BXBX NOVEL Chapter 213
Chapter 213
Chapter 213: In the Name of Darkness (1)
Pangea.
A word referring to the supercontinent formed by the merging of all continents.
There was only one reason why this word was being used as the name for Reset Level 3.
“Pangea? Does that mean the ground will… tomorrow?”
As Jo Sangik muttered in disbelief, Yeongwoo continued his sentence on his behalf.
“Yes. The ground will merge tomorrow. Starting at 8 a.m. sharp.”
At least Yeongwoo had been mentally preparing early.
It was because “Pangea” had been on his list of achievements all along.
[Pangea]
|Witness the movement of continents at the point of a time shift.
‘At any rate, I should be able to achieve one accomplishment tomorrow.’
This meant that the importance of the nighttime dungeon they would enter tonight would inevitably rise even more.
With Pangea marking the beginning of significant changes where nations would begin their confrontations in earnest, it was evident that dungeons gathering the world’s strongest would also become chaotic.
‘Tonight might be the last chance to complete a dungeon unscathed.’
Despite the worries brought about by the imminent upheaval of Pangea, there was also anticipation.
What would happen next?
And what awaited humanity after all the anomalies returned to this world?
“…”
As Yeongwoo stared at the timer in the air with excited eyes, Jo Sangik spoke in a subdued voice.
“I’m a little afraid.”
“Yes? What are you afraid of?”
“History.”
“…?”
“I’m afraid history will repeat itself. That’s why.”
“Ah, I see.”
Though it was a brief conversation, Yeongwoo could immediately understand what Jo Sangik was apprehensive about.
To summarize the history of South Korea briefly, it could be described as a history of foreign invasions and plunder.
Being bordered by China to the north and Japan to the south, it had been constantly plagued by invasions, especially by Japan, which had colonized and plundered it for decades.
Then came liberation, only to be followed shortly by the outbreak of the Korean War in 1950.
“Can we call it peace? It’s only been seventy years since our country emerged from war.”
After saying this, Jo Sangik glanced down at the sword sheathed at his waist.
“But it seems like it’s starting again, the era of war.”
Due to the Reset, the logic of power had already been strongly established within each country.
Therefore, if all continents merged into one due to ‘Pangea’, Jo Sangik knew very well that large-scale wars for any reason would inevitably break out from then on.
Especially in the case of South Korea, would it not end up facing China and Japan?
“It’s fortunate that there’s no one like you, Yeongwoo, in North Korea.”
“…That’s true.”
“But would it be the same for China or Japan? They have populations twenty times, two and a half times larger than ours.”
“…”
“Yeongwoo possesses exceptional combat abilities, but they are limited to the Korean Peninsula.”
Perhaps only Jo Sangik could speak such words to Joseon’s Strongest Sword so openly.
So, Yeongwoo listened quietly.
“With the whole world coming together on one land, it means that the monsters from each country will face each other. Extraordinary beings chosen by the universe like you, Yeongwoo.”
“…?”
For some reason, the nuance was peculiar.
At this, Yeongwoo was about to say something, but Jo Sangik interjected, spitting out passionate lines, blocking Yeongwoo’s mouth.
“So never support them when you go out! I mean the monsters from foreign countries! Whatever anyone says, I’ll support Mr. Yeongwoo.”
“Uh… Th-thank you.”
It was difficult to discern whether this was truly an encouraging word or if he was blatantly cursing, but Yeongwoo nodded his head anyway.
After all, it seemed like he wanted to say that it was better to have a native monster like Jeong Yeongwoo than to be dominated by foreign monsters.
“Surely there are extraordinary beings in other countries as well. But…”
Yeongwoo cautiously held the Bastard strapped to his belt.
“I won’t lose. Please don’t worry too much.”
Of course, it wasn’t just a word based solely on belief in ‘myth’.
The followers here were none other than the intergalactic arms manufacturer and the top villainous corporation,「Dogo」.
Would there be a company more powerful than Dogo on this planet?
‘A company more powerful than Dogo…’
Yeongwoo couldn’t even imagine the scene of the Chairman of Dogo being beaten somewhere.
Above all, wasn’t it an incredibly villainous corporation?
The fact that it had survived despite accumulating such villainy meant that it was a powerful corporation, right?
‘Well, I should at least reduce my villainy a bit.’
* * *
「The rental service has begun.」
「All buildings classified as ‘residences’ are now under the influence of the rental system and are in an unbreakable state.」
9 p.m. on the dot.
As Yeongwoo had just entered the outskirts of Gangnam, a notice for the rental service appeared before his eyes.
‘It’s already nighttime.’
Yeongwoo’s heart raced again.
The fact that the rental service had started meant that paying taxes and the nighttime dungeon event were now even closer.
‘I’ve prepared plenty of money for taxes, you little rascals!’
Yeongwoo inwardly chuckled to himself.
And in the meantime, today’s weather was revealed.
「By the way, today’s nighttime weather is metallic dust.」
「Be cautious of excessive bleeding.」
“Metallic dust?”
It was a weather type they were seeing for the first time, and this time, their existing climate-related immunity equipment couldn’t intercept it.
‘I thought today’s climate would be related to cold.’
Yeongwoo had been waiting for the cold type because of the “Heated Stone” he obtained during the inter-Korean confrontation in Paju.
「Heated Stone」 – Heroic Necklace
【Ignores extreme cold.】
However, with today’s climate determined to be metallic dust, the utility of the Hot Stone became uncertain once again.
‘So how will I endure today’s climate?’
Frowning in distress, Yeongwoo scanned through his equipment guide and found one piece of equipment he had somewhat forgotten about.
「Rotten Flesh」 – Unique Bracelet
【Bleeding Immunity】
‘As expected, everything is here when you look for it.’
This was an equipment he had deactivated to see the increased damage effect when bleeding.
So if he reactivated it only when going out tonight, he could nullify the effects of metallic dust.
‘Maybe… it’ll work? They did warn to be cautious of excessive bleeding.’
Instead, his father is not allowed to go out tonight.
‘So practically, I’ll have to enter the dungeon alone…’
As Yeongwoo finally arrived in front of the Parnas Hotel, Lim Suna, who was waiting outside the lobby, rushed over upon seeing him.
“Yeongwoo!”
“Ah, Miss Suna.”
Yeongwoo greeted Suna and unconsciously looked around, searching for the Sandong’s Twin Evil.
“Did any Chinese visitors come to see you?”
“Chinese visitors…? No, there haven’t been any separate reports.”
“I see.”
In fact, wouldn’t Jang Jaham also have seen the alert of territorialism?
Even if he had actually planned to come to Korea crossing the continent, his mind could have changed after seeing the asset seizure notice.
‘So today, I’m truly alone.’
With about 50 minutes left until tax collection and 1 hour and 50 minutes until the dungeon appearance, Yeongwoo couldn’t know the length of today’s dungeon, so he wanted to hurry up and rest for a while.
“Is the room ready?”
As Yeongwoo looked up at the top of the hotel, he asked, and Suna nodded.
“Yes. Everyone is already gathered in their rooms.”
It probably meant the family of Kim Taejoon and Jeonggu.
“Okay. Thank you for your hard work.”
Yeongwoo immediately jumped off Negwig and headed towards the lobby.
Then he instructed the Golden Goblin, who was busy following him.
“Take out the heart in advance. We need to perform a transplant when we go up.”
* * *
Room 3233 of the Parnas Hotel.
Jeonggu, who opened the door upon hearing the bell, had a hunch that something was coming again.
“…Here we go again.”
He saw the goblin standing with Yeongwoo holding a green metallic heart.
“Please step aside quickly. I need to rest for a while before the surgery.”
“Is this lunatic now going to replace his heart?”
Jeonggu sighed deeply but stepped back behind the door, allowing his son to enter.
He knew well that there was no convincing the stubborn bastard.
“So, is it going to poke and prod your body again like when you changed your spine?”
“…I’m not sure. This is the first time for a heart surgery.”
“Of course it is.”
With a grunt, Jeonggu pointed to the backpacks lined up under the sofa.
“These are the protection fees from Dobong.”
“Oh…!”
Today’s final income, ten million karma.
As Yeongwoo rushed towards the money bag with a gleeful face, Jeonggu sank down onto the living room floor.
“It’s almost time to pay taxes. Is all the money ready?”
“Yes. In fact, there’s some left over.”
“…Misfortune within fortune.”
After nodding once, Jeonggu glanced at the clock on the wall of the room.
While Yeongwoo eagerly awaited the dungeon entry, Jeonggu was waiting for the tax collection—or more precisely, the verification of the authenticity of the direct descendant universal proof document that would be confirmed simultaneously with the tax collection.
Of course, given various circumstances, it was almost certain that Jeong Yeongwoo was his son, but confirming it with a universal official document was a different matter altogether.
‘In 40 minutes… that bastard’s true identity will be revealed.’
Jeonggu gazed blankly at Jeong Yeongwoo, who was happily celebrating, with his hands full of coins.
Essentially, there were 40 minutes left until the son chosen by the universe would appear.
‘How did my life end up like this…? Did I commit some grave sin in a past life?’
As Jeonggu deeply sighed, Yeongwoo, who had handed the coins to the goblin, turned back and looked down at his father.
“Thank you for today.”
“…?”
An unexpected warm word.
Startled, Jeonggu widened his eyes.
“Uh? Uh, yeah. Thanks.”
Was his personality temporarily softened by the last-minute influx of money?
Jeonggu wondered, but still, he felt good.
‘He knows how to say such things. I never knew that.’
But that feeling was short-lived.
Soon, Yeongwoo pointed to the boundary between the living room and the bedroom where the backpacks were, instructing Jeonggu.
“Now, go over there and keep an eye out.”
“What? Keep an eye out…?”
“We have to perform heart surgery now, don’t we? So, make sure the kids don’t come in.”
After saying this, Yeongwoo touched the green heart held by the goblin in both hands.
As he did so, just like when attaching the spine, a warning message appeared, but this time, the content was slightly different.
「Do you want to equip the legendary-grade heart ‘Toxic Dragon’s Heart’?」
|Warning: Major surgery with a medical accident risk will be performed. (Accident rate: 8%)
|Recommendation: If desired, you can raise the medical fee and call a specialist.
※ Call number: 024 0909#