[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world":3,"chapter-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-1":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Level 4 Human in a Ruined World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":18,"prevChapterSlug":19,"totalChapters":20,"novelImage":21},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":12,"translator":16,"content_hash":17},1848171,2454,"Chapter 1","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-1",1,"\u003Cp>[Translator – Peptobismol]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 1: Chaebols Transform into Dragons (1)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo pondered in his half-asleep state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if, six years ago, he hadn’t quit his job?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he hadn’t jumped into internet broadcasting, claiming that there was no future as a salary worker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Truthfully, I knew it, too. That it was an escape from reality, a gamble.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he wanted to take that gamble before it was too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, the haphazard gamble he took ultimately ended in failure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as a consequence, Yeongwoo experienced how detrimental a career break could be to replaceable labor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He spent two years as a job seeker, then another year working two part-time jobs to make ends meet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was thankful that he was at least able to get two part-time jobs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now, one more year has passed since then.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeongwoo, what are you doing? Get up quickly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was lying in the dormitory of a factory in *Gumi, Gyeongsangbuk-do, wandering through his dreams.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[TL\u002FN: *Gumi is a City in Gyeongsangbuk-do, South Korea.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! Wake up!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh….”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when the other person shook his shoulder roughly did Yeongwoo realize that the owner of this voice was his dorm roommate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now is not the time to sleep! Something really big has happened!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That word ‘big’ stuck in his ears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo finally blinked his eyes open, feeling a chill run down his spine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh! Wha… What time is it, Hyung? I’m on the night shift today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, in times like these, is going to work that important?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the unexpected statement, Yeongwoo wore a bewildered expression, and his roommate urgently spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You, quickly, open your right hand. Let me see how many you’ve got.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh-what are you talking about right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only belatedly did Yeongwoo realize something was off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His dorm roommate. That is, the 38-year-old man, Im Bonghee, seemed too cheerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, beyond cheerful, he seemed almost thrilled with some kind of excitement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, the whole world is turning upside down! It seems like chaebols and everything else are all disappearing? This can’t be a dream, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Since earlier what…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Yeongwoo could finish saying, ‘nonsense are you saying?’ something caught his eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Would you like to nominate [Chaebol Leader – Kim Dongho] as a candidate for elimination? If you agree, please use your karma points to exercise this right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A blue text slowly ascended in the corner of his vision.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, more lines followed below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―[Actress – Hyun Songae] is a candidate for elimination…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―[Serial Killer – Kim Eungpyo] is a candidate for elimination…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―[Internet Broadcaster – Lee Hoyeon (Pupi)] is a candidate for elimination…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What… what is all this…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo reached out to touch the text in the air, Bonghee glanced at his palm and widened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, what’s wrong with you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Check your right hand now. You only have three karma points.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo hastily spread his right hand and saw the bright number ‘3’ shining on his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Was this a dream? But everything felt too vivid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait a minute. What exactly is happening right now…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, looking at your reaction, I definitely know this isn’t a dream.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo asked, Bonghee seemed to have been waiting for his question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bonghee, who was looking closely at Yeongwoo’s dumbfounded expression, came to his own realization and held out his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[9]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you see this? I also have some left over after using some of them. I think it was around 20 at the beginning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You used it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo asked, he shifted his gaze to the problematic messages:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—[Politician – Kang Hongse] is a candidate for elimination…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—[Singer – Kim Kwangtae] is a candidate for elimination…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘No way.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now that he looked closely, there was one thing in common among the individuals highlighted in the messages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They all had caused some form of social controversy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For instance, Chaebol Leader, Kim Dongho, had a history of verbally abusing his chauffeur, while the actress Hyun Songae had been criticized after her past abuse of power toward her stylist was exposed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, those marked by the blue messages were individuals who had earned the public’s disdain for their actions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo, having grasped the minimum understanding of the situation, took a deep breath and closed his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a ritual he adopted when he had to make the most rational judgment possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If this isn’t a dream, what exactly is happening here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo asked, prompting Bonghee to respond as if he had been waiting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re seeing the same thing I am… Isn’t there something above your head or around there?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Above my head?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo raised his head following Bonghee’s lead, he spotted a fist-sized blue sphere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And finally, the information he had missed while he was sleeping began to fill his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Hello, this is an announcement from the Board of Directors.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[At 10:12:08 AM on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, a state of ‘imbalance’ has occurred.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[This indicates that the number of humans holding hostility toward the world has exceeded the majority, triggering the enforced activation of the reset function.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>More than half of humanity has become hostile toward the world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply put, around 4 billion people had dissatisfaction with how the world was, prompting this action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wh-what are they talking about…?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo wore an unbelievable expression but he still felt a pang of self-reproach deep down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terms like ‘imbalance’ and ‘reset’… It felt like they were picking at his delusions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not that it was an extraordinary thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he read articles about chaebols losing their temper or heard about a *BJ buying a supercar, he’d entertain fleeting thoughts at that level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[TL\u002FN: *BJ = Broadcast Jockey \u002F Korean term for streamers.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He always thought that the world was a little unfair and wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, it was true that he occasionally had such delusions, like what would happen if the world turned upside down?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But interpreting that as ‘humanity holding hostility toward the world’?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It feels like things are going really, really wrong.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo swallowed hard unconsciously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the meantime, the message left by the self-proclaimed board of directors continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The first stage of the reset is ‘Filtration.’ During this stage, we will filter out and eliminate the main culprits that have brought the world into a state of imbalance.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Therefore, a vote for their elimination will soon be held.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The majority of voters will nominate candidates they perceive as perpetrators of the imbalance, and those who receive enough votes will face either elimination, mutation, or dismemberment.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator – Peptobismol]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Reaching this passage, Yeongwoo looked at his own palm again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then, are they asking each person to use their karma points to target famous individuals? This is basically a witch hunt.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Among the candidates there were indeed truly wicked individuals, but in many cases, they were not.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, in reality, they were the vast majority.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If it goes on like this, it will be a catastrophe…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo tried to tell Bonghee to stop voting, but it was already too late.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bonghee’s karma points, which were 9 just a moment ago, had now decreased to 6.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, found you, you bastard!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vote.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bonghee’s karma points decreased to 5.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, Hyung, who did you just vote for?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know that BJ I watch all the time? That guy, he’s always harassing women, even without the show.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The hunting broadcast? That’s the one you always watch, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Youngwoo spoke, Bonghee, who had been gazing into space, grimaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, but even while watching it, I felt like shit. Without the broadcast, he’d be working at some shady place.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…But does that mean you have to vote for his death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’d be a lot of people voting for him, wouldn’t there? And when else would we ever take down guys like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite Youngwoo’s darkening expression, Bonghee paid him no heed and cast another vote.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now he only had 4 karma points, and then, an alert appeared in both their sights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There are 5 minutes remaining until the candidates for elimination are confirmed. Activating the search function for faster voting.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alongside, a small search bar appeared at the bottom of the candidate list.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, if there’s anyone you want to get rid of, do it, don’t waste your vote. You’ll regret it later.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Saying this, Bonghee turned back to the empty space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Youngwoo, after some contemplation, shifted his gaze to the search bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, the keywords he thought about appeared in the bar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>#Murderer\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>#SerialKiller\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>#R█████\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These were the crimes Youngwoo deemed “deserving of death.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But surprisingly, only a few people appeared in response to these keywords.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were only 5 candidates in total, and all of them were notorious serial killers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Why?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youngwoo pondered for a while, recalling the explanation he saw earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―The list includes the main culprits of the imbalance as perceived by the majority of voters…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Oh my god. The rest weren’t as popular, that’s why only famous people made it to the candidates’ list.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what was the point?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There could be possibly hundreds if not thousands of living murderers, so what kind of ‘filtering’ would it be to eliminate only the famous 5?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is this really not a dream but reality…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youngwoo couldn’t believe it. If all of this was ‘real,’ the arbiter of the reset must be a being far superior to humans, be it a god or something else entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But doing things like this…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While he was shocked, Bonghee, sitting next to him, was rapidly reducing the number on his palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From 4 to 3, then 3 to 2… next 1, and finally…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the remaining karma points reached 0, the number vanished entirely from Bonghee’s palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ha, I’ve cleared it all out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youngwoo, on the other hand, was still looking at the list of candidates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[There is 1 minute remaining until the candidates for elimination are confirmed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The karma points he currently had remaining were the same as before: 3.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘In any case, even if I use all of my karma points, I can’t even deal with the 5 candidates on the list.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, since those 5 were infamous, they would likely have received a lot of votes already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After some contemplation, Youngwoo averted his gaze from the list without casting his vote.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He didn’t want to participate in this madness in any way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only that, but for some reason, he felt uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shortly after, an announcement indicated the end of the voting period.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Candidates for elimination have been confirmed.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[In a moment, the fate of each candidate will be decided based on the number of votes.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Confirmed candidates will be able to choose between elimination, mutation, or dismemberment.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? They weren’t guaranteed to die?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Checking the message, Bonghee’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what he really needed to worry about was what happened next.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[During the vote tallying, we will proceed with the second stage of the reset, ‘Individual Filtration.’]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The name alone sounded ominous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Bonghee looked anxious, and soon, a new notice appeared in everyone’s sight, including his.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Starting now, you can spend karma points to send ‘Deaths’ to desired targets.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Each Death will consume one point, and to prevent a Death aimed at you, you’ll need to spend your own karma points.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[If you fail to prevent the Death, you’ll inevitably face elimination. Please be cautious.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait… What are they talking about right now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed like Bonghee thought death would definitely come for him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as he finished reading the notice, his body began trembling uncontrollably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s wrong, Hyung?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Youngwoo suspected that the other had a story, he asked indirectly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Bonghee stared at Youngwoo in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, noticing the ‘3’ still in Youngwoo’s hand, Bonghee’s expression brightened with hope.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, Youngwoo…! You still have karma points left, right? Could you use them to stop the death coming for me? It might work, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, why would someone send a Death toward you, Hyung? Who would even bother spending karma points to…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh, that’s right… it might not come, but… you never know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Really? Then maybe I should save mine just in case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Youngwoo responded nonchalantly, trying to sit back on the bed, but Bonghee abruptly grabbed his shoulders.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, don’t! Death, it’ll definitely come for me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly agitated, Bonghee was trembling intensely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… why? If you can give me a proper reason, I’ll do my best to help.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ultimately, he decided that he had no other choice, and at the moment Bonghee was about to say something…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A sound seemed to come from the ceiling, or rather, from the sky beyond, and soon, a bright white light shot down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely aimed at Bonghee’s forehead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, an incredible fear flashed through Bonghee’s eyes, and shortly after, Youngwoo saw a message appear above his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—[R█████ – Im Bonghee] couldn’t prevent the Death and has been eliminated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, silently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bonghee’s body disappeared as if melting into the thin air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still 3 karma points remaining in Youngwoo’s palm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator – Peptobismol]\u003C\u002Fp>",2183,"2026-06-09T07:03:45.574Z","novelbin.me","5e237b17d86f67a77abcfc91be422075e2d2330401384fefd5ed4d9d74babdc9","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-107","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-106",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]