Chapter 77

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 77: Let Them See Gwanak (1)

Once the destination to Gwanak was set, the Golden Goblin was busier than anyone else.

-Keet!

Following Yeongwoo’s orders, he had to frantically run through the 14 bodies.

-Kekeet!

The goblin brought anything that could be valuable in the area.

From searching through the clothes of the deceased to find coins, to collecting weapons scattered far away, he left nothing behind.

Of course, among them, there weren’t many actually useful items.

The weapons provided as standard were nothing more than junk to Yeongwoo.

So, ultimately, the substantial income gained from this fight was…

‘Five early birds, and 72,000 karma.’

It was rather meager loot for killing fourteen.

Thanks to the substantial cash from the son of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword, aside from him, the property of the rest of the dead was in shambles.

‘They were much poorer than they seemed.’

Indeed, they were people who hadn’t even participated in Seoul’s transformation, let alone hunting monsters, and had come down to Gyeonggi Province.

While they might have been better off than the majority of citizens who relied solely on daily quests or gambling for income, they too were not in a comfortable position.

‘Most likely, all the money they’ve earned so far has gone into their stats. They had to survive today’s monster hunt to guarantee tomorrow.’

But at least one person’s situation seemed a bit different.

“……”

Yeongwoo looked at the corpse lying with its head missing.

The eldest son of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword.

Why on earth was he here?

Why did he come down to Gyeonggi Province instead of capturing monsters in Gangnam where his father was?

Was it just a personal whim?

‘No. If he wanted to indulge, he would’ve done it in Gangnam. Why come all the way down to Gyeonggi Province?’

Moreover, he wasn’t even in a state where he could wander around recklessly.

“Then……”

There’s only one possibility left.

‘Even if he’s the son of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword, it means he couldn’t deal with Seoul’s monsters.’

Even if they appeared in Gangnam, which is his father’s constituency.

“……”

Yeongwoo’s brow furrowed even deeper.

What could it be?

What could have pushed even Gangnam’s Strongest Sword’s son out of Seoul?

‘Uh.’

Yeongwoo stopped pondering at this point.

There’s no way to know anything for sure until he goes to Seoul in person.

Whoosh!

Turning his head back, Yeongwoo saw Taeyoung and Jongsu still standing there with tense expressions.

Upon this, Yeongwoo threw an early bird to Taeyoung.

Swish-

“…Huh? W-What’s this?”

Taeyoung opened his eyes wide at the sudden distribution.

Yeongwoo pointed at his belt.

“I heard you’re still using the basic sword.”

“Oh.”

Hearing Yeongwoo’s words, Taeyoung glanced at Jongsu sitting next to him.

Then he noticed an early bird gleaming in his scabbard.

“This valuable thing… Can I just accept it even though I didn’t do anything?”

“You don’t have to feel burdened, it’s not that precious to me anymore.”

Yeongwoo replied like this and glanced at the Golden Goblin.

In fact, there were four more early birds in his pocket.

Since he gave one of the newly acquired ones to Taeyoung, he now had a total of eight early birds.

It might still be a valuable weapon somewhere, but at least to Yeongwoo, it was now close to junk.

“And Jongsu, you take this.”

Finally, when Yeongwoo pointed at Jongsu’s feet, the goblin ran over there and poured out a heap of coins.

Ching ching!

A total of 72,000 karma.

It was the money he had borrowed from Jongsu with a bit of interest when purchasing the vanguard and illusions.

“Hyung… I’ve mentioned this before, but you can give it to me slowly.”

Though Jongsu clapped his hands in protest again, Yeongwoo wanted to clear his debt this time.

“We’ll be entering Seoul soon. But if I happen to die there, I’ll be in debt forever…”

“Hyung… Why do you have to say things like that.”

Jongsu seemed taken aback by the unexpected reason but eventually picked up the coins as if resigned.

Seeing this, Yeongwoo finally relaxed.

“Well, the basics are more or less sorted out.”

When Yeongwoo gestured to the air, the four-legged creature standing far away approached, tapping the ground with its steel hooves.

Clack, clack.

It would probably be a significant factor in Yeongwoo’s Seoul life next to Gangnam’s Strongest Sword.

Just as the son of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword showed interest in the four-legged creature, other powers in Seoul would probably be the same.

“Moreover, Mr. Yeongwoo doesn’t seem like the type to compromise easily….”

It already smells like bloodshed.

Taeyoung looked at Yeongwoo with worried eyes and got into the patrol car.

* * *

12:03 PM.

Having escaped from the scene of 14 murders, Lee Jangho stopped running as he reached the outskirts of Seongnam City.

“Huk, hah…!”

He had pushed himself to the limit with his sprint, but now he couldn’t run any longer.

Not only was his breath heavy, but his legs were tingling, refusing to move any further.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

It must be the limit of his stats.

He regretted not investing more in stamina.

‘Phew, damn it.’

Lee Jangho breathed heavily as he looked back.

Just like the past 20 minutes, there was still no sign of the pursuer.

Had Jeong Hyunsik bought him more time than expected?

‘No, he might just be searching in the wrong place.’

In Lee Jangho’s mind, the scene of an outsider cutting down about a dozen people at once came to mind.

“…!”

The outsider’s prowess displayed at that moment was truly top-notch.

Therefore, if he could just figure out their location, closing the distance wouldn’t be difficult at all.

‘I have to get to Seoul as quickly as possible.’

Once he entered Seoul, he believed he could get help somehow.

Seoul must be filled with monstrous individuals everywhere.

That goes without saying for Gangnam.

Moreover, if the outsider had any sense, they wouldn’t insist on pursuing him even after seeing the regional situation change to Gangnam.

‘Seoul… no, Gangnam is my only chance.’

As Lee Jangho gritted his teeth and attempted to move his heavy legs again, he heard a sound he had only dreamed of from the opposite road.

Vroom…

It was none other than the sound of a car engine.

‘Wow, looks like my luck hasn’t run out yet.’

Lee Jangho reached for his sword, considering the possibility of stealing the car.

Swish!

Of course, he needed to be cautious as it was a car coming from Seoul.

‘…Please.’

If the car about to come into view was a high-performance vehicle with no regard for fuel efficiency, he would have to let it pass quietly.

Given the nature of this world where fuel was bought with karma, choosing to drive a vehicle with poor fuel efficiency meant a lot.

On the other hand, if a commonly seen compact car from his original world appeared…

Vroom!

The engine noise grew louder, and a figure appeared at the edge of the opposite road.

“…!”

Lee Jangho’s brow narrowed.

Soon, a grey Avante came into his view.

Swish!

Without hesitation, Lee Jangho drew his sword and approached the roadside.

* * *

At the same time, Yeongwoo and his group were passing through the junction from Seongnam to Seocho-gu along the Gyeongbu Expressway.

The current plan was not to enter Seocho directly but to follow the Gangnam Circular Road from near Yangjae to Sadang and then cross over to Gwanak.

As always, Yeongwoo, riding the Negwig, was leading the way, but Jongsu and Taeyoung couldn’t help but feel anxious.

After all, it was Seoul they were heading to, and they had to break through the Gangnam area consecutively.

“…I don’t see a single rat.”

When Taeyoung, gripping the steering wheel, said this with a stiff expression, Jongsu, who was also looking out the window, nodded.

“It’s probably because it’s the time when monsters appear.”

In about 50 minutes, monsters would pour down from all over Seoul.

So, those who needed to hide would have already hidden, and monster hunters would have already taken their positions.

In other words, they were heading towards Seoul, already in a combat-ready state.

“…!”

Seeing Jongsu’s anxious expression, Taeyoung cautiously spoke up.

“You’re worried, aren’t you? We’re basically walking into the jaws of death.”

In response, Jongsu nodded, gazing at Yeongwoo’s back in front of him.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if I died anytime, but it’s different for you… It feels like a waste.”

“A waste?”

When Taeyoung chuckled and asked, Jongsu looked at the road behind them.

“Commander, you may not be able to empathize… but in my opinion, among the Strongest Swords, Yeongwoo hyung is the closest to being normal.”

“If he’s normal, what exactly…”

“He’s selfish enough, but he’s not an evil person. If Yeongwoo hyung wanted to, he could kill anyone he sees and take their money. He could do worse. But he still maintains some level of decency.”

“Ah, if that’s what you mean.”

Taeyoung’s head moved up and down slowly.

Of course, Jongsu’s claim that Yeongwoo was normal was hard to agree with.

After all, didn’t the recent altercation with the ‘Seoulites’ end up in bloodshed in the end?

Therefore, in Taeyoung’s eyes, a former police officer, Yeongwoo was a murderer stained with blood.

However, he was just a spectator now, not having the authority or ability to arrest a murderer.

No, he was actually more than just a spectator.

He owed his life to Yeongwoo.

‘In fact, if I were to follow the law, I’m also an accomplice to murder.’

As Taeyoung tried to make a bewildered expression, the area where he was staying changed, and the regional information in the corner of his vision was updated.

Ping!

| The current location is ‘Seocho’.

| The Strongest Sword in this area is ‘Choi Namhee 11’. Rank 4, 3 defenses.

Finally, they had started to set foot on Seoul’s soil.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]