bizarre structure.
Just like the government, private enterprises couldn't conduct any business without a First Sword's protection—and Taewon especially so.
Currently, Taewon was Gangnam's sole monster business operator, having even absorbed the Gangnam Police Station.
And the secret to Taewon's dominance was entirely 'Jeong Hyun-sik.'
With Gangnam's First Sword Jeong Hyun-sik being the sole survivor of the Taewon family, what more needed to be said?
'But he's no longer alive.'
Jo Sang-ik stared for a while at the Taewon Group hearse vanishing beyond his field of view.
All this time, other businesses in Gangnam had been crushed under the weight of Taewon, which was practically Jeong Hyun-sik's direct company, rendering them unable to operate.
Unable to touch monsters appearing in Gangnam, most had fled to the outskirts to make money, while a few shrewd ones took mercenary jobs in neighboring regions on the side.
If word suddenly spread that Jeong Hyun-sik was dead amid all this, what would happen?
A coup would erupt among the private sector.
The fact that the new First Sword who killed Jeong Hyun-sik had no ties to Taewon meant that whichever surviving business was present when the new First Sword arrived in Gangnam would claim Gangnam's business rights.
That's why Jo Sang-ik had indirectly informed the Taewon side of the situation.
Essentially, siding with the vested interests to prevent massive chaos.
"Alright, let's go."
Guiding Young-woo to the assembly site, Jo Sang-ik signaled Seoul University to disperse.
He worried the remaining incoming First Swords might react poorly to seeing the inspectors.
'Today's assembly has already undergone plenty of changes. Enough drama for one day.'
Jo Sang-ik's eyes gleamed sharply.
At the very least, he was swiftly adapting to the rapidly shifting Seoul landscape.
* * *
"B... I'm Park Sang-do."
Park Sang-do162.
Former Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism, current Prime Minister of the 'New Seoul Government.'
With the president absent, he was currently the government's top authority.
And because of that.
"......"
He was bowing 90 degrees to an opponent nearly thirty years his junior.
That opponent being none other than the new Gangnam First Sword, Jeong Young-woo.
Of course, the 'Gyeongbuk First Sword' title writhing above the man's head played a part in the fear.
"Ah, yes. I'm Jeong Young-woo. That's enough; you can straighten up now..."
As Young-woo extended both hands in a gesture to stop the bow, Park Sang-do jolted back upon seeing the iron gauntlets encasing them.
"I-It's fine! You're being very considerate."
Park Sang-do had witnessed from afar Young-woo killing Jeong Hyun-sik and slicing open his belly.
So to Park Sang-do, Young-woo's innocent-looking smile felt even more chilling than the other bloodthirsty First Swords.
'As expected, all First Swords are monsters...'
While Park Sang-do inwardly broke into a cold sweat, the first latecomer finally appeared.
Step, step.
Current time: 3:06 PM.
Despite being a full six minutes late, the one approaching with slow steps was none other than.
"Seocho First Sword, Choi Nam-hee. Former detective."
For the newbie Young-woo's benefit, Jo Sang-ik, sitting right beside him, provided the explanation.
According to him, Choi Nam-hee was a former violent crimes detective from Seocho Police Station and still led the charge in executing Seocho's criminals.
The difference being that before, he merely arrested them—now, he personally severed their heads.
"...I see. I've met a few former cops before."
Saying this, Young-woo stared fixedly at Choi Nam-hee, who had by now come quite close.
Choi Nam-hee, who appeared to be in his early forties, looked less like a cop and more like a thug.
Yet even so, wary of rash actions in First Sword society, he quickly restrained the feral glint in his eyes upon seeing the stranger Young-woo.
"Who's this...?"
Choi Nam-hee's gaze briefly touched then left the chair where Young-woo was seated.
The leather chair Young-woo's butt was planted on belonged to Gangnam First Sword Jeong Hyun-sik.
But since no one here was telling this outsider to get up, there was only one conclusion.
"Has Gangnam's First Sword changed?"
At Choi Nam-hee's question, Jo Sang-ik quietly nodded.
Choi Nam-hee glanced at the scorch marks on the grass that had been bothering him since earlier.
They looked like traces of a duel between Jeong Hyun-sik and this young man.
Seoul truly had no peaceful days.
In any case, if the seat had been taken through a proper duel, the opponent was a legitimate First Sword.
"I'm Choi Nam-hee of Seocho."
*Swish.*
As Choi Nam-hee extended his hand first, Dongdaemun First Sword Jang Jung-ho, who had been watching, let out a pointless cough.
"Yes. Jeong Young-woo."
Soon, Young-woo's right hand reached out in greeting.
*Thud.*
The two First Swords' hands clasped, but unlike with Jang Jung-ho, there was no power struggle.
Instead.
*Beep!*
An alarm rang in Young-woo's ear.
[Doggo] "Headhunter"
<Task> Sever 7 First Swords' necks.
<Reward> 7 million karma
<Special> In this task, you must disclose Doggo's support.
The long-dormant Doggo quest had reactivated.
'What...?'
This quest's reward was a whopping 7 million karma.
But the condition was absurd.
'7 First Sword necks... that means kill everyone here.'
Thanks to Choi Nam-hee's arrival, he could at least spare Jo Sang-ik, the closest to an ally.
In other words, blatantly intentionally set quest content.
Moreover, someone was clearly watching this scene in real-time from somewhere.
'These crazy bastards.'
As Young-woo unwittingly glared at the empty air, Choi Nam-hee, still shaking his hand, looked at the same spot with a strange expression.
But of course, there was nothing to see there.
"...Are you alright?"
For Choi Nam-hee, the best conclusion was that the new First Sword's mind was quite scattered.
No matter how much of a reset-world First Sword he was, he couldn't imagine someone receiving an alien's kill order.
"By the way, everyone's really late."
"Yeah. Yesterday, everyone except Seocho showed up on time, right?"
Meanwhile, the other First Swords were discussing why the rest were late to the assembly.
One of the assembly rules was that regions whose First Swords failed to appear by 3 PM were deemed defeated in battle against mutants.
And for regions presumed to have lost their First Sword, the Supreme Sword Assembly—i.e., the Seoul Federation—could intervene.
Meaning the First Swords gathered here could participate in hunting the mutants in absent regions.
"At this point, shouldn't we start moving?"
"No runners have come from anywhere, right?"
Mutants meant massive karma payouts.
As the assembly's First Swords began licking their lips according to their natures, a silhouette from the far side of the silent Yongsan Park started approaching at high speed.
*Flash!*
"......!"
This was almost certainly First Sword-level mobility.
Was one latecomer sprinting barefoot in a panic?
Some briefly thought so, but soon changed their minds.
Because.
"No, shit."
A red pillar of light trailed behind the silhouette in question.
The mutant marker, that pillar of light.
"A mutant marker at 3 PM...?"
The moment someone muttered this, every First Sword in the group drew their swords.
*Shing!*
The bounty hunt began.