Chapter 416

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 416: Cosmic (3)

Courtesy.

The dictionary definition is “to treat someone with politeness and respect.”

Then what does courtesy mean in battle?

‘Well… maybe not using cowardly tricks? Introducing yourself properly before fighting?’

If this were Earth, those might be the first things that came to mind when thinking about combat etiquette.

But this was practically space now.

“Kubu.”

—Yes, Lord.

“What exactly is the ‘courtesy’ observed in battle?”

Specifically, what was it that Yeongwoo no longer needed to observe when fighting an opponent with a Prestige Level of 40?

Kubu blinked before answering.

—Courtesy is part of the cosmic order.

“Order…?”

—That’s correct. When facing an opponent to whom one must show courtesy, it becomes impossible to use one’s full power.

Yeongwoo’s expression twisted immediately.

“…What are you saying? In a fight, the weaker side has to hold back instead?”

—Not so much the weaker side… rather, the lesser side.

“…!”

Hearing Kubu’s explanation, Yeongwoo felt his scalp tingle.

From the start, the concepts of space were completely different from common sense on Earth.

‘Well, raising your Prestige Level requires not just money, but also an impressive track record.’

Surviving resets, clearing dungeons, discovering third-rank beings, possessing myths—

These were all accomplishments that made up Yeongwoo’s Prestige Level 38.

In other words, a high Prestige Level signified numerous extraordinary achievements.

‘So they consider someone with a lower Prestige Level to be 'lesser' in comparison.’

In space, nobility wasn’t about birth but about how much one had accomplished and experienced.

That was why royal families, whose power was built upon myths, were universally respected.

“No, but still—how does it make sense that in a life-or-death battle, the ‘lesser’ side has to deliberately hold back?”

Yeongwoo asked with some frustration. Kubu blinked again before replying.

—Courtesy is one of the fundamental systems of cosmic order. That means it is enforced.

“Put it in simpler terms.”

—Even if a lesser being attacks with full power, their attack cannot fully reach their opponent.

“Ah.”

Now Yeongwoo understood clearly.

“Fuck. So if your level is lower, you get nerfed in fights.”

This universe was a strict hierarchy.

To maintain that order, a system was in place preventing lesser beings from easily harming the noble ones.

“Wait, does that mean…”

A sudden realization flashed through Yeongwoo’s mind.

“Even Lemu would be affected when fighting our Chairman, right?”

—That… we cannot be sure of.

“…Seems likely, though? The Chairman is from a royal family, and their rank is vastly different. Their Prestige Level must be much higher…”

What kind of fights had Lemu been through?

Of course, as the major shareholders had said, Lemu owned a crude business empire, meaning he had enormous financial resources.

So his Prestige Level might actually be comparable to the Chairman’s.

「You are now exempt from ‘courtesy’ when fighting against opponents with Prestige Level 40.」

‘Judging from my case, it looks like a two-level gap removes the courtesy penalty…’

Then the previous fight between the Chairman and Lemu—was it a battle with courtesy, or was it an unrestricted duel?

‘A lesser being like me has no way of knowing.’

Yeongwoo shook his head.

『That wretched Lemu is a fourth-rank existence. He will never achieve any great deeds and will remain where he is until he perishes.』

The Chairman said things like this all the time, so it was hard to imagine he would lose to a lesser being just because of a temporary level difference.

But that was a matter for the beings of the heavens.

For Yeongwoo, the most important thing now was—

‘I finally have lesser beings beneath me!’

Until now, he had been nothing more than a pawn, pushed around by bigger players.

But now, he had truly become a cosmic existence.

His Prestige had finally broken through its natural limits and reached the cosmos, allowing him to look down upon those beneath him.

The only problem was… the ones beneath him were his own family roots.

“Well, for now, I just need to keep building up my Prestige Level and prepare for the future.”

As Yeongwoo said this, Jiseon interrupted.

—Prepare for the future…? What are you planning now?

“What else? Have you forgotten our main business?”

Robbery and assault.

In this vast universe, how much power would one need to live as a space bandit?

With that in mind, it was impossible not to be curious about the Chairman’s Prestige Level.

"I’m at 38 now… so what kind of level would a big shot like the Chairman have?"

[Prestige Level: 38]

|20/100

• Karma required per achievement point: 250 million

To raise his Prestige Level by just one point, Yeongwoo needed 250 million Karma.

So how much more would he need to go from Level 39 to 40?

There was no need to think too hard to predict the answer—

Even at the early 40s, it would become nearly impossible to grow just by spending money.

‘Just as the Chairman said, if you don’t accomplish great deeds, you’ll remain where you are until you vanish.’

The structure of the cosmic hierarchy was finally starting to make sense.

“Kubu.”

—Yes, Lord.

“Has there ever been a case where someone succeeded in an uprising while still observing courtesy?”

Since Kubu could now access the family system, Yeongwoo wondered if he might also have access to historical records.

But the response was—

—That… I cannot say.

“Ah, of course. There’s no way to know everything happening in this vast universe.”

Yeongwoo answered his own question, and Kubu blinked in agreement.

“Well then.”

Taking a deep breath, Yeongwoo reached for Jeonggu’s arm and transferred the promised 1 billion Karma.

Fwoosh!

“Huh?”

Jeonggu’s jaw dropped as he saw the amount displayed before him.

“Th-thanks. How’s your eye now?”

“It’s much better than before.”

Yeongwoo’s right pupil now had a faint ashen glow—it had successfully adapted.

“Mother, you come too.”

Yeongwoo beckoned his second lesser being, Song Jiseon.

But Jiseon shook her head and instead gestured for Yeongwoo to come to her.

—You may have become a great person, but you couldn’t have built this family without us. So you should come here.

“……”

As expected, his mother was not easy to deal with.

Yeongwoo thought for a moment, then nodded and stepped forward.

“I don’t have time to argue.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Clank, clank.

With each step, a strange ripple spread through the air.

Jiseon ignored it and simply extended her arm toward him.

Swoosh.

Yeongwoo took her arm and transferred 1 billion Karma.

Fwoosh!

And at that moment—

—H-huh?!

Jiseon let out an unusually startled sound and stumbled backward.

“What… what was that?”

Startled, Yeongwoo withdrew his hand and asked. Jiseon, equally flustered, responded in a shaky voice.

—A... A status window just appeared.

"What? You mean you've never had a status menu before?"

Well, that made sense.

Jiseon was a mutant from the beginning, and her combat power had been automatically adjusted according to the reset date.

However, after receiving Karma from Yeongwoo and gaining her first property, she was granted some of the rights of an Earth resident.

"If you invest 4 billion into your stats, you can unlock the Prestige Level."

—4 billion? That means we're still short 3 billion.

"Wait for the next root tax payout."

Yeongwoo, who said this so nonchalantly, still had about 20 billion in cash even after taxes.

But there was too much that needed to be done with that money.

First, the city needed to be developed, and now that a noble house had been established, preparations for a fleet had to begin.

‘A planetary ship would cost far more than a regular one. Honestly, 20 billion probably won’t even come close.’

Yeongwoo scratched his forehead.

Of course, with the board meeting happening soon, he would get a better estimate once he spoke with them.

Would Earth even approve the ship's construction?

How much capital would be required?

"But Yeongwoo, when are you going to take this thing? It's honestly terrifying to hold onto."

"...?"

Hearing Jeonggu’s words, Yeongwoo turned his head—only to find a gleaming white spear thrust toward him.

"Oh."

It was none other than the legendary spear, Lightning Rod, a gift from Lemu, the company president, for the wedding.

"Hand it over."

As Yeongwoo took the spear from Jeonggu’s hands, a dazzling tooltip filled his vision.

Flash!

「Lightning Rod」 - Legendary Spear

【Lightning Fire】

| Doubles the lightning damage you possess.

【Lightning Rod】

| When hit by lightning damage, attack power increases by 15%.

【Lemu’s Seal】

| Every time you pronounce ‘Lemu,’ you receive a thrilling jolt of lightning damage and gain favor with machines.

"...That's insane."

Yeongwoo had almost forgotten about this spear’s absurd effects.

Now it made sense why Jeonggu had been afraid to even hold it.

‘Damn, I can't even say the boss’s name casually anymore.’

Still, in a critical battle, there would come a time when he had to say Lemu’s name.

【Lightning Rod】

| When hit by lightning damage, attack power increases by 15%.

Unless he was fighting a Thunder Dragon, the only way to activate this effect would be to trigger Lemu’s Seal or inflict damage on himself.

But he wasn’t sure if self-inflicted damage would even register with the spear’s effect.

Zap.

Gripping the long handle of Lightning Rod, he felt white lightning crawling up the back of his hand.

Crackle!

—Uh… that weapon looks kind of dangerous.

Feeling an inexplicable sense of unease, Jiseon instinctively stepped back.

And, of course, she was right to be cautious.

Swoosh!

Without warning, Yeongwoo reversed his grip on the spear and stabbed his own calf with the tip.

Thud!

—You crazy bastard!

Jiseon snapped as poisonous blood gushed from Yeongwoo’s wound.

"……!"

But Yeongwoo wasn’t even paying attention to his bleeding leg.

‘It worked!’

A lightning-shaped icon appeared in the corner of his vision, confirming that Lightning Rod's attack boost had activated.

‘At least I won’t have to shout Lemu’s name in every fight now. Haha, sorry, Boss. Your trick wasn’t deep enough.’

Yeongwoo smirked with a sense of triumph.

But still, wouldn’t it be a waste to never trigger Lemu’s Seal even once?

He was too curious.

What exactly does "a jolt of lightning damage" feel like?

One day, this reckless curiosity is going to kill me.

Even as he thought that, his mouth was already opening.

"...Le, mu?"

At that moment, as if it had been waiting for him, a white flash surged, sending an electric shock through his body.

Zap!

"Ah, ughhh!"

A "pleasantly" shocking jolt.

It was just the right amount of electricity—not too much, not too little—sending a tingle across his entire body.

Yeongwoo shuddered involuntarily, letting out an embarrassing groan.

‘What the hell did that bastard give me?!’

Fwoosh!

Above his head, a square emblem with Lemu’s logo appeared.

That had to be Lemu’s Seal.

"……."

Still trembling from the lingering electricity, Yeongwoo lifted his head.

Whirrrrr…

He heard it—the sound of the mechanical wreaths outside the wedding hall coming to life.

"Oh, shit."

He bolted outside.

Boom!

Just as he expected, power had been restored across the border districts of Gwangjin-gu.

Yeongwoo’s activation of Lemu’s Seal had inadvertently reactivated Lemu’s mechanical wreaths.

"What the hell…"

Beep…

The machines soon powered down again, but one thing was certain—Lemu’s Seal had more layers than the tooltip suggested.

【Lemu’s Seal】

| Every time you pronounce ‘Lemu,’ you receive a thrilling jolt of lightning damage and gain favor with machines.

The tooltip only mentioned "gaining favor" with machines, but it was clearly more complex than that.

‘What exactly does ‘favor’ mean?’

As Yeongwoo silently pondered the question only Lemu could answer, a new notification appeared in his vision.

「Meeting with the Board will commence in 2 hours and 30 minutes.」

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]