[{"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-522":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},1848536,2454,"Chapter 522","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-522",522,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 522: To the Edge of the Galaxy (5)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, Mr. Lucas in Spain. That’s an excellent question.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo looked at the chat with a satisfied expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re asking what exactly is headbutting a star? Well, of course…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he clenched his right fist tight and thrust it in front of the camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Jiseon facepalmed off-camera, and even Earth shut its eyes tight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Spain\u002FNavarra]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Lucas: Us…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lucas, who lived in Spain, didn’t seem to understand Yeongwoo’s words right away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Spain\u002FNavarra]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Lucas: What do you mean, us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I mean us. Our planet Earth is going to headbutt a star.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[USA\u002FTennessee]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Ria: What? Did you just say Earth is going to headbutt a star?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[USA\u002FNevada]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Talo: That’s insane. You’re not planning to kill us all, are you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Germany\u002FBavaria]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Wilhelm: This is madness. A single asteroid impact could wipe out humanity, and you’re talking about ramming a star?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, fierce protests erupted, and Yeongwoo could feel his approval rating plummeting in real time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, he had expected as much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the planet Earth had been horrified by this plan when first hearing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So instead of trying to talk his way around it, Yeongwoo chose to face the storm head-on with a long explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Trust me. We’ve already prepared defensive systems strong enough to withstand a collision with a star.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Naturally, no one believed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Germany\u002FBavaria]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Wilhelm: Y-you… you’re insane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[China\u002FTianjin]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Shenghua: We’re all going to die! That lunatic is going to get us all killed!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The chat instantly turned into pandemonium, and Earth looked at Yeongwoo with a devastated expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『With that one statement, you just shocked the entire world. Everyone’s running outside to look up at the sky.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo only shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good chance to get some fresh air, don’t you think?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『What? Are you out of your mind? Do you even realize what you’ve just done?』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Earth’s brows furrowed in anger, Yeongwoo, still calm, pointed outside the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’ll blow over in thirty minutes anyway, won’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『…What?』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course they’re shocked now. But once we actually collide with the star and nothing happens to us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『W-well, that’s…』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then everyone will realize it. That this so-called ‘madman’ was actually just telling the truth.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『…Insane bastard.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once people see that we can headbutt a star and survive, won’t they pretty much believe anything I say afterward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『…….』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amazingly, he wasn’t wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When you start off sprinting, walking feels easy later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the same way, Yeongwoo had decided to deliver the strongest possible shock right at the start, instead of gradually ramping it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That way, no matter what outrageous things he said afterward, no one would really doubt him anymore.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Think about it. There are countless ‘non-Earthly’ things we’ll need to explain to the residents. And every time, we’ll face their protests and disbelief.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『…So you decided to start off with a full swing, huh?』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Once your knees are broken, getting slapped across the face doesn’t even register. Your knees hurt so much that you can’t feel your cheek at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, this “star headbutt” was a kind of shock therapy—breaking the knees right away, so to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A drastic prescription to quickly make people accept all the explanations that would follow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『But… what if, by some tiny chance, the star headbutt fails? How will you deal with the consequences then?』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Earth asked this, Yeongwoo tilted his head as though he genuinely couldn’t understand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What do you mean? If the star headbutt fails, we all die. There won’t be anyone left to complain.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment Yeongwoo said this, the live broadcast chat overflowed like a bursting dam.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[China\u002FTianjin]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Shenghua: W-what…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[USA\u002FOregon]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Will: Did everyone just hear that? He literally admitted he’s going to kill us all!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[France\u002FOccitanie]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>|Jean: It’s the end… the end of the world!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s eyes widened slightly as he muttered,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Oops.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For a moment, he had forgotten this was live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it. That’s the kind of question you should’ve asked off-air!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Already forgot again? You’re the one holding the camera.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, Yeongwoo’s “we’ll all die anyway” comment instantly threw the entire world into screams and despair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that point, the only ones still supporting him were the citizens of Metal Seoul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Seoul’s surprisingly calm. Only about 30% of the population actually ran outside screaming.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thirty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still a high figure, but compared to other countries, it was overwhelmingly low.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Seoul’s lived with me for a long time… it’s only natural.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this, Jiseon’s voice corrected her son from off-camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Not natural. You should call it gratitude. At least on the broadcast, say you’re grateful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, yes, of course. I’m grateful too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo winked at the camera.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Immediately, the already-apocalyptic chat filled with curses, and Yeongwoo quickly shut it off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll temporarily disable the chat. Just until after the star headbutt is over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to Earth with a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long until we reach Koatu’s star system? If this keeps up, I’ll be burned at the stake.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Pure travel time… maybe 15 minutes?』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pure travel time? What does that mean?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth pointed out the window.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『We’re about to leave the relay zone.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, the holographic relay field outside rapidly faded, revealing the dark void of space.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had exited the relay zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on? Why aren’t we moving forward?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Think of it like being stuck at a traffic light on a road.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A traffic light?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Exactly. Star systems aren’t evenly distributed across the universe. Sometimes there are stretches of completely empty space.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>According to Earth, these “gaps” gave both the relay zones and the ships a chance to cool off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was literally a red-light section.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『From here, we’ll have to navigate manually for a while. The ship has to travel on its own power until we reach the entrance to the next relay zone.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Earth added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Of course… I’m just repeating what I read in the ship’s manual. I’ve never been on a space voyage before either. This is new to me too.』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, space beside Yeongwoo split open, and Administrator Kubu opened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Srrrt.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―This area is what’s called the Yellow Zone. It’s the empty space between relay regions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yellow Zone? There’s an actual name for this place?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―It’s not an official designation. But since so many things happen here, people felt it needed a name of its own.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So many things?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Since many ships have to slow down here, pirate vessels often appear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So it was essentially a vulnerable zone for space travelers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Earth’s road analogy, it was like a long red-light intersection where muggings often occurred.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-But we’re already pirates ourselves… doesn’t that mean it doesn’t matter for us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jiseon cracked a joke, countless colorful lights appeared in the void outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if an entire fleet had lit up their beacons at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… are those pirate ships?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Yeongwoo asked, Kubu shook his eyes from side to side.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―As I said, many things happen in the Yellow Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he blinked once and continued.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Those are peddlers who target ships moving slowly through here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Peddlers with all sorts of lights.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At first, it looked like nothing more than exterior lighting on their ships.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But as they drew closer, it became clear that wasn’t the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re billboards…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were all a kind of advertisement display.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some were rectangular like Earth’s billboards, others scattered glowing strings of text in midair, and others showed simple pictograms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, since most of them were small-time peddlers, they didn’t have the status to use transcendent languages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So each billboard was filled with its own native script.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why Yeongwoo couldn’t read some of them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t even read a few of these at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though they were all alien languages, some conveyed meaning while others were completely incomprehensible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo tilted his head, Kubu explained further:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Because they’re in minority languages not registered in the language converter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minority species?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Yes. Of course, if a minority species has high enough cosmic status, their language is adopted into the universal tongue. But no species of that stature would be peddling out here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the universe, languages fell broadly into three categories:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>First, transcendent languages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Second, the universal tongue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Third, everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The universal tongue was a language anyone in the cosmos could understand without a converter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Officials used it, and languages of ancient or prestigious houses were often supported for automatic translation at the cosmic level too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So aside from the great houses’ tongues and the officials’ speech, all other languages fell into the “third” category.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That included Earth’s human language.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant alien races had to rely on converters to communicate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo was currently benefiting from one, thanks to Administrator Kubu who had filed the support request at launch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So if Yeongwoo couldn’t read some signs, there was only one explanation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―If a species has never once used a language converter, then even if we’re using one, we can’t read their writing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Then how do they trade?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―The converter can still process spoken meaning. So at least basic dialogue is possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But written text remains indecipherable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the billboards Yeongwoo couldn’t understand all belonged to extremely insular species.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the…? If they’re desperate enough to come out here to peddle, why wouldn’t they use a converter?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―A matter of culture and values. They want their language to remain exclusive to their own kind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In this age of cosmic interconnection… choosing that path seems like a huge disadvantage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the universe was vast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, the peddlers were drawing closer, and Yeongwoo could now see their ships filling the view outside the bridge—each with a billboard mounted on its bow or hull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Shigak General Store]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>≪Special 20% Discount!≫\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>∥Ship repairs offered.∥\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>〔Guns for sale. Repairs too.〕\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most were straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Very few had clever slogans to attract buyers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re not very good at marketing, are they?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>―Since there are so many vendors, it’s less about catchy wording and more about standing out from your neighbor’s sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fair enough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, there were hundreds of peddler ships in sight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the perspective of a passing vessel en route to the next relay tunnel, it was impossible to carefully read them all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway, let’s just keep moving.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Yeongwoo pointed ahead, a sudden laser beam shot out from among the peddlers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piiiaaaaat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoa?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moment he spotted it, the bridge flared red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>『Impact warning. Someone fired on us. It wasn’t strong enough to breach the shields, but still…』\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth reported with a grim expression, unlike his usual tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who was it? Can you find the bastard?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as Yeongwoo asked, a large screen appeared at the front of the bridge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course Earth had already pinpointed the attacker.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Paaat!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The screen showed a medium-sized ship with a reddish-brown hull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On its billboard, a message was flashing:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Anyone need bundles of weapons for Sword Mountaining?]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was blatantly targeting Yeongwoo, who used a mini Sword Mountain system.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They had deliberately attacked the planetary ship just to get his attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Risking life to make a sale—insane in any sense of the word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of lunatic is this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo stared at the billboard, unable to look away, Jiseon quipped,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>-Well, one way or another, you’re going to meet them, right? At least their marketing game is strong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1915,"2026-06-09T07:04:10.527Z",1,"novelbin.me","f4749b5d212107d189bc6fd5bb4c87c6d609867c8413946f57ebcec16a8b2429","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-523","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-521",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]