Chapter 67

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 67: Strong Tiger’s Early Appearance (4)

Crash!

The man who came out of the motel with a loud noise was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his 50s.

“Sigh…”

His body was covered in bruises, as if something harsh had happened inside the motel.

Nevertheless, despite falling to the ground, he quickly tried to get up and flee.

And then.

Thud!

He collided headfirst with a patrol car that had stopped right in front of him.

“Oops.”

His condition, indicating a lack of awareness.

“Are you okay?”

As Byungcheol hastily got out of the car, the man opened his eyes wide.

“…!”

He saw the police uniform worn by Byungcheol.

But strangely, the emotion in the man’s eyes was not relief but fear.

‘What’s going on?’

Yeongwoo, who saw the man’s eyes, tilted his head in confusion.

Encountering the police on the way out of the motel after a rough incident seemed to make him more frightened…?

Although it could be due to encountering corrupt police officers frequently, there seemed to be a different reason.

“Stop right there!”

Soon, armed women poured out from the motel.

“Huh?”

“Oh, everyone calm down!”

While the two panicked officers were unable to even take out their guns and were waving their hands around, the man covered in blood attempted to run away again.

Thump!

The women angrily shouted.

“Oh! He’s running away…!”

“Catch that guy!”

Yeongwoo, who had been observing so far, sensed something strange.

The emotions of the women were too intense, and the movement of the man, whom he thought was the victim, was surprisingly fast for a civilian.

Bang!

Total stats 1,600.

Having lower stats was just a comparison with other Strongest Swords, but as soon as he moved, everyone in the room was surprised.

It took less than a second to catch up to the middle-aged man trying to escape.

“Ugh!”

Caught by the back of his collar in an instant, the middle-aged man, without confirming who his captor was, struggled to free his arms.

“Let go of this! Those girls will kill me!”

Yeongwoo couldn’t help but ask.

“Why are they trying to kill you?”

“What? W-Well…”

The middle-aged man, who could only widen his eyes, couldn’t answer Yeongwoo’s question.

“…”

At that moment, Yeongwoo looked at Im Bonghee in the shaking opponent’s eyes.

It was his roommate who had suffered and disappeared due to a rape charge when the reset began.

‘There’s something fishy.’

The gaze he had seen when he clung to save him at that time was now glimpsed in the eyes of the middle-aged man in front of him.

“Quietly follow me.”

As Yeongwoo dragged the middle-aged man along, the enraged women quickly regained their composure.

“What’s going on with these people…?”

“…They seem to be real police officers.”

And only then did they realize that the identities of the people surrounding the motel were not ordinary.

One of the officers was the Strongest Sword, and the one bringing the middle-aged man now had an abundance of equipment.

Thump!

Pheuk!

Eventually, Yeongwoo approached the middle-aged man near the patrol car and inquired of the women.

“Who are you? And what’s going on with this man?”

Yeongwoo’s gaze shifted between the women and the motel.

Seven women had rushed out from inside the motel, apparently occupying the Luso Motel.

And indeed.

“We are the Women’s Alliance.”

“Women’s Alliance…?”

According to their claims, the group Yeongwoo and his companions were facing was the Women’s Alliance organization in Cheoin-gu, Yongin City.

In response to the absurdly increased difficulty of survival after the reset, women decided to join forces.

They hunted monsters, even if it meant sacrificing three for five, and those who survived for two days were now standing here.

“Oh my goodness.”

Yeongwoo naturally wondered why they went to such lengths to gather only women, but soon he understood the reason.

Sliip, sliirup.

Another group of women dragged out three men’s corpses from inside the motel.

“Ah.”

Observing this, Yeongwoo got a sense of what had happened at the motel.

The middle-aged man must have been involved in the incident.

As the checkout time approached, they must have seen the women as they rushed into the motel…

‘They thought they could somehow subdue them with their ability even if the numbers were against them.’

However, what they actually encountered is not a group of powerless women, but a combat organization made for a single gender.

Of course, since the fighting power of the middle-aged man he had seen earlier was formidable, there were probably quite a few corpses of the female allies inside the motel.

“That guy is the last one. Hand him over and go your way.”

A woman who had identified themselves as the Women’s Alliance pointed at the middle-aged man as if stabbing him, indicating they would proceed with the execution.

Upon hearing this conversation, Byungcheol, who had been quietly listening, made a surprised sound.

“What are you t-talking about now? This is strictly…”

Illegal, private sanctions.

However, Byungcheol couldn’t finish his sentence.

To properly intervene in this situation as a police officer, they needed to punish the middle-aged men for the murders and attempted robbery/rape before dealing with the Women’s Alliance.

But what evidence did they have?

‘Ah…’

Byungcheol recalled the fact that the judicial system of South Korea had also disappeared along with the reset.

If the police immediately punished a crime they witnessed, it was practically the same as private sanctions.

It meant imposing punishment without official legal grounds or judgement.

In other words, in this crazy world, Byungcheol functioning as a police officer was an impossible scenario from the beginning.

“…”

As Byungcheol’s face contorted beyond description, Yeongwoo, who had been staring at him, casually lifted the middle-aged man with one hand and handed him over to the Women’s Alliance.

“Handle it as you wish. It looks like self-defense to me.”

Yeongwoo dared to exercise judicial authority in front of the police.

Nevertheless, Byungcheol and Taeyoung could only silently watch as one criminal was handed over to another.

“I guess we won’t find a place to stay here. Let’s try looking elsewhere for now.”

As Yeongwoo spoke to calm down the bewildered two officers, the woman who had been discussing the matter until now interjected.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“If you don’t plan to go to the city center, you won’t find a room in time. Most of the buildings around here are used by our people.”

“Is the Women’s Alliance that big?”

“Originally, the world was half women, right?”

“…”

It was an argument that couldn’t be easily refuted.

Seeing Yeongwoo neither affirming nor denying, the woman looked around and made a bold suggestion.

“I can give you two empty rooms. Sleep here for now. It’s repayment for helping us.”

Twelve Women’s Alliance members were already outside the motel.

Most people, in such a situation, would have left to find another place. However, Yeongwoo didn’t hesitate.

He sensed that the other party had offered hospitality for a reason.

“You really value your comrades.”

The question was whether they were doing it because they thought that if they left here and started raiding other buildings, there would be casualties to their colleagues there.

The woman who heard Yeongwoo’s words was initially taken aback but quickly regained her composure.

“You’re quite perceptive. Is that why you’re still alive?”

* * *

Entering the Geumnam District, the Luso Motel.

As they followed the woman, passing the counter strewn with glass shards and blood, a lively noise came from the direction of the stairs leading to the second floor.

It seemed that the twelve people Yeongwoo saw outside earlier were not the only ones staying at this motel.

“How many people are there in here?”

When Yeongwoo asked this, the woman smiled.

“I don’t know when or how we will meet again in the future, so wouldn’t it be right to keep our information a secret?”

She then gestured to the women blocking the way to the second floor.

In response, the women, who had been watching Yeongwoo’s group with wary eyes, gradually stepped back, lowering their weapons.

“Are you the leader here?”

“You’ve been asking a lot of questions since earlier. Who are you, anyway?”

“I am…”

Earth’s human, the strongest in Gyeongsangbuk Province, Jeong Yeongwoo 07.

Yeongwoo reflexively thought of a cosmic introduction but erased it.

He felt there was no need to reveal everything when they might meet again under different circumstances.

“I am… Jeong Yeongwoo.”

“Bland.”

The woman who had been pushing through the crowd heard Yeongwoo’s response, smirked, and turned around for a moment.

“I’m Seong Yerin.”

Then she added.

“Next time, I might become the Strongest Sword, so remember me well.”

“Strongest Sword? You probably won’t be able to become one in Yongin now.”

“That’s why you need to leave here quickly.”

Yerin spoke with a rather fierce tone.

Securing the Strongest Sword was essential for the Women’s Alliance to defend against external threats.

However, the problem was that by now, all the Strongest Sword titles in other regions probably had owners.

In other words, they had to fight and take it away.

‘It won’t be easy to kill them with a simple barrage like against the monsters.’

Yeongwoo now saw Yerin as a potential future corpse.

“You can use two, here and there.”

Yerin, who was guiding Yeongwoo’s group, stopped her steps when they reached the fourth floor.

The rooms she pointed to, 403 and 404, were shining in a similar bluish hue to the riverside motel they visited yesterday.

“Which room is larger? We’ll have three people in one of them…”

Jongsu said, looking at Yeongwoo for a cue, and Yerin pointed to 404 with her hand.

“404 is larger.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you.”

Jongsu nodded appreciatively at Yerin’s guidance, and Yeongwoo stood in front of room 403.

Tap.

As he did, the doorframe of the room started to glow a shade bluer, and an interface for the rental service appeared in the middle of the door.

「Do you wish to use the rental service?」

[Luso Motel Room 403]

| Space: Small

| Facilities: Bathroom

| Rental Fee: 3,000 Karma

| Duration: Until 10 AM the next day

Fortunately, the price was the same as the riverside motel in Gumi.

‘It seems the cost of living isn’t higher just because it’s in Gyeonggi Province.’

「How many people are planning to stay? Please enter the number of guests.」

It was Yeongwoo’s chance for a solo stay since the reset.

He briefly glanced at room 404, which seemed busy with dividing the rental fee, and then reached out his hand to the holographic keypad.

Beep.

「1」

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]