Chapter 472

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 472: The Meeting of Families (6)

The reward for slapping his uncle.

Yeongwoo was just as curious as anyone else about what that would be.

After all, this was the first time an achievement system had rewarded differently based on the personality of the person who completed it.

‘Surely it’s not something like shackles as a form of punishment, right?’

Yeongwoo knew full well that slapping one's elder uncles was not a good deed.

So he was slightly worried—what if his karma had increased?

‘Still, the important thing is…’

His Prestige Level had jumped up by one full tier.

From now on, he no longer needed to show deference to someone at Level 41.

‘Just wait, everyone. I’ll smack you all in turn.’

Thinking of the powerful figures from the Celestial Realm he would one day face, Yeongwoo turned his gaze toward the golden message floating in front of him.

「You have unclaimed achievement rewards.」

The cosmic achievement: Reward for completing Star Desecrator.

What on earth would it be?

“Let’s go ahead and claim it.”

As Yeongwoo reached out his hand into the air, Maon looked on with expectant eyes.

And at last—

Fwaaash!

A vertical shaft of golden light appeared in midair the moment Yeongwoo confirmed receipt of the reward.

“Huh? What the— It’s equipment?”

More precisely, it was a sword.

A one-handed sword about 1.6 meters long.

So, after slapping what were effectively family members—stars—the achievement system decided to give him a weapon.

Tsssk!

The light grew more vivid, forming a more detailed silhouette of the item.

“What the…?”

As the blade gradually revealed itself, Yeongwoo's eyes widened.

It looked as though a piece of the universe itself had been forged into a sword—the blade was made of some unknown substance.

And inside the blade shone two dazzling stars.

—My God.

Maon instinctively covered his mouth.

“What? What is it?”

—That’s the twin stars of Centauri, engraved in the blade.

“Huh? Those stars?”

Yeongwoo looked toward the Centauri brothers sprawled out in the distance—the very ones who had helped him achieve the Star Desecrator title.

Now, they were literally etched into the weapon he had received as a reward.

Of course, it was a disgrace for them, but for Yeongwoo, wielding a sword adorned with stars was nothing short of exhilarating.

“So now I’m literally swinging stars around. Heh heh.”

As he let out a wicked laugh, the weapon finished materializing and displayed its tooltip.

Fwaaap!

「Shining Blasphemy」 – Legendary One-Handed Sword

【+20% damage against celestial bodies】

【10% Honor Deference Reduction Rate】

“Whoa!”

Shining Blasphemy.

Yeongwoo couldn’t help but gasp the moment he read the tooltip.

It was a weapon made specifically for attacking stars—just as its effect suggested.

But more importantly—

“What does ‘Honor Deference Reduction Rate’ even mean? Wait… no way…”

As Yeongwoo turned to Maon for clarification, he saw the man already rubbing his forehead.

—It’s exactly what you’re thinking.

Maon had reverted from respectfully calling him “you” to informally calling him “you bastard.”

“I knew it! This is a weapon for committing insubordination, right?”

—-……

Maon couldn’t quite bring himself to say “yes.”

Instead, he offered a vague explanation.

—If you manage to get that deference reduction rate close to 100%, you’ll be able to do quite a bit.

“If it reaches 100%, does that mean I’ll no longer be suppressed by anyone’s aura or prestige?”

—That’s one way to put it. But I can’t say for sure—I’ve never experienced it.

That meant not even Maon, the family head, nor the previous heads of the Tisef family had ever reached 100% deference reduction.

Because attempting to reduce deference on purpose was seen as outright heresy—and no one had ever dared challenge the cosmic hierarchy in that way.

—Do you know why the order of power in the universe is referred to as ‘Honor’?

“…Why is that?”

—Because it’s rightful.

In other words, it’s the law of the cosmos—thus, one should obey it.

“Oh, give me a break.”

—…What?

“Then why even create a system that allows deference reduction? Why give someone who slapped stars a weapon like this?”

Tap.

Yeongwoo finally grasped Shining Blasphemy from midair.

The Centauri brothers turned their heads to look at him.

As soon as the 10% deference reduction applied, Yeongwoo’s presence became 10% more heretical.

“There’s more than one way to survive in this universe. And from the looks of it, the path given to me…”

Flick.

Yeongwoo looked around.

He was surrounded by beings of immense status—patriarchs of families that had existed for thousands of years, the massive Centauri brothers, the sun Moro, and even Chairman Dogo, whose aura seemed completely unbound by any honor system.

Yet here he was—a mere speck of life, Yeongwoo07—having just slapped celestial beings and now facing them in a family meeting.

So, his thoughts naturally went to this conclusion:

“The path I’ve been given—no, the path I will take—I’ll carve it out myself. All I ask is that you, Patriarch, support me within the limits of the contract.”

And just like that, Shining Blasphemy was registered into his weapon collection, turning the “Twenty Swords Mountain” into the “Twenty-One Swords Mountain.”

Bweep!

〔21〕

‘Damn, only twenty-one swords so far…’

How on earth did he even get something like a Hundred-Thousand Swords Collection?

It wasn’t just about collecting weapons—it had to involve living for a very long time.

“……”

As Yeongwoo reviewed his modest arsenal, Chairman Dogo finally released the stars.

—Rise.

And just like that, at his command, the stars stood up.

● …Is it finally over?

● I’d really like to go home now.

The Centauri twins looked up at the sky out of habit.

Dogo, instead of sending them home immediately, turned his gaze back to Yeongwoo.

—Is there anything else you desire? It’s not every day one gets to detain stars.

It was a rare chance—if he wanted something more, now was the time.

But to Yeongwoo, these weren’t just stars—they were his future father-in-law’s older brothers.

“I believe I’ve already committed enough offense.”

At those words, Centauri lit up with joy.

Swaaa!

He was about to return to his domain.

However—

Tap.

Yeongwoo raised a finger and added:

“There’s one last thing I’d like to request.”

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

—And what is that?

Chairman Dogo responded on their behalf.

Then Yeongwoo looked up at the sky and spoke.

"Since today is such a meaningful occasion—the formal family meeting—I’d like to invite my uncles to join us."

● What?

● What did you say?

"Isn’t that why you came in the first place?"

When Yeongwoo replied nonchalantly, the Centauri brothers were left speechless.

"If our noble uncles join us, I believe the negotiations will go much more smoothly. After all, this too is a kind of business."

A marriage business.

Strictly speaking, it was a political marriage to launch a planetary fleet.

But the bride-to-be, Parina, wasn’t fond of the idea, and they still hadn’t confirmed the father-in-law Proxima’s intentions.

So Yeongwoo’s plan was to use the Centauri brothers to help set the mood for a successful arrangement.

After all, if the elders of the family encouraged the marriage, even Parina and Proxima wouldn’t be able to resist.

—It’s not a bad idea.

Dogo, who had an indirect stake in the Earth ship, nodded.

With that, the Centauri brothers had no choice but to remain on Earth.

● ...I’ll finally get to see my niece again.

● Proxima probably won’t welcome our support.

Toliman hinted that the relationship between the Centauri brothers was a bit complicated.

And just then, Yeongwoo’s wrist flashed twice.

Papat!

"Oh. The time."

Current time: exactly 2 PM.

The appointed hour for the formal meeting had arrived.

"Mother-in-law, where is your daughter?"

Yeongwoo asked Moro, who was seated on a throne.

She shrugged.

『She won’t not come.』

A vague answer.

Meanwhile, the western sky had already turned a milky white.

Fwaaaah!

Judging by the color and energy, it wasn’t Princess of the Sun, Parina.

Which could only mean—

‘Father-in-law.’

As Yeongwoo turned his head to the west, thin beams of light began to shoot diagonally from that direction.

Then—

Shyaaaah!

A man with ivory-white skin and black hair slid rapidly down the beam of light.

"Huh?"

For a star-being, his entrance was quite gentlemanly.

Unlike the other entities who arrived by shattering space itself or at least parting the clouds, this Centauri descended quietly through open sky.

Perhaps he had chosen that particular space on purpose.

"Is that… Centauri? In other words, is he the father-in-law?"

Yeongwoo asked Moro, and she smiled more brightly than ever before.

『That’s my husband and the youngest of the Centauri, Proxima.』

"...Proxima."

The infamous youngest of the Centauri brothers.

But no matter how you looked at him, Proxima bore no resemblance to his older siblings.

If one really stretched it, maybe there was a trace of the Centauri’s signature murky aura in his flowing black hair.

But with a relatively short stature of about 3 meters, and a gentle aura emanating from his skin, he didn’t seem like a fearsome star-being at all.

‘Maybe it’s only the two older brothers who are infamous.’

What’s more, Proxima was stunningly handsome.

As he drew closer, even Yeongwoo had to admit the man’s beauty.

‘Now I can somewhat understand why Mother-in-law chose to marry the gentlest youngest brother.’

I mean, who could spend a lifetime with someone who wears a spired helmet all day, or someone with thousands of arms growing from their back?

Maybe the older brothers turned bitter for good reason.

‘The universe truly is an unfair place.’

While Yeongwoo stood there with his mouth agape, Proxima softly landed on the ground.

Taat!

It was the first time a stellar being had stepped directly onto a planet’s surface.

And the first thing he did was greet Moro.

『Moro, you’re still as radiant as ever.』

To which Moro gave a faint smile and nodded.

『Why are you late?』

『There is no light in Centauri as bright as you, so I lost my way.』

A blindingly obvious lie.

After all, Centauri’s main star, Rigil Kentaurus, was about as bright as the Sun—if not even bigger.

‘These lunatics.’

As Yeongwoo watched his parents-in-law interact, Proxima turned toward Dogo.

『Chairman, please forgive my rudeness.』

He was asking for forgiveness for greeting his wife before the most powerful person present.

Then he bowed deeply and offered his formal greeting to the chairman.

『I am Proxima of the Centauri. It is an honor to meet you, Chairman.』

The chairman simply nodded silently to accept the greeting.

And finally, it was Yeongwoo’s turn.

『And this one is…』

Proxima looked at the creature wearing the same armor as the chairman.

He could feel the sizzling karma radiating from the being.

He couldn’t imagine that such a creature could possibly be his son-in-law and assumed it was just Dogo’s attendant.

But then reality struck him hard.

"Father-in-law!"

『Huh?』

"I’m that creature."

『What…?』

"The son-in-law you’ve been waiting your whole life for."

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]