Chapter 57

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 57: Different species (4)

A sudden chase on the road.

Even before the reset occurred, it would have been a particularly tense situation for Jongsu.

However, he remained surprisingly calm as he engaged in a chase in this harsh world.

Tick.

He was so composed that he could even turn on the emergency lights to warn the car behind before starting to decelerate.

Of course, a lot of credit for his calmness went to Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword sitting in the back seat.

The probability of someone stronger than Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword was extremely low, regardless of the pursuers’ identity.

But what Jongsu was more concerned about than that was nothing other than a rear-end collision.

If he suddenly slammed on the brakes and the cars behind crashed into him…

‘Then I’ll become a duck egg in the Nakdong River.’

Even aside from the fact that he could be seriously injured in such an accident, if he lost his means of transportation right away, unable to keep up with the mobility of the Strongest Sword, Jongsu would naturally be abandoned.

So, he was doing his best to ensure that the car did not suffer any damage.

Vroom…

As Jongsu turned on the emergency lights and decelerated, the two Audi cars chasing them also quickly slowed down.

Squeak!

One car passed Jongsu and Yeongwoo, blocking the direction they were heading, while the other one, as if indicating that it would block the exit, stopped closely behind.

“I’ve done this a couple of times before.”

Jongsu alternately looked around and applied the handbrake.

And in the meantime, people started getting out of the two Audi cars that surrounded the vehicle.

Clang!

The identity of the opponent who appeared from the wide-open doors was…

“…?”

“Oh? They’re kids.”

Jongsu’s statement was accurate.

They were at most in their late teens. There were a total of five of them.

Of course, each of them had a weapon, so it was insufficient to simply call them “kids,” but regardless, they were much younger than the two had expected.

“These little bastards… probably don’t even have a license yet? Is this really the end of the world, Hyung-nim?”

Jongsu, who usually referred to him as ‘Hyung-nim,’ couldn’t just stand by quietly in the face of such bold delinquents.

Clang!

Sure enough, with the gleam in Jongsu’s eyes, he pushed open the driver’s seat door.

Trusting Yeongwoo in the back seat was one thing, but Jongsu, who was also a skilled individual among civilians, was also curious.

But even if they were minors, were these guys who dared to commit vehicle robbery normal?

Thud!

Before Jongsu could fully open the driver’s seat door, a nimble boy jumped out and, using his body, pushed the door shut, blocking the road.

Boom!

“Don’t move, just stay still.”

The voice was as sharp as the appearance.

Looking inside through the car window, even a sense of hostility emanated.

“What? This little brat.”

Eventually, as Jongsu’s original temperament began to show, he tried to push the car door back onto the road, but this time, a sharp gesture came from his side.

Crack!

Suddenly, the passenger-side window shattered, and a long blade came in.

“What…!”

Turning his head to the side, Jongsu, who was already shocked by the approaching blade, was amazed to see the blade edge coming dangerously close to his neck.

Thud!

A hand that popped out from the back seat grabbed the blade.

Then he simply broke the sword into pieces as if breaking a cookie.

Jongsu who saw Yeongwoo’s skills turned his head back, even the ‘kids’ surrounding the car, had no choice but to turn their gaze to the back seat.

“Get close to the left, Mr. Jongsu.”

But even anticipating that there might be a companion for today’s prey, they never imagined that there would be a passenger who would wield a 5-meter-long black sword inside the car.

Swoosh!

The long blade extended from the back seat, targeting both the spear wielder and the shotgun-wielding co-pilot, creating a large arc as it swung, cutting them to pieces.

“Whoa! Fuck!”

The nimble boy saw his friend getting cut to pieces, and staggered back.

Thud!

Jongsu got out of the car, and with a swift motion, he struck the guy’s thigh with the car door.

Thunk!

“Ah!”

A flying teenager rolling on the ground.

In perfect timing, Yeongwoo also kicked open the back seat door, revealing himself outside.

Whoosh!

“Unbelievable. They’re all so young.”

It was 6:21 PM.

The newly improved form of Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword, Jung Yeongwoo 07, was shining oddly bright even before the sunset.

It was because of the golden achievement gear and the silver-white illusion that reflected the natural light.

“Huh.”

“What is this…?”

In fact, just looking at the appearance, it was an utterly ridiculous sight, but no one could find it amusing after what had just happened with this monstrous warrior.

Everyone was simply confused and frightened by the unexpected situation.

“Oh, sir… Please spare us. We’re sorry.”

Finally, the only girl among the bandits swiftly attempted to change her stance.

She dropped the knife she was holding and knelt down.

“If you let us go this time, we promise we’ll never do it again. Okay?”

Starting with the girl’s plea, the other two boys near Yeongwoo also knelt one after another.

“…Sorry.”

“Really sorry.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Although these guys also surrendered by dropping their weapons, Yeongwoo understood well.

This means that they would never have shown mercy to the weak they had encountered before.

Just looking at their attack method of forcefully pushing the spear into the driver’s seat window is evidence enough.

Moreover, the blade of the girl who first dropped her weapon was stained with blood and had a grim, eerie color.

“….”

After confirming that the weapons of the remaining guys were also tinged with red, Yeongwoo sighed and said.

“No need to apologize; you’re villains too.”

“…?”

“Yes.”

The delinquent teenagers raised their heads in surprise at the unexpected answer.

And soon, their comfort was disrupted by Yeongwoo’s dry voice.

“Don’t think of me as someone who goes easy on the young. You guys are going to die here.”

“….!”

The three youths who had been kneeling with faces that looked like they were about to cry changed their expressions to a cold one as soon as they heard Yeongwoo’s words.

Then, they exchanged some kind of signal with each other.

Swish!

Very quickly, each of them reached for their weapons.

Their intention was clear; all three simultaneously planned to attack Yeongwoo.

But their opponent was not just anyone; he was Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword.

Shhh!

As soon as they showed their hostility, a black trail split the air, and soon after.

Thud, thud, thud…

Three adorable heads fell to the ground in succession.

Of course, the only ones who witnessed this scene were Yeongwoo and Jongsu, as well as the ‘clever guy’ who was still clutching his thigh on the ground.

“Um, well…”

Soon, Jongsu, alternating between glancing at the last trembling boy on the ground and the three heads that had rolled away, murmured.

Though he still knew that these guys were villains and had tried to kill him, witnessing the heads rolling weakened his resolve.

“……”

Observing him closely, Yeongwoo tilted his head and said.

“Surprising, Mr. Jongsu. Haven’t you been through all sorts of life-and-death situations?”

“Well, that’s true… But killing monsters and killing people are somewhat different, don’t you think? It’s more instinctive…”

Jongsu chuckled.

However, Yeongwoo wasn’t laughing.

No, rather, he looked perplexed as he glanced at the early bird Jongsu was holding.

“Are you saying you’ve never killed a person? Even if it meant not committing murder at the exchange station because of that knife.”

The early bird, a special reward given to the first-come-first-served at the exchange station.

In Yeongwoo’s case, he made that comment because as soon as he received the sword, many people rushed at him.

But this time, Jongsu wore a puzzled expression.

“At the exchange station…? In a situation where I held a sword first, could it have led to murder? From that moment on, if I faced a threat, it would be different…”

“……”

Hearing Jongsu’s words, Yeongwoo seemed momentarily at a loss for words, as if he had been hit in the back of the head.

Well, it was only natural.

Jongsu was physically stronger than Yeongwoo and much more imposing.

That’s why, once he got hold of the early bird, no one dared to challenge him.

He didn’t look easy to deal with at all.

On the other hand, at that time, Yeongwoo…

‘Jeez.’

He felt a strange sense of defeat.

He knew well that his facial expression wasn’t being managed properly right now.

But it was truly unfair.

Even though the world had reset, not everyone had experienced the same world.

“So, have you really never killed anyone until now?”

“Well… I’ve been in situations where a fight almost broke out, but there haven’t been guys as crazy as this until now.”

Of course, this was just Jongsu’s one-sided story, highlighting his physical prowess.

Since becoming Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword, Yeongwoo had to keep fighting challengers who underestimated him.

“Well, anyway, hyung-nim… It doesn’t seem right to mindlessly kill them like this.”

“It’s not mindless. It’s making them pay for trying to kill us.”

“That’s true… but it feels a bit different.”

Jongsu let out a sigh, nervously stroking his chin.

For him, killing was a tremendous burden, crossing a line that should not be crossed.

In a way, Jongsu seemed like a thoroughly normal person.

“If you can’t do it, step aside. I don’t plan to spare a single one of them.”

As Yeongwoo approached the last bandit, exuding an intimidating aura, Jongsu twitched but eventually retreated.

Then, the boy who had been listening to their conversation intervened, grabbing Jongsu’s thigh with desperation.

“Hy… hyung! Please, stop that sir! We didn’t know any better! Please…!”

However, the boy’s plea didn’t last long.

Without any hesitation, Yeongwoo swung his sword, and Jongsu, who couldn’t see the movement, eventually stepped back.

What Jongsu clearly saw was…

Thud.

In the blink of an eye, the head had fallen from the boy’s body.

“….Huh.”

Jongsu shook his body unknowingly and stepped back, and the headless body fell to the ground with a twist in the air.

Fwoosh.

“I-Is this really happening, Hyung-nim?”

Jongsu, with a somewhat destroyed tone, stared at Yeongwoo alternately, who was searching the dead man’s pockets with composure.

“If you still don’t understand, think about how many people these kids might have killed. Also, think about what those people might have felt just before they died. I’ve been through it a bit, so I might understand.”

Yeongwoo spoke after finishing his words, glancing briefly at the partially shattered Sonata.

“That won’t roll anymore, right? Let’s switch to a new car.”

He was talking about the Audi that blocked the Sonata from moving forward.

Then, Yeongwoo opened his mouth again.

“If you want to be torn apart, this is your last chance. We have two cars now, so if you’ve changed your mind, leave now.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]