[{"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-670":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},1848648,2454,"Chapter 670","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-670",670,"\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chapter 670: The Dreaming Machine (4)\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Transcendent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Grade 2 being that inhabits the higher universe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because they rarely intervene in the affairs of the lower universe, information about them was not well known.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only scattered anecdotes drifted through the cosmos—stories of those who had written their own myths and, among them, a few who had brought down Transcendents.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But one thing was certain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘They really are transcendent beings, just like their name suggests. Just catching its interest makes my Prestige Level break through the ceiling.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>「+2.4 from arousing a Transcendent’s interest」\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With each level increase, the required “experience” for the next growth in Prestige Level rises drastically.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, a Level 56 individual gaining 0.2 experience and a Level 57 individual gaining 0.2 are entirely different matters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So for growth as high as 2.4 to occur merely from arousing interest…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is a crazy highway. I might be able to achieve in an instant what would have taken half a lifetime.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just from receiving a single glance, his Prestige Level had jumped from 56 to 58.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then what would happen if he actually did something?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was why, without realizing it, Yeongwoo had already placed his hand on the Bastard at his waist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Srrk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he was also aware that this attempt could very well be the first and last movement of his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Chancellor Herisa had said earlier, “hostility” was a universal language—anyone could recognize it, and anyone would feel displeasure at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, wasn’t it possible that he would never again meet a Transcendent at such close range?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo lowered his stance threateningly and fixed his gaze on the opponent, the Transcendent soon approached, its massive body moving with fluid grace.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, at a point about ten meters away from Yeongwoo, it lifted part of its body upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like a snake raising its head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…My god.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In a small stir, Herisa let out an involuntary murmur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Transcendent, which looked like a gigantic white band, possessed a force that overwhelmed everyone present even without emitting any kind of Prestige.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even Yeongwoo, who prided himself on having the greatest curiosity in the universe, could no longer take another step forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘…Damn it. I can’t even bring myself to try.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because he couldn’t read any intent from the opponent, paradoxically, Yeongwoo couldn’t dare to cross the “line.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What would follow was perfectly unpredictable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is true power. It’s on an entirely different level.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo blinked and stared at the Transcendent’s surface, which looked incredibly soft, Quiad spoke in a low voice.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—A very taciturn one has arrived.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Taciturn…? Then are other Transcendents talkative?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—At the very least, the one who gave me my epithet enjoyed conversation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ah.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Well, Quiad hadn’t been born a Grade 3 being either, so he must have encountered a Transcendent at the moment of his ascension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just now, simply by drawing a bit of its interest, my Prestige Level went up by 2.4.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—And so you dared to raise your blade against it?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If, by some chance, that were possible… I could become something completely different.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—You would taste a fleeting moment of growth, and then be extinguished at once. Even if everyone here rushed it together, not a single scratch would be left on it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…That’s absurd.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unbelievable, and yet at the same time, utterly believable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meeting a Transcendent was truly a bizarre experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then how do you even kill a Transcendent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Why do you seek to kill a Transcendent?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m not trying to kill one. But this sword… as far as I know, it’s a sword forged by killing a Transcendent.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo pointed at the Bastard with his eyes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had heard the origin of this Bastard directly from the giant Gameta he had met in the dungeon ‘Temple of Valor.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>≪Only those who write their own myths can leave behind their feats as tangible legacies. Vesedel killed a Transcendent and gave birth to the Bastard.≫\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, that was only what Gameta had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo himself had never seen Vesedel’s records, so it might not be true.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But considering the circumstances—and even the Bastard’s inherent abilities—wasn’t it a fairly convincing claim?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What Gameta had said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And soon, Quiad reinforced Gameta’s final words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I too have heard that the Bastard is a sword forged from killing a Transcendent. However, only those who bear the name Vesedel would know the truth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was referring to Chairman Dogo, the current Vesedel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—If the Bastard is truly a myth born from the extinction of a Transcendent, then the method of bringing them to death would also be known by Vesedel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then… are there no precedents of anyone other than Vesedel defeating a Transcendent?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The universe is vast. Nothing can be stated with certainty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It meant that while Quiad himself didn’t know of any, the world he inhabited was only a fraction of the entire universe, so he couldn’t give a definitive answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But at least, it’s safe to interpret that it’s ‘extremely rare,’ right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—It would be as rare as a Grade 4 being defeating Dogo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Huh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At Quiad’s words, Yeongwoo unconsciously froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew Quiad was using that expression as a metaphor for something ‘extremely difficult,’ but coincidentally, that very impossibility was slowly becoming reality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t Lemu—the one who had once crossed blades with Chairman Dogo and been defeated—now on the verge of ascending to a Grade 3 being today?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, even if Lemu were reborn as a Grade 3 being, it didn’t mean he could immediately defeat the Chairman, but could anyone guarantee the distant future?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, Lemu had succeeded in crossing the wall that had stood between himself and the Grade 3 beings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So… how strong is Chairman Dogo?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, Quiad looked up toward the Transcendent and let out a hollow laugh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—To dare ask such a question in front of a Transcendent… how amusing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But you said they’re mostly only seen in the higher universe, and practically separate beings, right? Then in the universe I actually live in, wouldn’t a Grade 3 being be close to the peak?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad tilted his head slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—The peak, you say. If one interprets ‘the universe’ narrowly, that may not be entirely wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then Quiad’s eyes narrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—I have not personally crossed blades with Dogo, but if his reputation holds no falsehoods, then he could be said to be one of those close to the peak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Chairman Dogo’s reputation…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Just what kind of things were being said about the Chairman among Grade 3 beings?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yeongwoo was extremely curious about that, but he knew well that this was not the right time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because the Transcendent, which had been floating in the air, suddenly opened the thousands of eyes covering its entire body all at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Ugh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The atmosphere of the Transcendent, now covered in eyes, was completely different from when it had been peacefully swimming through the darkness moments ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If before it had felt like a mysterious creature, now…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘W-what the hell, it’s a complete monster.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the eyeballs covering the Transcendent’s body moved as if each were a separate entity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In effect, it possessed thousands of gazes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And then, at last—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piiit!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thousands of pupils all focused on Yeongwoo at once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo withdrew his hand from the Bastard, only then did the thousands of gazes disperse again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Toward both Yeongwoo and Lemu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed to have developed interest in both of them simultaneously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And for Lemu—the one undergoing ascension—this was an extremely bad sign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>□ O Transcendent, I have pierced through countless futures for this moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unable to hold back any longer, Lemu turned toward the Transcendent first and lowered his posture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, for the first time, certain meanings began to flow out from the dark current.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Machine.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Machine.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was referring to Lemu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Transcendent had begun to speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But not through sound, nor even through transcendent characters.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply by perceiving the flow of meaning, its intent embedded itself directly into the mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Within the cradle, I felt a gaze. So it was a machine.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cradle, gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unfriendly meanings poured out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But it wasn’t difficult for Yeongwoo to infer that this referred to the higher universe and Lemu’s Observatory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t it widely known that the Typesetter lay within the higher universe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So the Transcendent was saying that it had continuously felt the gaze of the Machine Tower observing that place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>□ Typesetter…. Are you perhaps someone who directly sees the typesetting?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Excited by the Transcendent’s words, Lemu forgot himself and asked a question.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that, the Transcendent blinked its thousands of eyes once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, instead of answering, it sent forth another meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【I shall call you the One Who Pierces.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lemu’s epithet had just been created.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And astonishingly, the presence of Lemu—who had been maintaining an extremely humble posture—swelled to an absurd degree.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“……!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a change so immense that no one belonging to the lower universe could fail to notice it, and even Lemu himself widened his eyes and trembled faintly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>□ …This.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A Grade 3 being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With the creation of a unique designation for Lemu in the higher universe, his cosmic status had simultaneously ascended.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There were no radiant lights falling from the sky, nor any tremendous explosions of energy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Simply, with a single designation from the Transcendent—who had likely come representing the higher universe—Lemu’s very existence had changed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘This is insane. What the hell, is it some kind of god?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo reflexively tensed his body and harbored hostility, the gazes that had been on Lemu snapped back toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After maintaining silence for a moment, another meaning soon flowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Bearer of the sword, you require a name to mark you. For the sake of the other beings in the cradle.】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Yeongwoo frowned at the unexpected words, Quiad, who stood behind him, spoke urgently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—Hurry and demand a name. Before this opportunity passes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A name? But you just called me something. The bearer of the sword.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Quiad waved his hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—That is merely because you lack an epithet, so it used a similar designation. Bearer of the sword is Dogo’s epithet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Translator - Night]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Proofreader - Gun]\u003C\u002Fp>",1706,"2026-06-09T07:04:16.708Z",1,"novelbin.me","fe24d1f71d0eb17e71f0ac97861d0f159118a868516d641670103dad4aa40a8a","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-671","level-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-chapter-669",688,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Flevel-4-human-in-a-ruined-world-cover.jpg"]