Chapter 187

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 187: Everyone’s Strongest Sword (7)

Interception before the mutant even landed.

This was an extraordinary strategy from the start, but it was also made possible by Jeong Yeongwoo’s presence before anything else.

Equipped with a long-range weapon, White Fire, and specialized sniper equipment, and above all, a monster with a total ability score exceeding 20,000.

Who would dare to intercept a mutant falling like lightning from the edge of the sky if it weren’t for him?

“Let’s, let’s go together…!”

Jongseon chased after Joseon’s Strongest Sword, who was already ahead.

Thud!

The mutant, hit by an arrow and deviating from its path, fortunately landed not on a nearby building but on Teheran Road.

And just now.

―No, damn it. What is this…?

Rubbing his throbbing back of the head, he struggled to open his eyes.

A Cyclops towering at a height of 5 meters.

Kugugugu……

As the creature finally lifted its upper body from the ground, a huge shadow cast over the road, creating a formidable presence.

[CEO – Song Myeongbae]

‘Oh, Song Myeongbae…!’

Yeongwoo, seeing the mutant’s nameplate from afar, blinked his eyes.

Like Kim Taejoon, he also appeared with the title ‘CEO,’ but Song Myeongbae was a completely different character.

‘Luckily, that piece of trash was assigned to Gangnam.’

He was the 5th-day mutant of Gangnam, Song Myeongbae.

Externally, he was the CEO of a domestic clothing brand known as the ‘Dongdaemun Myth,’ but one day, when he was caught in a drunk driving checkpoint, his true nature was revealed to the world.

At that time, a police officer, judging that Song Myeongbae’s condition was peculiar for a simple drunk, conducted a quick drug test, and the result was positive.

Moreover, his companion, suspected to be his lover, also tested positive for drugs.

Later, during police investigations, it was revealed that Song Myeongbae had been secretly administering drugs to his companion.

This revelation sparked a huge controversy.

Moreover, at that time, Song Myeongbae was a married man with two children.

He was committing drunk driving, drug abuse, and adultery all at once.

So in the end, he was sentenced to prison, but it seems he succeeded in an early release for some reason.

Anyway, Yeongwoo felt relieved to see the familiar nameplate.

He realized that he might have committed a grave breach depending on the opponent, as he had shot arrows without confirming the mutant’s identity.

“Mr. Myeongbae! I’m glad it’s you!”

As Yeongwoo ran towards the mutant with a bright expression, Song Myeongbae, who was just getting up, felt an unusual atmosphere and turned his head.

―Who are you…?

The first thing Song Myeongbae saw when he turned his head was the opponent’s upper body clearly revealed.

For some reason, a madman without a shirt was swinging a sword towards him.

―What the hell!

Startled by the nightmare-like scene, Myeongbae instinctively rolled back to avoid Yeongwoo’s frontal strike.

Whoosh!

At that moment, Song Myeongbae’s landing, unseen until now, came into Yeongwoo’s view.

“…Huh?”

For a moment, Yeongwoo’s pupils were tinted with a reddish hue.

It was because Song Myeongbae’s entire back was adorned with a splendid Irezumi.

That was probably a tattoo that Myeongbae had when he was human.

‘I wonder if tattoos are inherited as they are…?’

It was a fact that he learned for the first time.

Since he had never seen a mutant with such conspicuous tattoos before, this was his first data obtained.

Kwaaah!

In the meantime, Myeongbae, who had finished rolling back, quickly got up and caught his breath.

His eyes were complicated.

―Who… who are you? Was that also your doing? From the sky.

It seemed that Myeongbae didn’t even know what he had been hit by from the sky.

Upon this, instead of answering, Yeongwoo pulled back his bow again.

Tck-tck-tck!

―This…!

Realizing that the opponent was a prepared archer from the start, Myeongbae showed a terrified expression.

―S-stop that!

The 5-meter tall Cyclops, Song Myeongbae, rushed towards Yeongwoo, who had pulled back his bow.

Thud!

Then, sensory deprivation was activated, amplifying Yeongwoo’s sensory values.

「The sensory value has temporarily increased from the original 3,300 to 5,420.」

The sensory stolen from the opponent amounted to a whopping 2,120.

‘Incredible. Even if it’s a two-man team, it won’t be easy to deal with someone like this.’

Yeongwoo thought so while mercilessly shooting arrows at the mutant in front of him.

Pewwwsh!

―Aaah!

This time, Myeongbae saw the arrow clearly.

However, he had no skill to stop it.

Thudddd!

Without a doubt, he was hit in the chest with an arrow and staggered sideways.

A mutant appearing on a day when a warning had been issued through general notice—such helplessness was unbelievable.

However, if Song Myeongbae’s appearance had not been in Gangnam, the situation would have been very different.

“Mr. Myeongbae, did this symbol come from you?”

When Yeongwoo put away his bow and pointed to the ‘General’ character above his head with his hand, Song Myeongbae narrowed his single eye.

―What are you talking about?

Due to excessive exposure to abilities, his body was now covered in purple cracks like spiderwebs.

Probably in a vulnerable state, even a slight touch could shatter him, and it did.

“Wiiiiing!”

While his attention was diverted, a golden streak approached from behind and struck his neck.

Thud!

With a sound like a biscuit breaking, Song Myeongbae’s thick neck was minced into pieces.

“Ah!”

Startled by the unexpected decapitation, Choi Jongseon inadvertently screamed.

More than being surprised by the Cyclops’s severed neck, she was astonished by the fact that the flesh around it turned into hundreds of fragments and scattered.

It was the first time she had seen a mutant’s body deform like that.

“What, what is this? Why is the mutant breaking like candy…?”

“It’s the effect of ability damage. If the power is sufficient, it can break not only armor but also the body.”

Yeongwoo briefly explained to Jongseon, observing a goblin pocketing Song Myeongbae’s orb.

“The monsters of Gangnam will probably be taken care of by Taewon. Let’s move on to Gwangjin-gu.”

As Yeongwoo spoke, he inserted the unused talisman into his waistband, and at that moment, the distant northern sky changed dramatically.

“Huh…?”

Jongseon’s expression froze in concern.

Seeing her look towards the north, Yeongwoo soon wore a similarly troubled expression.

“Oh my.”

In the sky of Gwangjin-gu were three mutant symbols.

Already arrived on that side were the Strongest Sword… no, a group of ten million karma customers.

* * *

Gwangjin-gu.

Currently, a deserted area with no remaining residences or actual Strongest Sword.

However, today it was busier than any other city.

The reason was none other than…

“What the hell is this!”

“To the right! Turn right!”

There were no less than two Strongest Swords, each running with numerous mutants and monsters trailing behind.

“Damn it! Where is this bastard?”

Dongdaemun’s Strongest Sword, Jang Jeongho 01.

And…

“This isn’t what we agreed on. What happened…?”

Seongbuk’s Strongest Sword, Lee Yoobin 16.

Both were assigned to the same team due to their adjacent areas, but ironically, both immediately rushed to Gwangjin-gu without trusting each other’s back.

Of course, the plan was to leave the dangerous task to Jeong Yeongwoo, which had been mutually agreed upon beforehand.

However, the problem was…

“Jeong Yeongwoo! We’ve arrived…!”

The resolver who was supposed to wait for them in Gwangjin-gu hadn’t shown up for work yet.

“This idiot, did he die in Gangnam?”

Starting to feel scared, Jang Jeongho cursed while glancing southward.

In response, Lee Yoobin leaped over the monsters blocking her path and exclaimed something close to a scream.

“Don’t say such terrifying things! Then what about those over there?”

Jang Jeongho and Lee Yoobin.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Both Strongest Swords were facing numerous mutants and monsters from their respective areas, as well as mutant originally in Gwangjin-gu, and even hundreds of monsters.

Therefore, the moment they stopped running, they would be in a situation where they had to face all those mutants and monsters.

“What should we do? Should we try circling around for now?”

Lee Yoobin made a puzzled expression.

The only reason they weren’t crossing over to other areas with such a large army of monsters attached was that they still had some sense of responsibility as Strongest Swords.

Gwangjin-gu was originally a deserted area where they didn’t need to worry about building destruction, but it wasn’t the same for other areas.

Thud!

Thud!

Moreover, the two Strongest Swords, who were in the midst of a marathon of death, were also receiving mental attacks.

–They’re running away like cockroaches.

–Strongest Swords…? Who gave them that name anyway?

–Hey, you idiots, aren’t you embarrassed?

The three mutants continuously mocked the two, their voices echoing ominously.

Although mutants had their own grudges and returned to this world seeking revenge, it was annoying to see those who came out as Strongest Swords running away instead of facing them.

Furthermore, they were exceptionally skilled at fleeing, making it impossible to catch them in one go, which was the biggest problem.

So, they were tempted to abandon the two Strongest Swords and move to other areas early on.

“He’s… he’s coming soon! We agreed to wait here!”

“If that guy comes, all of you are dead, you bastards…!”

Whether it was a bluff or something else, the fact that the two cowards kept saying someone was coming made them anxious and kept them going.

–Where the hell is someone coming from? Well, even if he comes, isn’t he also a Strongest Sword?

Han Seonggyu, a mutant who had been chasing Lee Yoobin from Seongbuk-gu, turned his head, feeling his patience wearing thin.

He felt that there was no point in staying here any longer.

[Athlete – Han Seonggyu]

Han Seonggyu, a player in the Korean professional baseball league’s second team.

As it happens, two weeks before the reset, he assaulted a citizen in the middle of the road due to a driving dispute, and now he has become a minotaur with a height of 4 meters.

With a bulldozer-like temperament, he even received two large horns as a fitting gift.

–I’m done here. I’m going somewhere else.

As he declared the abandonment of the marathon, he stopped in his tracks with his heavy legs.

Boom!

As a fierce wind blew near his hooves, his skin began to tingle.

–Huh? What’s this?

Seonggyu wasn’t the only one who felt something strange; the two Strongest Swords, who had been fleeing in a panic, and the other mutant and monster chasing them instinctively stopped as well.

Because…

Shoooooo!

The gentle breeze that had only been blowing from the hooves suddenly turned into a strong wind, causing even the mutants to stagger.

Moreover, unidentified green pellets began floating in the air.

–…What’s going on?

–Suddenly, what’s happening?

–Uh, does the weather suddenly change like this?

At a time when the wind was abnormal enough for one of the mutants to question the “locals”, the Strongest Swords, the crimson sky of Gwangjin-gu suddenly turned green and flashed.

Crash!

It was lightning and thunder.

And at that moment, everyone saw it.

“Huh?”

“Ugh!”

–What’s that?

–A dragon…?

A silhouette that could only be described as a dragon floated beyond the green-tinted clouds.

“We’re… we’re doomed.”

Dongdaemun’s Strongest Sword, Jang Jeongho, exclaimed.

Having encountered a dragon while trying to avoid three mutants, it was only natural to feel doomed.

“We need to escape now. If we stay here, we’ll die.”

He said this to Lee Yoobin, who was standing nearby, and then panicked when he saw that the sweat on her forehead was green.

“What…?”

And right on cue.

「An [Abnormal Climate] toxic typhoon has formed in Gwangjin-gu.」

Suddenly, a warning of abnormal weather appeared, and then a voice emanated from within the clouds where the shadow of the dragon had been seen earlier, giving off a sensation of danger.

–Do you still have courage? If so, come into my territory.

Upon hearing this, Jang Jeongho and Lee Yoobin thought it was directed at them and leaped madly out of the poisonous typhoon.

They may have lacked courage from the start, but the pain all over their bodies from the poison was worse.

And then.

Clank, clank.

They happened to meet a man who was coming from the opposite direction.

He was none other than…

『Joseon’s Strongest Sword』

Jeong Yeongwoo, who was casually strolling through the toxic typhoon without even wearing a top.

“Yeongwoo, this guy…!”

Jang Jeongho tried to confront Yeongwoo fiercely but ended up spitting out a mouthful of blood instead.

“Guhhh!”

In response, Yeongwoo swiftly dodged the debris with lightning-like movements and asked them both.

“Low toxin resistance and no immune equipment, right?”

“…”

“In that case, just standing still will kill you, so hurry up and get out. Don’t forget to prepare ten million each.”

Pointing behind him, Yeongwoo indicated for Lee Yoobin, who vigorously nodded her head, to grab Jang Jeongho’s arm and drag him away.

Satisfied, the mutant who had been observing from above the clouds spoke with a smug tone

–Impressive courage. Are you ready to face me now?

Perhaps because he was a dragon, his voice exuded immense pride and confidence, as if he had already become the master of this world.

So, deliberately lowering himself, Yeongwoo adopted a respectful attitude as he spoke.

“Sir, before we engage in battle, may I make one request?”

–What is it? Speak.

“Could you please say ‘Dogo’ once? It’s the wish of this humble servant.”

–Dogo? What is Dogo?

As if waiting for this moment, Yeongwoo immediately raised the bowstring he was holding in his left hand and forcefully pulled the arrow with his right hand.

Twang!

“Yes, so please listen carefully as I explain now!”

–What is it?

“This battle is supported by the intergalactic brand Dogo…!”

The arrow of Dogo was released.

[TL/N: LMAOOO]

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]