Chapter 97

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 97: Long Live the King (1)

『Gangnam’s Strongest Sword has fallen!』

In an unbelievable event, everyone in Yongsan Park fell silent.

“….”

But in their minds, more tumultuous thoughts were brewing than ever before.

– Is it really true that Jeong Hyunsik is dead now?

– Then, does that mean the next Gangnam’s Strongest Sword will be that outsider?

– No, before that, can we even consider what just happened as an official duel? It wasn’t sanctioned by the League members.

– What if it wasn’t an official duel? What happens next?

– If we were to attack that outsider right here?

– Then, what about all those treasures…?

As everyone fiercely calculated in their minds, Songpa’s Strongest Sword, Oh Yeonhee, still nursed her sore wrist.

With the head of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword gone, she was now the most influential swordsman in this assembly hall and temporarily the strongest.

Of course, her own thoughts were different.

‘What was that…? That attack just now.’

Just seconds ago, as she blocked the path in front of the carriage, she reflexively deflected a sword thrown by the outsider.

However, the sword in question had almost twice the power she had anticipated, and as a result…

“….”

She suffered a wrist injury so severe that it was difficult to properly swing a sword for the time being.

It wasn’t even a direct hit with a blade, just blocking a roughly thrown sword from the other side.

It was impossible unless the opponent possessed strength far beyond ordinary.

Moreover, the strange thing was not just that.

‘From the start, the direction of the sword wasn’t aimed at the carriage.’

Someone with such strength would undoubtedly have staggering other abilities.

So, it was unlikely that they accidentally missed the carriage.

Meaning, the outsider used a fake to induce a specific action from the deceased Jeong Hyunsik.

“…Ugh.”

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo felt the gradual pain of his broken wrist subsiding as he sat beside Jeong Hyunsik’s body.

「The title of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword was acquired and merged!」

…Achieved one title in the Seoul region.

The title acquisition message was frantically flashing in front of him, but Yeongwoo’s attention was focused beyond the message.

Because he could feel the gathering tension among the assembly of Strongest Swords without a sound.

‘Yeah, it’s better to fight quickly if we’re going to fight. Since the potion effects are still lingering.’

Although he was currently alone, his strength stat was still at 4,550.

Therefore, he couldn’t take on all the Strongest Swords here, but he could certainly make some of them his comrades in the journey to the afterlife.

“Ugh.”

Yeongwoo, despite wincing once again at the throbbing pain in his wrist, mentally prepared himself to summon his weapons at any moment.

Then.

Thwack!

Finally, one of the Strongest Swords in the assembly hall stood up.

It was none other than Jang Jeongho Dongdaemun’s Strongest Sword.

“Is this really happening? Our leader has passed away…!”

As he subtly revealed his intention and began to move towards the scene, the remaining Strongest Swords all looked towards Songpa’s Strongest Sword, Oh Yeonhee.

They were gauging Yeonhee’s intentions, as she was now closest to being the “head” after Jeong Hyunsik, both physically and metaphorically.

However.

“Yes… As everyone saw, our leader has passed away. Defeated in the duel.”

Resolute refusal.

Yeonhee, shifting her katana to her left hand, took a step back, clearly indicating her unwillingness to escalate the situation further.

She didn’t want to escalate things here.

“Damn it.”

Thus, Jeong Jeongho, now left to confront alone, glared at Yeongwoo as if to kill him.

“How can you let that asshole debut like this……?”

But even Jeong Jeongho, speaking like this, dared not attack Yeongwoo.

If Yeonhee didn’t move, other Strongest Swords would also remain bystanders, and then wouldn’t he be the only one to face death?

And along with that.

“Isn’t the duel over? Why isn’t it being settled?”

A figure emerged from the edge of Yongsan Park, throwing a wrench into the current situation.

Clack, clack.

A man dressed in a navy suit with black leather shoes.

“Deputy… Deputy Minister.”

Jeong Jeongho, who had been so lively just a moment ago, now looked unbelievably submissive.

It was because Jo Sangik, former Deputy Minister of Planning and Finance and current Gwanak’s Strongest Sword, had appeared.

Of course, if Jeong Hyunsik were alive, Sangik might have been immediately targeted as an accomplice of the outsider and executed upon his arrival at the assembly.

However.

“….”

As Sangik looked on, it was clear that Jeong Hyunsik’s head was no longer attached to his neck.

That meant that there was no one in this place who could wield authority over Sangik.

Not even Songpa’s Strongest Sword, Oh Yeonhee, could defeat Sangik in terms of influence within the assembly.

“You’ve arrived, Deputy Minister.”

Yeonhee looked at Sangik, and behind him, the people from Seoul National University, with a strange glint in her eyes.

This was a clear violation of the rules.

No Strongest Sword could bring soldiers into Yongsan Park.

Except for a few attendants for minimal security.

“If someone unfamiliar sees this, they might think a coup is being staged.”

Yeonhee remarked, causing Sangik to smirk.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“It seems like there was quite a commotion earlier. Just in case, I brought some personnel to help settle the disturbance.”

Sangik continued after this point, pausing briefly and scanning his surroundings.

He looked at the carriage containing the headless body of Jeong Hyunsik, likely with his son, and the staff from Taewon Corporation who had gathered more than allowed.

Then, with a less bitter tone than before, he chuckled softly and continued.

“But it seems like it was a false alarm. There was no need to employ anyone.”

With that said, as Sangik took a big step forward, Jang Jeong-ho flinched and stepped back.

It was an intuitive reaction.

Jo Sangik had already made a deal with the outsider.

“Mr. Jeong Yeongwoo, are you alright?”

Sangik inquired about the outsider’s well-being and openly expressed his support.

It was just revealed that the outsider’s name was ‘Jeong Yeongwoo.’

This revelation prompted another Strongest Sword, who had been watching the situation blankly, to stand up abruptly.

Bam!

He was none other than Kim Doha from Yongsan Strongest Sword.

Thud!

Standing somewhat awkwardly before Yeongwoo and Sangik, he hesitated for a moment before bowing his head and saying.

“Congratulations on becoming Gangnam’s Strongest Sword! Mr. Jeong Yeongwoo…!”

Realizing that the momentum had completely shifted towards the outsider, he quickly chose his stance.

Observing this silently, Oh Yeonhee interjected with a very dry tone.

“You should handle the logistics with Taewon Group well.”

In other words, she acknowledged the outsider’s entry into Gangnam.

With the situation unfolding this way, the other Strongest Swords had no choice but to accept it.

“Congratulations.”

“I didn’t expect to see a new Gangnam’s Strongest Sword.”

“Congratulations.”

While the Strongest Swords exchanged greetings with mixed feelings, Sangik turned to Yeongwoo again and asked.

“How long do you think it will take for your wounds to heal completely?”

“…Huh? Do you have another opponent to fight?”

Yeongwoo innocently replied, eliciting a wry smile from Sangik.

“It may not necessarily be the case… But you should participate in the assembly. Not all the Strongest Swords have arrived yet.”

“Oh.”

Only after hearing this did Yeongwoo remember one fact he had forgotten all this time.

The duel with Gangnam’s Strongest Sword was merely an opening event for this assembly.

“….”

Yeongwoo glanced at his watch belatedly.

The current time was 2:54 PM.

There were about six minutes left until the start of the assembly.

“With it almost being 3 o’clock, and everyone is not here yet?”

Yeongwoo asked, prompting Sangik to chuckle awkwardly.

“There are some unruly folks.”

Sangik replied, indicating that although Jang Jeongho Dongdaemun’s Strongest Sword arrived on time, there were still more troublesome individuals.

“….”

This meant that there could be another dispute later today.

Of course, Oh Yeonhee acknowledged this, and more importantly, with Sangik’s support, there wouldn’t be any hasty decisions like during Jeong Hyunsik’s time.

‘What should I do first?’

As Yeongwoo pondered, he snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the Negwig and Golden Goblin standing on the other side.

‘Ah, the loot.’

He had forgotten the most important thing because of his lack of experience.

But…

‘Do I have to search Jeong Hyunsik’s corpse in front of all the Strongest Swords?’

But realistically, there was no other way.

Dragging the corpse to some secluded place to search would seem even more suspicious.

And soon, those who hadn’t seen the decision battle of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword would attend the assembly.

If he waited until then to collect the loot, it would cause even more chaos.

So now was the best time.

“Deputy Minister.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“We haven’t collected the loot yet.”

“….?”

Sangik, who had been tilting his head in confusion for a moment, suddenly widened his eyes.

He realized what the other was talking about a moment late.

“Oh.”

Then, Sangik’s gaze fell on Jeong Hyunsik’s head on the other side.

“First, let’s quickly take out the equipment and move the body somewhere. If other Strongest Swords are expected to come here.”

At Yeongwoo’s words, Sangik nodded vigorously.

“Well, that’s true. We can’t proceed with the assembly like this.”

Without hesitation, Yeongwoo reached for the Silver-White Straight Sword, which had given him the most trouble.

Click.

As Yeongwoo touched it, instead of glowing red as it used to, a tooltip appeared, indicating that he was currently without an owner.

「Dragon’s Legacy」 – Epic One-Handed Sword

【Rank exclusive】

|Increases power against targets of Rank 2 or lower.

*Special reward for ‘Blood of the Royal Family.’

A weapon meant to subdue lesser beings, ironically ended up in the hands of a lesser being.

‘Blood of the Royal Family…’

As Yeongwoo shifted his gaze to the bottom of the tooltip, additional information appeared.

[Blood of the Royal Family]

|Achievement Grade: Legend

「Obtain the title of Strongest Sword while two or more of your relatives have become mutant.」

‘Oh my god.’

This achievement was something that could hardly be discovered by anyone other than someone on the level of Jeong Hyunsik.

‘It must be fate. To have such an achievement prepared…’

Of course, it was a tragic fate in a sense.

Considering this kind of fate, it seemed that even the existing fate had been erased along with the reset.

Click.

As Yeongwoo finally wielded the ‘Dragon’s Legacy,’ the Strongest Swords at the assembly, who had just noticed it, began to buzz with excitement once again.

“Huh?”

“Wait, is that…?”

However, contrary to Yeongwoo and Sangik’s expectations, the interest shown by these Strongest Swords in handling Yeongwoo’s loot was not due to some romantic concern for the deceased’s dignity being offended.

Their curiosity was purely about…

“Is that the sword…?”

“What about that bracelet? Can I have a look at it?”

It was the equipment list of Jeong Hyunsik, which no one had dared to uncover until now.

Finally, the unboxing of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword had begun.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]