Chapter 126

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 126: Territorialism (4)

“An arrow… What would we have done if someone got hit?”

Jang Jeongho muttered quietly with an expression of discomfort.

His feelings towards Yeongwoo weren’t great, but he didn’t have the skill to confront him directly.

‘Even though he’s the Strongest in Seoul, isn’t this crossing the line? Isn’t it?’

Jeongho glanced around, thinking he would actively support any other Strongest Sword who protested against Yeongwoo.

Shooting an arrow in the middle of a meeting…

The proud Strongest Swords couldn’t just sit still.

Moreover, they had all come barefoot from afar, so it was clear they were in a low-pressure state.

“Hmm. Hasn’t this… crossed the line a bit? How many Strongest Swords are here in this position…?”

Finally, Jang Jeongho subtly hinted at his discomfort.

Since their numbers were much greater here, it was an opportunity to break Gangnam Strongest Sword’s spirit.

But.

“A bow…? This time you brought a bow?”

“Where on earth did you get something like this?”

“Where else. He went to North Korea.”

However, the rest of the Strongest Sword only showed interest in Yeongwoo’s new weapon.

At least on the surface.

‘Fuck… An arrow? Didn’t even see it coming.’

‘That Jang Jeongho keeps talking nonsense. Does he want to start a war with Gangnam’s Strongest Sword?’

‘The guy who beat Jeong Hyunsik to death with his fists now has long-range weapons. A bow… No, at this rate, it’s more like a missile.’

This was the true feelings of the majority of the Strongest Swords gathered at Paju City Hall today.

Of course, if everyone here attacked at once, they might be able to subdue one Gangnam Strongest Sword.

‘But at least a few would die in the process. Just because their pride got hurt, are they going to play Russian roulette?’

This was the reason why everyone maintained cheerful expressions.

Clack!

Finally, from behind the city hall, the sound of Negwig’s iron hooves echoed, and a faint silhouette rose high into the sky.

Taahat!

“Huh…?”

First, Kim Hyeonggyu of Eunpyeong Strongest Sword widened his eyes.

‘He’s riding a horse…?’

He had heard all kinds of rumors about how powerful Gangnam Strongest Sword was, or how they could eat internal organs, but he had never expected this.

In a world where you could drive a car if you had money, and in fact, running with two feet was faster, could horseback riding even be considered practical?

Moreover, the creature the opponent was riding wasn’t just a horse, but an otherworldly being made of thick iron.

– Kwiiieeek!

Then, Negwig let out another long cry and landed in the middle of the meeting hall where the arrow had fallen moments ago.

Kuung!

The aura emitted by Gangnam’s Strongest Sword was as substantial as their reputation.

Since the eight Strongest Sword on the left had never seen Negwig up close, they suddenly realized how large the creature was.

And Kim Hyeonggyu from Eunpyeong…

“……”

He looked at the face of the organizer of this meeting and the current Gangnam’s Strongest Sword, Jeong Yeongwoo, with a more tense expression than anyone else.

Then.

The face of a man in his thirties, much more ordinary than expected, caught his eye.

“Huh?”

Kim Hyeonggyu, who involuntarily made a surprised sound, drew his gaze above Yeongwoo’s head as if mesmerized, then opened his mouth wide.

Shiaaaaah…!

There, twisting and turning, was a peculiar title that perfectly matched the absolute devil Yeongwoo had in his mind.

『Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword』

An earthly regional title belonging to South Korea, contaminated by the transplantation of the Otherworldly martial art, “Rohm’s Floor,” which had been tarnished into a form barely recognizable due to adaptation.

Shiaaaaah…!

From the purple mist that wrapped around the five characters of the title, mana continuously spewed out, and the title itself kept wriggling as if it were alive.

“But… why Gyeongbuk…?”

As Kim Hyeonggyu instinctively stepped back and muttered, Yeongwoo bowed his head slightly and greeted him.

“Nice to meet you. I am Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword, Jeong Yeongwoo. I also hold the position of Gangnam’s Strongest Sword.”

And although he was now also concurrently serving as Kaesong’s Strongest Sword, it wasn’t the time to reveal that yet.

First, it was necessary to gauge the atmosphere of the meeting.

“I… I’m Kim Hyeonggyu from Eunpyeong-gu. But… you’re not from Seoul. Oh, I mean, not that it matters.”

As Kim Hyeonggyu babbled without composure, Yeongwoo smiled as if to say it was okay.

“By the way, is everyone here? First of all, thank you all for coming all the way here.”

Yeongwoo looked around the assembly from his position on the stage.

Then, it was clear that all eight Strongest Sword were wide awake.

‘Thank goodness.’

Yeongwoo felt relieved that his provocation, unintentional as it was, had been well received.

While it hadn’t been an outright challenge, shooting an arrow into the center of the meeting hall had been quite deliberate.

There were two main reasons for this.

Firstly, to see how the Seoul Strongest Sword would react to the arrow.

‘As I saw earlier, most of them didn’t react in time. It might be because it wasn’t an attack they were prepared for, and the local swordsmanship didn’t activate… But if it had been a real fight, even if unintentional, it could have killed a few and started something.’

Judging from the encounter with the two North Korean Strongest Swords earlier, the gap in skill between the two sides wasn’t that significant.

In other words, even if the North Korean Strongest Swords were to gather in force, it would still be possible to handle them to some extent.

Even for Yeongwoo alone.

And the second reason, to confirm his own strength to the Seoul Strongest Swords.

‘If they have any sense, they should have realized by now that I’ve grown significantly since last night.’

It wasn’t just an increase in ability, but a change in perspective.

From exploring dungeons akin to hell in this world, to collaborating with people from Italy and Brazil, to infiltrating North Korea for the first time, and killing two North Korean Strongest Swords.

And now, with the addition of a long-range weapon like a bow, the concept of “combat” that he could engage in had expanded.

In other words, no one here could replace Gangnam’s Strongest Sword Jeong Yeongwoo anymore.

But why was this fact important at the present moment, on the eve of the meeting?

‘Because I have to ask for everyone’s understanding soon.’

As Yeongwoo seemed to be preparing to speak, the Strongest Swords standing around him held their breath and paid attention.

“Well, first of all… as I mentioned in the meeting notice, I went to North Korea this morning.”

“North Korea? You’re not joking, are you?”

“Really…?”

“That can’t be true.”

“Nonsense!”

The inside of the hall buzzed with commotion.

Then, Songpa’s Strongest Sword Oh Yeonhee raised her hand slightly, and pointed to the silver-white bow Yeongwoo was carrying across his chest.

“So, is this bow North Korean? It’s something I’ve never seen before yesterday.”

North Korean.

It was a strange expression, but in a way, it was accurate.

“Yes. Although the place of production is completely different, it’s true that I obtained it by killing a North Korean Strongest Sword.”

As Yeongwoo changed his title successively to Kaesong’s and Hwanghae’s Strongest Sword, the Seoul Strongest Sword began to stir beyond mere commotion.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“Huh?”

“What’s that?”

“Are you crazy, really…?”

This lunatic who had been devouring the innards of his predecessor since their first meeting seemed strangely quiet, but it turned out he had been out since morning fighting North Korean Strongest Swords.

However, strictly speaking, Yeongwoo had been out since last night.

“Before we continue with the North Korea story, we should start with the nighttime dungeon in chronological order.”

“What’s that again?”

“A dungeon?”

“At night…?”

Lo and behold, the Strongest Swords stood with dumbfounded expressions, much like people from ancient times in front of the newspaper stand.

“You may have already seen or have some of these items. There are items that can ignore abnormal weather conditions.”

As Yeongwoo said this and pressed his cloak lengthwise, item tooltips appeared in everyone’s field of view.

「Black Wind Cloak」 – Hero’s Cloak

【Nullifies Obsidian Rain.】

“Yesterday, it rained Obsidian rain, so I was able to go outside, and I defeated a mutant left abandoned on the outskirts of Gyeonggi Province, which opened the dungeon.”

Yeongwoo’s statement afterwards seemed like something he had actually experienced.

Powerful individuals who entered through portals from other countries on the same day.

And dungeons of insane difficulty where one couldn’t survive without cooperating with them.

Of course, he didn’t mention the top-ranked reward, the Encyclopaedia.

Instead.

Yeongwoo, meanwhile, slowly scanned through the equipment of the Strongest Sword gathered here and continued.

“It’s like risking your life to get one more piece of equipment. That’s why I recommend against it. However, sharing information as soon as possible is good. But…”

“But what?”

“Hurry up and say it.”

“What’s the ‘but’?”

In the meantime, Seoul Strongest Swords, eager for the next development, intervened in Yeongwoo’s story, and Yeongwoo continued.

“Risking your life to obtain one more piece of equipment, especially one of Unique or higher grade, isn’t that an enormous advantage? The difference between those who participated in the dungeon and those who didn’t will only grow wider.”

Then, looking southward, Choi Namhee of Seocho’s Strongest Sword finished his thought.

“Moreover, considering the current growth trend of mutants these days, isn’t it right to do whatever it takes to become stronger?”

Just looking at the boxing medalist Cha Dooseong, who appeared in Gwangjin-gu yesterday, was extraordinary.

Ultimately, he did meet his end against Yeongwoo.

“Yes, you’re right. But the dungeons aren’t just made for no reason. However, the difficulty is too high…”

As Yeongwoo spoke up to this point, Lee Yoobin of Seongbuk blinked and said with a resolute voice.

“But we have someone who has returned alive from the dungeon, don’t we?”

It referred to Yeongwoo, who was likely the only dungeon experiencer in Asia at the moment.

“After all, nighttime outings require equipment, and it’s not like we can all go out together… It would be much safer if only experienced individuals went out.”

“…Right. In a way, it’s like having a dungeon career.”

“That makes sense.”

One by one, the Strongest Swords began to nod their heads.

And this was also why Jeong Yeongwoo had become indispensable within the assembly.

‘Fortunately, it’s going smoothly. Anyway, I can’t progress through the dungeon alone, so I need party members. And it’s better to channel the rewards into our country.’

Thinking about it in terms of the stamp system, it seemed that eventually there would be competition or even conflict with other countries.

However, the problem was that in Korea’s case, this “conflict” arrived unexpectedly quickly.

“….”

So, Yeongwoo revealed the real reason for convening this meeting.

“Now then, let me tell you why I brought you all together.”

“Wasn’t the dungeon the main point?”

“What else is there…?”

As the Strongest Swords swallowed heavily at Yeongwoo’s words, the problematic stamp appeared above Yeongwoo’s head.

Stamp!

『Territorialism: North Korea』

|You have plundered North Korea’s assets. To atone for this crime, all Strongest Swords in North Korea will become aware of your location.

“Huh?”

“What’s this now?”

“Assets… plundered?”

As Seoul’s Strongest Sword showed various uneasy reactions, Yeongwoo pointed to the northern sky.

Thrust!

“North Korea is currently waiting for Kim Jong-un to return as a mutant and is sharpening their knives.”

Then, Yeongwoo bowed his head to the Strongest Swords in the audience.

“In the midst of this, I unilaterally committed murder in North Korea, which led to this stamp.”

So, it was likely that enraged northern forces would soon come here, and in the process, the chances of being killed on sight would be high not only for those marked but also for those who had acquired something from the South…

At Yeongwoo’s subsequent explanation, all Strongest Swords were left speechless.

They had thought about how to fight mutants every day, but they had never imagined that strong survivors from the North would come down in droves like this.

“Th-then what happens now? Is it war…?”

Kim Doha, also known as the guardian of Neo-Seoul, asked with a somewhat incredulous expression.

Because of the earlier conversation, he couldn’t scold Yeongwoo, and the conclusion was to first properly understand what had happened.

Upon this, Yeongwoo nodded with a calm expression.

“Yes, that’s right. I’m sorry.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]