Level 4 Human in a Ruined World - Chapter 255

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

Chapter 255: Beijing’s Great Evil (2)

“Heart? Of course, I’ll take it. Give it to me quickly!”

Yeongwoo’s eyes gleamed at the news that his uncle’s heart had arrived.

He was in a situation where he had to grab anything that could help increase his combat power.

Wasn’t he planning to persuade the masters of the Chinese region with strength to cut off all supplies to Im Dupyeong?

Therefore, the dragon heart, which comes with various effects, was a very welcome gift at this point.

However,

“Uh, wait a minute.”

Yeongwoo, who was looking up at the sky waiting for the heart to drop, suddenly recalled something and stopped.

“Do I… have to undergo surgery again?”

Yeongwoo asked this because he currently had a physical Catalog.

Hadn’t the heart of the poison dragon he had obtained earlier already been classified as ‘physical’ and registered in the Catalog?

So if the heart of the steel dragon was the same, then…

‘Then I might not need surgery and can directly activate it by putting it in the Catalog, right?’

[Physical Catalog]

〔4〕

The number of pieces of equipment currently registered in the physical Catalog is 4.

So if he registered the heart of the steel dragon this time, the first collection effect of the physical Catalog would be unlocked.

Thanks to his uncle, he was on the verge of double enhancement.

‘Indeed, blood is thicker than water.’

When Yeongwoo placed his hand over his heart, feeling a warm sensation inside his chest for some reason, Kubu blinked.

― Since you have the physical Catalog, you can use the effects of the new heart without having to wear it directly.

“Oh… as expected, right?”

The Catalog had amazing effects that allowed the use of two hearts simultaneously.

― However.

“…?”

― The heart of the steel dragon you are about to receive is also a ‘dragon heart,’ just like the heart of the poison dragon.

“…Right?”

There seemed to be something more.

When Yeongwoo gestured for Kubu to continue speaking, Kubu blinked again.

― Dragon hearts have a unique function called ‘fusion.’

“Oh, I know what that is.”

This was a function that was also attached to the tooltip at the bottom of the poison dragon’s heart.

【Heart Fusion】

| It will be fused if you obtain another dragon heart.

“I thought it would automatically combine because it said it would fuse. Is that not the case?”

― If the heart is processed as a talisman, automatic fusion occurs, but in the case of someone like you who wears it directly, physical surgery is required.

“Oh, I see.”

Apparently, it seemed necessary to remove the existing heart and combine it with the new one.

And if that was the case…

“I’ll have to see that crow guy again.”

But the surgery cost a hefty amount of money and significantly increased evil karma.

“Is the heart fusion effect that good? Is it worth paying the surgery fee every time?”

Yeongwoo asked, hoping it wasn’t, and after a moment of thought, Kubu answered.

― Generally, from the point of obtaining the third heart, it is recommended to proceed with fusion if possible.

“So it’s not essential right now, right? Since I only have two hearts.”

―…You could see it that way.

“Alright then.”

Yeongwoo looked at the clock.

The current time was 3:34 PM.

If Shandong Province had already paid tribute to Beijing, he had to quickly chase the collection team, so time was of the essence.

He didn’t have time to leisurely open his chest in Yeongjongdo.

“Let’s quickly receive the new heart. I’m quite busy right now.”

― Understood.

At Yeongwoo’s order, Kubu rolled its eyes.

And soon,

Boom!

A sound like a cannon being fired echoed from beyond the sky, and a heavy presence descended from the air.

Woosh!

With a loud breaking sound, something appeared between Yeongwoo and Kubu.

Thud…

It was the heart of the steel dragon, a gigantic heart made entirely of steel plates and metal pipes.

“Why, why is it so big?”

Yeongwoo stared blankly at his uncle’s heart, which was much larger than the heart of the poison dragon.

Soon, the tooltip of the new heart filled Yeongwoo’s field of vision.

Flash!

「Heart of the Steel Dragon」 – Legendary Heart

【Steel Dragon Emergence】

【Iron Armor】

【Heart Fusion】

【Steel Dragon Emergence】

| Increases the effects of all physical attributes by 10%.

【Iron Armor】

| Reduces all physical damage, except for crushing attacks, by 15%.

【Heart Fusion】

| Fuses with other dragon hearts when obtained.

‘This is amazing.’

The heart has an unexpectedly well-balanced offense and defense.

Especially ‘Steel Dragon Emergence,’ which increases the effects of all physical attributes, was an option that applied to both offensive and defensive capabilities as understood from the tooltip.

‘Physical attribute effects’ included not only increased physical damage but also reduced received physical damage and special effects like ignoring 50% of the opponent’s physical damage reduction.

― Would you like to use it in its original form without processing it into a talisman?

As Kubu asked about processing, just like last time, Yeongwoo immediately nodded.

“Yes. I will put it in the Catalog as is.”

As Yeongwoo approved the receipt, the gigantic heart of the Steel Dragon, which cast a large shadow on the ground, began to turn white.

Ssssh!

Then, in an instant,

Paang!

It became a thick beam of light and permeated above Yeongwoo’s head.

The heart of the Steel Dragon was truly registered in the physical Catalog.

‘Thanks to this, you will live forever, uncle.’

Although only the heart remained, Song Taeho, the eldest son of Jinhyeon, would be with Yeongwoo in all sorts of adventures from now on.CH𝒆Ck for 𝒏ew st𝒐ries on no/v/el/bin(.)c0m

As Yeongwoo stood proudly to welcome his uncle’s heart, the physical Catalog reacted soon.

「1st stage collection effect unlocked!」

Unlike other equipment Catalogs, the physical Catalog unlocked collection effects every 5 pieces.

So, as soon as he obtained the heart of the Steel Dragon, the first effect was triggered.

Piiing!

[Physical Catalog]

〔5〕

[Collection Effect: 5]

| Increases the optimization limit of the body by 10%.

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]

‘What does this mean?’

The collection effect was somewhat unfamiliar, fitting the physical Catalog.

It increased the optimization limit of the body.

“….”

Yeongwoo stared at the tooltip for a while, then he understood it.

‘Oh, I see.’

Optimization of the body.

In other words, it referred to the form of the body that could be enhanced through karma.

The length of limbs, thickness of the torso, total muscle mass, skeletal ratio, and even height.

The first collection effect of the physical Catalog meant that the optimization level of these body components was increased by 10%.

‘Does that mean I can grow up to 2.2 meters tall?’

While it was currently possible to increase height, it was not efficient due to the human body’s functional limits, making the system discourage it.

But now, that recommended limit was increased by 10%.

‘10% doesn’t sound like much, but applied to height, it means I can grow 20 centimeters taller.’

If his height increased, his stride length, reach, and maximum jump height would change significantly.

It was another way to get ahead of others beyond equipment.

‘Won’t I become a complete giant at this rate?’

Despite thinking this, Yeongwoo was already biting a karma coin to alter his appearance.

‘The preset has really changed.’

As expected, the optimized height for his body, as recommended by the system, was now 2.2 meters.

And the cost required to readjust his skeletal muscles and body ratio was a whopping:

[8,406,000]

‘Huh? It’s not that much? It’s much cheaper than heart surgery.’

The cost to transform into a bigger being was 8.4 million.

It would have been an enormous amount a few days ago, but as the acknowledged strongest person in the Korean Peninsula, now even receiving tributes from China, this amount didn’t seem that large to Yeongwoo.

‘This is an immediate payment.’

As Yeongwoo was about to approve the 8.4 million payment, a severe warning message appeared.

Pop!

「All physical alterations are permanent, and some elements may be inherited by the next generation.」

「Do you wish to proceed?」

Yeongwoo nodded again, and almost instantly, his karma balance dropped to 58 million.

* Available Karma: 58,532,500

He still had a lot of money left, but Yeongwoo couldn’t even check that balance.

Because,

“Huff!”

A peculiar pain that accompanied the change in his muscles and bones tingled from his toes to the crown of his head.

‘Right! This is something the Berserker Talisman can’t block.’

With the pain enhanced from last time, Yeongwoo unconsciously almost fell to his knees but managed to endure it.

He thought this scene might be broadcasted somewhere in the universe or used in some future materials for voters on the Korean Peninsula.

“Grr…!”

Yeongwoo swallowed the pain, making a strange noise.

Then, his entire body was enveloped in white light, and his body began to grow slowly.

His line of sight gradually elevated in real-time as he grew taller.

‘This world is really crazy.’

While Yeongwoo marveled anew, his clothes fell off his body as his growth process neared completion.

Shaa!

As the light that covered his entire body slowly receded, his newly formed skin was revealed, and the sea breeze of Yeongjongdo wrapped around his longer arms and legs.

“Is it over?”

As Yeongwoo inspected his new body, he saw Kim Yongkwan, the Incheon Strongest Sword, who had fallen on his butt.

Kubu, who had delivered the heart of the Steel Dragon, had disappeared without a trace.

‘No way, did he leave without even saying goodbye just because I said I was busy?’

Yeongwoo considered calling Kubu back, then reminded himself he was indeed very busy.

Quite a bit of time had passed while he was enlarging his body.

“Are… are you alright?”

Kim Yongkwan cautiously asked about Yeongwoo’s well-being as he slowly stood up.

Typical Earthling courtesy.

In response, Yeongwoo picked up his equipment from the ground and put it back on before mounting Negwig again.

Hop!

“I’m fine, but are you really okay, Mr. Yongkwan?”

“Pardon? What do you mean?”

“You won’t receive your commission because the money from China didn’t come in today.”

“…Oh? Is that how it works?”

Yongkwan’s eyes briefly flashed with anger at the mention of money but quickly softened.

“Not working means no commission, that’s fair.”

“That’s true, isn’t it?”

Yeongwoo nodded at Yongkwan and then took the reins of Negwig, looking beyond Yeongjongdo to the Chinese mainland.

“But don’t worry. You’ll probably get your commission starting tomorrow. I’ll take care of it.”

* * *

Yeongwoo had agreed to pay a commission of 5 million won per day to Incheon as a brokerage fee.

Although they agreed not to pay today, he would have to start paying again from tomorrow.

Therefore, Yeongwoo planned to use Incheon as the main brokerage point for dealings with China.

He intended to receive tributes from regions near Beijing mainly through Incheon.

‘Receiving money through various places means paying a commission to each brokerage point. It’s a daily expense, and it can add up to a significant loss over time.’

Of course, for Yeongwoo’s ambitious plan to receive tributes from various regions of China to become a reality, he had to first resolve the issue with Shandong Province.

Clop, clop!

As Negwig carrying Yeongwoo passed through Yeongjongdo and reached the coast of Shandong Province, there was not a single welcoming crowd in sight.

The place was utterly barren.

‘Did they all go to welcome the collection team?’

Even if the locals greeted the Beijing collection team with flags just as they had for him, it wouldn’t matter at all.

Shandong Province was caught between Beijing and Seoul, so it was an inevitable situation.

However, what Yeongwoo worried about was,

‘Or maybe Zhang Jaham… that guy didn’t defy the collection team, did he?’

Zhang Jaham was hot-tempered and loyal, so he might have refused to pay tribute to Beijing, thinking he was now on Yeongwoo’s side.

And if that really happened, the furious collection team might have made an example out of Shandong Province, turning it into a wasteland.

Otherwise, there would be no reason for the place to be so deserted.

Clop, clop!

Negwig continued westward, running into Shandong Province.

Soon, a familiar sight of residents carrying flags entered Yeongwoo’s view.

“…!”

They were the same hand flags that had welcomed him at the Shandong coast that morning.

They were returning after finishing some event somewhere.

“Hey! Over here!”

When Yeongwoo pointed to the flag-bearing people and gestured to stop, the residents, who had recognized him, showed fearful expressions.

However, they couldn’t dare to run away and instead subtly lowered the flags they were holding.

“Uh, Mr. Yeongwoo.”

One person who managed to remember Yeongwoo’s name stepped forward, representing the group.

Yeongwoo tried to maintain a gentle expression and asked,

“Where is it? The place the Beijing people visited.”

Sensing that Yeongwoo had already guessed a lot, the representative resident pointed with a trembling finger to somewhere in the north.

“Yes, Yantai.”

Yantai, also known as Yantai City, is one of the port cities in Shandong Province and wasn’t far from where Yeongwoo was now.

However, since Yeongwoo wasn’t very familiar with Chinese geography, he had to rely on the direction indicated by the resident.

“Thank you. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Yeongwoo handed a 10,000 Karma coin engraved with his face to the person who had bravely stepped forward.

Then,

Clop!

He immediately urged Negwig northward, quickly distancing himself from the line of residents.

‘I’m already late. But if I chase them with Negwig, I can catch up before they reach Beijing.’

And above all,

‘So they’re carrying 30 million now? Originally, I was supposed to receive 20 million… so I’ll be earning an extra 10 million?’

As he unconsciously thought about making an extra 10 million today, Yeongwoo corrected himself.

‘No, Yeongwoo. Think big.’

The tribute agreed upon with Shandong Province was 20 million.

Although the collection team was taking 30 million today, taking it all wouldn’t be any different from Beijing.

‘Returning 10 million to Shandong Province is the right thing to do. That’s what chivalry is about, right?’

To repay those who believed in and helped him—this was what Yeongwoo considered to be chivalry.

So, today on Chinese soil, that chivalry…

“Ah!”

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened suddenly.

He saw the city that seemed to be Yantai in the distance, and Zhang Jaham and Wu Qingjin, the Shandong Twin Evils were coming out to greet him.

‘Oh, fortunately, both are safe!’

While feeling relieved inside, Yeongwoo couldn’t help but blurt out,

“My money! Where is my money going right now?”

[Translator – Night]

[Proofreader – Gun]