[{"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-570":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},1848584,2454,"Chapter 570","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-570",570,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 570: The Black Zone (2)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Uh…? What the hell is this supposed to mean?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Four more acts of hypocrisy remained until the first collection reward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And right after committing his very first hypocrisy since obtaining the Catalog, Yeongwoo earned a new effect labeled “Izori.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「From now on, you will receive 5% less damage from all ‘Izori’.」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s head grew complicated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So this means… I now take 5% less damage from everyone belonging to the Izori family?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was probably the base effect granted by the Hypocrite’s Catalog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since a hypocrite still technically belonged to the “domain of good,” it made sense that it would grant a defensive function such as damage reduction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Then the Wicked Catalog must increase outgoing damage… right?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A rather plausible guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, if one were planning war against a certain house, they could prepare in advance—by performing hypocrisy or wickedness beforehand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They say a gentleman’s revenge isn’t late even after ten years… Guess the same goes for the universe.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, one question did arise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How many times can this damage-reduction effect stack?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He understood that each house gave a 5% reduction, but could he gain another against the same house?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he later committed another act of hypocrisy toward a different Izori, would that become a total of 10% less damage from all Izori?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no explanation for that—he’d just have to test it himself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Either way, the fact that simply committing hypocrisy grants damage reduction is insane.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that wasn’t all—there were also tiered collection rewards on top of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ha.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now Yeongwoo understood why the dungeon “Aesthetics of the Circle” had such absurdly high over-achievement conditions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘With rewards like this… it makes sense.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So far, he’d only confirmed the reduction against one house, but he suspected that similar effects might apply to races as well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For example—those like the Artari.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If only I’d gotten this Catalog a bit earlier, I could’ve profited enormously.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But that was already in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Yeongwoo chose to look forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘From now on, whenever I meet nobles, I’d better put on a touch of hypocrisy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, the standard for what counted as hypocrisy was vague.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would any act of goodness done while his evil karma outweighed his good karma count as hypocrisy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Probably not. The Hypocrite’s Catalog seems to understand the context of my actions—it reads the whole layout, almost like typesetter.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And its base reward was damage reduction, no less.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So cheap tricks likely wouldn’t work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then another thought came to mind—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Rescue of Kanaph Izori]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Evaluation Grade: C\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘The “grades” of collected hypocrisies—what do those mean?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps only hypocrisies above a certain grade could be collected, or maybe rewards varied by grade.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Either way, he’d need more data to see the pattern.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Truly, this universe… its unknowns never end.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo muttered inwardly, the four-eared beast he was riding snorted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Psshh!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A signal—they were almost there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, the Parnas Hotel now loomed right before them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Is that your dwelling? It’s as large as the inner fortress of our house!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Madam Kanaph gaped at the towering hotel building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To her, it was shocking that an obscure house lord like Jeong Yeongwoo used such a massive structure as a mere lodging.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo told her the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t build it. Think of it as… a relic of my species.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…A relic?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. It originally belonged to someone else. You’ve never experienced a Reset or a Planetary Trial, have you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Regrettably, I have not, so I can’t quite grasp your words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not regrettable. The fewer planetary trials you go through, the better.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon they reached the hotel entrance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo dismounted and led her through the lobby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ll take the elevator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Eli… what?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the bewildered lady followed him into the elevator—like stepping into another world—Earth finally spoke up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Hey, I’m detecting an unfamiliar lifeform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A new guest. I’m keeping her for now—plan to sell her off for a high price later.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Sell her? You just called her a guest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘A valuable guest.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Anyway—what about the dungeon? Everything sorted?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘You won’t believe it even if I tell you, but… I saved everyone.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ What bullshit is this?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Too long to explain. Long story short, I now have to stack some good karma—by force.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo briefly explained the Hypocrite’s Catalog to Earth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And also mentioned its opposite counterpart—the Wicked Catalog.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ The Wicked Catalog…? That concept’s insane. The righteous wouldn’t even commit evil deeds to begin with.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘That’s why it’s called the Wicked Catalog. It’s made for people like me.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earth’s tone immediately turned uneasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ You’re just plain evi—never mind. So you’re heading back to the hotel now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah. How long till we reach the Black Zone? I’d like a bit of rest before then.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By then, Yeongwoo had exited the elevator and was walking down the corridor toward his suite.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Almost there. About three hours until we hit the outskirts of the Tuani Galaxy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Black Zone was said to lie at that galaxy’s very edge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They’d soon see that infamous criminal world for themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ According to Mr. Kejen, taking a planetary-class ship into the Black Zone is suicide.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Because we can’t possibly fight the tens of thousands of pirate ships that’ll come swarming in to hijack us…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Ah.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short—sailing a huge, flashy ship there would only attract every scavenger and criminal eager to seize it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Yeah, fair point. So what’s his plan?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Kejen was the expert on the Black Zone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Since you’ll need to retrieve the Royal Seal anyway, he suggests renting a small ship once we reach the galaxy’s outskirts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Renting a ship?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ That way, we won’t draw unwanted attention. Also, his hidden vault—the one with the Seal—can only be accessed by a small craft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Well… then Kejen can pilot, right?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Wouldn’t it be better to bring Mr. Mantero?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He has to stay and steer Earth. If worst comes to worst, we’ll need someone to evacuate the main ship.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Worst case?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘If I die. Or get captured.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If that happened, at least the Earth-ship would survive to fight another day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>○ Got it. So just you and Kejen going, then?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Hmm… maybe one more person would help, but I’ll decide after some sleep.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having reached his room, Yeongwoo ended the conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Here we are. There are quite a few people inside, so don’t be startled.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pressed the doorbell—and someone opened the door from inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clack.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was none other than Jeonggu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing his son returned from the dungeon, Jeonggu’s eyes widened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your… your arm—what happened to your arm?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo’s left arm was gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Used it to save someone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Strictly speaking, an alien.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You? Saved someone?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“One of them’s right here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He pointed downward—where Madam Kanaph Izori bowed gracefully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I am Kanaph Izori, jewel of the House of Izori.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Ah!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu hurriedly bowed back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I-I’m Jeonggu. Father of Yeongwoo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lady’s eyes went wide as she looked between them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—You… have a father?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What kind of crazy talk is that, ma’am? On Earth you’d get smacked for saying that.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pushing the half-open door wide, Yeongwoo strode in and collapsed onto the sofa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nothing happened while I was gone, right? Today was rough.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like it. That arm—it’ll grow back, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll have it by morning.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He flexed his shoulder; a small nub twitched where the limb had been severed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The nerves were already reconnecting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—where’s Mom?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Looking around for Jiseon, who usually stayed in the lounge, he saw she wasn’t there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“She’s in the cockpit,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu said, gazing at the ceiling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The cockpit? Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Said she wanted to see what that ‘Black Zone’ looked like.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Indeed, her curiosity was far stronger than Jeonggu’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So… do I take Mom to the Black Zone too?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wasn’t sure her martial ability would be much use there, though—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>a place notorious for 58% trade-scam rate, swarming with conmen and cutthroats.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Maybe I should take Yechan instead—let him get some real experience.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In this age of space travel, he couldn’t keep the kid confined to planetary errands forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And now that he’d learned he needed three identical Catalogs to upgrade one, it was time to train more reliable subordinates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why should I be the only one slogging through dungeons? They can go earn Catalogs too.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if they didn’t hit over-achievement, they’d at least bring back gear—worthwhile enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, they’d first need a good supply of golden orbs, and every one of them would be risking their lives.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It costs around one billion karma to unlock someone’s Prestige Level.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once that level’s open, fighting duels against him—the planetary ship’s owner—lets them grow at incredible speed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In essence, one billion karma could create a top-tier space warrior.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Auto-farming soldiers for a billion apiece… long term, that’s profitable.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he thought that, he saw Jeonggu chatting awkwardly with Madam Kanaph across from him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And it struck him, Shouldn’t I test this on Father first, before Yechan?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Jeonggu was his confirmed blood relative, and now inseparable from Renaissance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Father.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu flinched and turned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why are you calling me that all of a sudden?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you are my father. You and Mom founded this house together, didn’t you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Well, yes, but still.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once known as the top swordsman of his region, Jeonggu had long lost any trace of that strength.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a son who’d conquered space and a wife who was a dragon from a wealthy clan, he’d been ground down small and smooth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You still have some fire left in you, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Fire? What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re a total weakling now, Father. A mere creature.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But what if you could become strong again?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu frowned skeptically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Again…? Since the moment you turned up calling me ‘father,’ I haven’t been strong even once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course not stronger than me, but maybe stronger than Mom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That flickered a spark in his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet experience told him this insane son never said nice things for free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… what do I have to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll make you stronger—fast. In return, come with me to the Black Zone.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, Jeonggu rarely left the inner rooms; space itself frightened him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The place is crawling with criminals, isn’t it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I need at least one person I can trust. If it’s just me and Kejen, he could stab me in the back anytime.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Someone trustworthy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He swallowed hard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You won’t have to do anything crazy. Just keep watch and warn me if something feels off.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, to even breathe safely in the Black Zone, he’d need some level of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… that’s really all?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once we finish the deal there safely, you’ll start running dungeons too. Our house needs more Catalog holders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu knew exactly what that meant—he’d gone into one with Yeongwoo before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But if I die…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then it just means you weren’t fated to live in this universe.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo summarized bluntly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew most deaths were miserable; no need for flowery words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But as the patriarch of this house—do you really want to die of old age?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Would he rather grow old and die a frail mortal… or walk the path of power and risk being slain someday?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No… but what kind of son offers his father a road to death?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s why I asked if you still had any fire left. Without will, even gained power just gets you killed fast. Better to wait for natural death then.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How strong is this power you’re offering?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Worth ten billion karma.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>True growth would come after that investment, through a surge of Prestige—but Yeongwoo didn’t elaborate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Decide now. If you choose natural death, I’ll make the same offer to Mother next.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Why me first? She’s the better fighter.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo shrugged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guess fate just had you here at the right time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn it, I was sleeping fine—why wake me up for this nonsense?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tugged at his T-shirt collar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What are you doing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Checking if it’ll rip later—when all my muscles explode outward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It won’t go that far.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo chuckled, preparing the ten-billion-karma transfer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you’re ready to face getting killed in space, take my hand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu hesitated—then clenched his jaw and grasped Yeongwoo’s hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll show you there’s a way to live strong and long.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When death comes, I’ll beg so pathetically even the gods would pity me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dream’s still to die of old age.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",2095,"2026-06-09T07:04:15.797Z",1,"novelbin.me","2859f1e7a3b92c7e1a457f39f03c82b630583a4fb95e92888cbb4af733de5a10","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-571","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-569",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]