Chapter 470

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Chapter 470: The Meeting of Families (4)

Gaining prestige by slapping a star across the face.

Of course, prestige—vise—did increase when one performed or experienced something akin to a great achievement.

But still...

‘Is it really possible to gain prestige level just by slapping someone in the face?’

Granted, the ‘face’ in question belonged to a star, which was special.

But even so, the very fact that such a growth method existed in the universe was astounding.

‘So... there’s a “menace” route to growth in this universe too. Just go around slapping noble beings and all that.’

Then again, wasn’t there a personality trait labeled ‘rebel’ even under the category of achievements?

This universe was truly infinite—not just in terms of space, but in every sense imaginable.

‘Wait a second. If that’s true, then...’

Yeongwoo’s eyes blinked rapidly as he came to a realization.

‘Stars can’t be the only things you can slap.’

Each task that grants prestige achievement points has a certain continuity.

Take, for example, the “Discovery of Entities” task:

「Discovered a 4th-grade entity → +0.1」

「Fought a 4th-grade entity → +0.2」

「Discovered a 3rd-grade entity → +2」

Yeongwoo’s first achievement in the “Discovery of Entities” type was discovering a 4th-grade being.

Which meant that even spotting a 4th-grade being, valuable across the universe, granted prestige points.

‘And after that, there was the 3rd-grade entity discovery.’

That was an even rarer and higher-value experience than the 4th-grade one, which is why the point gain was dramatically higher.

So from here, it was logical to infer—

‘There must be achievements for discovering 2nd and 1st-grade entities too. Which means...’

Swoosh.

Yeongwoo looked at the Centauri brothers lying on the ground nearby.

‘If you slap someone nobler than a star, you can probably gain even more prestige points.’

Then who could possibly be nobler than a star?

“……”

Truthfully, Yeongwoo already knew the answer.

But he couldn’t bring himself to even look at the Chairman that way, so he turned his head toward Maon instead.

More specifically—toward Maon’s dry cheek.

“……”

As Yeongwoo silently stared at a single part of Maon’s face, Maon—who clearly noticed—twitched an eyebrow.

—Don’t tell me you’re actually thinking…?

Maon was on the verge of twisting his face in humiliation when the Chairman, Dogo, redirected the attention toward him.

—And who might you be? You look quite aged.

A rather blunt greeting from Chairman Dogo.

But of course, it wasn’t an insult.

This was Chairman Dogo, after all.

Maon, unfazed, folded his arms and gave a formal bow.

—A belated greeting, Chairman. I am Maon Doata, head of the Clan of Tisef.

As a lesser being addressing a superior, Maon announced his clan name first.

Dogo, on the other hand, revealed neither name nor affiliation.

He didn’t need to.

Those who needed to know him already did.

—Maon of Tisef. I think I’ve heard the name before.

—It is an honor that even for a fleeting moment, I crossed paths with your time, Chairman.

Maon put on a display of extreme diplomatic finesse.

But the Chairman was not someone to be easily handled.

—But I don’t believe I ever heard that you were a raving lunatic.

—……!

That was his way of saying he’d never heard such nonsense as “slapping stars for prestige gain.”

As expected, Maon’s face stiffened the moment the Chairman finished speaking.

—Ahh.

This Chairman had effortlessly suppressed the Centauri brothers—who ranked quite highly even among stars.

In other words, he could probably crush a mere old noble like Maon with a single finger.

And now Maon had to tell such a being, “You just don’t know enough.”

Even Yeongwoo found this situation daunting—and he waited with bated breath to hear Maon’s response.

And finally—

—That is because...

The old noble’s lips moved again.

—...because the Chairman has never fought a star.

A direct approach.

Yeongwoo couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

‘…Huh? Is he just living for today or something?’

But Maon continued, pointing toward the Centauri brothers.

—Most stars in this universe kneel before your might, Chairman. Therefore, none would ever dare to fight you.

The implication was that it was only natural the Chairman didn’t know such things—because he’d never had to face a star in combat.

—But we of Tisef have clashed with countless stars across the galaxy. To us, stars were enormous foes. And upon our first victory…

It was explained that one of the early patriarchs of the Clan of Tisef had slapped a star in the face as a kind of victory celebration.

—It is a disgraceful chapter in our clan’s history, a blemish on our pride. And yet, a truth that added another layer to our humble knowledge.

At this, Yeongwoo had a different thought entirely.

‘Clashed with stars for generations? But aren’t stars and noble clans supposed to have a mutual non-aggression pact? What could’ve happened to break that...?’

Still, this conversation wasn’t his to interrupt.

And then the Chairman raised his greatsword and pointed it at Maon.

Swish.

—You wouldn’t disgrace your clan just to spew nonsense. If your words are true, show me.

Permission to slap a star.

Then Maon carefully looked at Yeongwoo and spoke.

—Come now. The Chairman has shown us mercy.

“Uh... go where?”

—Where else? It’s time to insult some stars.

It was hard to believe that such a petty line came from the oldest head of clan present.

Shhhk.

Maon moved forward on his floating orb, and Yeongwoo had no choice but to follow him.

“Is slapping the most effective way to insult a star?”

Maon gave him a sidelong glance.

—Whether it’s the only way, I can’t say. But it’s certainly the most well-documented in our ancestral records.

“Oh, so there could be other forms of insult too. Like flicking their forehead or spitting on them…”

—…As I said before—

“I know, I know. Don’t go overboard.”

Yeongwoo said this while looking down at his own palm.

Soon to become the first human hand to slap a star.

“How hard do I have to hit?”

—We don’t know. We’ve never laid a hand on the Centauri brothers before.

“So your clan picked on way smaller stars?”

—Focus on what you must do.

It was right in front of his sponsor—the Chairman.

So Maon couldn’t even raise his voice.

Step.

Finally, the two nobles stood before the two stars, and Kentaurus slightly turned his helmet to glance at Dogo.

He was still lying on the ground, as Dogo hadn’t given him permission to rise.

So his glance was a silent request—asking if he could now stand.

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—…….

But of course, the Chairman didn’t allow it, and so Kentaurus and Toliman remained face-down as they prepared to receive their nephew-in-law.

● Are you serious? Your family meeting is about to begin.

Kentaurus gave a gentle warning, reminding him not to forget that he was his uncle.

In response, Yeongwoo clasped his hands together, rubbed them roughly, and laughed.

Squelch!

“Dear Uncle, won’t you help your nephew-in-law soar to new heights?”

● You…!

“We’re about to become family, aren’t we? Shouldn’t we share joy and pain alike? My heart is in pain right now too.”

Then he turned to Maon and asked,

“By the way, where exactly is a star’s cheek?”

At that, Toliman, enraged, twitched hundreds of fingers from beneath a thin cloth.

● You bastard…! Do you think you’ll get away with this?

But at that moment, Yeongwoo wasn’t even looking at Toliman.

His gaze remained fixed on Maon, who now looked awkwardly between the two stars.

―Hmm… I’m not exactly sure either. But they have something like a face, so maybe try hitting somewhere between the mouth and chin?

He added that as a suggestion.

“Makes sense, right?”

With a confident nod, Yeongwoo strode toward the stars.

Meanwhile, the two stars couldn’t even stand as the crazy creature approached, wringing his hands.

They knew very well: if he went just a step further, Chairman Dogo would obliterate them.

● Jeong Yeongwoo…!

● I will never forget this moment.

Utter humiliation.

As the two stars trembled in rage, Yeongwoo approached and spun his arm in a circle.

“Who’d like to go first?”

● What?

“The slap. We should at least decide the order.”

● This bastard.

Toliman now looked truly angry.

But Kentaurus, as the eldest, was still trying to prevent the worst.

● Stop. We better get this over with before Proxima arrives.

Even for infamous stars, getting slapped in front of their youngest sibling was too much.

● You uncultured brat… Strike me first. It shall be the glory of your life.

So Kentaurus, the eldest, volunteered to be slapped first.

Yeongwoo leapt into the air and landed atop his helmeted head.

Thump!

“Then, if you’ll excuse me.”

Due to their size difference, it wasn’t so much a slap as it was poking somewhere on the face.

‘Hmm… Asking him to take off the helmet would be too much, right?’

If Maon hadn’t warned him to restrain himself, Yeongwoo might have asked just that.

‘And after all, they are still my uncles now… I should maintain at least some decency.’

Balancing on the head of his uncle, Yeongwoo collected his thoughts.

Then,

“Here I go.”

Kneeling with one leg on the ground, he raised his right arm high.

● Don’t dawdle. Don’t tell me you’re scared now?

Kentaurus’s voice showed he was gritting his teeth.

Yeongwoo gave no reply and simply swung his arm.

Whoosh!

A gray arc followed his arm, and a deafening boom shook the area.

BOOOOOOM!

And no wonder—while he couldn’t compare to a star, Yeongwoo’s martial force was far from ordinary.

―Ugh.

―C-Crazy…

―Is he actually insane?

The sound was like a giant bell ringing.

Even the noble heads watching from afar held their breath.

It wasn’t just the shock of seeing a star get slapped—it was the fear that witnessing this insane spectacle might curse them with bad karma.

“Next.”

Yeongwoo opened and closed his now-stinging right hand and turned to Toliman.

Right then, Toliman sprang up and looked to his brother.

● Brother! Are you alright?

● ……”

But Kentaurus could not reply.

He lay flat on the ground, unmoving.

The moment he was slapped, a wave of sorrow overwhelmed him.

Born as a mighty star, he had never known this feeling before.

“Come on now. Don’t dawdle. If we miss the timing, we might have to start all over again.”

Yeongwoo now demanded Toliman’s cheek.

Toliman checked on his brother once more.

● Brother! Are you really okay?

And just then—

KRRRRM!

From beyond the dark veil in the sky came a heavy rumble and a tremendous presence.

“……!”

Yeongwoo recognized it immediately, but the nobles did not.

―W-What’s coming now?

―There’s more coming?

Even Emel, deputy lord of the Shirach, quietly sheathed his sword.

He realized it was best to get off this planet as fast as possible.

And finally—

CRACK!

A faint fracture appeared in the veil above, and a pale red shadow cast itself beneath the nobles’ feet.

―Huh?

Maon, realizing something, looked at Yeongwoo.

―A great being is arriving.

He said this after seeing the shadow that the Centauri brothers had tried to block reappear.

By this point, Yeongwoo already had the time displayed on his wrist.

Flash!

Current time: 1:52 p.m.

Eight minutes before the meeting.

Thus, the being currently descending through the planet’s atmosphere was—

○ The Sun, Moro, has arrived.

‘Where is she now?’

○ She’s already here.

As Earth finished speaking, the Centauri brothers’ veil collapsed, and sunlight poured down.

With it came the tyrannical voice of Moro:

『Who dares to become the fear of the universe? It is I, Moro the Main Character!』

Apparently excited about soon breaking free from her orbit and forging her own fate.

But the sight that greeted her upon arrival was…

Her elder brothers, lying pitifully on the ground.

『Huh…?』

Moro, clearly unprepared for this scene, was taken aback.

Then Toliman raised his head and called out to her.

● Sister-in-law! Help us! That lunatic is dishonoring the stars!

He emphasized that Moro, too, was a member of their stellar family.

Moro looked at Yeongwoo fiercely—then spotted Chairman Dogo and widened her eyes.

『Do…』

She began to speak his name, then shut her mouth in a hurry.

Suddenly, she pointed at Toliman and yelled:

『Silence, background character! That was always your fate!』

● What…?

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