Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 146

Chapter 146

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 146: Origin (3)

Orphan.

A term used to refer to a child who has lost their parents or has been abandoned by them and has nowhere to attach themselves to.

Therefore, Yeongwoo was undoubtedly an orphan.

It was certain because he had been abandoned by his parents.

However, in order to be fully recognized as an orphan even by the achievement system, he had to perfectly fulfill the literal meaning.

[Complete Orphan]

|Find and eliminate parents. (1/2)

The system considered only children who had no parents in this world as complete orphans.

‘Then am I an incomplete orphan now?’

Nevertheless, he wouldn’t be wrong to introduce himself as an orphan externally.

“……”

As Yeongwoo spread his arms with all the weapons thrown aside, Yangju’s Strongest Sword, Choi Jongseon, swallowed heavy saliva.

Gulp.

“Ah… an, an orphan? What should I do… I’m sorry.”

Although she was taken aback by the sudden confession of her opponent’s unexpected situation, she kept her composure.

Because Choi Jongseon was once a mother before she became Yangju’s Strongest Sword.

As a mother who wielded a sword to protect her child, how could she ignore someone who openly admitted to being an orphan?

However, there was never a trivial problem, and that was precisely…

-Wiiiiing……

Behind the opponent who had seemingly given up fighting by discarding their weapons, there was still a heavy golden greatsword floating.

With a grand shadow cast on the ground as if showing off.

“Ah.”

Yeongwoo belatedly realized the situation as he looked at Choi Jongseon’s strange gaze and hurriedly grabbed the handle of the greatsword and stabbed it into the ground.

Clang!

“I, I’m sorry. It’s a sword I recently acquired, so I’m not good at controlling it.”

At that moment, Choi Jongseon, who had been tense until now, let out a forced laughter and relaxed her expression for a moment.

Even forced laughter was laughter, and unknowingly, her guard had loosened somewhat.

Then, shortly after.

“Um… is your father really in Uijeongbu…?”

She asked cautiously again, now with a solemn expression.

It was because she felt trust in Yeongwoo, perhaps due to his sudden confession earlier, despite her previous flustered state.

So her earlier greeting calling herself an orphan was definitely not a lie.

“Yes. As far as I know, he is.”

As Yeongwoo answered like this, he glanced briefly at the tracking marker in his field of vision.

The arrow was still pointing south unchanged.

“Ah… I see.”

Choi Jongseon looked at Yeongwoo with an even more pitiful expression than before.

If this man’s father was a resident of Uijeongbu, by now he would most likely be either a corpse or have fled to a completely different area.

Even in her dreams, she could not have known that this orphan had an achievement that allowed him to know whether his parents were alive or dead, and that the name of that achievement was ‘Complete Orphan.’

So in the end.

“Although it’s unusual… if that’s the case, there’s nothing we can do about it. It means I hope you can meet your father safely.”

Swish.

She extended her kindness to the outsider, opening the way as a merchant.

“Ah… thank you.”

Upon this, Yeongwoo bowed deeply to the other person.

It was a sign of gratitude and respect.

Yangju’s Strongest Sword Choi Jongseon is a courageous person who did not avoid a fight even after seeing the ‘golden trail’, and at the same time, she is a mother of one child.

Yeongwoo didn’t want to fight such a person.

So he had confessed to being an orphan first.

Even if she was a person who felt inflammation in this world, wasn’t she someone who protected a child?

Therefore, he thought she couldn’t help but react to the keyword ‘orphan.’

And fortunately.

Clack, clack.

Yeongwoo could open the way without swinging his sword once.

‘Being an orphan can be helpful sometimes.’

As Yeongwoo made his way towards the merchant with the clanking sound of his shackles, Choi Jongseon picked up the child from the ground and stepped aside.

-Grrrr……

The fourth-day merchant of Yangju City was a toad with fancy patterns.

However, if there was a difference from those on Earth, it was in its legs… no, it had an extra pair of arms.

-Gruk.

Supporting its body with its thick legs, the creature felt the surface of the black shiny pillar with its numerous arms.

It was as if it were contemplating whether it could not go beyond this barrier.

‘So this guy is a merchant too…? He seems quite proactive.’

As Yeongwoo watched the constantly moving eyeballs of the extraterrestrial merchant without pause, the space in front of the shiny pillar split open, and the mediator Kubu appeared.

Sssrrr…

A space broker of the universe who used the vast area of empty space as his eyelids.

As soon as Kubu revealed himself on Earth, he blinked his big eyes once and made a surprised sound.

―Huh.

And then, a sentence that was clearly different from before.

–It is an honor to meet again, Mr. Jeong Yeongwoo07, a human of earth, the strongest in Gyeongbuk, Gangnam, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula!

During the time he hadn’t seen him, Yeongwoo’s record had become much more glorious.

–I am Kubu, the owner of Tenta and the guardian of Daro, who will be mediating this transaction.

At last, Kubu’s greeting, as if heard after a long time, flowed out.

Then, the Yangju’s Strongest Sword, too, widened her eyes.

“…!”

Although she, as someone who had traded with merchants before, wasn’t surprised by the presence of a mediator, but the expressions used to describe the orphan just now were completely unexpected.

‘The strongest in Gyeongbuk, Gangnam, and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula…?’

While the Yangju Strongest Sword pondered the meaning of ‘the northern part of the Korean Peninsula’, Kubu spoke the next lines.

–The intermediary fee for this transaction is 10% and is included in the price of the goods. However, since the transaction has already been made, changes at the top are not possible.

“I see. It’s been a while. Please proceed with the transaction.”

As Yeongwoo lightly greeted and approved the transaction, Kubu blinked his huge eyes.

–The target of this transaction is the Tattoo of Pegua. Let me show you the product list.

As Kubu rolled his eyeballs, something like a blue blotch appeared in front of Yeongwoo, then gradually changed into the shape of human characters.

2 ― 「Mark of Endurance」 – Artifact Tattoo

【All resistances increase by 1%.】

◇ 330,000 Karma

3 ― 「Protection of the Night」 – Moon

【Acquire 15% damage reduction at night.】

◇ 750,000 Karma

5 ― 「Whitespace」 – Epic Tattoo

【Allocate advertising space to the body.】

◇ 3,400,000 Karma

This time, the merchant was someone who sold tattoos.

But.

“Huh?”

As Yeongwoo carefully examined the product list, the Yangju’s Strongest Sword, who had been watching him, involuntarily grasped her sword, surprised.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

“Why…? Why are you like that?”

While it was true that she had opened the way for Yeongwoo out of kindness, she couldn’t ignore the fear that the epithet ‘the strongest in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula’ instilled in her.

What other way was there to prove oneself as the strongest in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula in this reset world?

Wouldn’t it be nothing more than having killed numerous strong individuals in the northern part of the Korean Peninsula?

Especially since it was a fact spoken directly by the mediator from another world.

‘Goodness.’

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo was in a state of shock at the 5th item left by the Yangju Sword, ‘Whitespace’.

This was something that only someone who had been active as a model in another world could appreciate.

‘Could it be that I’ll have to engrave some sort of alien text on my body?’

Whatever it was, there weren’t many people on Earth who would invest 3.4 million Karma into such an odd tooltip.

And coincidentally.

‘…I definitely have to buy this.’

Jeong Yeongwoo07 was one of those few individuals.

*Available Karma: 8,694,000

Yeongwoo currently had approximately 8.69 million Karma.

And to buy all the items sold by Pegua, he needed 4.48 million Karma in total.

‘This might actually leave me with a deficit? I also have to meet merchants in Paju, Gangnam, and Gwangjin-gu.’𝒂ll new st𝒐ries at nove/lbi/𝒏(.)c𝒐m

However, it wasn’t worth taking up the other two tattoos besides Space.

The effect of the Mark of Endurance granting the maximum resistance was literally breaking through the limit of each resistance value.

Without obtaining such effects in advance, there was a high chance of regret later.

And as for the ‘Protection of the Night’…

「Protection of the Night」 – Moon

【Acquire 15% damage reduction at night.】

‘This is for sniping in night dungeons.’

Especially since unlike other equipment, one could wear multiple tattoos at once as long as there were empty spaces on the body.

‘And there’s also the possibility of a tattoo encyclopedia existing. It’s not a deal that will only result in losses in many ways.’

After reaching a conclusion, Yeongwoo decided to purchase all the items from this merchant.

‘I’ll buy all three remaining tattoos.’

Once Yeongwoo gave his final approval, Kubu rolled his eyeballs once again, and Pegua’s Dorgon also showed a reaction as if he were delighted.

-Crash!

Making a completely different sound from before, he repeatedly pounded the walls with his two pairs of arms radiating light.

–The transaction is complete. Thank you as always.

Finally, as Kubu announced the completion of the transaction, Yeongwoo’s Karma balance plummeted rapidly.

Plundered!

*Available Karma: 4,214,000

The balance was 4.21 million Karma.

Even though he had spent half of what he had, he still had a considerable amount left.

―I’m leaving now. Please stay well until next time.

With these parting words from Kubu, Yeongwoo hastily reached out, grabbing his arm.

“Wait! Just a moment!”

This unexpected action halted Kubu, who was about to roll his eyes and the Dorgon, who was lifting his head to the sky.

―…?

Seeing a mediator already done with his work being held back was a first for Kubu, so he blinked his eyes and just looked at the trader.

“I have something to ask. It’s something only you, Kubu, can answer.”

Yeongwoo said, prompting Kubu to glance briefly at the sky before responding.

―Please speak.

“Ah!”

With Kubu’s permission, Yeongwoo asked his question without hesitation.

“What about Grade 2 or higher beings from other worlds? What level are they? Have I met any Grade 2 or higher beings among the traders I’ve encountered so far? Or does your grade fit into that category…?”

This was to understand the conditions for the new Golden Vow achievement, “Golden Typhoon”.

However, the other person’s reaction was unexpected.

Upon hearing the question, Kubu’s eyelids began to flutter violently.

He was clearly very anxious.

―I dare not… describe their dignity.

And surprisingly,

―Grung…

The Dorgon of Pergua, unlike before, spread out his four arms and assumed a very humble posture.

In the realm of otherworldly beings, the status of Grade 2 beings was such that even discussing them was off-limits.

“So, what grade are you, Kubu? Can’t you tell me that?”

As Yeongwoo realized his impropriety, he suggested a different route, to which Kubu blinked his eyes.

―Kubu, the owner of Tenta and the guardian of Dar0, is a humble being of Grade 9 in the Law of universe. And…

-Grug, grug…

―Being of humble origin and unnamed, Pergua’s Dorgon is a being of Grade 11 according to the Laws of the universe.

“Ah…”

Upon hearing their self-introductions, even Choi Jongseon, who was listening alongside Yeongwoo, wore a sad expression.

Meanwhile, Yeongwoo, after hearing the grades of the two beings from other realms, was biting his lip, as another question arose.

Can I ask this…?

“So, what grade am I according to the universal law?”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]