Chapter 370

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Chapter 370: The Ultimate Evil of Promotion (6)

-What... What did you say? You want me to bring all those guys fighting over there?

“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m talking about.”

With these words, Yeongwoo twisted the sword embedded in his opponent’s hand, eliciting a distorted scream.

-Gaaaah! W-Wait!

The opponent glanced southward with wide, pale eyes—toward the battlefield where pillars of flame were erupting.

-There are more of them than I expected. Can you handle it?

“Just call them. I’ll deal with the aftermath,”

Yeongwoo said, baring his teeth and pretending to twist the sword again.

The “Black Hand” frantically nodded.

-F-Fine! I’ll do it.

The man’s pure white pupils turned jet black, and he pressed his other hand—the one not pierced by the sword—against the ground.

CRACK!

Dark energy spread from his palm, corrupting the floor beneath them.

‘Oh... so this is the power of the Void.’

It was the first time since meeting the First Prince Dogo in a dungeon that he had encountered someone wielding the Void.

His cosmic perspective was broadening.

‘The universe really is vast. Each race has its own specialized abilities.’

From planet Sutral, Amana could create wind for flight and high-speed movement.

From Pigot, Taru were innately immune to elemental damage.

Then what unique ability did humans from Earth possess?

-Raaaah!

The “Black Hand” roared, pulling his hand from the ground.

At the same time, the earth beneath Yeongwoo and Squad 042 turned pitch black.

WHOOOSH!

“...!”

The entire area was being transformed into a summoning site.

Suddenly—

THUD!

The ground rippled, and twelve aliens erupted simultaneously from beneath.

“Prince! Prince Aldo!”

Yeongwoo shouted, trying to locate Aldo.

In response, Aldo’s desperate voice came from one side.

-Y-Yeongwoo! Save me!

“Damn it!”

Yeongwoo turned to see two aliens entangled with Aldo.

One was Squad 029.

One was a ratman clad in a full-body robe wielding a sword, and the other was an elf with jade-colored skin and pointed ears.

Yeongwoo immediately threw his sword toward the elf and charged at Aldo.

“Get off! That’s my guest!”

WHAM!

The elf, struck by the sword in his waist, rolled to the ground.

Meanwhile, the ratman, who had been attacking Aldo with the sword, sensed Yeongwoo’s deadly aura and turned.

-What the—?

And then—

SMASH!

Yeongwoo’s fist came crashing down, shattering the ratman’s skull.

CRACK!

Fueled by rage, Yeongwoo delivered a devastating punch with all his might.

“Prince, are you okay?”

Yeongwoo asked, still seething as he glanced at Aldo.

Aldo trembled, clutching his abdomen, where fluid seeped from his armor.

-I-It hurts a bit, but I’m fine!

“Did you get stabbed?!”

Alarmed, Yeongwoo inspected Aldo’s armor and found a small puncture near his abdomen—proof that the ratman’s sword had penetrated it twice.

“What kind of armor can’t even block a sword?!”

Yeongwoo scowled, exasperated.

Aldo hastily pointed behind him.

-T-That’s not important right now. Look, Amana!

“...?”

There was no need to turn around.

-Raaah!

With a piercing scream, Amana unleashed a powerful gust of wind from behind them.

WHOOOSH!

The resulting whirlwind was strong enough to knock everyone off balance.

Moments later, Amana soared high into the air.

Having struggled on the ground, she had fled to the skies for safety.

‘At least she knows how to protect herself.’

Yeongwoo decided to leave Amana in the air and turned his attention to the last squad member, Taru.

Then he saw it.

BAM! BAM!

Taru from Planet Pigot was curled up and being beaten.

-P-Please! You should run while you can! It’ll be better for you!

Taru shouted at his attackers, urging them to flee.

Retrieving his sword, Yeongwoo called out Taru’s name, causing him to widen his eyes in shock.

“Taru!”

-Eek!

Taru shrieked, shoving his attackers away as he yelled.

-R-Run! Yeongwoo will kill you all!

But it was already too late.

SWHOOSH!

The “Yeongwoo” in question charged at them, sword in hand.

“If you beat me, you’ll instantly take first place!”

Yeongwoo shouted.

His words drew the attention of every squad in the area.

Then, with a dramatic swing, his sword cleaved through the air.

SPLURT!

The heads of the two aliens assaulting Taru were severed in an instant.

THUD!

Their heads hit the ground one after another, and Taru clamped his hands over his mouth, screaming.

-Ahhhhh!

Right before his eyes, an irreversible act of malice unfolded.

And from this moment onward, the challengers scattered across the arena began fleeing all at once.

-W-We can’t take them on.

-...Run!

Though they had boldly come to claim the top spot, seeing their opponent’s true strength firsthand made them realize their judgment had been wrong.

But weren’t they all already within Yeongwoo’s range?

“If you were going to run away, you shouldn’t have come in the first place!”

As Yeongwoo’s merciless voice echoed and he began dealing with the fleeing opponents one by one, Amana, floating in midair, clicked her beak together in fright.

-S-Stop it! There’s no need to kill those who are running away!

At this, Yeongwoo, who was about to drive his blade into the back of a fallen alien, hesitated.

“Why?”

-...Huh?

“They came here with the intent to kill us. Isn’t it only right to make them take responsibility for their choice by killing them...?”

When Yeongwoo asked with a serious expression, Amana looked utterly bewildered.

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-B-But they’re no longer trying to kill us, are they?

“That’s only because they realized we’re much stronger than they expected. If we were weaker, they wouldn’t be running; they’d be killing us to the bitter end.”

-Even so, slaughtering those who no longer wish to fight... If they’ve given up their intent to kill, isn’t that enough?

“...Ha.”

After listening to Amana’s words, Yeongwoo realized he would never be able to live as a virtuous man.

“Don’t you even understand the concept of reaping what you sow?”

-...?

“You all understand karma, don’t you? These people came here with the intent to kill us, sowing the seeds of evil karma, and they’re simply reaping the consequences now.”

Though Yeongwoo kindly broke it down for her, Amana still shook his head.

-That’s the logic of the wicked. Even if someone commits evil, responding with good deeds can eventually lead them to do good as well. Acts of kindness are like planting seeds of goodwill.

“Oh, come on. That’s ridiculous.”

-If you kill them now, they’ll remain evil forever. There will be no chance for their lives to change. But if you spare them... that act of kindness could become a seed that bears good fruit someday.

“Not ‘someday.’ More like ‘maybe.’”

-Huh?

“If I spare them, there’s no guarantee they’ll turn over a new leaf. More likely, they’ll commit more evil deeds.”

-W-What do you mean...?

-It’s called cause and effect! If you spare someone evil, evil will come back to you! Even in movies, the villain you thought was dead always comes back in the sequel!

-...Movies?

“So I choose to sever their cycle of evil karma right here, right now!”

-N-No!

As Amana cried out, and Yeongwoo’s sword was about to plunge downward, Aldo suddenly let out an unprecedented yell.

-Yeongwoo! Sir!

“What?”

When Yeongwoo turned his head, he saw Aldo crouched on the ground, twisting in pain as a liquid trickled from his waist.

-Then what about you, Sir Yeongwoo?

“What about me?”

-Aren’t you... a massive accumulation of evil karma yourself?

“...What?”

Aldo’s words, surprisingly, were not incorrect.

After all, wasn’t he someone who likely had over 200 million points of evil karma by now?

-Then, by your own logic... are you not a being who will only bring more misfortune to the world if allowed to live?

“...?”

-The things you just said... they apply to you as well! Why do you view yourself as nothing but a wretched being?

“......”

Yeongwoo felt as though he’d been struck on the back of the head.

Aldo was right: the logic he had used against these perpetrators of evil applied equally to himself.

A being without potential for redemption, who would only bring more harm if left alive.

Was that really who Jeong Yeongwoo was?

“I-I...”

-Everyone is generous to themselves! That’s normal, and it’s how it should be! But to do that, you must also be generous to others!

Aldo groaned and rose to his feet.

His broad shadow loomed over Yeongwoo and everyone else in the arena.

-Kindness isn’t some grandiose thing. Just treat others the way you’d want to be treated. Sir Yeongwoo, by helping us, you’ve already done a good deed. That means you’re not someone who only commits evil. So please...

Aldo extended a hand, pointing at the opponent lying beneath Yeongwoo’s feet.

-Let him go and perform your second act of kindness. Just as you’ve proven yourself, give others a chance to prove themselves too.

“...Prince.”

Yeongwoo would be lying if he said he wasn’t moved, even a little.

Of course, part of it was because the opponent might be a potential benefactor at his wedding, but he couldn’t completely dismiss Aldo’s argument.

So.

“Fine. You’re all lucky today. The prince has shown you mercy. Get out of here. You have five seconds.”

He withdrew his sword and released the opponent he’d pinned down with his foot.

Then.

-Y-You’ll regret this!

-R-Run!

-Move! Get out of here!

The person Yeongwoo had been holding, along with the rest of Squad 042, scrambled to escape.

They knew this was their first and last chance.

“......”

As Yeongwoo watched the retreating figures grow smaller in the distance, Aldo cautiously approached him.

-How does it feel to do a good deed? Surely it feels good, doesn’t it?

At this, Yeongwoo shot Aldo a glare, his face already filled with irritation.

“Feel good? What nonsense...!”

And then, out of nowhere, words appeared before him, causing him to fall silent.

Fwoosh!

For the first time in a long while, his achievement window lit up.

[Achievement Unlocked: Cold but Warm]

| Achievement Grade: Universe

| Achievement Rank: #841

「Created over 10 million points of goodwill while possessing over 200 million points of evil karma.」

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