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Chapter 247: The Great Migration (2)

Boom!

The arrow shot by Yeongwoo hit Geumhwa precisely, and soon he saw her plummeting with a puff of purple smoke.

Of course, she wasn’t killed in one blow.

He had deliberately aimed at one wing because he wanted to talk to her.

‘At least now I can somewhat understand the reason.’

In fact, Yeongwoo didn’t know that Heo Geumhwa was a Korean-Chinese YouTuber.

Although he had heard about the infamous stabbing incident through the news, he wasn’t particularly interested in the surrounding details.

So, even as he saw Geumhwa continuously moving westward along the river, he didn’t clearly understand the reason.

It was only when the number of Chinese signs around him suddenly increased that he could make an educated guess.

He realized that Heo Geumhwa’s destination was Daerim-dong, known for its dense Korean-Chinese population.

|You are currently in Yeongdeungpo.

|There is no Strongest Sword in this area.

Yeongwoo confirmed the current status of Yeongdeungpo, where he was staying, rather belatedly.

‘There’s no Strongest Sword here. Should I see it as a title being taken?’

It was common for the Strongest Sword of a region to disappear due to a duel for the title.

However, the situation in Yeongdeungpo didn’t seem like the usual case.

The reason was:

“……”

As he got closer to Daerim-dong, the number of bodies abandoned along the main road exponentially increased.

‘These weren’t killed by monsters?’

Having traveled through numerous regions from Gumi, Yeongwoo could distinguish between bodies killed by monsters and those that were not.

Crucially, the bodies in Yeongdeungpo were:

‘They were deliberately gathered in one place and burned. Not long ago, either.’

One might think it was the work of a fire-breathing monster, but Yeongwoo found it hard to agree.

‘If it were monsters, they would have scorched all over the place. But this….’

Even while riding the rapidly running Negwig, he could see countless piles of bodies processed in this manner.

In other words, a large-scale massacre had occurred in Yeongdeungpo, and as the excessive number of bodies began to decay, someone had tried to incinerate them.

‘No matter how intense the civil war was, civilians shouldn’t die like this…?’

Even in North Korea, notorious for its brutality, the Strongest Sword’s kill count didn’t exceed a hundred.

However, the ‘processed’ bodies Yeongwoo saw in Yeongdeungpo alone numbered at least in the thousands.

‘There’s not just one road where bodies are gathered like this.’

This implied that the number of people killed by the same person in Yeongdeungpo could be in the tens of thousands.

In other words, there was a huge problem in this area that caused more casualties than monsters and mutants.

And that problem was likely:

‘…the Korean-Chinese.’

Of course, concluding that all Korean-Chinese were atrocious based on this alone would be a narrow-minded view.

But looking at the current state of Yeongdeungpo, one thing seemed almost certain:

‘Korean-Chinese are more dangerous after the reset.’

Whether it was because heinous individuals had gained power after the reset, or due to some other reason, Yeongwoo couldn’t be sure.

What mattered was that the circumstances suggested the Korean-Chinese had committed an ethnic cleansing in Yeongdeungpo.

‘While we were dealing with North Korea, the Korean-Chinese were building their strength inside.’

Yeongwoo had to think this way.

He also had a reasonable suspicion that if left unchecked, these individuals would soon start encroaching on other areas.

Crash!

Finally, Negwig carried Yeongwoo deep into Daerim-dong, marked with the mutant insignia.

Although there were still occasional piles of bodies in Daerim-dong like other parts of Yeongdeungpo, their numbers were significantly fewer.

As he feared, the bodies he had seen were not merely the aftermath of battles but evidence of an internal conflict among the Korean-Chinese.

“…These bastards.”

Yeongwoo felt a deep anger surge within him for the first time in a long while.

Of course, he knew that the reset was a complex and violent event, and that it couldn’t be interpreted in a simplistic manner.

It was an era where everyone was armed and had to earn a certain amount of karma each day to survive.

In such times, it was difficult for the Korean-Chinese, who were essentially a minority in South Korea, to act morally.

After all, even the native Koreans were busy hurting each other.

However,

‘But wiping out an entire area crossed a serious line. Especially when the population, already fragmented by the reset, was further reduced.’

Just like the limited resource of livable land, the post-reset population was also a limited resource.

This is because childbirth and childcare are incredibly challenging and daunting in this world.

Therefore, the best immediate course of action is to preserve the population as much as possible.

It’s only the sixth day since the reset, so we need to save as many people as we can until this disaster ends somehow.

‘And if the population decreases, the production of karma will also drop. The GDP will fall!’

From a macroeconomic perspective, GDP, or Gross Domestic Product, was critically important.

Currently, 1,000 karma points equate to 1 point of ability, so each country’s GDP was almost synonymous with its combat power.

But that’s not all.

‘Karma is a currency that’s accepted not just on Earth but across the entire universe.’

Therefore, a GDP based on karma also signified competitive power on a universal scale.

In this regard, it was wise to preserve the GWP, or Gross World Product, as much as possible.

‘Of course, this is all just my own thinking… it might sound like a delusion to someone else.’

However, Yeongwoo was quite serious.

Even now, numerous alien merchants were coming and going on Earth, and beings like Guppy, who had no prior agreement with Earth, could pass through the atmosphere with just the lone approval of the Strongest Sword.

‘With the planet in this state, there’s no guarantee that worse entities won’t appear in the future.’

Right now, even space pirates like Guppy could easily conquer Earth if they had malicious intentions.

If things had gone slightly wrong, every human on Earth might have been taken to the Jargal planet to extract resin from rocks.

‘Preparation is crucial… especially for external invasions.’

History had always proven this for humanity and the Korean Peninsula.

‘Maybe now is not the time for Earthlings to be fighting each other.’

Just as Yeongwoo thought this and turned his head forward, ‘it’ finally appeared before his eyes.

[Internet Broadcaster – Heo Geumhwa (Friendly Geumhwa)]

It was Heo Geumhwa, a mutant on the sixth day in Gwangjin-gu.

“Huh? What’s this?”

As Yeongwoo expressed surprise upon seeing his opponent in the form of a harpy, Geumhwa, who was lying face down, turned her head with difficulty towards him.

「Jo, Joseon Strongest Sword……!」

Although this was a line often muttered by those surprised by Yeongwoo’s title, Geumhwa’s case was a bit different.

「Help me!」

It was a plea for rescue from a complete stranger and a mad murderer.

“What… what?”

Hearing the mutant’s plea for help, Yeongwoo finally looked around.

Ssss……

Before he knew it, Korean-Chinese had blocked all directions, including the retreat route.

Especially near the windows of nearby buildings, there were people holding long spears in reverse grips.

They were probably throwers.

‘Oh dear, I’ve walked right into a mutant trap.’

Yeongwoo admired the tight formation of the fire net, sensing that these were the culprits behind the destruction of Yeongdeungpo.

Crucially, there was someone here who seemed to have taken the title of Yeongdeungpo’s Strongest Sword.

“What’s this? Why do you need help?”

The person stepping on Heo Geumhwa’s neck with a foot and shouting angrily was none other than:

『Guro’s Strongest Sword』

Hwang Gilhwi, 44 years old, a Korean-Chinese man.

He was the only one among the crowd standing nearly 2 meters tall, unmistakably the leader of the Korean-Chinese in the Guro and Yeongdeungpo areas.

Yeongwoo pointed at Geumhwa lying at his feet and said,

“Isn’t that a bit too much? If you’re going to kill her, just do it.”

He said this upon seeing that both her wings had been completely cut off.

Yeongwoo had only injured her right wing with an arrow, but now Geumhwa’s wings were cut off right above her shoulders.

In other words, these people had attacked her collectively after she fell into Daerim-dong due to the arrow.

‘Wait, did I end up helping these guys?’

If Geumhwa hadn’t been injured in her wings, she wouldn’t have been overpowered so easily.

“……”

Yeongwoo, who had learned ‘romance’ from the Incheonites, even felt a bit sorry for the mutant Geumhwa.

So when Geumhwa sent another pitiful plea for help,

「Don’t just stand there, help me!」

Yeongwoo, though having a heart of steel, felt a pang of sorrow.

He still didn’t know much about her, but she didn’t seem like a particularly vicious mutant.

Step.

Yeongwoo took a big step towards Geumhwa.

Then, Guro’s Strongest Sword Hwang Gilhwi pointed his sword at Yeongwoo threateningly and said,

“What? What are you trying to do? This one’s already ours.”

He spoke, assuming that the other Strongest Sword would naturally kill the mutant.

What he meant was, why pick a fight over someone who was already dead.

However, Yeongwoo had an option that Guro’s Strongest Sword couldn’t have imagined.

That was……

‘Since she’s a harpy, she doesn’t have arms, so how can we shake hands?’

As Yeongwoo’s gaze naturally turned to Geumhwa’s two legs, Guro Strongest Sword took the opportunity to thrust his sword downward.

Swoosh!

Realizing that he had to deal with the mutant before this eerie fellow could do anything strange, Hwang Gilhwi struck.

「Aaaaah!」

Screaming loudly enough to tear everyone’s eardrums, Heo Geumhwa noticed what was happening just in time, and almost simultaneously, Yeongwoo’s body moved like lightning.

Thwack!

“…What.”

「Ack!」

Aside from Geumhwa, Gilhwi, and Yeongwoo, no one in the room knew what had just happened.

To their eyes, it seemed as if:

“What, what was that?”

“Teleportation…?”

“What just happened? I didn’t see anything.”

It appeared as if the Joseon Strongest Sword had teleported.

Just moments ago, he had been standing several meters away, but in the blink of an eye, he was gripping Hwang Gilhwi’s sword.

Creak…

Of course, Gilhwi’s sword had already slightly pierced Geumhwa’s neck.

No matter how skilled the Joseon Strongest Sword was, he couldn’t perfectly block a sword swing from several meters away.

But thanks to the step he had taken earlier, he was able to save Geumhwa.

“I told you, if you were going to kill her, you should have done it quickly without torturing her.”

As Yeongwoo said this, he pulled the sword out of Geumhwa’s neck with his hand, making Hwang Gilhwi look incredulous.

“You… what are you?”

Yeongwoo pondered for a moment, then looked up at the sky.

“I am Jeong Yeongwoo, the Joseon Strongest Sword. I’m someone who might take charge of this country’s defense.”

“…What?”

“Usually, I show my strength and receive defense fees, but you’ve reduced the population so much that it’s meaningless.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ve caused a significant loss to our country’s GDP. As a punishment, I’ll take your title. Enjoy your dinner in hell.”

“What nonsense are you spouting…!”

Finally, golden light began to shine from Hwang Gilhwi’s eyes.

He was exuding the might of the Strongest Sword.

But his opponent was someone who could maintain his composure even in the presence of transcendent beings, a ‘Master of Myth.’

Yeongwoo stared straight at him with bare eyes, then swung his elbow.

Whoosh!

And then.

Slash!

With a chilling sound, Hwang Gilhwi’s head fell in front of hundreds of Korean-Chinese onlookers.

“Huh?”

“……?”

Thud, thump.

Even as the Strongest Sword’s head rolled on the ground a couple of times, the Korean-Chinese crowd could only blink in disbelief.

They couldn’t fathom that the master who had single-handedly subdued all the experts in Yeongdeungpo had just been decapitated by a strange intruder with a single elbow strike.

“Gilhwi?”

“Could he really be dead…?”

But his death wasn’t in vain.

Though he had caused a loss to the GDP, his demise led to the emergence of a new powerful figure.

「The Strongest Sword of Seoul has been elected!」

“Oh?”

Yeongwoo’s pupils dilated for the first time in a while.

It made sense.

By killing the Guro Strongest Sword, he also inherited the Yeongdeungpo title.

Currently, Yeongwoo held three titles in the Seoul area: Guro, Yeongdeungpo, and Gangnam.

“Does this mean I finally become the Seoul Strongest Sword?”

However, his prediction wasn’t entirely accurate.

「A person who has acquired three major regional titles has emerged!」

“What…?”

Gyeongbuk, Gyeonggi, and now Seoul.

With the acquisition of the Seoul Strongest Sword title, he now held three major regional titles.

“This is like Tetris, what’s going on?”

The butterfly effect caused by the death of the Guro Strongest Sword.

「The First Great Korean Strongest Sword has been elected!」

“……!”

With this madly rapid promotion, the Korean-Chinese onlookers forgot their leader’s death and stared blankly at Yeongwoo’s head. His title had already changed twice.

But there was one more surprise in store.

「Two divided nation titles have gathered in one place!」

“…What?”

「Yeongwoo07 is the sole candidate for the title of the strongest in the Korean Peninsula. A vote for approval or disapproval will begin shortly, so please prepare.」

Prepare?

This time, instead of feeling tense, Yeongwoo felt as if he’d been hit on the back of the head.

“A vote?”

Why should a title he earned by his own power be subject to a national vote?

“Is this how it’s supposed to be? Or is it a special condition for a divided nation?”

As Yeongwoo still wore a bewildered expression, the most unprecedented ceremony in Reset history began.

「Before the vote, let’s review the candidate’s profile.」

Then a gigantic screen appeared in the sky.