Chapter 139

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 139: Distortion (2)

The execution of Kim Jong-un.

To General Kim Younghyeom, just hearing about it was a thrilling tale.

Being originally from the army, and known for his hardline stance on North Korean policies, he couldn’t help but feel excited.

Moreover, he had just witnessed it firsthand.

A scene where armed communists from North Korea brandish swords in downtown Paju.

「Well, that bastard deserves to die for real.」

Of course, the vicious guy from Korea named Jeong Yeongwoo was two levels higher than the guys from North Korea.

「But…」

“Yes, please go ahead.”

「Why do you think this happened? Did they suddenly decide to unify?」

At Kim Younghyeom’s question, everyone, including Yeongwoo, fell silent.

“Um… well…”

In truth, it was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo who had pressed the start button for this war.

“I must admit, the provocation was essentially initiated by me.”

Yeongwoo briefly recounted the series of events that led to the surprise attack after crossing the military demarcation line during a nighttime outing, causing Kim Younghyeom to raise an eyebrow.

「Is that so? Well, regardless, a war was bound to happen sooner or later if it has come to this level of institutionalization.」

Having heard even the presence of a stigma of territorialism, Kim Younghyeom sensed that the calamity that had befallen this world was far from over.

「It’s not just North Korea that’s the problem. It’s truly an era of barbarism. Think about what happened historically in times where power was everything.」

There was no need to look far; even domestic conflicts were largely resolved through power.

So, what would happen when nations themselves ceased to matter, let alone when they weren’t even of the same ethnicity?

「Of course, the most urgent issue at the moment is Kim Jong-un. If that bastard returns as a mutant like me, he’ll likely slaughter every visible human being.」

As Kim Younghyeom spoke thus, Yeongwoo subtly brought up his main point.

“So, General, there’s one thing I must confess.”

「…What is it?」

Detecting a hint of ominousness in Yeongwoo’s tone, General Kim Younghyeom became defensive.

And right on cue, the two ‘friends’ who had been enjoying the outdoors suddenly began to vanish into thin air.

Their summoning time had expired.

「Oh, already!?」

With a disappointed expression, Yeongtae looked up at the sky.

Then, shifting his gaze to the White Tiger in front of him, he cheerfully exclaimed,

「General! Please come play with us! I’ll entertain you well!」

It was essentially false advertising, but nonetheless, Yeongtae left those words behind and disappeared.

And Kim Tae-joon, the representative, said,

「General, you can trust Yeongwoo. However, living here might not be so smooth.」

Uttering a somewhat neutral remark, he vanished.

No wonder Kim Younghyeom felt bewildered.

「What’s all this nonsense?」

Upon which, Yeongwoo, probably gazed vaguely at where the returnee’s room might be.

“Actually, if you want to assassinate Kim Jong-un with me, you must pay a certain price.”

「A price…?」

As Kim Younghyeom adopted a defensive stance, Yeongwoo continued without reservation.

“You’ll have to go to prison.”

* * *

Returnee’s Room.

A kind of isolation space where Yeongwoo’s ‘friends’ live until they’re summoned.

According to Yeongtae, who could be considered the first prisoner, initially, there was nothing to do except stare at the white walls that surrounded them.

Yeongtae truly endured severe torture within those confines.

The passage of time felt almost eternal to him back then.

Then, after receiving a summons and earning his first official points, he realized there was hope even within the ‘returnee’s room,’ as he could use these points to buy various items.

Whatever it was, having a goal was much better than enduring the passage of time in silence.

Especially for Kim Taejoon, the chairman who had left family behind in the original world, he had high hopes for television.

However, for General Kim Younghyeom…

「It’s been too long since I divorced my wife. Even if I could find her, I wouldn’t want to meet her now, especially not in this situation.」

Moreover, he didn’t have any children, and his parents had passed away from illness a few years ago.

In other words, General Kim Younghyeom was essentially alone in this world.

「Isn’t there any way to avoid being imprisoned? We seem to be getting along just fine as we are now.」

The scene of the six-meter-long White Tiger pointing alternately with its front paws was quite amusing.

However, Yeongwoo shook his head firmly.

“If Kim Jong-un were to appear today, we might consider it, but even if he were to appear, it wouldn’t be until tomorrow… or even later.”

On the other hand, as confirmed by this recent battle, the friends summoned by the whistle were becoming stronger as time passed.

At the very least, it seemed that they were being reinforced to the level of mutants summoned on the same day.

In other words, while Kim Younghyeom was already quite strong, if he became a ‘friend,’ he would be summoned in an even stronger state.

「That’s quite an enticing offer.」

Instead, one may have to endure an isolated life that could potentially last forever as the price.

「It’s true that I received bribes. But it’s not as if my actions warrant a life sentence, is it?」

Furthermore, he had already been executed once.

Hadn’t he lost his life as a human under the unilateral judgement of the public?

「Suddenly becoming unhappy…」

When Kim Younghyeom genuinely looked sad, Yeongwoo suddenly pointed north.

Swish.

“Instead, you’ve been given the opportunity to have a cool showdown with Kim Jong-un.”

「Do you think I’m joking? Even though I’m a soldier…」

However, Yeongwoo’s words weren’t finished yet.

“Kim Jong-un has six arms.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

「What? Really? He has six arms?」

Kim Younghyeom’s ears perked up unknowingly.

“Yes. That guy has become a Yaksha. So he probably uses six weapons too.”

「Damn… It’s hard to imagine. I guess I won’t be able to avoid it.」

The thought of Kim Jong-un appearing with six arms had completely captivated the White Tiger.

「……」

Kim Younghyeom, who had been frowning for a while, finally made a once-in-a-lifetime decision.

「So, how can I become one of those friends?」

* * *

‘…Unbelievable. Is he really going to prison willingly?’

Songpa’s Strongest Sword Oh Yeonhee couldn’t close her mouth.

It was truly shocking.

Because Kim Younghyeom, the general, and Joseon’s Strongest Sword Jeong Yeongwoo had just completed their ‘handshake.’

Strictly speaking, it was more like Yeongwoo covering the return button that Younghyeom had placed on his large foot with his hand.

In any case, this was an unreasonable slave contract, and she could understand neither Yeongwoo, who proposed such a contract, nor Younghyeom, who accepted it.

However, there was one thing she could finally understand.

“That’s why Jeong Hyunsik ended up in such a pathetic state.”

Just as Choi Namhee had just said, it was about why Jeong Yeongwoo was so powerful.

“His daily life itself was different from others.”

Oh Yeonhee let out a tone of resignation.

Everything about Jeong Yeongwoo was different from ordinary Strongest Swords.

From how to become stronger to mindset.

At first, he was the Gyeongbuk’s Strongest Sword, then the Gangnam’s Strongest Sword, and then, after how long, he became the Joseon’s Strongest Sword.

To continue such unreasonable behavior, the person himself had to be different from normal.

‘To assassinate Kim Jong-un? Maybe this guy really will. How far is he going to go…?’

While Oh Yeonhee was rubbing her forehead, General Kim Younghyeom, who had just finished shaking hands with Yeongwoo, began to vanish into thin air.

Swish.

Like the other two mutants, he was turning into a genie of the whistle.

「I… I feel a bit strange.」

[TL/N: I feel a bit strange mr. stark…]

[PR/N: ngl i still haven’t moved on from tony’s death…]

With half his muzzle erased by now, Kim Younghyeom looked up at the sky.

Srrr.

Eventually, even his body, disappeared as if fluttering in the air, leaving behind a golden orb in its place.

Pop!

Then the golden goblin dashed forward and put the golden orb into the spatial pouch.

– Kee Kee!

Now there were two golden orbs inside the pouch.

“He’s gone.”

As the faint presence of General Kim Younghyeom, who had been left, could no longer be felt, Yeongwoo carefully picked up the whistle hanging around his neck.

Swish.

「Pumpkin-colored Whistle」 – Legendary necklace

【Summoning friends】

|Yeongtae, Taejoon, Younghyeom

“Wow.”

It was clear that the name of the former army general was engraved in the tooltip of the whistle.

In some other dimension, just like the returnee’s room, General Kim Younghyeom’s room must have been created by now.

From now on, not only the Golem and the hyena, but also the White Tiger would fall.

This was enough to fight Kim Jong-un with six arms.

“Now, shall we take a look at the spoils?”

After finishing recruiting the new friend, Yeongwoo let go of the whistle, and the Seoul’s Strongest Swords, who had been focusing on him, coughed awkwardly one by one.

“Ahem.”

“Oh, right.”

“There were quite a lot of spoils…”

Even though their contributions in this battle weren’t high, they couldn’t help but hope that they would get their fair share of the loot.

Even Oh Yeonhee was thinking about confronting Yeongwoo if he tried to monopolize all the loot.

Still, she thought he should at least provide some compensation to the Strongest Swords who had risked their lives in battle.

And sure enough.

“Thank you very much for coming all the way here.”

Yeongwoo was the first to speak.

“Fortunately, the battle ended without any casualties. Still, who knows what would have happened if the fight had dragged on.”

As he carefully examined the 20 or so pieces of equipment displayed on the floor, everyone in the room swallowed heavily.

It was now Yeongwoo’s turn to speak.

“I feel like I’ve gained a lot here today. First of all, I’ve made General Kim Younghyeom my friend.”

Yeongwoo paused for a moment, then met the eyes of the five Strongest Swords in front of him, one by one.

“I’m not sure if we’re friends yet… but since you all responded to my unilateral request to join the battle, you’re at least my comrades, right?”

Then, Seocho’s Strongest Sword Choi Namhee nodded with a weak smile.

“Well… we’re more than just comrades now. If the situation had been much worse, we would have fought together at the risk of our lives.”

It was both an empty statement and a fact.

If Yeongwoo had been overwhelmed by the North Korean main force in Paju, they would have naturally fought to the death.

It was not a matter of loyalty but a matter of logic.

If the North Koreans succeeded in killing Jeong Yeongwoo, who else would they target next?

Naturally, they would advance from Paju and Goyang to Seoul.

‘I should be grateful that I met Jeong Yeongwoo as a friend rather than an enemy.’

As Choi Namhee thought this, she smiled with her eyes, and Yeongwoo responded with a friendly smile.

And then.

“In that sense, I would like to share some of the spoils with all of you. Because you fought alongside me, my comrades.”

“….!”

“Wow.”

“Is… is that true?”

They had hoped, but they had never expected Yeongwoo to show such mercy, so everyone’s eyes widened in surprise.

“Yes. If there’s anything you want among the equipment here, you can take it. However, there are three conditions.”

Yeongwoo holds up three fingers as he speaks.

“First, there is a pair of swords here that can make a shield. Please don’t choose those.”

“Oh… no problem.”

“Yes, if that’s the case.”

The Strongest Swords nodded enthusiastically.

Then Yeongwoo mentioned the second condition.

“Second, you can’t take any accessories. Anything else is fair game.”

“Yes, that’s fine.”

“Understood.”

The second condition also passed without any objections.

Finally, Yeongwoo revealed the third condition.

“Third, you can choose more than two items as spoils. However, from the second item onwards, you will have to exchange it for the accessory you currently have.”

“Huh…?”

“Exchange for the accessory?”

Reaching the third condition, the Strongest Swords realized.

Yeongwoo was indeed showing mercy, but there was still a catch.

‘This bast*rd, for some reason, he’s planning to take all our accessories.’

Dongdaemun’s Strongest Sword, Jang Jeongho, looked at Yeongwoo with suspicious eyes.

But there was no doubt that it was an offer he couldn’t refuse.

Clap!

Eventually, Yeongwoo applauded and pointed to the spoils laid out beneath his feet.

“Now then! Let’s get started. One by one, choose the equipment you want and bring it to me. Accessory exchanges are also welcome.”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]