Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 64

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 64 19. First Appearance in Martial World (1)

“What the hell is this now?”

Byeong-cheol, shouting while gripping his gun, had a face that looked ready to cry at any moment.

And rightfully so, as events beyond solar system common sense kept happening one after another.

Crack!

Even in the midst of this, large and small fissures continued to appear on the pitch black egg.

‘Don’t tell me it’s… hatching right now?’

As Young-woo’s eyes widened, something glistening could be seen between the cracked surfaces of the egg.

It was radiating the unique vitality characteristic of living creatures.

Slither.

Something enormous was writhing inside the pitch black shell.

“What the…”

Though Young-woo knew well that this was a return gift left by the Advertisers, he was still bewildered.

Since they were a weapons manufacturing company, he had expected them to leave equipment items, never dreaming they would give him some kind of creature.

Moreover.

‘Why is it so big?’

As Young-woo stepped back a few paces to properly gauge the size of the egg, a major change occurred in the ‘return gift’ that had only shown signs of hatching until now.

-Kwiiii…!

Along with a long cry, black vapor burst forth from inside the shell.

“Huh?”

“Ugh!”

Worried it might be toxic, all three people stepped back, and into the space this created, an unexpected being thrust its body.

Clank!

It was none other than.

-Kwiiiik!

A pitch black Iron Horse standing 2 meters tall.

A domesticated horse belonging to the mammalian order Perissodactyla, family Equidae, that had lived alongside humanity for thousands of years.

However, with its exterior made of black iron plates and black smoke puffing from its nose, one couldn’t be certain whether it truly belonged to the mammalian class.

“That… could it possibly be a horse?”

Jong-su asked Young-woo while awkwardly gripping his Early Bird.

And around this time.

Clank!

The Iron Horse approached Young-woo, crushing the Icheon City road surface with its steel hooves.

-Kwiiii…!

Still an unfamiliar cry.

Its height alone created an overwhelming sense of intimidation just from looking at it, but Young-woo felt relieved when he saw Dogo’s wedge symbol carved into the Iron Horse’s exterior.

‘So it really is a Dogo product. Though I don’t know if it’s a real creature or a robot.’

While he couldn’t understand why its appearance resembled Earth’s horses, it was certain that this was a gift Dogo had left as a return present.

Perhaps because the return gift he had given them was a means of transportation, they had sent the same type of present.

Hiss!

When the Iron Horse exhaled once more, black smoke forcefully shot out from its nostrils.

Was that also part of an act to imitate a ‘horse’? Or was it really a breathing animal?

“…”

Seeing the Iron Horse approach close to him and stand obediently, Young-woo slowly placed his hand on its long neck.

Touch.

“…!”

The creature’s body, when actually touched, was surprisingly warm.

Like Earth’s warm-blooded animals.

However, the tooltip that appeared next clearly showed that this being was definitely not native to Earth.

「Negwig」 – Grade Unknown

【Adapts to any planet.】

“…Negwig?”

When Young-woo recited the name written in the tooltip, the Iron Horse Negwig flashed its purple pupils and flapped its metal ears.

-Kwii!

The creature’s name really was Negwig.

“My goodness.”

Jong-su, belatedly realizing that the Iron Horse was a gift given to Young-woo, sheathed his sword and let out a sigh of relief.

On the other hand, Byeong-cheol felt tremendous anger welling up the moment he recognized the situation had been resolved.

“Damn it…”

It was because he realized that Icheon City had been sacrificed for that golden outsider’s absurd business.

“Hey, you bastard. Why did you have to come here of all places?”

Whoosh!

The gun barrel that had lost its target now pointed precisely at Young-woo’s head.

But the trigger wasn’t pulled immediately.

Byeong-cheol was a police officer before being the First Sword of Icheon.

For him to commit murder, he absolutely needed justification.

But did the outsider before him have crimes worthy of that?

The crime of summoning cosmic beings and disrupting public order… sedition? Obstruction of official duties? There was no way to define it.

Moreover, no direct casualties had occurred from this incident.

“This fucking shitty world.”

In the end, Byeong-cheol lowered his gun.

He couldn’t find any reason to harm his opponent other than being angry.

Young-woo, who had been watching him quietly, slowly bowed his waist.

“I’m sorry. I tried to find a place with as few people as possible in case something like this might happen…”

“Ah, forget it. It’s already all screwed up.”

Byeong-cheol let out a bitter breath with a sour expression, then shifted his gaze to Police Officer Kwon Tae-young, who was cautiously walking over from the distance.

“Tae-young.”

“Chief.”

Tae-young was also holding a pistol, but seeing that Byeong-cheol wasn’t in combat stance, he had lowered his gun barrel toward the ground.

“Looks like the situation ended while I was away.”

“Are you okay?”

“Yes. I’m doing very well for someone who just escaped death.”

Tae-young said this while still looking at the Iron Horse Negwig with disbelieving eyes.

“But… what happens to us now?”

This vague question from Tae-young almost perfectly represented the situation of the two police officers.

Hadn’t they lost their livelihood in an instant – the city that had allowed them to exist as police officers?

The reason Tae-young had returned directly to the police substation on the first day of the reset was because he had no family to take care of, and Byeong-cheol was also alone after his wife’s death, so he naturally continued his police duties.

Ironically, only those with no one to be responsible for carried the burden of ‘social duty.’

Be faithful to one’s work, obey the law…

Of course, now even the foundation to fulfill their duties had disappeared, but the two men were still police officers.

“Tae-young, let’s go to Seoul.”

“What? Seoul?”

Instinctive fear flashed in Tae-young’s eyes when he heard the word Seoul.

This was because Icheon had been invaded not only by outlaws from the provinces but also by many raiders from Seoul, all of whom had been vicious in both martial prowess and character.

“That’s right. Seoul. Otherwise, what will you do staying here? Will you change careers to become a robber starting tomorrow?”

“That’s not it.”

Tae-young makes a horrified expression.

Both Byeong-cheol and Tae-young were people who were inherently incapable of becoming evil.

That’s why they foolishly continued to guard the police substation even after the reset occurred.

“Then let’s go and see just how much of a mess it is.”

Byeong-cheol said this while opening his revolver cylinder to check the single bullet inside.

Click.

Tae-young also had only one bullet left.

In other words, entering Seoul as police officers in a lawless zone was essentially a suicide mission.

“….”

Just as Tae-young was gripping his pistol tightly and trying to put on a determined expression, Young-woo smoothly interjected into their conversation.

“You’re going to Seoul? What’s the situation like there?”

“…?”

“Hm?”

* * *

Seoul.

The largest city in the Republic of Korea with a total population of 9.43 million.

Considering those who commute to Seoul from places like Gyeonggi-do, the actual population staying in Seoul would be much higher.

Moreover, the ‘reset’ occurred at 10 AM on a Tuesday, when the resident population was at its peak.

What on earth had happened in Seoul at that time?

“The Exchange Centers tore people apart and completely ruined the situation. An uncontrollable panic must have broken out.”

According to Byeong-cheol, the appearance of Exchange Centers caused people to abandon their positions—their workplaces—changing everything.

It instantly collapsed the social structure that had at least maintained its form.

After that, the moral line was broken through the coin scrambles at Exchange Centers, and from then on, most conflicts were resolved through duels between the parties involved instead of calling the police.

“Probably when everyone saw even people wearing police uniforms turn into robbers, they all realized it. That the apocalypse had come in its worst form.”

Tae-young, who was staring blankly into space, was recounting what he had witnessed firsthand yesterday.

The scene of his police substation colleagues threatening citizens to steal their money.

“Icheon City only has a population of 220,000. Even so, truly tremendous things happened. Children gathered to form robbery gangs… though the adults weren’t much different.”

Byeong-cheol, who said this, habitually searched his pocket for cigarettes before making an awkward expression.

“If everything hadn’t turned to stone, it wouldn’t have become such a lawless land so easily.”

Just as an army has war deterrence through its mere existence, public authority also has crime deterrence.

However, due to the comprehensive petrification phenomenon, all deterrence had disappeared.

There were no CCTVs anywhere, and even if murder occurred on the street, there was no way to report it to the police.

In other words, individual morality had become the only deterrent force operating in most situations.

“Actually, even here, only the areas around City Hall and the terminal are managed—we don’t know what the situation is like in the reservoir area below.”

So how serious must the state of Seoul be, which is much larger and more complex than Icheon?

“I heard that Seoul is monopolizing even the monsters in the Gyeonggi region. I heard they even harm people when necessary.”

When Young-woo casually mentioned the rumors he had collected while passing through Yeoju, Byeong-cheol showed signs of knowing something about it.

“Yes. They came here once too. They even made up new names for themselves… what was it?”

Then Tae-young, who had been listening, chimed in.

“Hunters.”

“Ah, right. Hunters. I guess they call themselves hunters because they hunt monsters. But they should only catch monsters—they’re basically criminals. They just haven’t been punished because they’re strong.”

Byeong-cheol’s brow furrowed as he recalled the memory.

Thanks to them having guns, those guys had left obediently, but he couldn’t forget their distinctly unpleasant gazes.

“So is the reason you want to go to Seoul to punish these self-proclaimed hunters?”

When Young-woo looked back and forth between the two pistols that only had one bullet each, Byeong-cheol cleared his throat.

“First, we need to see the situation in Seoul. If truly absurd things are happening, we have no choice but to suppress them with force.”

Even as Byeong-cheol said this, he added that there might be other police officers like them in Seoul.

People who were trying their best to maintain order, that is.

“We need to let people know that public authority still exists. That way, there will be at least minimal deterrence.”

“….”

But could they survive even a day in Seoul with just two bullets?

Young-woo felt both respect and pity for them simultaneously.

Then suddenly his vision flashed, and a new Quest appeared.

Ding!

[Dogo] “First Appearance in Martial World”

【Mission】 Duel with targets having total ability stats of 3,000 or more 0/2 times.

【Reward】 5 million Karma

【Special】 In these duels, you must inform them of Dogo’s support.

‘Huh…?’

Finally, it appeared. Dogo’s exclusive Quest.

Young-woo, who had been reading the Quest content with half anticipation and half worry, paused at the part about the duel target needing ability stats totaling 3,000 or more.

An ability stat total of 3,000 meant the target had acquired at least 3 million Karma.

In other words, it was referring to a First Sword who had monopolized mutant rewards.

‘I need to fight twice against a First Sword, or an unknown master at First Sword level.’

And as far as Young-woo knew, there was only one place around here where he could quickly complete such a mission.

That was none other than.

‘Seoul.’

Grade 4 Human in the Ruined World (Serial)

Author │ Oetu

Publisher │ Kim Ju-hyeong

Published by │ J-Plus Media Co., Ltd.

Marketing │ Han Jae-hyeok

Address │ 288 Digital-ro, Guro-gu, Seoul, Room 204 (Guro-dong, Daeryung Post Tower 1)

Email │ [email protected]

Website │ www.jayplemedia.com

ⓒOetu2023

※This work is published by J-Plus Media Co., Ltd. under contract with the copyright holder, and no part of the content may be used in any form or by any means without permission from our company and the author.

Violation of this may result in criminal and civil legal liability.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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