Chapter 460

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Chapter 460: High-Growth Stock (4)

—…What the.

The mark of a general appearing on one who stands against a Dragonkin is a phenomenon unique to the Asian systems, even within the reset Earth.

So it was only natural that the heads of the noble houses present found the phenomenon unfamiliar.

—W-What is that?

—What is this...?

Sure enough, everyone showed signs of confusion at the strange character that suddenly appeared above Emel’s head.

「General」

In the universe, interspecies communication is fundamentally supported.

When two different races meet, usually at least one party has the ability to translate languages.

Furthermore, noble houses with a long history often have their language officially recognized, and universal-level translation support is provided for them.

In other words, the more prestigious the house, the more likely its language is incorporated into the universal lingua franca.

Public officials’ languages were also automatically translated for bureaucratic purposes.

But other beings had to rely on translation abilities or tools to communicate effectively with different species.

In particular, “written characters” differed from speech—they didn’t carry tone or intent—so near-perfect translation was practically limited to spoken language.

In short, if one’s language wasn’t part of the universal tongue, then their written characters would just appear as strange symbols to others.

And that’s exactly what the “General” mark above Emel’s head was.

—That symbol… What does it mean?

Looking extremely displeased, Emel drew his sword at incredible speed and slashed above his head.

Shiiiing!

A flash-like arc cut across the mark of the adversary, but the symbol showed no sign of disappearing.

Watching silently, Maon finally spoke in a quiet voice.

—“General”...?

He had read the character as “General” .

And not only that, Maon also grasped the intent behind it.

—It seems to be a sign that he is to fight that thing. I don’t think there’s much to worry about.

As he spoke while gazing at the shadow beyond the clouds above, Emel furrowed his brow with sword in hand.

—I’m not worried. I’m simply... displeased.

Emel was the heir of the prestigious Shirach family.

To him, having a mark from a remote planet—one that even birthed a rogue like Jeong Yeongwoo—appear on his head was deeply insulting.

It was like having some strange sticker slapped on your body without consent.

—When does this go away?

Eventually, Emel turned and asked Yeongwoo, who was quietly impressed.

‘Still using honorifics even now… He’s really committed to his persona.’

Then, like Maon, he raised his gaze to the sky and said:

“In about twenty minutes, that thing will descend from the sky.”

—And then?

“Since you’ve stepped forward as the adversary, you’ll have to fight and defeat it. That’ll make the mark on your head disappear.”

Of course, Yeongwoo was curious about what would happen if Emel ignored the mark and simply returned to his planet—but that couldn’t be helped.

After all, you couldn’t watch both possible futures.

‘Anyway, when else am I going to witness a showdown between the heir of a galactic noble house and a corporate mogul from Earth?’

The only downside was that the outcome of the duel was practically predetermined.

Still, it was a great opportunity for Yeongwoo to witness Emel in combat.

If there were any likely future enemies from the lower galaxy, they would almost certainly include the Shirach family.

‘Might as well analyze Emel’s martial prowess now and clean up this new Dragonkin while I’m at it.’

Surely no more members of the Jinhyeon family would fall from the sky.

“……”

As this thought crossed his mind, Yeongwoo flinched slightly and turned to Jiseon standing behind him.

“Mother.”

—...What? What is it?

“You don’t think that’s another uncle or something, do you? Another one from the Jinhyeon family?”

Jiseon cautiously looked up at the sky.

—Hard to say. As far as I know, there shouldn’t be anyone else. Not unless the dead start coming back to life…

At that moment, Maon raised his hand slightly and called out to Yeongwoo.

—Thanks to the Shirach family’s valor, we’ve gained a bit of time. Don’t we have unfinished business to settle?

He was referring to the non-aggression pact and its price.

Hadn’t there been a disagreement about the duration of the non-aggression period?

“As I said before, I…”

—Let’s go with that.

“Pardon?”

—The pact will be valid only during your term.

“You’ve changed your mind so suddenly?”

—The one who’s unlikely to change his mind is you, isn’t it? I simply have no better option.

In the end, a treaty requires the consent of both parties—so Maon had no choice but to accept Yeongwoo’s proposal.

The non-aggression pact would remain in effect only during the term of Jeong Yeongwoo07, the current head of the Renaissance family.

—Now, tell me. What will be the price of this brief peace?

“……”

Yeongwoo fell into contemplation.

As payment for the pact, he could demand money, equipment, facilities—virtually anything.

So long as the other party agreed.

‘Money? Nah. Useful, sure, but it doesn’t hold much value in the big picture.’

This was evident just by looking at “prestige,” the metric of status in the universe.

At some point, even pouring karma into something wouldn’t raise your prestige level anymore.

‘Same with equipment and facilities. Anything you can buy with money depreciates over time.’

Unless, of course, it was mythic-tier equipment.

But no house would hand over their mythical weapons—their ultimate trump cards—willingly.

“Hm.”

After some thought, Yeongwoo slowly raised his head to look at Maon.

“I’ve decided.”

—Oh? That was quick. Let’s hear it. What do you want?

Yeongwoo extended his hand with his index and middle fingers raised.

Swoosh.

—What is this...?

“Two.”

—Two?

"I want two levels of Prestige."

—...!

At Yeongwoo's request, not only Maon but also Emel, who bore the Mark of the Challenger on her forehead, widened his eyes in shock.

They had expected him to ask for a vast amount of Karma at most, but never imagined he would demand Prestige levels.

Maon, unable to hide his confusion, leaned forward slightly.

Creak.

—No house possesses the power or authority to bestow Prestige upon a lowborn.

Prestige levels are something one must earn through their own accomplishments.

What Maon meant was that he could not simply grant him that.

But Yeongwoo thought differently.

"I don’t think that’s true."

—...?

"Aren’t all of you heads of noble houses that have existed in this universe for thousands, even billions of years?"

—So what?

Maon still wore a baffled expression.

Yeongwoo looked at her, his face showing frustration.

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[Proofreader - Gun]

"Then you should at least know what kinds of things increase Prestige, right?"

He was right.

Yeongwoo knew the truth:

That the achievements needed to gain Prestige were universal across the universe.

「Dungeon cleared +1」

「Myth possessed +33」

「Discovery of Grade-4 Entity +0.1」

「Combat with Grade-4 Entity +0.2」

「Discovery of Grade-3 Entity +2」

「Holding 10 billion Karma +0.1」

Clearing dungeons, possessing myths, discovering Grade-4 and Grade-3 entities, holding massive Karma...

The list of achievements that appeared when Yeongwoo first unlocked Prestige level were consistent, structured, and universal.

Which meant that anyone—not just Yeongwoo—who performed the same feats would receive the same Prestige boost.

"The Prestige conditions might slightly vary depending on background, race, or circumstances, but the tasks themselves are the same, aren’t they?"

—...

Maon responded with silence.

Because the lowborn’s deduction was correct.

"Then, those of you with higher Prestige or longer lives than me must know more about which tasks increase Prestige."

Swish.

Yeongwoo looked up to the sky.

"Of course, I’m not expecting you to know every task. But you can certainly figure out which ones are relevant to me right now."

Then he turned his gaze back to the heads of the houses.

"So, I’ll take your knowledge in exchange for peace."

—What?

—You...!

In short, he was asking them to act as guides for his Prestige growth.

—And you dare say that after offering your house’s main asset as bargaining material?

—You want us to raise the galaxy’s underworld troublemaker with our own hands?

As expected, the house heads burst into outraged protests.

But unexpectedly, Maon remained calm and seated.

He pointed to Yeongwoo and spoke.

—Lowborn as you may be, you are still a house head. That means you have achieved sufficient Prestige.

The very fact that Jeong Yeongwoo07 was able to punch Bioto, the head of Satral, proved it.

—So there’s no way your Prestige can leap by two levels overnight. Even if I were to provide you with knowledge accumulated over billions of years.

After all, this was a payment in return for the non-aggression pact.

If the payment were in money, it could be paid in full or in installments.

But Prestige growth?

That was vague and uncertain.

Someone might gain two levels in a week, while another might take a thousand years.

That was the issue Maon pointed out.

—It’s a clever proposal, but Prestige is not so simple. You may not reach two levels within your term.

He was suggesting he demand something else instead of Prestige.

But Yeongwoo was already shaking his head.

"How to grow me. No—how to grow Jeong Yeongwoo07 quickly. That concern is also included in the price of peace."

—What?

"Two levels of growth must happen quickly, of course. So you must think of it as your own mission—thoroughly and urgently."

—But...

How?

How could such a thing be possible?

Yeongwoo had the answer to that as well.

"Two billion Karma."

—Two billion?

"Yes. If my Prestige doesn’t increase on the first day of our deal, you incur a penalty fee of two billion."

—What!?

Maon furrowed his brow at this unheard-of negotiation tactic.

But for a house that had lasted over 700 million years, two billion wasn’t exactly a massive sum.

So he asked,

—Then what about the second day? What if your Prestige still hasn’t changed?

Yeongwoo replied without blinking.

"The penalty becomes four billion."

—I see.

Maon nodded, having grasped the gist of the rule.

They would provide Yeongwoo with methods to raise his Prestige, and if they didn’t work, they would pay 2 billion more each day.

In other words, by paying a daily penalty, they could maintain peace without actually raising this lunatic’s Prestige.

—Then when do we pay the accumulated penalties?

"When my Prestige increases by two levels, as promised. Or..."

—Or?

"If the penalties become too burdensome and you wish to break the pact—then you pay it all in one lump sum."

—Clever. For the price of peace, it might just be worth attempting.

Two billion a day.

It wasn’t a ruinous deal.

Maon quickly finished his mental calculations and was about to accept the 'Prestige deal' when Yeongwoo suddenly asked:

"Aren’t you curious about the third day’s penalty?"

—Third day? Well, that would be... 6 billion, right?

Yeongwoo tilted his head and gave a completely different answer.

"It’s 8 billion, Lord Maon."

—Huh?

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[Proofreader - Gun]