Chapter 252

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 252: The Great Migration (7)

Prosperous country and strong military for inevitable unification.

Yeongwoo’s declaration to cultivate overwhelming power to dominate every nation on Earth and achieve a peaceful golden age brought shock and euphoria to all Koreans.

This was because, since the founding of Joseon by Taejo Yi Seong-gye, there had never been a conqueror-type leader on this land.

But now, things are different.

The Reset, considered the worst catastrophe in human history.

In this era where power has become everything, Korea has coincidentally gained tremendous power.

It was about Jeong Yeongwoo, the cosmic being who commanded mutants as subordinates and fired laser beams from outer space.

An asymmetrical power that might be stronger than nuclear weapons in this world!

The public’s yearning for this power was clearly reflected in the voting results.

Flash!

| For: 76.8%

| Against: 23.2%

Yeongwoo’s approval rating soared to a staggering 76.8%.

And soon after.

Swoosh…!

Like soda bubbles rising in a glass, tiny letters filled the sky screen.

“What, what is this…?”

Yeongwoo, with wide eyes, saw the ‘words’ of the voters.

As the voting ended, the thoughts cast by the voters were visualized and appeared on the screen.

―Could our country finally become a great power?

―The beginning of Joseon-style imperialism!

―Time for conquest…!

―If someone has to hold the sword, it’s better that we do.

Of course, not all phrases were supportive or advocating for Yeongwoo.

―Does being competent mean a reprobate can represent the nation?

―To deal with foreign monsters, we have no choice but to send out our monster.

―Is this really okay? Aren’t we becoming a major belligerent in a world war?

―We should be grateful if we don’t become the Axis Powers.

Some phrases were from those who voted against Yeongwoo or chose him reluctantly as the lesser evil, reflecting sharp criticism.

“……”

Yeongwoo couldn’t entirely disagree with the dissenting opinions either.

After all, the radical idea of crushing all nine other teams was the AI’s claim.

But looking at it another way, that AI…

‘Ultimately, it’s the result of learning from me, isn’t it? So, maybe it’s very honestly representing my true feelings.’

Still, he didn’t believe war and conquest were the only answers.

However, he agreed that if inevitable, they must be fought and won.

And it had been somewhat confirmed through past records that he was the only one in Korea capable of achieving that ‘victory.’

‘If it has to be done, I will do it! Peaceful unification…!’

As one anonymous voter said, if someone has to hold the sword, it’s better that we grab it quickly.

So Yeongwoo willingly accepted the will of the people.

“I will not forget your support!”

Flash!

As Yeongwoo raised the sword high and looked at the screen, the council’s announcement echoed in the sky.

[Jeong Yeongwoo07 has been officially elected as the strongest in Korea.]

[The final approval rating is 76.8%, and the excess over the minimum required 70% for election will be set as the tax rate.]

“Huh…? Tax rate?”

It was indeed the tax rate.

‘This is going to cause some commotion…’

People elected someone to represent them in international conflicts, not to collect taxes.

Moreover, if the excess over the 70% approval rating directly translates to the tax rate…

‘Simple calculation would make it 6.8%.’

It would be a tax imposed on all Koreans, and if collected daily…

‘Roughly speaking, that would generate billions every day. And if that happens, I won’t be able to keep my head for long.’

Voters, like Yeongwoo, were curious about the nature of the tax.

Yeongwoo would receive the money, but the people would have to pay it.

Soon, the awaited council’s elaboration followed.

[The tax levied by the elected strongest in Korea is called the ‘Defense Tax.’]

[The Defense Tax is classified as an indirect tax, automatically collected from any income exceeding the minimum cost of living necessary for survival.]

In simple terms, it meant that the taxpayer couldn’t decide whether to pay at the point of collection; it would be automatically deducted from any earnings above the system-defined minimum living cost.

Thus, anyone earning above a certain amount would see their post-tax income reduced by the Defense Tax.

‘So those barely making a living would be exempt from the Defense Tax. That’s some consolation.’

As Yeongwoo anxiously awaited the next explanation, the council finally specified the rate of the Defense Tax.

[The current Defense Tax rate in Korea is 6.8% annually, collected daily.]

“Ah…!”

Yeongwoo’s expression brightened with relief.

Excluding those at the minimum subsistence level, and with an annual tax rate of 6.8%, it wasn’t excessively harsh.

Of course, this didn’t mean the public opinion on the defense tax would be favorable.

After all, being forced to pay money is still being forced to pay money.

‘Collecting 6.8% of the annual GDP daily… It should still amount to a substantial sum.’

Strictly speaking, it meant collecting 6.8% of Korea’s GDP over 365 days.

For Yeongwoo, it would be like receiving a salary.

‘So, if our country’s GDP increases, my salary increases as well.’

Viewed this way, it seemed like a reasonable system.

However, if he showed no results, he might be beheaded by an uprising.

‘Can I use the money collected from the defense tax however I want?’

As Yeongwoo scratched his chin and thought about this, the council’s explanation continued.

[Since the defense tax is also a national tax, the representative must record the usage and purpose of the defense tax.]

In other words, he would have to create a ledger.

A new interface would probably be added for this purpose.

Since he was elected as the strongest in Korea, a crown-shaped icon had been attached to the upper left of his field of vision.

[We announce that all official procedures for Jeong Yeongwoo07 have been completed.]

[The only way to change Korea’s strongest, ‘Strongest Sword,’ is through assassination.]

The method to change Strongest Sword was always chilling.

With this, the screen in the sky disappeared, and the council’s presence vanished entirely.

“What? Those bastards!”

Yeongwoo looked around the sky as if ready to kill them, but there was no trace of the council.

Instead.

Swoosh!

From somewhere in the sky, a white beam of light curved down and landed on Yeongwoo’s head, emitting a radiant glow.

『Strongest Sword』

This was when Yeongwoo’s title changed to the plain ‘Strongest Sword.’

“What… what is this?”

Yeongwoo blinked in confusion and then realized.

It wasn’t that the title had no embellishment, but rather that no embellishment was needed.

What additional description would be necessary for the strongest in Korea, holding the title Strongest Sword?

For the one who had reached the pinnacle of the Strongest Sword system, it was simply:

‘…Strongest Sword itself.’

As Yeongwoo stared blankly at his plain title, a tooltip for the new title appeared in his vision.

Flash!

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

「Strongest Sword」 – Legendary Title

【Majesty of Strongest Sword】

【Voter】

【Collector】

【Strongest Sword Law】

‘Quite grandiose.’

After checking the tooltip, Yeongwoo turned his head to look west.

Having obtained the highest title in Korea, it was as if he had accomplished all possible feats on this land.

Thus, his next destination was.

‘Did they say a collection team would come from Beijing today? I should meet those guys first.’

To consistently extract 20 million Karma daily from Shandong Province, he had to conquer Beijing, the capital of China.

And to do that.

‘It’s best to reduce their forces as much as possible. Who knows how strong Im Doopyeong is.’

How did he manage to withstand so much killing intent?

For Yeongwoo, the most mysterious figure at this point was China’s president, Im Doopyeong.

Of course, before meeting the masters dispatched from Beijing, there was one more thing to take care of here.

And that was.

“Con… congratulations, Strongest Sword.”

The issue of handling the Korean Chinese people cautiously offering their congratulations and the mutant Heo Geumhwa still cowering in the distance.

“Thank you.”

Yeongwoo nodded in acknowledgment while scanning the surroundings sharply.

Although the leader had been decapitated, making them less of a threat for now, they were still potential rebels.

He felt like beheading all those with a certain level of martial prowess to cut off any threats.

‘But if I keep handling things that way, I’ll end up with a mountain of corpses and a massive accumulation of bad karma.’

Yet, he couldn’t just let those who ravaged Yeongdeungpo walk away.

So, Yeongwoo ordered the goblin to bring the Evil meter.

-Kikik!

Then, he spread the majesty of Strongest Sword, binding all the Korean Chinese in the area.

Whoosh!

“It might be a bit uncomfortable, but bear with it. It’s better than dying.”

“…!”

“What, what?”

Some Korean Chinese masters bristled at Yeongwoo’s unilateral display of power but quickly fell silent.

They were soon confronted with Yeongwoo’s title, “Strongest Sword,” in their glaring eyes.

A title so peculiar it lacked any descriptive modifiers.

“I’m going to investigate your bad karma. If recent bad karma includes the murder of a Korean, I can consider you one of the main culprits of the Yeongdeungpo massacre.”

Click.

Yeongwoo loaded the Evil meter, which looked unmistakably like a gun, and without any hesitation, he pulled the trigger aimed at a Korean Chinese man right in front of him.

Bang!

Immediately, the man’s basic information and details of recent bad karma were displayed.

[Recent Increase in Bad Karma]

| Murder of Kim Juhan131: +39.

Kim Juhan131.

A person recently killed by this man.

Judging by the identification number, they likely weren’t a Strongest Sword-level survivor…

‘Probably a resident of Yeongdeungpo. It seems all Korean Chinese with some combat power participated in the massacre.’

While Yeongwoo, still holding the gun to the man, pondered, the man whose bad karma was exposed began sweating profusely and barely managed to speak.

“Pl-please spare me!”

“……”

Instead of answering the man, Yeongwoo surveyed the relatively large number of Korean Chinese, as it would be too tedious to point the gun at each one individually.

So, he decided to lower his sword and made the following announcement.

“This gun can display the names of people you’ve killed recently.”

“……?”

“From now on, I will check everyone’s recent murder records with this gun.”

“What is this…?”

“What are you talking about?”

As expected, everyone in the room gaped, but Yeongwoo continued without care.

“If it shows that you’ve recently killed a Korean, I will execute you here today.”

“……!”

“However, if you have no murder records, I will spare you and repatriate you to China. So, everyone stay in your place. If anyone tries to escape before the verification process is completed, I will assume they are Korean murderers and execute them immediately.”

In other words, if you had nothing to hide, stay put and wait for verification.

Finally,

Whoosh!

Yeongwoo released the restraint imposed by the majesty of Strongest Sword.

And then.

“Run for it!”

“If we all run in different directions, half of us can survive!”

Those who believed they couldn’t survive the verification process attempted to flee all at once.

Just as someone shouted, they ran in all directions.

Thud thud thud!

“……”

Yeongwoo calmly watched the fleeing people, then turned to Heo Geumhwa, still crouching on the ground with a bewildered expression.

“Geumhwa, think carefully about whether you can handle what’s about to happen.”

「Huh? What do you mean…?」

As Geumhwa looked up and glanced around, Yeongwoo picked up an amber-colored whistle from the equipment scattered on the ground.

Then,

Beep!

He blew the whistle, summoning those who might soon become Geumhwa’s colleagues.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]