[{"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-589":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},1848603,2454,"Chapter 589","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-589",589,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 589: Quagmire (6)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That day, Yeongwoo saw something for the very first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw Lemu make a human facial expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That peculiar look unique to humans when they witness the inexplicable—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A fear born from witnessing an irrational decision that no machine could ever comprehend.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All because Yeongwoo, in the midst of the chaos, said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you seriously trying to take the money at a time like this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And as Lemu stared blankly, Yeongwoo scooped up armfuls of coins and spoke a line so transcendent it struck Lemu like divine revelation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you think about it, I almost died because of this money, right? So that means it’s worth risking my life for.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While Lemu sat there stunned, Yeongwoo pointed behind him and shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey—don’t let go, it’s coming at the very end…!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Oh dear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Lemu turned around, he saw someone considered one of the strongest among all machines with full ego: a machine swinging its sword at him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Mohir…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Calling the enemy’s name, Lemu raised his own sword.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And immediately—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bizarre sword emitting a horrible metallic shriek came crashing down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWA-A-A-AANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Lemu. What on earth are you doing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The one called Mohir wore an expression of equal confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had never imagined that the Master of the Machine Tower—known as the wisest among the thinking machines—would stand in his way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the being that Tower Master was protecting…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>was busy doing nothing more than—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hurry up! I don’t think President is going to hold out much longer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—stuffing money into a bag in the most shameful posture imaginable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—So you’ve developed an “error” as well, have you.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mohir’s orange-tinged pupils began turning red again, and Lemu gripped his sword in both hands and snarled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—This is not an error. This is enlightenment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—To think you’d block my blade for the sake of a biological being… yes, perhaps it is.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KAAAANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the two machines exchanged incomprehensible words and clashed swords, Yeongwoo barked at the frozen Amana:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey! What are you doing? Pick up the money!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amana looked at Yeongwoo, then at the two machines fighting beyond him, disbelief in her eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I… even I know that machines like that do NOT exert themselves for living beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What are you talking about?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The contempt for biological life… It’s the fundamental value among higher machines.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But look—he’s fighting his own kind for your sake.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…And?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—And yet you’re using that precious opportunity to pick up money?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo grabbed Amana by the collar, outraged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Money? You think money is trivial?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…What?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I had more of this stuff, none of this would’ve happened in the first place, genius.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—T-That…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amana fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because in this universe, money was power—and Yeongwoo’s logic wasn’t wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not picking up coins. I’m picking up a future way better than this mess. Meanwhile you—why aren’t you investing this precious opportunity into your future?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As if arguing was a waste of time, Yeongwoo bent back down and shoveled more coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is a once-in-hundreds-of-millions-of-years opportunity! A chance to close a deal with a monster like that!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone did pause to wonder—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he really mean “hundreds of millions of years,” or was that just Yeongwoo’s way of saying “a few days”?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they quickly stopped thinking and joined in, frantically scooping the coins into the Golden Goblin’s wide-open dimensional pouch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—My goodness…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even the sacred guardian of the planet Sutral, Amana, spread her feathers wide and began sweeping in coins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The worst-case scenario had already arrived; grabbing money on the way out was simply the second-worst choice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Jeonggu spoke up, voicing a sudden thought.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hey, Yeongwoo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? Make it quick.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is it… okay to take the ingots too? Wouldn’t that basically mean the deal isn’t happening?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. Correct. Which means—deal massively successful.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, Yeongwoo proudly dug out more ingots buried nearby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…I see. So you’ve decided not to worry about consequences.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“President, we were supposed to die today. Consequences don’t matter. This is payment for my life.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unfortunately, Yeongwoo did not get to take all of his “life payment.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Y-Yeongwoo…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lemu, who had been holding off Mohir, let out a strained cry—it was clear he was truly at his limit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah. Yeah, that sounded real.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Lemu’s groan, Yeongwoo sprang to his feet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were still coins rolling on the floor, but by rough estimation, he had already made back the cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, he’d managed to grab at least four ingots.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everyone up. Time to leave if we want to live.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kicking aside piles of coins, Yeongwoo sprinted toward the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu, Kejen, Amana, and the Golden Goblin dropped everything and followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tak tak!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing them flee, Mohir roared in fury.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Lemu! Do you not see that? Is that truly enlightenment?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still locked in a sword clash, Lemu turned his head toward the retreating warship master.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was Yeongwoo, clutching armfuls of Katangdal ingots and scrambling away.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…On second thought, perhaps not yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gave a bitter smile.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that’s when Lemu’s pupils turned blood-red.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mohir seemed to sense what was coming and hastily raised his guard—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Almost simultaneously, Lemu’s body erupted with blazing blue light.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>KWA-A-A-A-A-AANG!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“W-Wait, L–Lemu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Startled by the sudden self-destruction, Jeonggu froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo rushed back, grabbed his father by the collar, and yanked him forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guy’s got multiple bodies and tons of money! We’re not at the stage where we worry about rich people!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he unleashed his 175-Sword Mountain technique on a minion guarding the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“HYAAAAH!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skies of the trading hall split open—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>and countless blades, manifestations of Yeongwoo’s past battles, poured down like a waterfall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Wh—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unlike the gorilla from before, this one was weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It didn’t even react before being swallowed by the storm of blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“When President Lemu flinched like that earlier, I knew he couldn’t win this one. So move!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though Lemu had self-detonated, Yeongwoo knew full well it wouldn’t have finished the enemy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And in fact—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>CRASH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A mangled Lemu corpse flew through the air and hit the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Pathetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just as Yeongwoo expected, Mohir had survived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had lost one shoulder, shredded by the blast—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but even with one arm, he was strong enough to butcher everyone present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo knew that better than anyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That crazy bastard. I just know we’re going to meet again someday.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Already cutting open the plate blocking the exit, Yeongwoo glanced back one last time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Next time we fight for real! I’ll come back stronger using the money you gave me!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And before Mohir could respond, he jumped through the exit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>* * *\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>FWOOSH!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ash-gray portal spat Yeongwoo’s group out at Kejen’s hideout—the original trading location.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>THUD!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone but Yeongwoo face-planted immediately, having jumped through in a rush.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Ack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo alone kept his balance and immediately began counting the ingots scattered on the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Four… six, seven.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then he turned to the Golden Goblin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How many inside the dimensional pouch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goblin stuck his head inside, rummaged around, then flashed six fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Six? Then thirteen total.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At black-zone prices, that meant 19.5 billion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo then moved on to the most important part—cash settlement.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All right, cash? I trust everyone literally risked their lives picking that up.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He dumped the the possessions onto the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The goblin pulled his head from the pouch and projected a hologram above it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PAAAT!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[27,436,429,000]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Roughly 2.74 billion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So, how much total?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo asked, Kejen twitched his beard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—46.9 billion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait, then we profited, didn’t we?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Originally, they were supposed to receive 42.5 billion, meaning they came out 4.4 billion ahead.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What an unbelievable deal.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Jeonggu muttered in disbelief.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And since they had staked their lives, it didn’t even feel like wrongful gain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, Mohir—the rightful owner—was probably grinding his teeth somewhere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what happens now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu asked. Yeongwoo folded his arms.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I promised Koatu ten ingots for conversion. So we need to set aside 15 billion.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even though he sold them at 1.7× price, he only paid Koatu 1.5×.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everyone knew this, but no one pointed it out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Subtract Koatu’s share… leaves us with about 12.4? It’s so damn hard to make money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… we still have thirteen ingots left.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah, but that’s all dirty money. We’re going to lose a lot converting it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re basically not paying taxes and still complaining you want more free money…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“With monsters like that popping up without warning, of course I need more money.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At least they hadn’t traded the royal seal yet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyway—thank god we didn’t die today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo rubbed his neck, recalling what Lemu had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Your progression is faster than even the Machine Tower predicted. That is why the moment of your annihilation also arrived early.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was undoubtedly true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If Lemu hadn’t planted traps after foreseeing the future via the records, Yeongwoo would’ve been slaughtered by the machine swordsman.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘What the hell was that machine? Isn’t President Lemu supposed to be near the top among machines?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, the fact that Lemu could at least contest against him at all meant—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was catching up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Little by little, but he was nearing the level of 4th-class beings like Lemu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That Mohir guy… you don’t know who he is either, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As expected, Kejen shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I've heard of Lemu, but Mohir? No. I’m not too familiar with machine society.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jeonggu offered a plausible guess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lemu is famous because he runs a huge business, but Mohir didn’t act like a businessman. So maybe only certain circles know of him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was someone so powerful that Lemu—top-tier among machines—rushed over the instant he sensed the presence and even self-detonated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How strong do you have to be to sleep comfortably in this universe…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo felt his mind go blank and slumped to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>BRRRRT!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The entry ticket in his pocket vibrated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had to be a trade request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tapped it—and indeed, a trade request appeared regarding the royal seal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Kardal Royal Seal]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>| Buyers: 2\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Two buyers?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo widened his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kejen fidgeted his fingers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—One of them is certainly the Kardal royal family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1706,"2026-06-09T07:04:15.797Z",1,"novelbin.me","2c3297e0d2a9ffcb230eb6f29743c18b5b73f13c76d7a2249dae4c3be4a2806d","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-590","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-588",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]