[{"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-550":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},1848564,2454,"Chapter 550","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-550",550,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 550: The Aesthetics of the Circle (1)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“An artifact…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s eyes widened as he read the dungeon’s description.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was the first time he’d ever seen a dungeon ranked at Artifact level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, the title:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[The Aesthetics of the Circle]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Dungeon Rank: Artifact\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Difficulty: B\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Minimum Party Size: 8\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Recommended Party Size: 32\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>*If you yield just a little, everyone can live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Minimum of 8, but recommended 32? What kind of dungeon is this supposed to be?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The gap between minimum and recommended numbers was fourfold.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Considering that previous dungeons had at most double the minimum, this was odd.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Feels like a hellhole already. And that “yield a little” line? Doesn’t sit right with me either.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even while thinking this, Yeongwoo had already stepped toward the portal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His curiosity had won.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, he’d already used up his golden sphere—he had to get his money’s worth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As soon as Yeongwoo stepped inside, the familiar sensation of spatial transfer wrapped around him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whoosh—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before him stretched an endless stone floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slammed into the ground before he could even brace himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the—did I just fall from the sky?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo lay face-down, brushing dust off his forehead, someone extended a gold stick toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lifting his head, Yeongwoo saw something bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Uh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frog—yes, an actual frog—decked out in glittering jewelry, holding out the stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What the hell is this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he stared, dumbfounded, the “frog” opened its huge mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—This? How dare you call me “this”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frog trembled in rage, and the gold and jewels on its body clinked noisily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thanks to that, Yeongwoo snapped out of his daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What is this guy, rich or something?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A frog of indeterminate origin draped in every ornament imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was about a meter tall, and the only “weapon” it held was that gold stick.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, for someone inside a dungeon, its armament was pathetic, and its appearance far too conspicuous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nor did it radiate the aura of a powerful being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Looks like I could crush it in two seconds flat.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, Yeongwoo was confident he could kill it and loot all those jewels before it even blinked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Insolent creature! Yet, given the circumstances, I shall overlook this once!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as it babbled, something about the frog’s haughty tone pricked at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It acted as though it were unquestionably the superior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Nine times out of ten, that meant nobility—royalty even.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Um… forgive me, but may I ask your name?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The frog straightened up proudly and looked down at Yeongwoo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—If you must know, I am the Tragic Jewel, Kanaph Izori.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Tragic jewel… Kana-what?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo felt an almost overwhelming urge to stomp the frog flat, but restrained himself once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So you’re royalty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Royalty? Something like that. I am the only younger sister of Duke Dalqui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The younger sister of Duke Dalqui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So not a princess but a noblewoman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Oh, that’s all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Yeongwoo decided it was time to establish who was in charge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nobility? And not even the duke himself, just his sister? I’ve got friends who are royalty, you know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stood up, and in an instant their eye level reversed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Yeongwoo was the one looking down at Kanaph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At his waist hung the legendary sword Bastard and, until now hidden beneath him, Aratubank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Any fool with eyes would recognize such prestigious gear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, Kanaph lightly tapped Yeongwoo’s fingertip with her gold stick as she added,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—By now my brother is desperately searching for me. Whoever protects me and delivers me safely to Duke Dalqui will be richly rewarded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s face lit up like sunshine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you say so sooner? So you’re the one the Duke’s looking for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one thing still didn’t add up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How exactly did you end up here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a dungeon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You couldn’t just stroll in from the garden.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanaph’s face turned sullen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—While traveling outside the duchy, I was attacked by villains. No doubt scoundrels with a grudge against my brother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Attacked? But instead of killing you, they sent you here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The blood of House Izori never washes away. If I bleed, the trace lasts forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, the attackers dumped her into a dungeon to hide their tracks, counting on other participants to “handle” her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So they left her here in all her finery to get killed by someone like me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By sheer misfortune for them, the first “someone” Kanaph met was none other than Jeong Yeongwoo 07.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Duke Dalqui it might spell trouble, but for Kanaph it was pure luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must have done a lot of good in your past lives, running into me like this.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Rude, but not stupid, I see.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But this is still a dungeon, Kanaph…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Call me Lady Kanaph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah, right. How exactly am I supposed to get Lady Kanaph out of here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As experience had shown, when a dungeon ended, all participants were sent back to wherever they came from.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning even if she survived, she might be teleported to some unknown planet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Kanaph raised the gold stick she held.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ssk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Twice a day, I can hide myself inside this sacred relic for a short time. Carry this out of the dungeon, and I come with it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re kidding. How’d you not get that stolen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jaw slack, Yeongwoo watched Kanaph swallow the stick into her belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Oh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d seen this kind of ability before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pofu Tenta, another amphibian, had stored a trumpet in its stomach too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How long can you hide inside it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hmm… about a minute?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So basically you’ll have to walk on your own the whole time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That made the situation clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘One way or another, I have to keep this frog lady alive and collect a ransom from Duke Dalqui.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically she was a hostage, but morally, this was good karma.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d be returning a kidnapped noblewoman to her rightful place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well, fine. Just stick close to me, Lady. Understand?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While sizing up his new “client,” Yeongwoo twitched an eyebrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got a prosthetic leg.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One of Kanaph’s legs gleamed silver.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—And aren’t you missing an arm?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice turned sharp, apparently displeased at his remark.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No, I didn’t mean it like that… It’s just funny coincidence. An amputee and a one-armed guy crossing paths in the same dungeon—what’re the odds?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He glanced around.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This place is huge.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The artifact-rank dungeon The Aesthetics of the Circle was far larger than any he’d seen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Open land stretched endlessly in every direction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know the dungeon rules yet, do you? Looks like you were here first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I know nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course—she hadn’t come here by choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yeongwoo pointed vaguely ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let’s move. Something’s bound to show up after a while.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was basing this on the dungeon’s stated scale:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Minimum: 8\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Recommended: 32\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, the only person visible was Lady Kanaph.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘At least six others are somewhere in here, but I can’t see them. This place is absurdly huge.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far off on the horizon was a bluish something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wall?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The sky?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t tell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For now, they had no choice but to explore until the next phase began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If walking’s hard, let me know.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even here, Yeongwoo’s ingrained respect for elders surfaced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanaph stamped her silver leg on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hard? I can run.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He nodded and started walking aimlessly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no landmarks—no way to tell front from back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clank, clank.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while trudging across the vast emptiness, Kanaph asked,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Why did you come here?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“To make money and get gear.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Money?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I’m not noble like you; no family fortune to draw on.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Then you’re… someone’s vassal?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m the head of my own house.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—What? You, a head? Impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo glanced over his shoulder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s so shocking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The head of a house should…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes, yes, I’m sure all the heads you’ve met were classy. But the universe is a big place. Guys like me exist too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Renaissance-era head of house Jeong Yeongwoo 07 had no qualms about extortion, kidnapping, or threats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanaph, who’d lived her life draped in jewels, had probably never met a brute like this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Still, consider yourself lucky. I’m pretty good at staying alive.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—But… even you don’t know what this place is yet, do you?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Not yet.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just then, the dungeon finally shifted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thunderous noise, a giant timer appeared on what looked like the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[06:00:02]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It immediately began ticking down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[06:00:01]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The last digits were seconds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Which meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[06:00:00]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Six hours?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo muttered, the timer dropped below six hours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[05:59:59]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, for the first time since entering, a system message appeared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「From now on, the dungeon space will shrink drastically every hour.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s head whipped around like he’d been burned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He suddenly realized what that bluish “wall” or “sky” must be.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…A magnetic field.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「With each partial closure of the dungeon, an escape point will appear at a specific location. Activating it requires two arms and two legs.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Ugh? What does that mean?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanaph stretched her mouth wide in horror.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo, meanwhile, blinked rapidly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Two arms, two legs… prosthetics and artificial limbs, maybe?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He and Kanaph both had an artificial arm or leg.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The other participants were probably in similar condition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meaning the dungeon’s true objective was,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Collect prosthetic arms and legs as you go.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Realizing this, Yeongwoo immediately drew Bastard from his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shhhhk!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Slash!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He cut off his own left arm in one stroke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kanaph shrieked and bolted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Kyaaah! He’s insane…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But she didn’t make it three steps before he grabbed her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Where are you going? We only need one more leg now.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1653,"2026-06-09T07:04:10.527Z",1,"novelbin.me","9fa2f541bcb16cf8c939f07cb1d8b5e649279aad66fb73baf7ea16ee86a60a51","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-551","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-549",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]