[{"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-506":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},1848520,2454,"Chapter 506","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-506",506,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 506: Earthlings (3)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"A 'great warrior'? You're quite the amusing one,\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa laughed heartily at Yeongwoo’s words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Apparently, her version of \"Earth\" also had the word \"great warrior.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You must’ve had fun teasing the aliens with that. But I’m content with the title of Chancellor.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She let Yeongwoo’s statement flow past like water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Yeongwoo couldn’t take his eyes off the stack of money on the table and muttered as if hypnotized,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Indeed... Lady He— I mean, Chancellor Herisa.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he quickly collected himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I heard you go around collecting Earthlings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was bringing up what Via had told him earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Herisa laughed loudly again, covering her mouth halfway with her multicolored prosthetic arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You really do have a talent for storytelling. But rather than ‘collecting,’ I’d say I observe them. My fellow Earthlings.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Observe your kind?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course. Aren’t you curious, Mr. Yeongwoo? About how other Earthlings scattered throughout the universe are living?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she said this, Herisa swept her non-prosthetic arm to the side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the metal walls surrounding them turned transparent, revealing the view of outer space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fwaaah—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In this vast and harsh universe... to learn that we weren’t the only humans out there—it was a shocking revelation for me.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As she pronounced “vast and harsh universe,” her prosthetic hand reflexively flicked its index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From that, Yeongwoo could tell that her right arm hadn’t been replaced with a mysterious prosthetic for pleasant reasons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was likely connected to that \"harsh universe\" she just spoke of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yeongwoo decided to hold off on asking about the prosthetic for now and instead played along with her words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, the 5 billion in front of him made that easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I… only realized after coming here that the inhabitants of other Earths are all human too.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Fascinating, isn’t it?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa looked at Yeongwoo intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, shifting her gaze back toward space, she continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But not every Earth is connected to the universe. Most of the Earths I found were in a locked state.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Locked?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"They hadn’t undergone the planetary trials yet. So they weren’t connected to the universe, and we couldn’t make contact either.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to her, such Earths usually had underdeveloped civilizations or were still in eras before humans had even emerged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then what happened to the other Earths that were unlocked?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Yeongwoo could already guess, based on what Via had told him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa soon confirmed his assumption.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Unfortunately, most of them either lost their planetary sovereignty or were wiped out during the planetary trials.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"As a species, humans don’t have particularly superior physical capabilities.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So even if they passed the planetary trials, they often lost their sovereignty in the process of opening their world to the universe—that was her explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then the other humans working here on this station… they're essentially refugees.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Yes. More than half of them come from different Earths. I tried to save as many as I could… but it wasn’t easy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Feeding and housing people costs an enormous amount of money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And ferrying all those people through a treacherous universe requires immense power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘In a broad sense, she really is caring for her kin.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A businesswoman earning money to rescue humans scattered across the cosmos... In a way, Chancellor Herisa was a remarkably virtuous person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Then... you came looking for me as part of this ‘observing fellow Earthlings’ mission?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yeongwoo asked this, Herisa’s expression turned more complex than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I only learned of your planet-ship's departure by chance. We were using a planet in the lower galaxy as a supply base at the time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Ah.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Yeongwoo finally understood why Herisa hadn’t been present when the noble families of the lower galaxy had gathered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her family wasn’t rooted in that region of the galaxy to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I come from an Earth far, far away—much farther than you’d expect. And I’ve been traveling for a long time.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She added that she had already been moving toward the galaxy containing Yeongwoo’s Earth long ago, which was why she was able to arrive so quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Typical ships and stations, unlike planet-ships, can’t travel across star systems quickly or repeatedly.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"So even using relay zones, you’d still have to move slowly?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s a simple way to put it. Regular ships can only make repeated jumps within planetary systems.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So realistically, it’s common to mix planetary, stellar, and—under special conditions—galactic travel to get around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s also why no one has ever experienced the entirety of the universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...Then even you haven’t observed every Earth in the universe.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Of course not. The Earths I’ve discovered are just a tiny fraction.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"How many have you found so far?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He threw out a guess—maybe around ten.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the answer that came back far surpassed his expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"One hundred and forty-eight.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...What?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"In the past 41 years, I’ve discovered 148 Earths.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed her multicolored prosthetic at Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And now, I suppose you make the 149th. Though technically, it's still 148 planets.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was pointing out that Yeongwoo’s Earth was a planet-ship.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...That’s insane.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve spent my whole life looking for Earths. So to me, 148 is natural. What’s truly insane is—\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa stopped mid-sentence, raised her chin slightly, and gestured toward Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"What? What is?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"You. And your planet-ship. You’re the truly unbelievable one. Out of all the Earths I’ve encountered, yours is by far the most extraordinary.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"But you’re an Earthling too. You’ve already seen and done so much...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"I’ve lived in this universe for 41 years. But how long has it been for you?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"...\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo had no response.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His own Earth, |l||I-Earth, was just finishing its 9th day since the reset.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That’s why I had to meet you. I was dying to know what kind of person this Earthling was.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa finally revealed her true thoughts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"And I was curious about the future of your planet-ship. There are still many people inside it, aren’t there?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was likely her real reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her life’s mission was to find Earthlings scattered across the universe and care for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And this time, she’d found an Earth that wasn’t made up of refugees.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An Earth that had evolved into a planet-ship thanks to the leadership of a single individual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So that’s why she came to meet me first, instead of contacting the residents. My character directly affects the well-being of everyone aboard.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, Yeongwoo was starting to understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This meeting wasn’t just prompted by Herisa’s blind compassion for her kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Wait a sec… Did she call me here planning to kill me if necessary?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Come to think of it, it was odd that no one, not even Via, had stepped foot inside the chancellor’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This room was a meeting room—and also potentially an execution chamber.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fortunately, or unfortunately, Herisa didn’t seem to have any hostile intent at the moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps Yeongwoo simply hadn’t reached the threshold of what she considered “evil.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But I mean… I’m basically a glorified bandit.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If she found out that the owner of the planet-ship planned to keep feeding its people through charity-disguised robbery…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Hmm.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo cleared his throat and glanced around the dark interior of the chancellor’s office.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"By the way… I heard about another Earthling. Have you met this person, Chancellor?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo subtly changed the topic, and luckily, Herisa played along.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"The one they say robs cargo at the edges of the universe?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She referred to him clearly as that person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"That person? You’ve met them?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, there was no way someone like her, who had spent 41 years searching for Earthlings, wouldn’t know the borderland tale even Yeongwoo had heard of.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But contrary to expectations, Herisa shook her head from side to side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He’s someone I’d very much like to meet someday… but I’ve never seen him in person.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve been searching for Earthlings for 41 years, and yet you’ve never met him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, a phrase similar to what the delivery driver had said spilled from Herisa’s lips.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The borderlands of the universe are as vast as the universe’s diameter. Even if I had spent my entire life looking only for that person in the borderlands instead of Earth, it wouldn’t have been easy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo was overcome with a sense of futility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That meant someone even more exceptional than him could exist among Earthlings in the universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How powerful must one be to rob travelers in the borderlands of the universe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And to still be alive while doing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo decided to ask something that had been on his mind for a while.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What exactly is this ‘borderland of the universe’? I’ve heard people talk about upper and lower universes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa had lived through this universe 41 years longer than he had.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yeongwoo assumed she would know the answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon, she began to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t bother thinking about the upper universe. Even in a lifetime of voyaging, you won’t manage to explore even a fraction of the lower universe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But still, the upper universe… it exists, doesn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not like a neatly divided upper and lower half of a galaxy. It’s more of a concept.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…A concept?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s not that the universe is split in two. Rather, there exists another realm that’s incredibly difficult to access. The beings of the universe just call that the upper universe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yet there’s a border?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a part of space that cannot be crossed. That entire area is the borderland. Strictly speaking, it’s not even a ‘line’—just an unimaginably vast region.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But since no one could pass through it, no one really knew what lay beyond it—that was Herisa’s explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I heard there’s a delivery system that crosses to the upper universe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was something Yeongwoo had heard directly from the space courier York.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa let out a small laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only transcendental beings can go into and come back from the upper universe. So most people guess that the world of the transcendents lies beyond the border. And perhaps…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s more?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They may be there as well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Yeongwoo had to admit—that made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So ordinary people of the universe can’t cross the border?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sometimes, rarely, delivery is conducted under the command of a transcendent. But I’ve never heard of anyone who crossed over and came back.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So only couriers with no intention of returning would accept that job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They take it on for their family, their clan. But even that opportunity only comes once in several centuries, if that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Space was complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo felt his mind spinning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And that’s why I believe—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa continued her thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That person who supposedly lives in the borderlands is searching for a way into the upper universe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe he’s looking for something. I’d love to meet him and ask directly… but since I don’t know how to break through the border myself, I’d just have everything taken from me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She smiled, the relaxed smile unique to the strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She didn’t seem to believe she’d lose, even if she met the infamous figure of the borderlands.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yeongwoo judged that now was the right time to talk about money.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re already strong, already have so much. Why are you investing such a large sum in me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The best answer would have been ‘as a trust fund for the 149th Earthling,’ but reality was never that kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, that’s because I have a favor to ask. It’s something only a planetary ship master can do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…And what is it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Herisa pulled out a crimson envelope from her coat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rustle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was sealed with a multicolored wax stamp and looked as red as blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just take this to the coordinates I’ve specified and read its contents to the person there. Do that, and the 5 billion karmas are yours.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All I have to do is read the letter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing something suspicious, Yeongwoo reached to open the envelope, but Herisa waved a hand to stop him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mustn’t open the letter until you reach the destination. That’s a basic condition.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is clearly shady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It is shady.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You think you’re the only crafty one in the universe? I’m human too. Compared to other species, we’re physically inferior. I’ve made it to where I am through sheer will and cunning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then she pointed at the envelope with the tip of her prosthetic index finger.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once you read that letter at the designated location to the designated person, you’ll be in considerable danger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not something you say to the person doing the job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But someone like you—no, someone who’s the master of a planetary ship—can handle it. That’s why I’m giving you the job.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You can’t even tell me what’s in the letter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s what the 5 billion is for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to smash the table and storm out right then, but the table currently held bonds worth 5 billion karmas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That bond matures the moment you complete my request. So you won’t be cheated out of the money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But I still have to do something completely unpredictable.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aren’t you the embodiment of unpredictability in this universe?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She knew more about him than he expected.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Yeongwoo couldn’t refute her final remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The water you requested will arrive soon. If you’re going to take the investment, at least have a glass before you go.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“And if I decline?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then you’re free to go home. Still, if fate allows, I’m sure we’ll meet again.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And sure enough, the office door opened, and Via Deroche came in carrying a tray with a glass of water on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Make your decision. I’ll give you plenty of time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Herisa sank deep into her chair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in front of Yeongwoo, a full glass of water was placed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he drank it, he would be accepting the mission: to read an ominous letter in exchange for 5 billion karmas—an unpredictable task.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Damn it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Yeongwoo didn’t hesitate for long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Space sure dries your throat faster.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And with that, he downed the glass in a single gulp.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",2348,"2026-06-09T07:04:10.527Z",1,"novelbin.me","8ebda123ffca2f8a16701f32cdabdf4038e5203649496772227001dac7023e7a","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-507","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-505",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]