Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 326

Chapter 326: Negotiation (1)

—What’s going on? Why are you so surprised?

Song Jiseon, seeing her son’s expression, was surprised herself.

What on earth could startle this monster of a kid so much?

It seemed that something only the mayor could see had appeared again, so Jiseon asked again.

—Don’t keep it to yourself; discuss it with your parents. Do you think you’re fighting this war alone?

Yeongwoo couldn’t take his eyes off the representative profile of the naked agent, and finally turned to look at his mother.

“They’re completely naked.”

—What?”

Jiseon’s voice instantly twisted in shock.

“I don’t know why, but apparently the agent from the Lemu side is naked. Maybe because they’re in the adult industry?”

It seemed almost too straightforward for a company that deals with intergalactic adult content.

Yeongwoo found it hard to believe.

—Naked? Does that mean they’re not even wearing any gear? Are they really going into battle like that?

Jiseon found it just as difficult to understand, and Yeongwoo could only scratch his chin.

“I mean, I wouldn’t know. Still, as a representative, they probably have no choice but to do what their sponsor tells them to do…”

—What? So if these Dogo guys told you to strip down right now, would you actually consider it? Or do even worse things?

“…”

Faced with such a loaded question, Yeongwoo looked at his mother with a mix of disgust and bewilderment.

But it was a sharp question.

In fact, he hadn’t thought about it in those terms before.

The humiliations he’d endured while working with Dogo so far were limited to announcing his sponsorship to his opponents.

Even that had become so routine that he no longer found it humiliating.

“Stripping… Once you get used to it, after being financially compensated enough times, it might not be such a big deal.”

—Crazy kid.

“Of course, I don’t know what I’d actually do if it came down to it. But one thing’s for sure—I’d consider it very seriously.”

Yeongwoo thought that the Lemu representative might have chosen “stripping” for a similar reason.

Just as Dogo operated with a rather ruthless business philosophy, Lemu must have its own unique way of doing things.

‘Well… the fastest way would be to just summon them and ask directly.’

Yeongwoo recalled the notification he saw at the start.

「Register your representative profile and choose the first organization to invite to the negotiation table.」

‘So, after registering my profile, I can summon an organization? I’ll just pick Lemu then.’

It didn’t matter who he met first since he planned to crush both Mara and Lemu eventually, but after learning that the Lemu representative was completely naked, he couldn’t resist the urge to meet them.

Why were they waiting for battle in the nude, and what kind of compensation did they receive for it?

‘Hmm. I’m curious to see where this weirdo lives.’

As Yeongwoo pondered his curiosity, a short alert sounded, indicating that his keyword extraction was complete.

「Extraction complete. Please review the representative profile below and choose the first organization to invite to the negotiation table.」

‘Oh…’

Finally, his profile was complete.

Yeongwoo, curious about how the system would evaluate him, quickly looked over at his profile.

The first thing that caught his eye was the name of his affiliated agency, “Dogo.”

『Dogo』

| Representative Type: Demon |

| The representative of Dogo is insane! They don’t even possess a [heart] of humanity. They are [unpredictable] and a [cosmic] presence. They covet all the [money] you have. Avoid encounters if possible. |

“…What.”

Yeongwoo felt momentarily taken aback when he saw his profile.

He wasn’t sure if this was an insult or a compliment.

Of course, the purpose of this profile was to help competitors decide on their first negotiation target.

‘Not that it really matters whether it’s a compliment…’

But it was impossible not to feel a slight sting seeing the system label him as “insane.”

‘Am I that crazy even by cosmic standards?’

As Yeongwoo pondered this, a real-time notification popped up in front of his eyes.

Pop!

「Representative Mara has reviewed your profile.」

「Representative Lemu has reviewed your profile.」

“Oh.”

Both the heavily armed representative of Mara and the naked representative of Lemu were now awake.

‘Well, with the address reveal approaching, it would be strange if they were sleeping.’

Once his thoughts reached this point, Yeongwoo finally got out of bed.

Then, at last, the options related to the “negotiation table” appeared.

「Please select one representative to meet at the negotiation table.」

「If both representatives select each other, a portal to the negotiation table will open. At the table, relatively safe conversations can take place, and official agreements may be made.」

It was literally an opportunity for actual negotiations.

Moreover, it wasn’t just a simple conversation; if they reached some sort of agreement, they could make it official.

‘But if neither side picks the other, there won’t be any negotiations.’

For instance, if Dogo chose Lemu, Lemu chose Mara, and Mara chose Dogo, then no one would have picked each other.

‘Well, let’s go with… Lemu?’

Based on the descriptions, the Mara side seemed stronger, but he was tired of meeting strong opponents.

He’d met enough powerful entities on and off Earth to be sick of them.

Now, he was more interested in the “weird ones.”

‘Lemu… I’ll go with Lemu.’

As Yeongwoo muttered this to himself, the system immediately responded.

「Representative Jung Yeongwoo07 of Dogo has invited Lemu to the negotiation table.」

Then, the representatives who had invited Yeongwoo to the table were revealed.

「Representative Lemu has invited you.」

「Representative Mara has invited you.」

“Huh? An unanimous vote?”

Both Lemu and Mara had chosen Dogo’s representative.

Since the negotiation table offered a “relatively” safe space for conversation, it seemed that the others felt drawn to the most dangerous-looking profile.

「You may now initiate negotiations with the Lemu representative. Would you like to open the portal?」

“Right now? Immediately?”

Yeongwoo, surprised, muttered aloud, and Jiseon beside him tilted her head.

—What’s happening now?”

“I can initiate preliminary negotiations right now.”

—Negotiate what? Aren’t you all just going to end up fighting anyway?”

“Right? I’ll find out once I sit down.”

Yeongwoo, like his mother, wasn’t exactly sure what they’d be negotiating.

It wasn’t as if they’d propose going to war without killing each other, was it?

Once he gave his approval to open the negotiation table, a large portal opened on one side of his room.

Shwaaaa!

This portal was different from the ones he’d seen before, appearing as a large, dark blue ring of light.

—Is that the entrance to the negotiation hall?”

“Yes.”

—This is still our domain, and yet they can just open a passageway without any restrictions?”

A true leader’s perspective.

It was a perspective fitting for the head of a global corporation.

In the midst of it all, Jiseon felt a kind of threat and discomfort.

“They did ask for my consent before opening it.”

However, depending on the situation, they could probably open a portal without permission if they wanted to.

Hadn’t foreign powers, as well as other entities, been recklessly invading this planet?

And perhaps that was because the rightful owner of this planet had yet to be determined.

“Take care. Please look after Father and Madam.”

Yeongwoo asked his mother to watch over them as he stepped into the portal leading to the negotiation table.

* * *

Cold.

The first thing Yeongwoo felt upon passing through the portal was the chill.

It wasn’t an intense cold that stung his skin, but it was enough to feel uncomfortably chilly.

“Seriously, calling someone here and this is what we get? At the very least, they could have adjusted the temperature.”

The space beyond the navy-blue portal was a small room, about 8 meters in diameter.

In the center of the room was a table, roughly 2 meters wide, and chairs were arranged around it so that people could face each other.

In other words:

‘If someone starts a fight here, there’s no way to avoid it.’

The room was too cramped for two of the strongest representatives of each nation on the brink of war.

And, as expected…

≪This space is a public resource managed by the Planetary Court. Acts of property damage, assault, and murder are strictly prohibited.≫

A warning message appeared, almost as if it had been waiting for this very moment.

Then another message followed.

≪If you experience any inconvenience while using this space, please press the button on the side to open an exit.≫

“An exit?”

It was only now that Yeongwoo noticed there wasn’t a separate exit in the room.

And that there was a small button on either side of the room.

‘So if I stop my opponent from pressing it, I can prevent them from escaping, too.’

But with violence strictly prohibited—let alone killing—he’d have to subdue his opponent without striking.

‘In this space, what exactly constitutes an act of violence…?’

While Yeongwoo was mulling this over, a navy-blue portal finally appeared on the opposite side.

Swoosh!

“……!”

The representative of Lemu was entering.

Thud.

Yeongwoo instinctively reached to draw his weapon but barely stopped himself in time.

And then…

Whoosh.

A figure finally emerged from the portal.

‘No way.’

Yeongwoo’s pupils widened in shock as he caught sight of the pale figure.

The man representing Lemu stood completely naked.

A towering figure of about two meters, appearing to be in his early 40s, but with such well-developed muscles that it was clear he had enhanced his physique.

Yet, his unblemished, pale skin, hollow eyes, and wild beard gave him a deeply unsettling appearance.

It was as if his face and body didn’t belong to the same person.

Not that Yeongwoo was much different, but at least he had clothes on.

“Ah, you’re an East Asian, I see.”

The man who came to the negotiation table on behalf of Lemu spoke, observing Yeongwoo.

Yeongwoo tried to check the title above the man’s head but quickly realized there was nothing there.

“You don’t have a title.”

When Yeongwoo pointed to the man’s head with his armored finger, the man nodded, intrigued.

“Indeed. Nor do you, sir.”

“…….”

He called him “sir.”

It was rare to hear someone address another with such formality.

“It seems that titles from our homelands hold no power here.”

The man extended an arm horizontally, then brought it to his chest, bowing his head.

It was an overly dramatic gesture.

“I am Yuto Kawachiya03, Sword Emperor of Tokyo, representing Lemu.”

“…….”

Upon closer inspection, the man’s fingers were exceptionally long.

Watching this giant naked man bowing oddly just seven meters in front of him gave Yeongwoo chills.

‘I… I want to kill him right now.’

Just as one instinctively wants to rid themselves of a giant insect when they feel disgust or fear, Yeongwoo couldn’t help but want to get this man named Yuto out of his sight.

But this was the domain of the Planetary Court.

Killing his opponent would land him in prison.

“I’m Jeong Yeongwoo07 from Korea. As you’re probably aware, I’m the representative of Dogo.”

Yeongwoo introduced himself simply and gestured to the negotiation table.

“Let’s sit down, for whatever it’s worth.”

At least by sitting down, he could hide half of this guy’s bare flesh behind the table.

Creak.

Yeongwoo pulled out a chair and sat down at the table first.

After some thought, Yuto followed suit and grabbed his chair.

“Why?”

“……?”

“Why is your type listed as ‘Demon’?”

|Representative Type: Demon

Yuto was referring to Yeongwoo’s profile.

Both Mara and Lemu were marked as “Human,” but Yeongwoo, the representative of Dogo, was listed as “Demon.”

“You look human enough to me.”

Yuto’s gaze landed on Yeongwoo’s chest, specifically near his heart.

He seemed to be recalling the profile note: Does not possess a human heart.

Yeongwoo shrugged and placed his hand on the negotiation table.

Thud.

“Well, you’ll find out soon enough. But more importantly, why are you naked?”

As Yeongwoo asked this, Yuto finally pulled his chair in and started to speak.

“The reason for my current state is actually…”

But before he could finish his sentence—

Beep!

A sharp signal blared as the table that both Yeongwoo and Yuto had their hands and elbows on lit up.

Whoosh!

“Huh?”

“What’s going on?”

≪Welcome to the negotiation table.≫

A holographic message appeared in front of both representatives.

And then the true nature of the “negotiation” was revealed.

Fwoosh!

Beams of light shot down from somewhere above them, creating five face-down cards in front of each person.

“What is this?”

Yeongwoo, who had seen all kinds of strange things, had never encountered anything like this, and it seemed that Yuto, the embodiment of “strange” himself, felt the same.

“Could it be a card game?”

He muttered in his peculiar tone, and soon an instruction appeared.

≪The negotiation will proceed with up to five proposals.≫

≪Each representative is given five cards reflecting their actual power. For each proposal, one card will be revealed to compete on a ‘power’ score.≫

‘No way.’

Yeongwoo looked down at the cards on the table in front of him.

So, in essence, they were going to play five rounds of card flipping.

The winner of each round, based on the ‘power’ of their card, could make a demand of the loser…

‘Is that it? Did I understand this correctly?’

As Yeongwoo silently questioned himself, the next message appeared right on cue.

≪Now, let the first negotiation begin.≫

≪Each representative, please pick a card to reveal for this round. If you win the power duel, you may state your negotiation demand.≫

‘Looks like we’ll have to pick a card before deciding on a demand.’

Following the instructions, Yeongwoo picked up the card at the center of his hand.

A help message appeared as he did so.

「You have selected your first card. Until the final negotiation decision, neither party will be able to see each other’s cards.」

In other words, they would only reveal their cards after deciding on their demands and seeing who won.

‘So if I’m confident in winning, I could set any outrageous condition I want, right?’

As he held his first card, Yeongwoo asked himself this question, and the help message responded promptly.

「The loser of each round not only has to accept the winner’s demand but also forfeits their own demand to the winner.」

‘Ah.’

Put simply, if he set a condition like “surrender at the start of the war” and lost the round, then he would have to fulfill that absurd condition himself.

‘So, in the end, we’re forced to gauge the strength of each other’s cards.’

Since he didn’t fully understand the rules of this game yet, Yeongwoo decided to be a bit cautious.

‘Let’s see what my first card is. I still don’t know what’s on it.’

Muttering to himself, Yeongwoo flipped the card he was holding.

Tiny, hail-like particles rained down onto the card as icy blue text appeared.

―[Mother, Who Returned from the Heavens] card has been drawn!

———-