Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 112
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Chapter 112: On a Pitch Black Night (6)
Five Heroes of Shanxi.
Swordmaster, London.
Milan’s Guardian Sword.
Tokyo’s sword inspector.
Chicago’s slaughterer.
After memorizing the faces and names of the five strong men shown on TV, Yeongwoo took a shower for the first time in a while, washing his body soaked in blood.
Still, he kept turning over the strange experience he had earlier in his mind.
‘Then, could there be someone who saw me through the television?’
Even if there was such a person, there wouldn’t be many.
Because using a television required a significant amount of money, one had to be wealthy enough to integrate a large area like this or burn tens of thousands of karma in one night.
‘Normally, you can only watch TV in a rented state… I wonder if they broadcasted me taking a shower.’
Thinking like this, Yeongwoo came out of the bathroom and put on his equipment one by one.
And finally.
Click.
Wearing a black cloak, he reflected on the day’s last tasks.
「Black Wind Cloak」- Hero’s Cloak
【Nullifies Obsidian Rain.】
When it’s soon 11 p.m., he had to go out to the street where the obsidian rain, which destroys the body, falls.
‘It says to spend one night for an achievement… How long exactly does that mean?’
[Nocturnal]
|Spend a night outside your residence.
It was unclear whether it meant until 10 a.m. when the rental ends, or simply until sunrise.
Perhaps at any time, the achievement might be completed when the rain stops.
The reason spending a night outside the residence could be an “achievement” was simply because the weather was dangerous.
‘Whatever, I have to go out to find out.’
The current time, 10:54 p.m.
Since the long-awaited obsidian rain would fall in about 6 minutes, Yeongwoo prepared to go out in earnest.
He turned off the problematic television, checked if he had all his equipment.
Then he put on the Dragon’s Legacy and Underdog on his waist, and held Dullahan’s sword in his hand.
If he encountered something outside in the rain, it was more likely to be a monster than a person.
In that case, the Black Sword was the most versatile.
Now, even his height had grown, so the maximum extension length of the sword would have increased.
Thud.
Eventually, as Yeongwoo opened the door of the guest room with the golden goblin, and came out into the corridor, Lim Suna, who happened to be waiting for the elevator on the other side of the corridor, turned back with surprised eyes.
“Uh… Where are you going? Yeongwoo.”
Then she looked at her wristwatch, wondering if she was correct.
The current time, 10:56 p.m.
4 minutes left until he would be torn apart if he stayed outside the room.
With an awkward smile, Yeongwoo walked slowly down the corridor.
“I guess the assistant manager is going home from work.”
“Yes… that’s right.”
Lim Suna looked at Yeongwoo suspiciously.
So Yeongwoo explained to her truthfully.
“I’m going out for a bit. I’ll come back when it’s bright.”
“You’re going outside?”
Lim Suna’s mouth hung open.
Leaving for the “outside” after the sun had completely set in this world was synonymous with an impossible agreement.
Other than the fact that abnormal weather killed people, nothing else was known, an undeniable realm.
“Can’t I just go outside?”
“Usually, that’s the case…”
Ding!
Since the elevator Suna was waiting for arrived just then, Yeongwoo bid her farewell without continuing the conversation.
“You go down first. I’ll take the stairs.”
“Wait, but…”
Just as Lim Suna was about to say something, Yeongwoo darted sideways like an arrow.
* * *
10:58 p.m.
Arriving at the hotel lobby, Yeongwoo glanced briefly at the elevator Suna had taken, still descending.
Then he passed through the spacious lobby and went out through the main entrance where his horse was parked.
Click, click.
As Yeongwoo stepped outside with a clang, his horse, which had been coiled up, unfolded with a loud noise.
-Kwii…!
Yeongwoo lightly mounted its back and grasped the black reins.
Following him, the golden goblin also climbed onto the horse.
-Keet!
“Are you okay? It’s about to rain soon.”
Yeongwoo asked the goblin, who seemed to understand and looked up at the sky.
And right on cue.
Kurrrrrrr…
An unusual sound echoed from somewhere high in the sky.
That was probably thunder.
Then, indeed.
Kwarrang!
A much larger thunderbolt struck, illuminating the sky with a brilliant flash.
“….!”
And at that moment, Yeongwoo saw it.
It was fleeting, but countless dots appeared in the sky illuminated by the lightning.
Kwaaaaaaa…!
Soon, a sound like that of cars driving in a long tunnel echoed.
“…It’s coming.”
The abnormal weather that erased the concept of “night” in this world.
Yeongwoo was witnessing the beginning of one of them for the first time.
「00:00:00」
As the time decreased to zero, the abnormal weather timer disappeared before Yeongwoo’s eyes, and at the same time, his vision began to split vertically into countless pieces.
Kududududuk!
“Oh my god.”
Obsidian rain.
It was literal.
Chunks of obsidian formed into icicle-like shapes fell from the sky, shattered upon hitting the ground, and melted away into the air.
Kwajak!
‘At this level, my body will not be damaged but rather turned into minced meat.’
Yeongwoo raised his arm, and the moment the obsidian rain touched his forearm, he saw it melt away.
This was the effect of the “Black Wind Cloak.”
On the other hand, the laws of physics applied normally to Negwig and the golden goblin.
This is because obsidian was continuously embedded in the outer shell of the four ears, making a loud noise as it broke.
Kakang, Kang! Kang!
The golden goblin also couldn’t get a grip due to the obsidian rain hitting its forehead, but despite that, it seemed like the lethality of this rain was only effective against creatures native to Earth.
“Hide under the cloak. You’ll feel better that way.”
Yeongwoo handed the end of the cloak to the golden goblin, then slowly pulled the reins to drive Negwig.
Where to?
He didn’t know yet.
The achievement system only gave him the mission to spend the night outside, nothing else.
He wondered if there might be a nighttime-specific quest, but there wasn’t one available.
There was only the obsidian rain and the dark cityscape, which split his vision haphazardly.
‘At least for a few hours… Let’s go outside Seoul for now.’
Just as monster hunters who hadn’t set foot in Seoul went to Gyeonggi Province or even farther, Yeongwoo decided to leave Seoul this time.
And while at it.
‘To the north.’
Toward the closest “foreign” country, North Korea.
As Yeongwoo drove Negwig northward, the creature emitted a sharp noise in the heart of Gangnam.
-Kwiiiiick!
Then Yeongwoo began to dash quickly in the direction he had chosen.
Kwasssh!
As a result, the windows of nearby residences, which were in a state of lodging and the lights were on, were opened one after another.
They thought that a monster that only appears at night had appeared.
Of course, Yeongwoo, riding an iron horse and waving a black cloak amidst the obsidian rain that tore people apart, looked like a monster to anyone who saw him.
Kwassh, kwakk!
In this way, Yeongwoo crossed Seoul, alternating between the noisy sound of iron hooves and Negwig’s cries, heading north.
Starting from Gangnam, he crossed the Han River, passed through Jung-gu, Seodaemun, and Eunpyeong, and finally set foot in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province.
Pat!
|The current residence area is “Goyang.”
|The Strongest Sword in this area is “Park Jeongjin02.” Rank 1, Defense 42.
‘Park Jeongjin…02. Goyang is still strong.’
Indeed, the population of Goyang is about twice that of most districts in Seoul.
So if someone became the strongest Sword in such a place, how strong would they be?
A whopping 42 defenses, and “1st Rank” indicating they monopolized all growth factors from the first day of reset.
In addition, the identification number 02 allowed them to see the opponent’s moves.
However, they probably couldn’t stop abnormal weather, so by now, they were likely taking shelter from the rain in their residence.
Kwassh!
Just like before, Yeongwoo quickly passed through Goyang, spreading nighttime ghostly rumors in Gyeonggi Province.
It is said that from the night of the fourth day of reset, a monster wandering through abnormal weather appeared.
Kwak, Kwatt!
Having swiftly passed through Goyang, Yeongwoo finally arrived at Paju, where the North Korean Kaesong Industrial Complex and the border were located.
And then.
Pot!
And then.
Thud!
|The current residence area is “Paju.”
|There is no Strongest Sword in this area.
Yeongwoo learned that there was no Strongest Sword in Paju.
‘Could it be that Goyang’s Strongest Sword absorbed it?’
There was a fairly high possibility of that.
Because.
“Ah.”
As he went a bit further north, he spotted a pillar of red light burning fiercely in the distance.
Proof that Paju was unable to deal with mutants.
Probably, the Strongest Sword in Paju had always been vacant.
Kwaaaaaaa……!
Perhaps it was because of the darkened surroundings, but the mark seemed much larger and darker than usual.
Kwassh!
As Yeongwoo drove Negwig straight toward the pillar of red light, he noticed the mark, which had been stationary all this time, momentarily flinch.
It probably caught wind of the “scent” from this direction.
Now, the distance to the mutants was about 2 kilometers.
Judging by the location of the mark, the opponent was not staying in the city center but somewhere near the nearby mountains.
‘Hiding to avoid the rain.’
Considering how the golden goblin had been tormented by the obsidian rain hitting its forehead, it was highly likely that the abnormal weather wasn’t pleasant for the mutants either.
Kwassh!
Eventually, the distance between Yeongwoo and the pillar of red light in the mountains decreased to several hundred meters, and at that moment, the eerie voice characteristic of mutants pierced the darkness.
「Why would you seek a monk on such a foul day?」
“…?”
A strange tone.
Anyway, having confirmed the presence of mutants in the mountains, Yeongwoo leaped off Negwig.
Thud!
“I didn’t come here to fight. If you’re okay with it, let’s have a conversation.”
In Korea, Yeongwoo was the only one who could try to negotiate with mutants like this.
However, the mutant in the mountains, who had no idea about this fact, responded with an incredulous tone.
「Haha! The stench is so strong, and the fourth of the Ten Evils is falsehood.」
Then the trees in the mountains began to rustle.
‘It’s coming.’
What kind of mutant would it be this time? No, more importantly.
‘Who on earth speaks like that?’
Yeongwoo felt that his opponent was likely large, so instead of his black sword, he pulled out his Underdog.
Swish!
And right on cue.
Kwoong!
A bulky silhouette emerged from the mountains where the voice had come from.
「Yaaaap!」
The opponent was none other than.
[Monk – Jo Seungtae]
It was none other than Jo Seungtae, also known as the “Colorful Robber.”
He was infamous for crimes such as drunk driving, sexual assault, and aggravated assault, with fewer sins he hadn’t committed physically.
Yeongwoo had heard his name through the news, as he was notorious enough.
For this reason, he was now running towards Yeongwoo as a half-dragon, half-rooster creature, a cockatrice.
Thud, thud, kugung!
As the distance between them narrowed, the red jewel on Yeongwoo’s belt, indicating a presence of Grade 2 or lower, glowed brightly.
Yeongwoo, pulling out the jewel with his left hand, spoke sharply.
“Even scum like you gets a reaction from this sword, signifying you’re still considered human. Let me erase you from this world altogether.”
In response, Jo Seungtae bulged his eyes and opened his large beak.
「The monk has repented all sins! You too, shut your mouth and repent!」
Gruuuu…!
At first, Yeongwoo thought the beak was merely opening to speak, but as the dialogue ended, he felt a chilling energy gathering inside the creature’s maw.
‘What is that…?’
「Dieeeeee!」
Suddenly, a gray breath spewed from the creature’s gaping beak, but by then, Yeongwoo had already rolled away in an evasive maneuver to the side.
「This…!」
Caught off guard by Yeongwoo’s unexpectedly agile movement, Jo Seungtae was still in shock when Yeongwoo swung both the Dragon’s Legacy and the Underdog he held in his hands simultaneously.
Shiaaaaat!
As the weapons traced an X in the dim darkness, a flash of light followed along the path of the sword, and soon, the outline of a Dogo symbol appeared right where they intersected.
[Grade 2 Advertisement Space Utilization]
-The company logo will be printed on the weapon’s trajectory.
And at the point where the patterns of the two weapons overlapped.
「Kkuk…!」
There lay the severed head of Jo Seungtae, the third mutant in Paju.
Yeongwoo had split his head into four pieces, to be precise.
Tsrrrrup!
As the heavy head of Jo Seungtae split into four pieces and fell to the ground, a white beam of light shot up into the sky from where his head had been.
Then…
“Huh…?”
Instead of the golden orb that should have appeared, a black orb manifested in its place.
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