Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 265

Chapter 265: Honest Tax Payment (2)

“Hyuh….”

Zhang Jaham’s voice faltered as he tried to call out to Jung Dae-hyeop. He couldn’t bring himself to say the word ‘hyeop.’

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing—killing everyone else to become the sole stakeholder of the Earth.

Was this something a sane person would say?

“You’re not serious, are you?”

Zhang Jaham asked, turning to Yeongwoo, who had been staring at Jiazol.

“What do you mean?”

“…I mean the monopolizing the stakes of the Earth. What you just said….”

“Oh.”

Yeongwoo responded as if it was nothing, causing Zhang Jaham’s eyes to widen even more.

“Well, the stakes of the Earth are indeed incomparable in value, but…”

“Don’t worry too much.”

“…Pardon?”

“If someone is designated as a faithful taxpayer, they’re probably not as good as you think.”

It was essentially a self-introduction.

“Just think of it as monsters fighting each other. The last one standing gets to own the Earth.”

“But surely among them, there must be!”

“If there are good people among them, it’ll show. If I meet someone truly good, I’ll reconsider.”

“……!”

Although he didn’t believe it would happen, if the situation Zhang Jaham was worried about did arise, Yeongwoo meant he would consider it then.

Zhang Jaham had no more words to say.

‘A… a devil. Truly walking the path of a heretic.’

Zhang Jaham of Shandong Twin Evils didn’t consider himself good, but standing before this true evil sent chills down his spine.

This guy was even a cosmic evil.

He was already coveting China and wanted to swallow up the entire planet.

“So, there’s a high chance that Im Dupyeong is also a faithful taxpayer. That’s one more reason to kill him.”

While Yeongwoo muttered this, Jiazol slowly rose.

-If it’s alright, I’ll take my leave now.

Yeongwoo shoved Jiazol’s business card into his pocket and blocked his path.

Swoosh!

-……!

Jiazol’s large pupils shook pitifully.

Yeongwoo, on the other hand, calmly said,

“Since you’re leaving, let me ask you one more thing.”

-…Please, go ahead.

“Is the faithful tax payment required only until the planetary stake is acquired?”

Jiazol’s face showed he didn’t immediately understand Yeongwoo’s question.

-Pardon?

Then, he regained his composure and recited his official line in a bureaucratic tone.

-Paying taxes is a duty as a member of this universe…

“Yes, that’s correct. But after acquiring the stake, there’s no relation between the tax amount and the acquisition, right?”

Yeongwoo asked if the secured stake would remain unaffected even if the tax amount decreased afterward.

And to this, Jiazol reluctantly admitted,

-…That is correct.

He had no choice but to tell the truth since, theoretically, there was no issue with that.

“I see. Thank you for your hard work.”

Only after hearing Jiazol’s answer did Yeongwoo step aside.

He had gotten the answer he wanted.

‘From the moment I acquire the stake, I can start looking for… no, devising tax-saving strategies.’

The price of tax evasion is death.

Therefore, it cannot be avoided. But he could minimize the tax amount.

Just like he was already benefiting from special deductions for single-parent families and dependents.

However, those unaware of cosmic paperwork were likely paying enormous taxes even now.

‘Sorry, but the faithful taxpayers need to die.’

As Yeongwoo, harboring vague murderous intent, was about to leave the private room, Jiazol raised his hand towards the sky.

-The one who faithfully pays taxes is the master of this planet.

It seemed to be the slogan of the temporary jurisdiction 060II42 National Tax Service.

Then, a beam of light descended from the sky, sucking Jiazol up.

Swoosh!

‘Traveling on beams of light. He truly is a cosmic bureaucrat.’

Yeongwoo looked up at the ceiling where Jiazol had disappeared, his eyes filled with envy.

Then, Zhang Jaham cautiously approached.

“Dae-hyeop… what are you going to do now?”

“What do you think? First, save China from the dictator who became an alien puppet….”

Then, collect tribute from as many Chinese cities as possible.

“And use that money as a base to enter North America.”

“…Ah, so you have a plan, Dae-hyeop.”

A crazy plan, that was.

Zhang Jaham broke out in a cold sweat.

But paradoxically, he also felt that they were on the correct ship for this insane world.

“But… why North America? Is it because of the planetary stake?”

The planetary stake.

It was still a concept he didn’t fully grasp, but Zhang Jaham knew he had to master the art of conversation with Jeong Yeongwoo to survive.

“Yes. The stake issue is part of it, but there’s also an achievement I need to accomplish there.”

This referred to the legendary achievement “Golden Typhoon.”

[Golden Typhoon]

|Summon the golden rain by any of the following four methods. (2/4)

– In the North American continent.

– When two entities with #chaebol and #dragon attributes are fighting.

– When a level 2 or higher extra-dimensional being visits.

There were two conditions left to fulfill for the achievement. And thanks to Pangaea, summoning the golden rain on the North American continent became possible.

‘But first, I need to settle things in China. As long as Im Dupyeong is alive, I can’t predict when he might push into the Korean Peninsula.’

As Yeongwoo set these short- to mid-term goals, he noticed something flashing at the bottom of his achievement window.

“……?”

Yeongwoo scrolled down to the very bottom of the achievement window.

Flash!

He saw the Pangaea achievement blinking in and out.

[Pangaea]

|Witness the movement of a continent during tectonic shifts.

“What, what is this?”

The achievement “Pangaea,” which he failed to complete even after witnessing the Korean Peninsula attaching to China, was suddenly reacting.

‘China isn’t moving right now, is it?’

As Yeongwoo looked around, Zhang Jaham stared at him frightenedly.

“Dae-hyeop, is there another problem? If there’s anything more, please tell me in advance.”

“No, it doesn’t seem to be a China issue.”

Yeongwoo’s eyes blinked rapidly.

His mind, already quickly adapting to this bizarre world, was racing again.

‘What could it be? This achievement requires witnessing a continent moving. But is there another landmass around here that could be considered a continent…?’

Then Yeongwoo’s mouth dropped open.

There was only one conclusion.

‘Could it be, Australia? Is Australia coming?’

Australia.

The youngest of Earth’s four major continents, known as Meganesia or the Australian continent.

And Meganesia, while unlikely, was a continent that could potentially attach to the Korean Peninsula.

Of course, this would require pushing aside Indonesia and the Philippines and a long journey north.

‘Unbelievable. Is that vast landmass sailing all day?’

What kind of world was this?

But Yeongwoo knew well.

There was no such thing as “unbelievable” in this world.

So, what was the next step?

“If the Australian continent is approaching, where should I go?”

“Pardon?”

“…….”

Seeing Zhang Jaham’s puzzled face, Yeongwoo immediately left the private room.

He decided there was no need to stay here any longer.

“You know the money, right? Send it to Incheon tomorrow!”

“A-ah, Dae-hyeop!”

“Take care of your throat, and see you next time!”

Tat-tat!

Yeongwoo jumped on the Negwig waiting outside City Hall.

Just then, Wu Qingjin, who was returning with the golden goblin, greeted him.

“Dae-hyeop! Leaving already?”

“Yes, something urgent came up. If the executive committee retaliates, don’t intervene. Send someone to Seoul.”

With those words, Yeongwoo sped off southwards with the goblin riding behind him.

* * *

If the Australian continent were to move north, where would it attach?

Simply put, it seemed likely it would attach to the vast southern part of China, but Yeongwoo’s guess was different.

‘Above Australia are Indonesia, the Philippines, and Taiwan. To the right is Papua New Guinea.’

So, if these countries don’t all break apart at sea, they’d definitely attach to a nearby continent.

Just like Yeongjongdo between Incheon and Shandong Province.

The scale was different, but Yeongwoo had seen a similar case directly.

So he could create a tectonic shift sample with some justification.

‘If the Australian continent doesn’t split in half and moves up while maintaining its shape….’

In that case, naturally, half of Indonesia would attach to Vietnam, and the rest would push up with the Philippines and attach to southern China.

…In the process, Papua New Guinea might get pushed up and wrap around the southern coast of China or even detach entirely and connect to the southeastern part of Japan.

Anyway, the most important thing in this situation was where to go to see the Australian continent approaching, and Yeongwoo’s answer to this was:

‘…Jeju Island?’

As expected, Jeju Island should be connected to Wando due to the Pangaea event.

In other words, if he reached Wando by passing through Mokpo and Haenam, he would naturally be able to see Jeju Island, now accessible by land.

‘I don’t even know what I’m talking about.’

Nevertheless, that was the situation.

To see the Australian continent sailing at high speed, he had to go to Jeju Island.

‘If I keep running straight to Wando… I might arrive around 9 o’clock.’

Due to the Pangaea event connecting parts of the Korean Peninsula and China, the straight-line distance was shortened, making it possible.

However, he wouldn’t be able to return to Seoul in time, so he would have to sleep near Wando or Jeju Island.

‘Of course, I could theoretically sleep in Australia too.’

Thinking this, Yeongwoo was already heading southeast.

* * *

8:14 PM.

Yeongwoo, who had left Yantai, Shandong Province, and crossed the Chinese land, encountered strange terrain before 9 PM.

He reached a place where ambiguous land stretched out, neither fully plains nor mountains.

Moreover, dry land suddenly alternated with mudflats.

“What is this place?”

Was this a side effect of the Pangaea event?

Tilting his head in confusion, Yeongwoo soon understood by looking at the region status window that appeared.

Flash!

| You are currently in the ‘Shinan’ region.

| The Strongest Sword of this region is ‘Park Cheongwon01’. 1st, Defense 188.

This was the infamous Shinan.

An archipelago made up of over a thousand islands.

The reason Yeongwoo felt a sense of discord in the geography of the area was because of this.

‘188 defenses? That’s no ordinary feat.’

Although curious about what Shinan was like post-reset, Yeongwoo had a more urgent matter at hand.

He needed to complete the Pangaea achievement.

This achievement required him to witness Australia moving towards the Korean Peninsula.

Arriving after the two lands had already connected would be meaningless.

“Move!”

Seeing a group of swordsmen who seemed to be Shinan residents, Yeongwoo made a threatening sound.

Meanwhile,

“Who is that guy?”

“A talking horse…?”

“Huh? That face looks familiar…?”

The swordsmen looked bewildered, recalling the fleeting black figure that had just passed by.

“Everyone, get out of my way!”

Yeongwoo kept shouting at those blocking his path as he passed through Shinan County.

Eventually,

Flash!

| You are currently in the ‘Haenam’ region.

| The Strongest Sword of this region is ‘Kim Hyungbeom06’. 2nd generation, defended 41 times.

Yeongwoo had reached Haenam, where Kim Hyungbeom reigned supreme.

‘Who would have thought I’d come to the southernmost village?’

As Yeongwoo wore an incredulous expression, the ground began to shake slightly beneath him, or rather, it really started shaking.

Rumble…

‘I’m an expert at this. I’m not too late.’

As he had expected, the Australian continent was indeed rushing toward the Korean Peninsula.

And just as if waiting for this moment,

Ping!

With a clear signal sound, a new urgent quest appeared.

[Urgent] “Finally, Global Village”

[Mission] Select Dogo as a cooperative partner for the Pangaea rewards.

[Reward] 5 million Karma

“What?”

Yeongwoo re-read the quest.

Although it was called a quest, strictly speaking, this was…

‘Isn’t this a sole-source contract request?’

[Mission] Select Dogo as a cooperative partner for the Pangaea rewards.

What kind of Pangaea rewards were they that he needed to select a ‘cooperative partner’?

Whatever it was, it seemed clear that some kind of business rights were at stake.

So, Yeongwoo,

“Whew.”

After taking a deep breath, looked up at the sky and spoke clearly.

“Do you still see me as the Yeongwoo who was happy with small change? I will become the owner of the Earth. Bring more money.”

———-