[{"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-272":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Level 4 Human in a Ruined World",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1848480,2454,"Chapter 272","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-272",272,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 272: Starry Night (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>9:48 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Parnas Hotel in Gangnam, Seoul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, most of Seoul’s prominent “Strongest Swords” had gathered here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From Oh Yeonhee of Songpa to Jo Sangik of Gwanak, and even Kim Doha, the Yongsan Strongest Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>These individuals, who were still the strongest in their respective districts, were wasting their precious time in front of a hotel room for one reason only.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No matter what, I don’t think so.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You never know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“True... if he couldn’t make it by now, wouldn’t he have contacted us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumors that Jeong Yeongwoo, who was supposed to collect their money, had still not arrived had spread throughout Seoul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was why the Strongest Swords had started gathering one by one in front of Yeongwoo’s room, leading to this situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, right. At the very least, Yeongwoo could have contacted us, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lee Yoobin, the Seongbuk Strongest Sword, widened her eyes and spread her hands, signifying the unique ring ‘Wave,’ Jeong Yeongwoo’s signature as the Gangnam Strongest Sword before becoming a Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If something had come up, couldn’t he have used the Wave to contact Seoul?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Strongest Swords of Seoul had gathered urgently because of this delay in Yeongwoo’s return.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could have happened if Yeongwoo hadn’t returned to Seoul without a word?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He had a way to contact us but didn’t... what could it be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kim Doha, the Yongsan Strongest Sword, rubbed his chin and asked meaningfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This essentially implied that something might have happened to Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, Kim Jeonggu shouted loudly in front of the room door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What nonsense is that? Our Yeongwoo didn’t fail to contact us; he just chose not to!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, Father. Of course. I didn’t mean anything else.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jo Sangik, the Gwanak Strongest Sword, smiled bitterly and tried to soothe Jeonggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Sangik also considered the possibility of Yeongwoo’s unexpected death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, it didn’t make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If he couldn’t return by this time, there was no reason not to use the Wave.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it could be because he was too impressed by something to even think of using the Wave.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But what could be more surprising than killing Kim Jong-un of the North with a laser?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What was Yeongwoo’s last known destination?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Sangik’s question, Jeonggu thought momentarily and then looked west.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I believe it was China.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“China...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had seen some of Yeongwoo’s relationship with China through the Strongest Sword selection vote, but that was just a part of China as a country.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It’s such a big country; he could have encountered a much stronger opponent than expected.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that were the case, it was unfortunate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had been supporting Yeongwoo, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to have a crazy genius from the Korean Peninsula in this insane world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Did Yeongwoo dive into the big leagues too soon?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sea might have swallowed the frog that should have stayed in the well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sangik inwardly sighed but outwardly said something different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“China is such a vast land, he might just be too busy returning to contact us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, most of the Strongest Swords seemed to have different thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, no matter what, he could have said a word into the ring. How could he forget that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s a limit to being late. It’s almost time to pay taxes, and he still isn’t here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. He used to come back punctually at sunset because of the dungeon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the situation completely different from Yeongwoo’s usual pattern, they all secretly predicted something had happened to the Strongest Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Logically speaking, their words made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Strongest Sword, who left Seoul for China, had not returned by almost 10 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Negative interpretations were inevitable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then what if...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, Lee Hanwook, the Dongjak Strongest Sword, uttered the words “what if.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the Strongest Sword Jeong Yeongwoo had indeed died in an unexpected accident? Who would be his successor?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who would manage the enormous defense funds he had collected from Seoul and parts of China?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could it even be managed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As everyone waited tensely for Hanwook’s next words, suddenly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BOOM!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An enormous explosion was heard from somewhere outside the hotel, possibly beyond Gangnam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What, what was that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It sounded like something fell!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where did that sound come from? Wasn’t it quite far away?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While the Strongest Swords in the hotel corridor looked around out the windows, Kim Jeonggu, the Dobong Strongest Sword and also Yeongwoo’s biological father, raised his head abruptly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Move aside!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He began pushing aside the Strongest Swords in the corridor and moved forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wh-where are you going, Father?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jo Sangik hastily followed him and asked, and Jeonggu, sweeping his finger across the Strongest Swords present, said,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can’t you tell? That’s the sound of Yeongwoo returning. Now, everyone, grab your money and follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some of the Strongest Swords still wore skeptical expressions, but others had already placed their bets.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They slung their bags of money over their shoulders and started running after Jeonggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“F-Father! Please slow down!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing this, the remaining Strongest Swords, who had been standing idly, also picked up their money bags.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>9:54 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six minutes left until tax payment time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu and about a dozen Strongest Swords hurriedly ran south of the city.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was because the explosion had undoubtedly come from the south.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah...!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone gasped and pointed towards the southern sky between the buildings, causing them to stop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...My God.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They saw some sort of structure descending from the sky, splitting it in half.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It looked like a tower but was so tall they couldn’t see its top with the naked eye.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What is that, Father?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone looked at Jeonggu and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Didn’t that old man say so?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had said just a while ago that the loud noise signalled that Jeong Yeongwoo was returning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But now, the true cause of that noise, seen with their own eyes, was…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that… an alien?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lee Yoobin from Seongbuk proposed the alien theory, some of the Strongest Swords agreed and looked back at Jeonggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Jeonggu was equally bewildered by the unexpected situation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell is that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did Moses, who led the people in the Exodus, feel like this when he stood in front of the Red Sea?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Jeonggu could see that it wasn’t his son, Jeong Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it wasn’t human at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scale of the structure was beyond imagination.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While everyone stood there with their mouths agape, Songpa’s Strongest Sword, Oh Yeonhee, spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Prepare for battle. Whatever it is, it’s clearly not human.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With those words, her crescent blade cast a long shadow on the ground, and some of the Strongest Swords thought:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘As expected of Oh Yeonhee.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If Jeong Yeongwoo is really dead, Oh Yeonhee will be the next Strongest Sword.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh Yeonhee, the Strongest Sword of Songpa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before and after Jeong Yeongwoo’s appearance, she held the second-in-command position in Seoul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although Jo Sangik of Gwanak had recently been rising in prominence, she was still undoubtedly the second-in-command.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you all doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing that many hadn’t yet drawn their weapons, Oh Yeonhee frowned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It might already be too late, that’s definitely…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An alien invader.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before she could finish her sentence, it happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fshhhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A thin beam of light descended from the sky, and a large pillar of light enveloped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s an attack!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally realizing that the structure had reached Gangnam, the Strongest Swords drew their weapons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish, swish!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Instead of the Strongest Sword, monsters have come! But you're gravely mistaken if you think Seoul will fall easily!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Oh Yeonhee, pointing her crescent blade at the massive light pillar, solidified her position as not just the second-in-command, but the future Strongest Sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She declared that she was still the representative of the Seoul Alliance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The unidentified light pillar, which had been just a mass of light until now, began to take shape.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The light pillar descended right opposite COEX, in a large construction site.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pressure from the light pillar suddenly intensified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, all the light dissipated, revealing a huge tower in its place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s really a tower?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Current time: 9:58 PM.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two minutes left until tax collection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of this coincidental timing, some present thought it might be another stage of the reset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sudden appearance of this foreign structure was that astonishing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t see the top.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How tall is it…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the Strongest Swords cautiously approached the tower with their weapons, Oh Yeonhee warned in a sharp voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Be careful, everyone. Inside there, most likely.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Something non-human would be in there, no need to finish the sentence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, one side of the tower opened, forming an archway, and large orcs with red skin poured from it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Seoul!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-It’s Seoul!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing 3 meters tall, these orcs chanted “Seoul” as they lined up beside the tower’s entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if preparing for someone to emerge from the tower.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon after.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clank, clank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone with metallic hooves leisurely emerged from within the tower between the orcs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, the dazzling light from inside the tower caused the pupils of the Strongest Swords to dilate again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clank!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Strongest Sword?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jeong Yeongwoo…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The person emerging, guarded by orcs, was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo, the only elected Strongest Sword of the Korean Peninsula.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, you all came out to greet me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the strange bright light, Jeong Yeongwoo’s characteristic nonchalant voice rang out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right on cue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Taxes will now be collected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At exactly 10 PM, nationwide, no, planet-wide tax collection began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And specifically for the Korean Peninsula, there was an additional tax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Defense tax will be collected shortly. Prepare for payment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1646,"2026-06-09T07:03:45.853Z",1,"novelbin.me","e7c8ca464364bbeb8b5c3fcafcceb887ad5259291e2cab92216c34a06eed528d","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-95","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-94",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]