[{"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-369":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},1848360,2454,"Chapter 369","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-369",369,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>w\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 369: The Ultimate Evil of Promotion (5)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Y-Yeongwoo, what happens now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aldo, staring at the world map, let out a frightened voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In response, Yeongwoo calmly aimed at the world map floating in the air with his weapon, Bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dozens of teams, including the powerful contender Team 004, were closing in fast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would happen next?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, what else? We’ll just have to follow the rules.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to the new rule, the only way to claim the top spot in the promotion battle was to defeat the current first-ranked team.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of the current top-ranked team, as long as they weren’t defeated by another team, they could retain their position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Challenging and fighting is perfectly legal. We all agree on that, right?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo asked, his eyes gleaming fiercely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The three virtuous aliens hesitantly nodded, looking visibly uncomfortable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Given the situation, they couldn’t very well forbid counterattacks against this madman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-But not everyone coming this way is here to fight,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amana said, trying to deny the grim reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t a baseless claim.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What do you mean? If they’re not here to fight, why are they coming?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-...Handshake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Excuse me?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Ranks two through five are determined by the number of handshakes, aren’t they?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Amana spoke, she looked down at her right hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-With the new top-ranked rule, many teams started moving toward the central west. Naturally, other teams aiming for the rankings have no choice but to head in this direction too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Amana speculated that many of the teams visible on the map were here to find handshake partners, not to fight for the top spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-There might not be as many teams gunning for first place as you think.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm. That could make sense.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo stroked his chin as he listened to Amana's reasoning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was plausible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t seem reasonable that all those teams would aim solely for first place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Well, whatever the case, we can just ask them directly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo nodded and turned his gaze to the \"challengers\" closing in on the world map.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forty-one teams remained in the promotion arena, with nine already eliminated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excluding the current first-ranked Team 023, there were forty teams left.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘About five teams seem to be heading toward the withdrawal zone…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining thirty-five teams were either converging on the central west or still deliberating, showing no clear movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The teams that weren’t moving yet were likely observing the situation to decide their next course of action.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One thing was certain:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘There are definitely plenty of teams thinking about jumping into the first-place battle. Maybe I haven’t shown enough of my strength yet?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo felt a pang of disappointment, believing his earlier display of mercy had been underappreciated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he had hoped to take a break from accumulating bad karma, but here they were, flocking to him of their own accord.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At this point, accumulating bad karma seems inevitable for me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Swish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo turned to the three virtuous aliens.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Looks like we’ll have a few corpses to clean up soon. Could you prepare some eulogies?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Eulogies?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"For those guys. When they die, we’ll wrap up their bodies and send them off with eulogies. I need you to write them.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since Yeongwoo would handle the violence and killing, the other three wouldn’t have much else to do.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Understood? When there are bodies, you’ll write the eulogies.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Yeongwoo's one-sided request, the three reluctantly nodded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Alright.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-…Someone has to write them, after all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Fine. Better we do it than anyone else…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, the division of labor within Team 023 was settled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo got up, dusted himself off, and began scanning the surroundings, noting down coordinates in advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he might need to use bombardments again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If there are multiple teams with planetary bombardment weapons, it’ll be chaos. I should probably strike first, just in case.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Yeongwoo pondered various scenarios and surveyed the central west, he noticed silhouettes emerging from the northern horizon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Oh?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the first visitors since the announcement of the new rule.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo pointed north with wide eyes, the three virtuous aliens followed his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Oh no…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-They’re heading this way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Good grief…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They preemptively offered condolences for the unnamed opponents heading toward the worst possible outcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Yeongwoo:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssshhh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He unsheathed Bastard, preparing for battle, and began walking north at a leisurely pace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Which team is that?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Glancing at the world map, Yeongwoo saw the marker for \"Team 042\" closest to his current position.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Team 042.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were ranked fourth in power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the others, it was clear this team intended to participate in the battle for the top spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This will be a good opportunity to gain some interstellar combat experience.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When else would he get to fight such a diverse range of extraterrestrial opponents?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While this battle might cost many planets their representatives, Yeongwoo's perspective on such losses remained unchanged:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If they die in the promotion battle, they weren’t cut out for planetary promotion anyway. Better to die early and let someone else take over.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The newly implemented rules even allowed contestants to avoid both battles and competition entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They could simply move to the eastern end and wait out the timer to survive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the fact that so many teams chose to head west to challenge the first-ranked team was a clear measure of their judgment—or lack thereof.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Of course, it also shows their courage and skills. But if they end up dying to me, it means their skills weren’t sufficient.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo silently mused and stared north, Aldo, watching the world map, shouted urgently:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Hey, Yeongwoo! Team 042 is right ahead!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the map, the markers for Teams 042 and 023 overlapped almost completely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, in the actual terrain, there was still a distance of about 300 to 400 meters between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, I know. I was just about to—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo shrugged his shoulders and gestured not to worry—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoooosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A massive void opened up beneath his feet, a pitch-black hole appearing suddenly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Yeongwoo instinctively recognized it as the power of the Void, a giant hand emerged from the hole, enveloping him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Hey, Yeongwoo?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-What’s going on? An ambush?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before the three allies could react, the hand grabbed Yeongwoo and dragged him into the hole.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In that instant, Yeongwoo found himself thinking:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Who the hell are these bastards?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was trapped in a zone imbued with the Void’s peculiar, time-stopping aura, cursing under his breath.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>w\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was clearly a remote abduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be someone skilled in using Void power, making a preemptive strike.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwoosh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief moment of gray obscuring his vision, Yeongwoo’s surroundings lit up again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His body was raised back to ground level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was then that Yeongwoo saw the four aliens surrounding him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Haha, welcome.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Are you the leader of Team 023?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Whoa, your energy levels are off the charts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-You’re smaller than I expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ones who had used the Void to abduct Yeongwoo were none other than Team 042.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Team 042]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A dark blue mechanical humanoid, a towering beastman with an eagle’s head, a lizard covered in blue scales, and a humanoid alien with pupil-less eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last one, in particular, caught Yeongwoo’s attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despite its pale skin, its hands were pitch black.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At a glance, Yeongwoo knew this one was the abduction’s executor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The distinct, unsettling sensation of the Void emanated continuously from its hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Sharp, aren’t you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing Yeongwoo’s gaze, the \"Black Hands\" alien blinked its pure white eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo couldn’t help but ask:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the point of coming after me here? Are you really after the number one spot?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The eagle-headed beastman, who had been aiming a long spear at Yeongwoo, moved its beak threateningly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Of course. There are incredible perks for ranking first in the promotion matches. Why wouldn’t we aim for the throne?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if you challenge the number one and lose, you’ll die, won’t you? Wouldn’t it be safer to aim for just the top five?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Yeongwoo kindly offered them a chance to reconsider, Team 042 only laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Amusing fellow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-If we don’t lose, that’s all that matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-That’s cowardly logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, they had the ability to abduct someone from hundreds of meters away in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no way such individuals would give up the throne with its promised extraordinary rewards.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then the dark blue mechanical humanoid spoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-And why did you create such ridiculous rules in the first place?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It referred to the rule that one could only claim the top spot by defeating the current number one.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Without that rule, Team 023 wouldn’t have become everyone’s target.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s response?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, I didn’t expect every dog and stray to come after me. I was just trying to minimize collateral damage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-You bastard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-How arrogant!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Infuriated by his response, Team 042’s eagle-headed beastman gripped its spear tighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Collateral damage? We’re no strangers to committing atrocities ourselves. Let’s see how well-versed you are in evil!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, the eagle-headed beastman swung its spear to strike Yeongwoo’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yeongwoo, who had been warned by his precognitive instincts, raised Aratubank to block it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the same motion, he lunged forward and drove Bastard through the beastman’s chest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with that, another planet’s future darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, you lot are familiar with atrocities? Then wouldn’t taking you down count as a good deed?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo withdrew his blade with a wicked smile, the remaining members of Team 042 stepped back, sensing something was wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-What… what was that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-That sword! It’s not normal!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Regroup! We have to attack together to have a chance!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Team 042 reeled from the shock of their comrade’s sudden demise, a deafening explosion erupted in the distance behind Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What the?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yeongwoo turned, he saw a blazing red pillar of fire rising from the spot where he had left his three allies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Another team had ambushed them while Yeongwoo was occupied with Team 042.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got to be kidding me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had expected such chaos, but not in such rapid succession.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And more importantly—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t Prince Aldo, who would be arriving with a massive dowry tomorrow, in that very spot?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Those idiots, if they face a real opponent, they’ll be useless.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With this realization, Yeongwoo hurled his Aratubank, knocking the Void-user backward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Gah!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo leapt onto the alien’s chest with blinding speed and drove his dagger into its blackened hands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thwack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can use that power again, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-W-What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Send me back over there.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-I-I can’t. I don’t have a way to send you back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You bastard.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo adjusted his command without hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then bring them here instead.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone over there. Bring them here. I’ll handle the rest.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>w\u003C\u002Fp>",1814,"2026-06-09T07:03:45.907Z",1,"novelbin.me","5294d7e521b0ec51603d9df02539c719667fad69004de1b148c76f8a57fd1334","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-178","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-177",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]